Once they were gone, I turned to the Eraser at her feet again. He was sitting up, watching me with that sick and twisted smile still on his lips.
"How sweet," he mocked. "Getting your little gang of freaks off to safety while you play the hero."
"I'm not playing a hero," I snarled, my voice shaking, as I watched the Eraser stand to full height again. He was at least a foot taller than me, even being tall for my age.
"Right. Just taking on all the characteristics of one," he continued. I stared at him without answering.
I didn't bother attacking him again. At this point there was no possible way of me winning. I couldn't fight all of the Erasers, there were too many and I was completely outmatched in terms of skill. I couldn't fly to safety without exposing our secret to everyone in the city. I was stuck.
"You know, you're kind of pretty when you're not all scrunched up in that little cage of yours," the Eraser droned, taking my chin in one hand. I yanked away from him, my breathing jagged with rage. "Wish I could take you back to the lab now. But orders are orders, right?" This was news to me, and I couldn't stop the surprise that surely came over my face.
"You're not taking me with you?" I asked before I could stop myself. A smile spread over his face again.
"If I wanted to take you now we'd already be gone," he said. "I just came to give you something." Reaching into his back pocket, he produced a folded piece of paper. From the way he held it in his hand, I couldn't see what it was. He reached around me and stuck it in the side pocket of the backpack, stopping close to my ear. "Don't forget about me. We'll be seeing each other again very soon," he said, sending chills down my back. And with that, he stepped away, turned, and disappeared into the city crowd with the rest of the Erasers.