People run all around me, whipping past my body in blurred, terrified shapes. Their screams pierce my ears with their own macabre song and my skin prickles with unimaginable, blistering heat. All I can think of is my father. I have to find him. He can save me from this, he can stop me from-

"Whoa, Ash, you alright?"

I blink, shaking off the phantoms of my past, and look up to see Kai standing at the door of my borrowed room. My sheets are messily twisted around my legs, and I'm sure I look even worse.

"Bad dream?" he asks awkwardly.

"I'm fine," I say as I drag an arm across my face to wipe away the sweat. Not exactly an answer, but hopefully enough to keep him from prying. "I'll be fine."

"Oh, alright. Well, there's breakfast if you want anything," Kai gives me a small, awkward smile before he ducks out the door and disappears.

I sigh and lie back in bed. My dreams threaten to return to the front of my mind, echoing with the added threat of Fang, but I manage to push them back with practiced ease.

I pull myself from under the sheets and stand up. I catch my reflection in the mirror and bite back a groan. No wonder Kai looked so put off. My hair is a complete tangled mess, my skin shines with sweat from the nightmares, and the tee and shorts I usually wear to bed are more rumpled than old grocery bags. I'm a complete wreck, inside and out.

I'm a little more presentable after I change into my usual fighting gear, and after taking a few seconds to smooth out the wild tangles in my hair I emerge into the pink sunlight on deck. Jay mentioned the location of the dining room during last night's "grand tour", and I make my way over to it shakily, a little off-balance as the ship lurches under my feet. Someone greets me as soon as I walk through the door.

"Good morning, sunshine."

I look up from my stumbling feet to see a girl with short black hair and warm brown eyes smiling back at me. Her features look familiar, and a few seconds later I realize why. "I'm Nya, Kai's sister. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Same here," I manage to smile back. I hope it doesn't look too stiff. "I'm Ash."

"Hey, Ash!" Jay waves to me from the table. "It's Zane's turn to cook, so I hope you're hungry for something amazing!"

"I'm starving," I admit just as my stomach growls loudly. I missed dinner last night to meet with Fang, and just thinking about food makes my stomach roar. I sit down next to Kai, opposite Jay.

Zane sets an omelet in front of me, something I haven't eaten in a while. I pick up my fork and carve out a piece, staring at it for a second before Jay nods me forward. I take a bite and my mind explodes with memories. Memories of when my father made me delicious food before a day of training. I can't stop the smile spreading on my face.

"Enjoying the food?" Kai asks, and all I can do is nod as I take another five bites. "Zane's an amazing chef, whether he'll admit it or not." Zane shrugs indifferently, but I can see the proud smile on his face when he turns away.

After breakfast we move out onto the deck of the ship. There are different types of training equipment set up along the railings and toward the prow, and I'm looking at them curiously when Kai approaches.

"Hey, Ash," he says with a friendly smile. "How about you show us some of the moves Cole's been telling us about?"

"I don't really see how it'll help you."

"My shurikens aren't very different from your knives," Zane says, "and if anything we will learn a little more about precision."

"Besides," Cole adds. "Any skill that'll help us fight better is worth watching."

"Alright, I guess," I say as I take a knife from my belt. I catch my reflection in its blade and stare for a second at my dark crimson eyes that burn even redder in the sunlight.

"There are targets on the other end of the ship," Kai interrupts my thoughts. I look up as he points to small circles of wood at least a dozen yards in front of us. "Show us what you got."

I nod my understanding before I close my eyes and focus on the ship's movement under my feet and the brisk wind flying from the left. I let them settle into rhythm before I open my eyes and concentrate on a target directly ahead of me. I imagine Fang's sneering hooded face at the center of it and my anger burns up again. With one motion I send my knife tearing through the air straight toward the target. The blade pierces the exact center with a satisfying thud, and the corners of my lips turn up. There's complete silence behind me.

"Wow," Cole finally says as Jay lets out a whistle. "How long did it take you to learn that?"

"A few months to get the basics down, and then a couple more of practice before I was actually hitting the target," I admit, smiling a little at the fond memories. "Would've taken much longer without such a good teacher."

"Don't worry about your dad, Ash," Kai says. "If anyone can find him, Sensei Wu can. He knows everything about everyone. Well, usually."

"Yeah, I'm sure," I nod. Kai's reassuring smile fills me with an empty dread, reminding me of Fang's own brilliant grin. The knives at my belt grow heavier, and for a second I wonder how many ninja I can put down before they catch on and fight back. I can take one, maybe two, but any more of these highly skilled warriors and I won't stand a chance. My blood runs cold just thinking about it, especially as all of them give me such open friendly smiles. My resolve wavers, and I wonder how I'm ever going to be able to do this.

You can't the small voice in the back of my head whispers. You can't do it. Your father's dead and so are they.