(Content/trigger warnings for this chapter: self-hatred, mention of anxiety)

-Ranya-

Dakota walked through the doors on the other end of the band room, small gusts of wind picking up as she pushed the heavy things open. I was after her, my side and legs protesting, and made it through before the doors slammed closed.

"Dakota, wait," I said. "At least listen to this. Your powers only work with light and darkness, right?" I had only ever seen her control Fear Angels and try to control Pitch. She couldn't do it to him probably because he was too strong. "So when you control people, you can only do it to light and dark powers, or creatures made from those powers, at least. Could you… shut someone's off?"

Her eyes widened, and she paused, glancing back at me. "Someone wants to shut off their powers?" She sounded… sad?

I glanced around the dripping walls for any Fear Angels before replying, "My sister. She thinks it will convince Pitch she's not a threat."

Dakota shook her head. "But her powers make her popular. At least, I've heard that from somewhere. People consider her one of the mysteries of Windshallow. Why would she want to get rid of that?"

"She's been terrified of evil spirits like Pitch for years. She thinks it would be worth it. I don't think so, but it'll make her feel better. And I maybe… this is part of my becoming a Guardian. Convincing their leader the Man in the Moon that Isabelle can't join them anymore, so he has to pick someone else."

Dakota stood still. A distant clattering echoed from elsewhere in the building—clearly there weren't many Fear Angels left. Then she slumped her shoulders and continued walking forward. "The answer is no. I can't shut someone's powers off forever. I can restrain them when I'm nearby, if they're not too strong, but I can't take someone's powers away."

But that's hope, at least. My mind flashed through ways of sneaking Dakota into my faded yellow house. I'd have to hide why she was there from my parents, the Guardians, and Zachary. Then my heart stopped as my self-hatred burned brighter.

"Tell your precious friends I know their little secret, Ranya."

The only people I'd been in contact with lately besides Dakota were my family and the Guardians. Why hadn't I realized it before? The "little secret" was that Pitch knew about them—specifically, who my family was. He could hurt them. He'd somehow figured out my identity between my insulting him and going to the band room. My insults had probably prompted him to realize how dumb sending human teens to take out him was, and he'd looked into what could actually be going on.

I stepped in front of Dakota. "When Pitch disappeared, did he leave the school?"

She frowned. "No." She'd probably hoped to get a new weapon before charging him again.

"Then he knew about my family and me before today. That's the secret the shadows were talking about." I wondered why he would tell me this more and more as my thoughts came together. "Pitch wants to use my family to hurt and threaten Isabelle and me. I have to… I have to stay away. If I'm not there, he won't attack them." If Pitch attacked, the Guardians might be able to hold him off for a little while, but if he brought an army, the Guardians probably wouldn't have the numbers. What have I done? My heart raced, and my skin tingled. "Can I please stay at your house? Please, you have to help me!" I couldn't fight Pitch without good weapons or powers. I had neither, but Dakota could at least control Fear Angels.

Her eyebrows drew together. "You can easily stay in the school. It's so run-down here. You can break in."

I froze in shock at her helping me before my heart rate calmed. Maybe whatever reason she didn't like me, my family was innocent. She didn't want other people to get hurt. "Thank you. But still, will you… help me protect my sister? Please? You don't have to help me—just Isabelle." And I meant it.

Dakota looked away. Then her eyes darted to the wall to the left of us. Its water droplets had trickled to a halt. Just when I was about to ask why she was staring there, Jack darted around an intersection from the hall behind it and landed right in front of us.

He grinned. "I found you!"

My adrenaline rose again as I realized what his presence meant. "Where is Isabelle? Why aren't you protecting her?"

Dakota narrowed her eyes.

"Don't worry; I'm going right back." Jack jumped and took off, but my skin still tingled. Why is he even here? What if Isabelle's in danger right now? Pitch said he wouldn't attack her yet, but…

A high twittering rang into earshot.

I turned to Dakota and whispered as quietly as I could, trying to take advantage of maybe my last free second with her, "The Guardians can't do things like this. They're putting Isabelle in danger. Please, help!"

I shut my mouth seconds before hands came down hard on my shoulders, almost making my already pained and weak legs buckle.

"Ranya!" Tooth cried. "What were you thinking!" She gasped as she flew around me. "And what happened to you?"

Jagged swaths of the back of my shirt had vanished in the white mist. I was soaked in dark, cold splotches from the snow after my escape, my clothes sticking to my skin, and splinters and spiderwebs probably still hung off my hair.

I mentally cursed myself. One of the consequences of what I had done—this broken trust. "There was this thick white mist," I explained. "It vanished parts of my clothes. I don't know where it came from."

Dakota tensed as she stared at Tooth. "Who are you?" Dakota said.

Tooth zipped in front of her and held out her arms. "I'm the Tooth Fairy, the Guardian of Memories."

"Why is Pitch in Windshallow?"

Tooth paled, and her shoulders tightened. Even the lights above seemed to dim. "You met Pitch?"

"He kidnapped and asked me about you people."

Tooth turned to me. "And you, Ranya? Did he capture you?"

I couldn't break her trust any further. "…Yeah"

Tooth's face flitted through several expressions before it shone with fear. I'd been expecting anger, but fear? She darted back over to me and grabbed my shoulders, pulling my face inches from hers. "How did you girls escape?"

"I made him angry," I replied. "He was gonna leave us to the Fear Angels, but—" Dakota shot me a strong look out of the corner of my eye. Did she not want me to tell Tooth about her powers? "—we got away from them."

Dakota closed her eyes for a second in what looked like relief. Tooth darted back over and began fussing over her, too, checking for injuries on her hands and face. Dakota pushed Tooth away gently when she tried to lift up Dakota's tops.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" Tooth asked her.

"I'm fine. Just a little sore. But why is Pitch in Windshallow?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm… curious."

Tooth's eyebrows drew together as she met Dakota's gaze. "Don't get involved with this, please," Tooth said. "It's too dangerous for a human."

Dakota narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Pitch wasn't after us," I said, trying to defend her. "He just asked where you guys were. We didn't tell him, of course. But I thought it was kind of weird. I'd thought he'd assume Isabelle was with you guys already."

Tooth's expression softened. "Ranya, I know you were concerned about your classmates, but you really can't do anything like this again."

The thought resurfaced in my mind like a hiker stumbling out of a cave that I should tell Tooth what Isabelle's first Guardian Angel had said. But then the soothing feeling came over me again. My muscles relaxed, and the pain lifted from my body like it had decided to pass on. Everything would be fine. Everything was fine. Once I got Dakota on my side, she could help me figure out how to get rid of Isabelle's powers, and I could easily take her place as a Guardian.

Dakota stared at me with eyes so wide they were nearly as large as eggs.

"We have to get going," Tooth told us, and I shook my head as the seriousness of the situation came rushing back. "Everyone else took shelter in a church near here." She flew, and I followed. Tooth turned back around. "You need to come, too," she told Dakota.

Dakota turned and started to dash away, but Tooth grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Please let go!" Dakota struggled and tried to pry Tooth's hand off. "Please!"

"You can't stay here alone. Pitch could return!"

I think that's Dakota's point…

But the teen stopped. "Just please let go." Tooth relented.

The three of us soon made it outside through a pair of quietly creaking doors. It was cold enough that I asked to go back and get my coat, but Tooth said she didn't want to risk encountering any Fear Angels. She hadn't been able to find a way to enter the school at first (blaming strangely locked doors and too-small windows), but once she did, she discovered she couldn't kill them. She had no weapons besides her thin sharp wings and narrow fists, and neither of those damaged bone.

I shivered hard as snow began to fall, biting my skin where it landed, and the snowfall muffled every sound—the twittering of Tooth's wings, the crunching of branches, and the slightly frigid breeze. I wondered how much Tooth would be able to hear if I whispered.

Between her repeated glances backward, I turned to Dakota and said as quietly as I could, "Will you please help my sister? It's difficult with the Guardians like this. Most of them are trying to force her Guardianship on her; they wouldn't want her to get rid of her powers. But she might get killed if we don't shut them down somehow. You don't have to let me come to your house."

Dakota didn't speak for a second before replying at an equal volume, "Hmm."

"I'd figured we'd be hiding you from the Guardians anyway."

"Why do you want my help? You said it was because I have powers?"

"I want you to help Isabelle get rid of hers. Maybe we can figure something out."

Dakota looked down. Her face contorted.

Then she raised her chin back up, and the expression was gone. "Like what?"

"I don't care. I just want my sister to be safe."

Dakota sighed. "I'll help her. But I won't help you."

(A/N: Please favorite, comment, and follow! It means a lot!)