Alex slowly creeped around his hostage as she sat unconscious in the chair. He adjusted his bulletproof vest as he watched the nurses attend to her wound. The poorly lit room had only one light bulb that dangled from the ceiling. Between being sedated and having a piece of Essence Stone in her arm, Luna was very weak. After they removed the bullet from her arm, the guards handcuffed each arm to the chair. She laid there, slouched over and motionless. Her long blonde hair draped partial across her face. Blood covered most of her left arm and face. The wound was already rapidly healing after the last piece was removed, but still she lay there asleep. Alex grew tired of waiting for her to wake up so he thought he would help. Unclipping the knife from his belt he gently pressed the specially made blade on Luna’s face.

  The blue metallic knife started to sizzle on her cheek, causing her to immediately open her eyes in shock. A small sliver of blood dripped from her cut as she stared into her captor’s eyes. She didn’t bother to look around nor try to figure out what was going on. She knew… Luna knew she had been double crossed. The young man standing before her was someone she’d never seen before. The full military gear gave it away… A small unfamiliar feeling went down her spine. The feeling of uncertainty. The fear of death… Either way, Luna wasn’t going out without a fight. She wasn’t just anyone after all. "Who are you supposed to be?” She asked while scooting back in the metal chair.

  “I’m glad you asked. My name is Alex LaGon, and I’ll be your host for the evening.” He said while flashing her a sinister smile. Alex decided to continue his walk around Luna’s chair. She could tell he was young but not sure how young. Alex wasn’t too tall but very muscular and usually liked to wear nothing under his camo bulletproof vest. “You know, I will say this. It’s an honor to finally meet one of the Angels of Death in person. I had bet, we’d catch the Child of Dreams first, and you last.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Oh well, it looks like fate had other plans.”

  Luna huffed, “The plan was to capture Arkaminus and deliver him to Queen Nira. We’re supposed to be working together to take down the Star Counsel...”

  Alex cocked his head to the side while giving Luna a confused look. “Your point?”

  “My point?” Luna bounced back and forth. “My point is we’re on the same side! I shouldn’t be in this fucking chair!”

  Alex burst into laughter which caused a loud echoing sound that bounced off the walls in the small interrogation room. There was nothing inside except for dirt and grind and concrete walls. There was no toilet or a bed. The room was not designed for a long stay... “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt about that. You were the plan all along.” Alex stopped pacing and kneeled down in front of Luna. That’s when she got the chance to get a better look at him. The light that hung above her head shined over Alex’s face. His dark brown slanted eyes, thick black eyebrows, and a grin from ear to ear was not what Luna was expecting. She definitely wasn’t expecting him to be flashing a smile... It made her lean back in her chair a bit. Alex gave Luna an unshakable chill. She could see long scars that covered his brown arms and hands. Two dark blue tattoos covered the insides of his forearms. She knew he had protection against her powers embedded into his body.

  Luna distracted herself by getting back on topic. “What do you mean I was the plan?”

  Alex stood back up, drifting into the shadows. “Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? About a year ago, we hired your man Yousif. My family found out someone was also in the game of ‘collecting’ Star Children. After doing some digging, my uncle found it intriguing Yousif was trying to find a way to remove the Star gene, so we hired him. Now, when mommy dearest found out about your relationship, Queen Nira decided to use you instead of capturing you right away. She claimed leading you into a trap would be easier than an assault. This is where it gets really interesting,” Luna’s captor rubbed his hands together. “Lover-boy had no idea his momma was double crossing you the whole time.” Doing the chef’s kiss, Alex began to laugh. “And I thought I was ruthless.”

  Luna looked down, confused, and upset. “Arkaminus was just a trap in disguise... My sisters and I are what you want.” Her gaze quickly looked up to Alex’s shadow. Her tone was sharp when she said, “They won’t come for me... My sisters don’t even know where I am. How do you expect to capture us all when they don’t know anything? Sakiya and Kahree are probably stashed away somewhere in the belly of fucking Stella.”

  Again, Alex dipped his head into the spotlight. “Um... ‘Sakiya and Kahree’ are their real names. They wouldn’t happen to have nicknames, would they?” Luna spit on the floor near her chair. “It was worth a try... See, the Founding Five believed the capturing of your precious Ancient Star would be enough to draw you three out. For sure, we were prepared for the Child of Fire, but nothing big happened. Or so we thought... After my uncle Ro reported back to Queen Nira calling bullshit on the expected attack, that’s when the KFM found out the truth. Your daddy sent your sisters on a covert mission, and no one fucking knew about it. They might be walking among us right now...”

  Luna looked away and began to laugh. She laughed so hard she almost started coughing to catch her breath. “Whoever gave you that intel is wrong! Coverts used to be our MO, but now our assignment is to destroy anyone and anything in our paths. My fucking sisters won’t come for me, asshole! They don’t know where I am and I don’t fucking know where they are. I just agreed to do this shit so I can go free! I just wanted to be free!”

  *

  Jordy helped Sky to her feet once he saw her down on her knees. “Are you okay?” He asked.

  “I’m fine. That girl you shot where were they taking her?” Sky stumbled on her words as she dusted off her dress.

  “Somewhere safe for now. Listen, I didn’t mean for this to happen. She was in my head telling me to kill myself. I had to make her stop... I didn’t know that was a part of my uncle’s plan.” Jordy looked around and saw a handful of guests still scrambling to get to their feet. A few laid on the ground covered in their own blood. Stab wounds to their faces and necks; they were not the lucky ones. “Sky, I want you to find my aunt Margarete and stay with her until I return.”

  Sky looked around and noticed more than half of the guests started to leave. “I think I’m going to head back to the hotel... Tonight was a bit crazy for me.”

  Jordy gave Sky a tight hug than kissed her on the forehead. “Are you sure? I know my aunt should be somewhere. I won’t be long, I promise.”

  She nodded in his chest and said, “I’ll be fine.” After parting ways, Sky pretended to make her way to the exit. She was more in shock at the moment than upset at her lover who just shot her sister... As soon as she was out of Jordy’s sight, she dashed down a hallway by the door. That hallway led to a series of other hallways. This must be where the guest rooms are located. There’s so many... When Sky got to the third hallway, she saw two guards walking through a door at the far end. It was the only hallway that had a door on the other side. Bingo...

  Before the guards came into view, Sky quickly dashed into a room that was open. Closing it slowly behind her, she watched as the two guards passed by. The room was dark, and she assumed she was alone until a hand came out of the shadows. The person cupped their hand over Sky’s mouth, pulling her back into the room. Sky’s first instinct was to set them on fire but when she heard, “Shh! It’s me, Kahree.” Immediately, she was relieved.

  Sky reached for a light switch to get a better look. “Kahree! How are you here right now?” Looking at her other sister from head to toe, she noticed Kahree was wearing the same maid uniforms and masks as the others from earlier. “Why are you dressed like that?”

  “I could ask you the same thing," Kahree lifted her mask and gawked at Sky. “You never said you were attending a KFM event. It doesn’t matter now... Phobos is the one who invited me. He said fuck-face Fuego needed more servers for his event tonight and asked if I wanted to come. Phobos was actually looking for you, but I told him you were busy with Jordy. Once he told me he was headed to Boro, I had a feeling I was going to run into you just not in this way. I definitely wasn’t expecting to see Luna here either. That shit was crazy, seeing Luna getting shot... I tried to follow the guards that carried her away but was quickly interrupted by one of the guests.” Kahree walked over to a mirror to check her appearance. “You what I just realized? We are all in the same place, at the same time...”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The reality of what Kahree said made Arkaminus’ words pop back into Sky’s mind. Luna, Kahree and Sakiya, the remaining members of the Angels of Death were in some very real danger. Sky quickly turned around and said, “We can’t all be here, Ree. I have so much to tell you... I found Arkaminus or rather he found me. He told me this whole ordeal was a trap. A trap for us, Ree... The queens and the rebels are working together to force their reform.”

  Kahree put up her hands trying to get Sky’s attention. “Whoa! Slow down... what are you talking about? You’re talking a mile a minute. You found Arkaminus and didn’t save him?”

  “He told me not to... We didn’t have much time, and I was trying to avoid the guards. He told me everything to his knowledge along with some other things. Neither of them can kill Arkaminus without us, without our Essence. All three of us make up the Star Lord, right? Well, the Star Lord’s power is a fraction of an Ancient’s. They need us to get rid of him. His light is fading Ree... Arkaminus is sacrificing himself so the queens can’t use his Essence.”

  Kahree’s face went from angry to upset. She put her head down then plopped down on the guest bed. “I’m confused, Sky. I thought it was just Queen Nira who turned on the Star Counsel. Now you’re saying it’s all the queens. Did Father know about this? He sent us to a mission to die?”

  Sky quickly sat down next to her sister. “No Ree, I don’t think so. That’s why he sent us here in secret. He knew something was going on as well. Think about it, if Father sent us into the trap, we’ve wouldn’t have gotten this far.”

  “True.” Ree wiped her face from the tears that were forming. “You know what this means, right? We’ve been burned Sky. Our enemies are closing in and the people we work for turned on us. Face it, Sky we’re fucked.”

  Once again, Sky started pacing back and forth. She knew their meeting was running out of time. “Ok, one thing at a time. Arkaminus wanted us to focus on saving the Star Children, so we do that first. We’ll need a distraction... I know just what to do.” Sky put her mask back on and walked towards the door. “Come on, I’m burning this house to the ground.”

  Kahree jumped up, also putting her mask back on. “Wait! Won’t that be too obvious? The rebels might think they’re under attack. Plus, I haven’t found the elevator yet. Oki is waiting nearby, and I have to let her know what to do next.”

  “Fuck obvious! Tell Oki to get ready. Make it quick… After I’m done, there won’t be a house left for the KFM to use anymore. I’ll do my best to buy you and Oki as much time I can spare. Once I’m done, I’ll come to help you find Luna, and hopefully Arkaminus.” Sky leaned forward and gave her sister a tight hug. “We got this... Everyone is depending on us so no pressure.”

  Kahree huffed and replied, “Yea, no pressure...”

  After the girls parted ways, Sky set every room down that hallway on fire. Within minutes, half of the guest wing was ablaze. The fire quickly spread throughout the house, consuming everything in its path. Guards from every direction started yelling for help, screaming fire. The remaining guests all rushed toward the main exit as smoke filled each hallway one by one. The Child of Fire took her time setting the Fuego mansion ablaze. She made sure she touched everything in sight that would contribute to her goal. Sky ducked away when she saw the guards then continued to make her way throughout the house.

  Jose Fuego and his wife were astonished by what they were witnessing. “My house!” Fuego yelped in agony. “Everyone get out quickly!” Pieces of the ceiling started to crumble down, along with the wooden pillars in the dining area. The spiral staircase, the newly remodeled kitchen and every trophy his family had won. Gone. All covered in dancing ambers which eventually turned to ash.

  A guard quickly dashed to Fuego’s side and asked, “Sir, what about the Star Children in the bunker? Did you want us to gather them up?”

  “No.” Fuego answered swiftly and without a thought. “Let them burn... We got what we need. Grab the Angel and the Ancient then get the fuck out of here. Those queen bitches will not get the upper hand over me.” The guard nodded after receiving his orders. Fuego then hastily got his family out of the place they once called their home.

  *

  Down in the bunker, the fire alarms went off as the dark gray smoke slowly filled the hallways. Guards from every corner began running towards the only elevator leading upstairs. “You can’t go that way!” Yelled the lead guard as his group tried to get away. “We have to open the hatch door and take the ladder. You all will die on that elevator.” After making his peace, the guard dashed in the opposite direction that led to the outdoor hatch.

  Just as he was running past the holding cells, Alex turned and looked outside the door to see what was going on. There was so much commotion happening at the same time. The fire alarms were sounding off, the guards were running back-and-forth, and the other prisoners banged on their doors. Alex opened the door and grabbed the first guard that was running by and asked. “What the hell is going on?”

  “We must evacuate, sir. The house upstairs is on fire.” The guard shrugged and continued running after he realized Alex wasn’t moving with him.

  Instead, Alex went back inside the holding cell. “Fire! You lied to me, Luna! What a fucking coincidence that the house is on fire!” Alex quickly unchained Luna’s handcuffs from the chair, leaving the cuffs around her wrists.

  “What are you talking about?! I told you my sisters don’t know that I’m here! You’re hurting me dammit!” Luna stumbled to keep up with her captor. Once Alex opened the cell door, gray and black smoke engulfed their surroundings. “What in the hell? You think my sister Sakiya started this? If Sakiya were actually here, this place would be leveled by now. You’re going to get us both killed you fucking asshole!”

  Alex pulled Luna by the arm as he rushed towards the elevator. He smashed the up button then threw his captive against the wall. Luna felt completely helpless knowing Alex had protection against her abilities. She knew it would work on him just not as strong. As she leaned against the wall trying to come up with some type of escape plan, Luna noticed something in the corner of her eye. When she turned towards her left, Luna couldn’t believe her eyes. “Kahree...” She said under her breath. The Child of Dreams’ eyes slowly glowed purple, confirming it was her. Kahree and Oki were hiding down a dark narrow hallway that happened to be stacked with boxes.

  Alex quickly turned around and said, “What did you say?” Just as the elevator door dinged. The doors shook and struggled to open as the house crumbled from above. Luna nodded her head as Alex pulled her inside the elevator. “Good. Now let’s find out who’s right or not. I have a funny feeling deep in my bones and I’m usually never wrong about these things.”

  *

  Sky moved effortlessly through the fire as she walked from room to room. She was hoping by now Kahree and Oki had got to the prisoners downstairs before the fire reached them. As she turned back towards the main hall that led to the dining room, she saw Jordy laying on the floor. She quickly ran over to him and checked to see if he was still breathing. “Jordy, you got to wake up.” Debris was flying everywhere all around them as Sky tried once more to wake him. “Jordy please! You have to wake up.”

  Moaning and slowly moving around, Jordy started mumbling but Sky couldn’t make out what he was saying. She knew he needed to get outside away from the deadly smoke. Sky pulled Jordy’s arm around her neck and helped lift him to his feet. Although he was dragging, Sky managed to help him maneuver through the burning house. His uniform was ruined, and his face was covered in soot. He began to choke hard just as they were approaching the main entrance outside.

  Just as Sky and Jordy passed the elevator, the bell rang. It shocked Sky to hear the elevator considering everything around her coming down. Still, she continued to push on assisting Jordy to safety. She was determined to not let him die... Arkaminus’ words still rang heavy on her mind although there was so much more happening.

  Alex burst through the elevator door laughing that they actually made it up to the top floor. With Luna in tow, he quickly had to shield his face from the amber and debris flying through. When he turned around to his captive, Luna was stuck frozen in her tracks. Almost like she couldn’t believe her eyes. Alex followed her gaze to see Sky assisting Jordy out of the main entrance. Being close enough, Alex heard Luna whisper, ‘Sakiya...’ underneath her breath. Everything around them was crumbling but yet she seemed to be the only one not touched or bothered. She didn’t cough from the smoke or flinch from the rumbling. Even though her back was turned, Luna could tell that was her sister. Sky effortlessly walked through the fire in which she created…

  That’s all Alexius LaGon needed to hear. “I fucking knew it! I knew it!” He laughed then celebrated even with danger surrounding them. Then before Sky and his brother were out of sight, Alex yelled out, “Sakiya! Child of Fire!”