The humcab weaved all over the road as we made our way toward the highway. Fortunately few cars were out on the road so late at night. Lou growled at his newly armored cab, “Calm down Betsy. Respond to my touch. You ain’t never let me down before.”

I was kind of impressed that he was controlling the beast as well as he was because Betsy was now combat certified. The college girl, Sarah, squealed as we took a particularly rough turn, “What is this? Why is any of this happening?”

I looked over at the girl, “Well, we rescued you from those kidnappers. Do you know why they took you?”

She leaned forward in her seat to look at me, “At first I thought they were going to rape me, but they just stashed me down there and kept asking me about this hundred dollar bill I spent somewhere. I told them I got it from the bank, but they didn’t let me go. They kept saying that the person who gave it to me was going to come for me and they would let me go afterward.”

Kevin suddenly spoke up when Sarah finished, “Hey. They said that to me too. They wanted to know where I got my shoes and insisted that the creator of the shoes would come try to rescue me.”

Kalli gave me an insistent look. They’re both talking about you, aren’t they? Do you know them?

I know Kevin and I may have accidentally forgotten to un-edit his shoes when I was first experimenting with my skills. I don’t know the girl. The only thing I can think of is she somehow got ahold of that hundred-dollar bill I de-ghosted from Eddie.

I could feel the nervousness from Kalli through the connection. That means they have been hunting you pretty much since you awakened.

Lou interrupted our mental conversation, “Do you guys have a location in mind? It would be nice to have someplace to take you where you’ll be safe? Police station. Hospital. Hell, we should find a military base to send you kids. Let the army protect you.”

I sighed, “I don’t think the unawakened can stand up against what they might send after us.”

He turned back to look at me, “So what do we do next?”

Taking out my M-Phone, I explained, “I know someone who I think is stronger than them. She’s just not answering the phone.

I dialed Shara again. She picked up this time, “Melvin. I tried calling you. Why didn’t you pick up? Mother is ready to go now.”

“We got Kalli”, I blurted out.

The kid anxiously raised her voice, “I told you not to go in by yourself. Is everyone okay?”

“We’re okay for now. They might be chasing us.”, I explained as we turned onto the highway.

“Mom says to…”, I dropped the phone as Lou suddenly swerved across three lanes of traffic.

I caught a glimpse of the man in red standing in the middle of the road behind us. We careened into the median and bounced off. Several other cars swerved to avoid the massive yellow armored cab that was driving erratically.

I looked back and the man in red was nowhere to be seen. I heard the sounds of cars behind us slamming on their breaks as we came to a rest near the shoulder of the highway.

I was still a little disoriented when Kalli’s voice screamed in my head. Melvin.

I turned just in time to watch the door on the other side of the humcab get ripped open, the metal making a sound that hurt my ears as it bent unnaturally.

The man in red grabbed Kalli and plucked her from the vehicle. He pulled her into a headlock and announced, “You. Boy. Come with me and nobody gets hurt.”

Lou, being on the same side of the cab as the man in red, climbed out of the driver’s seat and stomped over to the man, “How ‘bout ya just let the girl go. We don’t want no trouble now. Ya hear?”

The man in red raised his free hand with lightning quickness and jabbed a single finger into Lou’s shoulder. The cab driver suddenly went flying back into the middle of the highway.

The man in red looked me directly in the eyes. I could have sworn I felt a bit of hesitance there, “Come on kid. Don’t make me do something we will both regret.”

I looked around desperately for something to edit. With Lou down for the count and two more unawakened in the seat next to me, I was running out of options. I picked up my M-Phone and climbed over Sarah to get out of the vehicle.

He took one look at the M-Phone that I was clutching and asked, “What do you have there in your hand?”

I held up the phone, “Cell phone.”

He laughed, “That won’t help you. Will you come willingly or not?”

I took a long look at Kalliphae. She was turning blue. He was choking her so she couldn’t draw air to cast a spell. I tried to communicate with the girl mentally.

Kalli, are you okay?

She was blacking out. I could feel the darkness creeping into my head. I frantically offered, “Okay. I’ll come willingly, but only if you let her go right now.”

A smile crept across Nestor’s face and he shoved Kalliphae at me. I caught her in my arms, nearly dropping the M-Phone.

Kalli! Come back to me.

She gasped for breath, slowly regaining her senses. She seemed to be aware of what was going on. Melvin. No. Don’t do it. You can’t let him take you.

I pressed the M-Phone into her hands.

We really don’t have an option right now. We don’t stand a chance against him. It's either this or he takes all of us. Call Shara. Find out where her mother is. Find me on the map and guide her to me. I have a plan.

I quickly began making edits as I inched my way toward the man in red, “How does this work? Are you going to teleport me back to that house?”

He shrugged, his face showing no emotion, “I cannot confirm that.”

“What do they want with me?”, I stalled.

He shook his head, “That’s above my pay grade.”

I racked my brain to make a few more tweaks, “Do you have to do this? Don’t you feel any guilt kidnapping kids?”

He said nothing and took a step forward, locking his hands on me, “Sorry kid. It's only business.”

Before I had a chance to say anything else, the world blurred and vanished.

YOU HAVE LEFT THE GROUP

I felt something when we teleported. I understood how he cloaked himself in mana and shifted through the darkness and shadows. I knew to hold my breath, for there was none to be had in the void. I was also well aware of the fact that I had nowhere near enough mana to pull off the technique. Not yet anyway.

By the time we arrived back at the Thompson house, I had absorbed a new skill from the mage. I didn’t waste any time reveling in my accomplishment. I immediately channeled mana through my heart, rapidly infusing my body and making time appear to slow down around me.

Kalli’s fear wasn’t helping my confidence. Mel, please tell me you’re still there. I told you not to leave me alone.

I might piss myself. Sorry in advance if I do.

Her laughter was still music to my ears even though we were far apart. I told you I don’t care about that right now. Just don’t die.

A sinister voice distracted me from my inner dialog with Kalliphae, “This is the manipulator? I don’t believe it.”

Nestor kept my arm twisted behind my back in his grip and spoke to the man at the other end of the room, “This is the person who snuck into your house and rescued the hostages. The driver was not awakened.”

“For the last time, they were not hostages”, the voice snarled, “They were guests.”

The man in red shrugged, “Call it what you may. This is the boy. There was nobody else with him.”

I was hesitant to initiate my plan now that my captors were suddenly doubting that I was the one they wanted. I decided to speak up, “How about you just let me go and we can just forget this whole thing ever happened.”

I focused on the voice. A man sitting in a chair that looked a lot like a throne looked back at me.

Name

Eddison Thompson Jr.

Class

Shade

Level

27

Affection Level

Interested

I wasn’t sure about what I was seeing. I had no clue what a shade class was capable of. Why was he interested in me? Was that a romantic thing? His lip turned up in a sneer and he replied, “I’m afraid that nobody is going to be forgetting anything today. While I do find it difficult to believe that a child has the gift of manipulation, I have no doubts that you are the one I am looking for. I will be letting you go today, but not before we come to an arrangement.”

I stalled as I began making preparations again, “What kind of arrangement?”

A small ball of mana broke off of the back of my tunic and a new item menu presented itself to me. He began, “You’re new to our world, so allow me to explain. I am going to be your benefactor. I will ensure that you want for nothing and get into a prestigious school. As I have kindly demonstrated for you, you will never be safe without a benefactor. I arranged all of this to show you why you need me.”

I had already re-written the item. I just needed to confirm my selection to put my plan into motion. I had to know though, so I asked, “And what do you get out of this arrangement?”

He grinned at me, obviously thinking his plan was working, “It’s simple, my boy. All I want from you is the same loyalty returned to me. I scratch your back and you scratch mine.”

“And if I refuse?”, I asked tentatively.

“Not an option”, he replied grimly.

I pushed mana into my hand and reached around to grip the hand holding my arm. I squeezed as hard as I could until I heard the man in red yelp and let go.

I then confirmed and the bomb materialized in my hand.

Item:

Portable Incendiary Device (Edited)

Components

Gasoline, Oil, Kerosine, Napalm

Item Rank:

C

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Murphy

I slammed it into Nestor’s chest and used a spell that I had heard a thousand times.

“Pvruzth”

I didn’t have the same amount of control that Kalliphae did, but I didn’t need it for what I had in mind. A great ball of fire blossomed between us as the bomb went off in my hot grip. My artifact armor swelled and solidified in a metallic-looking plate, shielding me from any projectiles. My newly edited skills helped prevent me from taking any damage from the flames.

Affinity: Fire (Edited)

Heatproof (Edited)

Fireproof (Edited)

I got the idea for the traits from Kalli’s menu. Nestor’s red suit took the brunt of the attack, becoming soaked in the flammable liquid and combusting the instant my fire touched it. He yelped and spun on the spot, vanishing in a puff of smoke. The only thing left in his wake was a flaming red jacket left on the floor.

Ed Jr. had risen to his feet and rushed over to restrain me again. I turned just in time to dodge a telegraphed punch aimed at my head. I had just moved out of the way of the blow when I saw stars and staggered to my knees. I forced my eyes to focus as he turned around to deliver another blow.

I forced more mana through my heart to slow the world down a little more. I also channeled some into my eyes to hopefully see what was going on. That was when I noticed it. Just behind the shade was a shimmering black figure that followed him like a 3D shadow.

This time I let him hit me, my armor forming a spiked shield to intercept the blow. The man yelped in pain as he bloodied his fist on my armor. The shadow behind him was unable to hit me because its master was still in its path.

I channeled mana into my hands and pushed him off of me. He sprawled backward to the floor. I gave him another glance and turned to run. I wasn’t sure what part of the house I was in as I ran down a hall.

The elder Thompson’s voice rang out around me on some kind of magical PA system, “Security. Converge on the main floor. The subject is attempting to escape. Secure all exits.”

I laughed and ran into the nearest room with a window.

If they want to block the exits then I’ll just make my own.

Kalliphae’s voice was proof that she was still with me. Hang in there, Mel. Help is on the way.

Warmth flooded through me at the sound of Kalli’s voice. I targeted the wall around the window and decided to try something new.

DELETE

The entire wall disappeared around the window, causing it to fall to the floor. I sprinted through the newly made exit as I heard the upper floor creaking now that it lacked support. I barely made it through before the room I was just in collapsed with a thunderous crash.

I saw the guards by the gate so I ran into the foliage near the wall. Once I got there I used delete again. This time the wall surrounding the entire compound vanished.

I didn’t have time to witness the confusion of the guards as I made my way through the yard to the road. I put some distance between myself and the guards that were looking for me before stopping to catch my breath

My heart had just stopped pounding when a familiar sound caught my attention. I smelled burnt flesh as I turned around to see a shirtless man in a red hat glaring at me.

He growled, “You know. I’ve never considered hurting a child before, but I might just have to make an exception tonight.”

I pumped more mana into my heart, praying for one more miracle. Before either of us had a chance to do anything, the lights went out. We both looked up and discovered a large black cloud blotting out the full moon in the sky. The cloud descended on us. I stood in awe staring at the living black tornado that had formed around us.

Nestor fell to his knees and spoke, “My Lady. To what do we owe this honor?”