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fireballs. There are stacks of papers and boxes everywhere. It’s amazing the door even opens with all the stuff packed inside.
    But there’s been no villain destruction in here. This is how it always looks—everyday, disaster chic. She swears she knows where everything is. I don’t believe her.
    I’ve volunteered to sort and organize everything a million times, but she loves the chaos. I, however, can barely think in here. A grizzly bear could be hiding in this clutter forest and you’d never know.
    “I swear, sometimes that man just—” Mom drops into her desk chair and shakes her head.
    She and Mr. Malone have had their conflicts over the years. I often wonder why she keeps working for him. Any genetics lab in the country would be thrilled to have her, even if she can’t include all of her work at ESH on her resume. For whatever reason, though, she stays on. Her research drives her, and I don’t think she could walk away from it before she’s finished.
    I suppose I understand. I feel the same way about my research. It’s my passion and it’s personal.
    I remove the half-empty box of petri dishes from the stool next to her desk and sit down.
    “Do you believe him?” I ask. “Do you think the new security measures will keep the lab safe?”
    Mom scoffs. “He doesn’t even know how they got in. How can he know what will keep them out?”
    I shrug as I roll up my sleeve.
    Getting immunity shots is routine. Mom doesn’t even use a syringe anymore. She has this futuristic injection gun that does all the hard work. She just pops in a vial, holds it up to my arm, and pulls the trigger.
    But when she opens her bottom desk drawer and pulls out a vial from the box she keeps hidden in the back, she curses.
    “What’s wrong?” I ask.
    “It’s clouded.” She flings herself back in her chair. “And I haven’t started a new batch. I was going to do that tomorrow.”
    I don’t know much about the immunity serum besides what it does, but I do know that when it goes cloudy, the chemical bonds have broken and it’s on its way to becoming toxic.
    “It’s no big deal,” I tell her, even though I know she thinks it is. “A couple of days won’t make much of a difference.”
    She turns her scientist glare on me. I can already hear the speech in my head. The dose is carefully calculated to match your metabolism. Immunity only lasts a week at full strength. After that, it gradually wears off.
    Sometimes I wonder if she even notices me—Kenna—anymore, or if all she really sees is the powerless girl she’s desperate to protect.
    I throw up my hands. “Hey, I’m not responsible for it going bad.”
    “I know.” She tugs me into her lap for a hug. “I’m just shaken up after the break-in. When I first heard…”
    I give her a tight squeeze before pushing back to my feet. On the one hand it’s annoying how overprotective she can be. On the other…I totally understand. I already lost my dad, and now I’d do anything to keep her safe.
    “What time is it?” I ask.
    Mom checks the clock on her computer. “Almost two in the morning.”
    “No wonder I’m so beat,” I say, stifling a yawn.
    I’m usually good for another couple hours of my own work, but I guess the villain situation took a toll on me. Besides, it’s not like I can get anything done in the lab now.
    “You go on home and get some rest.” She squeezes my shoulder.
    “Sure you don’t want to come with me?”
    She shakes her head. “I need to make sure those idiots don’t mess with any of my research while they’re cleaning up.”
    “And you need to start the new batch of immunity serum.”
    “And that,” she says with a smile.
    “You’re sure you don’t want me to help?”
    I’m always offering, but she always refuses. I’m not even allowed to observe the process.
    “I just need a little catnap. I’ll be good as new.”
    I give her a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back to the lab. I want to grab my things and then go