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the right time to show myself and then act. I quiet my breathing, only inhaling through my nose as I watch the scene unfold.  
    "Where is Eurydice?" the pacing man snarls. He leans forward, his nose so close to Kara that I'm sure she can feel his breath across her lips. I grit my teeth with anger and tighten my grip on the brick wall.
    "I don't know. She hasn't been here in a month," Kara lies. The pain and terror in her voice dig into my soul. But she's strong. I pray she can hang in there.
    "Liar," the man yells and slaps Kara across the face. I have to dig my hand into the brick side of the building to stop myself from running over there and attacking the man on the spot. I'll get my chance though.
    "We know you're hiding her here. Hades is becoming restless."
    "I don't know what you're talking about." Kara spits at the man, her nose wrinkling and her teeth gleaming. He snarls and backhands her, his hand unrelenting. Blood spurts out of her mouth, and I can't take it anymore.
    With my new speed, I sprint towards the man who hit Kara and pull him backwards by his neck. He's so surprised, he can barely react before I turn his head quickly, the cracking in his neck like gunshot going off in the still night.  
    I look behind me, and Kara is wrestling with the other man on the ground. Kara is on top, but just as I start to move forward, the man kicks Kara in the ribs, and she flies back about ten feet into a pile of dirt.
    This fuels me to sprint and lunge off a rock. I land right on the guy, which successfully knocks him to the ground. We both scramble to get re-acclimated, but I'm faster—stronger.  
    I grab his arm and pull it backwards, holding him in place. He cries out as I bend his arm further, making it twist at a strange angle that I'm sure is painful. His discomfort actually makes me happy. The adrenaline within me drives me mad with energy.
    "Who are you?" I ask him, wanting information before I kill him.
    "Even if you kill me, the others will come. It's only a matter of time before they make you choose. Soon your little boyfriend will be dead, and us demons will rule the world," he snarls. He leans forward and spits blood onto the dirt.
    I twist his neck to end his demonic life in an instant. His body crumbles to the ground in a lazy heap. Kara runs over to me and wraps me in a hug, her chest heaving.
    My body is still trembling from the adrenaline rush while hers trembles with fear. My hands shake; my heart spikes. But slowly I come down from my high. I look at Kara, and I can see the fat tears rolling down her face.
    "Where did they find you?" I ask her, separating us.
    "Outside the hall," she pants.
    "We need to stay inside. Come on. We have to talk," I tell her. I don't bother waiting for her. I grab my bag and head into the dorm, with Kara trailing behind me, her soft footsteps constant.
    I sprint up the stairs and make it into the room before Kara can even catch her breath. By the time she enters, I'm waiting on her, sitting on the bed, trying to rehearse what I'm going to say to her.
    "First of all, way to be a dick and leave me," she states with a frown as she sits across from my bed on her own. "Secondly, this must be big, since you barely talk lately."
    "It is," I say, narrowing my eyes on her. "Professor Onassis thinks we need to create an army to go into the Underworld."
    She urges me to go on. "And…"  
    "You knew?" I ask her, amazed. I idly wonder where I've been lately. Why am I the last to know these important things?  
    "Of course, Ryder. Not all of us have been in summer hibernation. That's all you wanted to tell me?" she asks as she touches her face, right where she was socked.
    I notice that it's red and a bit puffy, so I go into the bathroom and drench a washcloth in ice cold water. I bring it back and put it right over her left cheekbone. She takes it from my hand and holds it there, still glaring.
    "You're not coming," I tell her.
    "Like hell I'm not. You don't tell me what to do," she