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shoved me, sending me crashing into the wall with a force that cracked my teeth together. Stars burst across my eyes a second time as I slid to the floor. I was only vaguely aware of Lidia making a run for it, leaping like a beautiful gazelle over my fallen body and disappearing out the door. One of her family photos tumbled off the wall and shattered next to me, reminding me that I was about to get crushed by a building if I didn’t get myself together and moving.
    Man, that girl hit hard! My head was buzzing as I pushed upright and staggered back to my bed. It was stupid and reckless, but I couldn’t leave it behind. My duffle was all I had. I swung it over my shoulder, wobbling beneath the weight and the continuous rumble beneath my feet. The walk from the bed to the door was like walking through a bouncy house. The floor kept shifting and bobbing beneath my feet. But I made it to the threshold when something struck the top of my head. I didn’t even remember the floor jumping up to meet me until I hit it with a thud.
    “Fallon!” Someone was shouting my name. I could just make it out over the earsplitting sound of glass shattering in the background.
    Strong, firm hands grabbed my arm and non-to-gently rolled me over. Something silky tickled my face, suffocating me with a mixture of spices and leather as my savior rested their head on my chest, possibly searching for signs of a heartbeat. The weight on my chest lifted a second later and something tapped the side of my face sharply.
    “Fallon, wake up!” I heard the voice growl into my ear, so close I could feel the heat of their breath burning against the skin on my face.
    I might have groaned; I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t even hear myself thinking over all the commotion, but I felt the person jerk back.
    “Fallon?”
    This time I did groan, shifting and struggling to sit up despite the weight pushing me down. “No, it’s Santa Claus!”
    Good God my head hurt. The splitting headache was doing just that, splitting my skull in two. I would have happily thrown up with the pain if I hadn’t taken that moment to open my eyes and tumble into a pair of breathtaking electric-blue pools so bright, they could have been laser beams or lightening. I would have gladly drowned in them, bathed in them, lost myself in them forever.
    “Can you stand?”
    I blinked, bringing into focus the rest of the room and the danger we were still in. “Yes!”
    With his help, I struggled to my feet. My rescuer kept a firm grip on my elbow as he dragged me to the door and peered out.
    I don’t know what he was looking for, a possible escape route maybe, but he checked up and down the hall before taking left and running to the nearest staircase.
    “Hang on!” he shouted over his shoulder as we practically tumbled down the stairs — or at least I did. He seemed to be in complete control of everything he did, as if running from a collapsing building was something he did every day.
    “Where are we going?”
    I knew from countless hours of wandering that this particular staircase didn’t lead outside, but toward the basement and the indoor pool.
    It was hard to tell, but I could have sworn I heard him mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, ‘ hell if I know’. But I didn’t get the chance to question him when his loud cursing had me worrying about other things, like the twin figures floating up the stairs in our direction.
    They were not there to help us. Everything from their stone-cold expressions, milky-white complexions and long, black trench coats screamed evil. I couldn’t see their eyes behind their dark glasses, but I had a feeling it was better that way.
    “Go!” my companion shoved me back up the stairs, back the way we’d come. “Go! Go! Go!”
    Really, I didn’t need to be told twice. I was up those stairs as fast as I could while numb with fear. My duffle repeatedly slammed into the back of my thighs, hindering all chances of a speedy escape until I