xi

“Why can't everything just be calm?” you ask softly. You don't even listen to the arguments The Five are making vehemently, you just poke your hand out the window, and add on to your orb, which has been heating up your hand immensly. It grows in size, building to a respectable volume.

You have to remember that dream. When you did something just like this. Feeling the power in your palms, you are one with the energy. You control it, and flinging it outside, you ricochet it off into the direction of the police cars. Shutting your eyes and stuttering your fingers, it lands exactly on them, you just know it. An explosion is heard, and it only causes the van to speed up more.

“We are so screwed,” Tio says, shivering and taking out a cigarette from a secret compartment. “Can you give me the lighter back?” he asks Cole, who obliges. Lighting it with twitching hands, he lets out a steady stream of smoke. “Someone else has to drive, because I'm about to pass out,” he announces. Let rolls her eyes, climbing over into the front and pushing Tio aside, taking over the wheel. The air relaxes slightly, and Tio makes his way to the back with a pile of clothes underneath the seat and handing them to you. “You're still in a hospital gown.”

You nod, pulling on the pair of pale blue jeans, still with tears in them, and taking off the gown to switch it out with your favorite sweatshirt. Everyone respectively turns away while you dress, and Mizzy hands you a hairtie to put your sweaty, disheveled hair back into a ponytail.

You inhale deeply, shaky and unsure. “What was that,” you whisper. No one can answer. Mizzy pulls you into another hug, and you let her rock you back and forth. Entering the Bay Bridge and having the moon rise higher and higher, you watch the glow on the end of Tio's cigarette with dead eyes. “I just got a bullet removed from my hand,” you continue. “Why did you shoot me in the hand?”

“They thought I was bluffing,” he says, speaking about the officers. “I needed to prove that they shouldn't follow us. It would have been worse in the foot, trust me, and I know that your hand is pretty fucked up anyways, so-”

“Stop right there, those are your reasons?” Mizzy screeches, placing a protective arm around you. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“He does make a valid reason,” Let says. “Those cops gave us time, and she's okay.”

“Can I pass out?” you ask, no longer caring about the argument.

Mizzy rubs your back, which does little to lift the weight off of your eyelids. Cole rubs the stubble on his chin, humming. "You always grow tired after you've manipulated light," he comments.

"No s**t, sherlock," Jaxx scorns.

"Shut up, Jaxx," Tio chirps calmly and confidently. "You just shot a little girl in the hand and aren't even remorseful."

"What do you care?" Jaxx asks.

"Because we care about her, due to her smaller stature compared to yours, and the age difference."

"Oh, boo hoo, I saved our lives by acting fast." he crossed his arms over his bare chest, the bloody cloth that was once he shirt still being used to clean up the blood smeared over your arm.

"Thank you," you croak, leaning back into Mizzy and staring up at the ceiling of the van. Jaxx visibly softens in his body, but not his face. He delicately takes your hand, examining the scar.

"That is going to be there forever," he says. You nod slowly, knowing that there are a lot of scars littering your body that have been their forever, at least with this one, you know how you got it.

There's a lingering silence, and Jaxx clears his throat, putting your hand down. "I'm sorry for shooting you," he mumbles.

You nod once more, and sigh.

"Hey, if you guys are done spouting your mouths off," Let begins, ruffling her hair and turning the gear shift. "it would be nice to know where we're going."

"New York City," Cole says with a definitive answer. "Big city, easy to blend in. Tio, get the backup IDs, please." Tio mock salutes, opening the large duffel bag thrown off to the side. The van is cramped, and it would be dark if not for the flashlights taped to the walls, to act like lamps. He rummages through the bag, containing various clothes and computing items, producing six crisp cards. He passes them out, leaving Let's on the dashboard. You fnger yours gently, not looking at the name yet.

You roll your head, your vision boring into Cole's. "Why." You only want to communicate as few words as possible, because your competence and consciousness is fading fast. Cole smirks lightly, pushing his hair back, where it flips back to the place it was before. You try to ignore the blood stains still on his fingers.

"Any person in a less than sophisticated business such as our own-"

"You make us sound like prostitutes," Let pipes up.

Cole clears his throat, continuing. "-would be an idiot as to not have two, if not three, backup IDs. We've switched at least twice before. But, still, around eachother we're still Jaxx, Mizzy, Let, Tio, Cole, and-" he pauses "Thief."

Your heart swells with joy to be included in the Five. Examining the ID, your face isn't as disguisted as it was for the last one. "Ivory Carson."

"Pretty," Mizzy notes, and she shrugs at her 'Lisa Maxwell'. She's still coddling you, whistling softly.

"New York is going to be fun," Tio says, smiling and tucking his card in his back pocket. "There's so much rich culture. We have to visit the Natural History Museum."

"What hair color you gonna get this time, Tee?" Let asks from the front seat.

"Probably blonde again. Maybe grey eyes, I'm kind of sick of my normal color," he responds.

"I might go a lighter brown," Cole muses. "Maybe a brown eye color as well."

"I think I'll be a redhead," Mizzy adds. "It looks nice. Perhaps orange."

"My new occupation is totally a model," Let says, smiling. "I am so sick of pretending to be a waitress."

"Wait," you interrupt, attempting to sit up and failing. "You guys are changing identities, even moving states....because I messed up."

"Yup," Tio says, ruffling your hair. "You're special, kiddo."

"Besides, hacking into a national bank?" Jaxx states. "Impressive for a newbie. Especially when you haven't had any training."

"Should we really drag her into this hell?" Mizzy asks, biting her lip.

"The girl just got a bullet dug out of her and took it like a man," Let says. "She has the balls, she's totally ready."

"It's her decision. She can go to the cops, take the punishment," Cole reminds everyone. You sigh, looking down at your tattered hand.

"I'm already this far in," you begin. "And I like the name Ivory."

Staring out the window, you have more reasons that that. You want to stay with this family, you've found a home and you don't want to have to find another one.

New York beckons.