Chapter 3

The floor bucked beneath my feet. The soup bowl shattered. The chandelier above us swung wildly, threatening to tear from the ceiling.

Cedric didn't hesitate. He grabbed Cassidy, pulling her close, shielding her with his body. He pressed her head against his chest.

I stood alone. Unsteady. Invisible. Just like when I'd stood at my parents' graveside. He hadn't been there then either.

The shaking stopped as abruptly as it began.

"Cassidy, are you hurt? Are you okay?" His voice was thick with concern. His hands ran over her, checking for injuries.

She clung to him, whimpering. "I'm fine, I think."

Then, almost as an afterthought, Cedric turned to me. "Eleanor? Are you... okay?" His eyes barely registered me.

"It was just instinct, Eleanor. Cassidy's on my team. My responsibility." He offered no apology. Only justification.

"You're not on my team, Eleanor. You just... live here." He shrugged. It was an explanation, not an excuse.

I said nothing. My eyes felt hollow. My face, I knew, was a mask.

I moved to the shattered glass. I picked up a piece, examining its jagged edge. I saw my reflection there. Distorted.

Then came the wail. The city's air raid siren. A guttural scream that echoed through the streets.

Cedric's comms device blared to life. "Hopkins, report! Chemical plant disaster! All units deploy!"

He was already moving. He grabbed his gear, his face grim. "Cassidy, stay safe. Keep your head down."

"I'm coming with you." My voice was flat. Firm.

He paused, looking at me as I rose from the floor. My movements were fluid. Effortless. Despite the tremor, despite the shattered glass, I moved with a grace he had never seen.

He scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Eleanor. You'll just get in the way. This isn't your world."

"It is now." My eyes met his. There was no softness there. No meekness.

Cassidy, ever the strategist, put a hand on Cedric's arm. "Maybe she can help, Cedric. We need all hands on deck." She gave me a tight, fake smile.

He hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But stay behind me. Don't touch anything."

The disaster zone was chaos. Twisted metal. Smoke. The acrid smell of chemicals burned my nostrils. Bodies lay scattered.

Cassidy gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She swayed. The raw brutality of it all was too much for her.

She stumbled forward, burying her face in Cedric's chest. He wrapped an arm around her, comforting her. "It's okay, Cass. Just breathe."

He looked over her shoulder, his eyes meeting mine. "See, Eleanor? This isn't where you belong. You're too fragile for this."

I didn't answer. I didn't flinch. I just moved.

I moved through the wreckage. My hands, once accustomed to kneading dough, now lifted debris. My eyes, once scanning recipes, now spotted survivors. I worked with a quiet efficiency. I had been trained for this. Not in a soft kitchen, but in real battlefields. My father had seen to that, long before Cedric.

"She's a natural," I heard a medic say to a firefighter. "Quick thinking."

Cassidy watched me. Her eyes narrowed. A sharp glint of resentment.

She walked over, holding out a water bottle. "Here, Eleanor. You look thirsty." Her voice was sickly sweet.

I ignored her. My focus was on a trapped child. The child's cries were faint.

"Eleanor!" Her voice was sharp now. Impatient.

I didn't turn. My hands were already digging. Fast.

Her furious sigh was loud. I felt the cold water hit my back. It soaked through my shirt.