Training the Walker: Cassie Wilson Book 2

Chapter 1

Cassie awoke ten minutes before her alarm was set to go off. Instead of getting up, she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking things through. She was six when she realized others didn't see the same things she did; teachers with scales and long curling forked tongues, her vice principal, Mr. Babbin's tusks, the librarian's feathered ruff. While her parent's blamed an over active imagination, her grandfather believed her and told her never to let anyone know of her strange sight.

Over time, Cassie managed to master the art of the blank face when confronted with these oddities, never giving herself away as she ignored the myriad of strange details that made up her daily life. Harder to ignore, were the people who, when their skin touched hers, made her see someplace...else. Luckily, there were fewer of them and as the contact was usually merely accidental and done in passing, Cassie could ignore the sight and keep moving forward until her vision went back to normal and she could once again see what was actually in front of her face.

Then a few weeks ago, her grandfather showed up, lugging three large wooden boxes with him and asking her to keep them safely hidden. Once they were arranged in a stack, covered with her pink and blue embroidered silk shawl and used as a tall television stand in her bedroom, he left. Curious about the boxes, she investigated and found that none of them would open, that they each seemed to be nothing more than a carved block of wood with lines making the solid blocks look like boxes.

"Until the brass plate appeared, " Cassie reminded herself, her eyes tracing the shifting shadows on the ceiling. Spotting something gleaming metallic on the front of the top box and knowing nothing metallic was on the box when it was brought in, Cassie investigated. A small brass oval was affixed crookedly to the front. Etched into it was the word 'primo'. When Cassie twisted the plate straight, it folded down to reveal a winding key, like those found in an old fashioned music box.

When she wound it, the box did indeed play music and displayed a tiny ballerina in a small scale, yet quite elaborate ballet. After playing through, the box closed up again, winding to a halt and disappearing into thin air before her very eyes, leaving only two sealed boxes and a multitude of questions behind.

"With no one to answer the questions, " Cassie said to herself, tilting her head to look at the two remaining shawl covered boxes. Despite everything that happened since the last box opened, no brass plaques appeared and they remained inert lumps of wood. She overheard some of the 'others', what she called the people who made her see strange places when she touched them, looking for what they called guides. They claimed the guides changed their appearance, but always came in a set of three identical items. She was certain the boxes were guides, even if only two of them now remained.

"Although it didn't exactly offer guidance, " she recalled. While the ballerina in the music box performed a dance that mimicked what Cassie was at the moment going through, it didn't exactly tell her what to do.

"Just sort of inspiration, " she conceded. The dancer did a pretty little dance, suffered injury and then forced herself to dance again, recovering from her injuries and becoming more than what she was before. The plaque appeared once Cassie already suffered injury and was trying to figure out what to do about it.

"Shouldn't something called a guide appear before you get hurt so you can avoid getting hurt in the first place?" To her, that sounded more logical, although she wasn't entirely certain logic could be applied to something that started out heavy and then suddenly disappeared into thin air. There was no one she could safely ask about them. At the moment she wasn't sure she could safely admit that she knew about the guides at all.

Her parents were out of town, in Madrid if their message was to be believed. She wasn't quite so certain she believed the message, as she found a box filled with notes in her mother's handwriting, prewritten and claiming all sorts of destinations. She also wasn't quite certain what help they would be since they seemed to need reminders to remember she even existed.

"And grandfather's note said they wouldn't return until he told them they could, which means my parents could be anywhere. Of course, I'm not really sure they are my parents, " Cassie said softly, still unsure how she felt about that. When she found the pre written notes, Cassie also found a note taped to their bathroom mirror reminding them of who she was, that they were her parents, and that she lived in the house with them.

"And grandfather is one of the 'others', " she half whispered so that her mouth moved to form the words, but almost no sound escaped her lips. "Sort of, maybe, " she said, giving the words a little more volume. At the moment she wasn't quite certain what to think about that either, let alone how she felt about him being 'other'.

"He's not exactly one of them, " she said to herself, unable to sit still any longer. She hugged him loads of times over the years, but never saw anyplace else when she touched him. Her alarm was still a few minutes from ringing so she turned it off and slipped out of bed. According to Oliver and Ina, they didn't actually know who he was or really that much about him either, but they knew he was technically one of them.

"And he's only been Abraham for the last hundred years with people trying to figure him out for millennia, " she reminded herself as she went to the bathroom and then dressed in her workout clothes.

That was what they told her when they caught her yesterday and finally realized she was what they called a Walker. She wasn't too sure what a Walker was other than they were able to open gates of some sort leading to other... places. Although she managed to open two gates remotely, she still had no idea where they led or what they really were.

"Except that I can apparently go through the gates and I can send other people through them." She frowned. While she could see the benefits of being able to send people like Erra and Enki through the gates, sending them hopefully far away from her, she wasn't certain walking through them herself was a good idea. The gates only stayed open as long as she matched the hum of the gate, harmonizing the resonance as the book she found called it. She didn't know if she could open the gate again from the other side or what was even on the other side.

"And none of this actually proves they are ancient gods, " Cassie said to herself. All of the 'others' called themselves by the names of ancient gods from different pantheons around the planet. Ina claimed to be Inanna the Sumerian goddess of love and war. Oliver was really Oghma, some sort of ancient Scottish or Irish deity. While she wasn't ready to accept their claim, she was also keeping that thought to herself at the moment.

"No need to antagonize people who believe they are ancient gods, especially since they can go invisible. And since they promised not to tell Enki and Skadi that I'm a Walker, they are sort of on my side, " Cassie reminded herself. Despite the fact that she was still a little unclear about what a Walker was, everyone else seemed to know and hold very definite opinions about them.

While Oliver and Ina claimed a live and let live policy, which meant they wouldn't kill her unless she did something to force them to kill her, Enki and Skadi both wanted her dead merely because she existed. She wasn't quite certain what Walkers did to them in the past, but whatever it was ended with something called the Purge. Everyone thought the Purge killed all Walkers until she showed up. Cassie wasn't certain how she survived the Purge as she would have been a baby at the time and had no memory of it.

"And with grandfather gone, there is no one I can actually ask about that either." Cassie shook her head and took a deep breath. "Abraham, " she corrected. Thus far Oliver and Ina figured out she was a Walker, but they knew little else about her, including the fact that she called Abraham, grandfather. Somehow it seemed safer to keep as much information as she could to herself.

"Although I might have to give away some secrets in exchange for training." The thought of training reminded her of her after school class and butterflies began to dance in her belly. She was taking Oliver's Tuesday/Thursday self-defense class. After Erra, apparently some sort of Babylonian god of destruction, appeared and attacked her in a parking lot to see if she was a Walker, Cassie decided self-defense classes were a good idea. She also decided learning Latin and archery were good ideas as well, but those she did at home. The self-defense was learned in Oliver's studio, Intelligent Fitness.

"And I'm not supposed to hold back in class anymore, " Cassie remembered. In an effort to stay under the radar, Cassie pulled her attacks, looking as if she wanted only to learn defense. Ina, her sparring partner now expected her to do her best when they faced off.

"Unless I'm snowed in, " Cassie said, still not sure she was ready for such a full on class. Biting her lip, she picked up the television remote instead of beginning her normal morning routine. She clicked on the television and scrolled through the channels until she found local news with weather and school closings. The day before, an early winter storm dropped almost a foot of snow on them. As Wednesday faded, more snow appeared. Cassie didn't know if it was enough to give her a second snow day and possibly postpone her class.

While more snow accumulated after her visitors left, it wasn't enough to shut the city down for a second day. Roads were plowed and school was back in session. "So ready or not, no reprieve."

Cassie clicked the television off again and stretched. She went through her warm up exercises, practicing the moves she learned in Oliver Dana's class. Normally she held back in class, only giving her all in defensive maneuvers and holding back on anything that looked like an attack. To make up for it, Cassie practiced every morning at home, putting everything she had into the practice and even using a practice dummy, she named Herman as her opponent.

Today, Herman was spared his daily beating as Cassie wasn't sure what to expect when she arrived at Intelligent Fitness after school. While she wanted to be ready, she also didn't want to be exhausted from her morning practice. Normally, when Cassie finished her routine, she went on a run, an ever expanding pack of survival gear on her back. With the snow still on the ground, Cassie decided to skip the run.

"Besides I need the extra time to shovel the driveway, " she told herself. She allowed herself to cool down and drink some water. Then, she grabbed the snow shovel, cleared her drive and uncovered her hatchback so it would be ready when she had to leave for school. By the time it was done, Cassie was chilled and hungry. She warmed up a little as she cooked and then ate her oatmeal, topping it off with maple syrup and cream. Belly full and warm, Cassie took her shower and got dressed for school.

After cleaning up from breakfast, Cassie checked her bag to make certain she had everything she needed. Most of the information she was hiding from random visitors was either hidden in the window seat under extra blankets and pillows, typed into her laptop or in her notebook hidden in a secret compartment in her desk.

Oliver and Ina were the only ones she'd given recent reason to look into her and after their visit yesterday, she doubted they would be returning in her absence. She convinced Enki and Skadi that she wasn't who they were looking for and convinced them to look for someone at least a year or two older than she was so she doubted they would pay her any more visits.

'And the energy they all put off messes up computers so they might avoid the laptop, especially if they were trying to go unnoticed, ' Cassie thought. She wasn't quite certain what damage they did to computers, but knew of the energy, not only from their overheard conversations, but from the feeling she got when they were too near. It was like standing too close to a lightning strike and all of the hairs on the back of her neck and her arms stood up.

"Who thought that would be my early warning system." Cassie said as she donned her winter coat and slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "Who would ever think I'd need an early warning system." She stepped out onto the front stoop and locked the front door behind her. Cassie moved to her idling car and got inside, her mind still wondering what the day would bring.

Cassie left herself plenty of time to get to school, planning to drive slower than usual to avoid complications. She still had five weeks before her eighteenth birthday and with both her parents out of the country and her grandfather missing, she was well aware she was an unattended minor. Getting into an automotive accident would possibly point that out to the authorities and cause more trouble.

"Of course I could just sit still and not say anything, " Cassie mused as she inched along the main road into town, seeing other vehicles whose drivers weren't lucky enough to make it to their destinations dotting the side of the road. "As long as I wasn't hurt." At some point her grandfather put some sort of blocker on her and while people registered that she was there and took up space, they didn't really see her.

"Unless I talk to them or fall on them or they are 'other', " she reminded herself as she pulled into the school parking lot. She thought of Kelly Larsen, head cheerleader and The Evil Queen of Elkdale High School. Her favorite pastime, at least until about a month prior, was to torment Cassie. Then Cassie spotted a charm dangling from a chain around her neck. Cassie snapped the chain and as soon as it was removed, Kelly forgot Cassie existed. Cassie shivered as she pulled into a parking space and turned off the engine. Despite everything else that happened, watching Kelly forget about her ranked as the creepiest thing she ever saw.

Seconds before Kelly was venting her rage, mere inches in front of Cassie. When the chain snapped, something in Kelly snapped too. She stood as still as stone, her eyes dilated and then went back to normal. When they were back to normal, she forgot why she was standing there and no longer remembered Cassie existed even though Cassie was still standing only inches from her. She shivered again from the ...unnaturalness of the situation. She asked Oliver about the charm and he told her it was used for clear sight, letting someone see past the blocker. He also told her to forget about it.

'But Ina said those who worked with Walkers, but had no skills of their own used to tattoo it on their skin, ' Cassie mused. She sighed. As usual, she knew enough to be curious, but not enough to find definitive answers.

The first bell ringing called Cassie from her memories and she grabbed her bag from the passenger's seat, slipped out of the car, locking it behind her and sliding her keys into her school bag. She rushed into the building, along with all of the other stragglers and after a brief stop at her locker, managed to make it to homeroom before the final bell rang.

All around her the other students settled. Mr. Evans took attendance by checking the seating chart for empty chairs and left them to their own devices once everyone was marked present. Cassie heard whispers of conversations swirl around her as she doodled in her notebook. As always, no one spoke to her unless she spoke to them first. Today however she had too much on her mind to really register the people around her. It felt almost as though she was moving in a separate, but parallel world.

She thought about having Oliver and Ina in her kitchen as the others worked on homework, chatted with each other or listened to the morning announcements over the intercom. It was scary having them in her space and a large chunk of the time she thought they were going to kill her. Once she realized they weren't going to kill her, at least not then, she served them a cake she made and had an actual conversation with them. As she was always worried about saying the wrong thing, Cassie rarely had a conversation with anyone, only occasionally asking a question or two of someone for something like directions. The blocker on her ensured no one else struck up conversations with her. In addition, while she began cooking for herself when she was still quite little and over time created more elaborate meals and deserts, she never shared them with anyone.

'And Oliver liked the cake, ' she thought, pleased to have at least a little outside validation. Even though her creations always looked like the pictures in the books and to her palate tasted good, she knew she was biased. 'And it was nice to share with someone, ' she thought. Even though she was unsure what to expect when she went to Intelligent Fitness after school, Cassie found herself smiling.

'They aren't exactly my friends, ' she reminded herself. Thoughts of food made Cassie think of her grandfather and she pulled her calculus book out of her bag. As the morning announcements boomed through the intercom system, Cassie took her grandfather's letter from between the pages. Her fingers lightly traced the question he wrote on the envelope.

Are you getting enough to eat?

In one form or another it was the question he greeted her with every time he saw her and Cassie wondered if it was because he worried that the blocker he put on her would make her parents forget to feed her.

Cassie slipped the note out of the envelope and unfolded it. She found the note when she went looking for her grandfather, worried that Enki, Skadi and Erra wanted to kill her. Her face was throbbing from the back handed blow Erra struck her in his attack and her body was bruised from the kicks he pummeled into her when she fell to the ground.

At her grandfather's store, Imports Unlimited, located right across the street from Intelligent Fitness, Cassie found the place ransacked. His apartment above was likewise torn up as Enki's minions sought the boxes he already hid with her.

He was gone, and his black bag was missing, proving he fled before whoever arrived to search the building. Cassie didn't know where he was, but she was relieved he got out before they arrived and was safely somewhere else. Cassie read through the letter.

'I know you have questions, ' the letter began. 'And you have every right to answers. When I return I will give you the answers you deserve, I promise. In the coming weeks, you will no doubt see strange and troubling things.

They are real.

Let no one know you can see them.

Those who believe there are Walkers who survived the Purge will know that any survivors would have been babes in arms. Most believe all were wiped out. Those that believe in survivors will expect a certain set of events to unfold as these children enter adulthood. They believe I will play a part in these events. It is why they are looking for me.

Draw no attention.

Let your instincts guide you.

The others will not return until I call them home. I will see you before they do. The time went faster than I thought it would, and I love you more than I ever suspected I could.

Burn this note.'

Cassie couldn't yet bring herself to burn the note, and was uncertain whether the instincts she was following were the right ones. She folded the note again and slipped it back into its envelope, sliding it into her calculus book and putting the book back into the bag.

"I've certainly seen some strange things, " she muttered to herself as the bell rang, sending everyone from homeroom to first period, her voice lost in the bell and the shuffle.

In English class, she saw Eric. He smiled and laughed with his friends and never noticed she existed. 'Of course, no one notices I exist, ' she reminded herself, trying not to think about the way he smiled at her after she accidentally brought herself to his attention by falling on him. She knew if she touched his arm or accidentally bumped him in the halls he would see her again, remember that she existed.

'But he'd forget the next day, ' she reminded herself, remembering the little sting of hurt she felt when he forgot her, when his eyes once again slid right past her. 'Maybe I could ask Ina and Oliver how the blocker works.' She thought about it a moment, recalling the sharp glee in Ina's eyes at the thought of fighting her all out. 'If I survive class.'

Her morning classes flowed past in a steady wave of predictability. She took notes, listened to lectures and finally found herself in Geography, her last class before lunch. While Kelly Larsen was studying all of the girls to see who Eric might actually like, her eyes slid right over Cassie without noticing her. 'Eric might no longer notice me, ' Cassie thought as she slid into her seat. 'But Kelly no longer sees me either, so I guess the scales are balanced.'

Cassie was willing to concede it was a good trade off. She was willing to not be noticed by the attractive quarterback if the head cheerleader stopped attacking her. 'Besides, I have way more to worry about, ' she thought as a familiar presence strolled through the open door. She was the only one who noticed and she quickly averted her gaze, bending to pull her notebook from her bag.

Enki strolled into the classroom as Mrs. Garner, the Geography teacher, pulled a map down from one of the many rolls stationed at the front of the room. As she began to discuss how glaciers and their movements affected the landscape's topography, Enki leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, his dark chocolaty eyes scanning the room.

'He is not there, ' Cassie reminded herself, the way she reminded herself not to see the other strange things she actually saw. 'At least he's quiet this time, ' she conceded. That made him much easier to ignore and Cassie focused on the lesson. 'I wonder why he's here, ' she mused as she jotted down notes.

After determining Cassie wasn't a Walker, he and Skadi left the school. Skadi occasionally returned as she worked with Mr. Babbin to ferret out other possible candidates to investigate for Walker –like abilities, but Enki never returned. She knew from an overheard conversation about her that he found something about her interesting, but lately he seemed more interested in finding a way to break into Oliver's studio without his permission than in studying her. Class continued and Enki maintained his uncharacteristic silence. This was the longest she saw him where he didn't mock or tease the oblivious people around him.

'Who would have thought the silence was even creepier, ' she thought. 'Maybe Oliver and Ina went back on their word. Maybe they told him.' A shiver of fear ran through her. She felt his eyes studying her and Cassie dropped her gaze to her notebook instead of looking at her teacher. The note she scribbled down was more loops of ink than actual letters, but she doubted anyone would notice.

Class ended and Enki remained in place as many of the students streamed past him, eager to get to their lunch break. Cassie moved forward with the rest and on impulse, as she moved past Eric, she let her hand graze his arm. While she was fairly certain it was selfish and wrong to constantly remind him she existed just because she wanted to be seen, she had a hunch having someone who could see her at the moment might prove beneficial. Lately, she seemed to be having a lot of hunches and as she moved past him she wondered if this was part of the instinct her grandfather told her to trust.

'Part of the reason they stopped thinking I could be a Walker was because people saw me, ' Cassie justified. 'If Enki is starting to pay attention to me again then having someone see me is good, and when I touch him, Eric always says something to me, ' Cassie thought as she continued walking. 'At least so far.' She was willing to admit twice was a pretty small sample to go on, but at the moment it was the best she had. Two times noticing her and twice making a point to say something to her were certainly better odds than she had with anyone else in school at the moment.

Cassie continued on to her locker. Once there, she spun the lock, opened the door and exchanged the books from her morning classes for those for her afternoon classes. As she reached for her lunch bag, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned expecting Eric.

Instead, she got Enki.

"Cupcake, " he said using the pet name he gave her when he thought she couldn't hear him.

"Excuse me?" she said frowning at him.

He smiled. It was more predatory than amused. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name at the book store, but saw you reading a book about cupcakes, " he replied. He let his hand linger on her arm and as his skin shifted from touching cloth to touching her skin, she suddenly saw someplace else.

It was a marshland, the air thick with humidity and the stench of rotting vegetation. The drone of insects was loud and she could see a reed choked river slowly flowing past. When sparring with Ina, Cassie learned how to push the visions aside and focus on the physicality of the present to see past them. She wiggled her toes and felt the grain of her socks against her skin, the cushion and slight give of her shoe's insoles. She felt the weight of her school bag on her shoulder. Using the physical, she pushed the images to the side although the fetid green stench remained, filling her senses.

"Okay, " she said slowly, not quite certain what the appropriate response would be for the situation. As he looked to be in his twenties, it was clear he wasn't a student. In general, random adults didn't wander around the school's halls. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Cassie, hey, " Eric said walking over. He eyed Enki, clearly able to see him. Enki dropped his hand from her arm.

"Eric hi, " Cassie replied smiling, relieved to smell only the normal hallway scents.

"Heading to lunch?" he asked looking Enki up and down. For his part, Enki's eyes went cold and hard, his smile tight and mean.

"I was actually, " Cassie replied. She looked back to Enki. "What was it you were looking for, sir?" she asked politely.

"The office, " he said. "Or more precisely, the vice principal's office."

"The office is that way, " Eric said pointing down the hall. "Can't miss it and I'm sure someone there can help you find Mr. Babbin."

His sharp smile widened a fraction in response. "Thank you, Eric, " Enki replied, practically biting off the last letter. He moved off and Cassie shivered.

"Who was that, " Eric said watching his back as Enki continued down the hall in the direction Eric indicated.

"No idea, " Cassie replied, fairly certain Enki could still hear her. "I ran into him when shopping about a month or so ago. He actually sniffed Sarah, it was weird."

"Sniffed as in..." Eric made loud sniffing sounds.

Cassie nodded. "It was behind her back when she was at the counter."

"Weird, " Eric said. "I wonder what he is doing here?"

"I don't know, but I'll warn Sarah at lunch, " Cassie told him. She picked up her lunch bag and pulled it out of the locker. She shut her locker and the two of them began walking to the cafeteria. Enki disappeared around the corner and she wondered if he would actually go to Mr. Babbin's office or if he would go invisible and continue to lurk.

"Hey, are you doing anything this afternoon?" Eric asked as they approached the cafeteria doors. "After practice a bunch of us usually go for pizza."

"That sounds like fun, " Cassie said. "But I can't today. I already have plans that I really can't get out of."

"Oh, " Eric said, nodding. "That's cool, maybe some other time then?"

"Definitely, " Cassie replied. Eric smiled broadly at her, clearly pleased with her response and Cassie found herself smiling back even though she knew he would soon forget this conversation ever happened.

"Great, " he said. They entered the cafeteria and one of his friends called out to him. Eric left to join them and Cassie slid into her accustomed spot at her table in the back.

"Hey, " Carley said as she said down, not looking up from her phone as her fingers busily texted someone.

"Hey, " Cassie replied settling into her seat across from Sarah who was already reading as she ate her lunch one handed. Today's reading material was the autobiography of Madeline Albright.

'I guess she finished the pirate themed romance novel, " Cassie thought as she opened her lunch bag. She knew that Carley and Sarah were more accustomed to her presence at their table rather than actually seeing her, so she didn't bother with further conversation. Instead, she took out the various components of her lunch and began the assembly process.

As Cassie disliked soggy bread, she long ago figured out that assembling her sandwich just before she ate was the best way to go for school lunches. She lay down her napkin, and took out her two bread slices. She quickly layered the roast chicken, left over from the night before, the fresh spinach, slices of crispy bacon, thin slices of tomato and then used her plastic knife to spread the jalapeno cilantro sauce on the top slice of bread. She put the sauce smeared slice of bread on top and cut her sandwich in half. She took out the spice cookies and raspberry lemonade and put all of her empty containers back in the bag.

As Cassie picked up one half of her sandwich and began to eat, she looked around. Eric was looking at her and she blushed realizing he must have witnessed her assembly process. Usually no one paid any attention to her so she didn't worry about how strange she might look. He saw her notice him and smiled before turning back to his friend Parker.

As Cassie returned to her lunch, Enki strolled in through the wide open door. She caught sight of him and looked away as he began scanning the room. He walked further into the room and no one seemed to notice.

'Invisible again, ' Cassie thought wondering what would happen. 'I could always start talking to either Carley or Sarah if he looks like he's getting suspicious, ' she decided remembering that the reason she touched Eric in the first place was more of an emergency precaution. 'Not that it's a hardship, ' she told herself with a smile.

Enki spotted Eric and walked over. No one noticed as he stood behind Eric, clearly listening in on the group's conversation. Cassie darted glances over to the table. As Eric still did the same, she figured it wouldn't be as noticeably strange.

'And Enki won't think I'm looking at him, ' she thought.

After a time, Enki moved from the table where the football players dominated to the table where Kelly and her cheerleaders held court. As several of the cheerleaders were dating football players she often wondered why there wasn't more mixing and matching of the seating arrangements, but as she only observed from afar, Cassie could only guess at the reasoning.

Enki stood listening for a while at the cheerleader's table. When Cassie looked towards Eric, she could see him standing behind Kelly, listening to her as she dispensed pearls of wisdom to her entourage.

'Oh no, ' Cassie thought, taking a bite of her sandwich as Enki decided he was through eavesdropping and began to stroll in her direction.

"I must commend you Cupcake on your choice of dining companions, " he said as he stood next to their table and listened to the three guys at the end discussing some sort of war themed video game.

'Enki is not there, " she reminded herself casually taking a sip of her drink.

"Your group seems to combine intellect and violence. Reading, writing and causing things to explode, a big step up from vapid and idiotic. And your method of keeping the sour faced blonde at bay by sitting a room away from the object of her affection must send the Squirrel into titters of high drama."

Cassie knew that Enki often called Mr. Babbin Little Squirrel, the way he referred to her as Cupcake. She concentrated on taking a bite of her sandwich and wondered if he had a fondness for giving nicknames or if he just never bothered learning anyone's actual name.

Enki looked over his shoulder at Eric and then back at her. "Although the young man does rather ruin the effort by constantly casting longing looks in your direction, clearly marking you as the brains behind his brawn. Either that, or he can't turn away from your lunch. It is clearly a cut above the others, although I'm certain whatever is under that brown sludge-like substance has its charms."

Cassie finished the half of the sandwich she was eating and reached for her drink. She took a sip of her drink and wondered if he was going to talk at her the rest of the lunch period. She wasn't certain how long she could pull off ignoring him especially as there was little conversation at her table. Cassie felt the half a sandwich she consumed morph into a ball of lead in her belly. While she hated bringing herself to anyone else's attention, she thought now might be an exception.

'Carley is in my English class. I can ask if she remembers when our next reports are due, ' Cassie decided as it seemed a better option than reaching across the table and letting Enki see her touching Sarah to get her attention. As she turned towards Carley, opening her mouth to ask, a loud crash sounded from the doorway. Everyone in the room turned towards the sound and saw Mr. Babbin standing next to a knocked over trash can looking sheepish. The round metal lid with its swinging intake door hitting the tile floors was the source of the noise.

'He does not have tusks, ' Cassie reminded herself automatically as he righted the trashcan and cast a dark look at Enki. 'Apparently, Mr. Babbin wasn't expecting a visit today either.' Cassie turned back to her lunch and found her other half of a sandwich disappeared along with one of her spice cookies. She frowned and looked around wondering where the items went. They were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, poor Ratatoskr, something the matter, little squirrel?" Enki said mockingly. Cassie heard his footsteps walking away and risked a glance at him. In one hand he held her missing half sandwich, in the other a cookie.

'At least it didn't disappear into thin air, ' she thought as she reached for one of her remaining cookies, surreptitiously watching Enki leave the cafeteria with half of her lunch and fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

Chapter 2

The rest of the school day passed with no further interruptions. If Enki was still around, he found somewhere else to be. Cassie tried not to think about him, attempting the out of sight out of mind approach to dealing with him. She was only partially successful and oddly found herself wondering what he thought of her sandwich. Mostly she wondered why he was in the school in the first place.

Usually when he appeared she didn't have to wonder as he kept up a running commentary, mocking those who couldn't see him, but giving her a general idea of his thoughts. It was annoying and often terrifying, but also somewhat illuminating.

As the day ended and Cassie left the building, she pushed thoughts of Enki aside to switch to worrying about Ina. The glee in her eyes at the thought of fighting full out sent shivers of dread up Cassie's spine and she wondered what she was in for when she arrived.

It was a short drive to The Plaza District. Once a small commercial corridor, sometime in the 1970s it was turned into an open air pedestrian mall. A large parking lot was located at one end and all of the shops bordered a white stream of concrete composed of the former sidewalk and what was once a street. All of this white flowed into the central plaza for which the district was named. Cassie parked her hatchback in the provided lot, put her school bag in the trunk and grabbed her gym bag.

To get to Intelligent Fitness she had to walk through not only most of the district, but through the central plaza that gave the district its name, as well. As always, as soon as it came into view, her eyes darted towards the concession stand at the edge of the central plaza. The stand was a small concrete box with an upright rectangular hole for a door and a sideways rectangular hole for those selling items to pass said items to those wanting to buy them. It was topped with a faded gray asphalt shingled roof and all things considered, the concession stand was nothing spectacular.

At least on first glance.

Every time she was in the plaza, Cassie's eyes were immediately drawn to it. Not until just recently did she learn that the concession stand was located where a gate opened. She didn't know if anyone else could hear it, but when she approached, the gate hummed. If she hummed along with it, matching it in tone, the tone shifted. If she shifted to match it, then it would shift back to its original tone. If she again matched it, the gate would open and remain open as long as she hummed along. Somehow she doubted the concession stand was deliberately placed at the source of the hum.

"Unless someone on the other side really likes bake sales, " Cassie muttered to herself. She had a momentary mental image of all the more spectacular looking others standing in line for lemon bars and peanut butter cookies before heading off on a multi-dimensional trip. "Probably not the standard supply run, " she decided with a smile.

Cassie opened the gate at the concession stand once, remotely, in what she thought was a dream. The fact that the dream was so much more was something she was still trying to wrap her head around and something she was keeping very quiet, even from those who claimed to want to help her.

Opening it caused all sorts of people with strange appearances to flock to the area. They came to the plaza, waiting and watching. When she started remotely opening a gate in Peru most of those watching and waiting here, moved there to watch and wait. Cassie wasn't quite certain what they expected to find or do by so obviously being present. If they were hoping to catch her, or whoever they thought was opening the gates, they weren't exactly being subtle. They didn't hide or set traps, they merely gathered and lurked. It was strange and seemed rather pointless.

'But not all of them are gone, ' she reminded herself, deliberately shifting her gaze away from the concession stand as she entered the central plaza. Dotted around the plaza were poured concrete benches. The same white as the walkways, they rose as if sculpted from the same mass. In the summertime they were cool to the touch providing a welcome relief to the heat. Now, with snow still piled up in the corners and an icy breeze sending sharp fingers to rake against any exposed skin, Cassie knew no ordinary person would be sitting on those benches.

Every regular person passing through the space ignored the benches and those occupying them. There were far fewer than when she began opening the gate in Peru. Many of those waiting and watching even managed to secure a bench entirely for themselves. Before she opened the gate, they were packed full.

'The benches are empty, ' Cassie reminded herself, walking past and looking only forward towards her destination in the same manner the other regular people did. She ignored the feathers and the beaks, the fur and the scales and just kept moving, knowing that everyone on the benches did something to themselves to make them invisible to the mass of humanity around them.

'Although mass is a bit of a stretch today, ' Cassie thought as she moved past the last bench and continued on her way. At best there were maybe half a dozen people moving about on the cold concrete. 'And none of them are giving the frozen benches a single glance.' Cassie did as they did and inwardly sighed with relief as she was past the last of the watchers, continuing on her way to class.

As she approached class, Cassie darted a glance to Imports Unlimited, her grandfather's shop. It was dark and shuttered and those walking by it paid as much attention it as they did to the people on the benches. As she looked away, feeling as always, disappointment that her grandfather hadn't returned, she wondered if he put some sort of blocker on the building, preventing people from seeing it the same way they could no longer see her.

'Enki is not there, ' she thought as she moved to the door of Intelligent Fitness. Cassie wasn't certain what Enki did after leaving the cafeteria, but he managed to return to the district and resume watching Oliver's place before she arrived. Cassie opened the door and went inside, as always sighing a little with relief when Enki was no longer in her sight. She went back to the locker rooms and quickly dressed in her workout gear, swallowing her nervous butterflies as, once dressed, she moved to the classroom.

Cassie was always the last to arrive, the other girls in the class ready and waiting by the time she arrived. Usually there were five other girls in the class. In addition, Oliver and Bert, his assistant, were always present. Today, Oliver and Bert were there, but Ina was the only other girl in the class.

"We thought it best not to have an audience, " Oliver told her.

Cassie looked over to him and nodded, her mouth going dry. Oliver had black hair cut into a short spiky style that looked more like he simply hacked the hair off more than had it styled and his height and dense muscles made him seem as solid as a brick wall. Cassie knew when she touched him visions of vast mist shrouded forests would appear before her eyes. There would also be the sensation of running and a general sense of neutral good about him as though he was willing to let her be unless she angered him. Today, he looked oddly cheerful causing a swarm of butterflies to swirl in her belly.

Ina had the same sense of neutral good about her, although she sent images of platters of cheese and figs, pitchers of wine, silks and strange looking weapons into Cassie's mind when they touched. Bert was something altogether different. He stood at five foot even and was as densely muscled as Oliver. He was light on his feet, moving quickly throughout the class and helping to adjust body positions as they learned new moves. When he touched her skin, Cassie saw a multitude of children and babies laughing and happy and felt a wave of absolute joy flow through her. As many of those she encountered had tints of malice and other darkness to them, it was somewhat a relief to meet Bert. She found that Bert was also known as Bes and looked him up. Bes was some sort of ancient Egyptian god said to protect babies, children and women.

'So I guess the image fits, ' Cassie thought as she took her place on the mats. 'Not that I believe any of them are actually ancient gods, ' She quickly reminded herself.

"We'll start with a warm up, but add no new lessons today, " Oliver said moving to the front of the room. "Instead we will get an accurate gage of your skills." He lifted and eyebrow at her and stared.

Cassie nodded and fought down her own nervousness. The last time she actually managed to show some skill in attacking Ina, Oliver's eyes went hard and cold while he studied her and even Bert lost some of his habitual jovialness. Slowly, Oliver led her and Ina through their warm up. With only the four of them in the room, it seemed strangely quiet. No one but Oliver really talked during the workouts, but it never seemed as quiet somehow with the other four girls present.

The warm up had the desired effect and by the time they were through, Cassie felt limber and loose. 'Time to see what happens, ' she thought as Oliver signaled that she and Ina were to take their places to begin sparing. 'None of them actually want to kill me, ' she reminded herself. The thought fled as she looked at Ina. Her eyes were sparkling and she was fairly bouncing on her feet. 'Yet.'

"No holding back this time, remember, " Ina said.

"I'll give you the Herman treatment, " Cassie promised with a nod, causing Oliver to chuckle. Then Ina moved forward and Cassie stopped really thinking. Her senses were filled with silks and delicacies, her mind wondering about the strange weapons array. She forced herself to focus on the mat beneath her feet, the movement of her body, the air on her skin. She forced herself to see what was actually there, keeping her strange sight in check. This time there was no holding back. Cassie put everything she had into the match. Ina was still better, but she managed to hold her own.

It helped that once she managed to push her strange sight way she only had to think about the fight. There was no thought to conceal the fact that she was a Walker, or at least had Walker –like abilities. There was no worrying if her offense was too offensive. There was just the sparring match and Cassie was determined to give her best.

The match went on longer than her normal class sparing lessons and the thought that they might be testing her endurance flitted across her mind. Her early morning sparring matches with Herman, the rubberized dummy in the coat closet, were longer than her usual class held sparring matches. Cassie felt she might be up to the challenge. The room was silent except for the sound of their movements, breathing and the sound of skin hitting skin when their hits connected. Bert and Oliver watched silently from the sidelines as they circled around the practice arena.

When Oliver finally called a halt to their sparring, Cassie fought the urge to sag with relief. Her muscles were starting to shake and she knew she was breathing far too heavily. The loose tendrils of hair that slipped out of her ponytail clung to her sweaty skin. Ina didn't look as bad as she felt, but the other girl was still panting, a delicate smattering of sweat droplets on her brow.

'That's something at least, ' Cassie consoled herself.

"Not bad, " Oliver said.

"Much better than before, " Ina agreed with a nod. "Much more fun this way. I hate when people hold back. And we now get to do this twice a week." She looked thrilled with the prospect. Cassie wondered if she'd be up for another bout by the time Tuesday rolled around.

'I've got Friday, the weekend and Monday to recover, ' Cassie thought.

"Still room for improvement, but it does give us a more accurate gauge, " Oliver said. "I'll be able to better plan your lessons now."

Having no interest in lesson planning, Ina stalked off towards the showers. "She's been at this a lot longer than you have, " Bes told her. "You'll get better."

Cassie smiled. "It's probably better to fight against someone better than you anyway, " she replied, not minding that Ina was still much better. Even though she fought harder this time, no one's eyes went cold and hard. Everyone remained friendly, causing at least one worry to be checked off of Cassie's list.

"True, " Bes replied.

Oliver looked her over. "Tell me about your running and archery."

Cassie recounted her slowly lengthening walk/run cycle on the track in her back yard and admitted she ran with her survival pack on her back. Mentioning the pack caused his lips to twitch as he fought down a smile and Cassie felt a light blush creep to her cheeks. She knew her survival pack wasn't much of a survival pack, at least not as far as anyone actually trained in survival was concerned.

At present it contained a book dealing with edible plants, a canteen, a small camping cook pot, two cans of sterno, six disposable lighters and a whole lot of matches. As her list of survival gear came from watching bits and pieces of television shows, she suspected all professionals would find it ludicrous. Since nearly every person featured on one of those shows at some point was shown cold and shivering, Cassie figured being able to make fire was rather important. Every show she watched caused her to add another few packs of matches.

"And on the days I don't come here, " Cassie continued. "I practice my archery behind the house. I marked off spots that are twenty, fifty, eighty and one hundred feet from the target and have been practicing from each of them." She told them. "There is also a pendulum target so I can practice shooting while it swings, but I'm not very good with that yet. So any moving target is safe."

"You did pretty good with me and Ina yesterday, " Oliver said.

"Really, " Bes commented, his eyebrows jumping up to his hairline. "You didn't tell me she shot you."

Oliver held his fist in front of his chest. "It would have hit here if I hadn't caught it. Ina would have been safer, but only because Cassandra thought she was Enki, if it had been her aim would be true there as well."

"I thought you were hidden?" Bes asked, frowning. He swiveled his gaze to Cassie.

"I saw their footprints in the snow, I aimed between the feet and up a bit until I thought it was the right height." Cassie told him.

"Impressive, "

"She would have gotten us right in the hearts, " Oliver said.

"Assuming Enki has one, " Bes replied. "I'm rather glad he's decided to leave you alone and search elsewhere."

"Except when he steals my lunch, " Cassie said figuring it was the best time to bring him up and ask if they knew why he was still around.

Both men looked surprised. "Explain, " Oliver demanded. Cassie shrugged and told them about Enki's visit. They seemed especially surprised and slightly worried when she told them that he actually made himself visible to talk to her.

"This we might have to look into, " Oliver told her. Cassie nodded, relieved that whatever reason Enki had for following her around was not due to Oliver telling him about yesterday's visit. She relaxed a little, knowing that at the moment Enki had no cause to think she was a Walker and therefore whatever he was up to might not involve him wanting to kill her.

'Not killing is a good idea, ' she thought.

"Well whatever his reasons, " Oliver said. "We promised to help in other areas as well. You mentioned you were learning Latin? You will need someone to practice with and all of us have the language, rusty though it may be."

"It would be hard to imagine not being rusty in conversational Latin, " Cassie said. "Given that it's a dead language."

Bes laughed. "True enough, but with practice I'm sure it will return. So we will each take turns holding conversations with you as you learn. Would Saturday afternoons work, maybe around two?"

"That would be fine, " Cassie said nodding.

"Good, " Oliver replied. "And now that we know how you actually fight we can prepare a schedule and then see about working survival skills in as well."

"Sure, " Cassie said. "Um, can I ask, what's changed?"

"Changed?" both men repeated.

"Yeah, the other day when I spared against Ina and actually knocked her down all of you went kind of scary in the eyes. Today you are arranging lessons and looking...pleased." Cassie stared at them unsure if she was explaining herself adequately. Conversations in any language weren't exactly her strong suit.

"Scary in the eyes, " Bes repeated. "I don't think anyone has ever described me as scary in any part before." He sound almost insulted, but Cassie thought of his eyes, the humor draining out and looking like hard chips of stone and didn't apologize.

"Walkers can be sneaky, " Oliver told her. "We didn't think you were a Walker as you passed our tests and then suddenly you did look like a Walker. It took us off guard."

"Of course you managed very quickly to make the hit seem like a fluke so we thought our initial judgement was correct, " Bes added. "You are very good at faking normal. If Oliver had not been so interested in your trees, you never would have been found out."

"I've had a lot of practice, " Cassie told them. "My kindergarten teacher had snake eyes and a long forked tongue. It seems like you should be more upset now that you know I was faking rather than less upset."

Oliver chuckled. "Well, things have gotten a little dull around here lately. Helping to train a Walker breaks up the tedium."

"With the side benefit of putting one over on Enki?" she asked.

"That would fall into the personal benefit category." Oliver admitted.

"Just like him finding a way in here when you don't want him to be would be for him?" She asked.

"So you noticed him lurking?" Oliver said. "Interesting."

"I doubt he's using the extra blocking that would prevent Walkers from seeing him and just using his normal shielding." Bes said. "And we know Walkers can see through that."

"True, " Oliver admitted. He looked back to Cassie. "I told him he was not welcome here and made certain he could not enter."

"Which means that even though he didn't want to come in before, he does now because he was told he couldn't." Bes finished. "He's a bit like that. It doesn't actually have anything to do with you."

"I gathered. He always looks like he is studying the building more than me when I pass." Cassie looked to the door. Even though she couldn't see Enki from her vantage point, she could see that it was beginning to get dark. While most of the snow was cleared, she knew once darkness fell, the temperatures would plummet, freezing all the melted snow into slick skins of ice.

"I guess I'll see you Saturday at two then, " Cassie said, shrugging her coat on over her workout clothes and grabbing her bag containing her street clothes. Even with everyone knowing she was a Walker, Cassie didn't feel comfortable using the shower here. There was just something too vulnerable about being naked, even if Ina was the only other one in the girl's shower.

Cassie headed towards the door. As she opened it, Ina came out of the back.

"I'll walk with you, " Ina told her.

Cassie nodded and the two stepped out onto the sidewalk. The wind chilled by several degrees and Cassie huddled into her coat as they began to walk. Cassie wondered if Ina was walking with her as some sort of protection detail. She didn't ask as Cassie could now see Enki standing in the shadows, watching them. As they passed, he returned his attention to the building, dismissing them completely.

Both she and Ina remained quiet as they walked into the central plaza. Cassie took a deep breath and reminded herself not to see any of the others still lurking. When she passed through before, they paid her no attention. Now, with Ina by her side, she became much more interesting.

'I do not see the giant wolf headed man sniffing me, ' Cassie told herself as one of the others neared and drew her scent deeply into his snout. 'And I don't see the lizard man flicking out to taste the air around me.'

Ina shot the two glares and Cassie continued to stare ahead, maintaining the same speed and counting to herself so her steps remained measured. There was no reason to hurry other than the cold. No reason to change her pace. Most of the others fell back under Ina's scowl of disapproval and Cassie eyed the edge of the plaza like a marathon runner eyed the finish line. Thus far no one ever followed her out of the Plaza. They just sniffed her as she passed.

'Almost there, " Cassie thought. She deliberately did not look at the concession stand. Out of the shadows slipped a man who looked as though he was part shadow himself. He wore a long hooded cloak, the hem of which dragged on the ground, hiding his feet. His arms were likewise hidden under the cloak and whatever face he had was concealed in the hood's depths. In the depth of the hood, Cassie saw his eyes flare bright like hot coals in the center of a camp fire when someone blew on them.

'Nope, I don't see the scary eyes either, ' she told herself even though she felt a fine shaking starting in her limbs. She could almost feel the weight of his gaze as they passed. Ina gave him the same glare as the others, clearly not impressed with his grim reaper like cloak and flaming eyeballs.

Then they were through the plaza and walking out the other side. As usual, no one followed them and Cassie fought the urge to sigh with relief.

"You do that rather well, " Ina commented once she was certain they were out of eavesdropping range. "It is quite impressive. I am not certain I could ignore them so effectively."

"The flicking tongue of the lizard man was a rough one, " Cassie admitted. "For a second I thought he was going to lick my eyeball."

"He did come rather close, " Ina replied with a laugh. "It must have been more difficult when there were more of them."

"Yeah, they did seem to multiply for a while and then they went somewhere else. Did you guys have a convention or something? I don't often see people of any type sitting on the benches, they are really cold, especially at this time of year."

"They came here because the gate was opened here. They left because nothing happened here again, but a second gate was opened in Peru. So they went there."

"Oh, " Cassie said knowing full well that she was the one who opened both gates. She also knew from listening in on various conversations that the bulk of people left for Peru. What she didn't know is why, exactly. "So are they watching the gate so they can kill the Walker?"

"I'm sure some are, " Ina said, shrugging as though unconcerned.

"Then why wouldn't they hide?" Cassie asked. It was one of the things she found most troubling. No one was hiding. They just waited in the open watching for a Walker to return. "I mean wouldn't the Walker just see them and leave?"

Ina laughed. "More than likely, but I somehow doubt that thought has occurred to most of them. Walkers tend to stay in one area and not move around too much. I suppose they just expect this one to return at some point."

"Why?" Cassie asked.

"Because this is the only gate in the area. Walkers are drawn to them."

"No, I mean why would they stay in one area instead of going to another gate if they wanted to use one?" Cassie asked. "In Enki's little lecture he said there were many gates located in various and sundry places around the globe."

"In the lecture he thought no one could hear?" Ina said smiling. "And I bet he did use the term 'various and sundry' didn't he." She shook her head. "Walkers always stay in the districts they are assigned, unless the assignment ends and they get a new one. I suppose they'd go somewhere else then."

"Assigned, " Cassie repeated.

"Yes, " Ina said. "They are trained and then sent out on assignment." She laughed. You really don't know much do you, " she scoffed.

"Trained and sent out on assignment, " Cassie said ignoring the taunt. "And were the people who gave the assignments killed in the Purge?"

They reached the parking lot and Ina followed her through the mostly empty lot to reach her trusty hatchback.

"Well, yes, " Ina said, watching her feet and skirting around a slick spot on the asphalt. "They pretty much killed everyone, and until now no one really thought anyone actually survived. There were small groups sent to get those in the field and a larger force sent to the training centers."

"And despite the death, they still think someone is doling out assignments to any surviving Walkers?" Cassie asked.

Ina stopped and looked at her, surprise written across her face. "There are no people left to hand out assignments, " Ina repeated. "Any one Walker could be anywhere. There would be no reason to stay in one place. No orders to follow."

"So the one who opened the gate here could have gotten on a plane and gone to Peru once they noticed that this gate was being watched?"

"A plane, " Ina said as though the thought had not occurred to her. Cassie wondered how she managed to end up so far away from the former Sumerian lands. Cassie shivered.

"Do you mind if I keep moving?" she asked the still stationary Ina.

"Hmm, oh no of course not, this is your car?"

"It is, " Cassie told her as she slipped her keys from her pocket.

"Good, you are safe for the night then, " Ina said, confirming that she was in fact acting as some sort of body guard. "Until we meet again." As Cassie opened her car door, Ina turned away.

"A plane, " Ina repeated to herself as she started to walk away.

Cassie got into her car, closing and locking the door once she was inside. She may not be entirely certain she needed a bodyguard, but she wasn't taking any chances either. She was as safe as she could currently make herself, but knew there were gaps. Even though it was for the best, her parents and grandfather leaving made her feel abandoned. It was somewhat comforting to have someone worried about her, even if it was just for the distance to her parked car. Cassie started the engine and turned her heater on full blast before backing out of her parking space and driving home.

Chapter 3

Once home Cassie dropped her book bag by her desk, took her school clothes from her gym bag, adding them to her clothes hamper. She then peeled off her sweaty clothes, adding them to the top before moving into the shower. Once clean and dressed in her standard at home clothes, consisting of an old pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a cardigan and pair of fuzzy socks, Cassie went to the kitchen in search of dinner.

She pulled a large baking potato out of the pantry and turned on the oven to pre-heat. She poked the potato all over with a fork so it wouldn't explode in the oven and then placed it on the rack inside the oven.

"I forgot to ask about the man with the scary eyes, " Cassie realized as she began assembling the items she wanted to add to the potato once baked. While she routinely saw many strange looking people, she never saw anyone who looked like him.

"Or her, " she conceded as she took out a head of broccoli and cut off a chunk. She returned the rest to the fridge and cut the piece she was using into smaller, bite sized pieces. She put the cut up pieces to the side to steam when the potato was nearly ready to come out of the oven. "Scary eyes could have been female."

Cassie took out a couple of strips of bacon and set them on a frying pan to crisp up so she could turn them into bacon bits. "Of course the lizard man could have been a lizard woman too, " she decided. Something about the creature seemed masculine, but she decided she could easily be wrong. When the bacon was as crisp as she liked, Cassie set the strips onto a paper towel and patted off the grease. When it was cool she would crumble it to top her potato. The bacon settled, she took out a wedge of cheddar cheese and began to grate it.

She set the small mound to the side and realized she still had a little time before the potato was baked. She looked to her bedroom. Part of her wanted to pull out her journal and add the new information she found. Admittedly, it wasn't a lot of new information, but she could add sketches of the lizard man, the wolf man and the cloaked figure to the small volume she kept since the age of eight.

"But I still have homework, " She reminded herself.

As she was predominantly left alone, Cassie usually set her own schedule. She was responsible for not only cooking for herself and making sure basic things like laundry were done, but she made sure she got her homework in on time and kept her grades up. Despite wanting to add images to the book, a life time of discipline and responsibility took over. She retreated to her room, picked up her school bag and took it back to the breakfast bar overlooking the kitchen. Remembering she was quickly running out of workout clothes, Cassie left her bag there and took her laundry to the washer, getting it started before returning to her homework.

Cassie settled herself at the breakfast bar and pulled out her calculus book. Even though she saw the edge of her grandfather's note and itched to read it once again, she ignored it and completed her homework. By the time she was finished and sliding both her notebook and book back into the bag, the potato was nearly ready to come out of the oven. She steamed the broccoli bits and took out a plate. Cassie slid the potato on her plate cut it wide open and began adding her toppings. She started with a dab of butter, then added the broccoli, cheddar cheese and topped it with the crumbled bacon.

Satisfied, Cassie, cleared off the breakfast bar, straightened the place mat and took out one of the linen napkins from the drawer. She folded it into a triangle by her plate, added the silverware and filled one of her parent's fancy wine glasses with raspberry and lemon iced tea. Deciding she gave her dinner enough presentation, she set her plate on the placemat and settled herself in the barstool in front of it. While her meal was a simple one, Cassie still thought about it as she ate, debating what other toppings she could add to the baked potato when she next constructed her personal topping selection. Her thoughts ranged wide and varied from left over chicken to small tofu squares crisped up in duck fat.

"I wonder if it would fully take the flavor of the duck fat or if I'd need to add some meat, " she asked herself as she finished her potato and climbed down from her stool to begin the washing up. She knew she still had a container of duck fat in the freezer from the last time she roasted a duck. "I also have a large supply of potatoes. Adding tofu to the list would be easy."

Realizing that groceries would soon need to be ordered from the local store, after washing up and transferring her laundry to the washer, Cassie composed a grocery list. The small store near their house had a delivery service and as Cassie's groceries typically came from their selections, she long since memorized the phone number. The delivery service kept the store's staff from asking uncomfortable questions about her frequent lack of parental supervision.

"I'll call it in Saturday, " she told herself thinking she had enough food to last until then. Setting the list to the side, Cassie went to her armoire. Currently, her summer clothes were stashed here, tucked away with lavender sachets she made from the herbs growing in the garden. There was one shelf occupied by non-clothing items.

Here was where she kept her selection of cookbooks. Some were written by world renowned chefs and helped her when preparing dinner. One was dedicated to sandwiches and was the inspiration for her school lunches. More of the books were dedicated to baking and pastry. With Bert, Oliver or Ina stopping by on Saturday to help with her lessons, she would need something to offer them.

"My first guests, " Cassie said. She looked over her books as she tried to decide what sort of snack to have available for them. "Well, the first invited guests who I know aren't here to kill me, " She amended.

She pulled her book of French macarons off of the shelf. "I did pretty good with these, " she said as she closed the doors to the armoire and took the book back to her bed. "And cookies sound like a good Saturday afternoon snack." Before settling herself with the book, Cassie peeked under the shawl at the front of the boxes. No metal plates appeared.

"I'll have to check in the morning, " she reminded herself as she climbed onto the bed. She found the first plate on the box shortly after she was beaten by Erra, but she didn't know if it appeared earlier, since she wasn't looking.

"I also don't know if finding it earlier would have let me avoid the beating or if I would have just been scared waiting for it." Cassie shook slightly, her mind replaying the terrifying look of rage etched into Erra's face as he attacked. "I wouldn't have seen any similarities between the dancer and me if I saw her before the attack, " Cassie reminded herself.

She wasn't sure how she felt about guides that would only help her out after she took a beating, and her thoughts turned dark, fear rising as she thought about what might have to happen to trigger the other guides into appearing.

"Too quiet, " she decided. Cassie reached for the remote and turned on the television. The noise filled the room making her feel not quite so alone and she automatically turned the channels until she found a survival themed broadcast.

"Why is it they always look either cold or about to pass out from heat exhaustion?" Cassie asked herself as she watched a sweat drenched man traipsing through the jungle, talking about poisonous snakes for the at home audience. "Don't they have adventures in temperate climates?"

Cassie watched the show for a moment and then reached into her night stand to take out her notebook. In addition to other things, she was keeping a list of things she needed to either know or add to her survival pack. She added 'book about snakes' under 'book about mushrooms' and then closed the notebook, setting it and her pen aside as she picked up her book and tried to decide what sort of macarons to make for her visitors.

The evening passed quietly, Cassie moving her attention between the show and the book. When it was time for bed, she put her book on the desk, washed her face, brushed her teeth and changed into pajamas.

"I'll finish the last of my left over chicken for lunch tomorrow, " she reminded herself as she realized she hadn't picked out a recipe to make. Satisfied everything she needed for the next day was done, Cassie made a circuit through the house, checking each of the locks to make certain they were bolted down. She frowned at the back door. While she was always careful to lock the doors, her checking became more obsessive after several break-ins. The back, garden door was always the point of entry.

Oliver told her it was the only door Enki could figure out how to unlock without breaking something and suggested she change it. While she agreed in theory, reality was somewhat different. If she was going to replace the lock, she needed an explanation why. People didn't randomly start adding new locks to doors unless they had a reason to believe the locks they had were inadequate. While she knew this lock was not up to the task of keeping Enki out, technically she shouldn't have known he was there at all.

Cassie made certain the lock was thrown and walked back to her bedroom. There she closed and locked her bedroom door. Its lock was weaker than the one on the garden door, but if anyone opened it, she was pretty sure she would be able to hear it. It might not give her more than a seconds worth of warning but even a second was better than nothing.

She put her thoughts about locks out of her mind as she turned off the lights and the television and slipped between the sheets. In the darkness, Cassie closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep.

In her dreams she found herself standing in what she thought of as the map room. All around her were flickering lines. It looked as though they were cut into a sheet of heavy black material and a flickering light was placed behind. This was what she thought of as standby mode. She knew that if she named a destination then the line leading to that destination would glow a brilliant gold while the others faded to pencil sketches on the black cloth. If she grabbed a hold of that line she would be whisked off to a location. Each location had a specific symbol etched onto it and Cassie long since memorized the lines and curves of that symbol.

At first she thought that the symbols were placed where gates were located since, when she traveled to those places, she could usually hear the hum of a gate. Then she marked the symbol on the underside of the window sill in Mr. Babbin's office and found she could travel there to listen to him plot and scheme while he and Skadi tried to find anyone who might be a Walker. She still wasn't sure why her line was silver and the others were gold, especially as she found other lines that connected to places other than gates and they were still gold.

"As usual, so many questions, so few answers, " Cassie mused to herself. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of the questions she was going to be able to ask Oliver, Ina, and Bert. They didn't know she was the one opening gates remotely and she didn't plan to tell them. As the lines in the map room were helping her with that, she knew she couldn't discuss them. Cassie shook the thought away and tried to decide where to go first.

"The Gray Cat, " Cassie decided.

She spoke the thought out loud. The line that would take her to the bar the others like to congregate glowed a brilliant gold as though made of liquid metal. All other lines faded to a dull charcoal gray. Cassie grabbed the line and felt as though something hooked her behind her belly button. She flew forward faster than a thought. Although she felt as though she was moving, there was no wind and her hair lay flat against her back. She still felt as though she was riding a rollercoaster and she enjoyed the feeling during the short time it lasted. At the end, she slammed to a halt where the symbol was etched.

This particular symbol was carved high above the back bar and Cassie felt as though she was a pair of eyes glued to the wall. She knew there were several other symbols placed around the bar, enabling her to flit around the room eavesdropping at will. At first she felt a little sneaky about eavesdropping on private conversations, but as most of the bar's patrons routinely walked around hiding their presence from everyone else, she decided she was willing to be sneaky to even out the scales.

She surveyed the bar below and was glad she decided to make this her first stop. "Although I wish I got here sooner, " she decided as she took in the action below. Instead of looking at patrons, drinking, talking or even arguing, she saw that the center of the bar was cleared out, the tables and chairs pushed to the side. The reason was immediately evident. In the cleared off space, Oliver Dana and Enki circled each other, each sizing up their opponents. Both were stripped to the waist, their bodies slicked with sweat. One second they were circling each other, the next they were diving forward, grappling as though it was a wrestling match.

"Although not a regulation one, " Cassie said to herself as Oliver punched Enki in the belly. Enki kicked out at his knee. Cassie could only stare as the two fought. Their movements were swift and sure. Few blows actually landed as both opponents were good, but when they did it was clear this was neither a friendly sparing match nor an exhibition of skill. Each man seemed intent on doing as much damage to the other as possible.

"I wonder if Enki managed to get into Oliver's building." She was certain that would make him made angry enough to fight.

All around them, people cheered the combatants on. Some clearly chose sides, others cheered indiscriminately applauding any good move made by either fighter. Cassie looked around and saw money changing hands as people placed bets on the outcome. As Cassie looked around, she saw the cloaked figure from earlier sitting off to the side, watching, but neither participating in the gambling nor the cheering.

Noticing the figure was sitting near one of the other carved symbols, Cassie concentrated on it and felt her position shift as her sight relocated to the new vantage point. It took her a while to get used to being a pair of bouncing eyeballs, but she thought she was getting the hang of it. From her new position she studied the cloaked figure. This close, she could see it was male. The cloak looked more like a darker mahogany type of brown rather than black when viewed up close, which made him look less like the grim reaper. In all he looked fairly normal, at least he didn't have a beak or slitted snake eyes with a long forked tongue. He looked like an average human and she wondered what she would see if she was to touch him.

'After all, to be here you have to be other and any one of the others who don't look strange show me someplace else when I touch them, ' Cassie frowned and wondered if any of the others who did look strange would show her other places as well. Since she could see they were other, she never actually touched one of them. She left the question for later and studied the strange man.

He had dark hair and tanned skin. Cassie couldn't tell if his skin was tanned because he spent a lot of time in the sun or because his skin was naturally a tan color. 'The eyes aren't normal, ' Cassie thought as she looked. While dark, almost black in color, whenever the man drew in breath they glowed a warm red like hot coals in a fire when someone blew on them. 'That's certainly noticeable.'

The man tilted his head as though hearing something and a slight frown of concentration creased his forehead. He looked around, his gaze flitting around the room and Cassie wondered what disturbed him. She let her eyes follow his gaze and realized with a start that he was looking at the symbols. He turned his attention to the one she was looking through and she froze as those dark eyes looked as though he was staring right at her. She held her breathe as he studied the symbol. The frown lines disappeared and the man smiled and winked at her.

'Home, ' Cassie thought in a panic, shutting her eyes. She felt the whooshing sensation of movement and a second later opened her eyes to find she was back in her own bed.