Epilogue

I tried to step in front of her. I was supposed to keep her safe and I tried . I had the gun out and ready to fire, but she pushed me down, and then her blood was on my back. I could feel it making my shirt cold and wet as the two men she said were hers beg her not to close her eyes.

The ambulance is already here, bringing out an empty stretcher while a man in a white doctor's coat begins frantically moving around her. It's almost like time stops all together.

My stomach hurts as I fall back to the ground on my butt. A thirteen-year-old should not have to know what death looks like. Even though, for the past eight months, I've learned about all of it.

They load Nessa into the vehicle with red lights and blaring sirens. Her men jump in with her but I stay frozen. I promised to keep everyone safe, but I failed.

The other girl comes to sit by me. I think she tells me her name is Evie. But I can't process that.

The woman who saved me, who looked at me like I was someone worth saving, was just shot in front of me. The first person that ever made me feel safe. The first person to look at me like I was anything more than a pawn.

I bring the gun she gave me closer to my body as my lips tremble. But I won't do this here. Not now.

Why didn't I shoot him? Why was I too slow?

A firm hand presses into my shoulder and fingers grip me hard. It's not menacing, but I know it's not a woman's touch.

When my vision clears, the man that was with Evie hovers in front of me.

"We need to get you to the house and keep you safe," he says. My eyes roam over him. He's in a suit. One that the lawyers in the movies wear. Or maybe more like the ones Men in Black wear.

I look at his hand on my shoulder and in a swift movement, I peel it back and hold him at my mercy on his knees in front of me. The gun raised and safety off in a flash.

They may have rescued us, but we're trained killers. We've only been using guns for a month or so now, but he's close and the concept of pointing and pulling a trigger isn't a hard one to grasp.

The man's face is riddled with shock, but what did he expect? We've been training for months to be assassins for hire. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

When my voice comes out, I don't think it sounds like me.

"I am not going anywhere with you unless it's to the hospital to see Nessa."

His jaw is clenched tight, and I can feel his muscles tense under my grip.

"Batman," Evie says in a warning tone. I watch as his gaze flicks to her, his features somehow softening.

A gentle hand touches my back.

"You can let him go, Kai. We'll take you with us to Nessa."

I press a little more firmly before releasing him and lowering the weapon. That is what we were taught after all. Even if the match ends, it never really ends. You have to show you're the dominant force at all times.

My knees shake as I take a step back, the energy that was running through me like a super power just a few minutes ago disappears. I can't let myself fall apart in front of these people though. I don't know them. I don't even know Nessa, but I feel like I need to be there. I owe it to her.

Evie must sense that something's wrong because when I stumble to the right, she wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a hug. My bottom lip wobbles, and I want to scold myself for it, like the guards did any time we showed any emotion. Just like my foster dad did when I tried to tell him I was overwhelmed. But Evie just holds me tightly.

When I hear her sniffle, a tear falls from my eye without permission, and I squeeze her tighter.

"She's going to be okay," I say with my voice shaking.

"She is," the man beside us says. Evie called him Batman.

If that is his actual name, I might have to ask for his signature. He could totally be the Dark Knight with his suit transformed into a cape. I can definitely see it.

Something about the idea of Batman agreeing with me helps that awful feeling that was building inside of me fade a little bit. My arms drop from around Evie, and she takes a step back.

"Let's go," she says, nodding to her car. I hesitate, something about getting into a car with people I don't really know still sends alarm bells off in my head.

"Do not worry," the man says as he straightens his tie. "No one will be messing with you again."

I decide then that I don't think I want to know his real name. Batman is good for me because he makes the alarms not ring so loud.

I can trust him, I know it in my bones.

We get into the all black car, but I keep the weapon close, intent on giving it back to Nessa when she wakes up because she has to wake up.

Their car is powerful, the engine roaring to life under me. I imagine it's the Batmobile and the man that drives us to the hospital is Batman.

This place seems like Gotham City after all, full of crime, tragedy, and avenging heroes to rescue us all from a life of terror. Batman takes turns that make me slide across the seat, but it's just the distraction I need.