Foot steps pounded against the ground as Cinder ran, feet pulling her towards the yelling and screaming the crowd was producing. Pearl's voice echoed in the back of her head, driving her farther down the pathway.

As if you could ever be special.

Her brain screamed in frustration as she pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Now was not the time to be getting worked up over petty sibling bickering. Now was the time to save the city.

"Iko!" She called, waiting for her flying friend to catch up with her. "Let's go!"

"Got it!" Iko's cheerful voice rang out as she spun around Cinder, transforming into a tool that would help the normal girl glamor herself into The Mechanic. Cinder prepared herself for the chilling sensation that would begin to wrap around her body, turning her into someone else. She had grown used to the transformation, welcomed it even. After a year of letting the glamor change her appearance and give her the extra boost of power she would need in order to win the battle, she'd grown very attached to the ability.

She felt herself will the silver mask to mold into her skin, making it impossible for it to fall off when the action started. She willed the skin tight black suit to form around her arms, covering all of her cyborg parts except the hand she would later use for protection against the enemy. Her belt appeared around her waist, along with the many tools that were housed in the silver belt strap. When she deemed herself unrecognizable, allowing Iko to fiddle with her pony tail until it was just right, she sped into the large crowd. There was fire ablaze in her eyes until they landed on someone dressed head to toe in black, save for the spiked crown that rested on his head and the mask that draped across his face, both of which were colored to match a gold tone.

"Hey!" He called when he spotted her. "I thought we agreed black was my color!" He ran towards her, effectively dodging a ball of fire as it passed, singeing the hair of a nearby child. Cinder cringed, staring at the child's burning hair as a nearby woman—her mother?—attempted to put it out. She knew she should have been here earlier, should have been prepared, but recent events had kept her from doing so. "I mean, it looks good on you, but then again anything would so-"

"Save it, Princy, we've got to get this situation under control." Cinder didn't have time to chastise The Prince for his lousy attempt at flirting, which Cinder found ridiculously unnecessary, nor did she have time to be amazed at how superbly she was handling the chaotic mess that was unfolding at her feet. It was something about the mask, the way it kept everyone from knowing who she truly was, that made her more heroic under it.

"I could not agree with you more!" Cinder prepared herself to be flung up into the air as she put her foot in Prince's palm. "Ready?" He asked when he got his grip steady and firm around her boot.

"Just throw me already!" Cinder cried, afraid they were loosing too much time.

"Whatever you say, but when you get burned to a crisp don't call me for help!" Before the words fully escaped his mouth Cinder was flying into the air, propelled only by Prince's sheer strength. Once she was high enough in the air, she whipped out her grappling hook that was securely stationed inside her belt and attached herself to the nearest wall. She flew through the air, thankful that she had remembered the meld the mask this time, otherwise the small identity protector would have been long lost in the haze of wind that surrounded her.

She looked down at the ground, hoping to find Prince, but found the streets empty.

Good, she thought. He's evacuated everyone. Cinder smiled at the thought that everyone who could escape was now safe. She made a mental note to thank Prince later.

When she reached the burning building, Prince was already waiting for her at the closest building next to it, boomerang in hand and leaning on the wall trying to catch his breath. When he spotted her his eyes lit up and he positioned himself so that he could help her up onto the building. This was the way they worked, as a team.

"Ready to save some lives, princess?" Prince said as Cinder began to untangle her grappling hook so she could cast it again to gain entry into the house. He would stay on the roof, protecting any outside threats from making their way inside, while Cinder searched the building for survivors.

"Don't call me princess," Cinder said, jumping off the roof and flying, headfirst, into the fire.

6 HOURS EARLIER

"I just can't believe that The Mechanic, the bravest person I've ever known to exist, goes to our school." Cress said, biting off one of her nails. She sucked on the cuticle as it began to bleed but did not pause, talking a little louder now. "I mean, just imagine! My bio partner could be saving my grades by day and the city by night!"

Cinder laughed at how optimistic Cress was, then laughed again remembering how much Cress relied on her bio partner to maintain an A in that class.

"I'm your bio partner, stupid." Cinder said, hoping that Cress would never figure out that her bio partner was indeed saving the city nightly.

"I'm not saying you're The Mechanic, I mean, obviously you're not. But how cool is the possibility that the savior of the city is running around on our school grounds!" Cress began to bite at another one of her fingernails, exciting herself too much to even notice that she was beginning to draw more blood.

Slapping Cress's hand away from her mouth, Cinder stared at her friend in amusement. If only she knew. If only Cinder could tell her who The Mechanic really was. She was sure Cress would be in a fit, rolling on the floor in hysteria. Her best friend! Cress would say. The Mechanic!

But Cinder knew the rules, how could she forget after hours of Iko stuffing the rules down her throat. A female savior is only chosen once in each century. It is her responsibility to keep her identity a secret from everyone, even the people closest to her.

Iko, the only person who truly knew about Cinder's double life, was a source of power that each savior was given once they'd come of age. Iko had a very bubbly personality that Cinder had, had a hard time dealing with at first, but now, Iko was undoubtedly one of Cinder's closest friends. However pathetic that must sound.

Cinder wasn't even sure if she wanted to tell Cress anyways. Nothing, nothing, would have been worse than Cress, her best friend since kindergarten, treating her like she was someone else just because of a stupid mask. So she kept her secret to herself, letting the size of it weigh her down with every step she took.

"How do you know they even go to our school?" Cinder asked, playing along.

"I had a reliable source leave me a message on my website that said they saw The Mechanic leaving school grounds with a backpack last night!" Cress squealed just as Cinder went ridged. How could she have been so stupid as to come back from a mission without changing out of her suit to retrieve the backpack she'd left in the main hall. She'd assumed all the students would be home in bed at eleven on a school night when she'd ventured onto the campus to grab her science homework.

"Are you sure?" Cinder asked, trying to push the idea out of her friends mind. "I mean, how many false tips have you received this year? 30? 40?" Cinder couldn't count how many times she'd sent Cress anonymous tips just to throw her off her trail.

"37." Cress said mater-of-factly. She pushed her hands down into her lap as she looked dreamily into the air. "But that's besides the point, the source sent photos too!" Cress pushed her laptop towards Cinder, adjusting the lighting so Cinder could see properly. "They should be finished downloading any time now, and after that! Viola! I will have unmasked The Mechanic." Cress placed her hands on her hips proudly, scanning her friends face for approval.

Cinder stared at the rainbow circle that spun around the screen and searched for something that would throw her friend off her trail. "Um…" She looked around her room until her eyes landed on a photo of herself and Prince in action, taken by the press. "What about The Prince? He's just as interesting as The Mechanic and," she placed her hand on her heart, creating an over dramatic sigh. "A lot dreamier!" Cinder attempted to make herself sound like one of the many fans she and Prince had encountered after their patrols, the ones who drooled all over themselves at the sight of the masked boy.

"Oh, what is this? Does someone have eyes for one other than Kai?" Cress teased as Cinder launched herself on top of Cress, gripping a hand around her mouth in attempt to muffle the sounds coming out.

Cress was one of the few people, if not the only, who knew of Cinder's infatuation with the new transfer student who had been homeschooled his entire life. Cinder could get lost for hours staring into his copper brown eyes that seemed to swallow you up whole if you stared into them long enough. She found it charming how he ran his fingers through his hair when he was upset. She- Cinder stopped herself. What she needed to do was distract Cress so she could delete the footage of her sneaking out of the school before Cress posted it anywhere.

"I have eyes for whoever deserves them." Cinder said coyly. The doorbell rang, snapping both Cinder and Cress from their thoughts. "Come on, let's head back to school! If we hurry I bet we can sit next to Thorne and Kai!"

Cress lit up at the mention of Thorne, her long time crush of three years. They both sprang up from their seats and raced down the hall towards the kitchen, Cress conveniently forgetting her laptop upstairs in the haze of excitement. Cinder smiled and chased after her.

4 HOURS EARLIER

Sitting behind of Kai during english class was the worst punishment the stars could inflict on Cinder. She found herself constantly loosing focus as her eyes drifted from the board to Kai's full head of silky black hair. Cinder knew that she had a crush the size of the moon on Kai, but she also knew she wasn't the only one. Her gaze drifted to Pearl, Cinder's antagonizing older step-sister who went out of her way to make Cinder's life a living hell. Pearl's eyes were fixed on Kai's, giving a flirtatious smile whenever Kai seemed to look her way. It made Cinder sick to think that someone as evil as Pearl could attract the attention of someone so kind as Kai. It made it even worse that they seemed to be somewhat of friends.

Cinder wouldn't call herself the jealous type, hell, she didn't even have Kai to be jealous over, but when she saw them together something bubbled in her stomach.

Cress tapped Cinder's shoulder three times before she finally looked at the blonde girl. "Earth to Cinder!" Cress whispered, trying to to drag any unwanted attention towards them. "I asked if you were free to hang out tonight?"

"Tonight?" Cinder mumbled, barley focused on Cress at all. "I can't tonight I have patr-" She stopped herself, frightened by how easy it was for the words to slip out. She could not tell Cress that she was going on patrol, oh no, that would give her identity away far too easily. "There is a big order coming in at the supply store that I have to unload."

The lie. It was too easy to lie to her best friend. It was too easy to pretend that she wasn't a superhero. It was too easy to pretend that this secret didn't tear her apart everyday.

Cress simply sighed, leaned over the the seats in front of them, that of which belonged to Thorne and Kai, and proceeded to ask them about their night.

"Are you guys busy tonight?" Cress said, avoiding Thorne's eyes at all costs. Sometimes Cinder wondered if she was as obvious as Cress was when it came to boys. Whenever Thorne would tell one of his awful, rude jokes Cress would giggle herself senseless until Cinder had to physically stop her.

"Nope," Thorne said, trying to look at Cress. "Got the whole weekend free. Why?"

Cress stared at Thorne's shirt, unable to meet his eyes. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go see a movie." When the silence was too long she also quickly added, "Kai too, of course!"

"Sorry, Cress," Kai said. "I've got somewhere I've gotta be tonight and there's no getting out of it."

"See," Cinder said, poking Cress. "I'm not the only one." When Kai's eyes met Cinder's she froze, unable to move until he smiled the most beautiful smile Cinder thought anyone could ever smile.

Quickly, trying to recover from the momentary blunder, she gathered her books. "Well, just looks like it'll be you and Thorne tonight!" Cinder winked at Cress as her cheeks became a shade of pink Cinder didn't know was possible.

"Have a nice face, Kai." She called as she left the room, then stopped, horrified at what had just come out of her mouth. "I-I mean, have a nice day!" She tried to pick up the pieces. "Not that you don't have a nice face, you do! I just didn't mean it that way…" She trailed off, realizing that all her talking was just digging herself deeper into a hole. As gracefully as possible she ran out the door and onto side walk, shamed and grateful to be out of the room with the prying eyes of other students.

Well, Cinder thought, trying to be positive. At least it can't get any worse.

2 HOURS EARLIER

One would think that when they find themselves in their own home, the space they had made for themselves, that they feel safest there. One would also think that this so called home was not full of people who would tear you apart piece by piece until you had nothing left to give.

People who thought in that manner had clearly never been inside the Linh household on a Tuesday night. Tuesdays were the days that parts for the families auto repair store was shipped in. Although, taking a step back, Cinder wasn't quite sure that one could call it the families rather than just Cinder's. After all, Cinder was almost positive that Adri, Cinder's step-mother of five years, had never step foot in the store in her entire life. Her entire family was kept afloat by the amount of pay that was given to them by the government for housing a foster child and from whatever Cinder could bring in working her ass of day and night—that is, whenever she wasn't saving the city— in a old run down shop.

Cinder never really understood why she was still stuck with this family who clearly wanted nothing to do with her. She knew the pay that the government was giving them wasn't enough to keep Adri satisfied, so why even bother?

At one point, Cinder had believed that Adri and her daughter had loved her. She remembered distinctly the day Adri asked Cinder to call her Step-mother instead of just Adri. It had filled Cinder's heart with every positive feeling she could think of.

Now, Cinder honestly thought the only reason she was still around was so that Adri could prove to herself that she wasn't the monster she had become.

"Cinder!" Pearl called from downstairs, annoyance dripping off her voice. "Fix dinner already!"

Cinder groaned as she removed herself from the desk to attend to whatever needed to be cooked downstairs. She'd just deleted all the photos off of Cress's computer and planned on safely returning the device when Cress realized it was missing.

Cinder dreaded leaving the small sanctuary she had built herself in the small attic room upstairs. The walls were covered in grease stains from where one of her creations had gone a little hay-wire. The small pull-out-couch where Cinder slept was covered in papers of homework she anticipated starting if it meant having an excuse to get away from her two tormentors downstairs.

But she also knew that cooking, cleaning, and working the shop were all part of the deal she had made with her step-mother four years ago when she was twelve. If she did most of the work in the house and brought in a steady pace of customers at the shop she would be able to attend school, sleep over with Cress, and best of all, she had the entire attic to herself.

Ever since she had become The Mechanic the attic had been a blessing. She was able to sneak out the window and back through it without anyone ever noticing she was gone. Cinder had mentally thanked younger Cinder for that save.

"Cinder!" Pearl's whining brought Cinder back into reality and reminded her of where she needed to be. She took her time walking down the halls of the house, staring at the family photos on the wall, none of which included her. She came across one that always made her stop in her tracks. Dragging a hand down the side of the picture, Cinder looked at her younger sister. The only person in the Linh family who had truly welcomed her and made her feel like she was important enough to exist. She was also the only Linh who had been removed, taken from Cinder's grasp by the claws of death. No one knew how she died, Adri had never told the Pearl or Cinder, only that it was slow and painful. The culprit was never caught.

Peony. Cinder thought as she stared into the little girl's unmoving eyes. Her name was Peony.

"Cinder, I swear if you are not in this kitchen in 30 seconds I will-" Adri's voice was threatening, breaking the calm sorrow that had engulfed Cinder. She rushed into the kitchen to set up the meal, careful to avoid Adri's hollow eyes that stared holes into her.

"What am I preparing?" Cinder asked, pulling open the pantry door in search for ingredients.

"Potstickers with rice," Adri declared, handing Pearl a card that had was beautifully crafted on all sides, dotted with ink in the corner marking the return address. "This came in the mail for you today, Pearl."

Waiting no time at all, Pearl ripped into the letter, destroying the careful ink marks and the velvet red stamp that clasped it shut. A squeal escaped her mouth, threatening to break Cinder's ear drum, as the older sister read through the rest of the note.

"It's an invitation to Kai's party!" Pearl screamed, jumping up and down with a less enthused Adri but right as Pearl murmured, "He's rich," Adri began to rejoice with her daughter while Cinder stood staring at the two.

"I knew he would invite me, mother! He so has a crush on me." Pearl boasted as Adri went on about how she could one day be rich enough to afford an entire staff of maids to do the cooking and cleaning for her. That part did not sound too bad to Cinder. What did bother her was that Pearl, Cinder's annoying older sister who almost everyone hated, had been invited to the party and not her. She had led herself to believe that she and Kai were friends, or a least close enough acquaintances to receive an invitation to a stupid party. Maybe it was that last comment she had made today, oh god she had been so stupid.

"Did I happen to receive one?" Cinder asked, poking her head in-between the two's conversation.

Neither of them was polite enough the stifle the giggles that sprang up inside them.

"As if you could ever be special enough to get an invitation from Kai, of all people!" Pearl said, laughing at herself in a way that was not becoming.

But it was Adri who turned to her and said, "Perhaps it got lost in the mail." Her smile was menacing and made Cinder want to curl up into a ball of herself and never come out. That was all the indication Cinder needed that she had, indeed, received an invitation but Adri had stolen it and hid it somewhere.

"Now, me and Pearl are going to go dress shopping for the big event while you stay here and fix dinner. If it's not ready by the time I get back then you better hope you have somewhere else warm to sleep tonight." Adri set her eyes dead into Cinder's, challenging her to protest but Cinder had been playing this game long enough to know that if she wanted to win she was going to have to save all her energy for the boss battle.

ONE HOUR EARLIER

Cinder's eyes were fixed on the net screen that was blasting the top 40 of Cinder's parents age group. She found the old music calming, thinking of a time when there was no Mechanic to haunt her every step.

She had no idea how her parents had died, only that Iko told her it had greatly influenced why she had become the masked hero she was today.

"Those who have seen death with their own two eyes are the best to protect others from it." Iko had told her when she's first appeared in Cinder's home that hot day one year ago. "You are going to be someone you never thought you could." Iko had told Cinder when she had agreed to let the pocket sized android in. "You are going to save lives."

Cinder wasn't sure if Peter Parker ever felt this way when he was Spider Man but if there was one thing Cinder was positive of, it was that being a superhero was not all it was cracked up to be.

"Yum! That food smells great!" Iko said, popping her head out from under the table to get a closer look at the potstickers Cinder was frying. "I, for one, am glad they finally decided to do us both a favor and leave!" She looked up at Cinder apologetically. "I truly do not know how you do it."

"Do what?" Cinder said, turning another potsticker over, checking to see if she'd burned anything.

"Let them bully you like that! You're The Mechanic for stars sake! Stand up to them." Iko was throwing imaginary punches into the air and then ducking from an imaginary punch thrown her way.

"Iko, you know it's not that simple. They are the only people I've ever know. Plus, if I left them I'd have to stay at the shelter until I'm 18! Hard to fight crime when you're homeless." She pushed Iko aside playfully, grateful to have the distraction.

"I know, but still, just think of the-" Cinder shushed Iko as she turned up the volume on the net screen, which had interrupted the regularly scheduled programing and was now showing a panicked reporter in front of a burning building.

The reporter, a woman that looked to be in her late twenties, was a mumbling mess. All Cinder could make out was the words arson and criminals. She knew then what she had to do.

"Iko," she said, grabbing the androids attention. "You know what we have to do."

Iko looked appalled. "But Adri will KILL you!"

Cinder returned the look. "And risk everyone else's lives? Come on, we have to leave now! We're already late and Prince is probably there handling the mess by himself."

Iko half heartedly agreed, following Cinder as she ran outside of the house and into the city streets, heart racing and pulse flowing.

NOW

The fire was black, letting off rings of smoke as she passed each room, checking for survivors. She hadn't been so lucky as to find a single living soul. Cinder tripped over something soft, dread filling every limb she could feel. She turned around as fast as her skin sight suit would allow and found a charred black girl, no older than Peony had been, maybe twelve or thirteen, sprawled out on the floor. Her legs had been burned so badly that Cinder knew there was no hope for ever saving them and the child coughed so heavily that Cinder knew that smoke had gotten to her. Cinder knew she wasn't going to survive.

The girl's eyes were wide with fear, taking in her surroundings as best as possible in the haze of black smoke that crowded both their visions. When her eyes met Cinder's they danced with life as her lips moved to form the last words she would ever speak.

"Mechan-" She let out a pitiful cough that sent Cinder's heart into the air.

"Shh…" Cinder cooed, bringing herself closer to the girls face so they could both see each other fully. The child's eyes were plastered with dried tears and her arm was clearly broken as it sat out of place when she tried to sit up.

"Shh, no." Cinder whispered, not daring to bring her voice above the level it was at now. Calm was what she needed to appear as. If she was calm then the child on the other end had no reason to feel anything but calm either.

"A-am I going to…" the child, who's brown skin was now tainted forever with the black smoke that floated around them both, struggled with every word the escaped her mouth. Cinder wanted to end it all, drive her blade deep into the child's heart if it meant her not having to suffer anymore. "Am I going to die?"

When Cinder just stared at her, eyes pleading for answers the world was not prepared to give her, the child let out a sob, quiet and tender, but loud enough to break every piece of Cinder that was still intact.

"Help!" A cry escaped the other room, desperate and sharp. "My leg! It-it's caught!"

Cinder knew she had to leave, but the thought of leaving the child here, alone to die, glued Cinder to where she sat.

"Go, Mechanic," the girl whispered. "I'll be fine." Cinder knew the child was lying being that she felt almost no pulse when she stuck her hand close to the child's neck. "Go," she pushed. "Don't let my life sacrifice everyone else's."

The man next door was still screaming, waiting for help. His voice was powerful enough the be carried down the stairs where the fire fighters would hear him. He would be saved. Cinder could stay with this girl.

"Go." The child pushed, voice hoarse. The last words she would ever speak.

Unwillingly, Cinder pushed herself off onto her feet and looked at the girl one last time, smiling ever-so slightly.

"Be brave." She whispered, well aware that she was no longer breathing.

She turned on her heels, eyes watering with tears, and ran towards the sounds of the man screaming a few choice curse words as she watched a cabinet fall onto his hand.

"Shit!" He cried, trying to pull it away. Once he realized it was stuck he let out a sigh of frustration, leaning back against the pole that held his foot to the ground.

Cinder stepped into the room, very much aware of the three other dead bodies that sat in the corner of the room. She noticed that the bodies weren't covered in black soot but instead were pale white with trails of blood dripping down from their mouths and into the floor.

"You killed them?" The man spun around, his face hairy and his green eyes staring fiercely at Cinder's dagger, all too aware of who she was with the mask.

"I had nothing to do with these deaths." He said, clearly trying to hide how afraid he was under the haughty expression he carried. It wasn't working. "Someone by the name of Amiery came and chopped these people up," he stopped, trying to regain his composure. "Said the only reason I wasn't dead along with them was so that I could be the messenger."

"A messenger?" Cinder asked, trying to think of any plausible reason Amiery would need a messenger. Last time she checked, the sick man enjoyed leaving his little killing sprees with nothing but a red A marking the door.

"Look, if you're here to kill me too, could you possibly, I don't know, not?" He looked stronger now, as if something had clicked inside of him that made him want to fight to stay alive. He looked like a wild animal. "I've got a wife and a baby girl on the way. I need to stay alive." His eyes floated up to a picture of what Cinder had to guess was his family. The man, who was clean shaven in the photo, was standing next to a fierce looking red head. She covered in freckles and had a smile that shone bright even from behind the cracked glass of the frame.

"Is this you're office?" Cinder asked, trying to assess the situation. "I fully intend to get you out of here if you just answer a few questions."

"Okay…" He said, a bit apprehensive. He clearly didn't like the idea of staying in this room anymore than Cinder did.

She began to lift the poll out from underneath him, dragging it some way before dropping it back down onto the ground, breaking the floor a bit as she did.

"Do you have any idea why this man killed these people?" Cinder asked, trying to figure out how she was going to lift the gigantic cabinet off of his hand.

"No! I've never seen him before in my life!" The man didn't even wince as Cinder accidentally dropped the cabinet on his hand when it slipped from her grasp.

"How do you know his name?"

"He left a note, but it's long gone now." He coughed again, the smoke filling up both of their lungs. "Must have been burned with all the rest of my work."

Cinder looked frantically around the room, searching for the note that was nowhere to be found. Damnit, she thought as she tried to make her way across the room, only to be stopped by a flaming piece of wood that fell from the ceiling.

The man let out an aggravated and fearful gasp. "Are you going to help me or not?" He tugged at his arm but it was unwilling to move, trapped under the pounds of wood that held it.

"Don't," Cinder said, positioning her thoughts back to man's safety. "You'll injure yourself worse." She played one finger to her lip, contemplating what course of action she was to take. "I think I know what to do."

The man let out an audible scoff and it took every ounce of Cinder's self control not the lash out at the man. "Finally."

She did her best to ignore the man, who was clearly under stress and Cinder knew she couldn't hate him for wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. Fumbling around her belt she found her cellphone, battery at less than ten percent, and dialed the number that would save her.

"Hello, my princess." Prince's voice purred as he answered the call.

"There's no time for this!" Cinder said, dismissing his future attempts at flattery. "I'm stuck up on the 12th floor and need your help."

"I told you!" Prince laughed, fear edging his voice. "No one ever listens to me but what did I say? I told you you'd be burnt to a crisp!"

"Just come and get me!" Cinder cried, frustrated that now he had decided to become unreasonable.

"What I put myself through for you, princess." He hung up before Cinder could chastise him anymore.

"Someone's coming to help us." Cinder informed the man while she attempted, in vain, to lift the cabinet off him again. At that moment, a flaming piece of the ceiling fell down, inches away from the mans lifeless hand. He let out a cry as the fire singed the tips of his hair. Cinder could feel the intensity of the heat from her spot a few feet over and she prayed that Prince would get there as soon as possible.

Cinder opened her eyes to find herself on the ground, outside in the heat of the day. She looked around slowly, trying to regain her composure as she searched her memory for the recent events.

Fire.

Girl.

Fire.

Death.

Fire.

Man.

Fire.

The memories came rushing into her like a wave onto white sand beaches. The memories were laced with red flames, licking at all edges of her vision. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, using a trick she'd taught herself was useful when she needed to calm down.

"Rise and shine." A low voice rang, flooding her thoughts with nothing but white noise. She re-opened her eyes to find herself nose to nose with Prince, his smile reaching lengths Cinder knew must have broken records.

She pushed him away gently, still weak from the mission. "What happened?"

Prince looked at her with an overdramatic flare of shock in his eyes. "You mean you don't remember my dashing effort to rescue you?" When Cinder said nothing he shook his head softly. "Why do I even try?"

She gave him a pointed look that said explain.

"Okay, okay." Prince gave her a vague outline as to what had happened. She remembered calling him and asking him to come help her but everything after that was a blur. Prince did his best to fill in any missing spaces.

She and Prince had both freed the man, letting him escape while they preformed a damage control check on the place. After they did so, Cinder was just about to escape when the roof collapsed on them both, burning Prince's right forearm and leaving Cinder's metal hand slightly melted. Prince, who was still conscious, dragged them both out while the fire department did the best they could to control the situation.

"Woah," Cinder breathed, once he had finished. "Thank you."

He cracked a small smile and said, "Anytime, princess." Cinder proceeded to roll her eyes, glad that they were both alive and in one piece.

"Did you…" Cinder started, trying to build up the courage to ask the question that had been haunting her ever since she'd come to. "Did you find a little girl?"

Prince's eyes became soft, apologetic and angry at the same time, like he too was pained by the loss of the little girl. "They found her body. I'm sorry."

Cinder didn't have the strength to cry, she simply closed her eyes, counted to ten, and reset herself, fully aware that the dreams that would plague her tonight would contain the little girl's face.

"Let me see your wounds." Cinder said, changing the subject and pulling his arm towards her, trying to examine the burn marks.

"Maybe some other time," Prince said, standing up and brushing himself clean of grass and dirt. "My glamour is about to run out and we both know how much of a disaster that would be."

Cinder gave weak smile, trying to lighten the mood he'd set very solemn. "Stars know what a wreck you are under all that spandex."

Prince gave a small chuckle, turning his back, but not before whispering, "Maybe one day you'll find out."

Cinder's glamour didn't last but a few minutes after Prince had left, leaving her face hot from where the mask had been and the feeling of nothingness still floating around her.

She should have done more, been more heroic. She should have done a lot of things today.

Iko emerged from behind her as she trudged her way home, brushing past the miles of unsuspecting people on her way.

"You did everything you could have done to protect her, you know." Iko said as more tears began to fall from her eyes.

She wiped them away, ashamed that she felt this way over someone she didn't truly know. "I'm awful at this." She mumbled the sentence over and over, drilling it into her head like it was a popular song she was trying to memorize. "I don't know why you chose me, out of all the people in the city, you chose me and look how I'm living up to the title." She threw her hands out in front of her, frustration written up and down her body like tattoos she could never be rid of.

"Don't be daft." Iko whispered, keeping her voice level and calm compared to Cinder's broken and hurting. "I chose you because I knew you'd be the right person for the job. Your heart is so big you couldn't fill it if you tried."

She smiled a tad bit at the compliment and let her thoughts wonder to the day Iko had chosen her.

She had been newly fifteen at the time, enjoying her last day of winter break when a crash has sounded from the opposite side of the room. She'd gotten up, curious as the what could have made such a noise this hour in the morning when she'd seen Iko's tiny body trying to untangle herself from the mess of wires connected to Cinder's port screen. She'd chased the small android-like creature around the room, believing it was a pest. Finally, when Iko had presented herself and the opportunity of a lifetime, Cinder was overly excited to say yes.

Cinder remembered the feeling of being wanted for the first time by someone other than Cress. She remembered the first time Iko had asked her how her day had been and the smile that was stuck on Cinder's face for the rest of the day. She remembered her first mission and how disastrous it has been, almost killing herself when her grappling hook would not release. She remembered meeting Prince for the first time, the way he took her hand and kissed it, followed by a witty comment that made her laugh until she couldn't breathe. She remembered it all, every step and every set back.

Cinder wondered that if she'd known what was in store for her that she'd change her mind, say goodbye to everything she'd grown to love.

"Plus," Iko said, pulling Cinder back into current time. "You are a really good cook and mama gets hungry sometimes." Iko laughed at herself and Cinder willed herself to join in, letting her chest rise and fall happily.

"Stars!" Iko cried, "That reminds me, we need to get home and finish that dinner!"

Cinder's eyes lit up in comprehension and she drug her feet across the ground, racing to get home in time to finish what Adri had asked of her.

It was almost eleven thirty when Adri and Pearl pulled into the driveway, music blaring from the speakers and simultaneously waking Cinder up from her short nap.

Jumping up from the couch, she ran to take the food from the warmer where they had been residing every since Cinder had arrived home and bandaged her wounds.

She would admit that it was getting easier to forget that what had happened to The Mechanic had also happened to her. Splitting the two lives up completely seemed to help with Cinder's sanity.

"I can't believe I found it!" Pearl cried as the two entered the house, shopping bags covering them from head to toe.

Adri made her way into the kitchen slowly. Once she entered, she looked at Cinder and the meal laid out in front of her with an agitated grimace.

"Oh, those won't be necessary." Adri said, rolling her eyes, "We picked something up while we were out."

Anger boiled up inside Cinder's veins, threatening to explode should she open her mouth. Instead, she simply turned her back towards the woman, not giving her the satisfaction of knowing how many buttons she pushed.

Pearl spun Cinder around to face her, cheeks flaming red with pride. "Won't this look lovely on me when I finally kiss Kai?" Pearl danced around the room, overflowing with joy. Cinder wanted to crush her like the bug she was. "Pity you weren't invited." Pearl said, going on," Although, I do understand why. I, too, wouldn't want vermin infesting my party!" Pearl let out an obnoxious laugh

"Shush up, Pearl." Her mother warned, her pointed look soon turning into something more of mockery. "They've grown intelligent enough to understand speech!"

Cinder pushed past them both, rushing for her room, away from them both. She ran, trying to block out their torments with the sound of her pulse.

3:30 AM.

She wasn't rummaging so much as searching, Cinder told herself as she dug through the pile of trash that was left outside on the curb of her house. She searched until her finger tips were numb from the freezing cold of the night. She searched until her hands landed on an envelope. It must have been white in its previous life where it was now covered in dirt. It looked beautiful even under the layer of filth.

Cinder raced upstairs, keeping careful not to wake the two other members of the household sleeping soundly downstairs.

Once she was in the comfort of her bed she opened the letter, making sure not to tear any edges.

Cinder laughed to herself as she read the letter. Only Kai, homeschooled since birth up until this year, would send a party invitation via mail.

Her name was specially signed at the bottom, the letters curving and dipping. Cinder had never seen her simple name look so beautiful.

She was going.

She whispered the fact over and over to herself until it started to make sense.

She was going.

She fell asleep to the soft rhythm of the words ringing on repeat inside her head.