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end,"
everyone—Protectors and Punishers, Councilmen and laymen, and even
Kira—responded.
    With the traditional closing words spoken,
the mood around the square visibly relaxed. Councilmen stepped off
of their chairs to their waiting families below. Children began to
run around. Friends began to gossip. The grassy lawn began to clear
as people made their way home. And Kira felt she could finally
breathe again, like the air was somehow fresher. It might have been
a shaky victory, but hey, beggars couldn't be choosers.
    So, following Luke, Kira walked off the
platform and took a deep breath, unsure of where to go.
    There was always Luke's home, but his sister
was watching Kira like a hawk. Or the hospital, if Tristan were
awake enough to try to face his new reality again. But no, Kira
realized what she needed to do. Her mother was waiting somewhere in
the crowd, armed with either a warm hug or a harsh lecture. Kira
was ready for both.
    "Have you seen my mom?" She asked Luke,
confused about how any red headed woman would be so hard to find in
this crowd.
    "Your mother is right here."
    Kira jumped. She recognized the ice in that
voice.
    "Hey, Mom," she said casually, turning around
with a weak smile.
    The eyebrow raised and Kira's spirits
dropped. So it was going to be a lecture. What was the point of
narrowly escaping death, Kira thought, if you still got yelled at
by your mother?
    "We're leaving," she grabbed Kira's hand,
"good to see you, Luke."
    "You too Mrs. Dawson," he said, looking at
Kira like a deer caught in the headlights. "Um, is that my sister
over there?" He waved to no one and slipped away quickly.
    Coward, Kira thought with a grimace.
    "Come on." Her mom tugged on her hand.
    "But Grandpa, he said to go to the house, to
reconvene, to talk strategy…"
    The eyebrow rose higher.
    "Your grandfather can wait," her mother
said.
    Kira took a deep breath, trying to think of a
response, but the air just spilled out completely deflating her
body.
    "Yes Mom."
     
     
     
    Chapter Three

    "Get in the car." Her mother held open the
passenger side door of the black town car she had arrived in—her
eyes were daring Kira to refuse, to give her something to really
yell about.
    Kira slipped quietly under her arm, trying to
keep the fight at bay for as long as possible.
    Her mother slammed the door and walked
quickly around to the driver's seat. When it banged shut, Kira's
heart jumped. The only noise filling the car was the engine revving
to life. Her palms began to sweat and she rubbed them against her
legs.
    From the rearview mirror to her mother's
white knuckles to her own twiddling thumbs, Kira didn’t know where
to look. Her gaze shifted, moving more frantically the longer her
mom remained quiet. It was the calm before the storm—the moment
when you knew disaster was coming and there was nothing you could
do to prevent it, no last minute plea.
    They were on the main road, driving aimlessly
through the streets of Sonnyville, moving slowly with no sense of
direction. Kira realized her mother had no idea where to go. Her
eyes were barely focused on the road and Kira could see the wheels
in her head spinning on overdrive. She was thinking about her
lecture, about where to begin. And the fact that it was taking so
long had Kira on edge—it meant she was about to yell at Kira…a
lot.
    Her mother's lips were white, sealed together
in a tight line. Even knowing that it would open a floodgate, Kira
couldn't stand to keep silent any longer. The anticipation was
driving her insane. She leaned toward her mom, keeping her face
open and innocent—trying to look like the wide-eyed child her
mother loved and not the disreputable teenager she had become.
    "Mom?" She whispered.
    Her mother's hands shifted on the wheel,
squeaking against the leather.
    "I know you're mad—"
    "Mad!" Her mother turned, taking her eyes
completely off the road. "I'm furious! How could you?"
    Dang, Kira thought, why did you have to ask
such an open-ended