Bryson's face was a few inches from Lilia's, and he was spitting mad. Quite frankly, she didn't really blame him, but still, this was a little too close for comfort, and she was getting tired of him trying to undermine her every time he saw an opportunity.

"You put Druid in danger," sneered Bryson. "It's because of you that she was hurt. She saved that woman because of you, didn't she?"

Lilia didn't reply; she didn't need to. He kept on talking, shoving her against the wall every few seconds.

"She's from your past, right? Someone, you care about? She has nothing to do with the team. Nothing to do with us." Bryson's eyes blazed with anger. "You are a disgrace. A girl like you shouldn't even be in my presence, If I had my way, I'd…"

"What, kill me?" she asked, with a little laugh. "You know that is impossible unless you want to kill yourself. We proved that a long time ago, remember? You are the one who pierced me through with an ice blade. We are all stuck together." Lilia was seething. She grabbed his fist and glared into his eyes. "I am sick and tired of you blaming me for every little thing."

"I'm tired of you, your nothing but an eyesore," Bryson growled back, pushing her away.

Lilia felt her back hit the wall. She closed her and breathed in and out before addressing Bryson once again. "You are threatened by me."

"I am most certainly…"

"Yes, you are because I can beat you in a fight. You're afraid I am more powerful than you." Bryson had a complex ever since she beat him four years ago. The funny thing was that she would have a harder time winning if his fighting patterns weren't so predictable.

"You are not…"

Lilia couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous the whole situation was. "Come on, you are far better than me at everything else. Why does this bother you so much." Bryson was highly intelligent, charming when he wanted to be, beautiful in both appearance and mannerism, and hard working. Far better than she could ever be. If Lilia was into guys, then she had to admit that she could understand the appeal.

'Until he opened his mouth, and you realize how much a pompous jackass he is.'

'Ah, it was because of that.' "It's because I am a girl, right? Shadow, you can accept because he is a guy, but I'm not. Is that's the thing that bothers you the most about all this?" Lilia had to shake her head. If it was anyone outside the group, Lilia would just walk away, but it's Bryson, like it or not, they are stuck together.

Lilia held her head, she could feel a headache coming on. 'Why do relationsh.i.p.s in the group have to be so complicated?' Thinking of Rachel, her mother, and sister. 'Okay, maybe relationsh.i.p.s, in general, are complicated.'

"No, it's not just that." Bryson didn't deny it. "You are reckless, you don't follow orders, and you're lazy. You are a danger to us all, by your fool-hardy actions."

Lilia nodded head in agreement. "Yes, I am all those things and more. It's something I need to work on, but I don't think that's the point."

"Of course, that's the point. You are risking our safety. Your movements should be restricted," Bryson argued.

"But I wasn't the one who put Druid at risk." Before Bryson could say anymore, Lilia put up her hand to interrupt him. "I did my share of mistakes, I do not deny that, but I also can improvise and think on my feet. And I'm not the one who hurt Druid."

"Who else, but you?"

Lilia rolled her eyes. Bryson was smart, but when it has to with Druid, he had a blind spot. "Druid did."

"No, she…"

"No, of course not!"

"Then I think this conversation is over," she stated with finality. Lilia couldn't stay a second more. Slipping away neatly, she walked away to catch up with the others. Lilia could see Druid in the distance waiting and watching, a knowing look in her eyes. It was frustrating how much she knew before everyone else did.

Lilia looked around. Shadow wasn't with them. That wasn't odd, he sometimes watches in his shadow world, but he always stayed close to Lilia. But she couldn't feel his gaze. Why did she have an odd feeling this time?

All she could do was to shake it off.

"We aren't finished," Bryson stated after he passed her.

"We never are," Lilia whispered. Same old, same old. Nothing ever changed, nothing ever resolved. To be truthful, she was getting fed up with it all.

***

Headmistress's Office

Maria Weatherly was standing in front of her next adversary, the two WMP inspectors who knew much more than they should.

"Now what will I do with you two?" she asked, with her mind already working, trying to think of every angle. Oh, how she missed being a lawyer.

"I don't know what you mean..." the man with the cowboy hat spoke up. 'Sergeant Statson, was it?' "Boss Lady."

"Boss Lady?"

"You look like 'Boss Lady' to me," Mr. Statson stated. "Getting those Lumeye kids to do your bidding, and they are afraid of you, so it all fits. Neat and tidy," He lazily sat in one of the chairs, to show that he was not.

Maria's eyes flashed a little with that statement.

Meanwhile, the female inspector, Rachel, looked on, puzzled. She was very green, but Rachel knew how to go with the flow. She adopted his style, and she sat lazily.

'Good,' Weatherly thought.

"Let's move on, shall we?" She dismissed.

"Right, Boss Lady."

"No," he refused.

"But I haven't..."

"You want us to train your kids. Right?" Mr. Statson interrupted.

"As a matter of fact, I..."

"No!" he refused again, with more aggression this time. "Find someone else."

"There is no one else. Don't you think I've tried already to find someone qualified enough to train six overpowered teens, let alone have the discretion needed to keep it a secret?" Maria paused to take a breath; she hated to lose her cool, but she needed to make her point. "There is a real possibility that they are going to get themselves killed and that all the money and resources I put into them will be in ruins."

"Then don't let them go on these secret missions of yours." Mr. Statson said, not giving her an inch.

The female inspector had gone pale.

Maria merely gave him an 'are you an idiot' look. "Please, Mr. Statson…"

"Mr. Statson," she continued like she didn't hear him. "They're Lumeye and living in the Wastelands. It's more than likely they will be fighting for the rest of their lives. I am giving them the means to train in real-life applications, and they are not the only ones. I will give all the children under my care the best chance to survive."

"God help them then," growled Mr. Statson underneath his breath. "All in the goodness of your heart."

"Of course not," Headmistress Weatherly said like the notion was ridiculous. "I have a business to run."

Mr. Statson grunted, "I bet."

"Now, you know why I need you. Let me tell you why you need me." Maria got back to negotiating. "Mr. Statson, you know as well as I do why you were sent to the Representative Party, where you are obviously underqualified." She decided to be as blunt as possible. Men like Statson responded better with cold, hard facts. "Your Captain or someone in your department wanted to get one or both of you out of the way." Her eyes moved to Inspector Lui. "Even the young inspector can determine that much."

Inspector Lui tried to interrupt. "Ma'am..."

"I am not trying to demean you," She maintained eye contact she Inspector Lui. "In fact, I am quite impressed with your record," she stated, pulling out both Miss Keaton and Statson's file. "Top of your class graduated a year early. In fact, you could get a plush position…especially with your family connections. So why are you assigned to the Wastelands, hmmm?"

"I requested it, Ma'am."

"Oh, really, how very interesting!" Maria didn't need to meddle. In fact, with her background checks and her Lumeye's report, she already knew the answer. What Maria was most interested in was the young woman's untapped potential. 'It's not like me to let a diamond in the rough go to waste...'

"Connections, Mr. Statson, connections. Now sit down!" Maria ordered, smiling inwardly, having the ball in her court.

"Now, your record tells a different story. You have an abundance of experience, a war vet, but you have authority issues a mile long," she said, opening Mr. Statson's file. "Did you stumble onto something that you shouldn't have? Had the young inspector gotten caught in the middle, or is Miss Lui's family connection an issue, hmmm?" Maria asked, tapping her desk.

Mr. Statson didn't speak, just seethed.

"No matter, their loss, my gain," Marie gleamed with delight. She'd got them. She didn't need to mention that Inspector Lui was going to stay no matter what Statson said. The look in that girl's eyes… that look said so much.

Statson couldn't help but throw a punch while still going down. "They are Lumeye, what the hell are you thinking? You could get in a lot of trouble consorting with the enemy."

"Enemy?" Maria laughed. "Those kids? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard."

"You are controlling them; you know what happened in the past when we tried to control them. The war happened," Statson growled out.

Maria gave him a look. She thought he was smarter than that. She didn't mind beating him to the ground once or a dozen more times. "Control? Do you see one of those barbaric collars on them? Why would I need you if I am controlling them?"

"Why are they here then?" Rachel asked.

"Various reasons," Maria warily answered; she didn't want to show all her cards. She always plays to win. "Please consider my offer. Believe me, it is the best you're going to get. My assistant will meet you in the morning to receive your decision." Turning away, she dismissed them both.

She could hear the cowboy grinding his teeth. And she couldn't help but grin in p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.

Before they stepped out the door, she stopped them with the finishing blow. "By the way, do not waste your time going to the officials. Even if you had the connections to go that far." Her assistant came out of nowhere and handed legal doc.u.ments to the very red Statson. "These doc.u.ments prove that my kids are fully sanctioned by the government."

He sputtered, "How did you...."

She leaned back with a wicked grin on her face. "What can I say? I like to cross my t's and dot my i's. Please consider my offer. Now get out of my office."

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