[Molly, our hare MC's beloved mother!]

  Molly sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall as the sun faded beyond the horizon. It had been a long, painful day for everyone, especially Zoe. The young girl had spent most of it in tears, supported by Alexa and Felix, who did their best to comfort her. Molly had barely left her side, offering whatever solace she could, but there was nothing that could replace the hole in her heart—she knew that all too well.

  Despite all I know…everything I must allow to happen, there are somehow still unknowns that creep into our lives. I’ve tried so hard to mitigate the fallout, yet things are progressing as if I’d done nothing at all… It’s futile. Isn’t that what you said, Mother?

  The radio clipped to Molly’s belt buzzed, drawing her attention. She picked it up and listened to the Marine sergeant stationed outside. “Mr. and Mrs. Park, the new neighbors have arrived. They’d like to meet you; I’d say they may be worried about the military presence in the neighborhood, but they do have food. I’d be cautious. Should I send them away?”

  Molly glanced at Sam, who had just entered the room. She was a little blown away that they now had to look out for poison from the neighbors. “Should we?”

  His eyes mirrored her exhaustion and concern, but he gave a nod. “Hmm. Let’s go meet them. It might be good to have a brief distraction and meet whoever is living next door. Hopefully, they won’t be conspiracy nuts like the last one.”

  She walked over to Zoe, gently touching her shoulder. “Sweetie, Alexa and Felix are here with you. Sam and I are going to step outside for a bit to meet the new neighbors. We won’t be long, okay?”

  Zoe nodded, her eyes red and puffy. “Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Park. It’s… I’m really thankful to…to—”

  “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

  Molly gave her a reassuring smile before heading to the door with Sam. Nam and Jeanne, who had been a comforting presence throughout the day, joined them.

  As they stepped outside, the cool night air was a welcome change from the stuffy, tear-filled house, no matter its size. Molly took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the day’s events still heavy on her shoulders. Sam placed a comforting hand on her back as they walked toward the gate, Nam and Jeanne behind them, talking lowly.

  They walked toward the gate, where a young Filipino woman and what looked to be her seventeen-year-old sister stood, holding trays of food. The older woman stepped forward with a warm smile, speaking with a slight accent.

  “Hello, we’re so sorry to intrude so late, but it took a while to get everything moved inside and situated. We’re the new neighbors!”

  Molly returned the smile, feeling a bit of the day’s weight lift. “Thank you so much for coming over to introduce yourself. It’s been a tough day, and this is very thoughtful of you. I’m Molly, and this is my husband, Sam. Nam is my oldest, and Jeanne is a friend staying with us.”

  Each of them gave a nod or short greeting once named.

  The older sister nodded, her smile unwavering. “I’m Carmelita, and this is my little sister, Bernila. We just moved in next door; the price on the house was too good to pass up, and the sale went through so fast! We were…kind of nervous. And then all of the military stuff,” she mumbled, gulping and looking back at the host of vehicles. “We didn’t mean to intrude, but we wanted to introduce ourselves.”

  The pair handed over the trays, filled with a variety of Filipino dishes. Molly’s heart warmed at their kindness, but she knew they shouldn’t eat it. If Jeanne was present, then she didn’t feel all that worried about the pair attacking them, and the blonde showed a beaming smile.

  “Thank you, really. It means a lot. Are you living with your parents or do they live overseas?” she asked, glancing at the large mansion next door before returning to the two young sisters. “Would you like to come inside for a bit to chat?”

  Carmelita shook her head gently. “We don’t want to impose, especially on such a difficult day—oh, sorry.”

  “Excuse me?” Molly whispered.

  The older sister stressed a smile and took a step back, rubbing her elbow as Bernila gave her a small frown and responded.

  “We shouldn’t hide it, Carmelita. You got powers from The Oscillation to see things from far away, and you saw them talking about some rough stuff.”

  “Bernila! That’s… Now we look suspicious,” she groaned. “I wasn’t trying to intrude… I was just really concerned with all the military stuff. I apologize!” she said, swiftly bowing her head, her twin braids nearly touching the ground.

  Molly felt a shiver at the admission; having nosy neighbors certainly wasn’t a plus, given the situation. Knowing her husband, she jumped in before his temper got the better of him for intruding on their lives. Molly gave Carmelita a warm, yet firm smile.

  “That is…troubling to hear, but I can understand your situation, and our own daughter tends to have some big ears. I get your concern, Carmelita, and I appreciate your sister’s honesty and willingness to admit to intruding. But please, in the future, respect our privacy. I’m sure you can understand how sensitive things are right now.”

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  “Of course! I’m sorry for such a bad first impression. It’s just…difficult for people to trust those who have changed. I’m glad you’re not one of those people with prejudices…like our last neighbors.”

  Sam’s brow furrowed as he glanced around at the armed men, ready to take action at a moment’s notice. “It’s been a rough day for all of us. The military is here to ensure our safety. Our daughter works closely with them, so please don’t feel threatened by their presence. It’s for the safety of everyone in the neighborhood.”

  Bernila shuffled her feet, glancing at her sister before speaking up. “It’s just…with everything that’s been happening, we’ve been really on edge. We saw some shady people lurking down a few streets earlier.”

  Carmelita nodded. “I’m really worried about my little sister’s safety, and I’ve been trying to scope out the area to see if, well, if everyone is okay with changed people. Do you…do you have anyone in the water scuba diving by chance?”

  Molly’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of shady people and scuba divers. Before she could respond, Jeanne stepped forward, her expression turning from bright as the sun to the scene from a blood-soaked battleground.

  “We don’t have anyone in the water. That’s definitely a cause for concern. You both should get inside your house and lock up. Molly, I think it’s best if you gather everyone and head to the panic room until we can do a thorough sweep of the area.”

  Carmelita’s face went pale, and she quickly nodded. “Thank you for understanding. We’ll go inside right away. Our place has a pretty thick panic room, too. Can you tell us when everything is clear? Uh…here’s our number—is that alright to get right now?” she asked with slight panic.

  Molly tapped the woman’s phone with her own to trade contact information, turning to the blonde, her expression troubled. “Jeanne, do you really think it’s necessary? It isn’t uncommon for people to swim in the ocean.”

  Jeanne’s eyes were hard and focused. “Yes, I do. With the information they’ve given us, we can’t take any chances, especially with what is happening around Rachel right now. Let’s move quickly.”

  Molly nodded, turning to Sam. “That makes sense. Let’s get Alexa and the kids into the panic room. Nam, can you help?”

  Nam nodded, his expression tense. “Of course, Mom.”

  They swiftly headed back inside, the sense of urgency clear, yet something didn’t feel right to Molly. This isn’t supposed to happen…

  Molly found Zoe still sitting with Alexa and Felix, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She knelt down beside her, gently touching her arm.

  “Zoe, sweetie, we need to go to the panic room for a little while. Jeanne and Nam will help us get there. It’s just a precaution, okay?”

  Zoe nodded, her voice small and shaky. “Okay. What’s going on?”

  The tension in the air was palpable as Molly and Sam led the way towards the panic room. Zoe clung to Alexa’s hand, her mind still reeling from the devastating news about her family. Nam walked ahead of them, his eyes scanning every corner, ready to create his energy constructs at a moment’s notice.

  Jeanne moved through the open back balcony, her eyes fixed on the docks. “They somehow slipped past my barrier—I can tell they’re strong,” she muttered, her voice barely audible. “Nam, protect everyone. I’ll handle the rest out back.” With that, she leaped from the balcony, her lithe form disappearing below.

  The sudden sound of gunfire echoed through the neighborhood, causing everyone to flinch and pause as the radio sounded.

  “Armed men in civilian vehicles engaged—tires blown out. They appear to be gang members, possibly affiliated with the Miami gangs… They’re surrendering without a fight. Keep an eye on the roofs and nearby buildings. Move to support Jeanne…”

  A surge of blinding light and clash of metal came from below, the Legend engaging what seemed to be several opponents.

  Nam’s jaw tightened as he focused on forming his constructs, the orange energy-like men taking shape around them. “We need to move fast, Dad,” he urged, his voice steady despite the chaos outside, but she knew he must be struggling after the incident at the police station when he’d first gained a Seed.

  Molly’s hand quaked in her husband’s. Fate has made a serious move somewhere that countered Rachel’s misfortune. It’s the only answer. There’s something bigger happening in the background if she’s involved.

  As they hurried down the hallway, Molly’s heart pounded in her chest. She kept a protective arm around Zoe, who was visibly trembling. Nam kept close to his pale-faced wife. “Stay close, everyone,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice calm. “Everything will be okay.”

  They reached the entrance to the panic room, and Nam positioned his constructs at strategic points to guard them. Molly took a deep breath, relieved that they had almost made it to safety. But just as they were about to enter, her heart stopped.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadowy figure phase through the wall, dressed in black, blending into the dim light. Her breath caught in her throat as the ninja-like assassin hurled a green-illuminated projectile—it was aimed straight at her.

  Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Molly’s mind screamed for her to move, but her body felt paralyzed—this had never happened in the past. Why couldn’t she move? It wasn’t any normal Feat. No, this had to be Divine influence.

  She was stronger than this! She’d trained for this… Yet, she could only watch in horror as the deadly projectile hurtled towards her. Nam, reacting with lightning speed, moved into the path of the projectile, his constructs rushing to form a protective barrier.

  The green projectile struck Nam’s construct, shattering it into shards of energy before going right for her son’s throat.

  “Nam!” she screamed with Alexa.

  A radiance of white light erupted from beside Nam, feathers filling the hallway, and her son stumbled to the side, dragging Molly to the floor. A faint golden light radiated in the hallway, yet Molly’s gaze was fixated on the green-edged throwing star, frozen in space as if locked in time.

  The black-dressed man was already in front of Molly, fractions away from sinking a knife into her skull. A frenzied energy seemed to lock everyone in place, saving her. Did Alexa have wings? A low hiss rattled the air, and Molly could see the assassin’s brown eyes widen in horror as a small girl with a split, emerald-flaming tail somehow instantly appeared between them—Zoe.

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