After a few days of obsessively cheg the squirrels, in an attempt to prevent Helen from carrying out her pns, all I had was a bad case of paranoia, and a splitting headache. As I y face down on the couch, a pillow c my head, I felt a small hand on my back.

  “Whatchu doing Teddy? I’ve never seen you sit still for so long,” Issi asked. I hadn’t even heard her approach me, the sneaky little ninja.

  “Dying,” I replied, deadpanned.

  “Don’t die!” The little girl cried, climbing onto my back.

  “She’s just being dramatic, Issi,” Jane said from the other side of the couch. A moment ter, I felt Issi’s weight leave my back. “Although, I admit, she doesn’t look too well.”

  I slowly pushed myself upright and looked over the back of the couch, where Jane was holding Isabelle. The light hurt my eyes, so I pulled my trademark hoodie lower. “I’ve just been busy tely, I’m a little tired.”

  “It’s more than that. You’re ALWAYS busy, but the st few days it feels like you’ve been pushing yourself more than usual. Is there something going on?” Jane asked.

  I slumped down on the couch, refusing to look her in the face. “Nope.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Jane replied almost immediately. She carefully lowered Issi down on one of the kit chairs before turning back towards me. “Is it about those Guiding Light goons?”

  “Not at all,” I said, slinking further down onto the couch.

  “That means yes!,” Isabelle giggled. “Teddy is a terrible liar.”

  I shot an evil look at the pair, whily elicited miggles from Issi and a serious look from Jane. “Ok, fine, I AM dealing with the Guiding Light, but it’s nothing to be ed with.”

  “Evelyn, I know you’re trying to protect us from something,” Jane said with a sigh, ”but wouldn’t it be safer just to tell everyone about it? If you hide the truth about the situation, it may put the kids in danger.”

  I sighed and id my head against the back of the couch. “Fine, call everyone down. I’ll get food for everyone and expiuation,” I said quietly.

  Jane nodded. Her eyes flickered for a moment, then I heard doors open elsewhere in the residence. “Nyx, meals and drinks for everyone, except me, please. I don’t think I stomach it with this headache.”

  Done. I could also get you some medie to alleviate the headache, but I know yainst drugs. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea either, the pain is a sign of you overstressing your brain cells. I reend trusting the surveilnce system you put in pce a little bit more, and stop overtaxing yourself. After the meeting I’d also suggest a small dose of nanos. That’ll help with the pain, and prevent long term effects.

  “Fine, sure. We’ll talk about it ter,” I mumbled. Jane gnced in my dire, but didn’t say anything. It hadn’t taken long for everyoo accept the fact that I occasionally talked to myself.

  After the food appeared oable, elig a squeal of delight from Issi, the rest of the family wandered down and took their pces around the table. While Eddie and Issi dug in, the rest turned my way, expetly.

  “So… Here’s the story,” I started, a little hesitantly. “As some of you may know, I’ve been trag down the Guiding Light to make sure they don’t start trouble.” I paused for a moment. “Well, I found them. The problem is that a samurai has attached herself to the anization, and I MAY have antagonized her a little.”

  There was an overwhelming silen the room. Eddie and Issi even stopped eating to look at me. “That definitely sounds like you,” An said with a sigh. “I’m sure you had a good reason for doing what you did. I doubt you’d piss off someone powerful without a good reason.”

  “You’re right, I did,” I replied, sitting up and looking at everyone for the first time. “I’m not going to go into details about what was said, just know that at the end of our meeting the two of us came to an agreement. I’m going to protect the north half of the city, and she’s going to… mahe south side. I won’t interfere with her, she doesn’t interfere with me.”

  Jennifer narrowed her eyes. “So, if that’s the case, and you came to an agreement, why are you warning us now?”

  “Jane forced her!,” Isabelle chirped up, a smile on her face.

  I shot the little girl a quick gre, which just caused her to burst into giggles again, before tinuing. “I don’t pn on upholding my side of the bargain, and since I don’t know her that well, I’m ed that she may not uphold hers,” I told my captive audience.

  Jane, An and Jennifer frowhe other two didn’t seem to quite uand what that meant, which robably for the best. “I spent the st few days trying to keep track of the situation, and I’m fairly fident she’ll be uo pee the shelter if thie, but I don’t want to take any ces,” I said tiredly.

  “What about when we o leave?” Eddie asked, between bites of some sort of casserole.

  This time, everyourned and looked in his dire. Guess I wasn’t the only ohat thought he hadn’t been paying attention. “First of all, I don’t think you’ve left here since we moved in, which makes things easier,” I said. “As for those people that actually step outside, I assigned not only yur fox escorts, but a backup squad of rabbits to shadow you, just in case something es up. There’s also several squads of bears on standby, which will swoop in at a moment’s notice to protect you.”

  “You’re seriously ed that this woman might try something, aren’t you?” Jane asked, softly.

  “Yes, and no. I don’t think she has a reason to start a fight with me, but I also think that she’s calg enough to try and capture one of you if she thought it would give her leverage over me. She is not a nice person,” I decred, looking over the group at the table. “I thought I could hahe situation by increasing the local prote, and surveilnce, without w you all, but now that you’re aware, I’d like to ask you all to stay home as much as possible. At least, until all this blows over.”

  I waited for everyoo nod before tinuing, “Sharron has already agreed to help, so if you o go out for some reason, I want to make sure that one of us goes with.”

  “For how long?” An asked.

  “Until the situation is resolved,” I replied sharply. “This woman isn’t a joke, and even if you don’t like the extra prote, it’s for your own good.” I took a deep breath to calm down, “I’m produg a shit ton of troops, so the situation WILL be solved, it’s just a matter of time.”

  An sat back, and pouted. I didn’t know WHY he was so pissy, I didn’t think he left the shelter that often anyway. “Does anyone else have any questions?” I asked.

  Isabelle sat up straight, her hand shooting into the air. “Yes, Issi?”

  “You have bunnies? I hug ohe little girl asked.

  I sighed, resting my forehead against the back of the couch. I could feel the tension, which had previously been building, bleed out of the room a little. “Yes, you hug one. Only if you finish your meal, and your homework,” I said.

  “‘Kay,” the little girl replied, befoing back to her meal.

  “Anyone else have a question?” I asked, lifting my head to look at the table again. No one said anything, so I poi the table. “No? The up before it gets cold.”

  As everyouro eat, I y ba the couch. My head was still killing me, but I felt a little better after discussing the situation with the family. Sino one was leaving without my knowledge, I could maybe rely a little more on the squirrels’ reports, rather than manual monit.

  I sighed, and pced the pillow back over the top of my head to block out the light. Guess the only thio do was take care of myself. “Nyx, I’ll take those nanos now,” I mumbled.