Not so perfect after all (KOTLC)

Chapter One

I watched as the group of 5 children stepped down into the tunnel.

"Not to complain," A boy who I recognized as Keefe Sencen started. "But you guys seriously need to pick some better hideouts."

"This is not our hideout," Mr. Forkle responded as I started to hand out a pendant to each child.

They each breathed on the crystal, activating the blue balefire that rested inside.

"Well, that looks fun," Keefe said, looking at the shadowy tunnel ahead of them. He pushed his friend - who looked suspiciously like Alvar Vacker - forward. "Lead the way, buddy."

"Actually," I spoke up. "That path only leads to our demolished hideout."

"So it was at the Palazzo Vecchio?" The girl who I quickly realized was Sophie questioned.

She looked just as much like Jolie as Grady and Edaline said.

"No, that was marked as a decoy," I explained. "But if the Neverseen found it, we knew it was only a matter of time before they found the real one. So we collapsed our grotto before we came here."

"Where are we going then?" A boy with periwinkle eyes asked.

"Through our emergency exit," Mr. Forkle licked one of the sludge-covered bricks, revealing a secret doorway.

Sophie gagged. "That's gross."

"It certainly is Miss Foster," Mr. Forkle agreed. "But let that be a lesson. The best places to hide are the places nobody wants to go."

"Do you know how the Neverseen found your decoy?" Sophie asked.

"I swear it wasn't me," Keefe jumped in. "I threw my Sencen crest in the ocean, and Elwin melted off a bunch of skin so I am aromark free. Remind to thank her for that by the way. So awesome of her to let me lead my friends into ambushes."

I noticed Sophie reach for his hand.

"I'm fine," He assured her.

"We don't blame you, Mr. Sencen," I told him. "We assume they used Gethen. We'd been holding him here after we captured him on Mount Everest, but don't worry, we relocated him to somewhere much harder to reach. And we'll figure out what enzyme they're tracking him with so this won't happen again."

"Have you learned anything from him?" Keefe asked.

"Not yet," Mr. Forkle sighed. "His mind is.... Tricky. We'll discuss it more later. Right now I need to get you to your new homes."

"Are we going to be living together?" The only other girl asked.

"Of course," I reassured her.

"Will you be living with us?" Sophie questioned Mr. Forkle.

"No. I live in the lost cities. I cannot disappear for too long without someone noticing my absence," He explained.

"But you lived with humans for 10 years," Sophie reminded him.

"And some day, I'll have to tell you how I managed to escape anyone's notice."

"But wait-" The boy with the periwinkle eyes started. "Does that mean we could've met members of the Black Swan and didn't know it?"

"I'm sure you have, Mr. Dizznee. Many of us are fans of your father's store."

This must be Juline's oldest, Dex, I thought.

The other girl spoke up again. "So you're basically two different people?"

"Or three," Mr. Forkle corrected. "Or maybe even four or five. And yes, that can be rather challenging. A clever technopath rigged my registry pendant to communicate where I want people to think I am. But it only covers blocks of time."