the return midnight | Page 8

th e k itc he n g ard en.
Dam on’s la ir
,
p eople w ere c a lli n g it n o w .
A s s he p asse d th e g ard en E le na g la nce d s id ew ays a t th e
h o le in th e m id dle o f th e a ng eli c a p atc h th a t w as th e
p ow ere d-d ow n G ate w ay w he re th e y’d c o m e b ack fr o m th e
D ark D im ensio n.
S he h e sita te d a t th e s to ra ge r o om d oor. S he w as s till
tr e m bli n g , a nd s he k ne w th a t w as n o t th e r ig ht w ay to fa ce
D am on.
J ust r e la x, s he to ld h e rs e lf . T hin k o f S te fa n.
S te fa n h a d h a d a g rim s e tb ack w he n h e ’d fo und th a t th e re
w as n o th in g le ft o f th e r o se , b ut h e h a d s o on r e co ve re d h is
u sua l h um ili ty a nd g ra ce , to uchin g E le na ’s c he ek a nd s a yin g
th a t h e w as th a nkfu l ju st to b e th e re w ith h e r. T ha t th is
c lo se ne ss w as a ll h e a ske d o f li fe . C le an c lo th e s, d ece nt
fo od—
fr e edom
—all th e se w ere w orth fig htin g fo r, b ut E le na
w as th e m ost im porta nt. A nd E le na h a d c rie d.
O n th e o th e r h a nd , s he k ne w th a t D am on h a d n o in te ntio n o f
re m ain in g a s h e n o w w as. H e m ig ht d o a nyth in g , r is k

a nyth in g … to c ha ng e h im se lf b ack.
It h a d a ctu a lly b een M att w ho h a d s ug geste d th e s ta r b all a s
a s o lu tio n fo r D am on’s c o nd itio n. M att h a dn’t u nd ers to od
e ith e r th e r o se o r th e s ta r b all u ntil it w as e xp la in e d th a t th is
s ta r b all, w hic h w as p ro bably M is a o’s , c o nta in e d w ith in it
m ost o r a ll o f h e r P ow er, a nd th a t it h a d b eco m e m ore
b rilli a nt a s it a bso rb ed th e li v e s th a t s he to ok. T he b la ck r o se
h a d p ro bably b een c re ate d w ith a li q uid fr o m a s im ila r s ta r
b all— but n o o ne k ne w h o w m uch o r w he th e r it w as c o m bin e d
w ith u nkno w n in g re die nts . M att h a