"So what's the 411?"

The next day, sitting in the split-level Arby's in downtown LA, nursing a medium Coke and working through a large order of curly fries, Jubilation was approached by a stern-looking Xiongtian, appearing even more fierce than usual in an oversized black tank top and baggy black jeans, slashed at the knees. His dusky eyes traveled over the restaurant's occupants, the usual Saturday afternoon crowd of teenagers and young, harried mothers, but settled on none of them. Never once did his gaze fall on the expectant Jubilation.

"Hey, dude, I wanted ta thanks fer the use of the awesome jacket. Man, this thing's killer. But here it is, back. I brought a sweater ta wear home."

"Keep it." His voice was distracted as he stood restlessly, hands jammed into his pockets.

"Wow, dude, ya mean it? I mean.. Dude, if it were my threads, I'd never let 'em go."

At last, he looked at her, his black eyes glinting cold malice as he responded, "You expect me to wear it after it has been on your filthy body, mutant?"

Swallowing hard, she looked down at her fries, realizing she was no longer hungry as she pushed away angry tears. "No, I guess not." Shoving her chair back with a loud shriek as the legs skidded across the polished floor, she threw her garbage into the nearby trash can, then turned again to the boy. "We best get goin'then," she said in a soft voice. "Don't wanna be late fer yer operation ta get that huge stick removed from yer butt, do we?"

He grabbed her wrist, yanking her to him, his eyes flashing. "You should have mind to use more respect when you address me, mutant." His voice was low and threatening, but it didn't phase her at all.

"Let go a me, Xiongy, or ya know those cute little pafs ya got in the face yesterday? I'll use 'em ta stop yer heart." She didn't honestly think this was possible, but she did know she could never kill a person, and hoped he wouldn't key into this minute detail. For a very long moment, both teens held their ground, electric sparks flying between them before Xiongtian abruptly released her, turned, and stalked away, toward the restaurant's entryway, where Jinglie, Entian, the woman with the dragon on her breast from the day before, and the child awaited. Encouraged by Jinglie's presence, Jubilation followed.

There was a quick exchange between Entian and Xiongtian that Jubilation couldn't understand, then the boy was cuffed and given to the unnamed woman, where low, sinister words were given him. Jinglie held the younger boy's shoulders tightly, her soft brown eyes fixing on Jubilation's young face as the girl approached. "Welcome back, Zhenbai," she greeted, dipping her head in a small bow. Automatically, Jubilation bowed slightly from the waist, feeling her anger melt at the woman's kind words. Xiongtian just glared at her.

"Come Zhenbai," ordered Entian, "there is much to explain."

* * * *

"When I came to America, I was nineteen," elucidated Entian as he lit a cigarette an hour later, back in the mansion's library. "My parents had both died on the trip over. We had been smuggled in illegally, and the conditions were horrifying. Starving and alone, I taught myself the trade of a thief, and quickly became very good at it.

"Before my twenty-third year, I met my first wife, Zhan Liushu," he gestured to the woman with the dragon on her breast, "who led a group of hungry, Chinese immigrant petty thieves. She was eighteen; they younger. I took her as my wife and taught them all my secrets, becoming their leader and forming the Blue Dragons. One boy, Wei Hanbang, was very talented in the art of tattooing, and he marked each member of the family.

"As the years bled on, out family grew larger, the base group more skilled. Liushu bore me a son, Xiongtian, and I took a second wife, Song Jinglie, who also bore me a son." He paused, motioning toward the child Jubilation had seen that first day, outside Baskin Robins. "His name is Meng Hongtian. Standing before you is the Inner Circle of the Blue Dragons, my immediate family. Welcome, Eldest Daughter-in-Law."

Jubilation was taken aback. The people in the room were Entian, his two wives and two sons. All true relatives to the leader. And for some reason, he dubbed her important enough to informally adopt. A strange calm washed over her, and she found herself bowing and saying very stately, "Thank you, Entian. You honor me with this title." Entian smiled, as if in pride.

"There are to date about one hundred and fifty members of the Blue Dragons," he continued. "There are approximately fifty Middle Circle Blue Dragons. Those are the ones that are part of the.. extended family. All are Chinese, and all can be recognized by the tattoo. The rest are of all races and do not bear the tattoo. They work for us, but are not part of our family.

"In two weeks, we have a major job that we would like you to be part of, Zhenbai. Liushu will take you over what it will involve and what your part will me. Do you accept or decline?"

Jubilation paused a moment, letting this sink in. This was her chance to have a real family that cared for her, and all she had to do was continue in the profession that she already prided herself in being good at. She watched as thin blue smoke from Entian's cigarette floated to the ceiling and thought about Xiongtian's words about gaining respect. This would be her chance to prove to him that she could fight with the best of them. As she looked around the room, from face to face - Hongtian, Jinglie, Xiongtian, Liushu and Entian - she realized there was really only one answer, which rang true and clear in her ears as it passed between her lips, "I accept."

* * * *

"Wassup?"

Instinctually, Jubilation bristled, setting her sandwich down and glaring at CynJen as the blonde approached, hands shoved into her pockets. It was Monday, and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of her former best friend since the "incident" after the mall-trawl last Thursday. Now, the girl neared as if nothing had happened.

"Whaddya mean?" the young mutant snapped coldly as Cynthia Jennifer slid into the seat across from her. The blonde definitely had a condescending air about her.

"Well, first ya skip Friday, then some did comes ta my house, askin' all these weird questions 'bout you, an' now yer eatin' lunch with yer bladin' gloves on. Ever since ya turned into a.. Ever since last Thursday, y'ain't been actin' the same."

"Neither have you." Jubilation picked at a piece of lettuce, waiting as her words settled heavily on her ex-frind's shoulders; waiting to see if she would try to reply, not really interested in what she would have to say. She never even opened her mouth, only stared expectantly. "What dude?" Jubilation asked finally.

"I dunno. He was jus', like, askin' all these questions an' stuff. He kinda freaked me out."

"What'd he look like?"

CynJen shrugged. "He's, like, Japanese or whatever you are, an' he was *so* hot. Anyway, so he comes ta my door an' I'm like, 'Yeah?' an' he's like, 'Do you know Jubilee?' an' I'm kinda like, 'Ya mean Jubilation?'"

"Get ta the point," Jubilation snapped, tired of the blonde's gibberish. "What'd he ask?"

"Umm.. Whachya could do with, like, yer.. you know. An' he did ask if you were seein' anyone."

Jubilation started at this. Why would someone who hated her as much as Xiongtian - assuming it was Xiongtian, but who else would call her Jubilee - ask a question like that? "You lie."

CynJen stood abruptly, her eyes narrowed as she said, venom in her voice, "Jus' 'cause I don' wanna hang with some scuzz-bucket mutie no more don't mean I'm a liar." With that, she turned and stalked off.

* * * *

"Jubilation."

The girl looked up, shutting off the David Bowie CD as she realized her father had been calling her name for quite some time now. Morgan was purring in her lap as she had been scratching his head and flipping through a beauty magazine while sitting on her unmade bed. Clothes lay strewn about everywhere, and on her desk, her homework sat, neglected. After the huge dis from CynJen a week before, she had walked home, skipping her after-lunch classes, and hadn't returned since. Instead, she spent her afternoons with the Blue Dragons, training for their big hit. She didn't find it surprising when no one bothered to call and ask what's up; rumors about her had probably already circulated Beverly Hills Prep, and she'd never be able to show her face in public ever again.

Her father crossed the room and say on the edge of the bed, his brown eyes clouded with an emotion she didn't recognize. Perhaps concern, she thought ruefully. "We got a phone call from school." They got them all the time, actually, and had never said anything to her about them before. The difference was this time, the news was bad, instead of the usual praise and glorification. "Jubilation, your teacher says you haven't been to class in a week, and your grades are slipping. What's going on?"

"Why didn't you give me a Chinese name?"

He seemed puzzled by her question. "A Chinese name? In America? Like what? Why?"

"Something like Zhenbai or Jinglie ta honor my heritage."

He shook his head, as if to clear it. "That is not the point, Jubilation. Why have you been missing school?"

"I didn't wanna go."

"Why not?"

She shrugged and turned her attention to the magazine, thumbing to the next page. "What's the point?" she countered.

"The point is to get an education." He seemed almost angry, and from her peripheral, she thought she could see his hands trembling.

"What if my career don't need an education? What if I wanna be a first class thief, or one a those people who does neat tricks fer money at the mall?"

Calmly, he took the magazine from her, and she watched as he tore it in half along the spine, and again through the middle. Setting the pieces in front of her, he met her gaze and informed her simply, "If you become any of those, your mother and I will disown you. Tomorrow, you will go to school." With that, he stood and left the room.

Jubilation stared down at the remains of her beauty magazine and felt a hot, burning hatred well up in her chest. Throwing the shreds against the wall, she screamed, "Oh, yeah, you handled that REAL well, Pop!" Of course, there was no response, and her hands itched for release. Quickly, she laced up her blades and slid down the banister, making a break for the front door. Her father caught her by the arm halfway there.

"Where are you going?" he demanded. "You have homework."

Hot tears coursed down her cheeks as she aimed a hand at his chest and released her pafs, half hoping she'd end up killing him. He let go, and she bolted from the house, her mother's screams ringing in her ears.

* * * *

"Jubilee."

She knew that voice; that name. Instinctually, she forze, hoping he had not seen her shaking shoulders, or the way she had bladed down the rough path through the park until she had tripped and fallen, tearing her jeans and skinning her nee, and she had just sat there and wept. She didn't want him to see her in this weakened state.

She heard him approach from behind and call her name again, and she leapt to her feet and whirled on him, blue eyes flashing. "Whaddya want, Xiongtian?" she snapped, ready to run or fight, whatever the situation called for. "Ya come ta make funna me again? Here, I'll make it easy fer ya. Hey, ugly mutie! Ya can't even be Chinese right, blue eyes! Yer best friend hates ya? So does the rest a the world! No wonder yer parents're gonna disown ya! Ya probably killed yer dad!" She turned from him again, burying her face in her hands, not caring anymore that he saw her crying. "Go away," she hiccuped. "I don't need ya. I'll quit the stupid Blue Dragons if ya want. Jus' go away."

The words he spoke were the last she expected to hear. "I'm sorry." She didn't know how to reply, so he continued. "I'm sorry for everything nasty and racist I've said to you." He cleared his throat, his hands jammed into the pockets of his dark jeans and watched as he scuffed the pavement with one sneaker-clad toe. "The truth is," he confessed, "I-I like you. I feel powerless when I'm around you. I didn't know how to react, so.."

She spun on the front wheels of her blades, face red and tear-streaked. "I think I killed my dad," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper.

He shook his head, his long queue swishing across the back of his silver windbreaker. "His shirt is ruined, and his chest is a little singed, but he's all right. And as for Cynthia Jennifer, I truly am sorry. I know how close you two were."

Jubilation searched his dark eyes for some hint of sarcasm or falsity, but found none. Wiping her nose on the sleeve of her wine-colored knit sweater, she sniffed and ran a gloved palm over her damp face, attempting a small smile. "Thanks, dude," she whispered.

"Come on." He grasped her other hand and began pulling her toward a sleek motorcycle parked nearby. "I'll take you to the mansion to get cleaned up."

* * * *

"Good. You're here."

As soon as the two arrived, Liushu met them at the door, and for the first time, Jubilation noticed the woman's eyes. As stunning as her own, they were a warn gold flecked with pale brown that seemed to take in everything at once. They fixed on Xiongtian as the two approached, and the girl felt a pang of sadness wash over her as she thought she saw pride in the woman's eyes. She wished her own parents would look at her like that, just once.

"What's happening?" Xiongtian asked, speaking English solely for Jubilation's sake.

"We've just heard that the target is beefing up security tomorrow. The hit must be tonight. You must prepare yourselves."

* * * *

A cool breeze swept through Los Angeles as the moon climbed high and translucent in the eastern sky. Dressed in a shimmering black leotard with a high, Oriental collar and the right sleeve removed to reveal her new, still tender tattoo, and a short black pleated skirt, Jubilation huddled in the shadows at the edge of the LA barrio, keeping her breathing calm and waiting. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, secured with a single black and blue chopstick Jinglie had given her, and her ears were strained for the slightest sound. Behind her, someone approached, footsteps heavy and unsure. She whirled, only to find a boy her age, maybe a few years older, staggering toward her. His skin was a sickly color of gray, and an unlit cigarette dangled from his lips. "Hey, chica," he called, and she could tell he didn't have the tightest grasp on his verbal functions. "Gotta light?"

Calmly, Jubilation stood, straightening, and flicked her fingers in his direction, hoping her aim was as good as she thought it was. It was. At least for now. His cigarette flared to life, and he took a long drag gratefully.

"Hey, you!" Suddenly a flashlight shone on the two, and a cop stepped into their alley. On a dime, Jubilation spun and bladed off at a break-neck speed in the opposite direction, but apparently, it wasn't she who the LAPD officer had noticed, for as she fled, she heard him shout, "Espinosa! That you?"

And the boy's reply was equally as familiar. "Si, Senior Anderson. Buenos noches."

Entering an alley up the street, she launched herself up toward the dangling ladder of a fire escape and hoisted herself up onto the first landing. Tearing off her rollerblades, she slipped into some Keds that were waiting for her there, then dashed the rest of the way to the roof, blades in hand. Once there, she glanced around and spotted the cop's car still parked outside the alley she just vacated. Satisfied, she lifted her hands above her head and fired off a few bright pafs to notify the rest of the team that the night security was on the opposite side of his route, then began to make her way to the target, H&G; Brokerage, just on the skirts of the most run-down part of the barrio. It was there that the Blue Dragons had sold a good security system, six months before. The place was small enough to not feel much need for many security guards, but big enough to be linked via modem to a vast number of huge stock accounts, nationwide. Bounding over small gaps between the increasingly decrepit buildings, she quickly reviewed the plan.

Of course, her part was fairly minor, since the worst charges against her were petty theft and assault to an officer. It was just within the past week that she had even considered adding grand larceny to the list.

Upon reaching the brokerage, she was to drop to the ground and begin banging on the door for the single security guard to let her in, sobbing that her little brother was in there. Meanwhile, once he saw the signal, Hongtian was supposed to squeeze into a vent and make his way to a break room that was out of the way of the main offices. With the security guard, Jubilation would do a thorough search of the main offices, then insist on visiting the bathrooms and finally the break room. When the lights in the main offices were shut off, that would be the signal for Entian and Jinglie to break in through a window, with Luishu controlling the security system from the roof.

With the security guard distracted, Jinglie would set a computer program to break into the brokerage accounts of several stock-exchange high-rollers the instant the market opened the next morning and sell everything, transferring all the money into an untraceable illegal account in Switzerland. This done, Entian would hoist Jinglie back out the window to the roof, then climb up himself. Luishu would reinstate the security system, and then drop a bottle off the south side of the building, where Xiongtian would be waiting. This would be his sign to run to the front door and begin pounding, asking if Jubilation had found their little brother. They would then all three get the hell out of there, then meet Jinglie, Luishu and Entian back at the mansion, where they would sit back and wait for the stock exchange to open.

Leaving her rollerblades on the rooftop of the building across the street from H&G; for Luishu to pick up on the retreat, Jubilation ran silently down the fire escape and dropped stealthily to the ground. Now was the hard part; conjuring up fake tears to go with her hysterics. Rubbing at her eyes until they watered, she smeared the dampness across her cheeks, then approached the brokerage's front door.

"Please!" she yelled, using her best Chinese accent as she pounding on the door. "Please let me in!" The intention was, should the guard ask a question she didn't like, she could feign misunderstanding. "Please! I must get in!"

The guard rushed to the door, his stomach jiggling with each movement. Punching in the security code, he unlocked the door and caught the hysterical girl by both arms.

"Please. My little brother. He.. he in there. My parents, they leave him. My father will beat me. Please."

"All right, all right. Calm down. Take deep breaths. We'll find him," he assured her.

"Please. He just eight. I must find him. My father will beat me."

"All right. We'll find him. Come on." He relocked the front door and reactivated the security system, then led her to the main offices.

The layout was fairly simple as the guard flicked the lights on. A secretary's desk was shoved almost against the wall to the right, with a potted palm on either side. To the left was the waiting area, which consisted of four uncomfortable-looking green chairs, separated by a small table with outdated magazines clustered across the top. Beyond the waiting area were two offices, engraved brass nameplates on the doors reading 'Julie Hagar' and 'Mark Grummel.' Jubilation hung back as the guard checked beneath the secretary's desk, then followed as he moved to unlock the door to the first office.

Julie Hagar proved to be a tidy woman with two daughters and a taste for Spanish art, if her office was any indication. There wasn't much room to hide, and the guard made quick work of the office.

Mark Grummel, on the other hand, had no photos of any family on his desk, which was buried beneath mounds of paperwork. His taste in art was questionable, as his walls were plastered with want ads and posters for horror movies and such. The guard had to wade through a scattering of crumpled paper balls just to get to where he could see beneath the desk, and then he had to move something Jubilation couldn't see. But he came up empty-handed.

"Listen, miss, are you sure your little brother was left here?" he asked as he locked the offices again.

"Yes. He here. Please. Must find him. My father will beat me. Please. Maybe bathroom."

With a sigh, the guard led her out to the main hallway, then into the two-stall unisex restroom. Obviously weary of her already, he poked open the doors with his nightstick and gave her a significant look.

"Maybe other door I see." She led him out and pointed at the conference room door, hoping she could give Jinglie enough time.

Ambling over to the conference room, the guard unlocked the door and flicked on the lights. "That him?" he asked, pointing his nightstick at Hongtian, who was curled peacefully beneath the table. Looking at him there, it was almost hard to believe he was a master thief.

Rushing forward, Jubilation began gushing nonsense that to her seemed like it could be Chinese and knelt beside the boy. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, she roused him, and he blinked languidly up at her.

"Sao Sao?" he inquired sleepily.

"I am here," she assured him. "Why did you not stay with mother and father today? Why you run off?"

He rubbed his eyes and she gathered him in her arms. Shrugging, he replied, "Tired."

"I hate to break up this touching moment, but you have to leave now," the guard interrupted.

For a split second, Jubilation panicked. Quickly recovering, she set Hongtian on his own two feet, then bull-rushed the guard for a bear hug. "Thank-you, kind sir," she gushed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. If I had not found little brother-"

"I know, I know. Your father woulda beat you. Now I know why, annoying brat. Get out."

Thankfully, just then, Xiongtian began pounding on the front door, shouting. Taking Hongtian's small hand, Jubilation rushed from the brokerage, relieved when she could finally feel the cool night air on her face, and run as fast as her feet would carry her.

* * * *

Jubilation ended up falling asleep on the floor in the library, ugly, fast-paced dreams racing through her mind until she awoke at the crack of dawn to the sounds of cheering. A large tapestry was pulled back to reveal a big-screen TV mounted in the wall, and Forest Sawyer looking anxious as he reported the morning's top story. Standing, Jubilation rubbed her eyes and wandered over to where the rest of the Inner Circle was clustered around the TV. It took her a few moments to fully awaken, but as reality slowly seeped in, she heard the words "stock market crash," and her heart seemed to stop.

"A stock market crash?" she asked no one in particular. "That can't be!"

Jinglie turned to her, a concerned expression on her soft features. "Of course a crash. That is what we accomplished last night, young Zhenbai. When everyone withdraws from the market at once, a crash is the result. We thought you knew this."

"No." Jubilation was horrified, her mind racing. "I hafta get home. My 'rents.. All their cash was in the market!"

Entian switched off the television and turned to her. "Very well, Zhenbai. Luishu will accompany you in the limousine. There is a matter of business she must take care of."

"A family," Luishu laughed, "in the same neighborhood, coincidentally also called the Lees, now say they cannot pay their debt to us. I must see if I can coax it from them."

Jubilation shifted uneasily, then turned and left to gather her belongings.

* * * *

"Mom?"

The house seemed eerily silent as the screen door slammed shut behind Jubilation. Dumping all her belongings on the floor in the foyer, she began wandering through the house, searching for her parents. "Mom? Dad?"

"In here, Jubilation."

She found them in the den, her mother sobbing quietly as her father rocked her, whispering words of reassurance. "Mom?"

Her mother looked up, tears streaking down her cheeks, her brown eyes red from crying. "You're home," she whispered. Her words held no warmth, only cold fact, and Jubilation remembered the last time she had seen her parents; how she thought she had killed her father.

"I-I've got a couple a hundred," the girl offered, pulling out her wallet.

"That won't last a week." Her father's words held nothing but malice and ice, his eyes spitting hatred at her. Dropping the wallet, she turned and ran out and up to her room, where she threw herself on her bed and wept.

* * * *

"Jubilee?"

The girl opened her eyes several hours later to find Xiongtian crawling through her open window. She must have fallen asleep, for the shadows had shifted and the sunlight now danced a minuet across her polished hardwood floor, instead of painting a serenade across her western wall. Sitting up, she wiped her sleeve across her face, then crossed the room to where he stood.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, dismissing the question and wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her cheek on his shoulder. Hesitantly, his arms encircled her waist, and he buried his nose in her tousled hair. For a long moment, they stood in there, frozen, just holding one another. When Jubilation spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper, causing gooseflesh to rise on the back of his neck. "Thanks."

"For what?"

She pulled away and looked up into his dusky eyes. "Fer bein' here. Now." She sighed and turned from him, looking instead to the clutter on her vanity. "My parents hate me."

"I love you."

"No ya don't." She faced him again, searching his eyes. "But I know ya could, if I let ya. But I won't. I'm quittin' the Blue Dragons."

His brow furrowed, his every feature asking the same question. "Why?"

"It ain't right. I can't live like that. I'm sorry." She touched his face, and his hand covered hers, grasping it and bringing it to his lips to kiss her knuckles.

"Then I guess that's it."

"That's all she sang," Jubilation agreed. "Ya think Jinglie'd sign ta get this tattoo removed?"

"Probably. She dotes on you." With that, he turned and crawled back out the window. Leaning out, she watched as he climbed down the trellis and ran off, mounting his motorcycle. In the near distance, she thought she heard a gunshot.

* * * *

Her arm hurt like hell. Unwrapping the gauze, she examined the work of the laser-surgery they had used to remove it, and hoped it wouldn't scar too badly. Moving to the bathroom, she flicked on the light, chasing away the shadows of night, and found the rubbing alcohol. Wincing as it burned, she cleansed the wound, then rewrapped it with fresh gauze.

Downstairs, the doorbell rang. Ambling down to answer it, careful not to jar her arm, she opened it without thinking and nearly slammed it shut again. Thankfully, she stopped herself.

"Can-Can I help you?" she asked the young redheaded officer who stood nervously on the stoop.

"Um.. Are-are y-you Jubilation?"

Her own name sounded almost foreign to her ears after a week of being called Zhenbai and Jubilee. Somehow, she nodded.

"I-I regret to inform you, Miss Lee, that your parents are dead. If you could come with me to ID the bodies, and we'll get you set up with proper foster care."

Automatically, she complied, walking mechanically to the awaiting cop car.

* * * *

An hour later, she sat weeping over a cup of stale coffee in a room generally used for interrogations. In just a matter of hours, she had lost everything--two families, a guy who really cared for her, and all means of financial support. She had positively identified her parents, horrified at how.. cold they looked in the little sterile viewing rooms with neat little bullet holes torn through their heads. It was the last time she'd ever get to see them, and it was how she'd always remember them.

She'd been told how they died. Professional hit, while driving. They had asked her every question under the sun to try and coax a reason that a professional would want to take her parents out, but she could conjure up none. Finally, they let her be, giving her old coffee in a Styrofoam cup and putting her in the only room available. After a while, the young officer she'd first encountered came to check up on her.

"Who did it?" she asked, sniffing.

"Did what?"

"Who shot my parents?"

He pulled up a chair and glanced out the window to the hall, lowering his voice. "They don't tell me much, but they think this was done by the Chinese Mafia group, the Blue Dragons."

Jubilation was shocked. "What?" It couldn't be true.

"Apparently, they found the Blue Dragons' calling card at the scene, a paper fan with a dragon painted on it."

Was this how they repaid her for her help? Perhaps they thought that, by killing her parents, she'd come crawling back to the team. How could they have done this to her? Well, one good turn deserved another. She knew where their mansion was located. She was eyewitness evidence against them. She herself would probably get in trouble, but it would be worth it to get back at those bastards.

"I-I've got a confession," she said, meeting the officer's bright green eyes. "I was-"

"Hey!" Jubilation's head snapped up as a big, stocky officer entered the room, anger written all aver his smug features. "You're that girl! The one who steals from the malls with that annoying blonde. You didn't think you'd get caught, did you? Well, who's laughing now, China doll?"

The redhead turned back to her, a blush painting the bridge of his nose beneath a spattering of dense freckles. "You're..?"

Frustration rose in Jubilation, and she felt her hands begin to itch, but she clasped them beneath the table, willing the sensation to go away. Angrily, she nodded and spat, "Yeah. I rob malls. Damn, you guy are intelligent!" Screw the cops, she thought. I'll deal with Entian myself.

"Good work, rookie," the stocky officer was saying. "I'll take her down to Juvie while you finish up the paperwork." Dumbly, the redhead nodded. The older officer grabbed her good arm and dragged her forcefully to her feet, then led her from the room.