"I don't have a problem with it," Matt said. "We can take care of her."

"Take care of me?" Laurie sputtered.

"Yeah," Fen snarled. "If you're coming, next time there's a fight you stay out of it. If they're up there right now, you let Thorsen and me handle it. Or you can stay here, where it's safer."

"Safer?" Laurie echoed. "Did you listen to anything I said?"

"About as well as you did to what I said," Fen muttered.

They sat in tense silence for a few moments until Matt pointed out, "Sounds like the storm's ended. Let's get out of here."

Cautiously, they started up the stairs. Matt was in front, and Fen was behind her.

When they stepped outside, they stopped and looked at the destruction all around. A lot of the shields on the side of the ship were thrashed. Trees were uprooted. A car was overturned. The stop sign at the intersection had been flung halfway down the block.

Laurie didn't see any wolves, but people were already appearing, and she wasn't sure which ones were the ones who became wolves. Fen hadn't technically agreed to her coming, but she wasn't going to wait for him to stop being difficult. She looked at him and said, "We need to get out of here before the wolves find us. We'll stop at home, grab some clothes and whatever money we have, and then figure out where to go." She glanced at Matt, who was now squirming. "Look, if you'd rather tell your dad, we can-"

"No," he interrupted. "It's just... I can't go home."

Laurie and Fen exchanged a look.

"You're a Thorsen. Just walk in, get your stuff, and pretend like you're going to the gym or something." Fen shook his head. "I know you've probably never told a lie in your perfect life, but I can talk you through it. Easy as falling off a pedestal."

Laurie hid her sigh of relief. If Fen was focused on Matt, he'd stop being a pain about her going with them. She felt a little bad for Matt, but better Matt having to put up with Fen's teasing than her needing to fight about being left behind in Blackwell.

"I'm okay with lying, Fen," Matt was saying. "It's just... My family..." He took a deep breath. "They don't expect me to kill the Midgard Serpent. They expect me to die. And, apparently, they're okay with that."

For a moment, no one spoke. Fen's characteristic rudeness vanished, and Laurie wasn't at all sure what to say. The Thorsens were perfect; Matt had a family, a big family, who treated him like he could do no wrong. Carefully, she repeated, "They're okay with you dying."

"They told me I was going to be the one to stop Ragnarok, but I overheard my grandfather"-he paused, and then he spoke really quickly, all his words running together, as he looked at them both-"when I was with one of the Norns. My grandfather and the town council want Ragnarok to happen. Granddad wants me to fight the Midgard Serpent. He wants me to defeat it-so the monsters don't take over the world-but he expects me to die trying, just like in the myth. Then an ice age will come, and the world will be reborn, fresh and new."

"After almost everyone dies. That's messed up." Fen shook his head. Then he looked at Laurie and said, "We'll go to your place first. It's closest. He and I will stay outside. Aunt Janey won't let you go anywhere with me. Then we'll stop by the garage for my stuff."

They didn't have to worry: her mom wasn't home, so Laurie left a note and they headed to Kris' place. Leaving Blackwell seemed scary, but the other descendants weren't here-and the Raiders were. Plus, there was the whole Matt's-family-wanting-the-end-of-the-world problem. Leaving home was necessary.

But she was still nervous, and she was sure the boys were, too.

Once they had backpacks and a couple of sleeping bags they'd borrowed from Kris' garage, she turned to the boys and asked, "Okay, where to?"

The boys exchanged a look. Neither spoke. Day one and they were already lacking any sort of plan. They had no idea what to do. They were kids and supposed to figure this all out... because Matt said his family and some women claimed he and Fen were to defeat monsters. It was crazy. No one was saying it out loud, but she suspected they were all thinking it.

Fen turns into a wolf.

There was that one detail, proof that the crazy was real, that kept her from thinking it was all a great big joke. The rest of her "proof" was just her instincts and a conversation with a blue-haired boy. It wasn't much. The wolf thing was real, though. She'd seen it.

After a few moments, Matt said, "I can do this."

"Riiiight." Fen drew out the word. "Didn't we already decide that?"

"Not that," Matt said. "Maybe I can..." He stood straighter. "I'll talk to my brothers. They'll know about this. They're smart. They can help."

"Are you sure?" Laurie asked.

Matt nodded, but she didn't believe him, and from the look on Fen's face, neither did he.

"I'll go with you," Fen suggested. "You"-he looked pointedly at Laurie-"need to stay out of sight in case the Raiders come back."

She wanted to argue, but she was pretty sure that Fen wouldn't need much of an excuse to decide to leave her behind. She nodded as meekly as she was able. "Fine."

This time, she added in her head. I'll hide and wait this time.

Fen and Matt both looked tense, but she knew they were trying to hide it. They had a start of a plan of sorts. For now, that would have to be enough.

This is going to be a disaster. The world is going to end because we don't know what to do.

TEN.

MATT.

"NIGHT FRIGHT"

Matt stood on the corner, looking at his house. For the first time in his life, he realized how much it looked like every other house on the block. Each was painted a different color, but otherwise, they were identical-split-level houses with single-car garages and exactly the same size lawns, sometimes even the same flowers now dying in the same size gardens.

"Come on," Fen whispered. "We don't have all night."

Matt tried to hurry, but his feet felt like they were made of lead. Shame burned through him. Some champion he was, too frightened to even face his family. That was nothing new, but-like looking down this street-it felt different now. Maybe it was because Fen was here, and he was seeing things like Fen would, just a bunch of nice houses, all in a row. Just an ordinary family living in the third one down. Nothing special. Nothing to be afraid of. Not for a kid who was destined to fight a giant serpent.

Matt took a deep breath and imagined Jake standing there. Man up, he'd say, like he always did, with that look on his face, like he couldn't believe they were actually related.

Man up. Matt wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but he was pretty sure Fen would say the same thing. Stop dragging your feet like a baby and start acting like a man.

Matt straightened and started forward before Fen noticed him hesitating.

"Wait," Fen said. He was even more prickly now that Laurie wasn't with them.

Matt ignored him. He wasn't trying to be rude; he needed to keep moving or it'd be morning and he'd still be on this street corner.

"I said wait," Fen snapped, and moved in front of Matt. He looked left and right, head swinging. Like a wolf, Matt thought. Watching for trouble.

"Back," Fen said.

"What?"

Fen shot him a glare and motioned him back around the corner, behind the Carlsens' garage.

"Raiders," he said.

"What?" Matt repeated, and then caught himself before he sounded like a total idiot. He took his voice down a notch like Jake did sometimes. "The Raiders are there?"

"Watching the house. We gotta go back."

Which was, Matt admitted to himself, exactly what he wanted. Forget grabbing stuff from his house. He'd happily stay in the same shirt and jeans for a week if it meant he didn't need to face his family.

Coward.

He peered out.

"I said-" Fen began.

"Just taking a look."

"Because you don't believe me?"

"No, I just-"

"Who's the guy who can see better at night?" Fen asked in a voice that sounded a lot like a warning growl.

"I know, I just-"

"Look at the house on the other side of yours. By the garage."

Matt peeked out and saw a young Raider hiding in the shadows.

"Three of them," Fen said. "Maybe more. Skull's not with them this time."

"Skull?"

"The leader. He was at the field."

"Right." Matt remembered the big Raider and was glad at least he wasn't here, but still, three Raiders were three too many. "We need to draw them off."

"Um, no, we need to get out of here before they see-"

"You go," Matt said. "They're looking for me. If they don't see me come home, they'll think I snuck in later. They might go after my family."

"So?"

Matt looked at him.

"Isn't this the family that was going to sacrifice you to a dragon?" Fen asked.

"Serpent. Well, it's kind of like-never mind. My brothers don't know. They can't."

"Are you sure?"

He was certain Josh didn't know. But could he help? He was only sixteen. No. He had to do what Jake would. Man up. Protect his family. Prove to them that he could do this.

"I'm drawing the Raiders off," he said. "They need to know I never went home. That'll keep my family safe."

Fen snorted.

He thinks I'm an idiot. I shouldn't care. But I do. Matt shook his head. Doesn't matter. I'm still a Thorsen. Family comes first.

"You go on," Matt said. "I'll-"

"Walk," Fen said.

"What?"

Fen made a move, as if to shove him. "Go. Move. Pretend you're walking home."

Matt stepped out and started down the sidewalk. It took a moment to realize Fen was beside him. When he did, he started to protest, but a look from Fen shut him up.

"So, um, how's..." Matt struggled-and failed-to think of any sports or clubs Fen was in. "School. How's school?"

Fen looked at him like he'd asked how he liked ballet lessons.

"Mr. Fosse is being a real jerk this year, isn't he?" Matt continued.

"What the-?" Fen began.

"I'm making conversation."

"Seriously? We're on the lam together, Thorsen. Not buddying up."

"I'm doing it for them." Matt jerked his chin at the Raiders. "So it looks normal."

"Us talking does not look normal," Fen pointed out.

They continued in silence. It took a minute before the Raiders noticed them. Matt kept going, like he hadn't seen the figures sliding from behind the neighbor's garage.

"I'll just grab some clothes and a toothbrush," Matt said, as loudly as he dared. "Then we'll run away together. I mean-"