What if he is? I read story after story, but although it seemed clear who the good guys were, how could I be sure?

Was this why they were worried about me getting my memories back? Not worried I’d jump ship to Loki’s side, but to this guy, who was clearly worse?

Or maybe they were worried about both. Why not now? Loki’s words echoed in my mind, and they troubled me too.

I spent study period in the school library, and went to the central library afterwards. Stories, myths and the news all started to run together in my head. There was certainly plenty of evidence for the world going to hell in a handbasket, I couldn’t help but think. Politicians and their followers sniping at each other. Shooting rampages all over the place. But at the same time, life went on. Life needed to go on.

I’d made one choice. I was going to fight tooth and nail against the world ending, but fighting against anyone in this would hasten it, or so it seemed.

Surtur wanted to salvage something? But the stories all said there would be renewal, a new cycle. Except…

Not now. Maybe I was being selfish, not wanting to see it, but what if I would anyway? What if…even the dead would come out of their holes for it, according to the stories.

I realized I was actually sweating a bit. This was no good at all. I almost wished I’d had to work tonight. And on Saturday, I met with the modeling agency. How could I tell them I was no longer interested?

How could I risk them getting burned to the ground?

I had to. I had to carry on like nothing was happening, I realized. Any change would give him ammunition. He’d think I was intimidated. Think I was about to bend. Which I wasn’t. I wasn’t going to bend on this at all. Not so much as an inch.

At least I’d made one decision. Or had I? He could still, I knew, convince me that everything was upside down. On the other hand, the only people who had tried to kill me were those idiot cultists.

Except Odin, I was pretty sure, had wiped my memory and dumped me in DC. That was definitely harming me by pretty much any definition of the word. No matter how good his intentions or how vital he saw it, he’d hurt me.

And Loki seemed to be taking at least some of the blame for it. He’d never intentionally hurt me.

So, where did that leave me? It left me drifting out of the library into the cool fall night, glancing up at a sky devoid of stars. I’d only seen the stars to remember them once.

No stars in the city, no light, but lots of life, I could feel it flowing around me. The edges of something – the edges, perhaps, of what I was and was meant to be. I didn’t know for sure.

Where did it leave me? It left me not sure who to believe, and even my own instincts were troubled. I only knew I needed to protect these people, even if most of them would dismiss me as a random teenager, hurrying to get home before curfew.

Just some girl. That was all I was right now. Just some girl.