Zane was sitting on the porch of his uncle’s house, gazing out at the beach. He was starting to think of the place as home. Maybe he could convince his uncle to let him stay year round. That would be great. His twin sister Zoe thought the cabin was too remote, but he liked it that way. And it wasn’t really that far away from Mia’s lakefront house where Zoe was staying.

Zane sighed. Life had certainly gotten interesting lately. They’d made a bunch of new friends, found a little excitement. How many people got to wear mystic armor and save the world? He just didn’t want to do it every day, though. He reached out with his mind to contact Zoe at Mia’s house. "Hey there! Everything okay?"

Zane leaned back in his chair, feeling relaxed in the warm sun. In moments he was sound asleep. He was dreaming of when, as the Warrior of Tundra, he had fought against Hecate with the other Sentinels and the Ronins. His sister had merged with him in spirit, making him and his armor whole and strong. They were both connected to the armor, sharing it somehow. With practice they’d learned all sorts of tricks. They could now bounce the power back and forth with ease—even though he seemed to be the primary wearer.

A figure came towards him from the mist in his dream. Mom? He'd only ever seen pictures of her, but it was his mother. She looked so sad. "Zane, son. I’m so disappointed in you. I gave my life so that you and your sister would be safe. I'd always hoped that the two of you would look after each other. How could you endanger Zoe by involving her in this Sentinel business?"

"But she’s part of it. She’s connected to the armor, too."

"But she doesn’t have to be. The armor was meant for only one person--you. Look at Zoe. Really look at her. Lately she’s become so pale and tired—a shadow of her usually vibrant self. You’re draining the life out of her!"

"No! That’s not true!"

"It takes more energy for her to merge with you than you realize. Every time she lends you her strength, she gets weaker and weaker. That energy doesn’t go back to her when you’re done. Haven’t you noticed how strong your armor feels recently—stronger than when you first discovered it? It’s taking her very life force! You have to stop it, Zane. You’re slowly killing her!"

"I would never hurt Zoe!"

"Not on purpose, son. Haven’t you noticed that she has a hard time keeping up a prolonged mental conversation? The two of you used to be able to talk for hours with your minds. She just doesn’t have the strength anymore."

"She’s busy, that’s all. She doesn’t have time to talk long."

"Busy? She’s on vacation and spending most of it with a friend. How busy can she be? She’s just keeping up pretenses so you won’t worry. Open your eyes. Don’t do this to her. If you truly love your sister, don’t share the armor with her. It’s the only way to save Zoe’s life."

Zane kept seeing an image of Zoe, alive and full of energy. Then she slowly began to wither, becoming so tired. The armor grew in power as she lost substance. Soon there was nothing left of her but a slight shadow. As she faded away forever, Zoe pleaded with Zane to save her. It was too late. There was nothing he could do. Over and over these images assaulted his sleeping mind. Zane woke up in a cold sweat, unable to think of anything else. He was slowly killing her and he had to stop it.