As much as Mark wants something grand, a conventional adventure just isn't coming. He has powers Maybe he was expecting something a little more exciting, like a superhero's job, fighting crime in New York City, or some quest. But at the end of the day-all day, every day-he's just a fifteen-year-old kid who can't do jack, even with his powers.--Stuck between two worlds-one of Shadows, bewitched objects, and running off to find trouble, and the other of his parents' possible separation-Mark is desperate to find a distraction. Until he meets Geoffrey James, a weapons enthusiast and physical trainer who agrees to teach Mark swordplay. However, blindsided by his addiction to adrenaline, Mark might not be able to help or protect his family from real danger.--Across the state, Mark's cousin Emilie also feels trapped by the need to take care of her chronically depressed mother who is barely able to provide for herself. Emilie stifles her desire for flight, freedom and even happiness now that she's out of the ASH. And then, her father comes back into the picture, offering to pull her mother out of despair, no strings attached. Emilie can't trust him and does all she can to find proof of his true motives.--Mark and Emilie find themselves on parallel journeys of discovering their place in their families and take their first step deeper into the vast world of Shadows outside the ASH.