Short blonde hair fell in loose curls perched atop sloping shoulders. Lexis could see the sparkle of Tallie's blue eyes in the reflection of Amelia's brown ones, who stood opposite her. Whatever their conversation was, neither girl broke away from it to face their visitors - but they didn't yet know the visitors were for them, Lexis supposed.

Lexis couldn't keep using Amelia's eyes as mirrors for long, and not only because it would look downright creepy to anyone else - Amelia's brown irises were laced with the painful remains of distant memories, and it hurt to look.

Instead focusing her attention on Tallie, Lexis looked on from behind as their small band of misfits approached the popular girl. She'd seen the girl many times round school. It was almost impossible to avoid people that were in the same year as you, even if you wanted to. Which Lexis didn't, but she knew Sage did. Whatever her reason, Sage had talked of Tallie's crowd as "The Populars" with no small amount of distaste. Sage wasn't the only one either.

"We know that he likes you," Tallie was telling her best friend, "Just ask him." From behind, Lexis didn't know Tallie had smiled until the gentle gesture settled in Amelia's eyes, and Lexis watched the feeling of warmth spread through every tensed muscle until the brunette was smiling too. Something was muttered next, too low for Lexis to hear, but it had Tallie answering with, "Excuses excuses. Do you really like him?"

A flash of pain twisted its way across Amelia's face like salt riding a wave straight into the sea below it.

Lexis stopped just behind Sage, where she always was, and waited for Kallai and Kailani to approach as the whisper of wind flowed across the sand buried deep in the AstroTurf beneath her feet.

It was well known, at least to Lexis, that the duo in front of her were up for almost anything. She just had to hope that a portal to another world was as appealing as sneaking onto rides at fair grounds after closing time.

Nothing else needed saying between Tallie and Amelia, so it was then that Sage stepped forward to tap the blonde girl's shoulder. All unasked questions and unspoken answers dissipated in the breeze. Amelia dipped her head and stepped backward, tagging onto another conversation some of their other friends were having, allowing Tallie to give her attention to the four people who had come looking for her.

Whether Tallie knew it or not, her smile had slipped into a straight, blank line. "Hello," she said, though there was little question in her voice. One eyebrow risen, she nodded in their direction.

The reaction was no surprise to Lexis who knew her to be carefree, a gentle relaxed body who went with the flow.

"If I'm right, you're needed to enter a different world," Sage said matter-of-factly.

Lexis could see Tallie looking at Sage thoughtfully and wondered if she was seeing the desperation behind the professionalism in those sparkling amber eyes.

"Sounds cool." Sage visibly relaxed as Tallie's agreeable voice reached her ears. Then Tallie was turning round to apologise to Amelia for having to leave and that was that. Amelia was fine with it, encouraging her best friend to "go have fun".

As Tallie followed their mix and match group, Lexis wondered what her judgement of them was. She didn't think it would be as negative as Kallai's, though they were all people Tallie had shown no previous interest in.

Finding a less populated area round the side of the school building, they dragged a few benches into a ring. Lexis and Kallai remained standing, daring each other to take their seat first. Whoever held out longest got the pleasure of knowing they'd beaten the other - there was no reason other than that. She'd finally found someone who dared to test her.

It was awfully frustrating.

Letting her eyes grow cold and her gaze solid, Lexis set her glare in place and watched him sit down with a deep satisfaction. He could roll his eyes all he liked, but they both knew she'd won.

Sage was talking again, explaining to the others about what they were planning to do and why such an idea had come about. Kallai listened carefully, presumably waiting for something he could call them out on. Giving a nod of compliance, Tallie picked loose a curl from where it was caught in her mascara.

"But you don't know where the mirror is?" The harsh, cutting tone belonged to Kallai. The boy's eyes burned so fiercely that only Lexis could survive staring right back.

"Not currently, but five heads are better than two," she gave a smile so strong it looked fake when accompanied by the shake in her voice - despite the well-crafted confident façade. Regardless of Kallai's initial resistance, Lexis could see it written on his face how determined he was to see this through.

Lexis hadn't even realised she'd gone tense again but, once once more, she was watching Sage's features visibly relax. And then something made her tense again, turning her head away from the group.

Turning to look, Lexis realised it wasn't a something but a someone. Or a group of someones, for that matter. Amelia was on her way over, a small crowd of friends following behind. Waving them over, Tallie smiled brightly. Amelia only shook her head with a light giggle, "I can't promise I won't miss you but you should go and have this fun. Tell me all about it later."

Sage's quizzical expression - judgemental, even - clearly caught Tallie off guard when she turned back towards the group she was sat with. Lexis wasn't doing much better herself. Although she'd prepared for conflict, the person she'd least expected it from was Sage and the scrutiny in her best friend's eyes both shocked and disappointed her. She was supposed to be their leader - level-headed Sage with all the right answers at the back of the class.

"What?" A simple question with a bitterness too great to be ignored.

"Sorry, it just makes me wonder sometimes how you tell them all apart," Sage clarified, apparently aware she was making her judgement loud and clear. Sage hadn't intended to be rude, Lexis was sure, but there was no way she was going to back her up on that comment.

"They're all their own unique person and that's obvious when you get to know them." Even if Sage was referring to hair colour - because most of the friend group had brown hair - the shades ranged massively from almost black to touching on blonde and even then, some had dip-dyed the bottom half bleach blonde and others, like Amelia, had long loose curls with another colour woven in. The calmness and clarity that held every word Tallie had spoken was reflected in her eyes.

Infuriatingly, Kallai and his insufferable smirk laughed back at them. Tallie took a deep breath; Lexis drove her glare home. His laugh stopped dead in its tracks.

Sage nodded; an apologetic smile carved across her tired skin. "I didn't mean to offend anyone, I'm sorry." Tallie nodded. Surprisingly, Sage didn't need to say anymore - everyone could tell that Tallie had already forgiven her.

Then Tallie looked over to Kailani, who had been staring at her since she'd first spoken. "Hi."

"Sorry!" Kailani said, as if she had suddenly become aware that she'd been staring. "You just have a cool accent, that's all." She was smiling sweetly, and her eyes shone with a million budding questions.

"German. I was born there and lived there for just over thirteen years," she said with a light smile, shrugging.

"We were born there too," Kailani exclaimed excitedly, her thumb flicking between her and her brother.

At the same time, Lexis had been thinking the same thing, scepticism lacing her gaze as her eyes shot to meet Sage's. A grin that blossomed over Sage's olive face. Lexis could see the cogs turning behind her eyes.

She watched Kailani's excited face - eager to have something in common with the group. But her pride floated away as the clouds came rolling in, "Though we left just months after I was born so I've never heard the accent before. It sounds so cool; I actually love it so much."

Sage's inner smile was beaming from ear to ear, her skin warming through, and the credit wasn't completely due to the over-hanging sun. "Lexis was born there too." The pause didn't last long. "Next question: Where were you all born?"

Kallai's dark eyebrows furrowed deeper, bringing a deeper darkness to his midnight eyes.

Kailani, though, was a much more welcoming soul. "Kromlau!" Tallie nodded in time with Kailani, adding that she was also born there. Lexis didn't bother mentioning that she was too - not only did it bring back unwanted memories that she wore with her everywhere, but she also knew Sage would say it for her.

Kallai became an annoying blur in the corner of her brain as Sage turned to her, saying, "So were you. Maybe you're more a part of this than we thought," Sage said, solely to Lexis. "In which case, I'm lucky you're my friend, because I'd never have thought to bring you with us otherwise." There was no sub-level meaning to her words and Lexis understood that, but Kallai's eyes burned with furious confusion.

"Odd choice of words," Kallai tested. "'Lucky you're my friend' rather than 'lucky we're friends''. Makes it seem like you're not really her friend, Minion." His voice carried a smirk and Lexis knew she would be able to picture it with her eyes closed. But looking at him told another story. Flames leapt up behind his eyes and his mouth was in fact a grimace. "The friendship is only worth something when you're getting something out of it?"

Lexis stole his glower away from Sage and felt it burn. They met each other head on and she let him settle in his confidence a little first. "Go on, Shadow. Stick up for yourself for once."

And then she charged at him with her glare, winning instantly. "Let's wait until I need to, Firecracker."