ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

Jen, Ava, and Deb sit down in a booth while Kami and I wait for our order at the counter. The midnight crowd at the burger shop is practically nonexistent—besides our group, there's just one couple sitting in the corner.

"Did you see Hannah's face?" Jen squeals. "I swear she turned eight shades of red. I'm honestly shocked she and Tess didn't throw down."

Ava and Jen laugh among themselves.

I'm not sure I've ever seen Jen quite so happy.

"That was the most entertaining reunion I've ever been to," Kami says, leaning up against the wall and smirking.

"I have to agree," I say. "Although it's the only one I've ever been to. Thanks for the advice, by the way. I think it went well."

"Well, I told you not to say you were unemployed, I didn't tell you to charm the mean girl into spilling her guts to the crowd. Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed I didn't, that was a brilliant idea. I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time."

I chuckle and glance back at Ava and Jen.

"I think you made Jen's night," Kami adds. "Although I'm not sure Deb had quite as much fun."

Jen's roommate—and ex—Deb isn't usually much of a talker anyway, but tonight she has been particularly quiet. Ava and Jen are both laughing their arses off, but Deb seems to be staring off into space, looking dejected. As I watch, she stands up and shuffles out of the booth before stepping outside.

"She a friend of Tess?" I ask.

"I doubt it," Kami says. "I think she's just got other things on her mind."

"Other things?"

I'm not sure exactly what she's getting at. Deb seemed to disappear for most of the night, only rejoining us at the end.

"Men are so clueless," she says with an eye roll. "I'm just saying, I got the impression she wished I wasn't there."

I open my mouth to respond but we're interrupted by a loud group of men walking in and stepping up to the counter. They seem to be pretty intoxicated and are wearing dress shirts and slacks with loosened ties around their necks. Since we're just down the street from the high school, I wouldn't be surprised if they came from the reunion too.

One of the men proceeds to order for the group while the others laugh and joke at a volume best reserved for heavy metal concerts.

"Little Avaaa Reeeynoolds!" one of the men shouts, taking a couple of tipsy steps toward her table. I feel my chest rise and my muscles tense. "I used to get high with your brother behind the bathrooms by the basketball courts. Where's Dylan at, anyway?"

"Not here," she says loudly. "Sorry."

She turns to Jen to continue their conversation and the man scoffs but seems to let it go, returning to his group beside us.

"Bitch," he mumbles under his breath. Before I have a chance to respond, he locks his eyes onto Kami and walks up.

Perfect, this man is clearly going to get himself killed without my help.

"Hey babe!" he says. "Were you at the reunion? I'm pretty sure I'd remember you."

Kami rolls her eyes and laughs.

"Daaammnnn..." his friend says, eying her up and down as he too stalks closer.

"Wow!" she says with a sarcastic drawl. "I can't believe I've attracted not one—but two—of Port Charlotte's most eligible wasted douchebags! I'm honored!"

Her eyes narrow as a devilish grin appears on her face.

In a particularly ballsy move, the second man licks his lips and steps closer to her, reaching out to grab her waist. She grabs his wrist and twists his arm behind his back in a swift motion. As she does, I hear Ava and Jen's chatter rapidly come to a halt.

"'Scuse me, pal," she says, her eyes now glowing gold. "Consider this a fucking museum, alright? You look, but you don't touch, or I'll break your arm. Got it?"

"Hot," he says, leaning back into her.

How bloody wasted is this guy?

He lets out a shriek as Kami wrenches his arm backward and pushes him to the floor.

"Men," she scoffs.

One of the man's friends bends down to help him. Jen and Ava appear close behind us, both looking shocked and unsure of what to do.

"Where's Deb?" I ask.

"Um... she left... she called herself an Uber," Ava says softly, looking back and forth between Kami and the man on the floor. "Are you guys oka-"

Ava's mouth drops open as two other men approach Kami.

"What the hell?" Kami snaps, taking a large step away from them. "Haven't you guys ever heard of personal space?"

"I just wanna say hi," one of the men says, stepping closer still as if he's about to kiss her. The other man is close behind.

She punches one in the stomach before kicking the next square in the bollocks.

"What the heck is happening right now?" Jen asks, her eyes wide as she looks at the three men laying on the floor. The last remaining man from their group looks upon the scene with a mixture of shock and horror.

"I-" he begins to say, looking between Kami and the men before looking at me. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why-"

One of the men on the floor grabs Kami's leg and she yelps before stepping on his hand with an unsettling crunch.

"How bloody pissed are these blokes?" I ask. Kami gives me a stunned expression before taking several steps away from the men on the floor.

"We had a lot to drink I guess," the remaining man says, giving me a guilty look. He pats a hand awkwardly on my shoulder. "I didn't realize we had so much."

"Don't apologize to me, mate," I say as his friends groan in pain on the ground. "Keep better company."

"You're right," he says, his hand rubbing my shoulder before gripping tightly around my bicep.

"The fuck are you doing?" I say, pulling away.

"You're just so..." he says, his eyes wandering over my body, "gorgeous."

He lunges forward with his lips pursed, but I dodge backward as he stumbles.

"We need to get the hell out of here," Kami says. "Now."

Ava and Jen both nod, wide-eyed, as we all take off toward the door. We pass a couple in the parking lot and the woman starts to chase me to the car, her boyfriend following her close behind. We run faster until we make it to Jen's car, Kami jumping in the front with Jen and Ava and I in the back as we lock the doors behind us.

The woman catches up and begins beating on the car door attempting to get in.

"You guys, what the actual frack is happening right now??" Jen screams, looking to each of us for some semblance of an explanation.

"That's a bloody good question, love," I say, letting out a heavy breath.

The woman outside the car is banging at the door and one of the men from earlier emerges from the restaurant.

"Drive now," Kami says. "Questions later!"

Jen slams the car into gear and peels out of the parking lot, breathing heavily as she drives away.

"Where the frack am I even going?" she asks.

"Go to their penthouse," Kami says. "It's the safest."

"Safest??" she asks. "What is even happening right now??"

"Something is wrong with our powers, Z," Kami says to me.

"No shit, Kami," I say.

"Powers?" Jen asks, barely keeping her eyes on the road as she looks rapidly between us. "Oh my god... Are you superheroes? Mutants? Do you have magic seduction powers like Stacy X? Or Starfox? Ava, you're dating an X-Man and you didn't even tell me??"

"He's not an X-Man, Jen," Ava says with a slight smile.

Jen looks back and forth between us and Kami shrieks as the car nearly veers off the road.

"Geez, Jen!" Ava says. "Watch the road!"

"Should I watch the road, Ava?" she replies with a snarky tone. "I've just had the weirdest night of my entire life and there are super people in my car, but my driving sucks so let's talk about that."

"We're not super people," Kami says. "You don't see any spandex on me, do you?"

"Don't give me ideas," Jen says, squinting as she focuses on the road. "What are you then?"

Kami looks back at me and I respond with a shrug. Ava just gives her an uncertain look and Kami sighs before turning back to Jen.

"We're Sirens, okay?"