I sat there, bat across my knees, breathing in the recycled air and listening to the distant roar of the crowd.
Just breathing.
The door opened a third time.
This time it was all five of them together, moving like a coordinated force of nature.
Natalia led the charge, her purple hair streaming behind her and frost already forming on her fingertips like delicate crystal flowers. Skylar followed with her hood up and her violet eyes burning with predatory focus. Emi bounced in with nervous energy, her healing aura pulsing softly around her hands in waves of green light. Cel walked with perfect posture despite the concern written across her features in careful script. And Akari sauntered in last, her emerald eyes dancing with mischief and something darker.
They arranged themselves around me in a semicircle.
Five terrifying, beautiful disasters who had somehow decided I was worth their time, their energy, their devotion.
