Kaly leaned in, crossing her arms, “Huh, I’ve never seen it like that before.”

  Ivy’s wide eyes reflected the green light, “Wow…that’s cool!”

  Tobi gritted his teeth, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. His energy pulsed once before dissipating with a pop! He stumbled backward, catching himself on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

  Ivy crouched beside him, offering a hand, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. It just takes almost everything out of me.”

  Kaly watched him carefully, “Why do you do it like that?”

  Tobi shrugged, “I just happened to do it by dumb luck one day. After a while, I just noticed a feeling between my hands.”

  Later that night, after Tobi had gone to bed, still exhausted from manifesting his energy earlier, Ivy and Kaly sat in the dimly lit living room, still buzzing with restless energy.

  Kaly pulled her eyes away from the television screen. She glanced at Ivy, “Wanna do something?”

  Ivy sat up, curious, “Like what?”

  Kaly smirked, “Earlier today, Tobi showed us his school’s pool. Let’s swim.”

  “Seriously?” Ivy leaned back, thinking. She looked at the door to Tobi’s room, which hung ajar, seeing if he was still asleep. “Y’know, let’s do it!”

  They left quietly, the streets mostly empty under the glow of streetlights. When they arrived, the school was dark and locked up for the night. The pool’s gate stood as a flimsy barrier.

  Ivy grinned, gripping the metal bars. With little effort, she bent them apart like they were made of tinfoil, stepping through with a playful bow. “After you, babe.”

  Kaly snorted, “Oh-kay.”

  They swam under the stars, the cool water refreshing against the hot dry warmth of the California night. For over an hour they laughed, splashed, and floated around until their skin got too shrivled, and Kaly wanted to leave.

  When they returned to Tobi’s house, they snuck into his room quietly. Tobi groaned, sitting up, “What time is it?”

  Ivy, still dripping with water, answered, “Almost two.”

  As they chatted, his door creaked open, revealing Tobi’s mom, her arms crossed.

  “Do you realize what time it is?” She said, her eyes narrowing.

  “Almost two?” Tobi parroted.

  “You really shouldn’t be having girls in your room this late.” Her gaze shifted between Ivy and Kaly.

  Exacerbated, Tobi gestured, “Hey mom, Ivy is back by the way.”

  Her gaze lingered on Ivy, a bit surprised, “Oh, Ivy? You’ve grown.”

  Ivy smiled, “Hey, Mrs.M.”

  “We’re just hanging out, mom.”

  “Not in this room, you aren’t.” Mrs.M. said, turning and walking away.

  The trio exchanged glances. Tobi broke the silence, sighing, suggesting, “If you both don’t want to sleep on the couch, there’s a hotel down the road…”

  Tobi knocked on the hotel room door which was already ajar. It opened even wider, and he let himself in. He immediately noticed the spacious room, with one of the two beds leaning against the wall, and the other bed at the center of the room. Raising an eyebrow, he gave Kaly and Ivy a confused look. “Did you guys share the bed?”

  “I-” Kaly’s face turned almost purple, muttering, “No. We have…other sleeping arrangements…”

  Tobi grinned, “Yeah? Like what?”

  Kaly looked at Ivy, but she had developed a sudden interest in her shoe laces. She crossed her arms, “I don’t know. It just…depends.”

  “Depends on what?”

  “Can we just go?” Kaly snapped, ushering them all out of the room.

  “I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Ivy said, getting up.

  “Hurry up.” Both Tobi and Kaly said in unison.

  As they were waiting, Tobi asked, “What was the training at the Isle of Skye like?”

  Kaly gave him an odd look, “Didn’t Ivy already send a letter telling you?”

  “I got a letter a while back, but, um,” he chuckled, “I mean, the whole letter she was basically just talking about you the whole time. That’s how I recognized you when I first saw you.”

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  Kaly felt her face turn an even deeper shade of purple than before, replying with a meek, “Oh.”

  Later, as they were walking around the local mall, Ivy glanced around. Everyone seemed to have something in their hands. Even Tobi. Then she saw the sign. “I need to get a phone.”

  Tobi looked up from his phone, “Yeah, I guess you should.”

  They stopped at an electronics store. Kaly pointed to the warning sign hanging in the doorway. A crude drawing of two shadowy figures, “Have you seen us?” She read. “What is this about?”

  “I dunno,” Tobi squinted at it, “They probably stole something.”

  After some bickering about which model to get, Ivy walked away with a shiny new phone. With nothing else planned, Tobi suggested they go to the countryside for a hike.

  As they were leaving the mall, a voice called out. “Yo, Tobi!” They turned to see Bryce jogging toward them, his signature grin plastered across his face.

  “Oh, hey, what’s up?” Tobi asked.

  As Bryce got closer, he looked both Ivy and Kaly up and down, giving Kaly a long stare. “Just kinda hangin’ out.”

  “Well, we’re about to go hiking if you wanna tag along.”

  “Alright, I’m down.”

  They stepped out of the car, walking toward the hiking trail.

  Bryce put a hand on Tobi’s shoulder, falling out of ear shot of both Ivy and Kaly, “Is Ivy taking steroids?”

  “Umm,” Tobi laughed, “I don’t think so, man.”

  “Are you sure? She’s in the NFC, they’re all on gear or some type of ‘roid. I promise you. How much you wanna bet that she’s blasting tren?”

  “Y’know, why don’t you ask her, Bryce?”

  “I don’t have to, I can see it. But man, I saw this thing earlier today. There was this news story—There were these tunnels, like mineshaft tunnels, and people have seen reptilian-type people or lizard-people around them. Freaky stuff.”

  “Reptilian lizard people,” Tobi repeated, sounding very unimpressed.

  The forest was quiet, the trail winding through the greenery as they walked deeper into the countryside. Birds chirped overhead, and the afternoon sun filtered through the leaves.

  Ivy and Kaly looked at each other simultaneously, slowing their walk.

  “You feel that too, then?” Ivy asked.

  Kaly nodded, “It’s close too. Maybe we’re even being watched.”

  Bryce looked over, seeing Tobi’s expression harden. “Do you know what they’re talking about? Being watched by what?”

  “I don’t know what,” Ivy responded, “But the energy is kinda close.”

  “Is it dangerous?” Tobi asked.

  “Can’t tell,” Kaly said, “I just sense it’s near.”

  They continued walking, the sensation lingering. After another mile, they emerged into a clearing. The space should have been comforting, but even Bryce felt off, looking around in confusion. “It’s like the air is heavy,” he muttered.

  From the treeline, two figures emerged ten feet away from them.

  The taller figure on the right wore a dark blue hoodie, his broad, muscular frame imposing. The shorter, leaner figure on the left had on a camo t-shirt, his sharp eyes darting between the group.

  “Ah shit,” Bryce’s face went pale. “Fifteen…Those guys are serial killers. They’ve killed like fifteen people! They’ve been all over the news for months!”

  The man in the camo shirt smiled coldly, his voice soft but chilling, “26 now.”

  The man in the hoodie took a step forward, his gaze piercing. “We sensed three of you walking through our forest.” He glanced at Ivy, Kaly, and Tobi. “Soon, I’ll have 30.”

  The camo killer slipped his hand from his pocket, revealing a sleek, wicked-looking dagger. Its blade glinted menacingly in the sunlight. His lips curled into a sinister smile as he spoke. “If I cut you with this knife and taste your blood…” His tongue flicked across his teeth. “I’ll know everything there is to know about you. Your fears, your insecurities, every crack in your mind!”

  Meanwhile, the blue killer crouched low, tracing a slow, deliberate circle in the dirt with his finger while softly humming an eerie melody. As he did so, a low buzz vibrated through the area, as a frayed yellow aura of energy surrounded him. When he finished, the killer stood, dusting his hands off. “There,” he said, his voice calm and detached. “Now no one will hear you die.”

  Ivy and Kaly’s expressions hardened as they realized what had just happened. The clearing was eerily silent, the distant rustle of leaves and chirping birds gone.

  “Let me guess,” Ivy said, “Your ability blocks all the sound in a certain radius.”

  He smiled. The blue killer’s ability is that if he draws a circle on the ground while humming a full song melody; sound within a twenty yard circle radius won’t be able to escape. Once the red killer’s tongue makes contact with the target’s blood he will get a mental checklist of their fears, mental and physical insecurities, and weak points in their psyche.

  Ivy shifted slightly, positioning herself between the killers and Tobi.

  Bryce took a cautious step back, his eyes darting between the killers. “Uh... guys?” he whispered. Tobi, however, was paralyzed, his wide eyes fixed on the dagger in the killer’s hand. Bryce's mind raced as he inched backward, his pulse hammering in his ears. What the hell are they on about? Maybe if we all gang up on him, but there's no way a 12-year-old girl like Ivy can do anything. She's just gonna get herself hurt or killed! His gaze flicked nervously between the killers and Ivy, who seemed far too calm for the situation.

  Kaly stepped forward, her patience worn thin. Her expression darkened as she said, "Enough of this." She raised her arms, and with a sickeningly smooth motion, two more arms jutted out from beneath her first set. Bryce's and Tobi’s jaws dropped.

  The killers barely had a moment to register what was happening before Kaly lunged forward. In a flash, she grabbed each of them by the throat, lifting their struggling bodies off the ground with ease.

  The camo killer clawed at her grip, his dagger falling to the ground. The blue killer's eyes bulged in silent panic, his feet kicking uselessly. Kaly's new arms shot forward, each hand plunging straight through the killers' skulls with a sickening crack, which echoed through the forest, followed by the wet sound of bone splintering. Bryce stumbled back, his face twisted in horror. "Oh my God," he choked, barely able to breathe.

  Their bodies went limp instantly. The camo killer’s mouth gurgled and twitched, a bubbling noise as blood filled his throat. The blue killer's lips parted in a final, silent scream, releasing a stream of dark fluid that trickled down his chin.

  There was a sick, wet squelch as her fingers slid free, leaving behind two cavernous holes. Bits of shattered bone and brain matter dripped from her fingertips, splattering on the forest floor. Kaly let their corpses fall to the ground with a dull thud. They landed in their own pooling blood.

  Tobi was frozen, his legs shaking beneath him. His eyes darted between the mutilated corpses and Kaly, who stood over them.

  Ivy, on the other hand, grinned brightly, unbothered by the carnage. “Haha! You really messed them up!” she said, laughing. She turned to her friends, her large, hazel-brown eyes bright. “Oh yeah, did I not tell you?” she said, her voice light and casual, “After that training, Kaly and I are like really strong now!”