Vengeance is sweet. Vengeance taken when the vengee isn't sure who the venger is, is sweeter still. - Gary D. Schmidt (The Wednesday Wars)

* * * *

~Waters of Aurora; December 230~

Sera was dreaming again. The same dream she hadn't had in a long time.

"Sera, run!"

"We're getting out of here, I promise. Once we do, let's still be friends. Out there. From one Gifted to another—"

"They're coming for us, aren't they?"

"I won't let you throw yourselves away for me—"

"Can it. After everything you've done? This is the least we can do—"

"It doesn't matter anymore. Not after tonight. One last stand. Blade's final fight. But no matter what happens, you'll always be my best friends—"

Sera shot awake with a sharp inhale, her heart pounding in her chest.

A hand was on her shoulder—and before she'd fully opened her eyes, her reflexes kicked in. She grabbed the wrist tightly.

There was a yelp.

Her vision cleared to reveal Kailey, mid-stumble, her face frozen in a mixture of alarm and discomfort. Sera held her wrist in a tight grip, half-pulling her forward.

They stared at each other for a beat before Sera let go.

"…Sorry," she muttered, pulling her hand back and glancing away.

Kailey winced and rubbed at her wrist. "Remind me not to wake you up next time," she said, trying to sound lighthearted, but her voice was a little shaky.

Sera didn't reply right away. She was still grounding herself, still half-stuck in the remnants of the dream.

"Anyway," Kailey went on, "Neil said we're almost at Aurora. He told me to wake you up."

"…Okay," Sera murmured, finally sitting upright. She blinked a few more times, then glanced around the small cabin of the boat. Her coat was still draped over her shoulders, one boot half-off. She must've fallen asleep sometime in the early hours.

Kailey lingered for a moment, studying her with quiet concern. Then, without another word, she turned and slipped out, presumably to join her brother in the control room.

Sera let out a breath and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. Her fingers pressed to the bridge of her nose, trying to ease the dull ache forming there.

"Zest…"

The name slipped from her lips without thinking—quiet, and almost reverent. A fragment from her dream, or maybe from a memory that had never really left.

She didn't want to fall back asleep.

Not anymore.

* * * *

A light drizzle veiled the docks of Aurora as Neil eased the boathouse to a quiet stop, careful not to make a sound. Sera secured the rope to the anchor point with practiced ease, her hands moving efficiently despite the cold. The rain and the hour had emptied the streets—a small mercy that the three teens were silently grateful for.

Outside, the modest blue-and-white boathouse rocked gently on the waves. Neil and Kailey stood by as Sera turned off the interior lights and locked up, already pulling the hood of her coat over her head. The twins followed suit without a word.

Kailey gave the boat one last glance. In just a month, everything had changed.

She and Neil had been desperate—scraping by with stolen food and the occasional odd job, always looking over their shoulders. Then Sera had appeared: quiet, sharp-eyed, and intimidating. They hadn't known whether to fear her or follow her.

But she had taught them things. Real things. How to read tracks, fight like a Normal, barter in underground markets, and even how to maintain and steer the boathouse they'd now call home.

For a moment, Kailey wondered who had taught Sera all that she knew, or if she'd picked it up on the streets. Until her parents died defending her and Neil from hunters when they were about ten, they'd lived good lives. Hence why they have problems trying to survive on the streets. Sera however gives off a similar vibe as one of those who'd lived and grown up amongst the slums and streets—a battle-hardened veteran.

When Sera led them away from the dock and into the sleeping city, they followed without hesitation.

"Where are we going?" Neil asked, his voice low.

Sera didn't glance back. "To see a few people I used to know. From my Blade days."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Gifted?" Kailey asked.

"No. Normals," Sera said. "But they're good people. You can trust them."

That was enough. Sera didn't waste words. If she said you could trust someone, you listened.

They walked until the streets gave way to storefronts and dimly lit signs. Sera stopped in front of a cozy-looking café with a standing menu out front and an ivory sign overhead: Cross Café, the lettering carved in graceful script beside a pair of crossed knives.

Inside, the bell tinkled softly as the door swung open. Warm air and the scent of roasted beans spilled out. The two adults inside turned as one, startled by the drenched teens entering the café.

Sera pulled down her hood. "…It's been a while."

"Sera!"

A short woman with a sleek black bob and sharp grey eyes slid off her stool and hurried over. "We heard what happened. Alexis brought Zest to us—he told us about Blade."

Sera shrugged slightly, her voice flat. "A lot's happened."

A man behind the counter, mid-twenties with pineapple-styled dark brown hair and a scar across his nose, offered a warm smile. "Sit down, all of you. I'll get you something warm."

Moments later, steaming mugs of coffee sat in front of them.

Suzy, the woman who'd greeted them, looked curiously at the twins. "And these two?"

"Neil and Kailey O'Fearghail," Sera said, sipping her drink. "Found them in Elvryn about a month ago." She turned to the twins. "This is Suzy, a doctor. And that's Timo—he owns the café. I've known them for a few years. You can relax."

"You're always so serious," Timo chuckled. "But thanks for the intro."

Kailey offered a shy smile. Neil nodded, still wary but curious.

"Sera used to crash at my old café in Elvryn," Timo told them. "Gave her food when she couldn't find any. I moved out here when things got bad. Figured it'd be safer."

"Is Zest okay?" Sera asked softly, keeping her voice low.

Suzy glanced at the twins, then back. "Healing. Slowly. He always asked for you during his more lucid moments."

Sera looked away. "Take care of him."

Timo and Suzy exchanged glances but said nothing.

"What about Karl?" Suzy asked. "He came here a while back, looking for you."

"I know. He's probably figured it out. But if they know I'm alive, they'll come after me again."

"And those two?" Suzy asked, nodding subtly toward the twins.

Sera hesitated. "They didn't have anywhere to go. I couldn't leave them behind."

Suzy smiled softly. "You've changed."

"I haven't," Sera muttered.

"You sure about them?" Suzy enquired with concern.

Sera stopped stirring her coffee—with how much she had stirred, no one would be surprised to find that the coffee tasted too sweet. "…At least they don't mind my existence," Sera said at last, much to Suzy's anguish. "I'll be laying low for a while. That night…" She trailed off slowly, "I got a feeling that it's the hunters who attacked us. And as long as my death or survival can't be confirmed, I'll likely still be on the hunters' watchlist."

Suzy and Timo exchanged looks. That is another thing that they are concerned about.

The ESA—the Eldario Sovereign Agency, is officially the law enforcer of the nation.

But the truth is that their power is minimal at best, especially when one compares them with the hunters. Especially with the way the prejudice and hatred for the Gifted are getting worse during the last few decades, it is not a lie to say that the hunters have more power than any other organisation in Eldario to the point that there are even entire departments of the ESA that are loyal to them, despite the feelings or lack thereof that the current director of the ESA has towards them.

Not surprising, considering that the hunters are one of the ESA's backers. With the amount of power and influence that the hunters have these days, the ESA is honestly nothing more than a puppet of the hunters—something that everyone in the underground scene knew.

The Gifted Enforcement Act that was passed several decades ago was a bill that was pushed through by the head of the hunters.

After it was passed, the hunters and even the ESA kept watchlists on every single Gifted in the country. The more talented and stronger ones tend to be forcefully recruited into the ESA. The more powerful ones or those with Gifts that even the ESA wants amongst their ranks generally tend to find themselves on their watchlist as well without a doubt.

Before more could be said, Timo's expression darkened. He held up a hand, signalling for silence. His head cocked to one side.

"What is it?" Neil whispered.

Sera's eyes were trained on the door of the café as well, a frown on her face, her head cocked to one side like she could hear something that none of them could.

"Someone's coming," she murmured, her voice low. "I hear footsteps. More than one person?"

Suzy moved quickly, exchanging quick, panicked looks with Timo. "Get under the counter. Now!"

"What?" Kailey blinked as Timo helped move them over the counter to his side. "Why?"

"Just do it," Timo hissed, pushing them under his side of the counter next to stockpiles of coffee powder. "Don't say a word."

"What's going on?" Neil mouthed to Sera from his position only to be shushed by her, his mouth covered by her hand. Kailey received the same treatment.

"Stay quiet." Sera mouthed back, eyes moving from Neil to Kailey and Timo above them. "I'll explain later."

There was some clattering of cups and plates above their heads as Suzy pretended to busy herself with her drink. The tension in the café is discernible, however.

And then, all three hiding teens heard the unmistakable tinkle of the café bell, along with that of the door opening. The three teens stared at the reflective glass of the cabinets on Timo's side of the counter that allowed them to see the two men that have just entered.

Clad in black coats, with red armbands bearing a sword and shield insignia.

Neil's heart dropped. ESA. The Gifted Task Force.

The GTF. The nightmare of every Gifted child in Eldario.

Every Gifted in Eldario knew about the Gifted Task Force. Heck, everyone in Eldario knows about that department—the single most famous department in the ESA.

While they are a department within the ESA, they answer to the hunters instead of to the director of the ESA. The ones that were wholly responsible for keeping track and watch on the Gifted, and recruiting the more powerful ones, or even the ones that showed some promise.

Even before their parents passed away, both Neil and Kailey had heard rumours of how the ESA had 'recruited' the Gifted in their service. Not all the Gifted serve them willingly. Some were forced, blackmailed, and even coerced.

Thanks to the power that the hunters have over the ESA, these days, none of the Gifted trust their country's law enforcement any longer. Especially those that hail from the Gifted Task Force (GTF) which is essentially a whole law by themselves. There were even rumours that the GTF had a bad habit of killing a Gifted if they just happened to catch an agent's eye when they were in a bad mood.

"Welcome," Timo said flatly, though with his tone of voice, the meaning was anything but.

"Is that how you treat your customers?" One of the ESA agents sneered.

"You're not customers. You're parasites," Suzy said coldly, standing beside Timo, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Watch your tongue, doctor," The first agent warned, his smile tight. "We're just here for information. Word is there are some Gifted hiding out in Aurora."

Timo didn't blink. "There are always rumours."

The second agent's gaze drifted to the mugs on the counter. "You had customers."

"Customers who left." Timo lied with a straight face. "I just hadn't cleared their cups, that's all."

"At this time of night?"

"You're here, aren't you?" Timo's voice was low and dangerous now. His knuckles whitened around the glass in his hand. It looks as if Timo is half a second away from hurling the glass that he is holding at the heads of the ESA agents. "Unless you're buying something, get out."

Kailey and Neil were mildly surprised by the venom in Timo's tone of voice. He must have some history with the ESA, or maybe even with these agents in particular.

The agent leaned across the counter, his voice low. "We're not here to buy coffee. We're here to make an offer. To save some kids from the streets. Three of them. Gifted."

"Save?" Suzy scoffed. "You mean drag them into the ESA's leash like all the others? Use them until they break?"

The agent's smile dropped. "Do you know where they are?"

Even under the counter, Kailey could feel the tension radiating from Timo. "No Gifted came through here," he said coolly. "Leave."

"You always this hostile?"

"When the vultures circle? Yes."

The first agent exhaled. "They won't last long out there. Sooner or later, they'll have to come to us. Or be found."

Suzy took a step forward. "You're the reason they're on the run in the first place. You treat them like weapons, not people."

The lead agent sighed. "We'll be going. But if you care about them, let us know. They won't survive on their own."

The bell tinkled again as the two ESA agents left. For several moments, there was nothing but silence before Timo sighed. He looked down below the counter where the three teens were hiding. "They're gone," he said.

Sera, Kailey, and Neil crawled out from under the counter, returning to their original seats. "Are those ESA agents? And that symbol… They're from the Gifted Task Force, aren't they?" Kailey enquired, looking at the door of the café warily before turning her attention back to Timo and Suzy.

"Yeah," Suzy said. "They swing by sometimes."

"They weren't here for us?" Neil asked.

"No," Timo said. "There are three other Gifted in Aurora. About your age. Class Two Gifted. Strong enough to get on the ESA's radar."

"Who are they?" Sera asked.

"Three siblings," Suzy answered. "The boys are twins. Claudia controls wind. Ness animates objects. Tatius commands earth and sand. They're good kids. But I haven't seen them in a while."

Timo looked worried. "They usually come here for food. It's been days."

Sera stood. "Thanks for the drinks."

"You're going to look for them, aren't you?" Timo asked.

Sera said nothing. But the look in her eyes was answer enough.

Outside, the rain had stopped.

"They're not safe out there," Timo said softly, watching the door. "But maybe… They'll be safer with her."

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