Snippet #2823561

Even though Phoenix knew that Zoe and Alex were related, it was moments like this where he struggled to believe it. He’d spent most of his life being the one to do most of the talking in conversations, and he’d always been perfectly fine with that. He was used to filling up the empty spaces. But with Zoe, there were no empty spaces to fill. He wasn’t sure if it was nerves or if this was just how she was all the time, but he could hardly get a word in edgeways. It was strange, but he couldn’t say that he minded. Her enthusiasm and cheerfulness was infectious, and so he found himself nodding and smiling as she spoke. At the mention of Alex, Phoenix deliberately glanced over to where he was talking to Rosie. Neden had an expression on their face somewhat reminiscent of thunder. Phoenix had to bite back a laugh at that expression, turning to look back at Zoe. That was an expression he knew all too well. For years, he’d thought that it was just Alex being his usual grumpy self. Now, he could read it as something different.

“You’d be surprised. Nothing gets the people of Greythorne out like the promise of free food and drinks,” Phoenix said. As if summoned by the mere mention of free refreshments, Alex appeared from nowhere, his arm already going around Phoenix’s waist. The smile that came to Phoenix’s face was easy and relaxed, kissing the top of Alex’s head without even thinking about it. When Zoe commented on how cute they were, he just shrugged a little and laughed. At the mention of pictures and at Jaiden’s arrival, he was struck with an idea. “Hold on.” He fished out his phone and opened up the camera. “Everybody smile!” He called, snapping a few selfies before grinning in triumph and shoving his phone back into his pocket.

“Want to grab some drinks?” Phoenix said to Alex, a knowing glimmer in his eyes. Zoe and Jaiden needed some one on one conversation time, and he knew that Alex knew it too. “Enjoy!” He called to the two women.

Rosie grinned and shook her head a little as Alex made a joke about his sleeping patterns. She’d always let him sleep through her homeroom and had only ever made passing jokes about it, never actually writing him up for it. But she wasn’t beyond teasing him about it now. Before she could, however, Neden interjected and said they needed to borrow Rosie. Rosie raised an eyebrow, letting them take her wrist and pull her away. Alex’s parting remark made her laugh a little. She almost missed Neden’s comment about what exactly they wanted her for, but when she realised, she found herself a little taken aback.

Once they got to what could feasibly be called a dancefloor, Neden took Rosie’s glass from her hand. Truth be told, she’d almost forgotten she’d been holding it, and as Neden once again asked her for a dance, she suddenly wished that the angel hadn’t put the glass quite so far away. Rosie suddenly felt like she needed to down the rest of the glass to soothe the bubbling nerves in her stomach. She couldn’t quite explain it, and she didn’t want to in that moment either. Instead, she returned Neden’s bow with a curtsey. “I shall hold you to that,” she said, stepping in to take Neden’s hand.

Something about dancing with Neden felt oddly right. With Rosie in heels, they were almost the same height. The steps were slow at first as they got used to being in hold and to the beat of the music. Sure enough, Neden was a wonderful dancer. Rosie hadn’t danced properly in years, but with Neden, it all seemed to just come flooding back. They didn’t have to speak. They could just stay perfectly in sync and in time with the music.

But at the same time, Rosie found it almost unbearable. She hadn’t been this close to somebody for this long since… well. For a little while. It felt all at once like it was lightyears ago and also no time at all. It felt too long and too soon all at once. It shouldn’t have mattered. Neden was a friend. Her best friend. That was all they had ever been. And yet a part of Rosie ached. Ached with some emotion too dangerous to put into words. Maybe it would have been easier if she had known how to put it into words. But she couldn’t name what she was feeling, let alone speak it aloud.

She was glad when the song came to an end. Letting go of Neden and taking a step back was more difficult than it should have been, but she did it anyway. “I think I need a drink after that,” she laughed lightly, a cover for an opportunity to step away and recover a little more than anything else. “I’ll grab you one too,” she said.

She had just taken another step away from Neden when the smell of ozone began to fill the air. She turned to look back at the angel, knowing that was unlikely to be good. But before she could ask any questions, the glass in the nearby windows shattered behind them. For a moment, the whole room was plunged into darkness, and when the lights flickered back on, a woman stood in the centre of the dancefloor. Rosie had never seen her before, but everything about her screamed danger. There was a violence about her, even as she stood perfectly still, just surveying all of those gathered. The silence that fell was heavy. And so Rosie took it upon herself to break it.

“Who are you?” She asked. The woman raised an eyebrow, studying her.
“You are not the one I wish to speak with, Siren.” She said, her voice echoing far more than it should have done in the packed room.
“Tough. I’m the one in charge here. Who are you?” Rosie repeated, taking a step forward. The woman laughed.
“You know, Siren, once upon a time, men said that our kinds were one and the same. Can we still call each other sisters? Will you stand against me?” She asked. Rosie swallowed, but raised her chin slightly.
“Your refusal to identify yourself makes me think that you are not the type I wish to ally myself with,” Rosie replied. “Tell me who you are.”
“I am Seterah. And I have come to seek justice for what I am owed.”