Perry knew that the waitress-Suzy?-hated her lingering in the diner, asking for her fifth refill of water instead of a meal. Perry was starved, but if she ate she would dine and dash, and she wasn't willing to do that yet.

As she aged, Perry found herself constantly abandoning her body to pull pranks on people and steal random items.

There was no reason to it; just an addiction. Like smokers who find themselves subconsciously reaching for a cigarette. Once Perry took something as a ghost, she found herself always wanting to do it.

Witnesses would surprisingly chase Perry. To try and catch her. But with her lightning speed no one ever succeeded. And it was fun. An abuse of power, sure, but definitely fun.

Now, as Perry sat in The Sunshine Diner, she began to think that her life wasn’t so much fun anymore. Maybe it would have been better if she was born in a normal family without superpowers.

But maybe she had misinterpreted everything. Maybe her uncle wasn’t a bad guy-maybe the man that broke into their house wasn’t related to him at all.

But Perry had always trusted her instincts and they screamed she needed to escape. Even if she would be alone her entire life, she should never return into her uncle's arms.

She saw shadows swallow half of her table, feeling the chill air of visitors appear.

Great. I’m so not in the mood, Perry thought irritably.

“I don’t have a phone,” she said flatly. “Please leave me alone.”

The strangers remained by her table.

“Did you hear me? I told you, I’m not interes-” Perry whipped her body to the people and was silenced.

Two extraordinarily alluring boys stood before her, examining her like she was the one bothering them.

One with caramel hair plastered against his bronze forehead, he wore dark jeans with a silver string wrapped around his hip, black Vans and a jacket over a dirt stained shirt.

His friend had spiked dark hair, a thick striped red and black tank top, skinny jeans and ankle boots.

Looking as if they had been run over, their golden-green and electric blue eyes judged her like she was the mess. And she probably was.

“What?” she asked, covering her scabbed forehead by pretending she had a headache. “What do you want?”

“Is your name Lydiana?” the tan one asked.

“I go by Perry,” she mumbled, exhausted. “Why? Do we know each other?”

Perry felt odd tension arise and the black haired kid said, “My name is Kasey and this is Destery. Can we join you?”

“No,” she answered honestly. But it was too late. They had already sat in the booth across her.

Perry kept her head down, eyeing the table like it was the most fascinating thing, when she finally snapped. “What? What is it?”

A shadow emerged beside them and Perry moaned. Who was it this time?

“Can I take your orders?” Susan asked expectantly, irked at Perry for stealing her hot customers.

“Ah, yes,” Kasey answered.

“No,” Destery and Perry said in unison.

Perry glared at them and stood. “I’ve got to go.”

“But you haven’t eaten yet, right?” Kasey pressed. "You should at least eat."

She hesitated. They were hot, yes, but they were strangers.

“We’ll pay,” he added.

This comment immediately pulled her back onto her seat. She was too famished to deny a meal.

“I’ll have your Spicy Sunrise Divorce Eggs with tabasco on the side and black coffee.” Perry told Susan fluidly. “Thanks.”

“And for you two?”

“That sounds pretty good,” Kasey answered with bemused eyes. “I’ll try what she’s having.”

“I’m fine,” Destery said. 

“Alright. Two Spicy Sunrise Divorce Eggs with coffees.”

“And my sauce,” Perry added nonchalantly.

“And the tabasco,” Susan bitterly echoed.

Once Susan had scurried off, Kasey glanced at his partner.

“I wonder why the eggs divorced? Money issues?”

Perry placed her chin on her hand and rolled her eyes.

“So, why do you go by the name Perry?” Destery asked.

She shrugged. “I’ve been called it my whole life.”

“Is it a nickname?”

“I thought you knew me,” Perry said. “That’s why you approached me, right?”

“In a sense,” Destery answered.

“What does that mean?”

He hesitated. “You don’t remember us at all?”

She cocked her head. Perry was pretty sure she would remember boys that rivaled the god’s looks.

“What were your names, again?”

“Destery and Kasey.”

“Last names?” As they hesitated she smiled and asked, “You don’t have last names?”

“It’s-”

“Don’t worry about it. Secrecy, I get it.” Perry waved her hand. “I’m sorry but I don’t remember you.”

To Perry, for a brief second it appeared like Destery was relieved to hear that.

“So, Lydia-”

“Perry,” she corrected, irked.

“-why are you here?” Kasey asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s really late. It's not safe to be out alone.”

Perry narrowed her eyes on Kasey. “It’s not really your business.”

Destery’s attention remained silently focused on the ground.

“What’s he looking at?”

“Where are your shoes?” he asked suddenly.

“What?” she blinked.

“You’re barefoot. And dirty. And hurt.”

Perry slid the cloth napkin she had on her lap over her bruised and cut feet.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Kasey and Destery exchanged glances.

“Here you are,” Susan interrupted, slamming the slim bottle of tabasco sauce unnecessarily hard before Perry. “And your coffees.”

“Thanks.” The boy’s accepted the two drinks while Perry managed a small nod.

“What is this?” Kasey asked, staring at his charred liquid.

“That’s coffee, Sunrise Diner style,” Perry answered disinterested, taking an instant gulp of her drink. She didn’t mind the burn scalding her throat-she welcomed it. She needed more of it. But she didn’t want that waitress to come again. Perry got the impression she wasn’t very well liked.

“Sunrise Diner style?” he repeated, confused and disgusted.

Understanding that this first timer was in no hurry to risk destroying his taste buds, Perry swiped his coffee from him and saved him the trouble of finishing it.

“Have you been here before?” Destery asked.

Perry’s response was downing Kasey’s entire drink without taking a breath.

Susan appeared again, her skills more ghostly than Perry’s, this time accompanied with their meals. Perry had to give her props about how quickly their food had been made. Then again, there were no other customers.

Susan slid the two plates onto the table, each one with two fried eggs separated by a row of chilaquiles. Both eggs were soaked in their own flavors, one salsa roja and the other salsa verde. The perfect breakfast to rejuvenate Perry.

Kasey and Destery stared down at their share until Destery elbowed Kasey.

“If I eat this,” Kasey began carefully, eyes locked on Perry, “you have to listen to everything we say.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Isn’t that what I’ve been doing?”

“Promise us.”

Perry patted her lips with Destery’s napkin.

“Fine, I promise.”

Kasey widened his mouth, eyes closed and nose plugged. Watching him put up such a show reminded Perry of Seth’s tasting experience with the Sunshine Special.

Instead of taking forever and feigning the possibility of vomiting, Kasey devoured one of the eggs mercilessly. Within half a minute it was gone; no spice was left.

Perry gaped at the boy. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“What do you mean?” he blinked innocently.

“Well,” You ate the whole thing like how a Dasypeltis Altra snake swallows a full egg, “nothing, I guess.”

“So-”

“Your friend hasn’t finished his share yet,” Perry nodded at Destery, who frowned at Kasey.

He ate the other egg, the one drowned in green sauce, and took his time in doing so. It appeared as if he wanted to memorize this unfamiliar taste-like he would most likely never have the opportunity to try it again. 

“Fine,” Perry frowned. “What do you have to say?”

Kasey glanced around, making sure no one was near.

“Kasey,” Destery warned, only to be waved away by his friend.

“Don’t freak out,” Kasey cautioned Perry.

“Okay.”

“Promise.”

Perry growled, “Okay.”

“We, well,” Kasey shifted uncomfortably in his seat, “we know what you are.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“No, I mean like what you are. Like, that you can walk out of your body.”

Perry blinked at them, slowly allowing this information to sink it. She then stood and mumbled, “Sorry, I’ve got to go.”

“Wait a minute!” Kasey reached forward and as she dodged she saw that it was pitch black from being toasted.

Her silver-blue eyes widened, her surroundings narrowed, and her breathing shallowed. This was too much information to take in within one day.

First her house intruder and now some boys know of her powers? Who else is aware of them?

She heard the clunk of change and cash being thrown onto the table as Destery and Kasey followed her out of the restaurant. But there was no way she would allow them to follow her. They may know her ghost ability but that didn’t mean that they had powers like her

As soon as Perry stepped out into the burning night air, she kicked off the ground and sped down the abandoned beach as fast as she could.

Kasey swore. “Seriously?!”

“Well, we did try the friendly approach. All that matters is that we get her before anyone else does,” Destery replied. “Let’s go.”

They zipped through the warm breeze as fast as they could, easily catching up with Perry.

It was clear she was fast, but she had never actually chased or run from something that had her abilities. It was like jogging on a regular basis and then suddenly joining the track team. They had totally different routines.

“Stop!” Destery shouted, reaching forward, barely grazing Lydia’s or Perry’s arm.

She flicked her eyes back, clearly surprised that they possessed the same powers, and he could sense the hesitation to keep running or to surrender.

This hesitation was enough for Destery to leap and tackle her onto the ground.

Perry shouted as she landed heavily onto the sand, creating a puff of golden clouds around them.

“Will you stop running?” Destery asked, gripping onto her wrist.

Instead of answering, she elbowed him in the face and rolled from underneath him. Whatever these boys wanted, she wasn’t going to give them without a fight.

“Just calm down,” Kasey cooed, holding up his hands like he was talking to a wild animal. “Listen to us.”

A million questions ripped through Perry’s head. Who-what-were these people?

They were fast like her. Her distrust of them wasn’t the same as she felt towards her uncle but it was distrust all the same.

Her eyes scanned the beach. The dark abandoned beach. Alone. Empty. Just the three of them.

Without a warning, she broke into a run again, this time exhausting all energy she never knew she had. She didn’t bother checking if they were following her. The best idea was to keep running. Just…run.

A dark shadow began to appear, just a dot at first with a flashlight, and relief flooded over her. It was a cop scanning the beach, making sure no one was playing after curfew.

She was saved. Temporarily, but still, she would be protected and that’s all that mattered.

But as she neared the air grew warmer than usual and the ocean shifted uneasily. The flashlight that had gained Perry’s attention at the beginning now up close was no longer a flashlight. It was fire. Fire produced from a hand. A hand belonging to someone she vaguely knew, and dreaded crossing paths again.

“Perry?” he asked, assumed, already knowing the answer.

No, she thought. No, please, there’s no way. Not out here.

“Mr. Perry’s worried about you,” her house trespasser said. “Come with me and I’ll take you to him.”

Perry was frozen.

“I’m not mad at you. I understand why you did what you did. But if you don’t come home now we’ll both be in trouble.” The strange pyromaniac came closer, confident. “Let’s not fight. There’s nowhere to go now.”

The sand pulled heavily on Perry's feet, betraying her, and she could feel her dinner bubbling up her throat. She shouldn’t have eaten so much. 

No, don’t get sick. Don’t lose your strength here.

“I’m not going home with you,” Perry answered. “I’m not going home ever. Tell that to my uncle.”

The man scoffed at the thought.

Without responding, he leaped forward, reaching for Perry just as he had earlier that day.

Perry had nothing to defend herself with. She could go ghost, but that left the problem of surrendering her body to his clutches and that was just as bad as having him grab her now.

He wrestled her onto the ground, crushing her shoulders inwards. The force he used was not gentle or considerate like Destery when they tumbled like children playing on the beach. This was like a fox ravaging a rabbit.

Perry shoved a handful of sand in the man’s eyes, yanked on his hair and he cried out, loosening his grip. But that did not mean he was going to let her free. Not again.

“You’re not going…anywhere,” he seethed through tight teeth.

Then he was gone, thrown off of her and sent tumbling a few yards away. She lay flat for a moment, momentarily paralyzed at the situation, then pulled herself to her elbows.

Flashes of red and gold flew through the air, slicing the attacker relentlessly.

Perry squinted. He was a shadow, just an outline, but she knew who it was.

A hand dropped down on her shoulder and she couldn’t help but release a squeal.

“It’s okay. We’ve got to move in case this draws attention,” Kasey gently pulled her up. “Can you run still?”

Perry nodded. “But what about…?”

“He’ll be fine. He needs this.” Kasey’s jaw tightened and turned on his heels. “I needed that.”

                                                               ...

“Don’t move,” Destery ordered harshly as the Charcoal Avis attempted to climb to his feet.

Their enemy intended on stopping Lydiana's escape with Kasey, but there was no way Destery was going to let that happen. Losing Lydiana could never happen again.

“Where’s Mr. Sid Perry?” Destery growled.

The Avis was badly cut, and Destery momentarily regretted being so merciless. They needed to have a proper conversation yet the man could barely even move. 

Destery knew his action would come back to haunt him. This coldness that he could feel towards his enemies, this harshness, was something he regretted constantly. But at this moment there was nothing. There was just a mission, a goal, that he was determined to finish.

The Avis stared defiantly. If he could reply without vomiting blood he would curse Destery. There was no way he would get away alive and if he did, Mr. Perry would certainly finish him off. He had failed and had failed miserably.

If he had been more patient, less aggressive, less intimidating, maybe Perry would have trusted him. 

“How did you find Perry?”

Again, Destery received no answer. There were plenty of questions Destery wanted to ask, but he had a nagging feeling that this Charcoal Avis wasn’t well informed. He appeared to be low-level.

He probably knew nothing of Perry until recently. Destery knew more about her than this Charcoal did.

Destery, without hesitation, raised his weapon and the Avis anticipated the end of his life.

But when he opened his eyes he saw Destery walking away.

Why end the enemy’s suffering? He should let him feel it for as long as he could. No one could save him now.

No one would save him now.