Wattpad Original

Original Edition: Chapter Twenty-Eight

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"COME ON! ABSOLUTELY NO SLEEPING!"

Naomi sprung forward to the jerk of an unapologetic hand pushing her awake. She blinked viciously.

Her eyes snapped to Lia first, probably because the other girl was hovering over her, fangs excitedly snapped into the flesh of her own bottom lip. "We've got people to upset and rules to break. There's no time for sleep."

Naomi squeezed her eyes shut before blinking them open again, albeit struggling against the light. "W-what?" she muttered groggily.

"Today, Naomi dearest, will be your first day doing a run with us." Naomi perked up and Lia lit up like a Christmas tree. She continued, leaning in after each sentence until she was too close for comfort, "There will be danger. There will be fun. But most importantly, there will be a reckoning." She let her words hang for a moment, like a strained hand over a cliff. Then she spoke again, "So, get dressed! We're hitting the road in twenty."

Shaking the drowsiness away Naomi briefly forced her brain into processing all that she was hearing. She paused and looked up again at Lia. "Wait, where are we going?"

"Now that," Lia pointed a mischievous finger and stood up, "is a surprise, my love."

Naomi's brows furrowed. Lia stepped off into the rest of the open space where everyone was on their feet, zipping up hoodies and throwing items into their duffel bags. They were doing it again. Transforming into a high functioning group— a gang— rather than their usual instantaneous selves. They made the switch look so easy. In ballet, Naomi couldn't help but recall., you were either one or the other all the time. Never both. Never different. Always the same. "You are so dramatic."

That came from Chyna who was shaking a spray can and testing it on a blank sheet of paper over and over. "We're going to an art show, Naomi."

Now, Naomi stood up out of her sleeping bag. As she did, the memories from last night came rushing into her mind and her eyes helplessly found Saint. Cairo was showing him something on the IPad, tapping away at it and whispering under his breath. Naomi wondered if he had forced sleep as much as she did last night. If he had never wanted the night to end as much as she did. If he had wanted to pull her up again and share more secrets as much as she did. She wiped her face, hoping her expressions hadn't betrayed her and responded, "An art display? Why?"

The paint suddenly blasted from the nozzle. Destruction splattering on the paper. Chyna smiled at her creation.

"This city is finally acknowledging us," another voice came. "It would be rude to not at least show up," Sully said a little seriously. The boy's face was solemn...before grinning wildly with Lia.

Their smiles were contagious enough to excite her. Naomi grinned and finger combed her clumped hair. Cairo came up to her next and outstretched the IPad. Naomi didn't hide the fact that her eyes travelled inquisitively from his fingers all the way up his arm and to his face. She raised an eyebrow at his stoic features and pulled her head back. But before she could question him he shoved it into her chest. "Just. Read. It."

Tongue in cheek, Naomi suppressed the groan of pain insisting release from her and instead grabbed the device. She sucked in a breath. Quickly blinking, she saw that the screen was pulled up to a tweet. From the mayor of Riverside. About them.

'The Menace Must Be Stopped. Riverside's recent plague known as 'The Guise' has done nothing but cause the town thousands in public vandalism and destruction to public property. But perhaps worst of all, they continue to infect the youthful minds of Riverside. More to come at my press conference tomorrow.' Attached to the tweet was a hyperlink.

"He's trying to make it out as if we're ruining this city when we're the only ones trying to actually save it. Today, we're going to the venue where he's holding his his little press conference and we're shifting the narrative back on our side."

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