With each attempt, Finn's shots became more focused and accurate. The red beams of his laser leaped from his fingertip and cut through the air with precision. But while it was evident that he was getting the hang of his power, the swans just danced out of reach, teasing him. His initial determination was giving way to frustration, and he began to lose some of his precision, firing more often with weaker bolts.

Sarah and Alexa watched, amused, as Finn tried different angles and techniques to catch the swift-moving targets. The swans flitted through the air, circling, spinning, and occasionally diving to the ground before taking flight again. They left blue swirls in the air, marking their erratic flights. Sarah decided they were leading a dance, with Finn coming awkwardly behind on two left feet.

Finally, without a burst of appropriate thunder, the promised rain truly began to pour down. All three took cover back in the dank office space where they watched the water pour into the open warehouse. Finn was breathing heavily, but he still had a dopey grin on his face. Alexa was relaxed, but to Sarah's eyes, she looked much the same. Sarah supposed she felt the same as the other two. It had been a good morning.

"I don't get how you do that," said Finn.

"Do what?" asked Sarah.

"Dodge everything," he said. "I mean, it's a laser, right? Or good as, and you're dodging it every time."

"Well, I'm not, you know," she said.

"I don't know, which is why I asked," he snapped back.

"I'm not dodging the lasers," explained Sarah. "I'm dodging you. Just because those lasers are super fast doesn't mean you're aiming super well. Plus it's not the lasers getting dodged, it's your fingers. And you know what else? I'm not the one dodging you. I probably couldn't. I'm a big target and I'm not that fast. It was the swans that were dodging you, not me. And they're small little targets and they can flit around like mad. Not that hard to stay away from your fingers."

"And by the way, why are you even using your fingers?" asked Alexa. "With the lightning, you just sorta plopped stuff out there without worrying about your hands."

"Well, I guess it was because I was aiming. So I used my finger."

"It makes it predictable. I guess it doesn't matter, but if you didn't use your finger, she might have a harder time dodging," said Alexa. "Maybe you could fire in a different direction than where you point?"

"Maybe," said Finn. He was staring off into space, pointing with his fingers in various directions before firing another laser out precisely in the direction his finger was pointing. "Anyway, I guess lunch is on me. Which is good, because I'm starving. I don't suppose there's anywhere close by?"

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"Not that I know of," said Alexa. "We'll just hit a drive-through on our way back to town."

This time Sarah helped guide both of them through the darkness back to the front of the building. Alexa hadn't been able to put much green back into her body yet, and neither of them had the night vision that Sarah had. But she got them to the front door, and they were able to ease their way back out through the gap. It occurred to Sarah that maybe they should have just gone around the building instead of through it, never mind the rain. It was still raining so hard that all three were well and truly soaked through in the few steps they needed to get into Alexa's car. Well, Sarah's jacket had kept the rain off pretty well, but her hair was as wet as if she'd just gotten out of the shower.

Alexa got the car started and pushed the fans and heat up to the max, although she also turned the AC on for some reason. Finn didn't say anything about it, so neither did Sarah. They sat in the car for a few minutes, waiting for the air to warm up. Finn flopped down in the back seat, sprawling across the car with his eyes closed. Sarah and Alexa both looked back at him and smiled at each other.

After the vents were blowing hot air against the windshield, Alexa put her car into gear and they made their way back out through the ruined buildings of the depot.

"So," said Alexa. "You didn't bring that snake."

"No, it'll be another week at least before he's clean enough."

"I thought you cleaned it last week?"

"No," answered Sarah. "I mean, yeah, but I'm not sure if that was really good enough. I don't want to get sick or get anyone else sick. And I don't want to carry rotten meat around either. So I'm cleaning the bones, but there isn't a fast way to do it without damaging them."

"Bones?" asked Finn, without opening his eyes.

"Yeah," said Sarah. "You noticed how I could only put so much into the swans, right? And they drained? Well, I can put a lot more into things that were alive. Dead animals, wood, leather. That kind of thing. Plastic and rock don't work very well."

"So that's why your leggings kept fading? I thought you were using them to help you stand up or something. I kept waiting for you to take some giant jump like Alexa," said Finn.

"My pants?" Sarah looked down, and they did indeed shine with a bit of blue. She couldn't remember putting any magic into them. Her shirt was infused too, although the cotton had held the light better than her stretchy leggings.

"Yeah," said Alexa. "All your clothes, actually. Even your hair elastic. I figured you were just putting the extra into it."

Sarah fell silent, worried about using her power without a thought. She'd gotten after Alexa for doing the same, figuring it must be easy to just inhale it in. But Sarah was just as bad. She had to have some control, she simply had to.

"So bones," said Finn. "Metal."

"No, metal doesn't really work either," said Sarah. "It's just, well, you saw what happens if I ever pull too much. If I've got something deep on me, then there's a lot less risk. And bones and leather seem easiest."

"No, I get it," he said. "Metal."

Alexa snorted, "And gross."

"Well, a little gross. I guess," said Finn. "It depends on how well you clean the bones, I guess."

"Shut up," said Sarah, pulling her book out of her pocket. The ziplock bag had kept the water off, so she opened it up and found her place. Alexa and Finn may have kept talking, but she wasn't paying any attention. She didn't look up until they reached the drive-through, where she ordered four cheeseburgers and a Coke.