Nyx left little paw prints in the mud as she ran along the beach. The setting sun painted the shallow water in streaks of gold and orange. Droplets splashed, catching the light like sparks as Cassie chased Alistair through the water, playfully nipping at him whenever she got close enough.

Eventually, Alistair stopped, turning on Cassie and pounced, knocking her sideways into the ocean. They tussled until they were both soaking wet, appearing more like drowned river rats than foxes. Unable to resist, Nyx scurried in after them. The frigid water cut through her fur. After the shock, it was refreshing after such a hot day. She jumped on Alistair who had only just regained his bearings, her fangs barring down lightly through his silver coat.

Cassie and Alistair teamed up against Nyx, nipping and pouncing until she was down. Nyx wrestled away from them. She puffed her fur and crouched in a challenge. They tip-tapped in place, eyeing her up and yipping, trying to suss out the best plan of attack. She stood her ground, every muscle tensed and coiled to defend herself. Her eyes flicked from one to the other.

Movement caught her attention from further up the beach. Kismet waved from the rocks, tote bags piled by her feet. The distraction was only for a second, but it was enough.

Cassie and Alistair attacked at once, knocking her into the water. When she was down, her siblings bolted out of the ocean and dashed up the shore toward Kismet. By the time she got up again, she was well behind and raced to catch up.

Nyx investigated the tote bags, already able to smell the hotdogs and marshmallows before she peeked inside. Cassie had already popped her head into the other snack bag, knocking it over.

Satisfied with the loot, she sprinted off to find the rock where she had hidden her clothes. Making sure to be completely concealed by the jagged semi-circle of rocks, Nyx shifted into her human form and got dressed, tugging on a t-shirt and jeans. She combed her hair with her hands, feeling the grit of sand under her fingertips.

The cool wind against her damp skin raised goosebumps along her exposed arms. Coarse sand scratched against her bare feet, still warm from a day of sun as she walked toward the fire. Smoke curled and the wood snapped as it burned.

Kismet sat on the log beside Alistair, stoking the fire with a long stick of driftwood while Cassie fiddled around with the portable stereo, trying to get her mixed CD to play. She looked up and smiled when her dance partner, Blossom, carefully stepped down over the rocks. Her long patchwork skirt swirled around her feet and laced up sandals. Covered only by a crochet shall, a sage-green bralette left her stomach exposed. She moved across the rough terrain with a grace and ease that made Nyx feel clumsy just looking at her. The flower crown made of soft baby’s breath perched on top of her long wavy brown hair hardly teetered at all.

Nyx looked at Alistair, surprised to see he was still fully immersed in chatting with Kismet, intent on making her laugh.

I suppose that does it then. He’s had a crush on Blossom for ages and he hardly even noticed her arrive. Not that she seems to care.

Blossom quickly busied herself helping Cassie put new batteries in the stereo without so much as a glance in his direction.

The fire was just beginning to gather its strength as Nyx took a spot on the empty log. On closer look, though Kismet smiled at Alistair, her eyes looked distant. There was even a beer in her hand. She scrunched her face each time she took a sip. it was odd to see her drinking at all.

Nyx crossed her legs, slowly puffing away at her cigarette until Alistair got up to get Kismet another marshmallow. She seized the opportunity and plopped next to the other girl, who looked up in acknowledgement. The glow of the fire made her eyes seem even larger and more startled than before.

“Hey, is everything alright?” Nyx asked.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” said Kismet, trying to smile.

“Come on Kizzy, don’t lie to me. Something’s up. What’s with the drink?”

“I’m celebrating,” she said, but her already soft voice had become a hollow sort of squeak.

All I need is one of those interrogation lamps, a harsh tone and she’d crack like a nut.

Nyx nearly reached out to touch her arm, then stopped herself, realizing that may not be the best choice at the moment. It was in her nature to embrace people, but she hadn’t realized how much so until Kismet came along. Even the slightest brush against her sent her flinching out of the way.

“You can talk to me,” said Nyx. “I’ve been wrapped up in my own shit for awhile, but I am here for you, ok? This can’t be easy. Just grab me, anytime. I’ll listen.”

Kismet looked into the fire, hiding behind another sip of beer and her curtain of hair. Waves lapped up on the shore. The sun was nearly set, leaving the ocean in shadow.

“Don’t worry about claiming a cabin straight away. You can stay with me as long as you want.”

“Thank you,” she muttered. A tear rolled down her cheek, catching the fire light before she quickly wiped it away.

A lump caught in the base of Nyx’s throat. It was better not to press, but there was certainly something Kismet wasn’t saying. Thinking on it now, it dawned on her that Kismet had been getting progressively more skittish. At first, Nyx blamed it on the up-coming council meeting, but with that now well behind them, she couldn’t fathom what else it could be.

Alistair came bounding back over to them, his arms full of driftwood branches and twigs that he planted at their feet. He frowned to see the look on Kismet’s face.

“Everything alright?”

“Uh, yeah, of course,” Kismet mumbled through a forced smile. “Where’s Angel? Shouldn’t he be here by now?”

Ok Smarty-pants, I’ll change the subject for now, but you’re not getting away that easy.

“He should be along any minute,” Alistair said, squeezing between them on the log. He pressed a marshmallow on the end of his stick. “At least he better be if he wants a shot at any of these.”

The sky grew darker. Sunlight hardly emanated from the horizon, painting the sky a blood orange. Thick clouds gathered, fat with rain swelling their plumb-purple bellies. Waves rolling against the small rocks were barely audible under the pop music rattling out of Cassie’s stereo, testing the limit of her speakers.

While Alistair chatted Kismet’s ear off about their favorite sci-fi series, and Cassie danced with Daisy on the mud flats, Nyx decided to take a small walk along the water’s edge. She was careful to stay within the parameter of the fire’s light.

Tiny sea-shells pricked the soles of her feet. The cold water oozed up through the sand at each footstep, seeping between her toes. She studied the ground, careful to watch where she was going.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The whisper of heavy feathers overhead made her look up as Angel swooped and landed a little further down the beach. The night nearly hid him completely with only the soft glow of the distant fire to illuminate the contours of his body. The tips of his feathers whispered as they brushed across the sand.

“What took you so long?” Nyx asked as he stepped closer into the light.

“I’ve been good, thanks for asking,” he said. “How about you?”

She could already see the grin on his face. He pulled his wings back in and tugged on his shirt.

“I took a quick detour to The Barn,” he said.

Her heart dropped. “Angel -”

“Before you start, let me just tell ya, ok?”

“Fine.” She planted her hands on her hips. “What happened?”

“I saw Jack and Caroline, we caught up for a bit and I came straight here.”

Ugh, not those two. What could they be doing around here?

“And that’s all? Promise?”

“Promise.” He leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. “Now let’s get to the fire before Alice eats all the marshmallows.”

She followed him back to the others, his words spinning in her head.

How stupid does he think I am? And what’s in the water tonight anyway with people not telling me what’s on their damn mind?

When they returned, the jovial energy of the already tipsy group rubbed off on her. Even Kismet had a slight smile, twisting her own marshmallow over the flames. Nyx took her spot back on the log and Angel sat down beside her, resting an arm across her shoulders.

Maybe I’m being too hard on him. I’ll let it go for now anyway.

Cassie bounded up behind them, ruffling Angel’s hair. “Now that Grubbers is here, we can share our big news.”

“You’ve finally joined the circus?” Angel asked, reaching up to fix his hair.

“Not exactly,” she said, plunking down on Angel’s opposite side. “Blossom and I have decided to move to the mainland and see if we can eventually perform at The Enigma.”

The world rushed out from under Nyx and she didn’t know what to say. It was the biggest casino in Happsburg. Even though it was stationed in a mutant centered district, humans flocked there. It was near impossible to fathom that her sister would go from a block away to hours.

I guess there’s always the ferry and Aiden’s portals.

“Well, we’re gonna travel around in the meantime,” said Blossom, twirling a weiner over the fire. “I don’t expect to get in there straight away.”

“You’re both so talented, you’re gonna do really well,” said Nyx, trying not to let the emotion creep through her voice.

“We’ll be sure to come visit ya,” said Angel. “That’ll be fun.”

“When are you going?” Alistair tried to keep his voice light, but Nyx could hear the heaviness in it.

"The end of the week," said Cassie.

"So soon?" Alistair gasped.

"I'm sorry it feels sudden," said Blossom. "We agreed not to say anything until things were all set."

He frowned, but nodded in understanding.

Angel put his arm around Cassie, giving her a squeeze. "I'm gonna miss you Casserole."

"I wish I could say the same," she teased.

The night carried on, but Nyx's mood had continued to sour. She chipped away at the beer Alistair had brought. A sinking feeling settled into the pit of her stomach. There might be other bonfires to come, but not like this. So she wanted to make the most of it, and tried her best to ignore the sadness attempting to wriggle into her bones. That could be for tomorrow. Tonight, she would enjoy herself.

Canned music from the tiny stereo echoed across the beach. She sat alone on the log, nursing a joint Alistair had left her with before heading on a walk with Kismet. The fire spluttered, easing down into embers.

Angel emerged from where he’d been dancing with Cassie and Blossom further along the beach.

"Care to dance?" he asked, slurring slightly.

Nyx looked up at him and smiled to see the mischievous glimmer in his eye. She took Angel's hand and he whisked her away. The smooth pebbles made their movements clumsy as Angel spun her around, exaggerated and silly. The liquor wasn't helping. Nyx nearly slipped, but he caught her, laughing. His hand pressed to the small of her back, holding her close.

"You gotta hold your liquor," he said. "You're outta practice."

"I'm ok. I don't think I'm gonna go pro," she said and nuzzled into the crook of his neck and shoulder. The scent of sea salt lingered on his skin. She wound her fingers through his hair and kissed him, tasting whiskey on his lips.

A chunk of seaweed slapped Angel across the back of the head. They broke apart. He put his hand up where the seaweed hit him, looking around. Nyx squinted in the dim light, but Angel's vision was unaffected by the dark and he spied Alistair getting another wad of seaweed ready to throw.

"What the hell man?"

Nyx hopped out of the way as Angel ducked to grab his own seaweed clump to throw back at Alice. She sighed. So much for the tender moment. They chased each other around the shore, flinging seaweed and chunks of mud at each other.

"I'm really happy Angel seems to have healed up so well," said Blossom, walking toward Nyx. She minded her steps, wobbling across the stones. Her hair always seemed to flow so gracefully, not a strand drifted out of place, but her crown had slipped a little to the side. "How are you? Cassie was quite shaken, and so was I. Even from the stage it looked -"

"I know," said Nyx, sighing. "I'm alright. It looked much worse than it actually was."

"I'm sorry Timmy told and got everyone all worked up. He can't keep quiet sometimes."

Cassie bounced up to them, laughing as she struggled to balance. Her green braid had come slightly undone, wisps blowing in the breeze. She put her arm around Nyx's shoulders, partially to hug her, but mostly to keep balance.

"I'm gonna miss you," she said, planting a peck on Nyx's cheek. "Wanna come too? You totally can if you want, right Blossom?"

Blossom nodded. "Of course."

"What would I even do?" Nyx asked with a laugh. "Clearly I can't dance."

"Play the drums!" Cassie poked her in the side.

"Oh, nobody wants to see me play," she said with a dismissive wave.

"That's not true," said Blossom. "I've heard you play loads of times and you're really good."

"Angel is the one with any talent."

Cassie laughed, jerking her thumb to where Alistair now had Angel in a headlock. "Yeah, he's a creative genius."

"Sure, he's goofy as hell, but he's good," said Nyx. "You've never heard him sing."

"Only because he absolutely refuses to do it in front of anyone," said Cassie.

"He doesn't have anything to prove."

Angel had broken free of Alistair's grip and the two were now squaring up, throwing fake punches and exchanging exaggerated threats, bickering over who was going to toss who into the sea first.

Blossom excused herself to join Kismet by the fire and get another drink.

"Are you going to be ok here with everything going on?" Cassie asked, still managing to whisper despite her inebriated slurring.

"Yeah, of course."

"How is it going anyways? You haven't spoken much about it since -"

"It's ok. I got it," Nyx said, trying to smile. "Don't worry about what we're up to over here, you go and have a great time."

Cassie smiled, but it was sad and grateful. She kissed her again, then dashed off to the fire.

For the rest of the evening, Nyx carried on drinking until her vision blurred. She tried to drown the heaviness in her chest, but that didn't seem to work. It only made it grow instead.

Alistair stopped wrestling Angel, and dug out his bag of weed. They all shared another joint around the fire, including Kismet.

The others dissipated, returning to dancing, and splashing each other along the water’s edge. Only Kismet remained and they looked at each other across the fire. There was certainly something lingering behind Kismet’s eyes.

Nyx took the last sip of beer. It hurt to swallow.

“Can I have a hug?” she asked.

Kismet nodded and set her own drink down, shuffling over to sit beside Nyx on the log. She put her arms around her and squeezed. Maybe it was the liquor, but Nyx found herself buried in Kismet’s hoodie, resisting tears. Grief snuck up on her, a biting sting to the center of her chest. There was no need to say a word. Kismet held on tight.