They sat under a wide umbrella, the shade shielding them from the burning sun, a beach mat stretched beneath them. They stared at the crashing waves splashing against the wet sand. The beach wasn’t entirely vacant, however, it was still relatively calm. Distant laughter of other folks and faint calls of wandering seagulls.

Juniper felt completely out of place wearing a bikini, as though it would make her stand out in the wrong way. Kanako didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Here,” She said, passing a bottle of sunscreen. She tilted her head, motioning towards her back without another word.

Juniper hesitated, the cold bottle, lay awkward in her hands. “You sure you want me to…”

Kanako kept quiet, only removed her hair from her shoulder, and waited to be touched.

It’s just sunscreen juniper, which is no big deal. Everyone does this. It doesn’t have to be sexualized.

Her hands trembled as they slid over Kanako’s bare back, she squirted a bit too much on her back. The glob of white goo slid down her spine.

“Oops,” she muttered, whilst rubbing it in with her shaky hands. Kanako’s warm skin was impossibly smooth under her fingertips. She tried to focus, but her hands lingered near her shoulders, slowly moving and drifting downwards, almost absent-mindedly toward her breasts.

“Hmm? Kanako hummed in slight amusement, as she caught juniper’s hands halfway, then hastened the process, guiding it downward beneath her bra. She felt something pokey and slightly stiff, her nipple.

Her brain screamed alarm bells. Kanako gave her a sly naughty smile, and an electric feeling buzzed inside Juniper.

Juniper yanked her hand away, as if she’d touched an electric fence, her face burning hotter than the holy sun above. “That–I–”

Kanako chuckled, soft half teasing. “It’s okay if you want to take it a step further, I’m sure no one is watching.”

Juniper’s head instinctively scanned like a wild hound on patrol. She stopped for a moment then resumed with her original task. Hastening the act, and hiding her face faintly away.

What was she supposed to do here? What exactly was happening? Is this the next step? She’d never touched someone like that before. Was Kanako simply messing with her? Does she play her game? Should she ask her out formally?

Her ‘sensual’ predicament was quickly interrupted after two identically fit girls approached the pair. Olive-bronze skin accentuated their curves. Light Brown curly hair tied in identical buns. Both are wearing a similar pattern bikini. Juniper couldn't help but veer at their bodies, they were striking to anyone’s eyes. Abnormally large chests too.

Her gaze was already set on them before she could stop herself. She swallowed like a deer under headlights.

“Hey there,” one of them said, her voice confident. “We got ditched by some of our friends, you two up for a friendly game of volleyball.”

They both locked their eyes on Juniper.

Why are they staring at me?

“U-um n-no I’m not really…” she stammers, her words fumbled as much as her hands did earlier.

“We’d love to,” Kanako blurted out, smoothly, her face lighting up. She gestured between the two of them. “I’m Kanako, this is Juniper.”

The twins smiled at them. The most assertive of the two spoke again.

“Nice to meet you guys, I’m Vera and this is my twin, Mila.” Mila waved at them, her smile hidden, but she contrasted with her dominant sister.

Juniper wanted to retreat, she didn’t want to deal with a sudden social enigma, and her energy was at an all-time low. Now two gorgeous strangers wanted to drag them away. “I’m not really sure–”

“Come on, juniper. It’ll be fun.” Kanako's piercing eyes gazed at her. Practically begging her to agree.

“Okay…” she sighed, defeated.

The more ‘dominant’ twin smiled at her. “Are you shy Juniper, that’s okay, My sis also doesn’t prefer the company of most people.” Mila nodded, her eyes locked on Juniper a second too long but darted away.

The subtle interaction didn’t go unnoticed. Kanako gave her a looking side-eye. Juniper caught that and winced internally. She certainly hoped Kanako wouldn’t hold it against her for ogling other girls, it’s not like they were formerly ‘dating.’ Still, she felt uncomfortably scrutinized, her hand was in the in the cookie jar.

“Great,” Vera said, with great excitement. Rushing towards the volleyball net. “Let me see what you got.”

Kanako flicked her shoulder, catching her attention. “Let’s see if you can keep up Juniper. Though I suggest you keep your eye on the ball,” she spoke softly only Juniper could hear.

But her last words felt like a thin-veiled threat.

****

Juniper had never played sports. Never had an interest in sports and certainly never had a talent for sports. Yet here she was forced to partake with three athletic-looking goddesses.

It was a pyrrhic victory kind of thing. Her eyes got candy but her heels, her pride, were going to suffer for it.

The match started out with disappointment. Reality set in faster than the ball itself. Though her reactions could be considered superhuman by most standards, she was not conditioned to play it. The ball had been shot over the net by Mila, easily redirected by Kanako from hitting the sand, Kanako had passed the ball to her. Her arms slid upwards, but her grip on the ball wasn’t firm. Her feet slipped under the sand and The ball ricocheted off course, hitting the outer bounds area. Flopping into the sand.

The twins high-fived each other.

“C'mon Jun!!” Kanako barked, hands on her thick hips. “I know you can move better than that!”

Juniper brushed the sand off her knees. “Yeah-h?” she said somberly.

Frustration was starting to build, she knew she wasn’t good at this, She’d always sucked at it, even back in high school. So why didn’t she just decline? Kanako had turned out to be a bit more picky and forceful than she imagined, or…perhaps she was the problem. Maybe she failed to fit Kanako’s standards.

Round two.

The second round went a little better. Juniper hit the ball towards Vera who countered instantly, causing a back and forth between the two, the ball stayed in place, wobbling in the air constantly as it was countered. However each hit sapped Juniper's strength, she was losing the battle of endurance.

“Pass the ball to me!” Kanako shouted.

She did her best attempt, really, she did. But the sand betrayed her, her feet slipped.

Kanako pushed the ball to the other side, Vera missed it but Mila came in a clutch, hitting in Juniper’s direction who barely caught it. But… the ball shifted in the opposite direction, causing them to lose the round again.

Kanako was somewhere between pissed and amused. She let out a long exaggerated sigh.

“Why come here you little, how dare you lose the ball like that..” She tackled Juniper to the ground, her head filled with unnecessary sand particles.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Hey–no–stop!” Juniper shrieked, her laughter spilling out. Kanako’s hands found her armpit and started tickling her relentlessly. Her limbs went limp, there was no way to escape the onslaught. The sand did slow her down, however.

The twins were amused from a distance. “Come on, at least pretend to provide a bit of a challenge,” Vera shouted.

Kanako got off from her. Pulling away, and dusting off sand from her knees. Juniper lay sprawled out like a starfish, chest heaving, her face burning hotter than the sunlight above. Her jaws were sore from the laughing.

Fine then.

She sat up and wiped sand from her brow. Her smile lingered, but something inside of tight and bloody raw was awakening. The truth was she hated being helpless. This embarrassment she felt needed to go.

She glanced at her ‘not girlfriend.’ Who stood tall, eyes full of competitive hunger. Kanako was treating this like a life-or-death situation, the pressure was affecting her.

Ok.

[Oh? Are you planning on breaking your own rules?]

They won’t notice. I can’t be humiliated by this.

[I won’t be so sure.]

Round three.

It was time to cheat a little with her superpowers. Not too much, just heighten her senses a bit. When she used [Super Audition], Hearing better also made her move better, enhanced reflexes alone couldn’t help her.

Her feet shifted, she was ready this time.

Mila passed the ball over, it landed perfectly in Juniper’s trajectory, and she bounced it back. Vera stepped in sending it off course with a heavy thud, Kanako deflected it back, Vera bounced forward again, straight at Juniper, likely hoping they’d repeat the same initiative.

Juniper stepped to the side, her ears intercepting the ball flow and the wind direction, she passed the ball to Kanako. Who bounced it back? Mila was too late, she dove but missed the ball by an inch.

“Point taken!” Kanako ran over slapping her hands against Juniper’s “That’s more like it. I knew you could do it.

The compliment left her flustered, it was strange being complimented by someone who wasn’t your internal AI headmate.

“Lucky shot,” Vera said, frowning. The twins exchanged sharp glasses with each other.

Okay, I’ll step things up for the next round.

[Don’t get cocky. ~nya]

I won’t

Round four.

Starting off weakly, Mila swerved the ball, in Kanako’s direction who made a quick rebuttal. Vera took the opportunity to press Juniper into a corner, the ball was heading for an uncomfortable position. She activated [gravity distortion] briefly.

At small amounts, there were hardly any visible indicators of the unnatural. The air distorted around her body and she moved a little faster.

She ran after the ball, however her ribs suffered under the new condition and the pressure of strengthening gravity to slam the ball away. The ball hit the ground with force. Both Mila and Vera missed it.

“Attagirl,” Kanako shouted. “Don’t slow down now.”

“I’m not planning to.”

And for the first time, she believed it too.

The twins congratulated her. “Nice shot Juniper,” Vera had said. Mila simply nodded again. Juniper wondered whether Mila was non-verbal.

The sky darkened a bit, and darker clouds shielded the sun. A sudden strong gust of wind hit their play area. Sending the ball into the deep sea.

“I’ll get it!” Juniper said enthusiastically. “Wait Juniper,” Kanako called out.

For once she was winning at something, yes she was cheating but, it felt good for once not to hide behind self-depreciative behaviors and awkwardness. Mila and Vera hadn’t judged her for being weird.

She rushed after it, and it went into the deep waters. She couldn’t swim properly but she wasn’t scared of the sea. The ball drifted a bit deeper into the water but she hovered there, she picked up the ball waving it to the other girls.

It was a stupid feeling, but she couldn’t stop smiling as she held the ball above her head.

[Charisma+1] Even her silly charisma was growing.

A strange sensation was growing inside of her. For the first time, she felt enjoyment from the social interactions she experienced. “I got it!” her voice was very bright“I got it!”

“Juniper come back.!” they all waved to her. The twins shouted too. “Hurry up!”

She heard something gushing behind, a torrenting and overwhelming force. She turned, A giant towering tide was approaching, she tried drifting back quickly, but she didn’t want to tap into her powers, Kanako approached with haste but was too late.

How did she not notice it?

The wave consumed her, submerging her under the water. The water pulled at her, throwing her limbs from each other with unnatural force. It felt like the earth itself was trying to take her away. It was like being battered against concrete. Her world flipped upside down as she tumbled inwards. Water went in every nostril and into her mouth. The ball slipped from her hands, into the unknown.

She could hear a muffled scream shouting her name.

Juniper’s early life flashed in front of her. This wasn’t her first time being spirited away by nature. It happened when she was seven. She had run after Remy, who was playing in the water, their parents weren’t present.

The tide had yanked her under the ocean, her tiny body twisting. The water took her, and she woke up a emergency room later. Her parents had scolded her –yelling.

Her chest seized up, and her vision blurred blue, she could see nothing but endless blue streaks.

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

Her worldview shut off. A hand grips her but she can’t make out anything.

She was taken outside of the water and dragged upwards. The world shifted again, snapping her back to the air. Knocking her against the sand.

She felt pressure tapping against her chest. Once, then twice, then thrice.

Then came–lips

Warm and foreign, air was forced into her lungs.

She gasped. Jerking up as air fully returned to her body.

The system dinged a faint notification in her head.

[Durability +1]—

she felt tougher already, though it didn’t remove the present pain.

Three faces stared over her, partially worried, a visibly concerned Kanako was on her chest, wet hair against her face...

“You idiot,” She snapped. Her voice became almost fragile. “I told you to wait for me!”

She coughed up water. Barely able to speak, “I’m sorry…”

“Sorry?! Kanako’s voice cracked. Looking like she was ready to strangle and hug her at once. “You almost died goddammit.”

Her anger gave away.

“Don’t scare me like that,” she whispered. “What was I supposed to tell your brother?”

She hadn’t even thought of that yet.

The girl called Mila had gripped her hand, speaking for the first time SInce they met. “You okay…?

She nodded. Juniper couldn't help but notice– Mila wasn’t just worried, she was curious.

There was a minor jealous and sharp reaction from Kanako, her expression tightening like a screw. Almost possessive, but she let it go.

It was very obvious.

She felt both scarred and touched by everything. Unsure of what to do here.

“I’m sorry guys, I got carried away.”

“You think you dolt.” Kanako said.

She started smiling weakly, as the weight of what happened set in.

Mila’s eyes didn’t avert her.

Not one bit.

Was she interested in her?

The games continued awhile after, although at a much slower pace. The tension in the air hung.

Mila had given her a couple of stares over and over again.

Juniper wondered. Was she a natural lesbian magnet or was this something else entirely?

***

They had resigned to a beach cabin, the stillness that came only after too much playing in the sun and too much salt water for one’s brain to live off.

Juniper and Kanako had briefly raced back to lighten the mood. Ate a small meal, and lay in each other’s company platonically. Kanako had drifted asleep somehow, out cold. Her arm was draped lazily over Juniper’s leg.

She wanted to lay in her embrace, but her thoughts varied too much for her own safety.

She stood up gently, not wanting to wake Kanako, picked her phone off a table, and stretched her muscles. There was sand, and saltwater in some places she struggled to get out, but her mind buzzed too much to care.

She slipped on her flip-flops.

Maybe she needed a walk.

As she opened the door to go outside. The girl called Mila confronted her. Smiling awfully with an unnatural grin.

“Hi…” Juniper said awkwardly. She stood silently, like a living shadow in the evening glow.

“Um…I'm sorry. Did you need something?”

Mila tilted her head like a curious critter.

Juniper swallowed.

“I saw what you did back there, why did you not use it to get out of the water?”

“Um, what… back where?” Juniper fumbled. Forcing an unnatural grin, she was sure she looked like a serial killer.

Mila didn’t stop grinning. “During the game. When you hit the third round. You started cheating. You listened and then the next round you moved…weird.”

Juniper felt ready to collapse, her secret was out.

“I can see things like that sometimes,” Mila said, half amused. “My father told me never to tell a soul, not even my sister. But..”

Juniper swallowed, if she was implying that she could perceive the use of powers then she was cooked. She no longer grinned, she was standing face to face with another cape.

“but…”

“But..I’m telling you, Jun-ni-per, 'cause I kind of like you.” Mila stretched out her name, like syllables written with chalk on a board.

“oh, I–” she peered back into the cabin at a sleeping Kanako. “Um, don’t know how to feel about that.”

Mila stared at a sleeping Kanako. “Don’t worry I know you have a ‘thing’ with her, I won’t bite where I’m not wanted.”

“Uhh…good I guess.”

“Unless you're into that,

“Can we be friends?”

“Friends? Sure why not?” Juniper said. “You’re not going to tell anyone are you?”

The girl made a zipped expression on her mouth, her lips were sealed.

Juniper didn’t buy –she needed some kind of leverage–but Mila had a strange magnetic energy to her. She was already deep in several tunnels worth of messes. What was one more shovel to dig with?

“So…is there anything I can do for you,” Juniper said, crossing her arms.

Mila played with her feet in the sand. “My sister went looking for her boyfriend, I’m bored, will you walk with me?”

Juniper stared back into the Cabin. Kanako lay alone, arm flopped over a pillow, legs crossed where she had been.

This isn’t cheating right?”

[If the shoe fits.]

“First I want… some assurance you won’t dox me, Mila,” Juniper said sternly.

Mila blinked, her head tilted unnaturally again.“Do you want a titty pic, a butt pic?”

Juniper shook her head. “What?! No! That’s not what I meant!”

“Well then what?”

“Unbelievable, give me your number. And If I feel like blackmailing you, I’ll be sure to give you a call.”

[I’d think twice before swiping this one’s power, Juniper. Some gifts come wrapped in chains.]