Nine years ago...

"You know how kids are," the old lady said to the cashier. She grabbed the little girl's hand and guided her toward the store's exit. "Summer, how many times do I have to tell you to keep what you see to yourself?" she asked while scanning the grocery store parking lot.

"Her aura was gross!" Summer exclaimed.

The old lady placed the groceries in the backseat of her four-door truck. Summer felt a tug at her arm as she tried to get inside. "Granny, let go!" she yelled, trying to free herself from the old lady's grasp.

"You have to understand that most people don't want their auras read, especially if you have something negative to say. It's rude."

Summer ceased her struggling and gave her grandmother a hesitant nod. Once free, she got into the car and sulked as they started their drive home.

Summer pressed her face against the window, soaking up all the new scenery. She had moved to Covington from Santa Cruz a week ago, and the differences were almost night and day. The sea's gentle breeze she was so accustomed to was nowhere to be found. She had to settle for Covington's harsh, bone-chilling winds. Even the air smelled different. It lacked the salty, sulfurous odor she had grown to tolerate.

But the most bizarre difference was how this strange new town seemed to have amplified her gift. In California, the colors she saw in people's auras could best be described as muted—diluted approximations of their more vibrant counterparts. That changed the moment she stepped foot in Covington. She was overwhelmed by the richness of everyone's aura—as if maxing out a television's color saturation settings.

After several minutes of driving, her grandmother peeked through the rearview mirror. Summer's head was almost outside of the car. "Hey!" she yelled.

She jerked her head back and resumed her sulking.

Her grandmother rolled Summer's window up. "Are you excited about your first day of school?"

"No," Summer said with her arms crossed, staring at a lady walking her ugly dog.

"The first day at a new school is always hard. But I promise, once you make a couple of new friends, everything will get better."

"I don't want new friends!"

Her grandmother gazed at her somberly before initiating a turn into their driveway. Once parked, she reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a little black box. "I was going to give this to you tomorrow morning, but what better time than the present?"

Summer's eyes widened as she gaped at the small box. "What is it?" she inquired. Her grandmother opened the box to reveal a beautiful purple stone wrapped in gold wiring attached to a golden chain.

"This is an amethyst stone," her grandmother said. "It's a healing stone. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by other people's energies, I put one of these in my pocket."

"Does it make you feel better?"

"Every time."

Summer's face lit up as she reached for the little black box. The amethyst looked even more beautiful up close—so stunning that it put her in a trance. She eventually snapped out of it and put the necklace on. The purple-colored stone glittered under the sunlight beaming through the windows.

"Thanks, granny!" Summer exclaimed. The stone peaked through her fingers as she clasped it in her hand.

Her grandmother smiled warmly. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

Summer desperately pleaded with her grandmother, but it got her nowhere. "That necklace has to come off before you go to bed," she demanded. Summer dejectedly put her pajamas on and stared at the stone pressing against her chest. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Summer scurried to her nightstand and gently placed it into the drawer. She was in bed, ready to fall asleep when she suddenly remembered. Her eyes darted to the framed photo on her dresser.

I almost forgot, she thought as she ran to the dresser. The recently painted piece of furniture was a sheeny yellow. The photo was of her posing with her parents on a beach, their bright smiles prompting a flood of positive memories. Summer picked it up and gave it a kiss before whispering it goodnight.

She lay on her bed, trying to fall asleep, but the thought of having to start at a new school gave her a surge of anxiety. Summer tossed and turned for several minutes before finally drifting into a dreamless sleep.

***

"You're gonna have a great time!" her grandmother exclaimed as Summer made her way toward the school's entrance.

A sea of students bombarded her as she stepped inside the cafeteria. The various colors and their respective hues was overwhelming, so she put her head down and walked through the food service line. She grabbed a shiny red apple before scanning the cafeteria for an empty table.

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Once seated, she took an enthusiastic bite. It was a bit mealy for her taste, but she chomped on it regardless.

Summer was enjoying her meal until a heavyset boy with bright orange hair blocked her line of sight. Freckles covered his pasty face, and one of his two front teeth was missing.

"Nice necklace," the boy said.

Summer looked up and grimaced as she noticed the dark swirls present in his aura. "Thank you."

"Can I borrow it?"

Summer timidly shook her head. The boy frowned and reached for the necklace. She leapt backward, causing her apple to fall to the floor.

"Hey!" someone behind the boy shouted. Summer looked toward the voice's source and saw a boy with light-brown skin and long, curly hair. Her eyes widened as they rested upon the boy's golden aura. Summer had seen auras of varying colors, but never gold.

There was a dark-haired boy standing next to him. He was tall and built like a twig. Large framed glasses covered his gorgeous blue eyes, and his aura was a gleaming shade of white. Summer couldn't help but gawk at the both of them.

"Hey, V," the red-haired boy said meekly. He dropped his eyes and scampered away.

"Was he bothering you?" the boy wearing glasses asked.

Summer looked into his piercing blue eyes and blushed. She turned away. "Yeah, he was trying to steal my necklace."

The boy studied the necklace and then asked, "Amethyst?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Lucky guess."

Something was off about him. He had the mannerisms and speech patterns of an old man.

"He's an asshole!" the curly-haired boy yelled while looking in the bully's direction. He turned to face Summer and in a kind tone asked, "You good?" Summer froze. She rarely heard kids her age curse at her old school. He smiled at her necklace. "I'm not gonna lie, that is a pretty cool necklace."

She covered it with her hand while eyeing him suspiciously. "Thank you..."

"Don't worry, I'm not a thief." He ran his fingers through his tangled hair. "What's your name?"

She slowly lowered her hand. "Summer. What about you?"

The curly-haired boy flashed a giant grin and then puffed out his chest. "I'm Victor, but most people call me V. And this is my boy, Connor." Connor gave her a quiet nod. "So, what grade are you in?"

"Second."

"Us too, but I haven't seen you here before. Are you new?"

"Yeah, I just moved here from California."

"Cool! So you've been to a beach before?" Victor gave her a look brimming with admiration.

"Yeah, I've been a couple of times." Victor rushed to sit next to her. Connor followed his lead.

"Have you ever gone surfing?" Victor asked.

***

Present-day...

"Oh my god. You look so cute!" Summer exclaimed.

"I don't know, I think I prefer the patchy dreadlock look you had in the hospital," Connor mocked.

Victor flashed his middle finger. He rubbed the top of his head and sighed. "I can't remember a time before I had long hair, but since I'm a demon slayer now, it's definitely not a good idea." Victor shrugged. "At least my dad didn't mess up my hairline."

"Well..." Connor said. Victor stared daggers at him. Connor poorly hid his impish grin.

Victor turned to face Summer, venom still in his eyes. "Is your room ready yet?"

"Not yet. But I promise, after school everything will be perfect. I'll text you guys when I'm done!"

"Please stop yelling," Victor pleaded.

As soon as Summer got home, she raced to her room. She moved her dresser to a corner and then placed three pillows on the floor. While humming a blissful tune, she scattered the room with a variety of incense and then dimmed the lights to create the perfect mood.

A knock at the front door interrupted her.

"Your package is here!" her grandmother yelled.

"Thanks, granny!"

The package was humongous. Her grandmother glared at her as she struggled to carry it up the steps.

"What in the world is that?" her grandmother asked.

"One of my favorite online stores had a fire sale, so I bought a bunch of clothes and accessories." Summer started her ascent, leaving no room for rebuttal.

She trudged up the stairs with her box in hand, making it to about the halfway mark before dropping it on the ground and then pushing it the rest of the way. The box made a loud clunk after each step.

Once she made it to her room, she ripped the tape off and opened the box. It was filled with dozens of bottles of holy water. Thank god for one day delivery, she thought before placing each bottle in her closet, one by one.

As she was stacking, an orange-colored object caught her eye. It was the water gun she played with as a kid. An idea came to her, but before she could further explore it, there was a knock at her door. Her grandmother barged in before Summer could even reach for the handle.

"You're going to have to do better than that," her grandmother said. She peaked her head into the room—her eyes scanning every inch before eventually resting them on summer, fixing her with a stare. Summer exhaled sharply. All it took was a look from her grandmother for every revelation to spill out of her like a box of wine with a broken spout.

"Oh my god, that explains it!" her grandmother yelled after hearing a recap of the previous day's events.

"I know right?"

She glanced at the pillows scattered atop Summer's floor. "Do you think we've ever encountered any of these demons?"

"It's possible. That's why I bought a bunch of holy water just in case." Summer pointed to her closet, full of stacked bottles. "It cost me almost all of my allowance, but hearing V and Connor's description of the demon they fought made me not want to take any chances."

"You know, I always liked that Connor boy. Him being an angel doesn't surprise me at all. But Victor being part angel is throwing me for a loop."

"Connor was an angel granny."

"Right. Sorry."

"I really need to get my room ready. Can we talk later?"

"Wait. So say Victor does master these abilities... then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he going to just go out and try to kill every demon he can find?"

Her question stumped Summer. She was so wrapped up in finally getting her friends into meditation that she didn't think about what they were going to do if Victor actually mastered his powers. "I guess... I don't know."

"I don't like this, Summer. Not one bit. You can help Victor learn proper meditation techniques but that better be the extent of your involvement, you hear me?" She gave Summer a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room.

"Yes ma'am," Summer whispered.

Summer stood near her door and admired her finished room. She texted Victor and Connor, her thumbs moving at the speed of sound.