The sisters strolled up to the bus stop. When they came to a stop Quinn idly fiddled with her hair, catg a faint refle in the scratched, pstic-shielded banner ad. Her hair, freshly dyed bright pink, was styled in a way that screamed deliberate messiness—an art form she’d mastered. Quinn tilted her head, smoothing out a wayward strand, then g Leona, who was shifting her weight from one foot to the other, her gaze drifting aimlessly.

  “You feeling okay today?” Quinn asked, her voice light but curious.

  Leona perked up, rog on her heels with a little bounce. “Oh yeah… I feel great actually, kinda eic…” She hesitated, looking up at the faintly cloudy sky before adding, “Um, si’s you, I’ll talk about my bad dream, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure, shoot.” Quinn arched her back, eyeing Leona curiously.

  “I dreamed that a superviliness was chasing me all around a creepy crypt filled with a glowy fog.” She punctuated the fession with a lopsided smile and a rueful giggle. “Maybe I had that dream because I read too many ics.” Maybe I think too much about Mistral and Bgel, though that vilin’s supposed to be…

  Quinn chuckled, crossing her arms, leaning against the bus stop pole. “This girl.” She shook her head in exaggerated exasperation. “You’re so obsessed with superheroes it’s not even funny. If you got any deeper into it, we’d have to start a supproup.” Her teasing tone was warm, affeate even, but the twinkle in her eye suggested she’d meant every word. Especially when it came to Leona’s borderline hero worship of Mistral.

  Leona huffed, feigning indignation, but couldn’t suppress a smile.

  Quinn tapped her with a knowing look. “Hmm~ Being the super-groupie you are, I’m surprised you don’t kly which vilin was chasing you around. Or are you keeping me in suspense?”

  Leona tilted her head, her lips quirking into aeasing grin. “Oh? Who do you suppose it was then?” She let out a pyful ugh, boung ooes like a cat toying with its prey.

  “Easy,” Quinn said fidently, shifting her weight and smirking. “Vermillion Gale, right?”

  Leona blinked, momentarily surprised by the specificity of her guess.

  Quinn pressed on, her grin growing wider. “Creepy crypts and toxic mist seem like her style, no?”

  Leona sidered the suggestion as the faint whoosh of cars passed in the background. Vermillion Gale was indeed one of Mistral’s nemeses—a dangerous woman who ohe wind, mixing it with a caustic, blood-red mist that spread siess wherever she weire cities in ada had falleo her wrath, their poputions pgued by symptoms initially dismissed as an emerging pandemic. It wasn’t until toxipounds were found in victims’ bloodstreams—traced back tnature mist—that the truth came to light.

  The thought made Leona shiver. Vermillion Gale’s iragi their own way. Once a staund upstanding enviroal activist, a pollution protest gone awry had given her powers, but also left her physically aionally scarred. Betrayed and discredited, her attempts to seek justice mutated into vindictive rage, first targeting corporations, aually the retively i people who ehem. Sympathetic at first, her fall from grace had been swift and brutal. She’d bee the epitome of someone ed by their own poain.

  Still, Leona shook her head, snapping back to the present as the sound of the approag bus drew closer. “Wrong,” she said simply, fshing a mischievous smile as the vehicle pulled up and hissed to a stop.

  Quinn narrowed her eyes, huffing in mock frustration as they stepped onto the bus and swiped their fares. “Tch… well, I’m not going to keep taking stabs in the dark, but you’ll have to tell me someday. I don’t have the catalog memorized like a certain total nerd.”

  Leona ughed, shrugging as she slid into a seat by the window. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  “It is,” Quied, grinning as she flopped into the seat beside her. “Normal people have hobbies that don’t involve memoriziire lists of supervilins.”

  Leona didn’t bother tue, her grin widening as she gazed out the window. She was tent to let Quinn stew in the mystery, but her satisfa faded as her sister quickly became engrossed in her phone.

  The ride passed ufully, the bus trundling through streets lined with low, sprawling buildings until they reached the nearby mall. As they disembarked, Quinn was the first to stride forward, her focus fixed on their goal.

  Leona followed, her energy bubblih the surface. Whatever “deck” Quinn had ordered, Leona had a sneaking suspi this errand would be more trouble than it seemed. Still, she felt pumped, her steps quid light as she prepared herself for whatever came .

  The two sisters strode from the bus stop toward the food court doors, weaving through the throngs of mall-goers. The chatter of versations, the hum of air ditioning, and the occasional ughter of kids pying in the ter aisle created the familiar cacophony of mall life. Leona followed Quinn up one of the bustling wings, reizing the path from previous visits. She smirked to herself, gd it didn’t take long to reach their destination.

  Ihe shop, the aroma of fresh vinyl and the metallig of eleic equipment greeted them. The man at the register gnced up from his transa, his face lighting up. “Hey there, Quinn! Good to see ya!” he called over the head of a er before turning to Leona with an equally familiar grin. “Yo, Leona! I see you’re tagging along as usual.”

  Leona shrugged, returning his grin with a pyful one of her own.

  From the back, another employee emerged, spotting the sisters. He guffawed, throwing a thumb toward Leona. “When’re you gon her start pying with the turntables, Quinn? It’d be good business.”

  Quinn pced her hands on her hips, an exaggerated scoff esg her lips. “Never! She’d have to dig up all her own vinyl if she wanted a shot.”

  Her response earned a chuckle from the man behind the register. He fihe sale with the er in front of him and waved them off with a casual “Have a good one.”

  The sed employee he first, jerking a thumb toward the back. “Manny, . This thing’s a bit heavy.”

  “Sure, yeah,” Manny replied, stepping out from behind the ter. In a moment, both men reappeared, lugging a rge-sized piece of equipmeween them. It was ed in protective foam, its bulk unmistakable.

  “You want us to help you lug this to your car?” the sed guy asked, his brow quirked.

  “Nah,” Quinn replied with a breezy ugh. “I carry it. It’s fine.”

  Leona shot her sister a pointed look, barely suppressing her reproach. She knew full well there wasn’t a car to carry anything back to.

  The first guy snorted, shaking his head. “No way, Quinn. Your deck is way too heavy.”

  Quinn scoffed, stepping forward with bravado. “Just give it to me, numbnuts.”

  The two clerks exged a dubious g handed over the equipment. Quinn’s fidence evaporated the moment she took the weight, her eyes bulging as she nearly doubled over. “Oh, holy crap—what the hell?”

  Leona rolled her eyes. She stepped in quickly, grabbing oo steady it, grunting with effort as she adjusted her grip.

  The first guy ughed, vindicated. “See? Told ya. No refunds if you drop it, either.”

  Quinn gritted her teeth, struggling to stand upright. “I’m… just doing… deep knee… bends…” She straightened, her voice strained but still ced with her usual sass. “Damn… I didn’t think heavy beats required a heavy deck.”

  Leona groaned but couldn’t resist a smirk. “Don’t let the beats… drop… sis…” she managed between grunts, tossing in her own jab.

  “Hardie, har… ha… ha…” Quinn mocked back, sarcasm dripping from her voice. The two clerks ughed.

  “Wait,” Manny said suddenly, snapping his fingers. “I’ve got an idea.” He disappeared into the ba aurned with a pair of belts, holding them up triumphantly. “We use these to move speakers. We use these t the deto a makeshift backpack. Though it won’t be fy, it’ll get the job done.”

  Quinn, sweat already dotting her brow, shot the belts a dubious gnce. “N-nah… I got… ngh… I got this! We got it!” She turo Leona, who sighed heavily but adjusted her grip heless.

  “Let’s do this!” Quinn bellowed, rallying with the fervor of someone heading into battle. “The Ramses sisters have got this! It’s just a short walk to the bus stop, then we ride all the way h-home.” Her uing optimism bordered on absurdity. Leona couldn’t help but ugh.

  “You know,” the sed guy chimed in, his tone half-joking but sincere enough, “you wouldn’t have to twist my arm if you needed me to drop it off for you.”

  Quinn paused, looking torweeubborermination and the very appealing notion of not hauling the dee herself. Leona, however, was already giving her a pointed look, silently willio make the right choice.

  Leona’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at Quinn nodding her head exaggeratedly, her expression caught between disbelief and mild amusement. “Shyeah… cheap ploy t-to try a in-vited in, I bet,” Quinn said, her voice tinged with mock suspi as she tugged the ded Leona to the exit. Her steps were firm, but the cumbersome weight made her movements slightly jerky. Leona, feeling the strain but not wanting to pin, pouted.

  Quinn cast a quice at her sister. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, princess. This is your cardio for the day. Besides, it’s not like I’m making you carry all of it.”

  Leona puffed out her cheeks, exhaling sharply. “If you call this cardio, I’d hate to see your idea of leg day.”

  “Oh, enough of that attitude! I’m… still treating you to lunch… even if you’re… so unsup-portive!” Quinn’s voice cracked slightly from exertion as they returo the food court.

  They maneuvered through the crowd, Quinn nearly knog over a chair with the edge of the box. “Watch it!” a passerby hissed, but Quinn ighem, muttering something about spatial awareness being a two-way street. Finally, they hauled the heavy deck to aable, Quiing out a groan as she edged it onto the top with an audible thud. She leaned on the box, wiping her brow dramatically. “Phew… you miing us some food? Ain’t no way I’m leaving my new baby behind unsupervised.” She dug into her pocket and fished out a crumpled twenty, holding it out to Leona.

  “Sure!” Leona chirped, snatg the bill with a little flourish before making a dash for the burger kiosk. The cmor of the food court filled the air, but her focus was on the menu aing through the line. She returned a short while ter, bang the tray carefully with Quinn’s favorite, a couple of chi sandwiches, alongside a rge order of fries they could share.

  The two sat and munched iive quiet, their earlier struggle giving way to a shared sense of aplishment. As they ate, the strain on their muscles began to ease, but irely.

  When the food was gone, Quied her elbows oable, gazing at the deck with a mix of pride and anticipation. “You know,” she started, her voice softer now, “this thing’s not just a deck. It’s a game-ger. It’s what’s gon me apart.”

  Leona watched her, smiling. “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard the pitch before. It’s not like you’re not already amazing, though.”

  Above them, the gss ceiling allowed the sunlight to pour in, casting warm rays over their table. Leona leaned back, her face tilted upward, eyes half-closed as she basked in the glow. It was a rare moment of peace, the kind that made the chaos worthwhile.

  Quinn smirked, leaning over to poke her sister’s arm. “Sunbathing? You? I didn’t know you were such a diva. . Let’s get going. If we don’t get a move on, we’ll miss the bus.” She held up her cellphoo check the time, the s refleg briefly in her eyes before she pocketed it again.

  Leona groaned but stood, shaking out her arms before moving to help Quinn lift the deck again. The weight hit her like a tractor, but she pushed through. They begarek, dodging clusters of mall-goers and brushing off offers of help from strangers. “No thanks!” Quinn s one particurly persistent would-be helper. “We’ve got it.”

  Outside, the open space gave them more room to breathe, the cool breeze a wele trast to the stuffy fines of the mall, air ditioning or not. The deck was no lighter, but without the crowds, it felt slightly more manageable. Their pace quied, determination pushing them forward until the bus stop finally came into view.

  “What would you have said if they asked you about your car point-bnk?” Leona asked, her toeasing as they set the deck down to wait.

  Quinn shrugged, her expression a mix of exasperation and defiance. “Eh… beamed up by aliens from the p Zanzibar,” she replied, her delivery so deadpan that it almost sounded pusible. “Apparently they dress like Earth Polid harass girls.”

  Leo out a genuine ugh, shaking her head. “As if! They’d say you probably got too many parking tickets, right?”

  “Meh… piss off,” Quinn grumbled, though her smirk betrayed her amusement.

  Leona crouched beside the deck, studying some printed details. The listed weight made her eyebrows shoot up. “This thing’s over a hundred pounds?” She looked at Quinn incredulously. “Do they want a lot of moo let you get your car back?”

  “It’s going to be about twelve hundred, actually,” Quinn admitted with a sigh, her shoulders slumping. “But they o hold it for a few days so they exami, apparently.” Her voice was ced with bitterness. “Which really sucks. I hate not having a car!” She stomped her foot, the small burst of anger dissipating quickly. “Thanks again for helping me carry this thing, though, sis. Maybe I should’ve taken those guys up on that offer to take it home for us, but jeez… you ’t give a guy an in.”

  Leona chuckled softly. “You’re stubborn, I’ll give you that.”

  Quinn puffed out her chest mock-proudly. “Damn straight. Anyhow, this baby is what I’ve been saving all my gig money for since I got the car. It’s practically a puter sent from the future designed solely for music.” Her eyes lit up as she tinued, her earlier irritation repced by unbridled excitement. “In fact, all I need is a monitor and some sources, and I could mix a whole band’s worth of musito a single song. And the on-the-fly effects I add… it’s gonna be great!”

  Leona marveled at her transformation, the tough, sarcastic Quinn now radiating pure joy. She usually got that way whenever she talked about her craft. The bus finally pulled up, brakes hissing as it came to a stop. They shuffled toward the door, hoisting the deck again with a shared grunt.

  When the door opehe driver took one look at them and immediately waved his hands in dismissal. “No, you ’t bring something that bulky on board!” he said, his tone firm.

  “Whatcha mean I ’t?” Quinn’s voice rose sharply, her frustration bubbling over. “I pay my fare the same as everyone else, and I have a pass from a ride earlier!” Her gre could’ve melted steel, and Leona braced herself for the argument that was about to unfold.

  “No packages bigger than three feet on a side, and it ’t weigh more than fifty pounds!” the driver insisted, his voice sharp and unwavering as he stood with his hands on his hips, blog their path.

  “Bullshit!” Quinn cried, her anger fring. “You want me off these steps, yoing to have to force me off!” Her eyes narrowed, a defiant fire lighting up her face as she pnted her feet firmly.

  The driver, growing increasingly impatient, stepped forward and pushed at her. His palm made tact with her shoulder, but Quinn didn’t budge an inch. At that moment, the whole weight of the package shifted to Leona. She stumbled slightly uhe sudden load, her grip straining, but she gritted her teeth and mao keep it steady. Sweat began to bead on her forehead as she held it.

  “Big sis… maybe if he’s going to be this cruel, we should go before your fancy, tricked-out, puter drops and breaks,” Leona suggested, her voice thick with frustration as she looked over at Quinn, her muscles burning uhe strain.

  “Ugh! No way!” Quinn’s voice was a low growl as she dug in her heels. “There’s no way I’m giving in in the face of tyranny!” She pushed back against the driver’s pressure, her anger refusing to back down.

  “Get off this bus now!” The driver barked, his face flushed with irritation as he shoved at Quinn again, his hands now more insistent.

  “Then at least give me my money back!” Quinn growled, her teeth ched. Finally, she turned her attention back to the deck, shifting more of the burden onto herself. With a grunt, she began pushing backwards again, trying to knock the driver aside, but he wasn’t having it.

  “Just let him be a jerk!” Leona yelled, her voice strained as she kept her hands gripped tight on the box. The other riders began to murmur, some with annoyed gnces cast in Leona’s dire, but they couldn’t see Quinn’s face, and that only made the situation worse. “We ’t ge his mind! Are you going to punch him with your hands full?” Leona groaned, her back ag from the weight. “Are you going to drive the bus yourself? We’ll figure something else out. Please just back down.”

  “Stop pushing me, you ass!” Quinn yelled back, her voice dripping with venom. She stomped her foot in frustration. “Damn you, we’ll get off!”

  The driver didn’t care, responding angrily, “You two’d best get ht now.” His words dripped with authority, but Quinn wasn’t ready to surrender just yet.

  Quinn tried to move off without rushing Leona, who had to walk backwards, but the driver was relentless. He started pushing Quinn even more forcefully, shoving at her shoulders with the iion of throwing her off the bus. The pressure was too much for Leona, and in that moment, her grip slipped. The box began to tilt dangerously, and her heart raced as the angle shifted, making it harder tain trol.

  Quinn twisted, her hands desperately reag for the package, trying to ease it to the ground as carefully as possible. She huffed out a strained breath, her muscles protesting, but she couldn’t let it fall. Leona quickly steadied herself, throwing her weight into the box as they both scrambled tain trol, the heavy package threatening to crash down at any sed. They just barely rescued it in time, their hands finding purchase once more.

  “No refunds,” the driver excimed as he smmed the door shut behind him, his tone final as he stormed to his seat. The vehicle lurched into motion without a sed g the sisters. Leona stared at the door, her blood boiling.

  “If hell exists, you sure as hell are going there!” Leona yelled, her voice raw with anger, her chest heaving from the stress of the moment. She shot the driver a furious gre, even though he couldn’t hear her anymore. “Have a miserable life, asshole!” She stuck her to in the dire of the departing bus, the bitterness lingering oongue.

  The bus had driven away, its engine r in the distance, and Quinn glowered at the retreating vehicle, her expression dark. “He sure was an ass,” she muttered, her fists ched at her sides. With a sigh, she shrugged. “We’ll have to call Mom at this point. There’s no other way, and no, we’re not going back to the shop!” Her tone dropped, defeated. “Would you mind calling her for me? I’m a bit self-scious about asking favht now.”

  Leona tio gre after the bus, her own frustration still simmering, but she nodded. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed their mom’s number. As the ph, she briefly closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down.

  “Hey, cutie, everyone alright?” Goonie’s voice crackled through the line when she picked up.

  Leona took a breath, trying to keep it together as she expihe situation, her words rushing out in frustration. She waited for a moment, hearing a slight pause oher end before their mom responded.

  “Well… I guess I o e pick you two up then. Stay where you are. I’ll be by in about an hour, okay?”

  “Okay, Mom, sorry,” Leona sighed, rubbiemple with her free hand as the tension lingered.

  “How soon?” Quinn asked with a groan, her eyes sing the horizon, clearly dreading the wait.

  “An hour,” Leona nodded, her voice resigo the invenience.

  “An hour in this heat? Are you kidding me?” Quinn growled, her face sg in displeasure. “I mean, I get it, but there’s no way we’re staying out here in the sun.” Her arms crossed in frustration, her impatience palpable.

  Rather than respond, Leona looked up into the sky, her arms spreading wide in a shrug. “Oh well,” she muttered, her voice resigned but calm.

  Quinn grumbled again, the heat and tension gnawing at her. “Let’s take it back to the food court a a drink while we wait,” she suggested, her voice carrying an edge of annoyance, but also a quiet sense of practicality as she started to turn.