29 The Walk Home

"Ebony...?" Waze trailed off looking at Duke with a confused look.

"Yeah I heard about them the other day. They were in the news again," Duke said.

"Geez, Waze do you pay attention to anything?" Cassidy shot Waze an annoyed glare.

"No, not really I don't. So who or what is this 'Ebony'?" Waze was still pretty confused about what was going on. Duke filled her in.

"Supposedly they're a human trafficking organization that's been preying on young girls in our area lately. I heard they've taken down some pretty high-step chicks. Anyway, you should be careful." Duke looked at Waze with concern.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, I've got plenty of training up my sleeve. Anyway, this is a pretty nice side of town. I doubt anything will happen." Cassidy shot Waze another scowl after Waze had finished speaking.

"He's just looking out for you. And you're not as strong as you think, there are plenty of people stronger than you out there. This Ebony could be really powerful, they seem to have stirred up a lot of trouble." Cassidy frowned. "We may not like each other, but we are both girls. Michelle, Sable, and Byrd too. You all have to be careful. They're targeting girls like us, after all." Duke and Marco nodded in agreement.

"Be on watch," Marco cautioned.

They were currently wrapping up today's training session. It had been rough, it always was on Mondays. Duke had brought up the topic to warn the girls in the group, considering they made up the majority. Norris turned to the others and looked at them sternly.

"Whatever happens, you all must all support each other and take care of one another. Stick together." She gave a serious nod towards the kids, sending shivers down their spines.

"What's gonna happen to us?" Duke put on an overly frightened expression.

"Seriously though, is one of us gonna die? I don't like this foreshadowing." Waze joined Duke in the banter.

"It's the end for us. If we go out, we go out together." Michelle slapped Duke and Waze on the back before the three of them laughed.

"Seriously though, I've got a bad feeling." Waze frowned. Suddenly, Cassidy stepped forward.

"Hey Waze, you walk home, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah I do. What about it?"

"I'll come with you tonight. I'm pretty sure we live close so it's better if we stick together."

"Isn't Marco gonna drive you?" Waze turned to look around but Marco was already gone.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" Waze looked round confused before Duke laughed.

"You really that oblivious, Waze? He left after we stopped talking about Ebony. Bolted out of here."

"He's got a piano recital tonight, so he couldn't drive me home. I was gonna walk, anyway. It's better if we go together." Cassidy pulled her bag onto her shoulder.

"For a second I thought you were actually going out of your way to help me. But if you're walking anyway, sure."

"Alright. We should get going then. Bye everyone." Cassidy and Waze waved goodbye to their teammates before they started their walk home, Waze leading. It was relatively quiet. Waze decided to spark up conversation with the one thing she really wanted to ask.

"If you don't mind me asking, how'd you come to Norris?" Waze glanced down at Cassidy.

"She was a customer at my mom's cafe. My mom told her a bunch of stuff and Norris offered to take me in."

"Oh yeah... Marco was the only one there when you came, right?"

"Mhmm."

"What do you mean by 'a bunch of stuff' though, if you're okay with me asking." Cassidy looked up at the sky as they walked before turning her eyes back to the pavement.

"My life was kinda a mess at the time. No, it pretty much always was until Norris. It still kinda is, I guess. A lot less though."

"How so?" Waze didn't want to press, but she did want to know more about Cassidy.

"A lot of people are scared at me because of my gift. They say my snakes are demonic, or that I'm cursed. No one really hung around me when I was younger, everyone was scared. Especially my dad, he hated me. I guess he still does. I couldn't really control my power back then too, so whenever I used it I would destroy a lot of stuff. My dad was in and out of the house and my mom was in shambles trying to defend me. So when she told Norris, Norris offered to help teach me to control my power. Since then, things have been a bit better with my family. I don't use my power or talk about it and it's fine I guess."

Waze looked at the cracked sidewalk as the silence hung between them. Suddenly, Waze spoke up.

"You know, my first thought when I saw you're snakes wasn't 'how demonic' or 'she's cursed'. I wasn't scared. The first thing I thought was 'how beautiful'." Cassidy gazed at Waze in surprise. "Then, of course I got scared because you were pretty much trying to knock me unconscious, so of course I was a bit frightened." Waze laughed and Cassidy even giggled a bit. Waze smiled down at the bright sound.

"I think your snakes are beautiful. They're like an extension of you, you live and breathe through them. I think it's incredible what you can do. And I don't think you should hide them away. I guess in the end it's not really my place to tell you what to do, though."

"You really think my snakes are beautiful...?"

"Mhmm. I do." Cassidy looked at Waze with a grin.

"You might not be so bad after all."

"Oh, wow, thanks! I'm honored!" Waze still laughed, and Cassidy did along with her. They walked in silence for a bit more.

"Thanks, I guess." Cassidy looked at the ground, blushing slightly.

"Hm? For what?"

"No one's ever said they liked my snakes. I mean, the others never said they were bad but they never said they were good either. I really like them."

"Then, you should be proud of them. Ok?" Cassidy smiled at Waze.

"Ok."