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My Starfish had freed her Willys.

Yeah, this dolphin pod of men had turned into a deadly orca pod, and we were hunting our prey. We swam through the figurative ocean that was the House of Ascension, pursuing the dude who’d hurt the one person Noah, Ace, Kayden and I cared about the most.

Fallon Auger.

As we raced through the dark night, the chill breeze caressed my skin but did nothing to cool the vengeance powering me on. We would catch the slimy squid who’d dared to hurt our starfish. Then we would make him pay.

Ahead of me, Kayden and Ace led our pod, charging after the hooded dude and gaining ground with each second.

They hadn’t hesitated when Fallon gave them her command.

They’d raced after the coward who’d fled as soon as we’d arrived and interrupted his attack in the auditorium, leaving Fallon with her likely fatally injured sister, Victoria.

We gave chase across the grounds, through buildings and rooms that, so fixed on our prey, I hardly noticed them.

The dude in question suddenly darted right and scaled the wall of the gym, with Ace and Kayden quickly on his tail.

I hadn’t even known there was a ladder there, let alone seen it in the low light.

So whoever this hooded dude was, he knew the academy grounds well.

As the others pursued without hesitation, I stopped and noted the blood drops below the ladder, a wicked grin gracing my face.

My starfish must have cut him. Her fierceness was so fucking hot.

If the sneaky squid was hurt, then he wouldn’t be able to keep up his pace for long. The guy would be calamari in no time.

“Don’t follow,” Noah called, appearing at my side before I could take a step on a single rung.

I chanced a look at his grim expression, but didn’t want to ask about Victoria’s fate; I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from returning to Fallon if it was bad news.

So, I kept my mouth shut as tight as a clam protecting its pearl. “He’ll have to come down eventually.”

“Smart,” I said, tapping the side of my head. I left him waiting at the ladder, choosing instead to keep moving by running along the edge of the gym building, listening out to the footsteps on the roof above. He would have no escape.

The chase overhead was heated. Kayden and Ace shouted at the dude as they ran, their voices carrying through the air. Hearing them sent a buzz through me, like Ace was sparking me with his magic. My senses felt wired.

Chasing the attacker kind of reminded me of the games I used to play with Zach and Zuri back home.

A fun one in particular was when they would go out without telling me where they were—instead leaving clues for me to figure out myself.

Sometimes I’d have to hack into their messages or call up all their friends.

You know, the usual. Then when I’d find where they’d gone, that was when the gnarly fun began.

I’d turn up and Zach and Zuri would run off and try to hide.

I’ve always been super skilled at seeking. I’d find them pretty quick and chase them. They were no match for Zaney.

Ahhh, fun times. Real Loch family shenanigans.

Tonight wasn’t fun, but at least the games with my siblings had prepared me for this.

The voices above grew more distant as Noah joined me to round the corner and race for the other side of the building. There were no other Potentials in sight, not that there were many of us left. The poisoning earlier tonight had made everyone scurry away to hide like hermit crabs.

I was no crab looking for a shell to bury myself in.

Not going to lie. It had been a close call. Others weren’t as lucky as me and had died from that poisoned punch. I glanced at Noah by my side, the one who had healed me. My eyes were suddenly touched by water like the sand on a calm tide.

Fuck, I loved that dude. Noah was a real friend—a true podmate—and I was never going to let him go.

He was usually so calm and yet, here he was, hunting the evil squid with vengeance in his brown eyes.

Noah had a simmering rage like an underwater volcano beneath his skin.

It would only be a matter of time before he exploded, and I wouldn’t miss that eruption for anything.

Ahead, a dark figure flew through the air, barking a cry when he landed.

It was our squid prey. The guy’s voice was familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it and didn’t have time to ponder it either.

Ace and Kayden were close on the dude’s heels, landing skilfully on the ground before continuing their pursuit.

Noah and I weren’t far off, racing along the side of the building before trailing the others.

I smirked like a maniac as the hooded dude was once again in my sights.

I caught glimpses of him beneath the bright beams of the light posts, his dark cloak flowing behind him.

The sissy squid was fast, but we were faster.

He’d be ours in no time and then I’d get another chance to test out my torturing techniques, cutting him up like sushi.

Ace had been impressed with my little snail manoeuvre that time we had been torturing Danger Dog for information. Just wait until he saw what I was capable of when a sad Starfish was on my mind. He’d be so impressed I’d knock his boardies off.

A crash drew my attention to a shadowy pile on the path ahead.

“He went left!” Ace shouted as he leapt over the heap. His metallic arm flashed briefly in the light as he ran past another lamp. “Towards the cafeteria! He’s bleeding!”

At that, Noah sped up, bypassing Kayden and joining Ace in the lead.

I pushed myself to move faster and leapt over the pile at the same time Kayden did, missing the trash can that had been knocked on its side.

The stench of rubbish filled the air. Kayden grunted as he landed with a heavy thud.

I swear, I felt the ground shake beneath my feet.

Even when he wasn’t in his rocky form, that dude was a massive unit of pure muscle and intimidation.

He’d give a great white shark a run for its money, let me tell you.

Yet another dude I was glad to have in my pod.

The cafeteria door swung open, slamming against the wall as we pursued the hooded dude. We spread out to cover more ground, and I caught my side on a table, causing me to gasp. I scolded myself for being such a clumsy clam.

We each took a path between the tables, running up the aisles as the dude shoved chairs behind him in an attempt to block his escape. I could almost taste the desperation in the air as he scurried away. He knew his time was up. There was no escaping us or his fate.

I darted onto the nearest table, leaping from one to the next like a dolphin jumping in and out of the water. Together, this orca pod was gaining on him, rounding him up from all sides and going in for the kill.

“Here squidy, squidy!” I sang as I leapt again. A grin stretched over my face as my feet slammed onto the tables, the sound like a war drum. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, the poisoning earlier in the night had become a distant memory. Now my mind was focused solely on Victoria’s attacker.

The hooded dude didn’t stop fleeing, though his movements grew more erratic as he threw more chairs down to block our path. I scoffed. As if that would stop Kayden. The wooden chairs were nothing compared to the giant boulder.

“There’s no getting away!” he shouted as if reading my very thoughts. He sent a seat flying as he batted it aside. “You’re just delaying the inevitable!”

Ace threw a blade, missing the hooded dude by an inch as it embedded into the wall instead.

The hooded dude cackled like some deranged seagull and hurled the chair he’d been holding at the nearest window, breaking the glass.

It didn’t shatter. Instead, sharp shards stuck out, like glass knives waiting for anyone who dared approach.

Noah was that brave barramundi as he moved closer to the hooded dude.

Misty tendrils seeped into the cafeteria through the broken window like a low-lying fog on the ocean, creeping towards us. But Noah didn’t seem to notice or care as he dove for the hooded dude.

I jumped off the table to help Noah wrangle our prey, but the dude had somehow slipped free, darting out of Noah’s reach, and jumped through the fractured window. Bleeding wounds, jumping off roofs, and now diving through windows… The hooded dude was in desperation mode for sure.

Noah picked something up off the ground, pocketing it before leaning out the window to peer into the misty night.

“Which way?” Ace demanded at my side, his dark hair slick as he shoved Noah aside and kicked at the broken glass, making a safer exit for the rest of us.

“I don’t know,” Noah grumbled, following Ace as he climbed out the window.

The latter gripped a handful of steak knives in one hand.

They took off into the night without hesitation, with Kayden and I hot on their tails.

They didn’t need to check to know we would join them.

Victoria’s attacker had to pay for what he'd done.

I glanced at Kayden, noting the sweat beading on his determined brow whilst we made our pursuit. Fallon had set him a task and he, like Noah and Ace, had immediately obeyed. No questions, no hesitation. They had taken one look at her distraught face and fell to her command.

There was no question about it. We were all devoted to her.

A cough rattled my chest as we ran, the lingering mist giving me the chills as we passed multiple lamp posts.

I thumped my fist against my sternum, trying to clear my lungs.

Whatever was causing the mist couldn’t be good.

It made me feel like I was being tickled by a blue glaucus, which was never a fun time.

Those little dudes were cute but nasty as all hell.

The rest of my pod didn’t seem to care about the mist, though, so maybe it was me just being a sensitive salmon.

Toughen up, Zaney.

We were so close to catching the slippery squid. A little bit of fog wasn’t going to get in our way, no sir-ee.

That was the one thing the members of this pod had in common; a desire to protect and support Fallon.

Not to mention hurt anyone who caused her pain which, for some reason that confused my noggin on the daily, was a fair few people.

Why so many people had it out for my starfish was a mystery, much like the deepest depths of the ocean.

Seeing Fallon crying over her sister had been too much for ol’ Zaney to bear. It had sliced open my chest like a shark feasting on a seal. Right now, that image of my starfish was what drove me forward with Ace, Kayden, and Noah.

I never wanted to see her like that again.

Ace threw something—one of the steak knives, I guessed—the motion of his arm was the only evidence of his actions in the dark. At least until the hooded dude cried out. The sound pierced the air as he stumbled.

Luck wasn’t on our side, though, as our prey quickly regained his footing and powered on.

Who was this guy? He’d sustained multiple injuries, yet he was still zipping around the academy grounds.

He must have had excellent training because any other person would have fallen on their ass by now.

This wasn't just some hired low-life. Whoever the hooded dude was, he had to have come from a powerful family for that level of skill.

He darted right, running towards the miniature Terrulian cities and attempting to hide amongst the shadows.

A clever move from the squid, though not smart enough.

Ace signalled, using a steak knife that glinted in the moonlight as he gestured in the air.

We immediately split up, he and Noah continuing straight ahead whilst Kayden and I continued to trail the hooded dude.

Once again, this pod of orca was closing in. Hopefully, now we'd catch our prey.

We entered an area where there was no light in this part of the grounds.

Even the mist had become invisible to the eye.

The earth was soft beneath my feet, though, and I was confident enough to take a stab in the dark and say we were in the grassy Verdant Plateau.

I could barely see what was in front of me and prayed I didn't collide with a tree or anything.

They may have been good for hugging, but they were hard if you hit them.

My eyes did their best to adjust to the lack of light, but my vision must have been off, because Kayden started to blur, like I was wearing foggy glasses.

He was just a reddish-dark blob running beside me.

Suddenly, he coughed loudly, his form disappearing altogether in a foggy haze.

The next thing I knew I was tumbling through the air.

I threw my hands out at the last minute, catching myself and stopping my face from colliding with the ground.

Luckily, I’d been right about the grass, the clever crab that I was.

More coughing sounded and I looked back over my shoulder to see where Kayden had stopped. At least, I was pretty sure the big lump was Kayden.

Digging my fingers into the ground, I dragged myself towards him like a beached whale and, through my hazy gaze, confirmed it was indeed him. He lay on his back, clutching his chest as he coughed uncontrollably.

Fear spiked through me as sharp as a shark’s tooth. Had he been poisoned, too? Had I been targeted again?

“Kayden,” I gasped, suddenly seeming out of breath as I drew closer.

Shit, shit, shit. “Kayden.” I reached him and put my hands on his chest. Relief fell over me as they were lifted up and down.

“Now’s not a great time for a nap,” I mumbled, shoving him and then using him to stabilise myself enough to stand.

My body shook with another cough and the darkened world around me spun. “Wakey, wakey, reddy teddy.”

My knees buckled, losing the fight against whatever was trying to send me to sleep. But I was determined not to let it take me. It used to take hours to put me to bed as a kid, so I wasn’t going down that easy.

I needed to find the hooded attacker for my starfish. Fallon rarely asked for help; she always wanted to stand on her own two feet, yet this time was different. I couldn’t let her down.

“No time for sleepies,” I slurred while my whole body tingled.

I fell forward and my head hit the ground, scattering my senses. I groaned, lying flat on my belly like a sea slug. I pictured Starfish. She was so beautiful. She wanted me to find the squid, but first, maybe just a quick visit to Dreamland to recoup my energy…

No. I had a job to do. I’d promised Fallon.

Coughs rattled my chest and itched my throat. I could have used a glass of water. I could feel the fight leaving me as my eyes fluttered closed.

Okay. Maybe just five minutes…