Excerpt:

                Cee took a swig from her beer and stared out at the city around her from her spot on the low balcony wall. Even in her tank top and short pj shorts she wasn’t cold. It was a hot night and that was part of the reason she was still awake not to mention the mess they were in.

                The door behind her opened as someone came out to join her on the balcony. She didn’t even check to see who it was, assuming it was Youngjae coming to talk to her about all the things that have been happening. It was only when the person who leaned on the wall next to her sighed, Cee realized it wasn’t Youngjae.

                “Are all your days like this?” Sofía asked before taking a drink from her mug of tea.

                Cee looked over at the beautiful woman next to her, her long dark brown hair cascaded down her back, the waves gently lifted with the wind. Her golden skin was a huge contrast to her white t-shirt and blue shorts and in that moment Cee thought she looked like a model. Feeling her jealousy rise up, she took another drink of her beer and continued looking at the streets.

                “Like what?” Cee asked.

                “You know, so… so dangerous,” Sofía sighed.

                Cee smiled sadly, “If they aren’t dangerous then we aren’t doing our job.”

                “Your job… it isn’t really a job.”

                Cee hummed, not wanting to get into that.

                “Why do you do it?”

                Cee looked over at her in surprise, “What?”

                Sofía turned towards her, “Why do you all do this vigilante work?”

                “Why…” Cee took another drink.

                “Not everyone feels the need to put their life on the line every day to protect the world, so why do you?” Sofía asked seriously.

                “Because,” Cee sighed and played with the wrapper on her beer bottle, “Because someone has to.”

                “That isn’t—“

                “That isn’t to say we always thought of doing this, hell when I was a child I wanted to be a Lawyer but, things happen. Of course they do. To do what we do something had to have happened to push us so far to the edge and instead of cracking, we fought back. We became tired of the world and the way things are so we want to change it and protect those who can’t protect themselves.” Cee looked down at her hands.

                “I don’t like killing, in fact every time I kill someone it threatens to break my soul forever. I keep doing it though because I’d rather risk my life, my soul, than have another person have to face the same dilemma I do. My hands are already tainted; more blood won’t change their color.”

                “You fight for others…”

                “So people don’t have to go through what I had to nor have to make the decisions I had to make.”

                “Like?” Sofía pushed.

                Her parents’ screams resounded in her head before a bang of a gun and the image of her brother’s dead body flashed before her eyes. Cee wiped at her eyes to wipe the memories away before finishing the last of her beer.

                “Sorry, girlie. My beer is gone and therefore our conversation.”

                Sofía sighed, “Will you never let me in?”

                Cee swung her legs back around to the balcony so she could walk back inside, “Trust me when I say, you don’t want to know all of the things I’ve done or seen.”