Celeste didn't move.
Neither did Amelia.
The air in the apartment shifted, thick with unspoken tension.
Amelia forced herself to find her voice. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The woman—Agent something, Amelia hadn't seen a name on the ID—tilted her head slightly, unconvinced.
"I think you do."
Celeste's fingers twitched at her side. A subtle movement, but Amelia felt it—like an unspoken message passing between them.
Run? Fight?
No. Not yet.
The agent leaned against the doorframe, her posture deceptively relaxed. "We've been monitoring unusual energy spikes," she said casually, but there was a sharp edge behind her words. "Readings unlike anything we've encountered before. Last night, there was an anomaly." She tapped her wrist, where a sleek device blinked faint blue. "Right here."
Amelia's breath caught.
The storm.
The painting.
The night Celeste came to life.
The agent must have seen something in Amelia's expression, because she smiled—just slightly, like she'd confirmed her suspicions.
"We don't want to cause trouble," she continued. "We just want to understand."
Amelia swallowed, glancing at Celeste. She still hadn't spoken. Her hands were at her sides, but Amelia noticed the way her fingertips were glowing faintly—like the remnants of wet paint catching the light.
The agent noticed too.
Her expression sharpened. "There it is," she murmured.
Celeste took a slow step forward. "I don't want to hurt anyone," she said, voice calm but firm.
"Then come with us," the agent said simply. "We can help you."
Amelia's heart pounded. No.
She moved without thinking, stepping in front of Celeste like a shield. "She's not going anywhere with you."
The agent sighed, like she had been expecting this.
"I was hoping we could do this the easy way."
She reached into her coat.
Celeste reacted first.
The apartment lights flickered as a pulse of warm, golden energy exploded from her fingertips. The agent barely had time to react before she was thrown backward, crashing into the opposite wall of the hallway.
For a second, everything was still.
Amelia grabbed Celeste's wrist. "We have to go—now."
Celeste hesitated only a second, her chest rising and falling quickly, eyes wide with something that looked almost like fear. But she nodded.
They didn't have time to pack, they didn't have time to think.
Amelia yanked open the window, the cold New York air biting against her skin.
Celeste looked at her.
Amelia exhaled. "Trust me?"
Celeste smiled, despite everything. "Always."
And then they ran.
The fire escape was slick from last night's rain. Amelia's boots slipped against the metal grating as she scrambled down, Celeste right behind her. The city stretched out beneath them, car horns blaring, the distant hum of sirens cutting through the early morning air.
They reached the bottom just as another sharp crash sounded from above—the agent had forced her way back in.
Amelia yanked Celeste's hand. "Go, go, go!"
They sprinted through the alley, weaving through puddles and stacks of forgotten crates. Celeste was barefoot, but she didn't falter. She moved like she was weightless, barely touching the ground.
A loud pop echoed behind them.
A dart embedded itself in the brick wall, inches from Amelia's head.
"Holy shit—" Amelia gasped, ducking instinctively. "They're trying to tranquilize us?!"
Celeste's fingers tightened in hers. "We have to lose them."
They burst onto the main street, blending into the early morning crowd. Amelia's heart pounded as she pulled Celeste toward the subway station entrance.
"We need to go underground."
Celeste hesitated, looking at the dark tunnel entrance. "I don't like it."
"Celeste—" Amelia was already dragging her down the stairs, pushing past commuters. "We don't have a choice."
A train was pulling into the station. Amelia barely had time to think before she and Celeste shoved their way through the doors.
They stood, breathless, in the packed train car as the doors slid shut.
Amelia turned her head slightly, peeking out the window.
The agent had just reached the platform.
Their eyes met.
And then the train sped away.