Angel's Authority

Part Five, Chapter Sixty-One: Teacup's Birthday

Based on the Volition Inc.™ game: Saints Row – Gat out of Hell™

EVANORA

"Psst! I think she's coming... Shut up, Pierce!"

Now that everyone was quiet, we could definitely hear Kinzie's footsteps approaching towards the darkened the room, each of us well hidden, eagerly waiting to shout -

"Surprise!"

The lamps were switched on. As rehearsed, this would be Viola's cue to return the light back to the room and for all of us others to come out as soon I could see Kinzie's shadow stretch across the floor. Some time had passed since we took out Zinyak and the ZIN were a comfortable lot to have around when they don't try to kill you; especially Zinjai.

We had also freed Jane Austen from her pod, explaining to her what happened but the horror that had draped itself over her like a veil was easily forgotten once I stepped out of my armor and she recognized me. We happy-cried in each other's arms and she didn't want to leave my side – unlike the other specimen which Zinjai returned to their times, using up the last bits of time travel formula – so we just let her stay. All of us liked her immediately and I had forgotten how much I had cherished our friendship.

Back when I had been younger, father had sent each of us sisters on a sort of internship with his relations. Glinda had gone to Merlin's Last Light Consortium, strengthening the relationship between monks and the Emerald City. Aliyah had begun her Umbra training – although that kind of replaced it since she was invited personally – and I had gone to Earth and met Jane Austen. Theodora had not started her education yet back then.

But today was Kinzie's birthday; we had February already. The party had been planned for weeks because I wanted to give our girl the best gift for her efforts against Zinyak. Shaundi, Johnny and Pierce had been responsible for drinks; Zinjai made a cake; Jane, OIeg and Matt found some party games and Viola, Asha, Ben and I were responsible with the planning and organization and making sure Kinzie doesn't find about anything. But regardless of all our efforts, the girl looked nothing near happy or in any birthday mood.

"What is it?"

I asked with a worried tone, trying to get her to establish eye-contact but she only stared at the ground and then finally back to us, our smiles and cheer now vanished from our faces.

"The thing is..."

She fought for words and with the awkwardness she must be feeling. At least, she appeared very much uncomfortable.

"It's just that... That I don't really like birthdays..."

I just gave her the "don't-make-a-fool-out-of-me-and-yourself" look before joining the laughter that began to fill the room from behind me. What human doesn't celebrate their birthday?

"You're joking, right?"

I pressed on but she didn't look like it. I rested my weight on one leg, placed my hands on my hips and raised one eyebrow.

"I guess you aren't..."

I sighed deeply, loosening up my body again.

"Come on Kinzie! You celebrate Christmas but not your own birthday?"

She shrugged.

"I don't see the point..."

"'Don't see the point?!' It's the day you are cherished, the day your loved ones want to make you feel even more special than you already are! A whole day dedicated entirely to you but you know what: You're gonna promise to try at least; By the Virtues, I sound like someone's mother. Anyways, we have prepared some games, Matt said he found something nice, Zinjai has made you a cake, if you shouldn't have noticed by now..."

I pointed at the huge, sugar teacup between us which made her smile. I knew this would achieve the results I had hoped for. "Teacup" was her safeword. Not that I knew-knew but she had told me. Spin the bottle and stuff back at Steelport.

"... And Jane is gonna read us something afterwards. Oh, and Johnny found some ZIN-drinks that look promising."

I finished but Kinzie only rolled her eyes, arms folded together and avoiding eye contact.

"Okay fine!"

She finally complied and everyone behind me gave out a loud and cheering "Whoop!" which I gladly joined.

The birthday party took nearly all day. I never had such an awesome time since Stilwater and Shaundi's "special treats" and now that I thought about it, not even the extravagant evening galas that father had always organized on birthdays could keep up with the coziness of a small group of friends.

As the evening drew longer and the laughs grew louder – the ZIN know how to make drinks kick – Matt placed a wooden board on the table and threw a hollow, silver coin with little jags onto it. In the right corner of the board, "YES" had been imprinted in block letters and "NO" was in the right one. Onto the rest of the wood, one could see each letter of the alphabet once.

"Ouija? Are you fuckin' serious, Miller?"

It was Johnny; drunk and even more aggressive, lulling his words. Ever since I had told him about my actual past – which he had taken too lightly than I would have had expected, saying that he "always kinda knew that there was somethin' up with" me because of my skills being to awesome – he had been extra careful about and towards everything that was supposedly supernatural. I patted Johnny's shoulder and took a seat next to Shaundi.

"Come on! It'll be fun!"

Unwillingly, he sat down between Kinzie and me. Only Matt and Viola had been around to see we were playing; the others were busy watching a drunk Jane Austen chant around poems as well as passages from her books, making me blast out laughing. Also because Pierce, Ben, Zinjai and Asha were hanging on her lips like little children being told the meaning of life.

After some dumb questions like "Is Kinzie into Johnny" or "Does Viola have a degradation kink", Ouija got pretty boring. We had all made up the answer by moving the hollow coin to whatever combination of letters we pleased to, each of placing a finger on a jag, each.

"Will the Boss ever find the love of her life?"

"What? Matthew! Are you goddamn serious? I'm happily married!"

He shrugged but the coin moved to "YES" anyways.

"Come. On. Guys!"

"And who will tame her heart forever?"

"Kinzie! Now you're getting on my nerves! My heart is already tamed and I have no intent in ch-"

The silver coin moved around the board, letter by letter. J - E - Z - E - B - E - L. Something told me this wasn't right. For example the faces everyone pulled as the coin moved around and how they all stood up slowly.

"What are you guys trying to spell?"

I carefully asked sensing that this was too big a mistake. Jane was too drunk to be asked for advice right now...

"I'm not moving it!"

"Me too!"

"Me neither!"

"Don't look at me!"

One after the other, they released the coin, removing their fingers. It was moving on its own, making the letters burn themselves deeper into the board in order.

"Jezebel? Who the fuck is -"

I tried to say but with a loud bang, an immense force began pulling me away, sucking my feet into a circle that looked like a flashing, orange portal. I held onto the edge of the round table tightly. Johnny was attempting to grab a hold of me but the portal appeared to be pushing everyone else away, judging from the strain their faces showed.

The table fell over and the board and coin clattered on the ground. Losing my grip, I got sucked into the portal and the reddish-brownish tube behind it, seeing it close after me immediately.