Hybrids

Fresh Start Fever

Delilah's eyes turn from interrogating narrow slits to wide ovals within milliseconds of the words being uttered from Ace's lips. What had she been dragged in the midst of? Her mouth opened and closed muttering something incoherent, unable to be comprehended by anyone but herself. Honestly she didn't know what she was saying. Lila couldn't bear the thought of what she'd just heard. What were they supposed to do? Are they going to kill me?

Ace looks toward her meeting her own eye level, much shorter than his. He bends over places a hand on each of her shoulders, his pupils swelling with sympathy, blinking once his face hardens, "we've all been through this. You'll understand eventually. We had to."

"H-how am I meant to ever understand this? It's insane! Why didn't anyone ever tell me?" her voice finally breaks, Delilah's eyes blink repeatedly in an effort to hold back an ensue of tears.

Archer steps away playing with his shirtsleeve. "No one knew, not for sure anyway. Until you started showing signs."

She glances over toward him, "signs of what?" a confused look creeps onto her face.

He bites his lip before taking a moment to answer. "Power."

Delilah raises her eyebrows with a scoff, "me, powerful? You have to be kidding."

"Settle down pocket rocket," Ace smirks "don't get too excited."

Lila frowns crossing her arms turning away from him. "My point exactly," she states "I'm five foot one and can't throw a punch if my life depended on it"

"That I can tell" he leans back to look her up and down once more.

Lila groans and sneers at Ace. "Whatever. Not the point. What signs had I been miraculously showing?"

Archer laughs lightly, "I'm not the one to ask sweetie, you should talk to Dex."

"Oh no..." Lila purses her lips, "as long as he's more polite than you are I think we'll get along just fine"

"Like we don't buttercup" he winks.

•••

One of the biggest buildings on the block sits warily in the middle of enormous surrounding building
"Yo Dex!" Ace calls across the long hall. A brunette glances up from the far desk and grins, even from across the room, his smile has to be one of the brightest Lila has ever witnessed. This guy must be Dex he's not as abnormally tall as Ace but nearly everyone could make Delilah feel short. He saunters over wearing a massively over-sized tank top with jeans and bare feet. His hair is scruffy making it look as if he's just woken up, his face behind a pair of black thickly rimmed reading glasses.

"Hello, handsome you're finally back" he nudges Ace and his grin only enlarges making his dimples more predominant.

"Aren't you glad sunshine" Ace half smiles before spreading his arms and the two hug quickly. Delilah feels the awkward seep out from within her as she shuffles from foot to foot for the moment which drags on.

Dex giggles a little pulling back the heat rising to his face before turning to Delilah, "and you must be the new recruit."

She gulps not expecting to enter the conversation so quickly, unprepared she hastily introduces herself, "I'm D- Lila. Only Lila" she smiles weakly.

"Well, Only Lila I'm Dex" he winks. "Now Ace wouldn't have brought you straight here if it weren't important"

Delilah raises her eyebrows in Ace's direction.

"How would you define important?" Ace's tone treads carefully as he inquires.

Lila scoffs, unimpressed by his reply.