From the Ashes

10

"So, how many other species are there?" Jensen asks as Tony leads them to yet another part of the seemingly never-ending house.

"There are ten in total," he says over his shoulder. "So, I still have five more people to introduce you too—but these guys should be hanging around the same spot. And really, I could let you just mingle around but I want you to meet the coolest guys around here." He laughs. "I don't want to do you dirty."

Tony spots a group of people lounging in the living room and waves at them. "Yo," he says as they approach a group of teenagers around their age.

"Tony, your back!" A girl with wavy, honey-brown hair jumps up from the sofa to wrap the boy in a hug.

Jensen notices Daisy tense up in the corner of his eye and he feels a pang in his chest. He knows this feeling well, it's something he's tried very hard to ignore for the past couple of days whenever Tony and Daisy act friendly with one another—jealousy.

"Hey, Heather, it's good to be back." He pulls away from her so she can see the teens that stand behind him. "These are my friends, Daisy and Jensen."

Now that she's not hidden behind Tony, Jensen can get a better look at the girl, and she's certainly a sight for sore eyes. She fits the name Heather perfectly. Not only her aura is captivating by itself, but her fair skin is next to flawless and her emerald green eyes glisten with an enchanting glow of happiness.

"Hi." She gives them a small wave.

"Oh right!" The Asian boy that is sitting in the spot where Heather was sitting, suddenly yells. "Daisy's the new class B, right?" He nods his head in her direction while looking at Tony.

Tony nods. "Yeah, that would be my Daisy."

My Daisy. Jensen wants to scoff. She's not yours. He holds back an eye roll.

"We haven't had one of those in a really long time," the guy sitting on the couch adjacent to him adds in. He lays back into the cushions relaxingly with his feet propped up. His skin is a nice caramel color and his eyes a cool green, almost identical to Heather's. His hair is similar to Jay's, buzzed and dark, but it's not as close to his skin. Unlike Jay's, you can see the curly texture of his hair more clearly.

"That's Skylar." Heather smiles while gesturing behind her. "And that guy is Matt." She points to the one who has his feet on the coffee table. "He's also my brother."

Jensen's eyebrows raise at that, and she notices.

Heather laughs light-heartedly. "Obviously not fully related since his dad is black and mine is obviously white. So, we only share the same mom."

"Ah," Jensen mutters.

"Nice to meet you guys." Matt nods in their direction.

"Matt and Heather are Sirens while Skylar is a Lynx, like you, Jensen," Tony tells them.

Jensen nods while Daisy stays silent. "So," Jensen begins. "What exactly do the abilities of sirens entail?" He looks between the two in question.

Heather answers, "Well, our spiritual, or supernatural form, different people refer to it in different ways around here, is a Sparrow. And our abilities are mostly exclusive to when we're in that form. Our song can cause a momentary trance. Like, hypnotism, almost."

"Woah," Jensen breathes out.

"And-" Matt butts in, causing Jensen's gaze to shift. "When we change our eyes," he waves his hands around his head, "It shows your deepest desires for a couple of seconds, but trust me, you never want a Siren to do that to you."