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Tessa was less than happy with the arrangement and her discomfort shone. However, the process was much smoother, Jess huddled by Summer and she grabbed a shade from its gang. It kicked and its chest heaved in soundless screams, and the world moved on. Their companions are heedless to their loss.

They hurried back to the others, and in a sparse few minutes, they had their dye. Tessa deposited Jess and followed them, through hesitation slowed her steps.

Summer restrained the shade in a bear hug, as Mensha approached with a knife. “Do we need to kill them,” the words came unbidden, and the shadow struggled more.

Curiosity gleamed in the eyes of the room’s only calm occupant, “We need its blood,” he said, to assuage her conscience.

“But, do you need to kill it,” Tessa peeped her eyes bouncing between Mensha and Summer, “We can a bit and then let them go,”

She blinked and stared down at the flailing shade. The only reason against this was the danger associated with fighting shades. While not individually difficult, she still felt the aches and cuts left by her recent engagement. Yet this had been effortless.

She smiled at the struggling shadow before sharing her joy with the room, “That’s an excellent idea.”

One that not she needed a proper explanation of everyone’s powers, to avoid oversight like this.

Tessa slumped in relief and a look of contemplation overcame Mensha, “Where am I going to cut it,”

She opened her mouth and then shut it. Every solution has its kinks

Summer opened the door to the lit abandoned building, and smiled when a trip to the bathroom revealed functioning plumbing. The day had revealed no new horrors and after a few stitches, her cloak worked adequately.

She stared longingly at the shower and returned to the appointment’s living room. She peeked around a curtained window at the streets below. Dark apathetic clumps wandered the streets below her.

They were in the city proper now. Yet it was different from the urban hive before. The streets were open and skyscrapers were the exception to the rolling commercial expanse interspersed with residences like the one Summer occupied.

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She turned back to the mostly righted room. She had a discussion in mind before they settled for the night.

“What exactly are your powers?” she asked. The room turned to her save for Lane who played with a fallen remote. “It’s best we know our options when things go south.” She glanced at Tessa.

The woman nestled on a couch surrounded by the trifecta of Nick Stace, and Allen “Ah I’m not sure,” Tessa said.

“Not sure how,?” Summer asked trying and failing to hide her bafflement. She glanced at Jess on a couch with other boys. Had they all relied on her, it was miraculous they weren’t dead. Though she supposed Mensha and her weren’t much better

“Before we begin I think we should clear up any potential misunderstandings.” Summer said from the room’s corner where they’d be staying for the little privacy it offered. “Summer and I are assuming everyone has some power.”

“Even Lane?” Jeremy said and stared at the small boy who looked up at his name.

“Maybe,“ Summer said, “I’ll start.” She took a deep breath and ordered he thoughts and discoveries.

“You glow!” Jess bounced on her couch.

Summer smiled, “Very astute Jessy, but I don’t just glow. My emotions affect my light and strength and I can sort of feel my light.” She left it there. “And you Jessy,”

“I can hide things around me,” the girl said with pride. Jeremy ruffled her hair.

“Is it hard?”

“Not once it’s turned on.”

So it took work to set her power but none to maintain it.

She glanced at Jeremy, the stern teen pressed his fingers and thread materialized as he pulled them apart. ”I can do this,” he said and released the blue thread to hover in the air. She pulled, other threads and wove a rough square with extended ends, “And this,” focus creased his brows, and the square moved through the air.

Lane grabbed it in his chubby fingers and played with the loose threads. Jeremy slumped and shot the boy a pinched glare.

Summer suppressed a chuckle. She knew where to go if she needed knitting supplies.

“Neat,” Mensha deadpanned. She giggled. Tessa chortled before erasing the amusement, though not before Summer caught her eye,

Jeremy turned his glare, “and what can you do,”

“I can modify my body,”

He scanned Mensha, “Like Akira.”

She frowned, she did not like her partner being compared to a body horror anime.

“More like The thing but very slow,” he said. “And I meant what I said, we don’t know our powers limits and Summers seems to be growing. A bit of creativity and exploration and who knows what you could do.”

Jeremy looked down, then nodded.

Summer let the silence stand and looked at the three kids around Tessa, “Anyone else.”

Nick raised a tentative hand, “I don’t need to breathe.”

She pursed her lip, “How’d you figure that out?”

His face fell. “When, when we were running,” his voice cracked.

Allen bounced beneath the blanket and interrupted his bother, “I don’t know what my power is!” she winced at his volume. “And Stace can do plant stuff.” His puffed cheeks dared her. Summer glanced at the girl, and remembered the woman dead amidst grass.

She forced a smile “Thank you for your help, if you have any questions you know where to find me.” She in a tone she hoped wasn’t placating walked to Mensha and his scavenged nest of blankets.

Everything seemed to bring new problems, she dragged Mensha to the shower, at least a smelly partner wouldn’t be one of tonight’s. Though this would frustrate her in other ways