Shooting Star Chapter 3

A/N: Hi all! Hopefully the interval between the last two chapters is more to your liking. This semester I have a four day weekend, so I figure I'll be able to crank chapters out more frequently. Thank you for all the follows and views, but I would love more feedback! Even if it's just "very good" or "I like it" or "this sucks", feedback helps. The characters don't belong to me, and neither does Toronto.

She waited behind the cat food shelves, eye to eye with a white, squashed-faced cat glowering from the front of its orange packaging. She heard the door jingle and peered out from behind her curtain of black hair. The girl who entered was gorgeous. Kenzi had never been attracted to girls – and was certain she never would be – but hot damn. No matter how nervous this girl looked, she seemed to exude an innate confidence that hooked Kenzi behind the navel and drew her to this stranger. The girl looked up and Kenzi gasped and ducked back behind the shelf. She needed to focus. This girl was the perfect opportunity. As the clerk eyed the newcomer warily, Kenzi crept through the narrow aisle, never losing sight of her unwitting abettor. One by one, she positioned cans of food inside her shirt, forming a pouch that would easily be covered by her bulky jacket. She watched as the girl picked a sandwich from the cooler case and brought it to the cashier. Their voices filtered to her spot by the baked beans, but were made indistinct by the hum of electricity. As they continued to speak, however, their voices rose above the white noise.

"Please, please, I can work it off–" she heard the girl beg. Kenzi cringed – she was obviously new to the game.

"No, you get out now!"

The girl reached across the counter and gently grasped the shopkeep's hand. "Please," she whispered hollowly. Kenzi's mouth dropped open as red pulses of light – or some sort of energy, as far as she could tell – passed from the girl's hand up the grocer's arm and the taut fury on his face melted away to a calm dopiness. The girl's eyes, that once seemed dark, now glowed an electric blue. "Please." She sent more shockwaves across their connection.

"Anything for you," he said dreamily.

"Holy shitballs, batman." The cans slipped out from the hem of her shirt and clattered to the ground.

Two sets of eyes immediately snapped toward the source of the noise. One had returned to brown, and the other pair's bleariness filtered away to reveal rage, now directed at her.

"You again! I thought I told you, out! Out!" The grocer reached behind him and grabbed the neck of a wooden baseball bat before brandishing it at her.

The girl at the counter took a few steps back. His gaze softened and he reached out to her.

"No, not you. Please don't go."

Her panicked gaze met Kenzi's. Kenzi's heart bobbed in her throat, and before she could think thoroughly about it, she screamed, "Run!"

Kenzi sprinted out the door, grabbing the hand of the paralyzed girl as she shot past her. They ran until, breathless, they ducked behind a large brick building.

"What–" Kenzi panted, "the hell– was that?"

*********

"So, what you're telling me is that weird glowy thing you were doing in there is like, some sort of lurve juice?"

Bo scrunched up her face. "Lurve juice? I'd says it's more like a... sway of sorts. Like, I know that it turns them on; I can see them get turned on. They emit some sort of aura, and it gets stronger when I... ya know..."

"Juice them?" A smirk split Kenzi's pale face.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah. It's kind of like, it puts them on my side. They would do anything for me, just to continue feeling that feeling, and it makes me feel... great. Powerful. Sexual –"

"Woah, buddy. I'm gonna stop you right there."

They were walking side by side in downtown Toronto, invisible to the suits that brushed past. Kenzi grunted after the third shoulder check, pulling over to stand by a storefront. "Zhopa."

"Jeez, are you okay? That looked like a hard hit." Bo gently rubbed Kenzi's injured shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm... fine..." she trailed off as she gazed through the diner's windows. "Wait." She grabbed Bo's arm with a surprising strength, considering her diminutive form. "C'mere, chica. I've got an idea."

They slid into a booth by the wall, green pleather squeaking as the scooted into the seats. Kenzi nimbly picked up the large plastic menu with her thin fingers and flipped through the pages quickly.

"Ooh, I think I'm going to get a milkshake. And a burger, with fries. Ah! They have borscht. My life is complete," Kenzi said, running the tip of her tongue across her lower lip.
Bo smiled, but bit her lip. "How exactly are we supposed to pay for all of this?"

A devious gleam shone out through Kenzi's dark bangs.

"No. No no no. You saw what happened last time."

Kenzi huffed and slumped in her seat. "Ugh, have a little faith in yourself, girl! You obviously were on the right track, if it weren't for my butterfingers. Even then, he seemed to still dig ya, in the creepy zombie kind of way." She straightened up and grasped Bo's hand. "How else are you going to get better at this – whatever the shit this even is. You've obviously not been on the streets as long as I have, but you're going to have to learn really soon that it's all about survival. Everybody's got at least one thing their good at, that they hone, they practice, that they're proud of, that allows them to survive. Yours is just a little different, and awesome-er."

Bo grinned, dimples burrowing into her normally smooth cheeks. She caught the gaze of the passing waitress, a cute, round-faced asian girl, and grinned toothily.

"Oh shit, is that what your game face looks like?" Kenzi suppressed a grunt as Bo kicked her under the table.

The waitress shuffled up to the table. "Hey, are you ready to order?" She eyed their worn clothes and gaunt faces, pursing her lips slightly. "Look–"

Bo grabbed her hand and ran her thumb across the server's knuckles, sending light pulses of energy. "We're hoping to, ah, celebrate today," she said throatily. "So... we were wondering... I was wondering... if we could have some sort arrangement?" She husked out the last word, sending an extra pulse through their connection that had the girl moaning.

"S-sure. Yeah. Yes. Oh, wow."

Kenzi stepped in, expertly ordering a small feast off the menu, before sending the blushing waitress tottering off to the kitchen. A stilted silence fell over the table as Kenzi gawked at Bo, flitting her gaze away each time their eyes met.

"Screw it," Kenzi muttered. "Some things are too stupid to say out loud." She pulled a pen out of her coat and quickly scribbled on a napkin that she then pushed toward Bo. "Here."

The note had two lines of print, each with their own check box:

I am a wizard

I am a demon

In the past couple weeks, the question of who – or what – she really was, had been rolling around in her head, but posed to her so bluntly, it made her chuckle. "Aren't wizards supposed to be guys?"

"Hey, bring it up with Terry Pratchet."

"Who?"

The aghast expression on Kenzi's face was replaced childlike enthusiasm as the flushed waitress rushed over, arms full of dishes. They eagerly help her rid her arms of the greasy plates and exchanged wide smiles before digging in.

An easy silence settled between the two as they shoveled down mozzarella sticks and milkshakes, happily munching at the crispy fries placed in the middle. After they had demolished more than half of the feast before them, Bo slumped back and groaned, rubbing her stomach.

"Giving in that easily, eh?" Kenzi said through a mouth full of borscht that had painted her lips purple.

Bo opened her mouth to respond but was left breathless as she spotted familiar, grungy blonde locks. "I'll be right back," she said as she quickly picked up the plate of bacon and jogged out the door.

Kenzi turned around in her seat and perched with her eyes peering over the back of the booth, carefully watching her new friend's path out the door, halting in front of a well-used car.

"Lauren, hi," Bo said, waving shyly with her unoccupied hand.

The lithe blonde twisted around, raking her long, ringed fingers through her hair. She faltered when she saw Bo before her, the girl who had occupied her thoughts for the past few days.

"Bo." Her voice cracked, and she shifted to play with a spiked bracelet hanging loosely on her wrist. Her heart leapt eagerly in her chest, urging her to reach out. She set her stance wider, sliding her hands into her pockets. "It's Bo, right?" As if that name hasn't been ringing in my ears.

"Y-yeah. Well, I was just-" Pointing to the window, she continued, "And, well, I saw you here and thought I'd..." Bo trailed off, searching Lauren's face for the answer. Wow, she's pretty. I wonder if she's ever kissed a girl before? Her hand faltered and she was reminded of the heavy plate in her hand. "I thought I'd pay you back? Bacon? For the weenies?"

Lauren cracked a grin and sidled forward, picking a particularly crispy piece from the proffered plate. She moaned appreciatively as she bit down on the rasher, licking the grease from her lips as she munched with a tight-lipped smile. Bo's face flushed and she gripped the plate awkwardly.

"What are you doing around here, anyway?" The voice that escaped her lips was throatier than she expected.

"I was uh," Lauren swallowed, "Picking up some books, actually." She gestured to the second-hand bookstore, its façade like the spine of a book, thin and jammed between two larger edifices. At Bo's quirked eyebrow, she continued nervously, "Books on science, mostly. General chemistry, organic chemistry, biochem. Did you know that pomegranate juice can be used to limit the presence of free radicals..." she trailed off, looking down at her feet and shuffling against the pavement. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. You're-that's pretty amazing." Bo's expression softened and she could feel her heart melt into her stomach.

"I was also going to pick up some new amps, too," Lauren shot in quickly, fumbling to recover her slumped nonchalance. However, her attempts only resulted in her stumbling off the curb. Bo quickly grabbed her arm, bringing the punk uncomfortably close. For a moment, all they could hear was the other's breathing.

What came out of Bo's mouth was barely a whisper. "You have little specks in your eyes that look like stars."

Lauren could feel Bo's warm breath on her lips. If I just leaned in...

The sound of a blaring horn broke them apart. They both giggled nervously as they shuffled away from each other.

"Look, I've actually got to go." Bo's crestfallen face made Lauren's chest squeeze hopefully. "I-I'd love to see you around again. I mean, if you want to see me, I would want to see you." She rolled her eyes at her own bumbling. She reached into her back pocket and withdrew a card, which she hesitantly held out to Bo. "It's this bar I play at. You should come by some time. If you want to."

Bo took the card and inspected it, running her fingertips over the glossy letters. "I'll be there with bells on."

She walked back into the diner in a daze. With bells on? Who even says that... But, god, she was cute. And smart. And funny. She slid back into the booth, unaware of the dopey grin monopolizing her face.

"Um. Okay. Holy hell, chica, what the frak was that? Are you batting for the other team? Because I wouldn't blame you with a booty like that." She snatched a piece from the plate resting in Bo's lap and gnawed at a piece. "So, spill. How'd you meet, what's her name, have you boned yet?"

"Kenzi!"