10 --- 1

Amber has only ever gone clubbing a few times when she had been dragged outside by her friends but never to a place like Tartarus, the energy was immense.

It was evening, it was barely dark outside but the place was already a quarter full and there was still a long line right outside.

She could see Macey, her best friend (or more accurately, her former best friend) coming to a place like this. She loved clubbing and parties, Amber mostly had to be the responsible one in their friendship, making she doesn't party too hard or hurt herself.

"Here you go." Xena broke her train of thought and dropped a glass cup in front of her.

She looked into the cup. "What is this?" She had to shout because of the loud music.

"Bourbon."

"Are we allowed to drink alcohol?"

Xena laughed. "I don't think anyone cares."

Amber hesitated. "Nate told us to keep watch for danger."

"You are a willer, that little drink isn't going to get you drunk."

She finally gave in and took a little sip. "So is this what the job is going to look like? Keeping a look out for danger?"

Xena took a pause from her drink to look at her. "What did you think the job was when you signed up?"

She shrugged. "Keeping people safe?" She made it more of a question than an answer.

Xena frowned lightly. "People, what people?"

"Humans, of course. Isn't that out job."

"Officially yeah, but I didn't sign up to protect stupid humans."

Amber looked confused. "Then what are you working here for?"

Xena stared down at her for longer than Amber thought comfortable before looking away. "It doesn't matter anyway, we are here to do whatever our Baron says."

"I heard Brian might also be joining."

"The more the merrier." She replied in a flat voice.

Amber remained quiet and stared into her drink instead. Their phones beeped simultaneously. She reached into her pocket and withdrew the phone Nate gave her this morning.

*Possible presence of King or his gang. Find them and report back.*

Xena was already on her feet at full alert. She closed her eyes leaving Amber wondering what was happening.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking for any willers around."

Amber resisted the urge to sigh. It seems all she does is to keep finding out about willers abilities she didn't have. "Got anything?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, we should split up. We can cover more ground if we search opposite sides of the club, others will be joining in the search soon. Call if you notice anything."

Amber didn't like the idea of splitting up but Nate had told her to listen to Xena in his absence. She nodded in response but Xena was already leaving. She got up and joined the rising crowd, she made a mental note to ask Nate to teach her how to recognize willers but for now she settled for spotting anyone out of place.

It was not going to be easy with the rising crowd. She stood on a ledge and roved her eyes on the dancing floor, they were mostly teens gyrating to the loud music. He watched closely and spotted a boy walking through the dance floor but not dancing. His movement was jerky and watchful, like he expected one of the dancers to jump at him.

*Maybe he just wants to pee.* Amber thought. But he didn't head for the bathroom but the exit instead. Tickets weren't cheap, she didn't think anyone would pay for them and decide to leave early, not unless you are insanely rich. That was enough reason for Amber to suspect him but she didn't call Xena just in case she was wrong.

She followed the suspicious dude outside to where there were still a lot of people outside waiting to get inside. The boy circumvented the crowd and she was about to follow him before someone called her name.

She looked towards the voice and spotted Macey on the line waving at her, her presence surprised Amber but she was more confused by the boy beside her. It was Bryce, her ex boyfriend, he had broken up with her after Macey had outed her. He was here holding hands with Macey.

She forced down the dread building up in her gut and walked towards them, she could feel eyes on her, she had become a bit popular after that video of her and the cop.

"Hey Macey, what are you doing here?"

"We are trying to enter the club, of course." She said in the most jovial tone ever, like she had not ruined her life after she trusted her. "But we don't have tickets, do you think you can tell the bouncer to let us in?" Bryce at least had the decency of looking at his feet and not make eye contact.

The bouncer walked up behind her. "You know these guys?" He asked in a gruff voice.

The word *no* was on the tip of her tongue, she didn't know this girl who used to be her best friend, who betrayed her trust and is now dating her ex.

"Yeah, let them in. They are cool."

Macey giggled in excitement as the bouncer removed the stanchion to let them in. She tried to hug Amber on her way in but she stepped back to avoid it, she wasn't interested in any of that fake love.

It took a while for her to remember what she was doing, she looked around for the boy she had been following but he was nowhere to be found. "Fuck." She muttered under her breath. This was not her night.

She delved deeper into the crowd, people were still staring, she saw someone take a picture out of the corner of her eye but she didn't pay it any attention. She was almost through the crowd when she saw him on the other side of the street talking to another boy. He was dark skinned with a slight build but the crown tattoo on his forehead sent alarm bells ringing in her head.

She thought it was time to call Xena but it was too late, he spotted her. He reached into his pocket.

Amber didn't wait to see if it was a weapon, one second, she was in the crowd, the next she was crashing hard into the boy.

The other boy she had tailed outside took one look at the situation and was off running. Somehow, she knew he was human and he must have been sent inside to do some recon.

The King boy managed to push her off but not before she snaked a hard fist into his chin.

They both got up together, the boy spat blood on the ground and bared his teeth in aggression. Amber could feel eyes on her before but now she knew there were cameras on her.

The boy charged first, She moved to his back and punched his spine savagely. He keeled forward but some how turned to shoot a beam of light at her.

Her quick reflexes saved her again, she flipped acrobatically to dodge, she then flipped again to set herself right before she ran straight at him again and slammed a glowing fist into his rib cage.

He yelled in pain but to his credit, he didn't go down.

Amber kicked his face, not letting up. The boy surprised her by shooting twin lasers out his eyes. She was too close to dodge so she took the full brunt on her chest.

It didn't hurt much but it broke her concentration. She charged again to regain the upper hand but the boy was ready this time, he erected a shield and pushed it at her.

Amber stopped mid run, she put her glowing palms outward and braced for the impact.

When the shield hit her, her shoulders and elbows absorbed the shock so she could stay on her feet. She pushed back with gritted teeth, it was obvious the boy wasn't expecting it because he tripped on his heel from the returning force.

The shield blinked away and Amber advanced with her whole body glowing to end the fight.

She was surprised when the boy put his hands up in wild abandon. "I surrender."

She stopped short, unsure of what to do. This would be a good time for Xena or Nate to show. Her prayers were answered but it was in form of Minx.

She came out of nowhere in her bubbly pink hair. "What do we have here?" She strolled past Amber like she wasn't there.

"He surrendered, Minx. We should wait for Nate to ---"

She stopped because suddenly the heel of Minx's shoes were in the eye socket of the King boy. The boy gave a sickening gurgle for a long time before dying.

There was a collective gasp from the crowd watching, Amber thought she was going to be sick, she had to struggle not to throw up right there.

Minx looked at her with a bright smile. "There you go, red. That's how you finish a fight."