Amy

'Hey, kid', it was my favourite Italian, Morello, 'beauty sleep is over, let's move'. Awaken by roars from outside, I sat up.

'Is there a riot outside?' I groaned, rubbing my eyelids.

'Oh-ho yeah'.

Before ending up apprehended by the police yet again, I travelled from one accommodation to another, trying to keep out of sight. I sold out my own boss. And now, Vixen members were looking to bury me.

So I made a business selling jewels I stole from Acosta's last auction to big black-market dealers.

Snitched on by my greatest school nemesis, I was duped into arranging a sale to the detective from his car, then arrested, and dumped back here.

'Hundreds, or thousands...?' I asked, excitedly.

'Maybe a million!' Morello squealed. I gasped, while he re-cuffed me with special cuffs then dragged me through the hall, 'since the caf was broken into and set on fire, they're evacuating the building'.

From the TV on the wall, in the corner of the room, I saw her face again, Cleo. Live footage showed a lot of people protesting on the streets. I couldn't believe it, but it was all happening.

'You think that's nice? Violence against people who protect other people?!' As we sped-walked unpeacefully through the building's back exit, I felt a surge of disorientation.

'I never said it was nice'.

'Get the girl', Sergio ordered from the exit as we rushed out to the parking lot, 'okay good, let's go'.

I was shoved into a black SUV, in between Kai and Morello, and behind Sergio and Selena on the wheel. Like an Atari game, bricks, bats, balls of fire were thrown directly at the police department.

It was a thrill... until I watched protesters beat cops to death, steal their weapons, and go apeshit on the rest of the department. Police cars burned down, and some officers were set on fire.

No. This isn't what Cleo would've wanted.

As we swerved Bullets smashed through our rear window. The only way out... was through the people.

'How did Julian and the rest of them get through this?' Selena asked. We were almost fully surrounded.

'They took this same route before all these people ...' Sergio replied, unable to finish his sentence. Angry fists banged on his window, with people chanting something along the lines of F the feds. 'Don't slow down, keep driving...' Seconds later they stopped, and began taking pictures of him from their phones. Sergio used his jacket to block his window, but more and more people showed up to paparazzi our car.

'Why are they taking pictures of us?' Selena asked, keeping her eyes under her cap.

'Maybe cuz you look good', I suggested. With agitated expressions, they eyed me, '... or it may have something to do with your face being on the news'.

'Sergio...' Morello blurted, watching channels from his phone, 'she's right. You're all over the news. Allegations from Southbridge, and other investigators that you murdered Cleo, and framed a jailed crime lord'.

'What?!'

'The DC of Southbridge went to the press, claiming they have enough evidence to suggest the chief of Bluebridge murdered Cleodora Martinez, or covered for a member of that department', Morello explained, paraphrasing a news transcript.

'Dammit?!' Sergio blasted, 'Amy...'

'I was not a part of this', I assured.

'Actually... I was gonna ask if you could use your powers to get us out of this. You know – do that thing you do'.

'What?'

'You did it wearing cuffs the last time'.

'Those were normal cuffs', I argued. These custom-made cuffs the police made me wear emitted a frequency that supressed all my powers. It was a precaution, they said. So, Morello removed them. 'Thanks'. Now, I was out of an excuse. Rotating my wrists, clicking my fingers, and circulating the blood that needed circulation, I gave my hands a long yoga stretch, 'but there's another problem'.

'Yeah, what is it?' Sergio squirmed impatiently.

'Do you think attempting my powers in front of all these people with cameras is a good idea–'

'I don't care!' he shouted, 'I mean – look...' then took a breath, 'I know I may be asking the impossible, I'm not familiar with the depth of your abilities, but the situation is dire!'

'I-err... I don't know', I sighed, then closed my eyes. Something strange happened. Slowly but surely, people cleared our path, stepping far back from the car, 'drive faster'.

'They're... moving', Selena whispered. Every camera that was on us sparked up or glitched out.

My brain felt like it was on fire. But it seemed like there was an invisible IR field around our car. If anyone touched it or filmed us, got shocked, and their phones sparked.

We had enough leeway to get to the motorway, and eventually all crash at the detective's house.

Cuffed again, I sat on the couch engaged with the news on the TV.

Kai and Morello, the two detectives I called donut and hot dog, were in the kitchen, Selena by the coffee table with a laptop, and Sergio was by the balcony on the phone. Was nobody gonna tell me what the hell was going on? The more sensitive the information they shared, the quieter they spoke.

'City protests are angry and underway because Bluebridge police have allegedly tried to cover up the murder of a young, African-Brazilian woman by scapegoating the crime lord of the organisation, yet no solid evidence has been provided to prove this claim', said the news lady.

'Thank you, Amy', Sergio finally hung up, 'I was just checking on the others to make sure they're safe'.

'They're not the ones who need to worry', I replied, 'tell me something. If Acosta is innocent, his little foxes are innocent, and you were framed... doesn't this mean the killer is still out there?'

'Valid question...' he sat beside me on the couch, 'unfortunately yes.' For a guy who was being framed and continually smeared all over the media he was rather calm.

'Aren't you frightened? All those people, the riots, the investigators... they're coming for you'.

'With no evidence'.

'Not yet...'

'They won't get any evidence!' he refuted, agitated. We could all smell mistrust in the room, but nobody dared to question it. After an awkward moment of silence, they all went back to what they were doing before.

'You pinned it all on Acosta?'

'We... don't always find everyone', Sergio expressed his petty concern, like he even cared. None of them did, 'sorry'.

'This – is why people hate you', I seethed, 'you cops forge your own victory, pretending you solve cases you don't–'

'I can assure you this is the first time this has happened here!' he insisted, 'and it will be the last. But right now, we need to focus on protecting ourselves, and protecting you'.

'I don't need protecting'.

'On the contrary', he scoffed, 'I just got off a call from Royal Intelligence, asking me to point them to you. But we all know once they have you, Amy, the things they will do to you.'

'So, what are you gonna do?'