THE MIDNIGHT HOUR IN RIVERSIDE WAS SOMETHING NAOMI MORGAN HAD ADMITTEDLY NEVER SEEN. When she used to balanced ballet and school, there simply wasn't an opportunity for her to see the moon come second to the Californian street lights, or the groups of stumbling girls huddling down a sidewalk, heels in their hands. She always knew that California strung happiness in nearby palm trees and strummed music from all directions when the line between goodnight and good morning blurred, but it was more spectacular in person. Like the thirty-two fouettes in Swan Lake. Legendary. Until you were the one doing it— extending and retracting your leg as everyone's smiles blurred around you and, in that moment, you became legendary.

Naomi supposed she felt a little legendary. She snuck out of the Morgan home, the building that always seemed to cave in and trap her and she took the subliminal advice of a group of illicit teenagers. She thought it over again in the exposed space on the empty sidewalk and hesitantly came to the conclusion that it was a little less legendary and more crazy. Naomi took a breath.

Naomi Morgan was not quite sure of where she should go now. The pavement felt like it would simply stretch as far as she willed it to and, perhaps if she really wanted, she could walk forever until she made it to the edge of the world where space would take her up off of the face of the earth and carry her away into its vacuum. But she knew— really knew— that she would never make it out of Riverside tonight. She had to find somewhere to stay before the sun decided to start another day and her parents realized their house was a little more soundless than usual. But there was nowhere to turn. Gripping her backpack, Naomi Morgan walked a little faster.

Stepping past the obviously drunk and the apparently busy, she couldn't help but think about the fact that no one seemed perturbed by the lonely girl walking at this time of night with a backpack on her back. Everyone was so engulfed in their own worlds that they never came out of character enough to acknowledge what was around them. Then she remembered she was once like that. Constantly swamped by her own problems so much that she knew nothing about what existed outside of them. She wondered if she had ever walked past a statistic like everyone was doing to her now.

Soon, Naomi also came to realize was that The Guise seemed to be causing a lot more trouble in Riverside's streets than she initially expected. She constantly passed buildings tagged with different suggestions, some with answer-less questions, some with quotes that glared you up and down. It really looked as if they were only here to upset everyone, to have everyone so uncomfortable with reminders of how shitty California was. She had never seen this many vandalised buildings and walls and she supposed the Guise were putting them up faster than landowners could afford to take them down. But as she passed 'So long as we have support we will not be silenced. A pack is only as strong as its wolves' the paint bleeding from the wounds on the wall dripping to the floor, she hoped that they would never stop.

When Naomi saw yellow begin to peek out from tall buildings she expelled another breath. She decided to turn into a mostly abandoned alley and dropped her belongings there. As her back slipped down the cold wall, she hoped she was far enough from her house and the Academy that no one would ever find her. She hoped her new life would be happier. She hoped she could do whatever she wanted. She hoped and hoped until her eyes lulled closed and her head took refuge against her poorly stuffed backpack.

*

When Naomi woke, she immediately knew she hadn't thought any of this through. She couldn't rest peacefully against the hard, cold floor of the Riverside streets and her bag haphazardly filled with clothes and toiletries made a poor excuse for a pillow. Her stomach was growling in her ears too, cursing her for abandoning a place where she would always be fed. But Naomi did not care. She could not return to the Morgan home. She preferred the streets of Riverside. At least they felt real and noisy.

The sun was only barely making an entrance now, just as Naomi's ears were piqued by the little hints of mischief across the street. She sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes. Now, fully awake, there definitely seemed to be something taking place out on the street, hushed voices alongside it. When Naomi stood and exited her alley—she had told herself to get accustomed to referring to it as her alley from now on —she saw that on the street right across from her, there were two discarded bicycles.

Beyond them, two boys were dropping their bags to the ground and whispering to one another hurriedly before unsheathing spray paint cans from their back pockets. The Tiger and the Bull shook well. Then, they began. Their arms were swift, as if they were racing against each other, but they were also deliberate and exact, too. They knew exactly what they came to do and their plan was inadmissible.

As Naomi watched, she found herself staring more at them than at their painting and she remembered the first time she saw them do this. She was about to head into the Centre when she saw that the Fox, with her huge afro, was only a few feet away, decorating a wall with a vivid '#ThankYouRiverside' mural. Back then, Naomi made the decision to turn around and hurriedly go up the Centre's steps. This time, she wouldn't make the same mistake.

She ran over, skimming past Riverside's cars before eventually reaching the boys. They didn't turn around so she racked her brain for something to say.

"Hey."

The sound of paint splattering the wall as a lot louder than she expected, so were their voices. Maybe she had been quiet all along. "You can take pictures after," one of them directed at her.

"I-I'm not here to take pictures."

"Then why are you here?"

Naomi was silent for a moment. She decided that she had told enough pathetic lies to last her a lifetime. She now wanted to utter brutal truths for all of the time that she had left. "I have nowhere else to go."

The Tiger finally turned and faced her. Under the yellow sun, Naomi could clearly see that his mask wasn't perfect. It held a few dents and scratches in the whiskers and on the cheeks. Its face wasn't growling or snaring either. It was stoic and contemplative, but somehow that made the boy standing before her that much more intimidating."What's your name?" he asked.

"Naomi."

"Nice to meet you, Naomi." As he said it, he leaned forward and a nearby streetlight flicked off. This close, Naomi saw glimpses of his real skin. It was dark, darker than hers but smoother and less damaged. The boy under the tiger mask was black, and she wasn't exactly sure why that surprised here. Then, it seemed as if he saw something new in her too because his voice rose when he asked, "Do I know you?"

It was odd how when he spoke, nothing moved. His entire posture was stiff, yet his voice dipped and rose like it had its own personality. The Tiger's head cocked as he let his sentence breathe.

The Bull turned around now. "She's the girl that was crying in the rain," he said nonchalantly.

Naomi imagined under that mask, the Tiger's eyes illuminated. Then, the Bull began speaking again. "Hear that?" It was faint and perhaps if he didn't mention it, Naomi probably would not have caught the police sirens fading into the background. He lifted his bicycle and mounted it.  With a last look at the graffiti, he uttered, "it's not perfect, but it'll get the job done. Let's go."

Naomi glanced at the wall behind her, its '19 and counting...' echoing in her ear. Quickly, she swivelled around again and found herself looking back at the Tiger, but she couldn't quite tell if he was staring back at her or looking over her shoulder. "Wait," they said simultaneously. A beat that felt years long passed before the Tiger continued on his own, "We can't just leave her here."

The other boy didn't move for a while. "You can't be serious." A beat passed. "Jesus Christ, Saint. We aren't running a charity, you know."

"You know what happens to the kids they catch. She can't stay here alone." The sirens were coming in louder now and the Bull held his unwavering gaze like a challenge he refused to lose. Then, he glanced at Naomi and scoffed. He turned around briskly and mounted his bicycle before pedalling off, the whole time shaking his head with heavy disappointment.

With just the two of them left, Naomi decided she should probably apologize but before she had the chance, the Tiger was propping up his bicycle. As he mounted it, she swore she saw his foot move for the pedal with force. But he turned around and patted the edge of the seat behind him. "What are you doing? Get on!"

Author's Note
And so it begins! I'm gonna try updating earlier on Fridays but idk we'll see.

This week the dedication must go to a someone I'm so lucky to be reading my stories, @concussive I look up to her and I love her books so to see her here supporting me, is crazy. Her comments always make me laugh and feel warm inside so she continues to make my days. Ilysm thank you for everything! If you vote and comment, the next dedication could be you!

So, this is your first introduction to The Guise what are your first impressions? Let me know in the comments!

IN THE NEXT CHAPTER...
"Welcome to The Guise..."