For a moment April wondered if George really knew who she was dealing with. There was a time that she had perfected the ‘innocent’ look, and at this very moment she wasn’t buying George’s for a minute. Maybe not all of the other girl’s comments were intentionally designed to creep her out, but that first one had to have been. So for that comment alone April was still trying to think up a great revenge prank. “Yes, I will,” her tone was confident, despite the other girl’s disbelief. “You shouldn’t doubt me, others have doubted me and lived to regret it.” Her expression was serious, though even April knew she wasn’t all that intimating, even if she tried really hard at it – she was just too ‘adorable’.
“Maman? That’s mom in French, right?” April knew enough French to make her dangerous, but not enough to hold any kind of lengthy conversation. Apparently that’s what happened when the world fell apart before you managed to finish High School. Manners were one of those things that Aunt Anna had never really drilled into any of them, but she had made it pretty clear that she expected them all to behave – even if April was the only one who every managed to even attempt to follow her wishes.
Despite the relatively easy conversation and upbeatness of this little adventure, there had always been a part of April that had been on high alert. Ready for a fight, and in some ways almost wanting it. It was that wild streak in her, the one that liked the adrenaline rush of fighting or running. But today she didn’t particularly want dead things creeping up on them, after all she had promised Rae awhile back that nothing bad was going to happen to her and she really wanted to keep that promise. The weight of her katana against her back was comforting, even as they came to a stop in front of the store.
She had never promised it would be Saks Fifth Avenue or anything, but it was a clothing store and would hopefully have something that might suit George’s desire to look good for her date with Luke. April heard the rattling noise the same time George did, and she met the other girl’s gaze with a confused one of her own. It hadn’t come from the shop, which meant one thing – it had come from somewhere on the street.
“Hear that?” She asked, her blue eyes going wide with the realization that they weren’t alone anymore. That wasn’t rattling; no, it was the distinct sound of Runners. Shit. April tried to ignore the part of her that was jumping and bouncing, itching for this kind of confrontation with dead things. This wasn’t supposed to happen today; funny how fate always changed the things that were supposed to happen. Every nerve in her body was buzzing, ready to leap into action. Instinct told her to run, but the reminder of George standing next to her kept her from blindly racing off. April’s own gaze followed George’s down the street, even if she knew what she would see before her eyes even landed on the Runners.
There were three of them. Shit. Gone was the thought that she shouldn’t jump into action blindly, instead when she caught George’s muttered words she glanced sideways at the other girl and murmured. “I think you’re right,” before she shifted her weight and pushed off, sprinting down the street despite the fact she knew there wasn’t a chance in hell they would manage to outrun the Runners.