"Beat you there!"

Samuel leaped from the ground, his wings fully expanding as he took off into the sky like a rocket. The darkness of night swallowed him up within a matter of seconds, sending a baffled Serah rushing after him. "Beat me where?"

She struggled to catch up with her brother as he soared through the air, never slowing down, refusing to take it easy on her. A quarter of a mile separated the two as they weaved in and out of the clouds, speeding past airplanes as if they merely hovered, closing the distance between them and the radiant stars. The orbs of magnificent light burned in the atmosphere, far past the ozone, their exploding gasses releasing strong energy—the same energy that flowed through Serah’s body. A small star burned inside of her, fueling her life, emanating Grace, like blood pumping through a fragile human heart.

The two raced from one side of the world to the other: past the protesters covering the streets of Beijing, along the soon-to-be demolished Berlin Wall, through London’s Purley Station, still reeling from a deadly train crash. They flew across the Atlantic Ocean, Samuel plunging into the depths of the water as Serah stayed airborne, her fingertips skimming the surface of the ocean and causing waves to appear.

They crossed the border into North America, where Samuel abruptly stopped mid-air. Serah skidded to a stop as he dropped, hurling toward the ground like an atomic missile. He landed on his feet with a thud in the playground of an elementary school as Serah appeared by his side, shaking her head. "Where are we?"

"A little town called Chorizon," he replied.

"Okay," she hedged. "And why are we here?"

He waved his hands in front of him, gesturing toward a building across the road, a "Grand Opening" banner still hanging from the roof. Chorizon Community Center. Cars swarmed the area around it, loud music thumping from inside. Beyond the noise, meshing with the vibrating bass, Serah could hear the frantic racing of over a hundred heartbeats.

Behind them, the air shifted as a current crackled, Hannah popping up. Serah barely had time to look at her friend when another noise sounded, louder, less restrained. Michael appeared, silencing both girls before they could start their chattering.

"Glad you could make it, man," Samuel said, greeting him.

"I appreciate the invitation," Michael replied. "Although, I’m not sure what would interest us here."

"Apparently that," Serah said, motioning across the street. "I don’t really know what that is yet, but I’m sure it’s something big if Samuel dragged us all here for it."

She glared at her brother. He'd been inviting Michael everywhere recently, and Serah still hadn't gotten used to his imposing presence.

"It is big," Samuel confirmed. "From what I’ve heard, anyway. I’m still a bit rusty on human customs, though, so I may be wrong. As soon as I get a grasp on them, they change."

Serah’s brow furrowed. "What’s going on?"

A wide grin nearly split Samuel’s face in two. "Prom."

Hannah and Michael both stared blankly, neither knowing what Samuel meant, but that lone word told Serah all she needed to know. Prom. "Seriously?"

"What’s a prom?" Hannah asked. "I don’t get it."

"It’s a celebration," Serah explained. "Teenagers come together, dressed up, and dance the night away. It's kind of a human rite of passage."

Matching expressions glazed Hannah and Michael’s faces, lingering confusion with a dash of dismay.

"Yeah," Hannah said. "I’m out."

Hannah vanished as Serah and Samuel turned to Michael. Serah expected him to bow out too but he remained, his perplexed appearance not lifting as he nodded across the street. "Are we staying out here, or are we joining their festivities?"

Serah stammered as Michael stared directly at her, awaiting her answer to his question. She wasn’t quite sure what to say. Samuel let out a hearty laugh, nudging her playfully as she finally gave a non-committal shrug.

"Come on," Samuel said. "It’s going to be totally bitchin’."

Serah burst into laughter as Michael’s expression briefly hardened with disapproval. Samuel clapped him on the shoulder, chuckling. "Relax, it’s just something the kids say these days."

The three descended upon the prom. Serah wasted no time immersing herself in the sea of frilly neon dresses and outrageously teased hair, twirling across the dance floor to the trendy pop song, her wings folded away as she took on her human form. She purposely remained invisible, a ruffling breeze as she passed, moving through them and around them, blending in.

Samuel mingled through the crowd, also in undetectable human form, while Michael stood along the back, wings fully engaged like an Archangel bodyguard. The mighty warrior seemed ill at ease with the high school crowd, but he didn’t leave, instead choosing to watch, apprehension in his bright eyes as they remained affixed to the wildly dancing angel. Serah could detect his presence in the air, intense, overwhelming. How could the humans be near him, around him, brush against him, and not feel the powerful life force? It left her spellbound.

She was swept off her feet—literally—when Samuel popped up behind her, grabbing her around the stomach and swinging her around. She spun in a circle, twisting like a tornado, and laughed when she came to a stop face-to-face with her brother.

"Having fun?" he asked.

She nodded, brushing the hair out of her face. "What in the world gave you this idea?"