Volume I: The Lost Boys

11th of October, 2023. Westview high, Brooklyn

Students poured into the hallway as soon as the buzzing ring echoed over the school’s PA system. A short minute later, and the once quiet and empty corridor was flooded by chattery teenagers, eager to make the most out of the short recess between their boring classes.

The more seriously-minded among them made a beeline to their lockers to retrieve the textbooks so they could head straight to their next class without delay. Others were more interested in catching up with their friends before their next period started, gathering in small clusters that inevitably congested the crowded passageway.

The clatter of locker doors opening and closing, the squeaking of sneakers over the floor, and students talking over one another, made it hard to carry a conversation without raising your voice to match the pandemonium in the background. The two teenagers standing near the row of lockers did NOT raise their voices. They would have gone unnoticed by all, if not for the evident distress on the girl's face…

Unknowingly to the two, there was another bit of drama brewing farther down the hallway, one which, predictably, involved the Ogre. The monstrous giant always drew the attention of the entire student body whenever he stepped out of the classroom. Only today, the stares and fearful glances were accompanied by hushed whispers and an occasional giggle – and it all had to do with the three Harpies walking right in front of him, their voices carried farther than one would expect over the cacophony of the school’s hallway as the students tended to be much more reserved in the monster’s presence

Enola closes her locker just as Deion and Angelina finish speaking, having eavesdropped on their conversation with as much subtly as possible. Given the nature of her powers, her rodent friends have given an ample description of Mr. Sleepy, the laziest cat in the neighbourhood. Every time she passes by Angelina's house on the way to work and Mr. Sleepy is lazing about, she can hear how brazen the squirrels and field mice are about walking up to the cat without provoking it. The name is certainly apt. Still, rodent or not, Enola can definitely understand Angelina's worry. One of Enola's pet rats escaped from her enclosure back in Wyoming years back. She was worried sick, and were it not for her powers, she'd have never found them. Angelina does not have that same capability nor does she have any means of finding Mr. Sleepy. However, who better to find a cat than its potential prey? She could try asking the local rodents if they've found a cat matching the description. It might be a long shot; cats are notorious for exploring hard-to-reach areas. Mr. Sleepy however is a special lazy case. Enola figures that she could ask around while looking for Chayton after school. The thought of her brother's behaviour forces a sigh out of her, but she buries it quickly enough to turn to Angelina.

"Hey, uh, Angelina?" she says, nervous of offending her further. "I couldn't help but hear about Mr. Sleepy. I go on long walks around the neighbourhood all the time." Mainly to track down my annoying brother. "I can't promise that I'll find him, but I'll do my best to keep an eye out for him. I've got my own pet at home so I know the feeling of one of them running away. So...yeah."