Jody never imagined in her life that one day she'd get to board a private jet.
It felt just like a scene out of a movie. A sleek white plane, compact and polished, with elite airport staff surrounding it, checking every corner for safety.
The plane's door slowly opened and curved downward until it touched the tarmac.
A cool breeze and the faint scent of expensive perfume wafted toward Jody. From the golden glow coming from inside, she could tell this jet wasn't just private—it was luxurious.
Sera noticed Jody's awe at the sight and couldn't help but feel a little taller. Even if Jody didn't say anything outright, her face gave her away. There had to be at least a little wow in there.
Her moment of pride, however, was immediately ruined.
Syd Barrett casually picked his nose and wiped it right on the edge of the jet's door before walking up without a care in the world.
"Hey! What the hell?!"
"...Huh? What?"
He turned around with the same deadpan look that said what're you yelling about now?
"I saw that, you filthy goblin! That's disgusting!"
"Oh. So you did see."
Syd sighed, disappointed.
"Wow. Smooth," Mickey said, patting Syd on the shoulder as he passed.
"You should've wiped it inside instead. Rookie mistake."
"You freaks!!!" Sera snapped.
"Calm down, Sera," Mickey teased.
Sera chucked her Chanel bag at both of them. Syd dodged with ease. Mickey? Not so lucky—got smacked square in the face.
Inside, the plane was divided into two main sections. The front, just behind the cockpit, was designed like a casual lounge—perfect for partying. Right now, it was the guys' den.
The back, however, was quieter and more private. Since Sera owned the plane, she wasted no time kicking the boys up front and reserving the rear space for herself—and the girls.
At the moment, Roxxy was still busy discussing something with the guys. That left just Jody and Sera in the back cabin.
Jody took the window seat. Sera sat beside her and scooted in a little.
"Jody, water?"
She opened the mini-fridge beneath the seat to reveal an array of drinks.
"Thanks. Just water's fine."
Jody reached for a bottle and took a sip.
"You like it?"
Sera asked.
The American girl nodded.
"Never thought I'd get to ride something like this."
She turned to look out the window, staring into the night.
Sera crossed her legs.
"You'll get used to it."
"Yeah... if my family had a hundred million dollars, maybe."
"Hey," Sera hissed sharply.
"Really, Jody? You too? Enough already. You're giving me a migraine."
"Haha... sorry."
"..."
Jody set the water bottle down and Sera continued.
"So… how are things with those guys?"
"Hmm?"
Jody looked over.
"You know—them."
Sera nodded toward the front cabin.
"Wait. Are you worried about me?"
"I just want to know how you're surviving without getting your brain turned to mush by those idiots! God, just thinking about them pisses me off!"
"Oh… still mad about Mickey saying you were 'thick', huh?"
"THICK?! Say that again and I'll slap your teeth out!"
"So... still mad then."
"Seriously, that four-eyed freak! I swear, he must think his dad will drop dead if he doesn't mess with me every five minutes. Always claiming he's not into me—but can't stop messing around. Absolute psycho!"
"He probably thinks teasing you is fun."
"Fun?! That's not fun—that's psychotic, Jody!"
"He's got scratches all over from when you attacked him at home. And that's not even counting the slaps."
"Are you seriously feeling sorry for him?! I'm the one who needs your sympathy! Oh right, I forgot—you're an ex-bully. Must be fun watching this, huh?"
"No, Sera… it's not like that."
"Then what is it like?!"
"...I don't really have the right to talk about bullying... Like Syd said, I've got no right to preach to anyone..."
"Then what would you say if I just ignored it?"
"...I think they're not trying to be cruel. If Mickey meant to hurt you, he wouldn't have let you hit him back."
"..."
Ugh… she's not wrong. If Mannix had gotten serious…
Sera clenched her jaw and her fists.
"I think… that's just their way of showing friendliness. You might want to try adjusting a bit."
"Adjust? Are you nuts? They're the ones acting weird, not me! God, what is wrong with them!"
"It's like being at school. If you're living under the same roof as people more experienced than you… it's usually the less experienced ones who have to adapt. That's just how the world works."
"...."
That shut Sera up.
"The reason you're angry is because this time, you're the one who has to adapt—not them."
There was no way to argue with that. Sera leaned back against the plush seat, letting her head fall over the top.
"Ughhh… what did I do to deserve this…"
"We're lucky, you know. If it were anyone else, we might've ended up being used like slaves."
"..."
"True..."
"Syd might be a lot, but deep down he's a good guy. Remember, he cooked for you. Mickey too… I think he's one of the most respectable people I've met. If you gave him a chance, I think you'd learn a lot from him. And Toshi—he's the glue holding this whole madhouse together."
"Alright, alright! Enough already! Jeez, if you praise them any harder you'll sprain your tongue..."
Sera was clearly annoyed, but even she couldn't deny the truth in Jody's words. Just thinking of those three idiots laughing made her feet twitch in frustration.
"And then… there's the girl."
"!"
"Roxxy…"
"Ah... right..."
Sera felt weirdly awkward the moment Jody said her name. Honestly, Jody should've been the one feeling uncomfortable—but somehow, it was her instead.
Strangely enough, Jody's expression didn't change one bit. No concern, no hesitation—just calm, steady eyes. Unlike when she spoke about the three guys.
That made Sera uneasy.
Just like when Roxxy had mentioned Jody earlier… the vibe had been exactly the same.
"Jody... about that girl… I talked to her already."
"I saw."
"...She's not that bad. Kinda shy, actually. But I still don't get why she doesn't like you..."
"...That one's not hard to guess, Sera."
"..."
"Oh—that? Just go tell her yourself that you're not into her brother. A guy like that's doomed to die alone if no one smacks sense into him."
"It's not about that..."
"Huh? Then what's it about?"
"..."
Just one look in Jody's eyes, and Sera knew.
Sera realized immediately—there was still one more thing she hadn't considered.
"...You mean because of what happened… the news about you?"
Jody nodded.
"It's not like I can just walk up and have a heart-to-heart. Roxxy probably already thinks I'm scum."
She sighed.
"She's built a wall. There's not much I can do… other than what Toshi said."
Which was—do nothing. Just do her part, and do it well.
"..."
A dead air crept between them as Jody turned her gaze back to the window.
But Sera wasn't done. Another thought crossed her mind—so she changed the subject.
"This… martial art thing you're training in..."
Jody's head whipped around the moment Sera brought it up.
"...What exactly is it?"
"Why? You thinking of joining?"
Sera hesitated for a second.
"You want me to bow to someone like him (Syd)? Not a chance."
Jody smirked. Yup, this was Sera, through and through.
"I'm still a rookie myself... but if I had to explain it—it's kind of like our version of power. Only normal people can train in it too."
"And how do you train it? Is it hard?"
"I'm still at the beginner level. Syd told me to train until I can keep my aura active for an hour straight."
"What?! Seriously??"
Sera's eyes widened. She gawked.
For her, even holding it for twenty minutes would leave her gasping on the floor.
"Are you sure he's not trying to kill you?"
"Haha."
Jody laughed under her breath.
"You're being dramatic, Sera."
"No, I'm not! With them, anything is possible! Doesn't that idiot (Syd) understand that people with powers have limits?!"
"You're wrong, Sera."
Jody's voice changed—suddenly serious. It caught Sera completely off guard.
Jody shook her head, her tone firm.
"It's the opposite, actually… He understands it completely. And he knows how to explain it in a way even a kid could get."
"...Really...? He understands that much?"
"Yeah. Too much, maybe..."
"..."
"What are you trying to say, Jody..."
"....."
"..."
"..."
"Jody... don't tell me... you think..."
"..."
Jody nodded once.
"I think Syd isn't powerless at all."
"Wait—wait, hang on! Jody, think this through! We don't know what that guy's done before we met him. He could've broken necks for all we know! And if Syd really was one of the powered, he would've used it in a fight ages ago! You get what I'm saying?"
"..."
"...You're right..."
Jody turned back to the window.
"Maybe I jumped the gun."
"...Sounds like you've been thinking about those guys a lot..."
"And you haven't?"
"..."
Of course she had. Sera had thought about them, too.
Those four... and THRAK… each one of them was fascinating in their own right.
They'd both spent most of their lives thinking they were at the top of the food chain… until they met people even higher up. Or rather, people hiding in the shadows—like those four, and the organization they served.
Then something clicked in Sera's mind.
"...Oh right... That reminds me..."
"Hm?"
"Remember that day we split up in front of the station?"
"The day you almost got incinerated?"
"Yeah—okay, you don't have to highlight that part."
"Why not?"
"Anyway, that night I went home and tried searching up info on Syd online..."
"I did too. Didn't find much about the Barrett siblings—nothing that stood out."
"Yeah… if you're using normal websites."
"Huh?"
"Here's the thing..."
Sera glanced toward the door between their cabin and the front.
No one was coming. So she leaned in and quickly told Jody.
"I tried checking the dark web... looking for anything about that guy. And I found something kind of interesting."
"What was it?"
"I'm not sure if it was real or fake—but it was a video, looked like a building on fire in some forest. I don't know."
Jody furrowed her brows.
"A fire?"
"Yeah. The person who posted it claimed it was a Barrett family building. Said the blaze was worse than Notre-Dame. Even showed animals running on fire. I'd show you, but the laptop I used is back at the hotel."
"Really? But there's nothing about that on Google."
"Exactly! That's what makes it weird—I have no idea if it's real or fake."
"...."
"Once we finish this mission, I could send it to you?"
"No. Don't do that, Sera. Absolutely not. Did you forget Roxxy can scan all our devices? If we want to talk about anything sketchy, we do it face-to-face. No apps. No texts. We don't even know what those chips Syd put in our phones really do. For all we know, they could alert him the second we try tampering with anything."
"...Ah. Right. But you've still got your iPad, don't you?"
"You think that's safe?"
"..."
"Someone like Syd could've easily planted something in mine already. The only device he hasn't touched is that laptop of yours. Unless... Mickey got to it."
"Oh damn! That time he barged into my room..."
"Mickey barged in?"
"Never mind that… but yeah. There's like a 50/50 chance he might've done something to it. I thought I'd hidden it well. If he found it… he would've already called me out on it."
Click.
Roxxy opened the door, and Sera and Jody immediately clammed up.
The door hadn't shut fully, so they could still hear the chaos up front. The guys were clearly gaming—screaming, laughing, throwing jabs at each other.
"...💢"
Was this a plane or a circus tent? Syd and Toshi's voices echoed like a full-on frat house.
"HEY! Keep it down, will you?!"
Sera shouted.
"..."
It worked. The monkeys went silent. But then—one voice muttered, just loud enough to carry:
"...What's she whining about now, fatass..."
!!!!!!!!!
Forget poking the bear—they'd torn the damn bear's face off.
The voice had been low, barely a whisper. No way to tell who said it. But it was one of them. And they clearly thought she hadn't heard.
"What did you just say?!?!?"
Sera shot up, storming toward the front cabin, screaming curses all the way.
"Who said that?! You four-eyed freak? Or you, you racist jerk?! Think I didn't hear you?! Show yourself, now!!! Don't you dare ignore me, you lowlife scum!!!"
Sera stormed out, leaving Roxxy sitting in place.
Neither of them said another word to each other—not until the plane touched down.
They'd arrived in France. In Paris.