December 26th, 5032

“SCARLET SINCLAIR! I swear to the heavens, if we miss our flight I’m kicking your plump ass!”

I groaned, rolling my eyes as I finished applying my red matte lipstick.

My name is Scarlet Sinclair, twenty-five-year-old criminal investigator and today, my best friend Cece Alexandra Rose may potentially kill me. If this event occurs, please notify Kendrick, my biological father. You may disclose that my best friend murdered me in cold blood, due to my worn-out self sleeping in after an eventful week of sex and, of course, fun. Was it worth it? Hell, to the fuck yeah.

“First off, we aren’t going to be late. Alfred said he scheduled us an Uber, which should be here any minute now. Second, you love my ass and wouldn’t dare to leave a dent in it with your mighty kicks.” I yelled. I finished the last touch ups of my lipstick before turning to face my standing mirror.

I smiled at my vibrant reflection. I wore a romper with a floral design – the navy-blue material filled with various colors of flowers. It matched with my bright red Christian Louboutins, YSL Baby-Cabas hand purse, and Jeffree Star Redrum lipstick; I looked fierce. My neon orange hair was tied up in a ponytail, and my slightly tanned skin, smokey black eyeshadow, dynamic false lashes, and Becca cosmetics highlight were enough to catch a few glances.

I didn’t go on vacation often, but when I did, I made sure I was a show stopper. This vacation wasn’t going to be any different.

“Meow.”

I turned down to see Moonlight sitting next to my feet; his black tail waved back and forth as his turquoise eyes stared up at me. I knelt to scratch his neck, inducing low purrs.

“Hey there, Moonlight. How’s my Starlight god doing this evening?”

Moonlight poked his head against my hand before hissing.

“Don’t be appreciative one second and antsy the next. Should I call you Rikki?” I proposed to my familiar who stopped his hissy fit and sat down obediently. I sighed. Ever since finding out he was a Starlight god, I’d given him the nickname Rikki, which he despised.

“You get upset at the weirdest things you know that? Hmm, actually, maybe I’m weird talking to my cat in the middle of my empty bedroom.” I mumbled to myself as I realized how crazy I sounded.

Moonlight had been my pet cat for years…or should I say cycles? I was still getting used to the whole Starlight terminology. I’d found out through some unfortunate events and near death misses that Moonlight was in fact my familiar, assigned to me by the Starlight gods. What’s even more interesting was the fact HE actually was one.

I didn’t quite understand why a Starlight god would want to be a cat or any animal for that matter, but with everything I’d been through the last six months, anything was possible in this world.

I gave him another scratch, moving to pet his head before rising to my feet.

He sat up; those blue eyes darted to my vanity. He took a few steps forward before leaping onto the white table top, sitting next to my navy-blue, fingerless gloves.

“Are you reminding me to bring my gloves?” I inquired with a smirk.

He turned to look at me before nodding his furry head. I reached out for my gloves; applying them with ease and fastening the red ribbon that lined the wrist in a beautiful pattern. It was still chilly here in LA, but it wouldn’t be long till we’d be on a plane and then boarding the number one cruise ship for the Millionaire-All-Star New Year’s Cruise.

I was officially in the billionaire club, thanks to my artwork. I hadn’t realized till a few months ago when my teammates...or should I say love interests, brought up the status and the benefits of the rich and famous.

I hadn’t had a clue. I knew not keeping track of my funds was not the smartest, having been scolded by Kendrick many times about it, but I wasn’t one to use much money unless I bought brand-name items. Most of the time, Cece was the one delivering me tons of brand name items, especially bags and makeup.

Cece Alexandra Rose was my best friend, who’d just gotten back from her vacation with her giant of a boyfriend, Vinzent. I’d vowed to be packed and ready by the time she’d arrived. Our flight had been scheduled to leave three hours after she arrived at my place, it would be a struggle to reach the airport if we left my house an hour before. However, I had been discovered asleep.

It truly wasn’t my fault that I had been so exhausted. If you had to choose between going to sleep early or having steamy hot sex with not one or two but THREE sexy beasts, you’d have fun all night long and never worry about sleep again. Obviously, I took the second option and boy oh boy, was it hot and exhausting.

“SCARLET!”

I sighed, shaking myself out of my thoughts before petting Moonlight one last time.

“Coming,” I replied, not bothering to raise my voice. Knowing Cece’s over-sensitive hearing, I wouldn’t be surprised if she heard me.

I knelt again to face Moonlight – his eyes peered at me curiously as he walked to the edge of the table.

“I’ll be home soon. Try to go see Nightmare, okay? Makoto and the others should be around until the New Year. Well...I guess you can see her whenever really. Sigh, this is so complicated. Anyways, love you.” I ended, pressing my forehead against his.

He purred; the feeling of magic flowed around me for a split second. I smiled at the warm sensation that settled in my skin. It made me wonder what he’d just done.

I rose back up before placing my purse on my bed to scan my belongings.

“Passport? Check. Phone? Check. Work ID...why am I even bringing this?” I commented, looking at my Paranormal INC badge.

“Meow, meow.” I looked over my shoulder to Moonlight who still sat on my vanity.

“You want me to bring this?”

He nodded in response. I opened the badge – PARANORMAL INC written in pink beneath the metallic symbol with my name and picture on the other half. It was always my dream to be a part of the top criminal investigation organization in the country. I assumed it would take me years before I finally got a chance at an interview.

But, thanks to my gift of foresight and a crystal ball, I was able to find a team that accepted me with open arms. It wasn’t until later that it was revealed that the “paranormal” in their name wasn’t a filler but reality – hinting at the existence of the paranormal race.

Now, I was a part of the dynamic as both an investigator and, apparently, the prophesied Elemental .

“Alright. Doesn’t hurt to bring it for extra ID. Be good Moonlight, and stop being a stubborn ass and visit Nightmare. I can’t stand you when you’re all lovesick.” I scolded, pointing a finger at the familiar.

He scrunched his cute little face before hissing, jumping off my table and scurrying away to take his frustration out on the scratching post.

I put the ID in my luggage and pulled out my phone. No notifications yet, but we still had two hours till our flight, so we should be able to make it.

“SCAR—”

“For crying out loud, I’m fucking coming Cece!” I cut her off; my frustration caused the candle on my vanity to light up; a large flame lit the wick of the new candle. I glanced at it before frowning.

“Dammit flames. You can’t do that when I’m on the cruise and get mad. Actually, I shouldn’t be getting mad to begin with. This is a trip to relax and party hard before the New Year. Ugh, I shouldn’t even be talking to a flame!” I groaned in frustration before taking a calming breath, centering my emotions. The flame began to retreat; decreasing in size until it flickered off – the scent of winter candy apple and the lingering smoke remained.

No burning up the ship, Scarlet.

I flinched at the sudden vibration in my left hand – the screen of my iPhone lit up to reveal the automated message that our UBER driver had arrived. Excellent.

I grabbed my headphones and e-reader from my nightstand, turning it on quickly to ensure my next book to be read was downloaded: The Vixen’s Lead.

Makoto, EliaseAnne, and Cece had been trying to get me to read it, insisting we’d need to locate a woman named Kit Davenport and invite her to our group of badass chicks. I wondered if this was based on a true story and if so, how’d we be able to locate and kidnap her without eyewitnesses? Decisions.

I shrugged, putting the e-reader away. I’ll let Cece deal with it. She’s good at kidnapping.

I took one final glance at my Scar Only room, making sure to remember every placement and alignment. Totally an investigator habit, but you could never be too careful as an investigator – especially when you’re in a well-known team like Team Seven.

I flicked off the light, closing the door and pressing the lock button – a click followed by a red flashing light, which indicated the security system was in place.

I walked through the short hallway of my flat – my heels clicked-clacked against the slick, black floor.

I entered my living room – Cece typed furiously on the screen of her iPhone. I raised my eyebrow as I frowned at her. The poor keyboard would crack if her razor-sharp, shellac nails didn’t lay off the weak glass. We all knew how fragile iPhones were. One drop and farewell to the eight-hundred-dollar phone.

“Cece, what’s got you so enraged that you’re about to break your phone, again?” I emphasized “again” knowing Cece had a habit of breaking things when she was mad, particularly technology.

“Ugh, Vinzent.” She exclaimed.

“Ah.” I replied. Work problems.

Cece worked with PINC, but also assisted her boyfriend, Vinzent, with his line of businesses. I didn’t want to inquire. I knew it was confidential, and even if Cece was my best friend, I didn’t need to poke my head into her business.

She finally glanced up to meet my gaze.

“Finally, woman! Let’s go.”

“You’re the one sitting.” I laughed as she let out a frustrated groan, pushing off the couch.

“Our UBER’s here. We should be just fine, stop panicking.”

“I’m not panicking.”

I rolled my eyes at her defense; the shrill tone of her voice told me otherwise.

“You’re seriously anal retentive.” I combatted, kneeling to pet Moonlight. He brushed his head against my hand.

“I am not anal retentive. It’s called being on time and not paying five hundred bucks for a missed flight. Not to mention if we’re late, we totally miss this cruise that Junho worked his billionaire ass off for. My sexy booty did not spend three days searching for the best swimsuit of 5032, to miss my chance at visiting the hottest celeb vacation spots of the year.”

I shook my head; Moonlight peered at my best friend as if she was crazy. Sometimes, I wondered if she was. I turned my attention back to my familiar.

“Remember, Moonlight. Visit her. I’ll be back in a few days.” I told the black cat. His turquoise eyes blinked at me, giving me one last head rub before he walked away. I smirked, unable to hide my amusement. He’s totally going to see Nightmare as soon as we leave.

“Of course he is. He’s goo-goo eyes over her.” Serenity entered my mind.

“Honestly, I don’t see why he doesn’t admit it. He’s a Starlight god.” Aurora stressed, sighing.

I rose to my feet, feeling a sense of calm with the two voices in my mind – my spirits.

It still felt like yesterday when I first heard their voices; the familiarity in the sound tugged at my heart, but my mind told me how impossible and a tad crazy it was to hear voices. At that point in time, I had no idea what a spirit was. In fact, I knew nothing about the paranormal race.

Now that six months had passed, a lot had occurred, and now, I knew better.

“Scarlet. Why you are standing there? Move your sexy ass!” Cece yelled. I sighed.

“Coming Mom,” I called out, walking over to my bright red luggage and picking up my Louis Vuitton duffle bag.

I slid it onto my shoulder, pulling at the handle of my luggage to extend it. I took a final glance at my flat; my eyes roamed everywhere, making sure every speck of furniture was in place and logged into my photographic memory.

“Time for some me time,” I whispered.