Description

Hailey leaned over the railing, arm stretched high, phone tilted toward the warm glow of the sunset.

“Come on, Emma,” she said. “The light is perfect. This is definitely the one.”

Emma shifted beside her, glancing around with the quiet caution she always seemed to carry.

“Do we really need another one?” she murmured.

Hailey didn’t answer. She simply hooked an arm around Emma’s shoulders and pulled her closer.

“Ready?”

Emma tried to compose herself, smoothing her hair, attempting a small, polite smile for the camera.

Behind her head, unseen, Hailey raised two fingers in perfect bunny ears.

At the last second she did her usual silly face.

Click.

Hailey burst out laughing immediately, lowering the phone to admire the damage.

“Oh this is brilliant.”

Emma leaned closer despite herself, already blushing as she looked at the screen.

“You did it again, didn’t you?”

“Maybe.”

For a moment they both stared at the photo.

Emma’s shy smile.
Hailey’s ridiculous face.
Two small fingers behind Emma’s head.

And, if someone looked very closely… something else too.

A hint of teeth a little sharper than human.
A shade of green that the evening light didn’t quite hide.

Emma sighed.

“One day,” she said quietly, “someone is going to notice.”

Hailey just grinned wider.

“Emma,” she said, slinging an arm around her again as she lifted the phone for another photo,

“humans barely notice what’s right in front of them.”