18. Z I L L I O N : Chimeros

CHAPTER II

2015

"NonononoNO! Stop! STOP!" Addison cried.

"SLOW DOWN! SLOW DOWN!" Zill shrieked.

"Oh god, oh god, oh goooooooood!!!" Jack wailed.

SCREEEEEEEEEECH

The cherry red 1990 Chevrolet Impala screamed around a hairpin turn—one of many leading to Cierra's mansion. The three passengers screamed as well, although it wasn't because their tires were burning.

The driver, on the other hand, was laughing.

Zoo Phoenix Academy senior Kourtney "Koko" Kohl cackled as the car swung right, throwing the passengers in the back—a fox-tailed boy named Addison and a notoriously unlucky jackal named Jack—against each other. "Hold on tight, boys!" the werewolf yelled. "We're almost there!"

"We know that!" the passenger up front—who happened to be Koko's current boyfriend, freshman Zillion Martinez—shouted over the wind. "Question is, will we be alive when we get there?!"

"Aw, don't be a square, Zill!" Koko laughed. "If you're kickin' or in a coffin, ya gotta live to ride!"

"You're crazy!" Zill shrieked.

"And you're not crazy enough!" Koko retorted with a grin.

The brakes squealed as the Impala skidded to a stop in front of the mansion, throwing up a cloud of smoke that reeked of engine oil and burning rubber.

Koko whistled. "Hot dang! You never told me your auntie's place was so swanky, Z!"

"Well, when you rule the Safe Haven underworld for the better part of 20 years, you're gonna run into some cash," Zill pointed out as Jack and Addison staggered out of the car on shaky legs.

Koko laughed again, then paused and sniffed the air with a frown. "Aw, rats! Smells like my engine's leakin'," the werewolf groaned.

"That's probably my bad," Jack said with a sigh. "Sorry, Koko. I'll pay you for the repairs. I just got a job at the observatory so—"

"Ah, don't sweat it," Koko interrupted, waving a paw. "Accidents happen, right?"

Jack smiled in relief. "Thanks."

"So you made up your mind yet, 2K?" Zill asked Koko as he disembarked. "Are you gonna hang around or come back to pick us up later?"

"Eh, I got a couple errands to run, so I'll swing by around five," Koko answered, putting on a pair of shades. "You kids have fun; Mama's goin' shoppin'!"

Zill, Jack, and Addison all frowned simultaneously as Koko threw the car into reverse and shot down the road backward. "She's gonna kill herself one day," Addison stated.

"Yup. And that's why I have backup girlfriends." Zill nudged Jack with an elbow and grinned while the latter rolled his eyes.

"So why'd you invite us over here again?" Addison asked as the trio walked up to the front door of the mansion.

"Well, I've kinda just been training with Auntie C by myself for my whole life," Zill replied with a shrug. "I wanted someone to show off to for once. Y'know, before I go public as a superhero."

"Why didn't you invite Kayla, then?" Jack asked with a sly smile.

Zill's face turned red, and he looked away. "I—I mean... I don't really know her..."