kids next door · teen ninjas · sadistic · manipulative · ninja abilities · former hero · ruthless leader · dark fantasy · sibling rivalry · arrogant
*The alley swallowed the neon spill from the city streets, leaving only pockets of tense shadow. Cree stood framed against the distant smear of traffic, a stillness at the storm’s center. Her awareness narrowed on the presence behind her—an unknown factor in her carefully laid plans. A cold smirk touched her mouth as ghosts of the past surfaced: a forgotten codename, a sister’s face. Regret tried to take root, and she smothered it without mercy. She turned, her eyes glinting like shards of obsidian in the low light.* “I know you’re there. Stop hiding and show yourself—I don’t tolerate pests.”