C4 SMELL OF TROUBLE

Cassie looked stunning, wearing a slightly tight white dress. Her blonde hair was loose and flowing, she looked beautiful. Whenever he could, Jack looked at her, but even though she was coveted by everyone, he didn't want them to know that he included himself in that. He thought that Kurt suspected it, but he had never told them or mentioned it yet. It was like a secret he could possess just for himself, although he really wanted her to know because he just couldn't stop thinking about her.

Cassie's perfume was strong. Both partners had a keen sense of smell even as humans, so they couldn't disguise the sweet smell they smelled coming from her. Kurt, unlike Jack, felt no walk for the woman, as he felt there was something more exciting in the future in store for him.

Finally, a while later, more and more people were arriving. With this, the time for the constant transformations was getting closer and closer.

Music was already starting to play to cheer everyone up. The Lightning employees were already mingling more with those from New Shadow. Some of them even greeted Jack and Kurt and congratulated them on the excellent work they were doing. Almost all the employees wore simple masks, some even more provocative. Some others didn't wear any at all. You could tell that besides the duo, others were not so keen on staying for the get-together. Not everyone liked the rival company, there was a certain hatred in some parts, especially against a certain sector that had a bad reputation for publishing dubious articles. This sector had about twelve members, rightly called “The Twelve”. Jack didn't like them, and Kurt was indifferent, but if he had to have an opinion, he would say he didn't like them either. Few NS members liked that section. They were all together and almost matched. They laughed a lot and seemed almost drunk, even though the party had just started.

It was almost 6 pm when the courtyard was completely packed and had turned into a huge dance floor. Jack was still cleaning up a few small things from the place, as was Kurt. They were in the living room and felt nothing abnormal, apparently, they were not going to transform that day. Transformations used to happen around 6 pm, but not every day. There were days when they just didn't change, but there was no rule for that, it just didn't happen. Everything indicated that they were safe this time, they could enjoy a peaceful day after all.

Kurt, at the party, was chatting in the corner with a girl from one of the farthest sectors of the NS, her name was Kaya. The two of them had talked before and Kurt was truly interested in her because she was also into photography, plus her not having a boyfriend cleared the way for him; he just needed a more open opportunity and this was the appropriate time for it. Although he was trying to talk properly, and coming out with phrases of sheer embarrassment, like saying that their names were super cool because they started with the same letter, the woman seemed to think it was funny. If all went well, they would be having sex in a nearby bathroom.

When he had convinced himself that he wouldn't be transformed that night, Jack realized that mingling might not be so bad, deep down he thought like Kurt, he wanted to enjoy life. He considered asking Cassie to dance or something, but her sweet-smelling perfume was slightly distant, so he concluded that maybe she was unreachable.

He walked down the corridors, which miraculously weren't filled with couples making out until he passed the storage room and realized that his two co-workers were at the famous “finally”. Following the corridor, he passed by a room that was ajar, unlike all the others that were completely closed and closed. Jack wasn't that curious about trivial things, but he couldn't help overhearing the conversation going on inside. Peeking discreetly through the open doorway, he could see about a dozen men, all dressed in black and none wearing a decent mask.

“Are you convinced this will work? Is it reliable?” one of the men asked, curious. You could tell in salt's voice that he was slightly out of sorts.

“He said it was when he offered it to me. It will only make a little smoke with a bad smell. After that, we'll go in and finish it off, it'll be fun to blow up that team”, replied the other, holding up some little black balls that looked very much like bladders.

Jack knew that this was the famous rival group, thirsty for trouble and problematic things. He was not surprised to find them drunk, but he was intrigued by the situation in question. It was quite common for them to make pranks around, some lighter and some heavier, especially since most of the bully boys came from that sector. Jack knew that fire and smoke of dubious content was not a good idea, especially if it was accompanied by an alcoholic beverage that he had no idea where it came from. The smell permeated the room and even the corridor, his keen sense of smell was irritated by how strong it was. Through the doorway, he could see several full and empty bottles. He thought about intervening but realized that it would be a mistake because the boys were too many, and he couldn't guarantee himself against too many people, mainly because he lived with the fear of changing in front of someone, even if it had never happened. He also considered setting off the fire alarm and preventing something from happening, but that would ruin everyone's party. It would be very difficult to accuse the newcomers because that plan was absurd even for their level. He would not be able to prove it.