“I don’t know how you put up with those vapid, noisy Barbie dolls, dear sister,” a voice drawled from somewhere in the house behind her. Celeste Frazier languished in a lawn chair, eyes closed, the fingers of her outstretched hand idly caressing the stem of a half full wine glass. She did not stir at the interruption, though a slight smile settled upon her perfect, full lips.

“I ignore them, mostly,” she replied, letting her disdain for the women in question taint the words. “However, you’re far less skilled at hiding your opinions than I am, Gabe, and I believe you’ve slept with all of them at least once – how did you manage it?”

Gabriel Frazier laughed, a deep sound with a hint of cruelty lingering in its depths. “I kept their mouth busy doing other things,” he replied, pouring himself a glass of wine. “They’re much less annoying if they don’t talk.” A lecherous smile lit up his face as he brought the wine bottle outside and topped up his sister’s glass.

Celeste smiled in thanks. “Everyone has their uses, if you can only figure out what they are. The trick is in figuring out what they’re good for without letting their ignorance rub off on you.”

“Amen to that,” Gabe replied, touching his glass to hers with a soft clink. They both sipped at the wine, savouring the taste in a brief silence.

Finally, Celeste turned her gaze to her brother. “You’re wanting something.” It was not a question, but a simple statement of fact. Gabriel had the nerve to look hurt.

“Can I not visit my family’s home, and my sister, without wanting something?” His voice had taken on an injured tone, to which his sister smirked.

“Come off it Gabe. The innocent act might work with your tramps – the more fool they are for it - but it won’t work on me. What brings you here? Father will have a fit if he catches you in the house today – we’re expecting company.”

Gabe shrugged, as if his father’s wrath was of no great concern. They both knew differently – Jem Frazier’s anger was nothing to scoff at – but Celeste let the matter go. She was far more curious as to what could have prompted her black sheep of a brother to risk coming here unannounced. Clearly, it was not to make amends with their father.

“In fact, I came to tell you something.” The injured note in his voice was gone – Gabe knew his sister well enough not to spend time beating around the bush. No matter what he had to say, take too long in saying it and she would lose interest. “I heard something recently that I thought might interest you.”

Celeste raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow at that. “And you’ve lost the ability to use a phone, have you?”

Gabe shot her a dark look. “This is something I thought you’d want to hear in person. But if you’re not interested…” He made as if to get up. Celeste rolled her eyes and gestured for him to sit.

“You came all the way here to tell me something Gabe; there’s no way you’re going to just leave without having your say. Spit it out – what have you heard that’s of such great interest?”

Giving up his attempt at being mysterious, Gabe turned to look at his sister. “You recall our old friends, the DiSantiagos, right?”

Celeste returned his look blandly. ‘Friendship’ was hardly a word to describe how the Fraziers felt about the DiSantiagos; the rivalry between the families was both intense, and well known. While it never flared up to open hostility – they were both upper class families, after all – it often bordered on it, and what happened behind the scenes sometimes got nasty. “What about them?”

“I have it from reliable sources that they’re going to be forming a super hero team to clean up the city.” He paused to let that sink in.

Celeste’s nails clicked rhythmically on her wine glass as she processed that unexpected news. A super hero team in Hudson City was a very interesting prospect to someone of her ambitions and talents. It would be the perfect medium for her to step out of her family’s limelight and gain further fame and influence on her own. It would put an abrupt end to all of her father’s plans for her, while at the same time preventing many of the repercussions that normally came with defying him. Having his daughter become a famous superhero might not be precisely what he had planned for Celeste’s future, but it just might be an acceptable alternative.

However, a super hero team run by the DiSantiagos could be an entirely different case. With the rocky relationship between the two families, they would be unlikely to trust her enough to accept her on to the team. Even if they did, the opportunity for them to sabotage her might be too great for some of the more petty DiSantiagos to resist.

Another point to consider was that on any team formed of Hudson City natives, Celeste Frazier’s absence would cause no small amount of talk. That kind of talk was not something she wanted to encourage. Certainly some of the talk would finger the DiSantiagos, as being short sighted and petty to let family rivalries keep her off of the team. But it was inevitable that the question would be asked: Did Miss Frazier simply not make the cut? They would say, maybe she just wasn’t skilled/strong/experienced/talented/good enough to be part of the team. Maybe she was really just a spoiled rich girl.

That was not a pleasant thought.

Celeste met her brother’s gaze. Of the four Frazier offspring, Gabriel and Celeste were the only ones who saw eye to eye. Most people would not have guessed it; Gabriel was the black sheep of the family, involved in the darker side of Hudson City, barely keeping on the right side of the law most of the time. Celeste, on the other hand, was a model daughter, perfect at everything, with beauty and intelligence to spare. But only Gabriel understood that his sister’s perfect image was only that: a façade to show people exactly what they wanted to see. Underneath, she was as cruel and ruthless as he was. And so they understood each other, and now, Celeste knew that her brother had already formulated a plan of attack for this new opportunity.

She smiled slightly, and gestured for him to continue. “And? What do you propose to do about this?”

“Why, ensure that you are a member of this team, of course. It would be unthinkable for such a team to exist, and you not a part of it.”

The mischievous glint in his eye was a sure sign of trouble, in Celeste’s opinion. It usually meant he was up to something illegal or immoral – or both. “How do you intend to do that? They’re hardly going to welcome me with open arms, unless they’re certain they’ll have a chance to make me regret it. Getting on the team is only the beginning of the problem.”

Gabriel shrugged, his smile not fading one bit. “One thing at a time, my darling sister, one thing at a time. First, we get you on the team. Then, we make sure that they can’t use that position to your detriment. Ideally, we kill two birds with one stone.”

Celeste sat up in her chair, swinging her legs over the edge to face him. She studied his face intently; a face so like her own. Too fine boned for the typical masculine look, Gabriel was beautiful rather than handsome. Though they were born 11 months apart, Gabriel and Celeste had both the similar looks and the deep bond that usually only twins shared. Rarely could they hide their thoughts from each other.

“You want to blackmail the DiSantiagos.”

Gabriel waved one hand dismissively. “Blackmail is such a harsh word. I prefer to consider it ‘incentive’ for them to accept you, and keep you safe.”

It was an intriguing possibility, but certainly not without its complications. “Gabe, don’t you think if we had any information on them that would give us an advantage, Father would have used it by now? Whatever they’re involved in, they cover it well. What makes you think we will have any more success?”

Gabe turned to face her, his expression turning serious. “Father limits his means with his morals,” he replied frankly. “You and I… we suffer from no such hindrance.”

Her eyes locked on his, Celeste’s face slowly transformed. Her intense expression melted away, replaced with a level of malice that would have chilled to the bone anyone but her brother. The same precise expression was mirrored on his face as he leaned towards her, stopping maybe an inch away.

“They have no idea who they’re dealing with.” He was so close that the whisper brushed across her skin, more felt than heard.

“And they won’t, until it’s far too late.”