The Enchanted Pulse #1

Secrets, Sirens, and… Girlfriends"?

After everything that happened with Zinnia, Mina and I tried to go about our day like normal. You know, the usual: attend classes, study, avoid thinking about dead bodies coming back to life. Totally normal stuff. But, of course, life didn’t let us off that easy.

We were strolling across the quad after our last class, my head still spinning from all the supernatural chaos when I heard it—a familiar, flirty voice calling Mina’s name.

“Mina, babe!” The voice was smooth, playful, and slightly teasing.

I rolled my eyes before even turning around. “Oh, here we go.”

Mina sighed but couldn’t hide her smile as we stopped in our tracks. There, strutting toward us in skin-tight leggings and a crop top that looked like it cost more than my entire wardrobe, was Xina. Now, let me tell you, Xina wasn’t just a girl—she was the kind of girl that makes you reconsider your entire existence.

Long, jet-black hair flowed down her back in waves that seemed to have their own personal wind machine. She had almond-shaped hazel eyes framed by thick lashes that practically screamed danger. Her skin was the perfect shade of caramel, glowing like she spent every day sunbathing on a private yacht. And then there was her body—athletic, toned in all the right places, with legs for days and abs so defined you could grate cheese on them. Xina stood at about 5’8”, towering over me and even Mina.

“Please tell me she didn’t catch us right when we’re trying to forget about corpses in lakes,” I muttered under my breath.

Mina chuckled nervously, brushing her hair out of her face as Xina reached us. “Hey, babe,” she said, leaning in to give Xina a quick kiss on the cheek.

Xina, on the other hand, wasn’t having the quick part. She grabbed Mina by the waist and pulled her in for a way-too-long kiss that made me want to melt into the pavement from second-hand awkwardness.

I cleared my throat loudly. “Ahem, still standing here. Still not blind.”

Mina pulled away, her face flushed, while Xina shot me a grin. “Oh, Nalani, don’t be jealous. You’ll get your turn.”

“Yeah, in your dreams,” I shot back, though honestly, she wasn’t exactly wrong. Not that I’d ever admit it.

Xina raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening. “Well, I do dream big.”

Ugh. This was why Mina’s love life was a never-ending sitcom. Xina was girlfriend number one… out of five. Yes, five. Mina had a whole roster, and somehow, they all knew about each other and didn’t care. It was like one of those terrible reality TV shows, but with much better-looking people.

“Doesn’t she get tired?” I mumbled to myself, but of course, Xina heard me.

“Oh, honey,” she said, giving me a once-over like I was some kind of adorable but clueless child. “There’s always time for love.”

I groaned internally. “Or, in your case, loves.”

Xina just winked at me, while Mina gave me an apologetic look. “Anyway,” Mina said, changing the subject before I could roast her love life any further. “We were just heading to the library.”

Xina pouted. “Ugh, boring. I wanted to take you out tonight. I’m thinking sushi and then maybe a little… dessert.” The way she said dessert made it very clear she wasn’t talking about cake.

Mina’s face turned a deep shade of red, and I almost felt bad for her. Almost.

“I—I can’t tonight, Xina,” she stammered, glancing at me as if I could save her. “We’ve, um, got something going on.”

I crossed my arms, smirking. “Yeah, investigating supernatural murders isn’t really a dinner date kind of thing.”

Xina’s expression faltered for a second, her eyebrows knitting together. “Supernatural murders?” She looked at Mina. “What have you gotten yourself into now?”

“It’s not like that,” Mina said quickly. “It’s just… something happened. And we’re trying to figure it out.”

I could see Xina’s protective instincts kick in. She didn’t seem like the type who was easily scared, but the idea of Mina being in danger clearly rattled her.

“Listen, if you’re in trouble, I’m coming with you,” she said, crossing her arms in a way that made her biceps flex. She wasn’t just all looks—Xina could probably bench press me and Mina at the same time.

“No!” Mina and I said at the same time, way too loudly.

Xina raised an eyebrow. “No?”

“It’s, uh, complicated,” I explained, waving my hands like I was trying to bat away her concern. “Look, I don’t think your five-star sushi night needs to be interrupted by creepy lake monsters and floating corpses.”

Mina nodded vigorously. “Exactly. This is more… our thing.”

Xina still didn’t look convinced, but she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t offer.” She leaned in, pressing one last kiss to Mina’s lips before turning to me. “Keep her safe, Nalani. Or else.”

I gave a half-hearted salute. “No promises.”

As Xina walked away, her hips swaying like she was on a runway, Mina let out a deep breath, her shoulders slumping. “Thanks for that.”

“No problem,” I said, though I couldn’t help but tease her. “But seriously, five girlfriends? How do you keep up?”

Mina shot me a withering look. “Not now, Nalani.”

I shrugged, smirking. “Just saying, I’ve never met someone who could juggle that much drama and still have time to solve murders.”

Mina laughed despite herself. “Well, I’ve got you to help me, don’t I?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, but secretly, I was glad. Because if there was one thing we were going to need in the days ahead, it was each other.