Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

Pandora wasn't just being dramatic—well, she was, but beneath all the exaggerated sighs and celestial fangirling, there was something else. Something tighter. Heavier. She was avoiding Parker in a way that didn't make sense to Sarah.

Not just dodging his gaze or ignoring his name—no, Pandora was actively masking her presence from him, suppressing her energy so thoroughly that even the universe seemed confused about where she really was. It was like she feared what would happen if even a fraction of her power reached him.

As if the moment he felt it—felt her—the truth would come crashing down.

And maybe that's why she watched from afar. Always from behind her glowing, conjured screens. Never closer. Never too loud. Never too real.

Sarah didn't know the full story, but she knew enough. Pandora wasn't just some ancient goddess playing celestial voyeur. No—she was one of Parker's creations. A being forged in one of his older lives, somewhere tangled in his long, bitter history with the Olympians. There was something between them—something powerful enough to make even Pandora, the cosmic terror in lipstick and lace, hesitate. And that said a lot.

What their relationship really was? Sarah couldn't even guess. Ally? Weapon? Mistake? Lover? All she knew was Pandora didn't want Parker to know she was here.

Not yet. Maybe not ever. And when Sarah had asked why, all she'd gotten was a smile sharp enough to cut through fate and a whisper that sounded too soft to belong to someone who once held galaxies in her hands: "Some things are more dangerous than being forgotten. Like being remembered."

So yeah—Sarah had stopped asking questions. Who was she to pry? She was getting paid in diamonds. She was lounging in clouds with a front-row seat to the world's most powerful man doing ordinary things in god-tier fashion. She had powers now. Speed. Control. She was a blue streak, for heaven's sake.

And her little sister? That kid was set for life. Spoiled, safe, powerful, and completely convinced she was on track to become Frozen's next sequel lead.

It wasn't a bad trade. Actually, it was the best fucking trade she'd ever made.

And to think—it all started on a day she thought her life had hit rock bottom. A day so grim, so heavy, she'd almost given up.

But worst days weren't the end, were they?

Sometimes, they were just the universe asking: "Are you ready to awaken now?"

"Okay, can we get this over with already?" Sarah groaned, dragging her fingers through her hair as the hovering golden screen adjusted its angle once again to give them a panoramic view of Parker walking through the Wilder estate. "Can we just stop this creeping-around-Parker crap? Honestly, wouldn't it be better if you just, I don't know... went to him directly?"

Pandora didn't flinch. Her eyes remained locked on Parker like she was watching the rarest celestial event unfold frame by frame. "Blasphemy," she whispered, scandalized.

"I'm serious," Sarah snapped. "Why are we watching him through a giant floating screen like deranged godly peeping toms, when you could just float down, toss your hair, and go, 'Hey master, here I am, your Pandora is back'?"

"Because," Pandora said slowly, turning toward Sarah with an expression of divine patience that made Sarah want to throw her off the sky perch, "it's not the right time."

"You've been saying that for three days."

"And I will keep saying it until the stars align, the wind shifts, and the poetry of my entrance sings through the air like a cosmic harp."

Sarah blinked. "So… never."

"It must be perfect," Pandora insisted, gesturing at the air like she was painting stardust. "Do you think I can just waltz back into his life like some common ex-creation? No. There must be mystery. Drama. A divine reunion orchestrated by the threads of destiny—not a random awkward encounter like 'Hey, remember me? Surprise!'"

Sarah crossed her arms. "You're scared."

Pandora froze. Slowly turned. Her lip curled. "Excuse me?"

"You're scared of him feeling your power," Sarah pressed. "You've been suppressing it like crazy ever since we got here. Like if he even gets a whiff of your presence, you'll explode or something."

"I'm not scared. I'm considerate," Pandora snapped. "There's a difference."

"You think if he sees you again, it's gonna go bad."

"I know if I show myself too early, it could ripple through his memories like lightning through glass," Pandora said, suddenly dead serious for half a second. "I'm not afraid of him. I'm afraid of what he remembers... and what that does to him."

Sarah stared.

"...Well, that got heavy fast."

Pandora waved a hand dismissively. "Back to aesthetics."

Sarah groaned. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"I'm making it divine," Pandora corrected, voice rising like she was reciting scripture. "This is the sacred art of the mystical reveal. You don't just walk up to your divine creator, whose soul once forged you in war and wrath, and say 'Yo.' No, you let fate paint your entrance."

"Or you could just... not be crazy," Sarah said, flat.

"Don't be a coward, Sarah. Let the theatre play out."

"You mean let you watch him from five miles away like a stalker on a date with your own delusion?"

Pandora smiled sweetly. "Exactly."

Sarah just stared at her. "I don't even know what your relationship is with him, but this is seriously—"

"—Not your business," Pandora cut in. "And before you judge, keep in mind you're literally being paid diamonds to hover beside me while I do it."

Sarah opened her mouth. Closed it.

"...Touché."

"Besides," Pandora added, spinning gracefully mid-air as golden light shimmered around her like she'd just declared a divine miracle, "this isn't stalking. This is celestial choreography. A divine dance of timing. I'm waiting for the moment the universe breathes, and in that breath—I descend."

Sarah clapped. "Wow. You actually made insanity sound like poetry. You're incredible."

"I know."

"But it's still stalking."

"Call it what you like," Pandora shrugged, eyes back on Parker like he was the rising sun of her internal galaxy. "I call it preparation."

Sarah sighed and floated down next to her, muttering under her breath. "Whatever. At least I'm getting paid to watch this slow-motion soap opera."

"Damn right you are," Pandora said, tossing her a ruby the size of a quail egg.

Sarah caught it midair. "You do know this is too much, right?"

"And yet, you haven't walked away."

"...Touché again."

Sarah leaned back and watched the screen with her, arms folded, resigned to the chaos. It didn't make sense—none of it did. But her sister was safe, she had powers, money, a future, and for once, nothing was going wrong.

It all started on her worst day.

And somehow, that worst day had turned into the best life she never saw coming.