A storm front had moved over Auburn and looked ready to sit there until it fully dissipated. A bit of rain to cool down the valley was certainly a welcome change of pace. Unfortunately, Penny wasn’t comfortable flying if there was lightning around. For the time being, she was grounded.

Not that it mattered very much. Mirage didn’t really need her powers for the things Snap-trap and Transvection were having her do. Today, Transvection had invited her to help a group of volunteers making care kits to hand out to impoverished families in the valley. Blankets, tooth brushes, first aid kits, and whatever else people might need but couldn’t afford was packed tightly into little boxes. While Transvection, with his telekinetic powers, could work on three or four at once at tremendous speed, Mirage was stuck moving only as quickly as her regular non-powered hands could go.

“You’re Mirage, right?” a volunteer moving blankets asked her.

“I am,” she said, striking a pose. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You can really turn yourself invisible?” someone else asked.

“I…” She didn’t know if she could do it on command, but didn’t want to say that she couldn’t. How would that look? People would think she didn’t have a handle on her powers. “When I need to.”

“You and the other guy got your power from the Orbs, right?” the first volunteer asked.

Mirage grit her teeth and nodded. She really didn’t want to think about—

“Does that make you two a couple?”

Her heart skipped a beat.

“I’m sorry, I… Is there a bathroom?”

“Of course. It’s just down the hall there—”

Mirage didn’t wait for them to finish. She found the bathroom quickly enough and locked herself in. Of course, she didn’t actually need to go; she just needed to sit down for a bit and breathe.

It was a relief that Michael worked full-time. He couldn’t be around nearly as often, so Mirage hadn’t run into him since the Fourth. Even though they were a linked pair, the thought of seeing him again after what had happened made her chest tighten.

She was still shaking when she stepped out of the bathroom, but her breathing was steady. Mirage returned to where she had been working and continued piling things into the box. The sound of someone clearing their throat got her attention.

“Hi, there,” she told Transvection. “I’m sorry. Did you need something?”

“Part of being psychic, kid, is that I can generally get a feel for someone’s emotional state. What’s up?”

“It’s nothing,” Mirage insisted, looking away. “I’m just being stupid.”

Lowering his voice, Transvection continued, “You don’t have to tell me, but you look really shaken up.”

Mirage paused.

“Can we talk in private?” she asked, glancing around at the crowded room.

Transvection nodded and led the way down a small, unused hallway.

“Alright. What’s going on?”

Mirage gulped and said quietly, “At the celebration, after we all left the stage, Daybreak started… hitting on me. I took it badly. I probably overreacted; it wasn’t as big a deal as I was making it. But I’m uncomfortable with the thought of seeing him again.”

Transvection nodded, then said, “I’ll talk to him and make sure he knows that his behavior is inappropriate. We’re all going to have a hard time working together if we can’t be comfortably in the same room, after all.”

“Thank you,” Mirage mumbled. “You don’t have to do that.”

“As the oldest of us by far, it’s kind of my job,” Transvection said, smirking a little. “Do you want to go home? I can cover for you if you don’t want to stay.”

“No, I’m staying,” Mirage insisted. “I’ll be fine, I think.”

Transvection nodded and led the way back to the room they were in.

Mirage got back to work, but her thoughts were still all over the place. She couldn’t avoid Daybreak forever. Inevitably, linked pairs like them ended up becoming partners of some kind. They wouldn’t have been picked if they were entirely incompatible, right? But Daybreak—Michael—didn’t even know Penny was Mirage, or that Penny was really a girl. And the longer she waited to tell him, the less certain she was of how he’d react.

When Penny got home, it was entirely vacant. She checked the clock. It would be a few hours before her father got off of work. Penny could very well just cast her illusion and hang around the house as her true self for the next few hours and her parents wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop her. It was something she’d thought of doing several times now when she had the house to herself, but had never gotten up the courage to follow through with. But this was her house too. Penny deserved to feel comfortable here.

After closing the blinds and locking the doors, she snapped her fingers and felt a weight drop from her shoulders. Penny summoned up a quick full length mirror to get a good look at herself. She was wearing a crop top and shorts with her long hair in a ponytail. There was a smile plastered on her face.

“I look good,” she told herself, dispelling the mirror.

She plopped down on the couch and picked up the remote. Penny never got the TV to herself when her parents were home. She was going to enjoy her evening alone.

Penny wasn’t even aware that she had started to doze until a sound stirred her. It took a moment, in her haze, to figure out exactly what she was hearing. Once she realized it was the lock on the front door, Penny sprang to her feet.

The door was already open. Penny locked eyes with her father, who had frozen at the sight of her. She panicked. Her breathing quickened. The illusion started to slip. Penny grabbed at it with her mind, but it was gone in an instant.

“Tobias?” her father asked, mouth agape. “What was that? What did I just see?”

“I… I don’t know—”

“Don’t lie to me, boy!” her father bellowed. “Why did you look like that?”

Penny cringed and closed her eyes, crying, “I have superpowers, alright?! It lets me look like a girl! The way I’m supposed to!”

Her father didn’t immediately respond. When Penny opened her eyes, her heart sank. He was red in the face and fuming.

“Absolutely not,” he snarled. “You will not be using powers to make yourself look like… like… like that! Do you hear me?”

Penny’s hands curled into fists and she straightened up.

“Fuck you, Dad!” she cried, and he flinched. “You have spent the past six months trying to stop me from being happy! I have these powers and I’m going to keep using them.”

“You are going to obey me,” her father insisted.

“Why? What are you going to do?” she demanded. “You can’t stop me from being a girl, and you can’t stop me from being a superhero!”

She bit her tongue. Penny had just overplayed her hand. Her father hadn’t known about that part yet.

“You’re… you’re that girl,” her father said quietly.

Penny waited for him to say more. The seconds stretched into minutes and she began shuffling uncomfortably while he stayed perfectly still. Finally, Penny just had to look away and start wringing her hands.

“You absolutely cannot let your mother see you with these powers,” her father finally said, more quietly than Penny expected. “That means no using them around the house, period. She must have no reason to suspect you’re that girl everyone is talking about.”

After a moment, Penny nodded. She waited for her father to say more, but he didn’t. He just started walking towards her. Penny flinched, afraid briefly that he might actually hit her, but instead he just walked past her and started heading for his home office.

Once she was alone, Penny sat back down on the couch and took a deep breath. She curled up and closed her eyes. It took a while for her to stop shaking.

After a few days, the lightning had mostly subsided, even if it was still raining. Penny didn’t have anything to do after work, so she summoned up her costume and took to the skies. All of the buildings on Main had flat roofs. They were wet, but Penny picked a building and sat down right on the edge of the roof, letting the rain wash over her hood and cloak while she thought.

Her father had been so furious until he learned that she was Mirage. Did the fact that she was a superhero change something for him, or was it just enough extra information to overload him entirely for the moment? He hadn’t spoken to her again after that, and wouldn’t even look at her during dinner. But he hadn’t kicked her out, which is what she had frankly expected of him.

The sound of footsteps interrupted her musings, and Mirage turned around to see someone else she wasn’t happy with.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” Daybreak said, placing his hands on his hips in a classic hero pose.

“I want to be left alone,” Mirage replied. “I’m having family troubles right now.”

“I’m sorry,” Daybreak said. “Maybe I can help?”

Penny turned away and resumed looking down over Main Street, where people were milling about with umbrellas and ponchos. She still wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell Michael who she was anymore. At the very least, she didn’t want to be frustrated when she did.

“I need space,” she said, leaning forward and kicking herself off of the roof. Mirage floated down to the ground and started walking away. After a moment, though, she heard someone touch down behind her. Turning around, Penny said, “I asked you to leave me be. What do you really want, Michael?”

“Woah, hold on,” Daybreak hissed. “Don’t use my name in public.”

Mirage rolled her eyes and continued walking.

Daybreak followed, explaining, “I want you to give me a chance, that’s all. Go on a date with me. I’m sure once you get to know me better, you’ll see that we’re perfect for each other.”

Mirage had to cut back a biting, “I do know you,” from escaping her lips.

Instead, she lied, “I have a partner already.”

Mirage heard Daybreak stop behind her and picked up her pace just a little. After a second, though, Daybreak started running to catch up to her.

“I’m so sorry,” he said.

Finally, Mirage thought, slowing to a stop.

Daybreak finished, “That’s going to be so hard on you.”

“Wait, what?” Mirage turned around to look at him, frowning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your boyfriend. You’re going to have to break up with him now that you know we’re supposed to be together.”

“Jesus Christ, Michael!”

Penny started rubbing her temples.

But Daybreak continued, “All I’m saying is that you know that I’m more suited for you than any other guy—”

“I’m gay!” Mirage cried, getting the attention of several passersby. She shook off her hood and continued, “I don’t have a boyfriend. I never want to have a boyfriend because I don’t ever want to date a guy, period!”

Daybreak was speechless. For a few moments, he seemed to be struggling for words. Then he clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes.

“You’re lying,” he said. “I don’t know why you won’t give me a chance, but there’s no way you’re one of them.”

Mirage flinched and took a step back, but replied, “I’m never going to date you. I’m not even sure I want to work with you.”

Daybreak shook his head and turned around, then jumped up and started to fly away. Mirage watched after him for a bit, then pulled her hood back on and turned around. This wasn’t going to end well.

Before she could get very far, Penny heard a little beeping noise in her ear piece. She tapped it once to receive the message.

“Mirage,” came the voice of her liaison Isabelle. “If you’re up for a bit of work, there’s a wreck on Washington that created a lot of debris.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Mirage asked, already leaping into the air.

“Minor injuries. The situation is contained, but it’s a residential area and they need cleanup quickly before evening traffic. Snap-trap is already on the way. Do you think you can help?”

“Might as well,” Mirage replied, “Thank you.”

She shut off the communicator and shook her head. Cleanup duty? The noble work of a superhero was never done, it seemed. At least she’d get to spend time with Snap-trap. Maybe they could plan to hang out together.

When Mirage arrived, the wrecked cars had already been loaded up onto tow trucks, but there was a mess everywhere. It looked like it had been a pretty bad wreck. Mirage touched down where Snap-trap was talking to a police officer. The officer took a good long look at Mirage, but she avoided his gaze.

“What are we doing?” she asked Snap-trap over the sound of the rain.

“There’s a lot of small debris everywhere,” Snap-trap replied, gesturing at the mess around them. “They’ll pick up the large stuff. We just need to get the little pieces before they can cause trouble. I have an idea. Can you create a couple of those flat, wide shovels for us to use?”

“Yeah, sure. What are you planning?”

Snap-trap just grinned and knelt down. She placed her hands on the ground and they began to glow. A bed of moss started to grow around her hands and spread out, covering the ground but sliding under the debris field.

When she stood back up, Snap-trap had a really self-satisfied expression.

“A shovel, please?” she asked.

Mirage generated a shovel for each of them and the two heroes started scooping up the bed of moss, depositing each scoop into the sturdy trash bags held by the police officers who had been asked to help them. The glass and metal pieces rested on top of the moss, making them a lot easier to scoop up.

Despite how much easier it was now, cleaning up took a while, and they were almost done before Mirage heard a phone start to ring. It was the burner resting in her cloak pocket. Only three people had that number and one of them was Daybreak.

Mirage leaned up against her shovel and pulled out the phone. With trepidation, she flipped it open and asked, “Hello?”

“Mirage,” Tranvsection said on the other end, “I just got off a call with the mayor. Daybreak just burst into his office and said that he wasn’t interested in being a superhero after all. He’s out. I thought you’d like to know.”

“T-Thank you,” Mirage replied.

Transvection said goodbye and hung up. Mirage stood still for a moment, letting the news wash over her. Then she continued working. This was because of her, wasn’t it? Daybreak was quitting because of what she’d said to him.

Mirage was a little upset to have to say goodbye to Snap-trap when they were done, especially since they hadn’t gotten to talk as much as she’d hoped. But it was getting late and Penny risked missing out on dinner. She returned to her car and powered down.

Before driving off, Penny checked her phone.

There was a message from Michael on there.

Hey, it said. I’m done being a so-called “hero.” There’s just not enough glory in it, it turns out. They won’t even let me fight criminals! Anyway, I know what I’m going to do. You remember the Auburn Warriors? With my powers, they’ll have no choice but to let me join!

Penny did barely remember the Auburn Warriors was that group he was always talking about, but she still didn’t know exactly what they were or what they did. Sometimes, with Michael, it was really easy to just tune him out and let him ramble. He’d probably tell her what they did again soon enough.

There was another message from him, and one that made Penny squirm.

We should hang out soon!