“Did you hear about that guy Hexecute hurt?” Cass whispered across me to Sammy on my left. “What he did on Friday night?”

“Naw, why, what’s up?” Sammy answered.

“How didn’t you hear? It was all over the news all weekend,” I cut in and turned on the bleacher seat to face Sammy.

“‘Scuse me, Mr. No-Show, I was too busy havin’ a life this weekend,” she answered.

I rolled my eyes. “I already apologized for missing your show like ten times, Sammy.”

“Try for eleven, ya dork,” she said, sticking her tongue out at me.

“As I was saying,” Cass said loudly, bringing our attention back to her, “He stole another alter’s powers.”

“Stole? I thought he was only dampening ‘em or something. They’re sayin’ he stole them now?” Sammy questioned. Cass grimly nodded her head.

“Yeah, they can’t find any trace of their powers anywhere, not even the echo,” I added.

“Who was it?” Sammy asked.

“Not a hero this time, some guy with technomancer powers,” I said as I thought back on the news report I’d seen. The guy worked in some sort of robotics lab and Hexecute had ambushed him while he was working late. Never stood a chance. Sammy blinked a few times before replying.

“Techno what?”

Cass groaned. “He could speak to robots with his mind.”

“Oh, well why didn’t ya say so, ya dweebs?” Sammy retorted. I sighed and leaned back. We were in the auditorium for some sort of special assembly they were calling, apparently they had some “Mystery Guests”, or so the announcement said. I didn’t mind assemblies, especially ones that had gotten me out of civics class and a discussion about the history and virtues of supernyms and how they’re essential for heroes if you’d like to protect yourself from frivolous lawsuits blah blah blah it wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard on the NPR channel Mom listened to. Sammy began to scratch at her wrist again near her copper wrist band, something I’d been seeing her do all day.

“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly. She looked up at me and frowned.

“Just this damn bracelet, it’s been itchin’ me somethin’ fierce. Think I might be allergic to the metal or somethin’.”

I gave her an incredulous look. “Why don’t you just take it off then?” She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“It’s nothing to be worried about, this kind of stuff happens all the time with cheap jewelry.”

“It does? Where’d you get that thing?” I wondered.

“Thrift store. Was just sittin’ on one of the shelves and caught my eye. Not the only first-sight thrift purchase I’ve made,” she stated. “You’d be surprised what you can find there.” I laughed as I thought back to the excursion Cass and I had made there the previous friday.

“Point taken. Still, if you take it off for a little bit you’ll feel better,” I reached for the bracelet before she snatched it away.

“No way, finders keepers. The itchiness and headaches will pass, dude. Give it time.”

“You’re having headaches too?” 

“Drop it,” she said firmly. I raised my hands in resignation and turned back around. The auditorium looked to be approaching capacity so it was likely the assembly would probably start soon. Even in my default form I could feel the slowness of the situation grate on me. I just wanted to be out and running or punching bad guys or just something other than this. I was zoned out when Cass cleared her throat.

“Oh, Sammy,” Cass called across me again, “I wanted to say, ‘Her Nuclear Package’ was probably one of my favorites, and I thought the song you did next, what was it, ‘Nazi Punks Fuck Off’ was especially a banger what with all the actual nazis running around these days,” she laughed nervously. 

I shook my head, “No, ‘Butt Stuff’ was after “Her Nuclear Package’, the nazi one came after that.”

Sammy turned her head. “And how did you know that?” she leaned in. I faltered in my seat. Shit. 

“W-well,” Cass and I shared a nervous glance, “Cass told me.” 

Sammy shook her head. “Nah, you just had to correct her on the order, no way she would’ve messed that up if she told you about it later, plus she told me earlier today she never heard from you about coming at all,” she pressed. 

“Er, I mean I might’ve been mistaken,” Cass said, though her attempt at covering for me left something to be desired. Sammy leaned in further, looking between my hair, my eyes, and my face. I prayed that somehow, by the grace of god, she wouldn’t notice. Unfortunately, my luck had seemed to run out. Recognition flashed across her face as she jumped nearly a foot off the bleachers.

“Holy shit, that was you! You were the little redhead!” she exclaimed in a much louder voice then I was comfortable with.

“No, no it wasn’t! That was a girl and I’m obviously a-” I nervously puttered.

“I didn’t say the little red head was a girl. Yeah, that was totally you!” she smiled broadly.

“No, Sammy, it wasn’t!”

“God damn you’re a bad liar,” she shook her head.

“Sammy!” I hissed, but it seemed to roll off her.

“Oh man, why didn’t ya say somethin’? I mean, one of my best friends is Cass for cryin’ out loud. You can trust me with this shit Gab-” I hurriedly clamped my hands over her mouth.

“Sammy! Not. Here,” I pleaded. She looked confused for a moment before she noticed the eyes of other students on us and nodded. We sat back down quickly.

“S-sorry, didn’t realize where I was,” she apologized. 

“How’d you know?” I asked.

“Well, one you don’t actually look all that different. Like she could be your sister or cousin or somethin’. And you’re both redheads with green eyes, though hers were way more bright,” she replied. “And you’re pretty bad at lying about it.”

“Great…” I cupped my face with my hands and slid down on the bleachers.

“Still though, why haven’t you said anything to anyone beyond Cass?” I looked back to Cass who promptly shrugged. Thanks for the help, Cass.

“Because, well, I don’t know… I’m just not ready for that yet,” I admitted. Sammy considered my reply for a moment before nodding her head.

“Alright. I can respect that,” she said before pulling out a pencil and fiddling with her bracelet again. “Just keep me in the know next time, I wanna see what you can do. And sorry for shouting earlier, I wasn’t thinkin’ on account of this screamin' headache and the goddamn itch under this fuckin' thing ain't helpin'.” The pencil snapped in half in her hands and fell to the floor, and for a moment she just stared down. “Why the fuck is everything in this bougie ass school so fuckin' cheap,” she groaned.

A few approaching figures caught my eye in the form of Angus with Courtney Marsh, dressed fashionably in a white t-shirt underneath a metallic colored coat with tight jeans coming down to rest above colorful spotless sneakers, his multicolored braids were gathered in a large pony tail on his head and exposing his side shaves. A girl who I didn’t recognize was with them, she had straight black hair and wide rimmed, thick paneled glasses and possessed an otherwise mousey appearance. Angus waved at us.

“Hey, is it okay if we sit next to you guys?” He asked politely.

“Sure,” Cass answered for us. They took a seat on the bleacher level at our feet and turned around.

“Thanks, it’s getting pretty crowded in here, though I’m glad we were able to find some friendly faces,” Angus laughed nervously. The girl gently ribbed his side and laughed.

“I-it’s because you two took so long in the bathroom…” she mumbled softly. A fierce blush rose to life on Angus’ face, though Courtney smiled.

“He’s still nervous about PDA, what can I say?” Courtney turned to look at me as a look of recognition dawned on him. “Oh, you’re Gavin, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, why?” He reached his hand out to my knee and patted it reassuringly.

“Thank you for standing up for him in front of Kip and his loser squad, that’s supposed to be my job,” Courtney smiled.

Angus punched Courtney’s leg lightly. “Shut up, Court! I can protect myself,” he fumed. Courtney laughed and turned back around.

“Sure you can, Angus,” Courtney conceded. 

The girl nodded at me. “Y-yeah, thanks again,” she said in a tone just above a whisper.

“No problem,” I replied. “I haven’t seen you around, who are you?”

“O-oh!” she squeaked. “M-my name is Mona, M-Mona Watts.”

I extended my hand to her and shook hers. “Nice to meet you, Mona,” I smiled. Cass introduced herself as well, though Sammy was more occupied with her bracelet to be bothered to speak again. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it felt like something today was off. Usually when I interacted with people there was a strange sort of pressure in my chest that usually resulted in an awkward interaction, however I hadn’t felt anything of the sort just then. Did this have anything to do with what Cass and I had done over the weekend? 

I didn’t have time to sort my thoughts as the lights began to dim, drawing our attention to the impromptu stage where the principal, Mrs. Bekker alongside the vice principal Mr. Garrison stood. He was dressed in his usual tan suit with his mustache looking as if he had just curled it in the bathroom before the assembly. Mrs. Bekker stepped up to the microphone placed on the stage, herself dressed in a smart navy pinstripe skirt suit with her dark hair pinned in a tight bun upon her head. I’d never spoken with her directly, but I’d heard that as much as Mr. Garrison was a stickler for the rules, she was just as much no-nonsense as he was. I guess that was the kind of leadership a school where potential bombs walking around needed. The teachers and staff were gathered around the stage as well including Nurse Prim, Mrs. Bittinboulder who looked somewhat distracted, and Mr. Bayes.

“Welcome, students,” Mrs. Bekker began, “to the first assembly of the year. We know that starting a new school year is never easy, especially so when you’re adjusting to tremendous new abilities. We wanted to throw this assembly to--” I began to look elsewhere, my attention already beginning to slip. My eyes wandered lazily up to the ceiling where I noticed something odd, or a lack of something. I nudged Cass.

“What?” she asked. I pointed up to the ceiling.

“Where’s the AndrAI? Aren’t they always buzzing around?” I asked. She looked up and shared my confusion.

“Huh. That’s weird,” she mumbled. We seemed to attract the attention of Angus as well as he turned around to face us.

“What are you two talking about?” he whispered.

“The AndrAI are missing,” I pointed out.

After looking up to confirm himself, he thought for a moment. “I think I remember hearing they were just going in for maintenance or something from one of the teachers. Something about new protocols, I think.”

“Really? What new protocols do the AI drones actually need?” I wondered.

“Pay attention, Gabs,” Cass whispered as she patted my arm with a smile, causing me to blush and look forward. Suddenly Cass had far too much power over me. I began to tune into Mrs. Bekker’s speech again.

“-And so, in honor of us all starting a new year together and charting our path for the best future possible, please allow me to introduce two of our wonderful city’s licensed heroes, Starburst and Verdant!” she gestured towards two figures walking onto the stage. Applause erupted around us, though we quickly followed suit. 

Starburst and Verdant had performed a few high profile heroics over the past year or so that they had been quite celebrated by a few of the city’s newspapers, though there were definitely vocal critics on talk shows and podcasts regarding the dependability of “super-powered freaks”, to put it lightly. The two walked past the teachers and onto the stage, Starburst in her warm yellow uniform and Verdant in civilian clothing, likely an alternative to her usual costume which showed plenty of skin. Her light green skin seemed to shimmer under the stage lights. A third figure joined them on stage whose white hair I recognized immediately.

“Mel?” I whispered in confusion. The three were each handed their microphones.

“Hello everyone,” Starburst addressed us in a warm tone, “I’m Starburst.”

“Hey, I’m Verdant,” Verdant added in a light voice. Mel appeared to roll her eyes and lifted her microphone.

“I’m Melanie, the Crescent City Capes PR rep,” she said dryly. PR rep? She was a cyborg super genius, she wasn’t a PR rep. What was going on here? A beat passed before Starburst spoke again.

“It’s wonderful to be here, speaking with the young alters who will help shape our future.” There was a light applause as she continued, “Your principal, Mrs. Bekker and I go back quite a ways, back to college even, and when she asked us to speak with you today I jumped at the chance.” 

“We both jumped at the chance,” Verdant interrupted with a gleeful smile. “Coming back here was a real treat, especially seeing the bathroom I used to spend so much time smoke-- Starburst covered Verdant’s microphone with her hand and spoke again.

“And that’s not why we came today, except, you know, smoking is bad so don’t do it. Anyways, as I was saying…” She continued to speak, eventually breaking out into several anecdotes about how they had both experienced their fair share of mishaps while being young and discovering their powers, a few of which did pull genuine laughs from the crowd. After the laughter had died down, she spoke again. “We wanted to speak with you all about using your powers responsibility.” A collective groan emanated through the students. The assembly devolved into a long lecture about responsibly using powers and the common pitfalls we might fall into. Mel stayed stationary throughout and when they were finished, she left the stage with them as Mrs. Bekker led them out of the auditorium. I was left scratching my head. Why was she here?

* * *

The rest of the week passed by rather uneventfully. I had a few close encounters with Marcus’ band of goons, but thankfully a teacher or one of the AndrAI bots was always around to deter them from targeting me in the hallways. After the final bell rung on friday Cass reminded me to meet her in an hour after school in Earhart Park on the outskirts of the baseball diamonds where thicker tree coverage began. I agreed and said my goodbyes before making my way down the school steps towards an alley I could change in a few blocks away. I sped home, or I guess a more accurate statement would be that I sped around home as I kept taking detours to prolong my run before finally entering my block, changing in the woods and heading inside.

“Hey, Mom,” I called as I walked in and dropped my bag. She was working on her laptop on some programing project on the couch when I walked in and turned to me and smiled.

“Hey sweetie. How was school?” She asked.

“Same old, same old,” I replied flatly. She followed me into the kitchen as I searched in the fridge for a snack and cleared her throat. It took me a moment before I realized that it was Friday, I could have my phone back. I spun on my heels eagerly to face her. Reading my expression, she fished my phone out of her pocket and held it above her head.

“Did you learn your lesson?” she asked calmly.

“Yeah,” I answered quietly.

“What was it?” She was really going to make me work for this, wasn’t she?

“I should have told you that I wasn’t going to be home ahead of time,” I added.

“And?”

“And I shouldn’t have drunk alcohol so recklessly,” I continued. She looked like she was conflicted for a moment. “Was there anything else?” I asked.

“Well,” she lowered the phone into my hands but kept her grip as she pulled a stray lock of ginger hair from her eyes. “If you think there might be anything else you wanted to tell me?” There was so much I wanted to tell her, so much I wanted to get off my chest. I didn’t understand why that was important to me, but it was. But I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready for things to change like that yet. I shook my head.

“No, that’s it I think.” She smiled faintly and turned around.

“Good, sweetie. That offer stands though, okay?” 

“Okay, will do Mom,” I agreed before turning to continue my search through the fridge for something processed and tasty.

“Heads up,” I heard her call suddenly, prompting me to turn around just in time for her to quickly toss an apple from the bowl on the counter to me. I scrambled to catch it, grasping in my fingers before it could fall to the floor.

“What the heck was that?” I asked in an annoyed tone as I began chomping into the juicy dark red apple. 

“Just… making sure you eat right is all,” she huffed. “You’ve got much healthier options than the junk food we’ve got stored in there.” 

The front door opened and slammed shut before Jules and Parker entered into the kitchen. Parker had his hood up over his head

“Hey,” Parker mumbled before dropping his backpack onto one of the dining room tables and following my lead by opening the fridge to look for a snack.

“Ah ah,” Mom called before tossing an apple to him as well. “For god’s sake, fruit won’t kill you kids. Parker rolled his eyes and bit into it. Jules groaned and grabbed an orange from the bowl on the counter top.

“Something up? Why are you two just standing in the kitchen?” she asked while she idly peeled the orange. I waved my phone in her direction.

“I got my hotline back.” I smiled smugly. She frowned and shook her head.

“Why do you insist on calling your cell phone your ‘hotline’?” she whined.

“Because you hate it,” Parker cut in. He was right. Parker and I tended to team up on Jules whenever the occasion arose to mess her. She was always gave us strong reactions so we never really grew out of it.

Jules groaned. “God you two, this is just like the basketball crap you pulled when we were kids.”

“Oh, you mean--” I started to say before Parker finished for me.

“Squirt in the middle!” we laughed loudly.

“Yes! I was running around outside trying to catch up to you jerks for hours and you never passed me the ball once!”

“Classic,” Parker reminisced.

“Mom,” Jules whined as she turned to Mom.

“Ignore them, hun. You know what I always say.” Mom smiled as she turned to head back into the living room.

“Ugh, ‘boys will be boys’ is such a stupid saying,” Jules said. I flinched slightly, for as much as she held a public distaste for that phrase I held just as much contempt for it privately as well. 

“Oh, Jules, don’t forget about our day trip on Sunday,” Mom called from the other room. Jules expression immediately darkened and she lightly collapsed onto the kitchen counter.

“Again? Didn’t we just have one of those?” Jules replied loudly. Mom reappeared in the kitchen doorway with a frown.

“Aw, Jules, that’s our thing,” she said.

“I know, it just feels like we just do something almost every weekend,” Jules groaned.

“Well, tell you what. It’s a mother daughter thing, so find me another daughter and I’ll let you tag out, okay?” Mom smiled at Parker and I, causing Jules to groan louder.

“Sorry, sis, we don’t look that similar,” Parker laughed, prompting Mom to join in. I laughed too, though it was assuredly more fake than Parker’s and Mom’s were. Mom ruffled my hair as I passed her out of the kitchen towards the stairs

 I began to make my way up to my room to plug my seemingly dead phone in when Parker ran after me.

“Hey, Gav, we never got to play that game last week. Wanna play it now?” he asked with pleading eyes. I gripped my phone tighter in my hands. I’d been radio silent for a week now, I really wanted to send a text out to Kayden to let them know I was alright and to plan our next move. 

“Sorry, Parker,” I began, but I never got the chance to continue before he stormed past me.

“Forget it,” he mumbled. His door slammed shut, causing Mom to look up in my direction. I shrugged, deflecting her questioning gaze. 

“I’ll talk to him in a little while,” Mom sighed before continuing with her work.

I closed my bedroom door behind me and quickly plugged my phone in. I dug around under my bed for the box I had placed the clothes Cass and I bought and pulled it forward, though I kept it underneath the bed in case Mom walked in. Within a few minutes my phone sprang to life, processing a couple dozen notifications at once before settling down. I sorted through the texts from Cass and Sammy, neither of them knew I didn’t have my phone until Monday, and settled on the texts from Kayden. There were a few checking in on my status and one that said the Mechanic, Mel, had finished the contraption she was working on for me dated on Thursday. I quickly sent them a text back.

 

ME:

“Hey! Sorry I didn’t respond, I got grounded and lost my phone…”

 

I waited with baited breath for them to return the text. Sure enough, twenty-five  minutes later they replied.

 

KAYDEN:

“Lmao Seriously? What are you, 13?”

 

ME:

“No! My mom just wasn’t happy about a variety of things I pulled.”

 

KAYDEN:

“Sure, shorty. By the way Mel said if I didn’t get you to her lab tonight she’d disassemble what she built you and put it into a new project. You free tonight?”

 

ME:

“Hell yeah! Oh, before I forget, I saw Mel at my school the other day. Is she really the PR person for the Crescent City Capes?”

 

KAYDEN:

“...”

“That’s… complicated. I’ll tell you tonight.”

 

ME:

“Also, after whatever Mel has planned, can we do a bit of searching for Hexecute? I saw the news, if we found him once we can do it again.

 

KAYDEN:

“Hell yes we can, Hopefully we’ll be able to stop him from draining alters.”

 

We ended up scheduling to meet at the same junkyard I’d met them at the previous week in a couple hours and from there they’d take me to Mel. I held the phone to my chest and wistfully sighed. It felt amazing to be able to speak with them again. A glance at the clock startled me from my thoughts, I was going to be late to meet Cass.

I walked downstairs and told Mom that I didn’t feel very well from tossing and turning the previous night and I was going to sleep for a while. She fretted over me for a moment before I shrugged it off as just a sleep thing She said she’d save some dinner for whenever I woke up and shooed me off to bed. Hopefully that would buy me enough time to do what I needed to do tonight without being caught.

I slipped out the window in the torn gym-suit and quickly headed towards downtown where Cass had set to meet. Upon arriving in Earhart Park I slowed down. The first golden inklings of twilight were beginning to peek through the clouds however it was still bright enough to see me clearly. I began to strategically weave between maintenance buildings, food shops and trees until I arrived in a thickly wooded patch in the middle of the park where I believed Cass was referencing earlier. It was pretty clear why she had chosen it, it was much darker in the dimming light of day than the rest of the park and would conceal whatever she had planned quite well. Whatever that plan was, however, was beginning to create a lump of anxiety in my stomach. What could she be planning that required us to meet here? I slumped against the tree and pulled my phone out. Might as well kill some time, I figured. A light tap at my shoulder altered me that I wasn’t alone. Letting out a shrill yelp, I jumped back and looked for the company I shared before realizing that nobody was there.

“That’s strange…” I wondered out loud.

“What’s strange?” came a tiny voice next to my ear. I nearly jumped out of my skin and stumbled backwards, my foot catching on a tree root and sending me tumbling to the ground. I looked around hurriedly while nursing my bruised behind, however my rapidly blurring vision made it difficult to pick out any shapes or figures from the trees around me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to center myself, cursing my quirk all the while. Upon opening them again, I was startled to find an imp floating before me, looking quite amused as it tittered loudly.

“Wha-- are you one of Cass’ imps?” I asked harshly.

“No, I’m one of Lady Sulfur’s imps!” it proclaimed.

“Sulfur?” Who the hell was that? Did someone other than Cass have access to summoning these things?

“Well, that’s what mistress Cassasandra told me to say, anyways,” it smiled. “Are you Gabrielle?”

“Y-yeah,” I answered with a pang of hesitation in my voice. Saying that name out loud was still odd for me, not only in the sense that people were actually calling me by a name I actually liked now but also that I was being called that name while dressed in hero-ing garb. I really needed to work on my supernym soon, too.

It gestured for me to get on my feet and began to float through the trees. “This way!” The imp led me through a few twists and turns before we came to a small opening in the foliage coverage in which dim twilight spilled through onto a grassy ground. Immediately I recognized Cass’ demonic form floating gently next to someone I didn’t recognize. Upon approaching I was able to make out the other person’s, another girl, features. She had long dark brown hair tied back tightly with a light scrunchie that matched her dark complexion. She was wearing a loose fashionable scarf that hung over a navy t-shirt. She had several gold bangles on each wrist that jingled loudly as she spoke in an animated fashion with Cass.

It didn’t take long for them to notice the imp and myself walking towards them on the dark grass, and the girl pointed at us in a wide eyed manner.

“Is that her?” she asked in an awed tone.

“Oh, yep!” Cass smiled eagerly and floated over to us. “Thanks for bringing her, I’ll get you a pint of that mint chocolate chip ice cream later, okay?” she said to her imp as it floated into her hand.

“Yay, thank you, Mistress,” the imp squealed before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

“Uh, hey ‘Sulfur’.” I grinned. “You wanted to meet?”

Cass blanched as she looked at me. “O-oh, my imp told you about that, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” I snorted, “It did.” It was adorable to watch as Cass’ demonic face tried in vain to fight off an embarrassed blush before she gestured to the girl next to her.

“T-this is a friend of mine, Anya Leroux. Anya, this is my friend Ga- uh,” she hesitated, seeming to be stuck on whether she should say my name, “Ms. Vigilante.” The girl quickly stepped towards me and shook my hand violently with  beaming smile.

“Hi! Pleasure to meet you,” she blurted out. “Cassandra told me about you, that you’re fighting crime and stuff! I justed wanted to say that’s so frickin’ awesome!”

“Don’t mention it?” I replied.

“Is it true that you fought Hexecute once?” she suddenly asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘fight’ per se, but--”

“Oh my god, that’s so incredible!” she squealed. “I love heroes and vigilantes, especially girls. Hashtag feminism, am I right?” I exchanged a questioning glance with Cass, what was her plan with this girl?

“Anya has cloth transmutation powers. She can control fabrics and make them into new shapes like fur to cotton, or polyester to leather,” Cass stated.

“And I can make the realest looking fur this side of the San Andreas,” Anya smiled. She began to circle me as she took in my suit. “This is one of our gym suits… Cass, is she from the school?” Anya looked between Cass and I with a frown.

“Yeah,” I admitted. I didn’t see any point in hiding that fact from her, she would've pieced it together anyways.

“Woah, fuck the man right? I’m totally into this whole rebellious thing you have going on, it’s so deliciously angsty. Have I seen you around? I don’t recognize your hair color from any girls I know, and I wouldn’t have missed such a striking color…” Anya mused as she continued fussing with my gym uniform.

“My hair color uh, changes…” I replied. That technically wasn’t a lie as far as I figured.

“Oh, that’s just like Courtney’s power,” Anya turned to Cass who nodded.

“Yeah, but she can do way more than just that,” Cass smiled. To demonstrate I circled them a few dozen times and cracked a smile as Anya’s eyes went wide while my streak swirled around them. 

“Y-you’re a speedster!” she cried.

“Yep,” I replied. She ran her hands through her hair and stepped away.

“Wow, I can’t wait for that asshole Markus to meet you.” She turned back towards with a serious look. “I ship it.”

Cass and I burst out laughing. “Fat chance,” I choked. She waved us off and approached again.

“You never know,” she replied while continuing to look over my suit. Anya cocked her head to the side as she reached my front again. “Is this the boys uniform?”

“Stole it,” Cass and I said in unison. Great minds think alike, I guessed.

“That is so rad, no wonder Bittinboulder was all in a tizzy-fit last week, I heard one of the teachers talking to her about how some anonymous report had come in about a missing suit. I just knew subterfuge was afoot!” Anya laughed. Wait, so Bittinboulder knew that one of the suits were missing? I’d turned in my suit last Friday as well as earlier today and hadn’t heard anything so far. Maybe they hadn’t nailed down who had done it? “She was huffing and puffing all day about it too, I guess that had something to do with the AndrAI being absent today.”

“You think so?” Cass queried. Anya shrugged.

“I mean, that’s the kind of thing that happens in the plots of comic books, and we’re super powered teenagers in real life so anything is possible I guess,” she stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. “Yeah, I can work with this. You want a new super hero outfit, right?”

“Ah, yes!” I emphatically nodded. So that’s what Cass had been planning!

“Great, I’m very excited to help with this, rule-breaking vicariously is kinda my thing,” she said.

“If you use your powers outside of school, isn’t that actual rule-breaking?” I asked. She paled for a second before shaking her head.

“Nope! Not going to think about that. Anyways, what’s your ideal hero outfit?” I fumbled for a second. If Cass had told me what she had in mind I could have drawn up some ideas for something cool! As it was now, I’d be lucky to get a tutu with a pair of running shoes. I closed my eyes and concentrated on how I’d felt when I was wearing the leather jacket and dress back at the bar with Sammy and Cass a week prior. I felt invincible, like nothing could stop me. 

“Definitely a leather jacket. Maybe some boots,” I commented. Before I could continue, Anya stopped me.

“Hold that thought, I have a totally kick-ass idea based off just that.” She stepped back and a multi-colored flash lit up the dim clearing before revealing Anya, though a marginally different variation, before me. Her hair had become white and curly, her eyes were sapphire blue and matched several blue markings that ran up her fingers. 

“Ah, much better. Now hold still,” she cautioned as she held her hands out and rested them on my shoulders. Instantly it felt like ants were crawling all over me as the suit shifted everywhere. I could feel it hardening in some places while softening in others. Before my eyes the poly-spandex blend turned into a red and black leather coat. The arms were black and ran up to the neckline of the coat which circled around my neck in dark red and cascaded down over my front which was styled similarly to a fencing jacket. The coat had a zipper that ran underneath the leather in a half arrow head style from my right shoulder down to my waist and ended at a small black belt that had a few pouches sewn into it. My pants began to shift as well, morphing into the same red as the front of my jacket and from the thinner blend they’d been earlier to something thicker that felt smoother to the touch. The insides of the pant legs down to my knees turned the same black as my jacket sleeves and the fabric thinned ever so slightly. The boots turned a similar black as well. And contoured themselves to my feet. Suddenly, standing here in the woods was much more comfortable.

“Woah, thanks, Anya,” I cheered. She held her hands up.

“Not done,” she murmured. The ant-like feeling reared up again, but only on my wrists as the edging around my wrists, the piping on the jacket, and the edging on the top of the boots turned a pale yellow. The belt buckle as well turned yellow, creating a sort of arrow when lined up with the jacket piping. 

I ran my hands over the material and found it to be smooth and durable, yet flexible enough for me to move without restriction. I ran around the clearing and bounced off trees and jumped from branch to branch without any indication of hindrance or restriction in the leather. In fact, somehow all of this felt immeasurably better to run in. As if it was made for me. I slowed to a stop in front of Anya and enveloped her in a hug, easily lifting her off the ground.

“This feels wonderful! Thank you,” I exclaimed.

“I totally agree, it looks wonderful on you! Very sleek and fitting,” Cass added.

“N-no problem,” she choked. “I can tell you more about the suit if you pu- Ack- me down!” Realizing that I was probably crushing her with my enhanced strength, I set her back onto the ground and apologized.

“Sorry, still don’t fully know my own strength in this form,” I tittered nervously.

“No worries,” Anya smiled as she picked up a notepad that had fallen on the ground.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Oh, this?” she held her notebook up for me to see. “This is where I sketch all the outfit ideas down in my head. Second one this month, actually,” she sighed.

“Is that your quirk?” I asked cautiously. Kayden was reluctant to speak about their quirk before, so I figured I should be careful when asking others about it too. 

“Y-yeah,” she nodded. “Constant new ideas, gotta sketch em out.” She gave a weary, though genuine smile. I patted her shoulder reassuringly.

“No worries, we’ve all got ‘em,” I replied. She smiled and cleared her throat.

“So about that suit,” she began, clearly trying to change the subject, “it’s made of more durable materials that should prevent issues like that shoulder tear from occurring again,” she tapped at my shoulder, “However I still preserved the properties of the original material that allowed it to remain friction resistant, meaning that it should allow full use of your powers as before.”

“Yeah, it feels amazing!” I agreed.

“It should, that’s what a custom Leroux fit feels like,” she haughtily laughed while striking a pose.

I continued to admire my new suit until I realized if this was going to be my new hero-ing suit full time, I’d need something to conceal my finger prints. “Hey Anya, would it be possible to get me some gloves?” I asked.

“No,” she said while shaking her head, ”I’m afraid I used all the materials you were wearing besides your underwear to make that and an under shirt. I’m afraid that I can’t shift it anymore right now, working with such complex materials tends to give me a headache like a monkey banging cymbals in my noggin. Maybe if you hadn’t ripped a huge piece off on the shoulder.”

“Oh,” I frowned. “Well, I can probably just pick some up then. Speaking of, I have an appointment in just a few, Cass do you mind if I head out?” I asked. She shifted back to her default form.

“Sure, we were just going to grab some food at a new asian place. You off to meet with Kayden?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’ve got some plans for tonight,” I smiled. Cass elbowed Anya.

“Kayden is her ‘special friend’,” she said, which elicited giggled from the other girl. I rolled my eyes.

“Thanks again,” I yelled as I took off out of the woods and across Earhart Park. I decided to throw my earlier caution to the wind and ran straight through the crowded downtown district. I zig-zagged through the traffic and jumped from light poles to the walls of several buildings back onto the street with intense vigor and renewed frenzy. This costume felt amazing and fitting and just, well, right. As right as it had felt when the hem of my dress had twirled around me while I danced in the bar. While the wind brushed through my hair, I realised it was more than that. Even then in the bar questions had been lingering in the back of my mind about who I was and what my conduct had meant. Out here, though, while I was running? That was different. It was complete and absolute freedom. The blurs passing by me didn’t matter, there was only me and the road ahead.

I arrived at the scrapyard in no time flat, it really was easier to run here when there was a bit of natural daylight left, I should make a habit out of not hero-ing stupid late at night. Kayden wasn’t hard to find, they were standing against another scrap heap looking down at their phone, likely awaiting a text from me. Their form tonight was different from the others still, this time they were on the masculine side of androgynous, their form lithe and straight up to their broadened shoulders. Their hair was gathered up in a messy bun on their head. Remembering their earlier ploy to scare me the other week, I decided to get even. Easily enough, I was able to speed my way just behind them without alerting them.

“Boo!” I screamed, causing them to jump forward like a cat out of hell, all according to plan. What I hadn’t expected was a larger than average fist coming at me. A more alert me would have been able to dodge it, but, well… that me wasn’t answering today. As the punch connected I sailed backwards and rebounded roughly off the sheet metal fencing that surrounded the lot. Surprisingly, I was able to catch myself once I fell back towards the ground on my feet. I guess my endurance was strengthened in this form too because that really didn’t hurt as much as I had expected it to.

Kayden came rushing over, their face awash in horror at the realization of what they’d done.

“Gabby!” they screamed after me while they rushed to my side. I waved them off as I stood up laughing.

“That was a hard punch, don’t tell me you hit all the girls like that?” I smirked. It caught them off guard for a moment before they realized I was messing with them.

“Only the bad ones,” they smirked back. “I didn't recognize the costume, it looks great!”

I posed for them seductively. “Thanks, I had it custom made.”

“Custom made? Like a cloth manipulator?” they asked.

“Transmogrifier, but same difference,” I chuckled. 

“Dang, they usually charge a pretty penny for this kind of work. You had them change the school suit I’m assuming?”

“Yep, a much needed upgrade,” I replied. “Oh, you said Mel had finished that thingy she was making for me?”

“Right! She said and I quote, ‘Tell her to get her tushy down here immediately or I’m going to take them apart for C0.NWAY-6’s next upgrade,’ end quote,” Kayden  winced.

“So we’re under a timer I take it?” I walked forward and stretched my legs.

“I mean yeah but Mel is always like that,” Kayden shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll actually… well, no, she will. We should probably hustle.”

“Perfect, I absolutely can’t wait to talk to her about an assembly I had recently,” I smiled.

“Assembly?” Kayden asked.

“You’ll see,” I winked. We made our way down a manhole that was close to the scrap yard and Kayden once more led the way towards Mel’s lab while we made small talk discussing the slumber party, my grounding, and a few other topics. Most of the trip I was preoccupied with Mel and what I’d learned about her since our last meeting. She was doing “PR” work for the Crescent City Capes, but that couldn’t be right. Her lab was pretty spacious and well equipped and, while she could have created a lot of it herself, I didn’t believe the space was something that would be easily attainable in Crescent City on the budget of a PR person. The scrap yard wasn’t too far from downtown where Crescent City Tower resided, was it a stretch to think that Mel operated her lab out of the tower? I’d have to pay close attention to the turns we took on the route to see. Kayden cleared their throat, alerting me to the fact that they’d been talking the entire time I’d been lost in my own thoughts.

“W-what?” I stuttered.

“You were totally zoned out, weren’t you?” they asked with a knowing smirk.

“No!” I exclaimed, “I heard everything you said.”

“Oh really? Then what did I say?” They crossed their arms and waited.

“Ah,” I stalled as I tried to figure out what to say, “You were wondering if you should change your hair to a less ostentatious color, and I have to say no way. I totally support the trans colors.” A look of surprise overtook them.

“Wow,” they smiled, “Got it in one.”

“Really?”

 They rolled their eyes and laughed. “No, you idiot. I was asking if you’ve been training at all since you came into your powers beyond these excursions we’ve been having.”

“Oh,” I squeaked. “I mean, I’ve been running around a bunch. Does that count?”

Kayden scratched their head as we made a left turn. “I guess, but you know that you can probably do more than run and punch, right?”

“I can?” My eyes widened. “Like what?”

“Well, you should be able to move really, really fast for short bursts of time, like in a single second, or phase through things, or punch really, really hard using your speed as momentum,” Kayden explained.

“Woah, seriously? That sounds awesome!” I yelled in excitement. “I did see some crazy lightning being a few weeks ago, maybe that has something to do with my powers.” Kayden stopped in their tracks.

“Lighting being?” They asked in confusion.

“Er, yeah. It was super freaky, but it didn’t hurt me. It was totally crazy, though,” I replied.

“Huh. Keep me posted on that if it happens again,” Kayden cautioned. The lift to get into Mel’s lab operated much the same as the last time, and we were quickly rising into a lab that, surprisingly, was even messier than the last time we were here. I didn’t see anyone immediately, so I cupped my hands around my mouth.

“Mel?” I called out. “I’m here, you don’t have to break what you built for me.” The sound of a wrench clanging on tiled surface followed by a loud bang came from the corner of the room behind us.

“Dammit,” I heard her yell in her cybernetic voice. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you to knock?” She rose from behind a pile of scrap, her lab coat looking coated with oil and metal shavings.

“Sorry,” I winced. “Didn’t mean to mess you up, I’m just excited about whatever you have that could help me.”

“Right, right.” She wiped her hands on her coat. “Because I’m like the Candy-Man now, huh? I hand out sweets to the good little alter girls and boys?”

“Well, n-no, but--” I stammered, taken back by her harsh response.

She smiled. “I’m just messing with you, zippy. Now. Your goggles.” She turned around and walked towards one of the stark white walls which began to fold back, revealing a shelf of different technology ranging from what looked to be ray guns to breathing apparatuses. 

“Goggles?” I asked as I trailed after her. Kayden followed as well, eager to see what Mel had cooked up.

“Yes! I was reviewing the footage I recorded of your last visit--” she began.

“Hold up, you were recording me?” I protested. Mel looked at me with an incredulous expression.

“Of course I was. Cyborg, remember? I record everything that happens here,” she  stated as she picked up a pair of simple looking goggles. They looked like some sort of cross between skiing goggles and something you’d swim with, each eye of them was covered in a yellow tinted metallic finish with each edge of the goggle lens going from an inch from the inside of where an eye would be to two on the outside of the eye. She casually handed them to me and I noticed that they had no band to wrap around my head. 

“How do I put these on?” I asked as I ran my fingers over the front of them and found small ridges at the edges of the goggles. What were these things?

She gestured to her face, “Just stick it onto your face, they’ll self adhere to the skin above your procerus and your orbicularis oculi.”

“My what?” I frowned. She rolled her eyes and sighed sharply.

“The bridge of your nose and the area on the outside of your eyes. Place them onto your face.” I obliged and set the goggled over my eyes. I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary for a moment until flashing symbols and words began to whir past my eyes. 

HUD Engaging…….. Diagnostic check complete. All sub-systems functional. Securing...

The goggles quietly expelled air and by the pressure I could feel on my nose and the sides of my eyes I could tell they had adhered. 

Secured. Testing Focal shutters…

I was shocked to find something over the top of the goggles was opening and closing over both lenses.

“What the hell?” I stammered.

“Just let it finish,” Mel instructed.

Focal shutters operational. Iris biometric scan complete. Microscopic accelerometer and motion sensors calibrated to superior and inferior tarsal plate movement. Synchronization complete. 

The  screen cleared and suddenly I was staring at Mel and Kayden again.

“What in the absolute hell is going on,” I shouted. Mel moved close to me again and looked down at me.

“Squint your eyes, please,” she asked.

“Wha--” I began.

“Just do it.” She commanded. I sighed and squinted my eyes and,to my amazement, the shutters on the front of the goggles contracted slightly. Likewise, when I opened my eyes again they opened back up as well. 

“Whoa,” I said as I began to test this feature vigorously before Mel grabbed my arm. 

“Don’t break ‘em. I’m not making them again for you,” she lectured. I obliged and slowed the movement of my eyes. 

“So what’s the point of these? I’m not saying they aren’t totally wicked, because they are, but what’s with the flicky things?” I pointed at the black parts on the lenses.

“Those shutters,” she corrected, “are built in the same style of a camera shutter. When you focus on something, your superior and inferior…” she trailed off and stared at me for a long moment after realizing I was messing with the shutters again. “They track the movement of your eyelids and contract or expand accordingly,” she rolled her eyes. “The combination of a focusing element from the shutters plus the supportive elements used in the lenses should act as a crutch for your eyes to stay level with your speed without becoming too overwhelmed with other stimuli. I took the liberty of including a small amount of extra gadgetry as well in the form of a heads up display that should provide GPS directions, enhanced night vision, and a simple scanning feature.”

“Scanning feature?” I replied.

“They can search criminal databases using facial recognition, that way you’ll know when to run in the other direction when faced with an attacker.” She stated. “Of course, as long as you do not engage in any unlawful hero-ing business, that feature will be unnecessary.”

I shared a glance with Kayden before replying, “Yep, none of that here, no ma’am,” I assured her. She shot us both a tiring glance.

“I don’t have time for this,” she sighed. As I looked down at myself again with the new goggles I recalled that I was no longer wearing gloves.

“Hey Mel, is it possible that I could get some gloves?” She gave me a suspicious look.

“Why?”

“Because I just need some, if that’s okay,” I replied. She shook her head.

“Should’ve asked whoever cooked up that fancy outfit for you to do that, my ClothoLoom is in pieces right now to fix my Matter Extractor. I won’t have it back together for another day or so. Tough luck,” she began to walk away before she turned suddenly. “Oh, put the metal plates on the shelf next to where I grabbed your goggles onto your boots.” I found what I believed she was talking about, two unassuming looking thin metal plates that glistened under the fluorescent lighting. I affixed them to the bottom of my boots in much the same manner as my goggles where they stuck tight. Upon lowering my feet to the ground, I found I couldn’t feel anything beneath the weight of my foot.

“What are these?” I asked quickly as Kayden and I investigated them.

“Grind plates. You can grind at super speeds wearing those off of metal surfaces for easier traversal through the city. Have you ever ridden a skateboard before?” Mel called out as she began to hammer away on another heap of scrap and metal.

“Yeah, when I was a kid,” I answered.

“Good, same principal.” I smirked as I remembered what I wanted to ask her.

“So, Mel,” I began.

“Yes? What is it now?” she groaned.

I leaned on the scrap and looked at her. “I couldn’t help but notice you at an assembly I had recently…” I trailed off, the grin on my face growing ever larger. She looked up at me abruptly with a frown.

“Get out,” she huffed and began to shoo us towards the door.

“But what about Starburst and Verdant?” I protested, “Don’t you work with them? Isn’t this Crescent City Tower?”

“Out, out, out!” she demanded as we drew closer to the entrance pad. “First I don’t even get to see those damned AI drones they brag about so much, ‘in for repairs’ they say, which is a load of shit, and now I have to deal with this. Perfect day for Melanie,”

“But Mel,” Kayden cried, joining me in protesting.

“There’s a robbery on 9th and Calieo. Go be menaces somewhere else instead of my lab,” she demanded as she pushed us onto the entrance pad. It began to lower as she walked away grumbling. “Why the hell am I surrounded by so many pairs of lovebirds? Am I a magnet for queer people? I don’t even own a moving truck…”

We were back in the sewer quickly as the entrance sealed up again, left to the sound of our own breathing.

“So… robbery?” Kayden suggested. I quickly agreed.

 

* * *

 

Kayden and I surfaced about ten or so blocks away from the robbery into the cool night air. Scarce bits of light still danced in the sky but were for the most part overshadowed by the dark blue swirling around them. The sun must have set a short while ago, but judging by the time display it was only 9:13pm. I still had time to make it home, I noted. The commotion a short distance away was already visible by the collection of red and blue flashing lights painting the area.

“You ready for this?” They asked me cautiously.

“Yeah,” I readjusted my goggles. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, you’ve never been involved in so much action before. This could get tricky,” they continued.

“Tricky how?” I asked. They took in a sharp breath and held it for a moment as we began to make our way over.

“Crime fighting… it’s not what they show on TV. Just because we bust a perp doesn’t mean the day is saved. They can appeal in court, they can claim that we got the wrong person and they can even sue us for emotional damages. It’s fucking ridiculous, honestly.”

“Then if there’s so much red tape involved why do it at all?”

Kayden sighed. “Because it’s the right thing to do’. And one of these days the guys who get away with that crap? They won’t,” they spat as we hurried over to the scene of the robbery. We hunched on a rooftop overlooking the bank. Kayden turned very terse and quiet as we landed and motioned for us to move a few roofs over. Before I could ask why, they pointed to a man in police gear perched on the roof with a large gun pointed at the bank. We moved over to an adjacent roof and regrouped. The police were swarming around the 9th Street Capital Bank, their guns drawn and aimed at the brick and stone building and its door which itself looked to be battered down. Several news vans were present down the street with their cameras aimed at either the bank itself or a news anchor with their back to the bank. I turned to Kayden.

“Okay, how does this usually go down?” I asked.

“I have no idea,” Kayden replied as they looked over the roof ledge. I shook my head for a moment to make sure I heard them right.

“Excuse me, you have no idea?” I hissed.

“I’ve never been in a situation with this many cops before! I’m not exactly licensed you know,” they growled back.

“Then what are we supposed to--” I began before a figure stepped out of the bank and caused the police to begin shouting indiscriminately. He was dressed in the expected garb for a bank robber, black mask, boots, and black cargo pants and gloves. What was strange about him was a shiny metallic vest he wore on his chest. Kayden, the police, and my HUD pointed it out before I could even ponder it.

Bomb.

He had a controller in his hand, what looked to be a deadman’s switch. If any of the cops shot him, he’d go up and so would they.

“Okay, pig fuckers! Go ahead, shoot me! Then this whole neighborhood will go up in flames,” he snarled. Cops began to retreat slightly as he approached. I looked to Kayden, but they seemed as lost as I was. I could see it before they could, an increase in his gait. He was speeding up. He wasn’t holding us hostage, he was about to bomb us. Everyone here, even the families huddled in their apartments. I wasn’t going to let that happen.

Everything froze as I bounded off the building and sprinted towards the bomber. I didn’t know what I was going to do, there was nothing I coulddo, but I had to try. I had to. I charged towards him fast enough that even as I closed in their reactions indicated that less than a second had passed. I was probably dead, I was probably killing all of these people a second early, but I had to try to save them. I reached out towards him and closed my eyes and… felt vibration. And stranger yet, I kept going. I could feel my feet moving quickly down the pavement away from the scene. I opened my eyes to a shock, the vest that man was wearing was nestled between my hands. I looked behind me and saw that they still had yet to react to my sudden appearance. How fast was I going? I didn’t have time to figure it out  as I felt a yank on the vest followed by a release of pressure. A look over my shoulder confirmed that I’d just separated the vest from the switch he’d held in his hands. Immediately the metal tube attached to the vest began to creep outward at a snail’s pace.

My stomach dropped out from under me as I considered what this meant. The bomb was exploding here and now, in slow motion. But that fear turned to determination as I realized what my next step had to be. I needed to get this thing away from people. I pushed, harder than I ever had before, and sprinted towards the shoreline. Each building I passed became less than a blur and instead just splotches of color. All the running I’d done before since I was struck by that bolt of lightning, all of it felt like a leisurely jog compared to this. I’d never moved this fast, ever. Already I could begin to feel my calves aching. The pavement of the street felt smooth beneath me as I weaved through the traffic and pedestrians. That familiar pulse of energy burned and seared within my chest, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t stop when my feet pounded down on beachfront sand. I didn’t stop when a thunderous clap of water resounded beneath  my foot. I just kept going, amazingly across the glassy surface. Apparently my speed was more than a match for it’s surface tension. The metal tube on the vest was beginning to burst and cracks in it’s surface poured out burning light from within. I made it ten, then thirty, then one hundred yards out onto the water before I dropped the vest and let it momentarily hover behind my wake. I only made it a dozen or so more yards before the energy that pulsed within me began to fizzle away, my speed leaving with it. Like a snap of the fingers time seemed to regain it’s normal flow and a shockwave pushed me forward with such intensity that I skipped like a stone across the water before I was buried into its cold dark depths.

I struggled with the pain I felt radiating from my back, but my lungs forced me to persevere and surface for oxygen. I took a deep gulp of air and immediately began to cough due to the heavy smoke that hung low in the air. Fire shimmered on the water and illuminated the darkness with bright streaks of light. Recognition of what I’d just done was slow to start, but a smile began to spread from cheek to check nonetheless. I’d done it. I saved everyone!

“Woooo! I’m a superhero!” I cried into the smoke filled night.

As I swam out of the water I couldn’t help but wonder how what I’d just done was even possible. Did I vibrate that vest off the bomber? I knew some speedsters had a power that fit that description, but I wasn’t sure. Not just that, but I’d never moved so fast. How fast could I go? My mind was preoccupied with this question as I made it back to Kayden after taking a few laps around the shoreline to dry off. They were a different roof a small distance away leaned back against the roof ledge when I approached. They opened their eyes to me and immediately engulfed me in a hug.

“You fucking idiot, if you ever do anything like that again I swear I’ll kill you myself,” they hissed.

“Kayden?” I started.

“No, you just flung yourself at a meat grinder and got incredibly lucky. Never, ever do that again.” They pulled me back and stared into my eyes. “Okay?”

“Okay,” I promised. “Sorry, I saw that he was about to blow the bomb and I, I don’t know, I panicked. I thought of everyone around here and…”

“And you acted,” Kayden smiled faintly. “Like a hero.” I leaned against the ledge and began to massage one of my calves. That had really taken more out of me than I expected it to.

“Yeah I did,” I declared. “What did it look like, anyway?”

“When you did your wiz-bam-boom sleight of hand? It was incredible, orange and yellow lighting surrounded us all and traced a path right through the guy who was suddenly standing sans a bomb vest.” My eyes widened in excitement.

“Did it look cool?” I pried.

“Very,” Kayden laughed. “How’d you do it?”

“My best guess is I vibrated it off him,” I answered hesitantly. “I don’t really know how, though.”

“Well, we can figure that out later. The news is going to be sending in a helicopter soon so we should skedaddle. Bright side though, you’ll be able to brag about all of this later.” I turned towards the area I saw the news vans sitting earlier.

“Cameras? Wouldn’t they just see a blur?” I asked.

“Normally yeah,” they shrugged, “but these days news cameras are getting pretty sophisticated. I hear some of them can even capture high speed footage and can slow it down so who knows, maybe they’ll be able to see your cool costume or your fabulous hair.” I scanned the crowd of news vans, hoping that a particular news team wasn’t on the scene for once. Unfortunately, Mom’s favorite news channel, CSNTV was among the crowd of newscasters yelling into their mics. Would mom know it was me? She’s been acting weird lately, especially after the bar incident. Did she know that was me? If she had, she wasn’t letting on. But, I chided myself, that didn’t mean that she didn’t know. Better safe than sorry. I turned to Kayden with a fearful expression.

“How do I smell?

 

* * *

 

I attempted to push myself like I had earlier in the night while I made my way home, but kept hitting a wall when I tried to grasp for more energy. Instead I was reduced to more of a jog as I rushed down the darkened roads towards home. Trees, cars, houses, they all passed by into the night behind me. I had to get home. I had to get home. The streets rapidly became familiar again as I rounded onto my home turf. Once on my block I slowed to a stop beneath one of the downstairs windows to catch my breath. Even as a speedster, it was clear I had my limits. While I panted quietly in the moonlight I peeked inside. I could see Parker and Jules sitting on the couch, each predictably absorbed in the glow of their phone screens. But where was mom? I strained my eyes and scanned the rest of the room. My pulse froze when I spied her making her way up the stairs at a quick pace. 

Thinking quick, I dashed into the garden, up the siding, and slid into the bedroom. I tore off my uniform and threw the pieces into the closet and closed it as quietly as a panting, sweating teenage girl could. A knock at the door alerted me that my time was up. I jumped into bed and pulled the covers tightly around my still-transformed body. Kayden said I still smelled somewhat of ocean water, but judging by the scent on my comforter, she likely wouldn’t notice.

Mom slowly pushed the door open. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as electrical discharge faded just beyond her view. I struggled to calm my breathing , but demanding as they were my lungs put up a fight. I wasn’t sure if she was still there or not as she wasn’t making any noise. Sure enough, the door creaked open further and she crept over to my bed. I continued forcing myself to regain a normal rhythm of breathing as she approached. If she took the blanket off me now, it’d all be over. If she didn’t already know, that is. I could only hope that in the dim light she couldn’t make out the change in my hair color.

Her hand gently caressed my head and ran her fingers through my hair. She let out a long, drawn out sigh, and brushed my cheek softly. She bent over and kissed my temple gently before retreating quietly towards the door. She paused for a moment, but eventually the room submerged back into darkness. I waited for a moment to see if she was still around before moving, but it seemed that she really was gone. A peek around the room confirmed as much, and I let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t need any more crazy in my life tonight.