Williams Residence, Meritas City. October 16th, 2014, 18:30

  “H-how does it look?” I asked, holding up my arm.

  “Looks good as new.” Dad said.

  The two of us were sitting on the couch back at home, having just gotten back from getting the cast on my right arm removed. Sure enough, it had healed completely fine; no scarring, no deformations of any kind, perfectly normal.

  “Still can’t believe you got your other arm broken.” Dad said, running a hand through his hair, “I thought we’d said-”

  “I-I know, Dad.” I responded, “‘Don’t throw yourself into a life-or-death situation’. In my d-defense, I didn’t think they’d be able to m-maul me like that.”

  “They were super-criminals, kiddo, I feel like it’d come with the territory. What about Elena, you said she’d been hurt?”

  I nodded. “N-not as badly, thank god-”

  I stopped. I realised I hadn’t told Dad about seeing her over the weekend.

  “H-hey Dad…”

  He turned to look at me.

  “I-I forgot to tell you, o-on Saturday…Elena asked i-if we could h-hang out and-”

  “You don’t need to stress, Skye.” Dad said, smiling warmly, “If you want to just hang out with her, you don’t need my permission, just let me know.”

  He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly; though I could see a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  “So long as you’re not doing anything too…romantic.”

  Immediately, I felt myself flush red.

  “D-Dad!” I yelled, launching a cushion at him. He caught it, chuckling to himself.

  “I’m serious, kiddo!” He said, gently throwing it back to me, “You’ve gotten really close with her, and even I can see how happy she makes you whenever you talk about her. There’s something there, right?”

  I froze. I hadn’t told Dad how I felt, not explicitly, but of course he’d picked up on it.

  He picked up on it back in the hospital, I thought. Before I realised.

  Was I really that obvious?

  I tucked my legs in, resting my chin on my knees.

  “Y-yeah, there…there is. I-I think I-.” I felt my chest tighten a bit; even saying this to Dad was making me nervous, “I think I like her, l-like really like her. B-but I don’t know i-if…if she feels the same way. A-and I don’t know how to tell her, or even if I should. What if she’s- she’s not into me?

  Dad almost immediately sidled closer, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me in for a hug.

  “If you want some advice from your old Dad-”

  “On being a lesbian?” I replied dryly, smirking despite myself.

  “Listen,” he said, laughing, “You enjoy spending time with her, right? So, just take that as it is for now. If the time feels right to say something, do it; if not, don’t.”

  “Y-yeah I…I guess so.”

  Then a thought slid into my mind, something I’d almost forgotten.

  “I, uh…I m-might need to get a swimsuit.”

  Dad looked at me like I’d grown a second head.

  “You…you can’t swim, kiddo.”

  Eastmarch Seaside, Meritas City. October 18th, 2014, 16:30

  I’d tried to do something a little different when it came to my outfit. So much of my wardrobe was some variation of ‘dark hoodie, dark t-shirt, dark pants, and leggings’; very much meant to stand out as little as possible. Plus, I was rarely ever going out with people as is, so I never felt a need to look nice.

  But, if I was hanging out with a friend, it felt right to look at least somewhat different.

  I’d tried something more colourful, a mix of pink. Hated it, too bright.

  Something strapless. Hated that too, showed off my boney shoulders too much.

  Eventually, I’d gone for a dark sweater over a black skirt with white flower patterns over it. Really not that different from my normal outfits. Dad said it looked nice.

  I was…less sure.

  The sweater looked nice enough, sure, but I felt like the skirt made my legs look especially thin and bony. But, I just had to grin and bear it, try to ignore it.

  Elena had told me where to meet, outside the Spotlight shopping mall on the Eastmarch Seaside; not really somewhere I’d been regularly in all the years I’d lived in Meritas. A lot of the houses and other buildings here were clearly older ones, having been renovated lots over the years but not amazingly well-maintained. I thought it would have been quiet on the seaside, especially given the time of year, but the area around the Spotlight mall was bustling with people, both normal people and a few heroes wandering around and patrolling.

  I’d sat down on a roadside bench, headphones on, listening to some old rock music - Dad being in a band meant I inherited some of his tastes - while I was waiting for Elena. She’d said to meet here at 4:30, but was running a bit late. I hadn’t gotten any kind of message saying she was going to be late, just one a few hours ago saying we were definitely still meeting up today.

  So naturally, as I sat there waiting, my mind went into an anxious overdrive.

  Is she going to bail?

  Did she get caught up in some kind of super-criminal incident?

  Has she just been toying with me all this time?

  I tried to ignore it, but with each passing second I was finding it harder and harder to do so.

  Then-

  “BOO!”

  Something grabbed onto my shoulder, hard. I yelped, practically jumping out of my seat. I spun around. Who, or what was-

  Elena was standing there, holding her stomach and fully doubled-over laughing.

  “I’m sorry!” She practically howled with laughter, “I just couldn’t resist, you were so focused!”

  I let myself laugh a bit once the adrenaline wore off, standing up fully to face her.

  She’d also gone for a different outfit, which - as was pretty common for her, I was realising - was incredibly garish: a bright orange Hawaiian shirt with dark blue and purple flower patterns across it under a black corduroy jacket, as well as torn blue jeans. She somehow looked like she was dressed for an island holiday and a winter outing at the same time.

  Immediately, she pulled me in for a hug. I didn’t quite know how to respond, my arms hanging awkwardly out to the sides for a moment before I eventually reciprocated.

  “Wow, look at you.” She said as she pulled away from me, “Didn’t think you were a skirt girl, dude.”

  I felt myself blush, “I-I mean I- I thought I should try something different- nice. Y-you look nice too.”

  Elena scoffed. “Please, this ain’t that much different from what I normally wear.”

  She was grinning, like she always did, but I swear she lingered just a little bit longer than I expected on my skirt before looking up again.

  “Still, you clean up nice.”

  I felt my stomach flutter. Did she mean that as a joke?

  She almost immediately turned to start walking towards the mall; I quickly stuffed my headphones into my bag, following behind her.

  “So, you hungry?” She asked, looking up at me.

  “Y-yeah I could eat…” Truthfully, I’d not eaten much at all today; too nervous.

  “Great! There’s a pizza place inside that I’ve been dying to try for ages, sound good?”

  I nodded.

  She beamed, practically pulling me along with her.

  The place she took us to, Doughberman’s, looked very old-fashioned; dark wooden walls with framed newspaper clippings going back to at least the seventies, a strong smell of cooking dough, cheese, and tomato sauce. It was busy, but Elena and I sat in a booth off to the side, away from other groups.

  The pizza we’d ordered was massive, absolutely full to bursting with cheeses, sauce, meats, and vegetables. Looking at it, I genuinely thought it weighed as much as I did.

  “So,” Elena asked, mid-bite, “What’s your take on everyone so far?”

  She’d asked right as I was in the middle of swallowing part of a slice.

  “Red’s been a real g-good t-teacher so far.” I said, swallowing, “Siobhan seems like she likes me-”

  “Oh, she loves you.” Elena said without missing a beat.

  “R-really?” I asked.

  “Dude you have no idea.” Elena said, grinning, “Like, after the combat trial last week she’s been singing your praises, thinks you’ve got something special.”

  “I-I just thought she was being nice.” I blushed.

  “I mean she was being nice but, let’s be real, she’s not always super upbeat and complimentary. So her saying that about you seems like a big deal.”

  That felt nice to hear, I almost felt bad that I couldn’t hang out with her as much when I was on-site.

  “Anton s-seems lovely,” I said, “He was a lot of h-help in the combat trial we did.”

  “Anton’s so nice, seriously. Honestly he’s probably the one I’ve hung out with the most.”

  “O-oh?”

  “Yeah he’s about all the time, so we just end up chatting shit after everyone else goes.”

  Something about that made me worry. Was she into him?

  “What about Jess and Maddie?” Elena asked.

  I grimaced. Elena immediately scoffed.

  “Not a fan, huh?”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  “I-it’s not…I mean, Maddie t-tries to speak to me sometimes, but i-it feels weird, like she’s always trying to get something from me.”

  “Oh my god, don’t!” Elena responded, “She’s done that to me, too. Siobhan said she’s actually nice, but I really don’t buy it.”

  She leaned in a little.

  “What about Jessica?” She said, sounding conspiratorial.

  I almost felt myself shrink. “I-I…I don’t really-”

  Elena leaned back, smirking.

  “She’s such a bitch.”

  I let out a sigh of relief, laughing.

  “Y-yeah she really is…”

  “I don’t get what her issue is, either. Like, she comes in, barely speaks to any of us, does her own stuff, then leaves!”

  “W-wait, so it's not just m-me that she d-doesn’t speak to?”

  “Did you think it was? Like I know she didn’t react especially well to you when she first saw-”

  Elena paused.

  “That reminds me,” she said, and suddenly I felt a looming sense of dread, “Did something happen between you and Jessica?”

  “N-No!” I responded, immediately.

  Elena’s face dropped, the smile falling from her face. “Ok, you said that way too fast. Something did happen, didn’t it?”

  I didn’t respond, I just froze. I didn’t want to lie to Elena, but I also really didn’t want to rip open this can of worms.

  “You said that stuff about Siobhan not trying to kill you.” She continued, “Like, that seemed very pointed.”

  I sighed, trying to keep my voice steady. “O-on the first day, a-after I left your dorm, she found me in the Quads and she-”

  I froze, I felt my voice lock up. Then I heard a thud as Elena’s hand dropped to the table.

  “What did she do?” She asked, her voice lower than normal, sounding worried.

  I couldn’t tell Elena that Jessica had tried to hurt me, no way. I was pretty sure Elena would try and kick her ass for me, and that’d just make things worse.

  I took a breath. “I- I really don’t want to talk about this.”

  “Skye,” Elena said, leaning forward, her voice firm, “You can tell me, y’know. If she’s been giving you shit-”

  “E-Elena, please.” I said, my voice cracking slightly, “Please just…I don’t want to talk about it. I-it’s in the past and I just- I just won’t interact with her.”

  Elena started, before catching herself. She leaned back, sighing.

  “Alright.” She sighed, taking another bite, “I still think she’s a bitch though.”

  I choked out a laugh, as Elena laughed with me.

  “I-I’m not gonna d-disagree.”

  We mostly spent the rest of our meal just chatting casually, as I tried to put Jessica in the back of my mind.

  “Once we’re done eating,” Elena said, “I’m in the mood to go to the pier. The arcade there’s got some amazing games we could try out. Apparently they’ve got a new Code Seven arcade machine there, which I’ve been dying to play.”

  “Y-you’re b-big into Code Seven?”

  She looked at me like I’d said something stupid. “Dude you’ve been to my dorm room, you’ve seen the posters for it on my wall.”

  “Y-yeah I just- I just thought you had them to decorate?”

  “I mean yeah but I still love the films!” She said, taking a sip.

  “I-I’ve never seen any of them-” I admitted.

  Elena almost immediately choked on her drink, coughing and spluttering.

  “You’ve not seen them?!” She shouted, loud enough that some of the other patrons turned to look over. “Ok, after the fireworks we’re going back to mine and we’re marathonning a bunch of them, deal?”

  I blinked, taken aback. “Y-yeah!”

  “Sick!” Elena said, “And if you wanted to stay over, I’ve got spare PJs.”

  She stopped, looking me up and down before tilting her head.

  “Dunno if they’ll fit you but…” She just shrugged, digging back into her food.

  I just sat there for a second, processing all of that, watching her eat. The idea of just going back and spending time with her, watching those films that I’d never seen - something she thought was apparently impossible - made me smile.

  Eastmarch Pier Arcade, Meritas City. October 18th, 2014, 18:00

  The arcade felt like something that had been made about thirty years and never updated; it had this garish, multicoloured carpet running across the floor that was marked with food and drink stains; some of the ceiling lights clearly didn’t work. It was also loud. The sounds of slot machines, arcade games, people throwing balls at one machine and slamming the puck of a table hockey game on another.

  Elena practically pulled me in, grabbing onto my arm as we went inside.

  We spent the first while messing about on some of the slots and claw machines - winning absolutely nothing, trust my luck - before we found the Code Seven machine she’d been talking about. From the outside, it looked like it was one of those old light-gun games, with the silhouette of a dashing tuxedo-wearing man on the outside.

  We must have spent about thirty minutes on this machine alone, with the two of us shooting our way through each level.

  Well, with Elena shooting her way through each level. I was absolutely awful at this game. Maybe I just wasn’t made for shooting, I didn’t have coordination or the quick trigger-finger; every other shot I fired came out just a touch too slow. Elena on the other hand was like a professional, like she’d been raised on a shooting range, nailing every shot like it was nothing. It made sense the more I thought about it, given her power.

  I groaned as the game ended, looking at my point total; it was less than half of Elena’s.

  “G-god, I suck at that.” I admitted as we pulled ourselves away from the machine.

  “Don’t sweat it, dude.” She said with a grin, “Not everyone can be a crack shot like me.”

  I looked around, trying to find other games we could play - ideally ones I wouldn’t completely fail at - before my eyes locked onto one of the air hockey tables.

  “E-Elena, can we try-”

  “I can see you staring at the air hockey tables, dude.” She smirked, nudging me in the side.

  I smiled. There was something about her, something that made me forget how nervous I always was. Like I didn’t have to worry about how I came across, I could just be…me. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this safe with someone that wasn’t Dad.

  She put a dollar into the table’s slot, a puck dropping out of my side before I tapped it onto the top of the table.

  “You ready?” She asked. I just nodded in response, immediately thwacking the puck towards her.

  She just barely ducked in front of it, catching it.

  This was something I was a lot better at. Almost immediately I felt myself get completely in the zone; like nothing else mattered, just me and whatever was in front of me.

  We got into a rhythm, batting it back and forth. Elena was good, hitting with enough consistency to keep me on my toes. But-

  CRACK!

  I slammed the puck into the side with enough force that it bounced in a zig-zag pattern, too fast for Elena to catch it. It shot into the goal with a satisfying clack.

  CRACK!

  Elena shot it straight at me. I hit it right as it neared the middle, sending it back with all the force of a cannon, scoring another point.

  I let myself smile. I forgot how competitive I could get.

  CRACK!

  Elena launched it towards me in a zigzag like I’d done to her. I caught it, cracking it into the side of-

  Too hard. It hit the edge of the table, flipping into the air towards a girl. I immediately stepped forward to get it.

  “S-sorry!” I shouted, as the puck hit the back of her feet.

  She turned around, picking it up before turning to hand it to me-

  “Oh my god, Skye?” Maddie’s voice rang out as she handed the puck to me. I was so used to seeing her in her Cheshire costume that seeing her more casually - dressed in a black varsity jacket and skirt with a purple t-shirt - was surprising.

  “M-Maddie?” I said, surprised.

  “Hi, babe~!” She said, smiling, turning to look between Elena and I. “You two having fun?”

  Again, there was that feeling like Maddie was trying to get something out of me, her eyes constantly flicking about like she was trying to pick out a detail I couldn’t see.

  “Y-yeah. J-just spending the day out, I guess.” I said, trying to be as vague as possible.

  “What about you, Lennie,” She said, grinning as she turned to Elena, “You good? How’s your shoulder doing?”

  “I-” Elena said, before taking a breath, “It’s fine, Maddie. Still healing, but shouldn’t leave any lasting damage once it’s done.”

  “Well that’s good to hear!” She said, turning back to me. “Heard you got roughed up Monday too, glad to see you’re ok.”

  “T-thanks…” I murmured.

  “What’re you doing here, anyway?” Elena asked from the other end of the table.

  “Oh, I’m just here with Jessie while she has her fun, while I do a little bit of people watching.”

  “P-people watching?” I asked, “Why?”

  “Gotta keep myself sharp, y’know? Like training a muscle, use it or lose it.” She said, turning away from us and looking into the crowds. I swear I could see her lips moving, like she was murmuring, but couldn’t hear her.

  “Wait, what kind of fun would Jessica have at an arcade like this?” Elena asked.

  Maddie scoffed, still looking away from us, “Take a guess.”

  She pointed towards the far end of the arcade, where two punching bag machines sat. One, clearly designed for non-superhumans, was free standing with an LED counter on top of it that would light up when people hit it. The other one, which was sealed inside a metal cage, was much bigger. Sure enough, Jessica was there looking like she was about to punch it into next week.

  “She likes to hit things.” Maddie said, looking over her shoulder and grinning. “Anyway, I won’t bug you two lovebirds. Bye!”

  “W-wait, we’re not-!” I started, before Maddie gave me a cheeky, shit-eating grin and sauntered away for about two steps.

  “‘Lovebirds’?” Elena asked.

  I turned to look at her, blushing, “I-I don’t- I don’t kn-know what she’s-”

  “Dude, chill.” Elena laughed, “It’s just Maddie being Maddie.”

  I let out a bit of a nervous laugh, “Y-yeah, right.”

  Then, as soon as I turned around, I completely lost track of Maddie. It was like she just…vanished.

  “W-where did she- how does she do that?” I asked, turning to Elena.

  Elena shrugged. “Beats me. She’s out of our hair at least.”

  I looked back at her. “A-Also, ‘Lennie’?”

  “Don’t you start.” She said, clearly annoyed by that name, “You wanna continue playing?”

  I nodded. I was two points ahead, no way I was going to lose now.

  CRACK!

  The puck shot straight into Elena’s goal, bringing the score to 8-1.

  “YES!” I shouted, genuinely exhilarated. I was practically sweating, and Elena looked exhausted.

  “Dude,” she gasped, exasperated, “How did you win three times in a row?”

  “I-I was always good at this when I played with Dad. G-guess I’ve still got it.” I smirked.

  “Yeah ‘cos you’re nearly a foot taller than me, you’ve got better reach!”

  She stepped around the table to stand next to me, picking up her bag taking a swig from a water bottle.

  “It’s fun seeing you so animated.”

  “R-really?”

  “Yeah, it’s cute.”

  I felt myself blush again, turning away. Did she mean that like how I thought she meant it, or was she just being friendly?

  “I-I just- I don’t r-really play a lot of games like this nowadays. O-ones where I get properly into them with p-people.”

  “Nah I get it. Anyway, you got anything else you had your eyes on playing?”

  I looked around, but nothing else really caught my eye.

  “N-not really. H-how long until the fireworks?”

  Elena pulled out her phone to check, but I found myself getting distracted by the phone itself.

  It was an older flip phone. Dark red and grey, and clearly having been dropped and knocked countless times.

  That explains so much about how she texts! I thought to myself, feeling like I’d put together a jigsaw puzzle.

  “It’s seven now so…an hour? If you want, we can grab a drink before the fireworks and then get changed if you want to swim?”

  I tensed a bit at the idea of swimming; I had the swimsuit in my bag but the idea of actually putting it on was worrying me.

  “Y-yeah, sure.” I replied.

  “Great! I’ll be back in a sec though, I need to refill.”

  She almost immediately bolted away, disappearing down a side door. That just left me alone, pondering.

  I let myself smile; for all I’d been worrying, today had been great. Hanging out with Elena, spending time with her, it just felt nice. I’d not had someone that I could meaningfully spend time with that wasn’t Dad in a long time.

  But still, those feelings I had for her, the fact that I found her cute and pretty, that was still loud and clear. Still front and center in my mind. Even her just calling me cute a minute ago had made me blush.

  Then there was later. The fireworks, going on the beach, the swimsuit.

  Was I going to be ok wearing a swimsuit? I’d not worn one in years, I’d not tried going swimming in years.

  I couldn’t swim. So what the hell was I doing going anywhere near the water?

  “Hey.”

  I recognised that voice immediately, as I turned to face Jessica. She was standing next to me, leaning against the wall. Not looking at me, just looking ahead with her hands in her pocket.

  That shook me out of my own head. A stab of dread caught me right in the centre of the chest as I looked at her.

  “Maddie said you got banged up on Monday.” She said, her voice low.

  I didn’t respond immediately. I didn’t really know how. This was the first conversation we’d had since the combat trial last week, and this was how it started.

  “Y-yeah I…I’m all fine now though, healed pretty quickly.” I replied, barely moving.

  “Word is, Red had to swoop in and bail you out.”

  I turned to look at her. “S-so what?”

  Jessica sighed. “You know how many times Maddie or I have had to get our asses saved?”

  She still wasn’t looking at me as she asked. I shook my head.

  “Only once. Because we don’t fuck around, we get shit done. The only person who’s ever had to come in and save me…”

  She paused. She couldn’t even meet my eyes, and looked as if she hated even admitting this.

  “...Is you.”

  “I-is…is that an issue?”

  She scoffed.

  “Yeah, reject. It is. Because you don’t make any fucking sense. You take down Slaughterhouse, get accepted to the YD. You fight Siobhan, and she loves it. Then you tangle with a couple of no-name super-criminals and nearly get mulched?”

  I just stood there, letting this hit me. I felt my anxieties, my own self-criticisms come crawling back up to the surface with every word she said.

  “I-I don’t- do I h-have to make s-sense to you?”

  She turned to look at me. “Yeah, you do. Because everyone’s talking about you like you’re something special, but all I see when I look at you is a mess. A spineless, chickenshit mess.”

  I felt myself getting upset, I tried to keep myself level. “‘S-Spineless’? You c-cornered me, Jessica!” I hissed, trying to keep my voice low.

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re not over that? You gave me a bloody nose, got off scot-free. By all means, take another shot if you’re feeling brave.” I saw a smile tug at the corner of her mouth, “But you’re not, are you?”

  She was right. I wanted more than anything to just wail on her, just beat some kind of sense into her. But I just couldn’t, no matter how mad I felt.

  “I-Is that why you c-came here?” I asked, desperately trying to mask how I felt, “J-Just to make me f-feel like shit, like I d-don’t belong?”

  Jessica sighed, turning to look me dead in the eyes. “You don’t. How long’s it going to take until you accept that-”

  “Jessie!” Maddie shouted. I had no idea where she’d come from, it was like she just appeared in front of Jessica.

  “What?” Jessica responded, looking at Maddie.

  “Lay off her. Please.” Maddie pleaded, her voice curt.

  Jessica scoffed, rolling her eyes and turning away from me. “Fine, whatever. Let’s go.”

  As she walked away, Maddie stopped, turning to look at me. I just stared back at her, hurt, tears stinging my eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” She said softly, sounding genuinely remorseful, before she followed behind Jessica, the pair of them heading out of the arcade and into the evening.

  I stood there, a sinking feeling weighing deep inside me. One single thought sounded loud and proud:

  She’s right. I don’t belong here.

  Within a few seconds of them leaving, Elena reappeared. I quickly wiped away the tears from my eyes.

  “Sorry, realised I needed to use the bathroom too.” She said sheepishly, “You good to go?”

  “Y-yeah…” I nodded. I was trying to keep my voice steady, trying to smile, trying to keep myself from crying. Trying desperately to keep my anxieties that Jessica has reignited from running wild.

  As we started to walk, the sounds of the arcade fading and being replaced by the waves crashing against the below, Elena turned to look at me, smiling up at me like it was the most natural thing in the world. It made me want to smile back.

  Her hand brushed against mine for a second, and in that moment I thought - no, I wanted her to take it.

  My heart was pounding, like it was trying to break out of my ribs.

  Should I tell her? Could I tell her?

  I went to open my mouth.

  Nothing came out. Nothing but dead air. It was like every thought I had got stuck, clumped together.

  Maybe it was everything Jessica had said that was making me feel more emotional, more volatile.

  But the fact that I couldn’t even say anything; that made my heart hurt like nothing I’d ever felt before.