She collapsed on her couch with a groan, happy that her mom was coming home and that she’d be unable to leave the house.


    After the fighting, the running around, the broken bones, and the lasers, she was tired, and after having their talk with Myth, she nearly collapsed then and there. It took all her super strength to carry Mr. Larison home and then get back to her own house. And tomorrow, she’d have to do it all over again and help the man get back to the car, which they’d left hidden in the alleyway.


    Her backpack contained her costumes, which she held tightly. She couldn’t help but stare down at the helmet that rested in it. Mr. Larison had gone all out, shaping and washing it while it was being remade. It had a silver color, smooth enough to reflect her face, but now, after her battle, it had a few dents, and part of the metal had smudged with ash.


    Her hand brushed it, and she sighed, setting the backpack down. It wasn’t the only thing that was damaged. Paragon had reversed her wounds when she was in the hospital. All her scrapes and bruises had simply faded. Battery, however, was the one to heal her this time after she refused Paragon’s help. The man’s healing was slower and a lot rougher.


    Her fingers traced the wound on her stomach. Her skin beneath her clothes was covered with bruises, and she didn’t think her bones had fully healed.


    Battery’s method was more like speeding the healing up than properly fixing it. Despite how much pain she was in, they had managed to do it. They made it out alive in a fight with some of Oleander’s worst. Not to mention she had gotten to understand more of her fire power.


    Her hand slipped into her pocket, and she pulled out a small lighter. She had swiped it from Mr. Larison when she had been carrying him. Hopefully, pun intended, it would stop him from smoking for a bit. She flicked the lighter on, allowing a small flicker of fire to pour out.


    When she fought Red Ape, breathing fire had nearly killed her. Again, she used that power on White Lamb. It had hurt like hell, almost as bad as all the broken bones she got, but it wasn’t nearly as harmful as when she used it on Red Ape. Her thumb hovered over the fire, feeling it flicker on her skin. It didn’t burn. It wasn’t even that warm, honestly.


    “Am I finally fireproof?” From what Mr. Larison told her, her body was still adjusting and becoming a Super that could keep up with her powers. It seemed her body was finally starting to adjust to the fact she could blast out intense heat. If she used that breath attack a bit more, she could reach the point where she stopped getting hurt by it at all. At least that was a theory. There was also the chance she could get some other power too quickly before her body was ready and accidentally kill herself…


    Luckily, she didn’t have to think about that for very long as the door opened and her mother finally returned from work. “I’m back! And I brought pizza.”


    “Yay, pizza!” She ignored the sore spots as she stood up, but her hand was swatted away before she could grab a slice.


    “Did you leave the house?” Her mom asked.


    “I would never disobey you, mother.”


    “I asked the old lady in the next apartment to watch our door.”


    “Yeah, I totally left.”


    “Damn it, Hope.” Her mom complained but didn’t sound that mad, all things considered.


    “I had something important I needed to do. And look!” She held her arms out and stretched, ignoring the flare of pain in her gut. “No damage! I didn’t get into a fight this time.” ‘That you can tell’ was left unsaid.


    “That’s good.” Finally, her mom stopped her from trying to get a plate. They didn’t bother sitting at the table. They just stood there holding their plates and ate quietly. “So, what was so important that you had to sneak off?” Her mom asked.


    That caused her to wince a little. “I can’t say still.”


    “Are you trying to be a superhero?” That caused her heart to nearly stop. Her mom was staring dead into her eyes, studying her.


    “What? Ha. As if. I don’t even have powers, Mom. I guess I could be like Old Dog and fight crime with no superpowers, but I’m built like a twig. See.” She flexed her arms, the lack of muscle evident. Her mom stared at her for a little longer. She rubbed at her neck awkwardly. “Mom.” She felt her throat lock up for a moment. “The truth is, I’m a-” She could see it now. The hurt look in her mother’s eyes, the command to never go out in costume again—how it would be too dangerous. “The truth is, I’ve been working part-time!”


    “What.” Her mother seemed taken aback by that.


    “There’s this library, and I used to go there with Dad. I saw they were hiring, so I applied and got it recently. I know things have been hard with money, and I wanted to pull my weight. I know you think I should study more and go to college, but I really want to help. I got the idea after working for the Cleanup Squad.”


    Her mom’s look finally seemed to relax for a moment. “And is this the same job that resulted in you coming home looking like you had been set on fire?”


    “That was something else.” She clenched her fists, trying to come up with an answer. “I didn’t want you to worry, but a gang tried to attack me.”


    “What!” Her mom’s eyes were wide, and the woman’s face paled.


    “But obviously, I’m fine, as you can see!” She tried to give a little twirl to show off how she was undamaged, once again ignoring the pain in her gut. “Remember Kyle? He and I were heading home, and some non-powered Bad Timer gang members tried to get us. A hero showed up and saved us, though. ‘He’ fought them all off, but he had a fire-based power, and I guess my clothes got burned." Her mom’s eyes never left her. She took a deep breath. “And I’m telling you all of this because I want you to know I’m safe and surrounded by people who won’t let that happen again. And because I need to meet at the library every week, and it’s all the way on the other side of the city, so can I get a ride?”


    Her mother stood there, stunned, as she finished speaking. “Working for a library. My daughter’s a nerd! Why couldn’t you just be a superhero?”


    “Mom!”


    The pain in her stomach was nowhere near the pain in her heart at having lied. It had slipped out before she could even debate whether to tell her mom or not. Still, it seemed like the woman was willing to just take her word, not believing her daughter would show signs of powers and go around fighting villains. It showed a level of trust that made her heart sting.


    Still...


    Her mother smiled for what felt like the first time in forever. It looked like a weight had been lifted when her mom heard her say that. “Oh, thank God. I thought you were doing something stupid. You’re still your father’s little girl.”


    She’d have to tell her mom eventually. She knew that. But for just a little longer, she would enjoy being a superhero. She wasn’t their little girl anymore.


    She was Cinder.


    “Yeah, I am.”


    “You’re still wearing your glasses all the time, right?” Her mother asked, studying her again.


    "Well, I couldn’t see without them, right?” Another lie.


    “Yeah.” Her mom nodded. “Of course. I had to go to an old friend of your fathers to get that new pair you’re wearing made. They’re just like your old pair. Make sure you keep them with you. I’d hate for you to lose them or get them destroyed like your last pair. You never know what can happen in this city after all…”


    ***


    She closed the car door, stepping out onto the curb. “I’ll be back when I’m off shift to pick you up.” Her mom said.


    “Thanks, Mom!”


    She had done it. She had seemingly calmed down her mother’s worry through lying and half-truths. She hated lying, but now she didn’t need to worry about sneaking out of the house to be a hero, and she even got her mom to drop her off at the place Myth told them to meet at.


    She stood outside the library Myth owned. The man had attempted to stay in character when they sprung their question on them and instead requested they come back later. So now here she was.


    “About time, Kid.” A familiar voice spoke from the front steps of the library. “I was wondering if you went and ditched me to go solo.”


    She turned, expecting to see Mr. Larison, but froze when she saw who was in front of her. A stranger was seated on the steps leading into the building, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Dressed in the uniform of the Cleanup Squad, likely having just gotten off work, the man had a bit of a beer gut, but it was slightly smaller than Larison’s had been. The stranger’s skin had a slight tan to it, like it had recently healed from a sunburn. Their face was clean-shaven, ginger hair combed back. She suddenly felt very underdressed. Her hair was still wild, and she was just in a T-shirt that showed Lady Time, one of the Enforcers, on the front of it, a jacket on top over it, and a skirt.


    “Uh, who are you?” She asked.


    Jack gave her an annoyed look and, out of habit, went to stroke his beard, only to recall it was gone when his fingers grasped at air. “Ha, ha, very funny.” The man stood up and dropped the cigarette, stomping it out. “You ready?”


    “Yeah. I haven’t been to this place in a long time. My dad would take me here, and we''d read a ton of books together.” She looked up at the building, fond memories coming back to her. “I remember the man who always worked there. It sort of clicked when I saw his face again in full costume.”


    Jack nodded and said something that was too quiet for her to hear. She nodded her head and went to step past, but stopped when the man held up an arm. “How are your ears feeling?” Mr. Larison asked her. “You damaged them earlier in the fight with Green Wolf, right?”


    She almost winced, recalling the pain that had been caused the other day. Maybe she should have had Paragon heal her, after all. Jack’s had left her with a bad headache, and even now, her hearing hadn’t returned right. Before, hearing a heartbeat had been easy. The only thing letting her hear normal people talking was her enhanced senses—a whining ring almost drowning out quieter noises. “Fine.” She lied. She’d just pray that one of Myth’s people was a healer. If a bit of pain and damaged hearing was what she had to go through in order to avoid Paragon, then she wouldn’t complain. She’d rather lose a limb then let that jerk heal her.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Jack nodded, looking unconvinced. “Let’s go in, then.” She pushed her glasses up further and followed after Larison, entering the nearly silent building.


    The inside was just as she expected. There was not a single soul other than them and the owner, who stood behind the desk. Myth was tall and built for war. Thaddeus, the owner, wore baggy clothes that hid any muscles, always slouched and quiet. They were things Larison said heroes did to separate their two lives. She had even done something like it. Outside of costume, she left her hair to be free, but dressed in costume, she tied it back into a ponytail.


    Thaddeus looked up when they stepped closer and gave a nod. “Hello. I assume you’re here for the book meeting.”


    “Sure.” Jack sighed.


    “I see. In that case, you will have to wait.”


    “What? For how long?” Jack snapped.


    “I close at five.”


    “That’s six hours from now.”


    “I close at five,” Thaddeus said again.


    Jack’s eye twitched, so she stepped in. “Any chance you can close up sooner? I mean, it’s a holiday, after all.” She wasn’t sure if places like this even closed on holidays, but it was worth a try.


    “It is?” The dark-skinned man asked, taken aback.


    “Technically, every day is a holiday if you try hard enough.”


    Thaddeus stared at her in silence, lips pursed into a thin line. Finally, the man nodded. “Very well.”


    “Oh, thank God.” Jack cheered.


    They were practically kicked out of the building after that. It took the man almost an hour to finish up whatever it was he was doing as he finally locked up the place. When Thaddeus did finally step out, the pair outside were quietly glaring at the man.


    “Shall we get a move on?”


    “Yes!” They both snapped.


    Oleander Library was on the edge of the bad part of town and the middle-class section. It didn’t take them long to cross the threshold, and they were back where they started yesterday. Back on Spider Street, surrounded by those many storage lockers and various warehouses. Of course, there were a few people, though they remained in the alleyways, eyeing them all up.


    The destination they finally reached was near the end of it all, with Thaddeus directing the duo to a narrow alleyway. She had no issue, but both Thaddeus and Mr. Larison had to turn sideways. A flapping poster hung from a wall, brushing her shoulder as she walked past. Hope straightened it out, seeing the face of the mayor and the words ‘Vote for Mayor Grove!’ written in bold font underneath.


    “Lots of those, ‘round here,” Jack stated, seeing her inspect the poster. “Grove’s a real popular guy in this kind of area. I’m guessing it’s a pretty untapped voting pool.”


    She turned around, “I guess. Hey, Mr. Thaddeus, you’ve got some history with the mayor, right? That’s what made Myth so popular, after all.”


    Thaddeus spoke up behind them: “You could say that, yes. Myth saved Mayor Grove two years ago. When I announced my intention to create a new hero team, the mayor made contact to let me know that he owned several of the buildings in this area, purchased in the interest of the Grove Family years before his rise into office. As a reward for Myth’s prior deeds, he gifted me one of the disused buildings. The very one we are heading to.”


    As they exited the alleyway, Thaddeus pointed ahead at a tall, red brick building. The building in question was an old factory, and it no longer seemed like it was possible to enter, with no doors visible along the brick wall.


    Or at least it appeared that way, as Thaddeus simply pushed on the bricks, and a section slowly moved as if it were a door. The interior was dark, lit only by rows of dusty windows near the ceiling. It might have once contained massive machines and conveyors, but they had been stripped to their bare bones. Sheets covered most of the empty and rusted husks, and there was a fog of dust in the air. It was clear nobody had been active here for a long time.


    “This is your base?” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. “I guess the mayor didn’t like you that much.”


    “Upstairs,” Thaddeus said, gesturing to a large, rotted staircase that led up. “But first, head in there.” The man gestured to the right, away from the staircase where a hallway resided that likely once went to the break room for the workers when this place was still running. “There are two bathrooms. Change into your suits, and I will join you in a moment.”


    They did as instructed, pushing past the door in the back. This part of the building looked far more modern and had stone tiles. Two bathrooms were on the left and right, and she entered the female one. Shockingly, it was still in order. In fact, it looked brand new. If she had to guess, Thaddeus must have gotten them fixed whenever he’d taken this place over.


    Both she and Larison had brought their costumes ahead of time, so getting changed was easy. When she stepped out, Myth stood in all his glory, robes billowing a little as the hero waited for them. “I’m glad you two could make it. I heard about the incident with Green Wolf.” The words were spoken as if he were a completely different person. Thaddeus had spoken softly and quietly, but Myth was loud, smooth, and straight to the point.


    “You did?” She said, stunned.


    “Poseidon posted about two new heroes with power sets matching what I knew of you two on Hero Hub. She has a large following there and gossips about all her missions. She wanted it to be known that you two did most of the heavy lifting and that Team Reservoir arrived after it was all over.”


    “That’s nice of her.” Battery said dryly.


    “Indeed. Speaking of which, I heard some of your choice words. As the kids put it, I didn’t know you were ‘based’ like that.” Myth looked down at their ‘costumes’ with a frown. “I will put in a request to get you two new outfits. You will not be going out on missions with my team dressed like that.”


    “My team? So, you have a few people already?” She asked. Guess the rumors were true.


    “Yes. That is who you will be meeting. Follow me.” The superhero led them to the staircase. “Normally, a hero team is able to make income through sponsor deals and contracts. This money tends to go to maintaining a base. Most hideouts are placed in something called a Pocket Dimension. Harrison Avalon created them nearly fifteen years ago with the help of the hero Max Lightning. Sadly, when I left the Sub Enforcers, most of my assets were taken, so this building will work as our base from here on out. Try not to show up in costume, and don’t use the front door if you can help it; use the way I showed you both.”


    After seeing the desolation of the first floor, seeing the second floor was a shock. It was a loft, and the contrast was startling. The exterior walls were red brick, and there was no ceiling beyond a roof and a skeleton of metal girders overhead to support it. The loft seemed to have three sections in the general area, though it was hard to define because of its open layout.


    It would seem they had stepped into what looked like a living room. There was a large TV attached to the wall and a couch, as well as a few chairs scattered about. A whiteboard was placed in the center of the room, and a fridge was hooked up in the corner. There was a hum in the air, likely from a generator, and a shelf covered in various layers of weapons, from swords to nunchucks and even guns, stood tall.


    Most notable, though, were the two people seated on the couch watching TV. Or at least they had been, but they were now staring at the three of them as they came up the stairs.


    “These are the two I told you about.” Myth spoke, and it took her a moment to realize the man was talking to the two people on the couch. “I think I can finally start this team properly with them.” Myth then turned to them. “Those two are the first members of my team. You two can take a seat anywhere. There is food and soda in the fridge.” Leaning towards Jack, Myth muttered quietly. “And also, beer, but watch the amount you drink.”


    “Hello,” She said awkwardly.


    “Sup.” One of the people on the couch greeted her, giving her a nod.


    An awkward silence filled the poorly lit room, and Battery shrugged, took a seat on one of the chairs, and turned to watch the TV, which played some show about people with laser swords in space.


    That left her to stand there awkwardly and stare at the two other members of Myth’s strange new team.


    One of them was a girl. The other one she wasn’t really sure about. The girl was dressed to look almost like a ninja, wearing a pitch black outfit with very little color. A hood covered the girl’s head, and cloth covered her lower face. A pair of what looked like night vision goggles also covered the girl’s upper face, and what bits of hair could be seen beneath the hood was a light blonde cut short. There were many pockets and latches all along the outfit, where several things hung. Some looked to be tasers, others were phones, and what looked like a drone was held in the girl’s arms. The very same kind the Hero Branch news stations used.


    “Hey.” The girl said, giving a bit of a nod and holding out a hand. “It’s good to have you two. I’m Whisper.” She grabbed the offered hand, giving it a shake. “It’s good to know there will be another girl on the team.”


    “Well, I’m glad to know I won’t be the only girl either.” She was a little relieved about that. She didn’t really hang out with any girls her age or any girls at all, so maybe it would be good to have a female friend on the team.


    “I’m Snowdawn.” The second hero said, speaking in a familiar voice. She couldn’t put her finger on why it was familiar, as it came out very muffled, and it took her a second to even realize what the hero was saying. The ‘costume’ was almost as odd as hers. From head to toe, Snowdawn was covered in snow. That was it. There was nothing else. There was no armor that she could see, no hat, belt, or clothes—just snow. As if the hero was a walking, talking snowman. The only sign there was even a human underneath was two holes that were poked in the head, showing a hint of the glasses of whoever was beneath that snow.


    Snowdawn held his hand out to her, and she shook it but couldn’t help but shiver at the cold and wetness of the melting snow.


    “Sorry about that.”


    “It’s fine.” She wiped her hand on the front of her jacket, getting the water off. “I’m Cinder. I guess I’m the new girl, so treat me nice, okay?”


    “And I’m Battery,” Jack said, giving a half-wave, paying more attention to the TV than them.


    “He’s like, really old.” Whisper, ‘whispered’ to her. “Is he like your dad or what?”


    “It’s complicated.” She sighed.


    “Step dad?”


    Myth clapped his hands together. “Now that the two groups have met, I think it is time to get down to business.” The hero stood tall in front of the whiteboard, trying to impose the figure of a leader. Now that she thought about it, she guessed Myth would be the boss. “I tried going solo for two years straight; however, it has seemed to be a bad call on my part. Every day, both Bad Timers and Zoo grow stronger, recruiting new young Supers. And now a new gang known as the Wandering Coin has moved in. The Watch Dogs and Sub Enforcers have been trying their best to keep up but are falling behind. Because of this, I’ve felt the need to start a team of my own. Whisper was the first person I recruited, followed shortly by Snowdawn, though both have only had very minor appearances in public.”


    She listened to the man’s explanation, nodding along. She had heard of Snowdawn a little bit, when the hero had stopped a car from falling over the edge of a bridge a few months ago and had been a new hero who went solo. Snowdawn had vanished off the radar after that, so people assumed the rookie hero had been killed off, but it seemed he had actually been picked up by Myth around that time. Obviously, the hero’s powers revolved around snow and ice.


    As for Whisper, she had never heard of that girl, and she didn’t recognize her costume.


    “Battery. As it stands, besides me, I would say you have the second most experience.” Myth explained.


    Battery gave a shrug. “I’ll help out where I can, but don’t expect me to step up as second in command; I’m only doing this for her.” The man replied, jerking a thumb towards her.


    “Aw, that’s sweet. I wish my dad had joined me more on missions.” Snowdawn snickered.


    “I didn’t know you two were related.” Myth said, taken aback.


    “We’re not.” Both Battery and her stated at the same time.


    “Ah. My bad.” That shut Snowdawn up.


    Myth shook his head and continued. “I want to lay down a few things first for you, Cinder and Battery. First of all, I plan on bringing us all out on a proper mission at a later date. I will have actual costumes for the two of you by then. Second of all, Whisper doesn’t have an ability suited for combat but is good in other ways, and while Snowdawn is durable, he is new, so I will be counting on you two to have their backs, just as they will have yours. I won’t stand infighting of any kind. I am fine with failing missions as long as we all come out of them alive. At the end of the day, we’re heroes, and that means saving someone, even if that person has to be yourself. Finally, I know both of your secret identities, and you both know mine. I have not informed Snowdawn or Whisper of you two. If you are fine with them knowing, you are free to tell them; if not, then you can remain secret, and the same is true both ways.”


    “I don’t really have anything to hide.” Battery gave a half shrug and lowered his hood, pulling his ski mask off. “I’m Jack.”


    Seemingly following his lead, Whisper lowered her own hood and took her mask off, giving a smile. The woman was younger than Myth, likely in her early twenties or about to turn twenty. “I’m Lois. I have full faith in Myth, so if he trusts you, I will too.” Lois held her hand out, and Jack shook it, giving a nod. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”


    “And I’m Hope.” She might as well go all out if Mr. Larison was. She took her helmet off and removed the black cloth that covered her upper face, giving a grin. “Nice to meet you.”


    The can of soda Snowdawn had been holding crashed to the floor as the snowy hero stood up quickly. “Hope!”


    “Uh yeah, that’s my real name? Parents picked it out, I know it’s cringe.”


    The snow-covered boy snorted, and slowly, the snow that covered the hero from head to toe dripped off. “I had plans to hide my identity. The only one who knows what I look like is Myth.” The boy wore a black, skintight outfit underneath that was likely made to be bulletproof and stab-resistant to offer a bit of extra protection. A mask wasn’t really necessary since the protective snow covered any features. The boy’s hair was wild and a brownish color, and childish eyes twinkled behind round glasses.


    Her eyes lit up when she saw that goofy smile. “Armin!”


    It would seem that she wasn’t the only one hiding the fact that they had gotten superpowers from their best friend.