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Smoke is rising out of the city; the sun is almost setting. A huge shadow towers over the once peaceful city. An enormous creature, covered in dark energy and oozing green from various parts of its body, stands on all fours and lets out a horrible cry. Suddenly, in the middle of the screaming, the creature gets smacked across the face with a powerful punch! The creature falls to its side, then looks at the strange phenomenon that attacked it. There, levitating in the sky, was a teeny tiny blonde high school girl. The camera zoomed in. She was a beautiful girl with freckles, curves, and a red cape. She had a red and blue one-piece that covered her whole body. Her blonde hair tussled in front of her face in the wind as she glared at the creature. With an annoyed tone, she shouts,

"Let's make this quick; I have a date!"

The creature looks absolutely terrified as she zooms from her location and obliterates it with one last punch. The dark energy and green ooze dissipate into the air. A helicopter with a camera crew is filming her, and she quickly blows a kiss to the camera.

The TV gave a play-by-play of the entire interaction between the mysterious superhero and the unknown creature. In the living room, a young boy sits with a worried look on his face during the fight but quickly lets out a sigh of relief as the superhero destroys the creature. The girl blows a kiss to the camera, and the boy blushes.

******** Steven
Earlier that day
My name is Steven. I'm just an ordinary kid. I'm pretty average, honestly. Brown hair, green eyes, 5'8". I do okay in school, but I don't really know why I'm learning most of this stuff in the first place. I don’t really know what I want to do yet, either. Right now, I'm just trying to survive! It seems every other day, there is a new mist creature around the corner. I don't know how they always seem to find me. But it's usually okay because Francine —I call her Fran— takes care of them before anything bad happens.

As if she were summoned from my thoughts, Fran appeared in the alleyway between me and the mist monster. With a quick strike from her deadly fist, the creature disappeared into the void.

"You okay, Steven? Thankfully, this Boogy seemed pretty slow!"

Fran smiled with her whole face. You could tell she was happy to see you whenever you talked to her. She was wearing a school uniform with a suit coat and skirt instead of her superhero costume. She had blonde hair tied up in a low ponytail when she wasn't super, and she wore glasses too. She would've been unrecognizable if I didn't know any better.

"I'm alright, just fell because I was startled. They always seem to come out of the alleyways when I least expect it. And you can stop calling them Boogies—I know they aren't the Boogeyman now."

Fran laughed playfully, "I don't know what else to call them, though." She scrunched up her face in deep thought as she considered another nickname for the monsters.

"Maybe we should just call them monsters?..." I suggested.

"Aww, you're no fun!" Fran said with a pouty face. She always made the cutest faces. She was always good at using her expressions to get what she wanted. Ever since we were kids, she would always ask for the other half of my popsicle after she ate all of hers. Then she would start to cry when I said that I was actually planning on eating it since she already had one. I always ended up giving her my other half, though, since I couldn't stand to see her cry. I smiled as I remembered how cute she was back then. In the distance, the sound of a school bell rang.

"We'd better hurry, or we'll really be late!"

I started to rush forward, but as I was about to put my foot down, I felt my body turn, and suddenly I was cradled in Fran's arms... she was holding me now.

"This will be much faster!"

Fran said with a grin as she used her super speed to get us to school. Feeling a little embarrassed to be held this way, I covered my face as I was probably blushing quite a bit. We quickly arrived near the school in an alleyway where we wouldn't be seen by the other students. She looked around and put me down. My heart was racing since I was basically just staring at her the entire time. Today was the day—I was going to finally ask her out on a date.

****** Francine
The feeling of the wind rushing through my hair is so exhilarating, plus I get to hold Steven, which is a major plus! After feeling quite proud of the fact that I was holding my crush in my arms and running around the block a couple of times to hold him longer, I eventually stopped in an alleyway. I hated to put him down, but I guess it's for the best... Steven looks so flustered—he he, awww.

Steven and I walk into class and take our seats right next to each other. Thankfully, Steven is pretty smart because, honestly, I can't really pay attention in class. I'm usually pretty distracted during school since I'm so close to him. He always smells so nice. I don't know if it's his cologne or just his natural musk. I should ask him sometime so I can buy it for myself... hopefully, that's not creepy to ask... The day flies by, and I learn basically nothing. My brain usually feels pretty fried right about now.

Steven started walking up to me after class and said,

"Did you get any of that? I was pretty distracted today, I couldn't take any notes..."

Aww, look at him, all flustered from earlier.

"Steven, you already know the answer to that..."

He slumped forward, sighed, and took a deep breath.

"FRAN!"

He kind of shouted it, loud enough for the other students to hear, and the room got silent. It must've been an accident because he suddenly stopped talking, and his face got all red. Why was he acting so weird today? It's not like I haven't carried him before...

"...Uh, we should stop by that hotdog stand on our way back home! It's the weekend, so let's get a treat! I'll buy!"

I'm always down for a good hotdog or two! We left the school and walked our usual way home until we were the only ones left on the street. Then Steven stopped.

"What's wrong?"

I asked. He seemed so strange today. Maybe the Boogy scared him earlier today. Poor guy.

"Uh, Fran... um, what are you doing tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? I don't know. You think I've planned that far ahead? I'm just looking forward to a nice juicy hotdog right now. Suddenly, I saw something behind Steven. A black figure emerged from the ground.

"Duck!"

I cried. Steven almost instinctively went into a fetal position, giving me enough room to strike at the Boogy. This one was fast. It seemed to anticipate my moves, making a sideways lunge toward me. It spat ooze right at my feet. I jumped forward quickly, grabbing the Boogy by the claw? Foot? I'm not really sure what this thing was; they always came in different shapes and sizes. This particular Boogy seemed to crawl on all fours. I lifted it up with one hand and slammed it into the concrete, where its black bits splattered and then disappeared.

"Ugh, they always come right when I want to ask you."

Steven seemed disappointed. I guess he wasn't really shaken up about the Boogies then.

"Ask me what? Out on a date!?"

I teased a little. I knew he wasn't going to ask anything romantic—I just wanted to mess with his head, hehe. His whole face looked shocked, like he just got hit on the head or something.

"Uhhh... how did you know!?"

Chapter 2

Steven

I watched Fran obliterate a giant darkness creature like it was nothing. Was I really going on a date with this girl? The TV showed Fran blowing a kiss to what seemed like the world, but maybe she was blowing it to me? Either way, it was super cute. I hugged my pillow tight, thinking about that kiss being for me. Wait, would we kiss tonight? I quickly scrubbed the thought from my brain—this is our first date. I'll just try holding her hand or something. My heart was pounding at the thought of seeing Fran tonight. I couldn't sleep at all last night; I was too excited and too happy that I finally asked her out... though she kind of helped it happen...

I called the restaurant and made a reservation for 6 p.m. I was thinking Italian? That's a pretty safe bet, probably, but honestly, I don’t think Fran cares what we eat, just as long as we eat something. I have never seen her turn down food, hahah. Oh man, I'm so excited... wait, what should I wear? Do I wear a suit, or should I dress how I normally do? What is she going to wear?

I quickly searched: "what to wear on a first date" and settled on wearing a button-up shirt, a tie, and some slacks. I looked at the time—5:30 p.m.—probably time to go get her from her house. Fran lives next door to me, thankfully. We were going to have to walk to the restaurant, though. Hopefully, she doesn’t just pick me up again. I would love to enjoy a slow walk with her for a change.

I walked up to her door and knocked three times. What was taking them so long to answer? I could tell my mind was going a mile a minute because I had literally just knocked, and I was already thinking about them being too slow. I should probably wait at least 30 seconds after I first knocked to even think like that. I was nervous. My palms were sweaty. The weather was perfect tonight—not quite sweater weather, but it still had that smell in the air and that gentle breeze. The streets were quiet in our neighborhood. It was perfect. Focusing on the scenery helped my heart calm down, and then suddenly, the door opened.

"Steven! Come on in! Fran should be ready soon. Can I get you a glass of water? Oh, look at you all dressed up. I just knew you guys were gonna get married som—"

Mrs. Starling was cut off by Mr. Starling walking up to the door, probably for the best. I could feel my collar squeezing around my neck.

"Hey there, kid. What have you been up to lately? Doing any fun projects?"

Mr. Starling was a pretty kindhearted man, always trying to inspire self-growth and improvement. He always liked to hear about my projects, even though they probably weren’t very interesting to him.

"Nothing too crazy. I’m just working on some devices I’ve been coming up with."

I didn’t want to tell them that I’d been working on devices for Fran to use during her superhero stuff. I still wasn’t sure if they knew about it yet. Mrs. Starling brought me a celery stick with peanut butter and raisins that she quickly whipped up while I talked to Mr. Starling about my projects. Mrs. Starling was also very kind, but she tended to get ahead of herself a little when talking about Fran. Apparently, she had big dreams for Fran—doing dance and theater in college, as well as learning three new instruments. I had to keep myself from laughing because Fran hadn’t even tried out for any plays this year, and her rhythm was totally messed up from her super speed.

I heard a bedroom door upstairs close, and Fran quickly tapped her way down the stairs. She was stunning, with a royal blue dress and glittering diamonds shining off her shoulders. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun with some curls coming out, giving it a natural look. This was a big problem, though. I was super underdressed.

"W-w-wow, that dress is amazing!"

I stammered, worried that Fran might kill me for dressing down.

"Oh shoot, did I dress too fancy? Let me go back up real quick. It’ll only take a second!"

I quickly stopped her and said,

"No, wait! It looks really good on you! Plus, we are already going to be five minutes late for the reservation, so we should probably get going. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Starling!"

********* Francine

How could you do this to me, Steven?! This is my first date ever, and you dress in a white button-up only?! At least put on a jacket! Ugh, whatever—the important thing is that we are here now, together, at the restaurant.

We didn’t say a word as we left my house and walked to the restaurant. It was pretty peaceful, honestly. I was enjoying the quiet. Steven kept fidgeting, though, like he didn’t know what to do with his hands. Oh my gosh, he smells so good. I can smell him from here. He smells like salted caramel ice cream. I didn’t take much time to get ready because I was pretty exhausted. It seemed like there were lots of boogies wreaking havoc today, but I really wanted to come. There was no way I was canceling this. I’d been waiting for Steven to ask me out for so long... though I guess I ended up helping him do it... We arrived at the restaurant and were seated.

"So, Fran, how was your day?"

"Oh, you know, same old, same old."

I didn’t know what to say. I really couldn’t think, to be honest. My brain was dead. I needed some food quick. Help me, food man, serve me the food!

"I noticed you blew a kiss to the camera today. That’s pretty neat. I bet that will boost your popularity—nice touch!"

I couldn’t tell him that it was actually just for him. I knew he was watching me fight, so I couldn’t help myself. I could imagine him blushing at home, thinking about it. 100% worth it.

"Oh yeah, gotta keep up the image. So, what did you do today?"

I already knew what he did today. In between fighting boogies and eating, I was usually sitting in the tree in his yard, just watching him... though I probably shouldn’t tell him that.

"Oh, nothing much."

Liar. You were pacing in your bedroom all day.

Silence again. This is harder than it looks. What are we supposed to talk about?

"I’m going to the bathroom real quick. Just a moment."

I figured while I was in the bathroom, I could probably look up some tips on the internet. When I pulled out my phone, I saw some bad news.

Another monster terrorizes the town.

I guess I have to go help... I would have loved to stay, though. I walked back to our table, and Steven quickly put his phone away.

"Steven, bad news, I—"

"I know, Fran. It’s okay. You should go."

His face looked so sad and disappointed. My heart ached.

"I promise I’ll make it up to you next time!"

I ran out the door, down the street, as tears filled my eyes.

This sucks.

Chapter 3

Steven

Monsters, Monsters, Monsters... It didn’t used to be like this all the time. I've known Fran since we were kids in elementary school. She was just a normal kid back then. I remember the first day I met her—she was wearing a bright pink backpack with a keychain of some princess.

"Hey, you!"

I jumped a little. I was very shy—still am, quite a bit, actually.

"Umm... Me?"

I hid my eyes behind my glasses as I looked up at her. She was just as stunning as ever—blonde hair, big circular glasses, and those green, sparkling eyes. She walked up to me and put her face right next to mine, inspecting the details of my face.

"You have green eyes too! My name is Francine! Nice to meet you!"

She was so close to my face, I felt like I couldn't breathe. Were my hands always this sweaty? Is it hot in here? Oh yeah, we are outside. It's fall. I am wearing a sweater.

"Umm, uh, okay."

I didn't really know how to talk to other people at the time.

"Fran—Francine? Why do you want to be my friend?"

As if she had known me for a long time, she instantly answered,

"Because you're kinda cute."

My cheeks were on fire. I was already sweating, but now I was unconsciously taking off my scarf and pulling out my inhaler. What does she mean? Before I could get a proper explanation, we were ushered into the classroom, where we were seated next to each other. I might not have known what she meant by cute, but at least I had a new friend.

One day, we had a field trip to a mountain peak to learn about nature. We all climbed onto the bus. I sat at the back, kind of hoping Fran would sit next to me, but another girl came up to me instead.

"Um... can I sit here?"

I didn't want to say no. I sat there for a second, thinking.

"Uh!? I mean, I don't want to make you uncomfortable!"

She exclaimed after I took just a tad too long to respond.

"N-no, please sit here! It's okay."

With a nervous smile, she scooted in next to me. She had reddish-brown hair and also wore glasses. Apparently, everyone I knew wore glasses or something. Her hair was short, only reaching her shoulders, and her bangs slightly covered her eyes.

I anxiously looked forward to seeing if Fran got on the bus. When she did, we waved at each other, and she smiled. She walked closer and realized she couldn’t sit right next to me. She walked up to the red-haired girl and said,

"Hey, that's my spot."

She pointed at the seat where the girl was sitting. The red-haired girl froze, her eyes shut, and she held her books tightly to her chest.

"It's okay, Fran, you can sit in front of me."

Fran realized there was still an open seat in front of me, and her hard glare suddenly brightened.

"Oh yeah, that works!"

She plopped her pink backpack onto the seat next to her and sat on her knees while facing backward in her chair.

"So, what's your name?"

The red-haired girl, a little surprised that someone was actually talking to her, said,

"Rebecca Rose... But you can call me Becca."

I chimed in,

"Well, if you want to hang with us today, you can, Becca."

She looked at me with excitement, then at Fran, who also seemed excited. She nodded a lot and giggled a bit, letting out a big sigh of relief. She was quite brave that day.

The bus started climbing the large mountain. Some dark clouds had formed above us, and soon enough, it started to rain—hard. The driver could barely see out the front of the bus. There were a lot of switchbacks, so he was taking it slow, but suddenly, two white lights appeared, coming directly toward us. The bus driver swerved into the opposite lane, but the bus wouldn’t stop turning.

The next moment, it felt like we were all floating. It was a strange sensation—one that seemed to last far longer than it actually did. Then, the bus lurched hard as it hit the ground. My head slammed into the window, and everything went black.

Chapter 4

Francine

At one moment, I'm flying and getting butterflies in my stomach, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up to a trashed bus. The front was on fire. It seemed most of the kids were too scared to move on their own, and some were huddled together, crying. I remember when I got on that bus, there was a red lever at the back and on the sides. I specifically remember when I was telling that red-haired girl that she was sitting in my seat that she should move because I should be sitting next to Steven, but that could wait. I'll have to tell her next time, I guess. I got up and shouted at the kids next to the red levers,

"Can you open those up? Quickly!"

My head was moving fast. I was scouring the bus, looking to make sure everyone was okay. The fire seemed to stay contained for now, but we should probably get moving. The kids managed to pull open the windows, and they started moving out. Good, some were even helping the others. I looked behind me for Steven and the redhead (yes, I know her name was Becca, I'm just slightly upset, okay). Thankfully, Becca seemed to be okay, but she definitely had some injuries.

"Can you walk?"

I asked, pulling her up so she could leave.

"Um, it's hard."

Not good. We needed to move fast. I noticed the back window was shattered. I looked for Steven again, but there was no sign. He must've gone out the window already and gone looking for help.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

I put Becca's arm around mine, and she hopped on one foot to the open window. As we emerged from the crash, I could see the class had made it out all right. I'm pretty sure that's everyone.

"Is anyone missing!?"

The kids grumbled, looking at each other. Someone would've spoken up by now if they had noticed anyone unconscious. Just then, I heard some moaning from the bus. I looked back and saw a bloodied hand reaching out of the back of the bus. Clearly, someone was still in there, and my stomach sank. I should've checked more carefully! I let go of Becca.

"Steven! Are you okay!? Can you move?"

I started rushing towards the bus, then—

BOOM

The front of the bus exploded, sending the rest of the bus further down the mountain. I ran as hard as I could, but it was already so far ahead. I started going too fast, and I fell. I tumbled down the muddy mountain. I could feel rocks scraping my arms as I covered my head. I heard metal screech as if a gate had been ripped apart. I finally landed in a puddle. My body stung, my muscles were sore, but I could still move, and I needed to get to Steven. I picked myself up and looked forward. The bus had gone a little further, but there was Steven, lying next to me in a green pool of some kind of liquid.

"Steven! Wake up!"

Tears fell down my face as I picked him up out of the ooze and held him in my arms. You have to be okay, you have to! To my surprise, Steven looked okay; there wasn’t even a scratch on him. What happened? Behind me, I heard another tumble and a splash into the green ooze. Becca lifted herself up and put on her mostly broken glasses again.

"Is he okay!?"

Why did she come down here? She's injured enough already! How are we going to get back up?

"He looks okay, actually, but he isn't waking up yet. Why'd you come down here!? How are we going to get back up there!?"

She cried loudly, covering her eyes.

"I wanted to make sure you guys were all right... sniff I just... sniff I was so worried."

She cried hard, letting out what could've been some built-up frustration.

"Come on, I won't be able to help you get up. Can you move now?"

She got up and started walking a little easier than before, to my surprise. I lifted Steven onto my back. He was surprisingly light, a lot lighter than I was expecting. I willed myself to climb the mountain with Becca behind me, making sure Steven didn't fall if I lost my grip on him.

How far did we fall? I was exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and lie down right now.

"Francine? How much longer?"

Becca was also tired, but she was walking like she didn’t have any injuries from the initial crash.

"Not sure... I'm sure the teachers are looking for us now... let's take a break."

I hadn't noticed earlier, but the rain had stopped when we reached the base of the hill. The clouds seemed to drift away slowly, and now the sun was shining its warm beams on us. Oh, that feels good. I put Steven down and closed my eyes for just a few seconds.

Chapter 5

Steven

The sun shone on my eyelids. I started to open my eyes and saw autumn leaves blowing gently. The clouds and rain were gone. Why was everything so peaceful? What were we doing again? I sat up and looked around. I saw Francine and Becca laying on the hill, completely asleep. They both looked very pretty lying there—Francine with her blonde hair brushed over her face. Fran was lying on her back with her arms spread out like she was soaking up the sun. Becca was lying on her side, her hair covering her glasses as if she were trying to keep the sun out of her eyes. Both of the girls looked quite peaceful.

I looked around us and saw lots of leaves and rocks. Just a little further up the hill, there was a gate. The gate was busted open—some of the pieces were totally removed from the rest of the metal. On the ground, there was a sign:

Warning
Toxic Hazard

There was a skull above the words on the sign... Uhhh, are we safe? I went to Fran and nudged her awake.

"Fran, are you all right? I think we need to keep moving."

Fran jolted awake, sitting straight up.

"Steven! You're awake! Do you feel any pain?"

I didn't realize it, but no, I didn’t. I looked down, and I was totally fine—no scabs, no cuts, no scars. Wasn’t I in a crash? Didn’t I bang my head on the window? I remember trying to climb out of the back of the bus. Very strange...

"Yes, I am doing fine, I guess. Where are we? I saw a gate up there. It says there is some tox—"

Fran hugged me—a strong, powerful hug. I was surprised.

"I was so worried about you!"

As she said it, she laid her forehead down on my shoulder, then pulled away. She told me what had happened and that she thought I was injured. She told me about the green puddle, which seemed like a big concern now that I had read that sign about toxic hazards... Perhaps I will tell her later about that when we are okay. Becca started to wake up.

"You feeling better, Becca?"

She looked up, saw me, sat up straight, and quickly scooted over to me.

"I'm doing okay, I think. My leg doesn't hurt anymore."

We all stood up and started walking up the hill again. We passed the gate and heard our names being called from the distance. The teachers were looking for us, and it seemed emergency responders were also searching the area. We were found and taken back up to the road, where we were checked for wounds and other injuries, of which there were none. All three of us were in totally healthy condition. The ambulance left, and the other emergency vehicles did too. The parents came to pick up the other kids, and my mom pulled up finally.

"Oh, Steven! I'm so glad you're okay! You too, Fran! Your mom is on her way now!"

She hugged me just as tightly as Fran did, which I realized was pretty strong for an elementary kid. My mom was hugging me tight.

I said goodbye to Fran and Becca and went home with my mom.

That night, as I lay in bed, I was thinking about what had happened. I totally forgot to mention to Fran about the toxic sign, and I was too scared to tell the EMT about it as well. I was scared it might be bad, but I felt fine. I didn’t want to worry about it anymore. I closed my eyes and listened to the darkness as I started to drift off to sleep.

Drip, drip, drip

The sound of the shower next door dripping in the bathroom. It was always annoying—it would keep me up at night—but it usually only dripped after someone used the shower. No one showered tonight. The drips were getting louder until they stopped... right outside my door frame. I opened my eyes, and without moving, I peeked at my open door frame. It was dark, but it seemed like there was a shadow standing there. I pulled my blanket over my head. I started panicking and breathing quickly. I was trying not to make any noise by covering my mouth and breathing into it. I thought I heard something whispering.

"....ce.....t.......eet....you"

It started walking again. This time, the steps were louder.

Thud, thud, thud

"sm...l.........ce"

The voice was getting louder, but it was raspy and wispy at the same time. I started to cry. The voice was so close now—it was hovering over me. I couldn't take it anymore. I shouted and cried as loud as I could.

"Help!!! Someone help me!!!!"

A crashing sound came from my window, then a thud, and the shadowy creature let out a wailing sound.

"I.......ry"

It disappeared into the air. I lay there under the covers, crying, wondering if I was going to be okay.

"Steven? Are you all right?"

Fran was in my room? I pulled off the covers, and there was Fran, glowing in a golden light. Her hair was floating, and her eyes were glowing. Then it faded, and her hair fell down. She smiled her bright smile at me.

"You're safe now!"

I cried as she hugged me until I fell asleep.

Chapter 6

Steven

I sat there in the restaurant, alone. I finished my meal and paid for both of the plates. The night was over, and Fran was off to more important things. Was this how a date should have gone? It was kind of awkward. What would we have talked about? We never seemed to get bored around each other normally, but now it was like my brain was just blank. I wanted to seem interesting to her. How do you entertain a superhero? She's off fighting a monster right now! That's crazy—I can't compete with that! I stumbled home and lay in my unmade bed, still wearing my white shirt and slacks. I rested my arm over my eyes to cover the light so I could think. Then I dozed off.

********* Francine
The next morning, I got ready for school and waited outside for Steven. Normally, we walk to school together if I'm not fighting a monster. This morning seemed peaceful. I looked at the time, and we were running late, even by my standards. Where was he? I knocked on the Mallards' door. Mrs. Mallard came.

"I'm so sorry, Francine. Steven is sick, it seems."

But I had just seen him last night... I'd never seen Steven sick in my entire life.

"What's wrong with him?"

Mrs. Mallard shrugged. She was just as confused as I was.

"I made him some oatmeal and lemon ginger tea. Could you take it to him?"

I grabbed the platter and walked upstairs to his room. The lights were still on. There was a large lump under Steven’s blanket—hopefully, that was Steven. Otherwise, this would be awkward. I walked to his bedside and sat down on the chair. He was still asleep and still dressed in his white button-up shirt. His hair was scattered across his forehead. I gently combed a few strands to the side. His temperature seemed fine. He still smelled good—somehow, almost better than normal—and for some reason, I wanted to close my eyes and fall asleep too. He was so peaceful. Nothing could ruin a day like this.

He didn't seem to be in pain, but maybe he just needed some extra sleep today. Either way, I wouldn’t blame him. Last night was disappointing. How could I make up for yesterday? I'm just not sure what we should do together. I looked at his resting face as he snored slightly. I guess I should go... I got up, and as I was about to leave Steven’s room, I heard a familiar voice.

"....ice..t....eet...ou"

The room got darker. A misty presence was floating in the window, but it seemed hesitant.

"What are you doing back here?! I thought I taught you a lesson a long time ago!"

The spirit backed away slightly, as if in knowing fear. This was the only creature I had seen that looked human so far. I wasn’t sure if I should destroy it or not.

"No......urt....ost..."

"I can't understand you, but either way, you better not come back here. This is my final warning..."

"...h....lp....."

I took a step toward the window, and the humanoid creature shrieked and disappeared. It was too hard to understand what the thing was saying. It sounded like it wanted help, but what if it was saying something else? Usually, these creatures aren’t too friendly with me. I wasn’t going to risk Steven getting attacked while I was away.

So I stayed. In his room. By his side.

Chapter 7

"Steven, wake up!"

I turned over and opened my eyes. Fran was floating in my bedroom, her hair and eyes glowing. She was surrounded by the shades, but something was different. These shades glowed red.

"Fran, what's going on!? Why are there so many of them!?"

There were nearly 20 shades trying to attack Fran, who was standing in front of me.

"They all came suddenly! It looks like they are after you! Grab my hand!"

My heart was racing—not just because I was in danger, but at the thought of holding Fran's hand. I grabbed her outstretched hand quickly, and she jumped out the window after flinging me onto her back.

"What's going on, Steven? Did something happen last night? You were asleep till late afternoon today!"

I couldn't remember anything special happening other than wanting things to feel better. I just wanted to make our relationship better. I wanted to fix the things that went wrong... Why did I sleep so long?

"I can also see the shades glowing now..."

She gave me a weird look.

"Glowing? These look just like the other boo— I mean, shades—but they are a bit stronger. I can't make them disappear in one punch anymore."

That's very odd. I looked behind us, and there was a horde of shades after us now. It looked like a giant red glob of mist. This can't be good. Why was I seeing them glowing now? Why couldn't Fran see them glowing?

"Fran, what are we gonna do? There are more of them now!"

Just as I looked forward, a shade was flying straight for us. Fran didn’t notice it above her because she was looking for a place to land.

"Look out!"

BAM!

The flying shade wiped us out, and I was suddenly in a tumbling fall. I couldn't straighten myself out, and I couldn't make sense of up or down, but I knew I was going to hit the floor fast!

CRACK

The sound of breaking concrete as I landed.

Chapter 8

I was clenching my eyes shut out of fear that hitting the concrete was going to be extremely painful, but surprisingly, I didn't feel any pain. I opened my eyes and felt the ground beneath me. It was like the texture of a vine; I was caught by some sort of plant. It swayed a little bit as I got onto my feet. What in the world? A couple of feet below me was the broken concrete, and coming out of the wreckage was a giant stem. I was caught in what looked like a rose.

The shadow monsters (shades) were crawling towards me and my new flower friend. The ground shifted below as the concrete cracked, and more vines whipped around the shades, crushing them. Their red auras started to fade as the shadows dispersed and ran away, almost out of fear. I couldn't see the red glowing haze anymore.

"You should be more careful, you almost got eaten alive out there."

This was a new voice. I whipped around to see who was talking. It was a red-haired girl wearing a black and green spandex outfit. She seemed about my age, and she was walking towards me with a sway in her step. The plant shrank and shriveled, allowing me to touch the ground again.

"Are you the one who caught me with that rose?"

She got up close to me and took a deep breath.

"Man, you do smell good. No wonder the mist creatures are so attracted to you."

Mist creatures? Wait, smell good? What was this girl saying? She was almost too close now, her face was only a couple of inches away from mine. She had a smooth, curved smile as she came even closer until Fran suddenly came out of the nearby bushes, still dressed in her school uniform.

"Steven! You alright? I came as soon as I could. Who is this lady?"

She said "lady" like it was some kind of insult. She seemed tired though, something was wrong. She looked weaker and in pain. Those red aura shades might have had an effect on her.

"I'm alright, Fran. This is... uh, what's your name?"

The red-haired girl flipped her hair and put her hands on her hips in a relaxed but confident pose.

"I'm Thorne. I'm the new superhero in town."

Chapter 9

She said it as if there were lots of superheroes, but I've only ever heard of Fran having powers.

"Uhhh, that's nice I guess... but we've already got a superhero."

Logically, it didn't really make sense to have two superheroes in the same place right now since Fran could take care of all of the shade monsters.

"Oh, you mean the blondie who just barely dropped you? Where is she, by the way?"

She had a devilish smile on her face as she looked at Fran. Fran frowned, and her eyebrows twitched. She grabbed me by the arm and said,

"Come on, Steven, let's get back home."

Fran started pulling me away from Thorne almost aggressively.

"Ow, Fran, too hard!"

She must have forgotten her own strength. She listened a bit but didn't look back. I picked up my pace a bit so she didn't have to drag me so hard. I looked back, and Thorne was waving as a giant rose bloomed from underneath her and closed around her, then disappeared.

"Fran, you can slow down now. She isn't following us."

Fran turned on me, a slight red glow appeared in her eyes as she yelled,

"I had the whole situation under control! How dare she come in like that, acting all tough and... ugh!"

She turned around, picking up the pace once more, but she let go of me this time.

"Fran... what's going on?"

I reached out and grabbed her hand. Suddenly, she slowed down and grabbed her head like she was in pain. She calmed down suddenly and looked at me with tearful eyes.

"Steven, I'm so sorry."

She hugged me and wept a little.

"I should have kept you safe! I've never struggled with the shadow monsters like that before..."

It's true, either she would obliterate them in one punch or sometimes two, but none of them were ever this strong.

"Fran, I'm okay, you kept me safe. I'm really worried about you though."

She pulled away and wiped her tears.

"I'm okay, see?"

She smiled her big toothy grin that she usually does. The red mist had left her eyes. Strangely, it was similar to the mist from those monsters.

"Fran, did anything happen to you after we fell?"

She looked at me puzzled, she thought for a minute.

"When the monster hit me, it hurt a bit, but I came flying to you as soon as it let me go. I noticed the redhead and that you were safe, so I stopped using my powers. But nothing really happened outside of that..."

I checked to see if she was hurt anywhere, but she didn't have any injuries.

"Did you hear what she said? The monsters can smell me..."

Fran blushed a bit and scratched her head.

"Well, who can blame them? You smell pretty good."

It came out a little creepier than I'm sure she intended. She blushed even harder and tried to change the subject,

"Why did the monsters run away from her though? It's not like she was anything special... well, in comparison to me anyway."

She sounded a little cocky, but it was still true and strange. They just suddenly dispersed... We walked to our houses, keeping our eyes out for more shadow monsters. We got home, and Fran went inside her house.

"If anything happens, just shout, I'll be right there!"

She waved and smiled brightly. I went inside and up to my room.

What a weird day.

Chapter 10

Tap tap tap

There was tapping on my window. It was dark out, but a warm yellowish, familiar glow came from the window. Fran was smiling at me through the glass. She was in some cute strawberry pajamas, her blonde hair gently blowing in the wind. Did she do her hair before coming to see me?

I opened the window.

"Wow, one strawberry shortcake to go, please!"

She tilted her head at me in slight confusion, then covered her pajamas with her arms as she realized she didn't change before she left. She darted home and came back almost as quickly as she left, but this time wearing sweatpants and a hoodie.

"Come on out! I want to show you something!"

I felt like I was sneaking out, which I guess was true, but since I knew I was safe with Fran, it didn't bother me too much. I quickly got changed into jeans and a hoodie and walked out onto the roof.

"Close your eyes, Steven. I'm going to take you to a special place, okay?"

I barely closed my eyes before she picked me up onto her back and flew up into the sky. The cold wind blew on us, and I held on tighter. Her hair flipped in my face, but I didn't mind; she smelled like sweet flowers and peaches. I enjoyed just holding her tightly.

We slowed down into a descent and landed.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

As I opened my eyes, I saw the bright bluish-gray moon just over the distant mountains. It was full. We were on a cliff, and at the edge was a big blanket with some candles and a picnic blanket.

"Wow, you did all of this yourself?"

We walked over to the picnic and sat down.

"Well, I really wanted to apologize for running out on you the other day."

She looked down, but she smiled gently and pulled her hair behind her ear. We opened the picnic basket, and she had packed various fruits, cheese and crackers, and some summer sausage. There were also some freshly baked bread buns that were still warm.

My mouth watered as I felt the warm bread.

"Here, put some butter on it." She lathered some butter onto my bread buns for me and watched me intently. I stared at her plainly.

"Are you going to watch me eat this?"

She didn't blink.

"Yes, yes I am."

We chuckled a little, and I took a big bite out of the bread.

It was too salty. In a split second, I had to decide exactly what I was going to say and make sure it was believable.

"WOW, THAT IS AMAZING."

I've never had to tell such a big lie before. I looked over, and she was already scarfing hers down. Looks like I passed, whew.

She drank some orange juice that she brought with her and sighed.

"Everything tastes better when you make it yourself."

I countered,

"It tastes even better when someone makes it for you!"

We chuckled again. This was perfect. We were just being ourselves; there wasn't an awkward moment. Even the silence felt purposeful, like we were just enjoying the scenery.

We sat in silence, and I could feel my heart rate increasing. I glanced at her hand, which was only a few inches from mine. Should I go for it? I inchwormed my fingers closer to hers until I bumped into them. Her fingers found mine, and we started to hold each other's hand. She didn't even look down.

"Look up there."

She pointed with her free hand.

"How familiar are you with the stars, Steven?"

I shrugged. For a second there, it sounded like she was speaking a different language. My heart was racing so fast, and all I could think about was how she totally planned this all along.

"I'm familiar with the basics: Orion's belt, the Big Dipper, the snake one?... Little Dipper? Uhhh, I don't know any others really. To be honest, constellations never really made sense to me except those ones, hahah. The rest all seem made up."

She stood up, letting go of my hand, and pointed.

"That star right there is the North Star. It is actually two stars really close together. I heard a story once that they were two lovers. They were from two kingdoms at war. One day, as they were trying to meet, the woman arrived at their usual meeting spot and waited longer than was normal. She began to look for him and found him in a gutter stained with blood. He was still breathing but was weak. She held him tightly, and he whispered to her, 'Dearest... why did you come?' She said, 'Because I won't let anyone take you from me.' Tears fell from her eyes. He smiled a warm smile and said, 'I'm just glad you are safe. Please don't leave me...' She held him as he slowly faded away, and she cried to the heavens that they would stay together. As she laid there holding her love, she was found and mortally wounded. Their love was so strong that they were imprinted in the stars to forever remind us that with love, nothing can tear you apart."

She stood there a moment and turned around.

"That's pretty morbid, but I hope you get the idea!"

She smiled her bright smile, and her silhouette from the moon was beautiful.

I smiled. "That's funny. I thought it ended differently. When she found him, she brought him back home and healed his wounds. They ended up getting married, unifying the two kingdoms, and ultimately ending the war. The Gods etched their memory into the great canvas of the sky to forever commemorate that love triumphs over all."

I made that up; I had no idea what I was talking about.

She laughed, her sweet, beautiful laugh.

"I think I like that ending a lot more," she said as she sat back down next to me and laid her head on my shoulder.

My heart was full.

Chapter 11

I didn't really notice until today, but there is a red-haired girl in our class. She is thin and slender with hair as red as a rose. She reminded me of Thorne, but I haven't gotten a good look at her yet. I'll approach her after class. I don't remember her being in our class, but maybe she was always here?

I stared at her, trying to decide if it was Thorne being a civilian when Fran nudged me.

"Hey, you alright? What are you looking at?"

I shook my head a bit to get out of my deep thoughts.

"Oh, nothing, just kind of zoning out. Are you understanding the concept today?"

She stared at me blankly... right, it's math, she hates math.

"Steven, I'm just hoping that you understand so you can help me later."

She giggled a little. Fran was talented in other areas; math was a struggle for most people, I think. It came naturally to me, though.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a red haze, like before with the shadow monsters. I turned to look, but I saw the red-haired girl where I thought the haze was, but there was no haze. Maybe it was a reflection from the sun. I refocused on what the teacher was saying.

One of the students started to feel sick and looked pale. They didn't get a chance to leave the room before... let's just say we all had to leave the room because of the smell.

I left the classroom and went outside for a little bit since the janitors were cleaning the mess. Fran and I were walking and talking next to each other when the red-haired girl spotted me and started walking straight toward me.

I was slightly startled at first. It seemed like she knew me, or at least recognized me.

"So, it's you two. I didn't realize we were in the same class."

Well, that pretty much confirmed that this was Thorne.

"Is Thorne your real name, then?"

I wasn't sure if she was using an alias. She looked at me with a questioning look. She didn't seem to know what I was talking about, but she started again.

"It's me, Rebecca! Remember from elementary school? Who is Thorne?"

Oh geez, I guess I didn't get as good of a look as I thought I did. Fran cut in.

"Whoa, Rebecca!? It's been so long! Where have you been?"

She was excited to see Rebecca again and hugged her. She definitely has changed a bit; she wasn't wearing glasses anymore, and her hair was darker than before. She had a confidence about her that was so different.

"It's good to see both of you too. Hey, I was wondering if you guys wanted to go see a movie together sometime?"

That sounded fun. We hadn't seen each other in a long time now, plus it would be an opportunity to spend more time with Fran outside of school.

"Sure, let's go tomorrow since it's the weekend!"

I pulled out my phone and put a reminder in my calendar.

"Excellent! We will see you there."

Fran and I walked back to our desks together and finished the school day. Then we started walking home together.

"Did her hair kind of remind you of Thorne? Is that why you asked her that?"

Fran had a curved smile on her face, like she knew I was embarrassed.

"Well, I didn't get a good look at Thorne. We were running on adrenaline that day. Don't you think she looked a bit like Thorne?"

Fran kept smiling like she knew more than me.

"Well, did you see her aura?"

I looked back at Fran. What did she mean?

"Steven, you always talk about how I glow when I'm using my powers, but I never see the glow itself. Then you talked about the red glow from the monsters the other day. I think you can see people's powers."

It dawned on me that every time I saw Fran using her powers, she would have a warm golden glow to her. Wow, she really had been paying attention. I didn't realize at all.

"But I didn't see a glow from Thorne or her plants... wouldn't I have seen some color from her?"

Fran frowned slightly.

"I guess my theory isn't fully developed yet."

She smiled at me with her bright smile.

Chapter 12

It was 3:56 p.m., just before our movie was gonna start, but so far I was the only one here... I've been here for like 30 minutes just so I wouldn't be late. Where was Fran? I thought it was pretty peaceful out today... I guess she got caught up in something. To be fair, she was usually late to things even when she wasn't busy being a superhero.

Tick

Another minute has gone by, and still no sign of either Rebecca or Fran... I guess we'll have to see "When Flowers Bloom" instead... Rom-coms didn't sound as epic as "Gilgar, and the Fall of Zantrax," which was our initial plan today...

Tick

It's already past 4 now... I guess no epic star missions today.

"Steve!"

Rebecca called to me as she ran up. She had her usual wavy red hair curled to the side, and she was wearing a pink fuzzy sweater and skinny jeans. It was kinda hot... Am I allowed to think that?

"Sorry I missed the movie! Where is Fran?"

I looked around one more time. "I'm not sure... She can be pretty late sometimes."

Rebecca looked at me funny, like she was surprised. "You mean she does this often?"

That never really occurred to me... Oh... This happened a lot...

She must've realized it was a little bit of a sore spot for me because she changed the subject. "Why don't we grab some cream real fast while we wait for Fran and 'When Flowers Bloom' to start?"

"Sure, that's fine! I'm sure Fran won't be long. I can order something she'll really like—strawberry shortcake with marshmallows!"

She chuckled. "Wow, she still likes those super sweet things, huh?"

***** Fran

"Yup, that's cute!"

The reflection in the mirror was winking back at me. I'm sure Steven will like that!

With my new pink fuzzy shirt and skinny jeans, I was so excited to see Steven, even if Rebecca was going to come along as well. This will be fun! I can basically ignore her most of the time anyway since we are going to watch a movie!

I rushed out the door and started heading for the movie theater.

A shadow moved in the corner of my eye. I looked, and sure enough, a shadow creature had emerged not too far away from me in the alley. "Nuh uh, not today. Not again!" I quickly punched it, and it disappeared without a trace.

Sigh

I turned to keep walking to the movie theater, but suddenly five more shadows appeared, crawling out from behind trashcans and other places. What is going on!?

I took down as many shadows as I saw while making my way toward the movies, but it seemed like they kept appearing and trying to head in the opposite direction. "This is getting annoying."

Finally, I was able to reach the square where we were going to meet, and the shadows suddenly stopped appearing.

It's already 4:15? Ah, geeze, I am really late this time. Where could they be?

I took a look around and stopped, almost frozen. There in the window of the ice cream shop was Steven, sitting across from Rose... wearing the same exact outfit I was wearing. They were eating ice cream, laughing...

Chapter 13

Rebecca isn't anything like I remember. As a kid she was shy or timid. But right now she is so talkative and outgoing. What happened? I mean other than the bus crash...

"so Steven what flavors are you getting?"

Looking at the selection of ice creams I pointed at my two favorites.

"banana and cotton candy. The best flavors, especially mixed together!"

I looked at Rebecca and she just had her eyebrows raised like she was surprised. Maybe a little disgusted even.

"that's....nice" I laughed, she laughed, the server looked at us like we were weirdos. It was a great time.

We found a table and started talking a bit

"have you been in our class this entire time Rebecca?" I asked because I really don't remember her being there at all.

"of course, though I don't think you guys really recognized me at all"

She blushes a little and brushed her hair to the side, kind of like her old self. The more shy version of her.

"oh man, that's totally my bad. We haven't seen you since elementary school though"

She took a scoop of her chocolate brownie and cookie dough ice cream and covered her mouth as she ate before replying.

"it's ok, I only just moved back this year, plus I worked up the courage to talk to you guys in the end" she looked very proud of herself before taking another half spoon of ice cream to her lips. With her hand covering her mouth she asked, "are you still messing around with electronics these days?"

Still?

"I don't remember being into electronics in elementary school... But I could be wrong haha honestly I can't trust my own brain sometimes! Haha"

She smiled and laughed, man I must be funny, I'm just smooth with the ladies.

"but yeah I am actually working on a new device for my g-... My friend... Do you want to see it sometime?"

I kind of redacted the "girlfriend" part because it was still pretty new to me and I wasn't sure who Fran would want knowing about it, or maybe because I didn't want to scare Rebecca into thinking she couldn't talk to me anymore. Honestly that didn't feel great, I think if Fran were here she would probably be a bit upset at that.... Ugh that's a gross feeling...

"actually--" but before I corrected myself Rebecca cut in.

"yeah! Of course, that sounds like fun!"

Well that shouldn't be a problem, just two friends looking at electronics together... Right?

"Hey we don't want to miss the movie, let's go!"

Rebecca grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the shop, we left our ice cream there but we were in a rush... Frans had melted anyway at this point... Seems like she's not gonna make it today...

Chapter 14

Fran

I was at home. I didn't stay to watch any more of the nightmare unfolding in front of my eyes. Why were they having such a good time together? I wasn't that late, was I?

I put my face into my pillow and sighed heavily and intensely, almost like a scream but more depressed, I guess... I don't know. Anyways, today sucked.

That was supposed to be my moment with Steven. This is so frustrating. Why were there so many shadows out today? Ever since that Thorne girl came into town, things have been getting more cramped and busy. I guess that's why she came here... Ugh, why do I have to clean up this mess!?

"Why can't I just be normal?!"

Tap tap tap

Something was tapping on my window... What?

I looked, and there was a crow tapping on my window... Strange... I opened the latch and pushed open the window. The crow waddled on and stared right at me...

"Uhh, what's up?"

Screech!

The crow screamed at me for a short second and then closed its beak again. Haha, what a funny little creature.

"I don't suppose you have any advice on what I should do?"

Again, no real answer, but the crow tilted its head as if listening to me...

"Why did Steven do that? Why didn't they wait for me!? This is so unfair! I can't believe Steven is hanging out with Rebecca alone right now, what in the world!"

The crow pecked some of its feathers and then refocused on me.

"We are supposed to be together... Not them... Why is this happening...? I wish I didn't have to fight those stupid shadows, I wish I didn't have any powers anymore, and I could just be a normal girl for once!"

Caw caw The crow started to flap its wings.

"Do you mean it?"

A sly, smooth male voice came from the crow. I jumped and backed away.

"What are you?" I asked with a small sense of horror.

"Do not be afraid, Francine. I am but your humble servant. My name is Talon."

The crow bowed with its wings open.

"H-how are you talking like that?"

The crow turned its head sharply.

"I speak like a human, in the same way that you fly like a bird."

What the heck did that mean?

Caw caw!

"Enough chatter, Francine. Did you mean what you said? Do you really want to be normal? ...I may be able to grant you your wish."

A crow, granting wishes? Was this some fairy tale?

"Well, I wouldn't have to fight the shadows anymore..."

The crow walked a little closer.

"And what are you willing to give me in return?"

The crow stared at me with its black, beady eyes intently, almost hungrily. What could I give a crow?

"Um, bottle caps?"

Caw caw! Almost like the crow was laughing out loud.

"No, you silly girl. But perhaps something just as shiny. A locket of your hair, perhaps?"

Okay, we've entered fairy tale land now, but what could a crow do with my hair anyway?

"Sure, fine with me." I grabbed the scissors on my desk and cut the bottom of my long, golden blonde hair. I needed a haircut anyway. I tied a small ribbon around it and offered it to the crow.

Caw caw!!! The crow grabbed my hair and began to flap its wings. A mighty gust filled my room. I closed my eyes, and then the wind stopped. I slowly opened them again, and the crow had vanished, or I guess it just flew away.

"Hey, wait a minute, what about my wish!?"

I went to the window and hopped out onto the rooftop like I usually do when I take flight, then leapt off the roof.

Crash!

Chapter 15

I was walking home after the movie; honestly, it was boring. I wish Fran had made it... It wasn't like her to miss an outing altogether like that.

I studied the concrete as my mind fell into a trance, thinking about what might've kept Fran so busy. I was just wandering home; I've done this a thousand times... But the concrete was different today. I looked up and realized I had wandered off from my normal route... Odd, I tried correcting my course, but something felt off about the street I would normally take.

I decided to just keep walking the way I was going. What was weirder is that I hadn't seen any shadow monsters on my walk home. Normally, that's how Fran and I would meet up again after her superhero stuff.

"Well, that's strange. How are you avoiding all of the shadow men?"

A voice I had never heard before spoke. I turned to look around, but no one was there.

"Normally, you'd be surrounded by now. You're very lucky, it seems..."

It was a smooth male voice, low in timbre and sly like a fox.

"Who are you? Where are you?" I cried out to no one.

The voice spoke again:

"Oh Steven, to think even now you still can't see me? Well, that doesn't matter. Good luck with the shadow men; after what's happened to HER, you're going to need all the luck you can get."

A bird flapped its wings and flew away as I stared down each dark alleyway, looking for the man. Her? Did he mean Fran? What could've happened?

I ran home as soon as the man stopped talking. My feet went on their own; somehow, I knew exactly where I was going, but I didn't know why. This is not my normal route at all. I didn't dwell on that thought; I needed to check on Fran.

**********

I stood there in utter shock. What happened here?
Ambulances, firemen, policemen... What happened?

The paramedics wheeled a person into their truck. She looked like she had blonde hair...

"Oh... Oh no..." Tears started swelling up in my eyes. How is she injured!? I ran up to the paramedics but was held back.

"No, please! She's my friend! I have to see if she's alright!"

Fran's parents were standing in their doorway, crying.

This couldn't be possible; this had to be a bad dream.

Chapter 16

"How cruel you are..."

The new superhero, Thorne, seemed to be speaking to herself on a rooftop not far from Steven's house.

Another voice, coming from the crow next to her, spoke.

"Says the girl with the power to bewitch others... Yet you are not wrong. You have to crack a few eggs to make some eggs."

Thorne gave a confused look at the crow. "Did you mean an omelette?"

The crow retorted, "I hate omelettes."

Thorne held in a laugh; how absurd this man was.

"So what's next, Talon?"

The bird turned and waddled in the opposite direction.

"With her out of the way, what can stop us from our goals now?"

Strange black magic erupted from the crow in a black cloud. Suddenly, a man emerged from that cloud. He had silvery-white hair, a fur coat, and was shirtless. Thorne smirked and took in the view; you don't see that often. Still, Talon was far from her taste anyway.

"Your little boy toy seems to have some latent powers that we are unaware of. First, immunity to you, then today I found him evading almost every shadow man I sent at him."

Thorne raised an eyebrow. "He would have to have masked his scent for that to happen... Very strange."

Talon smiled coolly and dropped off the rooftop to the concrete slowly as if levitating. Thorne followed closely behind with a vine lifting her back to the ground. What a strange, cute little boy Steven is, she thought to herself.

**********

The hospital room was quiet. I was alone with Fran; she was doing fine and only sprained her wrist, but she hadn't woken up yet, it seems. It's not a coma, so she should wake up soon. I insisted on staying with her.

I was laying my head down by her hand and closed my eyes, letting myself feel those emotions again from earlier. The confusion, the fear—I am thankful she isn't hurt that much at all. I started to huff and puff again like I do before I cry, but no tears came, and I slowly came back to normal without letting out any moans or cries. She is okay.

Pat.

A hand was settled on my hair. I opened my eyes, and Fran was sitting up, smiling.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you—"

I grabbed her close into a big hug, careful to avoid her sprained wrist.

Silence. Fran was startled at first but quickly hugged me back.

"I'm not dead yet, haha."

I let go, realizing that I was probably holding her just a little too long, but her face didn't seem bothered.

"Fran, what happened?"

She frowned a bit and squeezed her eyelids, trying to remember.

"Ahhh, not sure honestly. It kind of felt like a dream, but since I'm here, it must have been real or something."

She told me about how she saw Rebecca and me eating ice cream, which upset her since she knew she was so late. She told me about the crow and how, when she tried to fly, she fell instead, which was really a strange feeling.

"I hate butterflies, Steven... That was honestly the most scared I've been in a while."

Then she quickly turned away from me, folded her arms, and put on her pouty face, which is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

"Hmph."

An audible grunt. I must be in trouble... Yeah, I should've waited for her.

"Well, I waited a long time for you; I wasn't sure what happened. We ended up buying you some ice cream even, but I guess you ended up going home..."

Her face was getting even more upset... I'm just trying to explain myself, though!

"The movie sucked without you..."

She was still pouting but said,
"Did you see 'Gilgar, and the Fall of Zantrax' without me?"

Clearly, that was a big deal for her, which made me smile a bit.

"Not yet, I still want to see it with you."

She stopped pouting and gave a nod of approval. "Good, I guess we will just have to go tomorrow then, won't we?"

She smiled at me, and we laughed. Thank goodness.

"So, are your powers really gone?"

She looked down, and I saw tiny wisps of her normal golden glow, but nothing at all like she used to. That was concerning.

"I guess it worked, huh?"

She jumped on top of the hospital bed and shouted, "I'm free!!!!"

She was still in a hospital gown. I quickly averted my eyes from the full moon that she just presented without thinking. I love this girl. I laughed to myself and hid my head in my hands.

Chapter 17

Today is the day I finally get to go out with Fran! Our dates haven't really worked out lately, but this one will be good, I'm sure!

I got ready for our movie date by putting on my "Gilgar, Revenge of Kragbar" shirt. It's our favorite movie.

I got to Fran's door, and she came out almost right as I walked up.

"Let's watch Gilgar!!!"

She kind of growled as she said it. She grabbed my hand and rushed us down the street. She was wearing a new pink fuzzy shirt and jeans, oddly similar to what Rebecca was wearing yesterday. She looks really cute in this, very different from how Rebecca looked.

"Wait, Fran, slow down! Even without your powers, you're still faster than me! Hahaha."

She pulled me closer so that we would be walking side by side, but she didn't let go of my hand.

Bum bump, my heart started to beat a little louder with each second she held my hand. It's like a tingling feeling, but not like how your arm falls asleep. A sensation that you're holding hands with a girl you like—can't get any more descriptive than that.

We walked a little slower now, which was nice. We could enjoy the time together. My feet started leading us away from the alley, though.

"Steven, where are you taking us?"

I didn't really know either, but I just felt like we should go this way for some reason.

"The scenic route."

We both stared down a dark, shady alley. Yup, definitely creepy, and I called it a scenic route?!

Fran gave me a weird look, like maybe I went a little crazy or something. "Uh... okay... sure."

We took lots of twisting turns and even backtracked a little. Sometimes it felt totally random, but I just felt the need to follow my gut here for some reason. Thankfully, Fran was actually having a good time.

"Oh, I see, you just wanted to take your time walking with me, huh? Hahah."

Sure, yeah... Totally... That's exactly what I am doing.

"You got me!"

So far, no shadowmen this time either... How strange.

We finally made it to the movies, and we got some popcorn, snacks, and even played some small arcade games in the lobby while we waited for the movie to start. We got to the digital jump rope machine and decided to try doing it together instead of one at a time... We lost instantly. Hahaha.

The movie was starting, and as we watched Captain Gilgar shoot the evil alien scum, Fran had her hand laying on the armrest, palm up. I decided to grab it, and she curled her fingers tightly around mine. More sparks rolled up my arm. That was the best movie I've ever seen.

We finished the movie, and I took her to a sandwich shop close by to the movies.

"So, Fran, what did you mean, 'I'm free,' at the hospital earlier?"

Fran furrowed her brow a bit while sucking on her straw.

"I think I've just been wanting a break so I could finally spend some time with you without any interruptions."

She almost said it like it was obvious. But that made me embarrassed—knowing a girl liked you enough to want to spend time with you feels nice.

"You still have some power left. When you tried using it the other day, I could see just a little bit of the golden wisps coming off..."

I stared with wide eyes down at my sandwich as I took two giant bites, hoping she wouldn't realize what I said.

"I feel like my powers are still here, but I just can't access them, though. Anyways, I'm not too worried. Thorne's probably taken care of all the shadow guys anyway. We didn't even see any on our way home!"

There was a small hint of worry in her words. I can't say I haven't worried about the shadowmen either. With Fran's powers gone, I'm not sure we could fight them, let alone escape. But right now, I wanted to have this moment with her.

"Oh, you got some mustard right there on your lip. Here, let me get it."

I absently wiped her top lip with my thumb, smearing even more mustard and mayo on the space between her nose and mouth.

"Uh, oops." Realizing I just touched her lips, I backed off quickly.

She quickly wiped her face with a napkin while blushing. Then she stuck her thumb in her sandwich so it was covered in mustard and mayo.

"Oh no! Looks like you have something on your face!"

Why was she making such a weird voice like that?

"What? Where?" I touched my chin to make sure I wasn't a mess.

Then she smeared her thumb all over my cheek.

I let out a startled shout. "Ah! Hahahah." We laughed and cleaned up our dirty faces.

************

"Wish granted, my foot!" Thorne stared off at Steven and Fran having a good time. This wasn't what she thought would happen. Why didn't the shadowmen find them?

"Patience, Thorne," Talon shrugged a little. "This wish isn't over yet."

Thorne huffed angrily. "You're supposed to make them hate each other!"

Talon sat down. "All in good time. Your wish will be granted. I always keep my promises."

Thorne crossed her arms and sat down next to Talon, fuming. How was she supposed to get close to Steven with that girl in the way?

"What happens if you don't fulfill my wish, then what?"

Talon's amused face turned cold. "That won't happen. I'll grant your wish no matter what it takes..."

Thorne felt an even darker, angrier feeling coming from Talon.

What's got him so upset? It's my wish, geez.

She stared at the two lovebirds enjoying themselves, and anger began to turn to disappointment.

Chapter 18

The night came, and we finished eating. It was time to go home, but I still had one more goal tonight: a kiss. A perfect kiss for a perfect date. My heart started beating louder the more I thought about it.

We began walking down the street to our house, but my feet stopped... all on their own. Instead of feeling like we should take a specific route back home, something felt off, like we couldn't go anywhere.

"Steven, everything alright?" Fran was only slightly concerned at first.

"I'm not sure why, Fran, but it doesn't feel safe right now... anywhere."

She had that determined look on her face that she sometimes gets when she goes into super mode. The protector... but can she still fill that role now?

We looked all around us but didn't see anything yet. "Maybe we should hide?" I suggested, and Fran nodded without a word. We hid behind a bush nearby and waited.

Soon, several shadowmen approached where we were, as if blocking off our escape. Since when did they get so coordinated? I could see the shadowmen had those glowing red eyes this time too. If we get caught, this could be really bad.

"Fran, don't go," I whispered as I held her back from going in to fight.

She looked at me and wiped her eyes in realization. "Oh my gosh... I don't have my powers right now." We were holding hands tightly as we watched the shadowmen wander in the area, like they were looking for us.

I looked at Fran to see how she was doing, but I noticed her golden light was shining just a bit brighter right now.

"Are you trying to activate your powers?" I gasped.

"Well, I have to try! I have to keep you safe, Steven!" My heart started beating even faster. Fran was in no position to fight those guys, especially the beefed-up versions.

One of the shadowmen started heading in our direction, searching for us. We had to do something, and honestly, fighting was not an option.

I remembered something I had brought along with me, something I'd been keeping with me for a while now, but only recently it started working how I expected. A tool I made for Fran.

I reached into my pocket to check it was there. Sure enough, my device was waiting, ready to assist us. This was my moment to show Fran what I was made of.

"Fran, don't move. I'll protect us this time."

"What!? No, Steven, don't do anything stupid."

I pulled out a small metal tube and showed her, gave her a wink, and put my finger on her lips to shush her. I thought that would be a lot sexier, but it kind of turned into a weird cringe moment that you wish you could take back. My internal self suffered the pains of a thousand lashes as I wished I could take that back. Fran just squinted her eyes at me, grabbed my hand again, and said, "Just do what you were going to do!" Right, this was no time for jokes.

The lone shadowman got closer, and I threw the device back onto the street.

"5... 4... 3... 2... -"

Zap, zzzzzzzaaaap, zap, zap.

The device started shooting out blue electricity, arcing and hitting the shadowmen within the area. They all writhed in pain, grunting but not screaming. It worked perfectly!

"Run!" I shouted. This time, I grabbed Fran's hand and bolted to our houses. It seemed the shadowmen were still stunned, and we made it to my house.

"What was that? That was awesome!" Fran was out of breath but made sure to compliment my new tool.

I smirked. "I've been wanting to help you out for a while now. That is my first tool. I call it, 'The Zapper'..."

You could hear the crickets chirping outside.

"Yeah, okay, that's a good name." She held in a laugh.

"Okay, I'm still working on the name. Hahaha, it is a really great tool, though. I specifically made it so it wouldn't hurt people or things that it affected. Instead, it would just stun and shock them enough to stop them from moving."

Fran punched my shoulder lightly. "Nice," then gave me a little kiss on my cheek.

My ears got hot, and my cheeks felt warm too. I nervously sputtered out, "Uh, yeah, haha, I just wanted to be helpful. It's not a big deal." I smiled, embarrassed about the peck.

We sat quietly at the door, waiting for more sounds of the shadowmen, but none came. It seemed we were safe this time, thank goodness.

"I guess I'd better get home..." Fran looked a bit disappointed.

"Okay, I'll watch you go home just to make sure you are safe!"

We walked out, and I went to my door, waved goodbye, and we both went inside.

My heart was still pumping so loudly—what a crazy night.

Chapter 19

I was starting to make my inventions work. But strangely, only after Fran lost her powers, I guess the need to protect us made something click. I was able to develop all of my new invention ideas more quickly, and they almost just worked like magic, exactly how I intended them to.

I can keep us safe now, and Fran won't have to sacrifice her time anymore. I'd been keeping the local news on to see if the shadow men would cause any issues for the public, but it seems when Fran disappeared from her superhero work, things remained peaceful without her. Anything that did pop up was about Thorne and how she was able to stop the shadow men now. Some stories popped up questioning where Fran, "the first superhero," had gone, but those were quickly forgotten.

It seems there weren't any bad repercussions for Fran's wish to have her powers gone... which is definitely suspicious. Fran was constantly fighting monsters, even after Thorne got here, and now that Fran has backed off, Thorne is doing fine still? Something fishy was going on here.

I played with a metal ball contraption, deep in my thoughts. There's only one way to get answers: at the source.

I got my jacket and put on a bunch of my new devices, strapped to the leather belts and in each pocket. I had to practice, since shadow fighting was new to me. Fran is taking a spa day today, so no better moment than now to work on some shadow-stomping skills.

I walked out the door and started heading down any alley I could. My feet started leading me. As I walked for nearly 30 minutes, I realized I hadn't seen a single shadow man. Ok, time to test my theory. I started fighting against my instincts to walk in a certain direction, and almost instantly, I found one. It wandered aimlessly as if it couldn't see me.

"Am... ell... you... where... help."

Always the same things, yeah, I get it, I smell nice. I walked out into the open. "Here I am, shadow man. Come get me!"

Suddenly, the shadow man looked like it was fighting against itself, but it got on four legs and started charging me. I pulled out my new weapon, the "Tazernator." It was just the size of a police stick, but it would shock shadow men and stun them. As it charged at me, I could feel every nerve yelling at me to move. I stood still until right before it ran me over, and I slapped its back with the Tazernator.

ZAP, POP.

The shadow man fell instantly in front of me, then started to sink into the floor. Ok, so this kind of damage sends them away. Let's try the next one then.

I tested the rest of the devices but saved one for last. One more shadow man appeared, but this time I wasn't going to let it sink into the earth. I put a flat metal circle on the ground in front of me.

The creature charged. I stood still. Everything else worked perfectly, I knew this one would too. The shadow man lunged at me, but right when it leapt over the circle I had placed, it hit a yellow forcefield.

BONG.

The shadow man clawed ferociously. "Help! Uhhhh help!!! Urghhhh," but it couldn't break through.

"You're going to answer a couple of questions for me, and I'll help you sound good?"

The shadow man slowed down but seemed to be fighting some internal instinct. "Yes... please... help."

Good, it really can communicate then. Time to take it back to the garage.

Chapter 20

"Okay, class, please welcome Logan Crowley. He just moved in!"

The teacher waved in a tall kid, white hair, ripped jeans, and a leather biker jacket. He wore sunglasses, completing the almost 50s vibe he was giving off. He probably would have looked cool, but for some reason, I didn't want to look at him for very long. Something about him felt off.

"Thanks, teach!" He took off his glasses and took his seat, which coincidentally was right behind Fran. I glanced at Fran, and she seemed like she couldn't take her eyes off of him... That doesn't feel good.

I gestured at her to get her attention, but she seemed a little dazed or out of it. She shook it off and smiled at me.

"What's up?"

I didn't like this new kid. Maybe it's my manly hormones urging me or something.

"Let's meet after school today, okay?" I told Fran.

She almost looked hesitant though.

"Uhhhh, I actually have something else I have to do later. Let's meet later tonight instead."

Did I just get shrugged off? My ego was a little hurt, and I sat staring at my homework. What could she have going on today?

Near the end of class, there was some free time, so we could chat together, and right as I turned over to talk to Fran, Logan was already chatting her up. And she was smiling.

"So, what are you doing today?" Logan, with a smooth voice, asked Fran.

"Oh, nothing." She giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear.

What was happening right now? My heart thumped loudly in anger and frustration. Nothing????? You just told me you were busy?

Before the weekend, we were still dating, but now it's like I don't even exist! I turned and rushed out of the room. My heart ached. Maybe I was just the first guy she liked, and now that her powers were gone, she had more options?

Tears started swelling up in my eyes. This was too much. I couldn't think straight. I went straight home and curled up in my blankets.

Chapter 21

I looked down at my phone... No response... It's almost like I don't exist anymore... At school, she only talks to the new kid, Logan. It feels like she's just been ripped from me out of nowhere.

I packed my bag for school. Since Fran and Logan have been seeing each other, I haven't run across any shadow men. I left my house and saw them walking up the street together. He's been picking her up from school every day since then.

I stared at the ground as I walked. "Another day for the invisible man." Sometimes I wish I was invisible; at least then it would make sense. I feel tired. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep coming to school like this. My heart was shattered, and it's like she never cared about me at all.

"Hey, Steven!" Rebecca called after me from behind. "Oh, I thought I missed you! Mind if I walk with you?" I gave a tired nod. I guess it's not bad to be alone when you feel this way, but I just couldn't really bring myself to speak.

"Hey, I wanted to come by today after school to see your projects... Uh, sorry, I guess you're still not feeling up to it, huh?"

I tried to shake the tired feelings away. Rebecca was still my friend; she didn't deserve to be brushed off like I am. "Yeah, why don't we walk back home together and I'll show you what I've been up to?" I forced a light smile so it didn't seem too fake, but I was also glad that I had someone who wanted to hang out with me.

Rebecca smiled brightly. "Oh, great! I'm so excited!" She was still wearing clothes that didn't seem to fit her personality. In fact, she seemed like she was trying to be someone else most of the time we talked, but I figured it would go away after we got more comfortable with each other again.

We chatted about school while we walked and took our seats in the class. It seemed like Fran's seat was getting closer and closer to Logan every day, while getting farther and farther away from me. Rebecca sat next to me today. "Hey, I switched seats with Brom so I could cheat off you, hahaha, just kidding!" That made me chuckle a little. I knew Rebecca was smart and she seemed genuinely interested in school, so I wasn't really worried about her cheating. Not that I would have minded, though; I often helped Fran out during class, but I always noticed the occasional glance when she wasn't sure if she was doing the problem right during the tests.

School dragged on but finally ended, and we started walking home. I tried to leave first so I wouldn't have to watch Logan and Fran flirting while walking home. Rebecca caught up to me, panting. "Geeze, Steven, slow down! I almost lost you there!"

"Sorry, Rebecca, I just needed to get out of there..." She had a worried look but quickly changed the mood. "So, what are you going to show me today? Or should we keep it a secret?"

I furrowed my brow and pretended to think about it. "Hmmm, definitely the super dangerous one, the one that spits slime, and the confetti one." I glanced at her with a smile on my face. She seemed genuinely worried. "Are you going to tar and feather me?" We both laughed. It feels nice to laugh.

We got to my garage, I put in the code, and the gears started turning, making a screeching sound. Just loud enough to drown out Logan's and Fran's laughter as they came up to Fran's house. I quickly ducked under the door as it lifted and remembered something really, really important.

"Oh, Rebecca! Could you go through the front door and get me some water? I have to set up the project so it's a surprise!" I hurriedly pushed her away from the garage opening. "Oh, uh, sure!" She looked at me puzzled and played along, knocking on the front door to get let in. I rushed back into the garage and went to where my pet shadow man was. He was playing my Gameboy in the corner, trapped inside my electric field.

"Shad, I have a friend over, so no talking, okay? I'm going to hide you behind these." There were a couple of file cabinets, but they weren't filled, so I easily lifted them over to barricade him in the corner. Shad gave me a thumbs up and continued to play my Gameboy like he wasn't even bothered to be a jail. Just as I finished covering him up, Rebecca walked in the garage. "Am I okay to come in now?"

I quickly rushed over to the shelf with my projects on it. "Yeah, come on in. These are what I've been working on. This one is a shock trap that you can throw on the floor; this one actually does shoot slime. Want to see?" She cowered as I pretended to aim it at her, but she also giggled playfully. I showed her some of the other ones but didn't show her all of them since they were mainly used for fighting shadow men, and I didn't want her thinking I was hunting them down or anything.

"Don't you have any laser guns or something?" She seemed more curious than hopeful. "Not right now, haha. I don't really want to hurt anyone with these anyways; it's more for fun." She gave me a slight pouty face. "Fun? Steven, that's a taser." I glanced over at the shock trap and shrugged. "Ahhhh... Boys, am I right?" I tried to make it seem like I just thought it was funny to shock things... But I guess that would also be a little twisted too if I was just walking around shocking innocent people or creatures... "Uh, you know, like dates and stuff, like jumping over fire pits..." She sighed as if I was ridiculous. We decided to go back inside and work on some homework for a while.

After studying for a bit, Rebecca asked, "Steven, how long do you think you'll feel upset for... You know, about Fran? Sorry, I know it's still fresh, but I don't want you to feel so discouraged anymore if I can help it."

How long? I don't know... Honestly, I would like to stop thinking about her if I could... It's not that easy.

"Sorry, Rebecca. I really don't know, but I had a good day with you, so thanks for helping me out." We smiled at each other, and then she headed home for the night. I do feel a little better, but it still hurts.

I went back into the garage and removed the barricade from Shad, my shadow man.

"Thanks, Shad, so how far did you get?" He showed me the Gameboy screen, and he was already on the third boss of Dungeons and Stones, one of my favorite RPGs. Dang, this kid's a natural... Well, I guess he doesn't eat or sleep, so what else can he do?

"Let's take a break and talk some more today." We had several discussions so far about where he had come from, who he was, and why he was a shadow, but most of his answers were, "I don't... know." He seemed young, almost my age even.

"What is your purpose? Do you feel like you have to do something?"

Shad tilted his head and crossed his arms. "Follow the Smell Goods... Sometimes, though, I feel more aggressive." He was referring to the red aura that sometimes accompanied other shadow men. "That feeling was close today while your friend was here." Huh? Rebecca's presence made him feel aggressive? "Shad, tell me what happened."

Shad started, "When she came in, I felt the familiar feeling close by, but it wasn't commanding me like it usually would." Why would Rebecca's presence have that effect?

Chapter 22

Shad was getting better and better at speaking, but unfortunately, his memory seemed to be almost blank. What are the shadow men? What do they want? Why have they started getting so aggressive? Somehow, the last question was linked to Rebecca's presence possibly? I couldn't rule out other possibilities though.

Rebecca is nice, and she is funny in her own way, different from Fran. There is still this wall, or perhaps it's better explained as a mask, that she has. It makes it hard to really connect with her. But regardless, she has been pleasant company so far, especially right now. It's nice reuniting with her after so many years.

I took a stroll out after Rebecca left; I needed to think about everything that was changing so quickly. Why is Fran acting so weird? What do we do to stop the shadow men?

I was lost in my thoughts when I turned down an unfamiliar alleyway. It seems my feet have led me once again to somewhere I didn't recognize. By now, I've realized that I can just think of home and suddenly I know where to go, so I wasn't too worried. Right as I was about to turn around, I heard a voice above me, on the roof of the building I was by.

"So, he showed you everything and you still couldn't find him?" A male voice scolded another.

"Don't worry, I plan to go back over tomorrow. It's what I want to do anyway, so I guess you can just call this a favor from me." A female voice, a familiar one, but the tone was quite different.

"Don't you realize, if that boy develops any powers, who knows what he could become? We can't let him find out anything until the time is right; then we can crush them both. Just as you wished." The male voice seemed familiar as well. I need to get a better look. I started to climb the drainpipe as quietly as possible, hoping that I wouldn't be seen. I reached the top and barely looked over. There, staring out at the city, were two figures—Thorne, and a man with white hair. I'd never seen his outfit before.

"No, I don't want Steven harmed, remember, he's mine now. That was the deal." She seemed flustered.

"Ohhhh, right, my bad. Your little crush has to fall in love with you. Well, the deal is still active, Thorne. We still have some work to do before he gives up on the girl." What were these people talking about? Me? The girl? Could they be talking about Fran?

I slowly started to piece together the puzzle, and then it hit me.

gasp

I was so shocked I'd forgotten that I was right next to them. They immediately spun around in my direction, and I thought I was done for...

"Who's there? Show yourself." The boy around my age looked right at me, but it seemed like he hadn't seen me. But my head was still showing above the edge of the roof. I looked down and realized that I couldn't see me either. What?

"Talon, let's reconvene at a different location." Thorne, or should I say Rebecca, spoke this time. She also seemed bewildered. Talon wrapped his cloak around Thorne, and they twisted and distorted, then disappeared.

caw

A crow and a scarlet tanager sang and fluttered away.

I stayed still until I was sure I was alone again. Then I dropped back down to the ground and started rushing home, my feet led me once again while I filtered the new information I'd just received.

First, Talon is plotting something bad, but why? Talon seems to have a completely different goal than Thorne. He is quite mysterious. When he and Thorne distorted away, I could see a black hazy aura around them. Is that perhaps another person with powers?

Second, Thorne, or Rebecca, has a crush on me. I am a little surprised, but realizing that Thorne's appearance and Rebecca's reemergence were at the same time was too coincidental. Thorne and Rebecca are definitely the same person. And she made some kind of deal with Talon that she could have me.

That sent shivers down my spine, but apparently, I have to fall in love with her back... I think I can confidently say that I'm not that easy. Well, I guess Fran didn't have to try too hard to win my heart...

Third, it seems that Talon and Thorne are somehow involved in Fran's and my breakup. Though the breakup was not said explicitly, it's pretty clear by now that Fran isn't interested in me...

Lastly, someone else, other than Fran, Thorne, and Talon, are developing powers, and Talon believes they haven't yet developed them. I swallowed hard as I realized something and stopped walking. Are they talking about me? I have powers?

Chapter 23

I guess it makes sense, the way I've been able to find my way around town without any issues, not being able to see myself on the roof. Even the unexplainable power source for my new tools and how they just started working the way I imagined.

I've had this power all along? But why now? Why didn't they show up sooner?

While lying in my bed, I thought about these questions... Wishing I could've heard more of Talon's and Thorne's conversations, until I slowly drifted to sleep.

I was back on the roof, but this time it was Rebecca alone. She was surrounded by beautiful flowers as she knelt there crying. I tried to touch her shoulder, but I passed through her like a ghost.

Then a man's voice spoke, "Why do you cry, child?" Rebecca seemed startled. When she looked up, it seemed she was the same age as she was during the bus accident way back when. Her wounds were healed, though.

When she stood up, she wiped her tears. "Who's there!?" The man spoke again, but I couldn't see him. "I only want to make you stop crying. Make a wish, and I shall grant it. For you, I would do anything." The voice sounded like Talon's.

"Wh-where are you?" Rebecca said shakily.

Then a crow walked towards her and said, "I am here, at your service." He bowed and folded one wing in front of himself while holding the other one outstretched behind him. "Do you remember me?"

She looked confused but then realized. "Are you the crow I saved back then?"

"It is I..." The crow seemed overjoyed at her realization. "At last, you remember."

Just then, my body was pulled away back to where I was sleeping, and I woke up.

I could barely move; I felt exhausted, but then a white glow started coming off of my chest. I wasn't exhausted anymore; I had more energy than I usually did. Was this another power? I'll need to test out what I have so far.

It was the weekend, so I didn't have to go to school. Thankfully, I could focus on sorting out everything, maybe even coming up with a plan to find out what Rebecca and Talon were up to.

I showered and got dressed, ate dinner, then went straight to the garage. It was a little cramped now with Dad's car in the way, but thankfully I didn't need to tinker today.

I went to Shad one more time. "Shad, do you have a master?" I had thought this after seeing Talon, but perhaps these shadow men are a result of an ability. It seemed a lightbulb went off in his head. "There is someone who gives us commands, and we follow them, but since the day you've caught me, I don't feel the need to follow those orders." Shad was far more eloquent today than normal. "Are you... okay?" I asked, confused at his new kind of energy. He felt almost human now, instead of like a shadow monster.

"Well, I'm starting to remember more. I used to be more whole... I'm only half of me, though." He quickly became more like his dull, sad self that most shadow men were. "Being around you feels nice, though."

"We will investigate that later. Can you lead me to your master?" Shad was silent for a moment. "...Yes, I think I know where he is, but I don't really want to go to him..." Was he saying he wouldn't take me? Something about the shadow master definitely threw Shad off a bit.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. If you could just show me where he is, I could better understand how to help you, or help all the other shadow men too?" Shad shrugged then reluctantly obliged. Tonight, we would go see who has been sending the shadow men after us.

Chapter 24

"We are close."

Shad walked in front of me, and we took some turns and corners that I'd never seen before. I guess I don't get out much because I've been seeing a lot of new places recently.

Shad seemed to be getting a little slower and more cautious as we got closer. We came to an abandoned warehouse and hid behind a building. There were several shadow men wandering sluggishly around, some were starting to look around as we approached.

"Steven, your smell, it's tipping them off." The shadow men started to look around. "I want to try something, look at me and tell me if you see any change." I put all my focus on not being found. I closed my eyes and willed myself to turn invisible again, like on the roof.

"Wow, how'd you do that? Where did you go?" It looks like it worked; Shad couldn't see me. "Hmmm, your scent is still coming off, but if we can't see you, then it should buy you some time to walk around. Just don't stay still for too long."

"Alright, go on home if you'd like, Shad. Thanks for taking me." He nodded and backed up before turning a corner and disappearing.

I walked out into the open and headed straight for the warehouse door.

"Smell... Nice." The shadow men seemed confused but started looking around to find the source of the smell. Thankfully, I was able to avoid them with my guided footsteps and invisible mode.

I entered the warehouse; it was dark and musty, but there was a small area with a love seat with a crow lying down in the center.

Talon spoke, "You may have fooled my guards, but I can sense you... Steven."

His eyes were closed. "You have a distinct smell... It drives my men particularly wild if you are nearby... Though 'wild' may be an exaggeration."

He opened one eye and stared directly at me, then his eye started to look around, searching for any sort of movement. "So I guess you have discovered your powers then? That's too bad, but at least we know you are only capable of snooping around, avoiding people, and tinkering with your little toys. I will admit that your ability to nullify Thorne's brainwashing is quite surprising too. So many powers... All of them utterly useless when faced against my majesty!"

A powerful dark aura shot out all around the crow as he flapped his wings. A terrible shrieking sound came from him. Fear suddenly overcame me, and I almost fell to my knees, but almost as suddenly as his aura was revealed, my chest glowed with a white light, and I felt more courage and clarity than ever before.

"Ahhhh, there you are!" He leaped off the love seat and distorted into a man, with white hair and a fur coat. He started walking toward me. I let down my invisibility.

"Well, I, uh, just came to say hi. I'll be off now." I quickly turned around when suddenly a black whip wrapped around my neck.

Ugh!

I was yanked back, but I stayed standing. I grabbed at the dark whip and started pulling. White light began to infect the black whip, flakes of darkness shedding from the whip as it turned into white.

"Ah!" Talon dropped the whip, and it loosened.

"What are you?!" He cried, then he shot out dark blasts at me. They were like giant dark fireballs, but they were cold. They shot out at me, and I couldn't dodge in time. I held my arms up to block them.

Crash!

I was sent flying backward and hit my head on the back wall. My arms were ice cold, and I was gasping for air. I picked myself up from the ground onto my hands and knees.

What was this power? It's nothing like Fran's strength, but it hurts like crazy. My chest began to glow again, and suddenly I felt warmth in my arms again. I could suddenly breathe again, and my head pain was gone. I quickly stood up.

Talon looked disgruntled. "That's one difficult power you've got there. I don't think I'll be able to subdue you."

I asked with hope, "You mean you'll let me go?"

He laughed. "Hahaha! No, if I can't use my powers against you, I'll just have to overpower you physically. That way you can't interfere with my plans." His dark aura dropped, and suddenly there was a strange stillness to him. You could hear a pin drop. An evil smile curled from his lips.

"Run..."

Chapter 25

Trying to breathe without making a sound is so difficult.

"3..."

He started counting like it was some kind of game.

"2..."

I immediately turned, but the shadow men were starting to come through the door. I had to turn and walk between some crates that were lining the warehouse. There were several, enough I could probably hide if I needed to.

"1..."

I turned on my invisibility again since it seemed like he had dropped his aura now. Even though he could smell me, he can't see me exactly. I have to get out of here. I kept running down one lane and just barely jolted down another.

"Time's up..."

Wind pressure seemed to flow from his quickly changing location, only a few steps behind me. Three seconds was not a long time. I felt my adrenaline rushing through me, and simultaneously, while running as hard as I could, my body was healing the sore muscles.

The wooden crates behind me were getting tossed away from his immense pressure. What could I do?

"Invisibility again, huh? Hahaha, nothing I can't handle, Steven! You'll have to try harder than that."

I quickly took off my jacket and threw it to the side; maybe the scent might confuse him. He slowed down for a second in confusion but noticed the jacket laying on the floor. Thankfully, that bought me enough time. I turned back toward the area we fought earlier and started running even harder.

"Your little tricks won't save you now, fool!"

He seemed to be moving even faster now. Was he just playing with me? He was almost at me now; he could nearly grab my shirt.

I dove forward, reaching for the glowing white weapon that was left on the floor that he couldn't control anymore—the whip.

Just as I grabbed it, I twisted my body and fell on my back while swinging the tail of the whip around me.

Zzzzt

Almost like electricity zapping from the white whip, Talon was shocked. "Agh!" But he quickly covered his arms in black flame and deflected it away. He slapped my wrist, and my grip went slack. I dropped the whip again.

Talon pulled me up by my shirt collar and winded up a punch. "How long will your new abilities hold out against immense power?" He swung his fist toward my face. I tried to block with my hands again. My arms were numb and weak now. Talon raised his fist again but swung quicker this time. I could feel my arms quickly healing again, but it wasn't quick enough.

Smack!

My head was ringing. I was seeing stars, but everything quickly came back as he winded up again. This time, my arms were better now. I went for a punch to his face too.

Smack! His punch went wild as his own jaw was misaligned. He let go of me and grabbed his mouth. "Haha, so quick, it's truly remarkable." He quickly side-stepped into my range, and I swung but missed him as he ducked. Then he jabbed my gut. I keeled over, but this time there was no time for recovery. He kicked my head as I knelt down, and I fell over. Then he grabbed my leg, and his arm distorted into a more giant, muscular arm.

"Hahahah! Even our fight today has given me something new!" He lifted me off the ground and slammed me into the floor. His arm shrank again. My healing powers got me recovered again, but I could tell it was slowing down now.

"It seems it takes a lot of energy to use that one, huh? This shouldn't take much longer now." I stood up again, ready to block another punch. I couldn't keep taking damage like this. I focused on speeding up, and I was starting to see what kind of moves he liked to make.

A swing from my left, heading straight for my face. I turned to block, ready to switch to a lower guard again in case he changed, but this time he kept turning, and his punch missed my arms completely. But he used his momentum to spin and hit me with the back of his left hand. I staggered but stayed up this time.

"Enough games, Steven..." He seemed tired, and his face showed it as well. He spread his arms out, and a long black aura cloak dropped from his arms. Crows came out and headed straight for me. They were cutting my arms up, and I could barely see. Then I saw a glimpse of him above me, ready to slam me down with one last giant mutated arm.

There was no way to dodge this.

Crack

Splat

Chapter 26

A giant rose petal fluttered down and touched my foot. There, protecting me from an inevitable defeat, was a giant thorny rose blocking Talon's muscular arm.

Talon seemed disappointed. "So, you finally decided to turn on me..." Anger came from his eyes. The response was Thorne's. "You promised you wouldn't hurt him, so I guess our deal is off..."

Talon's power subsided, and Thorne's rose wilted away. Talon lost all of his menacing energy. "I guess you can have this back then. If our deal is off, then the payment must be returned." He held out a lock of red hair tied in a pink bow, neatly kept.

"Why would I need that? Keep it or whatever. You crows like to keep pretty things."

Talon looked hurt by Thorne's words. "Then you two should leave... I don't want to hurt you, Thorne."

"You've already done enough damage," she said with a painful, angry face that looked like she had been betrayed. She reached out to me. "Steven, let's get out of here."

I know Thorne was working with Talon, so this feels like a trap, but her genuinely hurt face told another story. I took her hand, and a vine sprang out from below us and took us out of the warehouse.

Talon spoke to an empty room. "This was necessary. I'm so sorry, my dear rose."

"Why are you helping me?" Rebecca seemed a little flustered still from everything, and I even caught a glimpse of a tear falling down her cheek. "Steven, I came here to protect you. I know you don't really know who I am, but I never wanted to hurt you."

I spoke honestly with her. "Rebecca, I know it's you. What happened? Who is Talon? Why is everything getting so crazy lately?"

She hesitated for a moment but relented. "Alright, yes, it's me. Talon... is an old friend of mine. He is like us. He has powers too. Well, obviously. Steven, do you know where our powers come from?"

I hadn't put much thought into it until now, but Rebecca, Fran, and I were all people with powers... What was the common factor here?

"Do you remember that day with the bus crash?"

I nodded. "Of course, how could I forget?"

"That green goop we fell in... It was some radioactive byproduct of some top-secret government testing for mutating specimens... Birds, flowers, other things too, actually... Talon is a crow who escaped from that place."

"What does that have to do with us?"

She shot me a look like: Don't interrupt me, I'm still explaining. "The byproduct is what mutated us to gain powers. It's the same thing that Talon went through in that building." She took another pause. I stopped myself from asking another question, knowing that she wasn't done yet.

"That day we all manifested powers, except you. For some reason, your powers laid dormant for all these years, but ours turned into what we needed them to be at the time. Based on what we all have as our powers, I can make some assumptions. Fran's strength came from a desire to save you. Your healing came from your intense injuries that day. I was given the ability to control flowers because they brought me joy when I was sad or lonely. Talon's powers are driven by a need for overwhelming destruction."

I stopped her. "I had a strange dream. I saw you crying on your roof. You were surrounded by flowers, and then Talon came to you as a crow." I told her the rest of what happened.

"I guess you have another ability to peer into private conversations from the past... Sigh I saved Talon a couple of nights before we had that bus crash. It was raining, and he was lying down in a puddle, too weak to move. I nursed him back to health. It seems after the bus crash incident, he gained the ability to speak, and he approached me. He offered to grant me a wish. One of his powers is strengthened by his ability to fulfill a deal."

I recalled Fran's excitement at being powerless, the voice in the alley before I found her getting taken away to the hospital. "Rebecca... Did Fran make a deal with Talon?"

She looked at me with worried eyes. "Yes, and he was able to fulfill the agreement. I don't know exactly how he did it. At the time, I didn't care how he did things. I just wanted results. I should never have trusted him." Her anger seemed to spread all around her. I grabbed her hand to console her, and a white light shot up her arm. She looked slightly confused. "What did you just do!?" Her anger was gone, and she seemed bewildered, but then she got upset again. "I didn't ask you to take away my feelings!"

"Wait, I didn't mean to, I promise. I still don't even understand my own powers yet. I didn't know I could do that."

She calmed down quickly. "Fine. Steven, it seems your healing ability is able to unwind negative effects. For instance, brainwashing, resentment, pain, injuries. But you can even do that for other people. Our powers are fueled by desire, so I know you just wanted to help." That was good; she was very understanding.

"But that being said, you need to get a handle on when you release your powers. You can't just take away people's feelings like that, and it will probably exhaust you extremely quickly to heal every little thing." I remembered my fight with Talon and how much slower my healing had gotten after taking those heavy hits.

I decided to change the subject. "There is something else I need to ask you. I was there last night when you were on the roof with Talon... Anyways, I heard something that I needed to confirm." She stared at me, her eyes going wide, and fear appeared on her face.

"Do you like me?"

Rebecca's face became the same color as her hair.

Chapter 27

Rebecca blushed at my question, "Do you like me?" She pretended not to hear, but I could tell she was flustered.

"Who? Anyway, look, Talon is planning something... And it's big." Wow, way to dodge the question. She blushed at first but brushed my teasing aside.

"Do you know how Talon makes shadows, Steven?" She asked me with a serious look on her face.

I answered with uncertainty, "I assumed it was just one of his powers... Though Shad seems more and more human every day."

She turned quickly and stopped walking. "Shad? Steven... Did you kidnap..." It dawned on her what I had done.

"He's in my garage. He is very nice. Want to meet him?"

We went into my garage, and I introduced Shad to her. "So now that you two are acquainted, let's figure some things out." We stood awkwardly for a moment.

Shad spoke up, "So you're the one who makes the shadows go mad." Oh yeah... Nice segue into that topic. Rebecca glared at Shad, interestedly. "Steven, Shad could be a highly developed spy for Talon..."

I interjected, "Shad has been the most human-like shadow I've ever seen, and he says it's because he's been around me. Maybe my powers are helping? But yeah, I don't know what he is." I gave her a smile.

Rebecca looked dazed and a little caught off guard. "Yes, he is extremely well-spoken and seems to act for himself, but I'm not sure yet if we can trust him." I stopped her. "Rebecca, you were also on Talon's side, yet I've decided to trust you."

She looked hurt, confused, and then she closed her eyes and put her hand on her head, like she had a headache. "I guess you're right..." She began to explain more about Talon's power. "Talon gets more shadows by fulfilling wishes. The wishes give him power to control the wish maker after it is fulfilled."

I gave her a weird look. "And what about the hair? The one he tried to give back to you?" She gave me a shrug. "He asked for a lock of my hair when I made my wish, but he hasn't fulfilled it, so it's not like he can control me. His powers work through this method. Without fulfilling wishes, he cannot gain power." In a way, that makes sense—a great price for a great wish. It almost worked like how our powers worked... Desire.

"What happens when the wish is fulfilled?" I probed further. She looked grim and gave a small shudder. "They become husks or shells of themselves. They kind of forget who they are, and they start taking his orders... Then... They lose themselves."

"Wait a minute... What about all the people Fran beat up? They were shadows too? They disappeared! Did she kill them?"

Rebecca gave a sigh. "When Fran's powers come in contact with the shadows, they are released from Talon's power and are set free again without any memories of what happened. They also return to normal and disperse back to where they came from."

Shad cut in. "Guys... Something's coming."

Just then, a black shadowy figure smashed into the garage between Rebecca, Shad, and me. It was a female figure with long hair. The ground left a small crater, and the figure moved faster than any other person I knew...

"Fran?"

Chapter 28

True Fear

The kind that makes your spine shiver. When you look at death in its physical form, what comes to mind? A wild bear towering high? A lion’s jaws? A plane crash?

I never knew what I feared most in this world until it stared at me with the face of the one I loved.

Fran wasn’t herself anymore. She didn’t have blonde hair, and she wasn’t smiling her big, happy, cute smile. She was furious. A wild ferocity enveloped her. She was shrouded in darkness and stared at Rebecca and me like we were her most fearsome enemies.

She slowly stood up from the small crater she had left in my garage. Rebecca pulled Shad and me away from her with her vines, but we were still impacted by her absolute power. Was she always able to do that? Was she holding back all this time?

She stared in my direction, and I could tell if I turned around, I would only get pounced on immediately.

Fran is lightning fast; she has unimaginable strength. If she is truly not in control anymore, we are doomed.

I was stunned and lost in thought, but Rebecca rose (haha, funny) to action almost immediately. "Steven, you have to get out of here now! I’ll hold her off." I knew more than anyone that it wasn’t possible to stop Fran. I breathed heavily as I sat there wanting to cry. My chest felt tight, and I couldn’t move. My breathing started to become so rapid that I couldn’t focus.

Rebecca summoned flowers, and for the first time, I saw a red aura as she used her powers, but I now understood why I hadn’t seen it before. She threw something—it was so small I couldn’t see it from here, but it glowed red. Suddenly, a giant plant erupted from the tiny object. Fran was pushed back with giant vines into the wall. Suddenly, though, the vines were ripped to shreds, and Rebecca’s face was in Fran’s hand while she pushed her head into the ground.

Dust settled, and Rebecca lay there motionless.

Suddenly, my heart calmed down. All of this happened within seconds. But finally, my healing factor kicked in. My adrenaline shot me off the ground as I leapt forward. Fran raised her mighty fist again to punch Rebecca, probably for a final blow that no one could recover from. I closed my eyes and jumped over her body.

A powerful gust of wind tore at my clothes and my skin. When the wind pressure stopped, I looked up, and Fran’s fist was only an inch away from me.

She had stopped herself right before she hit me.

A single black tear fell from her face. She looked hurt and confused.

"Ste...ven... why?"

Without any more fear, I shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!!!?" I mustered all the strength I had for this shout. "Fran! If you’re still in there, then you should know. You’re hurting people."

Fran’s composure suddenly shifted, and she looked down at herself. Why?... Why?? Tears came rolling down her cheeks.

Then things changed. A screech like nothing I’ve heard before, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!" Fran was shouting into the sky. Suddenly, clouds formed above her, and the wind started to gather where she was. She began to float off the ground, holding her head in her hands. "I didn’t... want... this." The wind was becoming so powerful I could only stay close to the ground, covering Rebecca’s motionless body.

Lightning crackled and began to strike Fran, not once, but several times.

Craaack! CRAAACK! BOOOOOM!

The darkness was suddenly erased from her, and what was left was the Fran I recognized, but now she was covered in bright orange flames.

"Fran!" I called out to her. "Stop!" My voice was being swallowed by the wind. What could I do? I don’t have anything to stop her with.

I wished I could go up there and hug her, to tell her it wasn’t her fault.

Something inside me ignited, and suddenly, I was there next to her in the air. I grabbed onto her tightly and hugged her. "It’s okay, Fran! I’m here now." Her powers suddenly shifted, and rain fell down from the sky. "I didn’t mean to hic I... I didn’t mean to." She was crying, and we drifted back down to the ground as I held her tightly. We knelt down.

"I’m so sorry!"

Chapter 29

Rebecca was still unconscious. I went back over to her and picked her upper body up while I knelt down. I used my aura to heal her as best as I could.

She had some broken bones, but she was still breathing, and it seemed she was getting better quickly with my healing powers... Whew, I think she will be okay.

"I didn’t hurt her too badly, did I, Steven?"

Fran stood awkwardly to the side, but she kept her distance.

"She’ll be okay, Fran. It might take her a minute to wake up, but she is alright..."

We stared at each other in awkward silence. It had been a rough little bit since we’d spoken last.

I broke the silence. "So how is Logan?" Fran looked confused.

"Who?" Fran wasn’t a liar. Did she really not know who Logan was? But they’ve been seeing each other for days now... But Fran was also a shadow person a moment ago... Could she have been under Talon’s control all that time?

"Fran, you’ve been seeing another boy in our class for several days now... You haven’t even acknowledged me all that time... Do you really not remember?"

Fran was in utter horror. "W-w-what!? Who?" She looked almost disgusted with herself. Ah, I guess she is back to her old self... But for some reason, I can't smile like I used to.

"Ah, never mind. That must have been someone else." I forced a big smile, but I couldn't feel good enough to put any feelings behind it.

"Steven, how did this happen? Why did I punch Rebecca?"

I explained about the shadow men and the conditions for transformation when her eyes widened in disbelief...

"Ah, a wish maker takes control after granting your wish? That would explain it."

I shot her an even more worried face than she had. "Did you make a wish, Fran?" She closed her eyes tight like she was in trouble and peeked with one eye open. "Maybe... just a little one..."

"So that’s how you lost your powers? You wished them away and Talon granted the wish?"

She shrugged a little embarrassed. "But I have my powers back now. I don't feel any of his influence anymore." She stretched out her hands and flexed her muscles to check that everything was in order. Sure enough, her aura was coming out. I guess she broke the spell.

Suddenly, Rebecca opened her eyes and jolted up, then glared at Fran with a death glare. Fran backed away a little in concern. "Wait, it wasn’t me. I would never have done that if I was in control!"

Rebecca closed her eyes, sighed, then laid down again. "I’m still in pain, so keep healing me," she barked at me, then grabbed my hand as if it was helping the pain go away.

Fran looked bewildered. "How... How long was I out for exactly?" She didn’t blink as she stared at Rebecca’s hand grabbing mine. I didn’t pull my hand away because I had to remain in contact to heal her anyway. But also, I didn’t really want to pull my hand away. I was actually a little upset, but I couldn’t really tell why... Why am I mad, and why is my healing factor not fixing it? Maybe I wanted to be mad...

All this time, I couldn’t even look Fran in the eyes. I couldn’t look in her direction. I couldn’t speak to her. I couldn’t say hi. She was ripped from me, and it left a large hole. I didn’t want to let go of this new hole in my heart so easily.

Fran looked a little awkward but then walked up to Rebecca and said, "Hey, that’s my boyfriend. Don’t start getting chummy with him!" In an instant, I realized something... I wasn’t angry at Fran, I was angry at myself... Why didn’t I do that? I stared at Fran in the eyes for the first time in what seemed like forever... That’s right, she was this kind of girl. The kind who didn’t take no for an answer. The kind who fought for what she wanted, and she never gave up. Who am I then... Did I not love her enough to fight for her?

Rebecca peeked with one eye and closed it again. "Oh right, I almost forgot. My bad." She smirked and grabbed my face, pulling me in.

smooch

Chapter 30

For a moment, I was lost. My brain had shut off. Her lips were soft and delicate. A kiss is a strange thing; it can truly rise up strange emotions that you didn’t know existed.

I never really thought of Rebecca as someone I could like, but in that moment, I remembered the day we went to the movies together. I remembered the ice cream we ate and when she saved me from Talon. I remembered how good she looked in green and black. But why now?

I pulled away from Rebecca’s kiss. This was not a good situation. Rebecca’s smile didn’t go away, and all I felt next was the ground moving beneath me. Rebecca and I were suddenly separated by a wall of earth. I turned to Fran with wide eyes.

Her eyes were glowing white, and her aura was spilling out in every direction. Her hair was floating almost like she had some static built up. And her expression? Angry...

"Fran, this isn’t what it looks like." Well... It probably just looked like a kiss... Which is what it was... "Uh, it’s not— it was just— uh— this wasn’t something you should worry about."

Silence for a small moment.

"Something I shouldn’t worry about?... Because we aren’t dating anymore? Is that what you mean?"

I had just made this situation 10 times worse than when Fran was a shadow woman.

"No, I—"

"Steven, why did she kiss you? What’s going on between you two?"

Before I could speak, Rebecca got up and stretched her shoulders. "Ah, don’t kid yourself... You were all caught up in that boy, Logan. Do you realize how heartbroken Steven was?"

No, this was a big misunderstanding, but they just kept going. Even when I tried to interrupt, "Um, guys, wai—"

"I wasn’t even conscious! I don’t even know who Logan is!" Fran shouted.

Rebecca rebutted, "Well, you should’ve thought about that before you started drooling all over him!"

This was getting out of hand. I had to stop this now, even if I had to use that.

"Well, I—" The girls instantly calmed down. "Both of you need to stop right now!" I shouted. My aura was shining as I slightly pressured their emotions back down, but I didn’t remove them completely. I just wanted to get a word in.

"Fran, yes, I was hurt when you didn’t talk to me and you were chasing that other boy. I know you weren’t in control, and I’m sorry. Rebecca, I am not mad at Fran. I’m mad at me. I should’ve done something, but I didn’t. Well, I’m doing something right now, and that’s speaking up for myself!" I paused shortly but ran out of things to say...

There was an awkward silence.

"Um, I mean to say..." I lost all my momentum, but I still wanted to say what I felt. "I need you both to get along. I don’t want my friends fighting, and honestly, I need some time and space to gather my feelings and understand what’s going on. Can you guys not hurt each other for 5 minutes?"

They glared at each other but both nodded. I sighed. I started using my reconstruction powers to put the garage back together. It was the same power I used to make my inventions. After a few minutes, the garage was back to normal, but Shad was gone... The girls were both sitting with their arms crossed, glaring at each other still. Fran had an angry, pouty face, and Rebecca had a calm, collected, annoyed face.

"Have you guys seen Shad?" Fearing the worst, I asked the girls.

"I’m pretty sure muscles over here obliterated him back to normal," Rebecca dryly scoffed.

That’s probably likely. We barely avoided her impact because of Rebecca’s vines, but he could also just be scared and hiding for now. I decided to move on for now. I sat down as well and closed my eyes.

I tried to gather my thoughts and feelings. I was confused. I still had feelings for Fran, but did I also have feelings for Rebecca? It felt wrong to have these two conflicting feelings at once. Why can’t these things just be simple? Fran doesn’t deserve to be treated any differently since she was being controlled, but I was so hurt, I was starting to fight off my own feelings for her.

I wasn’t angry, but I didn’t feel like it would be fair to just jump back to where we left off either. Fran deserved my full attention, not a divided heart.

This isn’t fair.

If I like Rebecca, then why? Was it just attraction? Were there other reasons for it? What about Fran? Do I like her because she was the only person I’ve ever liked?

My head spun around and around, and I couldn’t make sense of anything. I like them both right now, and I can’t help that, but I might lose them if things stay this way too.

Well, maybe it’s best we focus on Talon first and then sort out our feelings later.

"Fran, Rebecca, we need to figure out what to do about Talon."

They broke eye contact with each other and then glared at me. Yikes, chills ran down my spine.

Fran looked confused. "Rebecca?"

I quickly caught her up on the Thorne situation, which made Fran look at Rebecca with an uneasy look.

We quickly returned to the topic at hand, though. I warned Fran, "Talon is crazy strong. I fought him once and barely got out after Rebecca saved me."

Rebecca sighed. "You’re right, and if he controlled Fran, then he might be able to do it again. We need to stop that from happening. And he is still planning something big, but I’m not sure what it is yet."

Fran smirked. "Ha! You don’t know what my wish was for, do you? Well, he shouldn’t be able to control me anymore after today!"

Rebecca looked back at Fran, annoyed. I cut in. "Yes, based on the conditions you mentioned about his powers, Fran should be okay for now. And if that’s the case, then Fran, you’ll be our key to fighting Talon. You know, as the strongest one here..." I smiled at Fran, and she blushed.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Talon is formidable, but there are still things about his powers we don’t understand. He might still be able to control her."

There were still so many variables. "If she stays close to me, then his influence should be weak or non-existent, like it was with Shad, right?" Rebecca looked worried for a moment as if she had a realization, but Fran cut in first.

"Oh man, I guess I’m just going to have to hang out at your house till we can make sure I’m safe from his powers. Ah, shucks, looks like I’ll have to spend the night, wow! Look at the time! That late already?"

I chuckled a bit, but it was probably true. Rebecca blushed and stuttered, "W-well, I’ll be here too then to make sure you’re actually safe and that you don’t hurt Steven!"

Was this going to be a slumber party? It would make it easier to convince my parents, though, if the two girls were staying together in a room.

Wait a minute, I’m having girls spend the night?

Chapter 31

The girls were sleeping in the guest room, and I was in my bedroom alone. I couldn't sleep, and I was nervous that I had two girls sleeping over at my house.

Fran and Rebecca...

I couldn’t sleep, so I went to my window, opened it, climbed out onto the roof, and made my way to the top of the house. I stared at the stars and the moon. I remembered that night when Fran took me up to the mountain nearby, and we ate her homemade bread buns. I remember how I felt back then. It filled me with warmth.

I didn’t feel any different now. I still looked at Fran and felt warmth and love. Realizing that gave me some comfort. I still liked Fran, and I still wanted to learn more about her. Admittedly, after all these years of living as neighbors, I still didn’t feel like I knew her well. I knew what she liked, what made her laugh, but it also felt like there were things about her I didn’t know. I guess I’ll never be truly in her mind, but I can’t help the feeling that I’ve only seen a certain part of her.

As if my thoughts summoned her, she appeared and floated onto the roof gracefully. She looked a little confused. "Oh, you're out here? You okay?"

Staring at her made my heart flutter, like it always did. "I just couldn’t sleep, so I wanted to feel the wind on my face. Staring at the moon alone and feeling sorry for yourself feels good sometimes," I said. It was something I did on occasion when the moon was full and bright.

She smiled and sat next to me. "Mind if I join you? Honestly, I probably need a good self-reflection moment... Gotta take them when you find them."

She was oddly relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen her before, almost longingly looking at something in the distance. Fran didn’t often stray from her happy and energetic personality; this was something I hadn’t seen her do before.

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes. I just sat there, letting my heart feel the emptiness. I wasn’t really sad, but I just needed to feel a more melancholic feeling right now.

Fran broke the silence. "Steven, have I ever told you about my mom?"

It was a weird question. "Well, I know your mom. I've known her since we met."

Fran widened her eyes in slight surprise. "Oh, have I not told you? Sheri isn’t my birth mother."

Huh?

She scratched her head and looked a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, I should’ve told you sooner. But it's kind of hard to talk about or even think about..."

I stayed silent. I had no idea. They even looked similar. Fran stared down again for a minute, trying to gather her thoughts. "She passed away when I was young, a couple of years before you and I met. I barely remember her, so Sheri is basically my mom, haha. I call her that too. I don’t mind, and Sheri is pretty amazing, so it feels natural." She smiled softly while talking.

"You still miss your mom?" I asked.

She looked at the moon. "Yeah... I don’t have a lot of memories of her, but I still feel connected to her, which is nice."

She looked at me. "She’s the reason I try to be so happy all the time."

Chapter 32

"Fran, when you want something, you have to give everything you've got to keep it sometimes... But sometimes, when that thing you want is a person... You can't make them stay."

Fran stared up at her father. A young man who was slender, with blonde hair, wore glasses, and today, he was dressed in a black suit. It was raining in the graveyard that day—the day Fran’s mother went to sleep in the ground.

Tears rolled down her father's cheeks as he held Fran close. "Dad, why couldn't we fight for her to wake up?" Fran asked. He smiled gently, holding back a choked cry. "Sometimes we have to let them go, and there isn’t anything we can do, no matter how much we want..." He stopped talking mid-sentence. He couldn't finish what he wanted to say.

"Will I see Mom again, Dad?" Fran’s father picked her up and held her. He stared into her eyes. "We can hope that we will. I think she will want to see us smiling and happy, huh?" He smiled with her. She smiled back. "So, I just have to keep smiling until she comes back, right?" Fran's dad started walking away from the grave. "Yes, Fran. She'll want us to be happy while she’s gone, so don't give up on being happy. It'll make her happy too."

It wasn’t hard to be happy all the time. Fran was filled with new energy when she thought of her mother. She knew she was making her proud. Even when she would get hurt, she knew she had to tough it out and pick herself back up, smiling. She became tough because of that.

At school, her energy was a little much for some kids, and it made it hard to keep friends. She was willing to protect the weaker kids but often came off as too clingy around them. "I just have to fight for what I want, and I want friends!" Her persistence came off as annoyance.

Fran's dad eventually remarried, and they needed to move. She wouldn’t know anyone, and she would be in a new town. She was scared, but she remembered what her dad said: to smile and be happy so her mom could be happy.

She was waiting to go to class when she met a boy named Steven. This time, she would make sure they were friends. She smiled, showing all her teeth. This was her trademark friendship smile that should be able to win over anyone. He was a quiet kid, but he listened, and he was happy to see Fran too. It was easier being around Steven. Fran could relax more. She was able to loosen up and not worry so much about having to be happy all the time; instead, she could just be happy.

Because she finally found someone who was willing to stay. She would fight for him no matter what happened.

Even a bus crash wouldn't be enough to separate him from her.

Chapter 33

The red-haired boy scratched his head and grinned. "Uh, actually, my name is Leo!" I was glad to see him okay, but that must mean he didn't escape Fran's initial impact. At least he's alright.

"Shad, er, I mean Leo! It's good to see you! How did you find us?" I whispered so I wouldn't wake up the girls. "I remember everything while I was a shadow! So I tried coming here as soon as I could!" He seemed excited to see me. It was kind of cool to see who he really was.

"Wait, if you remember everything, then what do you know about Talon?" He held up a finger like he had an idea. "That's actually why I was in such a hurry to find you again! I know what he's trying to do, and I know where his secret weapon is!"

My eyes grew wide. This was huge. "I'd better wake up the girls." I attempted to nudge Fran awake, but she wouldn't budge. Then I went to Rebecca, and she got up quickly. Her cheeks grew a little redder at realizing she had fallen asleep next to me. Fran eventually woke up but was groggy.

We quickly huddled together, then Fran and Rebecca blinked in shock at Leo. "Oh, sorry, this is Shad, well, he can introduce himself." Leo got a little nervous and sputtered out his name. "L-l-LEO DANDY!" Then he got on one knee, grabbed Rebecca's hand like some kind of theater student. "At your service, my queen!"

All of our jaws dropped in unison. Leo's head was bowed, so he couldn't see our visible shock and held back laughter. Rebecca looked like she had seen a ghost. "Don't... do that..." She said shyly, then she looked away and blushed. Honestly, Rebecca was way shy, and here I thought she had grown out of that. I guess this wasn't a cringe moment for her, though, because she clearly liked that straightforward approach. You could tell because she was almost silent the entire time we talked from then on.

Leo immediately went into reporting mode. "Talon summoned me to an underground lair; it's where we all go when we first turn shadow. It's under his base, and it goes down for a while. At the bottom, there is a giant tree root, with an orange glowing amber chamber in the tree root, almost like it had grown in the root. I do not know what the amber holds, but Talon was looking at the amber fondly. I was quickly told my assignment to interrupt Steven in any way possible."

Fran interrupted. "Why did he want to get in Steven's way?" I was confused too and asked another question. "It seemed like he wanted to kill me, though, when we saw each other last time. Although he did say he just wanted to capture me..."

We contemplated for a second what his true intentions were.

"Why would he just try to get in my way, but then try to capture me? What could he want? And why me?"

Leo shook his head. "I'm not sure why it had to be you, but clearly, you are involved in some way. And somehow, you're involved with his amber thing." We stared in silence again. Rebecca was staring at Leo in a daze. I tried to catch her attention. "Rebecca, hey, yoo hoo, you got any ideas on what he is planning?" Rebecca blinked and shook her head, like she was coming back to reality. "Um... I remember when we came here a while ago, Talon wanted Steven to develop his powers, but he said it was so Steven and I could--" She cut herself off quickly and shut her mouth.

Fran quickly raised an eyebrow. "So you could what with Steven?" Rebecca blushed even more; it was almost a permanent redness at this point. "Uhh... be friends... You know, because I had powers and all." I was the only one who knew anything about how their conversations went since I had seen one of them. "Did it have to do with your wish, Rebecca?" I asked, knowing that they had talked about her wish, but we still didn't know what it was. Rebecca curled her hair around her finger. "Um, kind of... He won't be able to fulfill my wish, though I don't think so, I'm not really worried about that. Unfortunately for us, Talon cannot fathom not granting wishes, so he will probably try to make my wish happen regardless."

We stared at her intently. Fran asked her, "What is your wish, Rebecca?" She scowled at her, knowing full well that it has something to do with me at this point. "We should know what your wish is just in case he does grant it. We need to know if he gains control over you." Rebecca blushed a bright red at this point. She covered her face with her hair.

"Ugh... It's... that Steven and I would be together."

Chapter 34

The red-haired boy scratched his head and grinned. "Uh, actually, my name is Leo!" I was glad to see him okay, but that must mean he didn't escape Fran's initial impact. At least he's alright.

"Shad, er, I mean Leo! It's good to see you! How did you find us?" I whispered so I wouldn't wake up the girls. "I remember everything while I was a shadow! So I tried coming here as soon as I could!" He seemed excited to see me. It was kind of cool to see who he really was.

"Wait, if you remember everything, then what do you know about Talon?" He held up a finger like he had an idea. "That's actually why I was in such a hurry to find you again! I know what he's trying to do, and I know where his secret weapon is!"

My eyes grew wide. This was huge. "I'd better wake up the girls." I attempted to nudge Fran awake, but she wouldn't budge. Then I went to Rebecca, and she got up quickly. Her cheeks grew a little redder at realizing she had fallen asleep next to me. Fran eventually woke up but was groggy.

We quickly huddled together, then Fran and Rebecca blinked in shock at Leo. "Oh, sorry, this is Shad, well, he can introduce himself." Leo got a little nervous and sputtered out his name. "L-l-LEO DANDY!" Then he got on one knee, grabbed Rebecca's hand like some kind of theater student. "At your service, my queen!"

All of our jaws dropped in unison. Leo's head was bowed, so he couldn't see our visible shock and held back laughter. Rebecca looked like she had seen a ghost. "Don't... do that..." She said shyly, then she looked away and blushed. Honestly, Rebecca was way shy, and here I thought she had grown out of that. I guess this wasn't a cringe moment for her, though, because she clearly liked that straightforward approach. You could tell because she was almost silent the entire time we talked from then on.

Leo immediately went into reporting mode. "Talon summoned me to an underground lair; it's where we all go when we first turn shadow. It's under his base, and it goes down for a while. At the bottom, there is a giant tree root, with an orange glowing amber chamber in the tree root, almost like it had grown in the root. I do not know what the amber holds, but Talon was looking at the amber fondly. I was quickly told my assignment to interrupt Steven in any way possible."

Fran interrupted. "Why did he want to get in Steven's way?" I was confused too and asked another question. "It seemed like he wanted to kill me, though, when we saw each other last time. Although he did say he just wanted to capture me..."

We contemplated for a second what his true intentions were.

"Why would he just try to get in my way, but then try to capture me? What could he want? And why me?"

Leo shook his head. "I'm not sure why it had to be you, but clearly, you are involved in some way. And somehow, you're involved with his amber thing." We stared in silence again. Rebecca was staring at Leo in a daze. I tried to catch her attention. "Rebecca, hey, yoo hoo, you got any ideas on what he is planning?" Rebecca blinked and shook her head, like she was coming back to reality. "Um... I remember when we came here a while ago, Talon wanted Steven to develop his powers, but he said it was so Steven and I could--" She cut herself off quickly and shut her mouth.

Fran quickly raised an eyebrow. "So you could what with Steven?" Rebecca blushed even more; it was almost a permanent redness at this point. "Uhh... be friends... You know, because I had powers and all." I was the only one who knew anything about how their conversations went since I had seen one of them. "Did it have to do with your wish, Rebecca?" I asked, knowing that they had talked about her wish, but we still didn't know what it was. Rebecca curled her hair around her finger. "Um, kind of... He won't be able to fulfill my wish, though I don't think so, I'm not really worried about that. Unfortunately for us, Talon cannot fathom not granting wishes, so he will probably try to make my wish happen regardless."

We stared at her intently. Fran asked her, "What is your wish, Rebecca?" She scowled at her, knowing full well that it has something to do with me at this point. "We should know what your wish is just in case he does grant it. We need to know if he gains control over you." Rebecca blushed a bright red at this point. She covered her face with her hair.

"Ugh... It's... that Steven and I would be together."

Chapter 35

Rebecca's wish didn’t come as a complete shock. Fran was pouting again, but she didn’t seem furious this time.

"Why is Talon so set on making wishes come true? Can't he see how much trouble he’s causing for everyone?" I said it without thinking. Rebecca's face got a little sadder. I realized what it sounded like I was saying: that I didn’t want to be close to Rebecca, and that she was more of a hassle than even a friend.

Even though she looked a little upset, she spoke. "It’s fine, like I said, I don’t think it will come true anymore, so I’m not worried about it."

Leo got upset on her behalf. "Steven! Apologize to the lady!" His high energy and ultimate loyalty to Rebecca helped to lighten the mood. I apologized. "You're right, Leo, I’m sorry, Rebecca. That isn’t what I meant. I really only meant that if getting you closer to me was the goal, then this was the wrong way to do it." After all, I still enjoyed Rebecca's company; she was still a friend to me.

Rebecca closed her eyes in regret. "Yes, I can see that you were always kind enough to talk to me. The way Talon handles things is severe, but it almost always brings results. Just look at his shadow army; those are all wishes he has granted. He is quite capable of making anything happen. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not fulfill a wish... Sometimes his power changes in a way he can do the supernatural, and other times he makes it happen through pure hard work... It’s a little scary thinking about it. He is incredibly smart, and he plans for the future. He accounts for several possibilities before they even happen."

Hearing about Talon’s abilities made things seem a little more daunting. I had fought him firsthand; I know how terrifying his abilities are.

Flashbacks of when he hit me like a punching bag back at the warehouse came flooding in. I shivered.

Rebecca continued. "I left his side because I couldn’t support his actions any further. I should’ve left a long time ago..."

Her face became more determined. "So Leo, take us to the amber chamber, and we will put an end to his dark deeds for good!"

Leo bowed his head like a knight and held Rebecca’s hand again. She quickly retracted her hand out of surprise and shyness. She was getting a lot of attention today.

"Yes, my queen..." Leo stood up, turned on point, and stretched his arm forward, showing us the way. "Onward, men! We must protect the queen at all costs." He was silly, energetic, and delightful, honestly, just what we all needed in this moment. Usually, Fran would fill that role, but she was smiling in relief that she could take a break for the day.

We came to the warehouse in the middle of the night. Surprisingly, there were no shadow men, though. "What’s going on?" I whispered.

It seemed like it was abandoned almost. We went inside, and all of Talon’s things were still set up, but this time there was a staircase leading down to a basement area. It wasn’t there the first time I was here. "That’s new."

Rebecca chimed in. "It’s likely always been there, but Talon is a specialist in illusions." Just then, we heard the clang of a metal can falling from a shelf.

Clang Krerrrrrrrr

"Ah, crap!" A young man’s voice from behind us echoed in the warehouse building. There stood Logan, who was chasing a metal can that was rolling towards us. He picked it up and then looked at us. Then he smiled in shame and scratched his head like he'd been caught doing something bad.

"Ah, sorry, guys... Didn't mean to startle you all... I was looking for Fran and found out she was staying at your place tonight, and then I found you guys on the roof. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I just waited in the tree... But then I saw you guys leaving, so I decided to follow... Uh, sorry. It just kind of happened that way."

Fran was extremely confused. "Who’s this guy?" Logan looked like he was just shot in the heart, and his jaw dropped. Rebecca filled her in. "That’s Logan. The boy you’ve been seeing for the past week."

Fran’s eyes widened in realization. I saw her expression and remembered what happened back then. I looked away and tried to distract myself, but then Fran spoke again.

"Well, you should know. That’s my boyfriend!" She was pointing straight at me. Fran didn’t care what it might've looked like from Logan’s perspective; instead, she said it like it was.

Logan’s knees gave out, and he knelt down in despair.

Chapter 36

Fran squatted down right in front of Logan and put her hand on his shoulder. "Ah, don't worry. I'm sure there are lots of girls that like you!"

She was brutal. Rebecca and I both stifled our surprise. How could anyone be so blunt like that!?

Logan looked up with tearful eyes. "*Hic* I thought you loved me! Wahhhhh." Whoa, this guy was a crybaby? His physique said otherwise, but I guess this poor guy was a bit sensitive. He had snot coming out of his nose as he held his face in his hands. This was a very unfortunate scene to watch. I should've stopped her. Fran looked pleased with herself, not because she had hurt someone's feelings, but because she was being direct and clear with her words, knowing there was no other way to interpret her feelings.

I tried to console Logan. "Hey, I know I might not be the guy to tell you this, but she was kind of under a magic spell." As I got closer, I could feel my power latch onto him, and he started to calm down. "Oh..." He sat there in silence, seemingly depressed at the thought that his love was a sham all along. I kind of relate though... But I guess it's not his fault... He probably thought she was really that into him.

"So Talon was using this guy to separate us, Steven?" Fran acknowledged the question we all had. This poor man was just another victim of Talon's designs.

Rebecca interrupted the moment with a logical point of view. "Well, I guess we'll see you at school, Logan... We have to go fight the guy who did this to you." She turned, and we started to follow. None of us really knew him well anyway, and we were on a mission. I figured I could try and talk to him later, maybe, if he still needed to understand what happened. But he called after us, "Let me go with you!"

Huh?

"I don't really have any friends, so even if I'm not dating Fran, I'd at least like to be friends, if we can..." He pushed his fingertips together like someone begging for something they knew they shouldn’t ask for. He looked to the side shyly.

This was a lot to take in... I'm not sure I can accept this guy right now.

"Yeah, sure!" Fran smiled brightly and immediately let him come along. Welp, I guess he's coming....

We started down the steps—Fran in front, me, Rebecca, Leo, then Logan, who wouldn't stop talking. "So how do you all know each other? How long have Steven and Fran been going out? Who is Leo? Why do you guys have bird names, and Rebecca and Leo have flower names? Who's this Talon guy? Wait, Fran, you have superpowers? Wait, you all have superpowers?"

I was starting to feel drained but also kind of relieved. This guy was kind of annoying; there was no way Fran would've been into him. I looked at Fran, and I could see her shoulders were tense; she was clearly annoyed with his incessant questioning too.

Rebecca tapped my shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?" I felt a little bit of my stress leave my shoulders as I breathed in. "Ah, yeah. This stairway is kind of long, huh?" It was oddly longer than Leo made it sound... Strangely longer, actually.

I turned to look at Leo, and he was sweating and looking nervous. "Leo, you okay?"

He jumped. "Huh, wha- uh y-yeah, sure. We’re almost there... So a little bit more." Wait a minute. This could be dangerous. Why are we bringing Leo and Logan along in the first place? We know where we are now. This could be dangerous. They should probably hang back a bit...

"Leo, Logan, you guys should actually probably wait for us back at the top. Leo, you know how scary he can be."

Leo tried to put on a brave face. "Um, but I should protect Rebecca. If it really is that dangerous, then she needs someone to protect her!" This was the first time he said her real name. His voice was very shaky; he was probably feeling really out of it. Logan looked a little confused since he didn’t really know much about the super world.

"Leo, you might just get in the way. Please go upstairs... For me." Rebecca clearly knew how to get Leo to do what she needed, and he immediately responded, looking slightly relieved. He calmed down. "Anything for you, my lady!" And he ran up the stairs, dragging Logan behind him. "Hey, wait, why can't I come along?" His questions got quieter and quieter. Finally, I could relax. Fran’s shoulders rolled back as well. "Man, I can't believe I sort of dated that guy." I started feeling bad for Logan again, but it quickly faded.

We finally arrived at the last step. The room opened up, and it was just how Leo described. There was a giant tree root with a large amber resin deposit much larger than any person. The room was empty. I guess I was expecting a giant army and Talon leading his army of the undead or something... But there was nothing.

We went in a bit further and investigated the room. I went up to the tree and tried to glimpse into the amber resin deposit. For a moment, I thought I saw something inside of it. I put my hand on the tree root, and I instantly felt a huge surge of my powers leave me. "AGH!" It was so sudden and so powerful that I was caught off guard. I actually felt weaker. The root started to glow.

"Hahaha, nice work, Steven. You acted exactly how I thought you would."

Logan was standing in the doorway where the stairs were. In Logan's arm lock was Leo, gasping for air. "T-t-Ack! It’s... T-Talon!" Logan smirked and threw Leo to the ground in front of him. Leo grabbed his own neck and gasped for air. Then Logan's form changed right in front of us. No wonder I didn’t like Logan.

Logan’s face faded away, and Talon’s crazed eyes and smile peeked behind the illusion.

"It was so nice of him to lead you directly here. Finally, everything I’ve worked toward can finally begin!"

Chapter 37

Talon was a trickster.

What purpose did following us down the stairs like that serve? Why even pretend to be Logan? His reasons were always unclear and hidden behind a devious smile.

"It's so good to see you again, Rebecca! You've done well to embrace your friends finally. I guess now that you are working together, your wish has been fulfilled?" Talon snapped his fingers, and suddenly Rebecca's head dropped.

"Rebecca!? Are you alright?" I called out to her, but she didn't respond. But then her head started twitching. Like a marionette, her arms started moving on their own. "The best part about this is she's not even a shadow yet. Any damage done to her will be real damage done to the Rebecca you know." Talon was glaring at Fran, and his wicked smile seemed to get on her nerves.

Fran shouted, "Hey, crow man! You better focus because I'm not gonna hold back. From what I hear, Steven can heal wounds, so I'm not too worried about hurting you if I have to!" She punched her fist, and a shockwave spread around her. Her powers were glowing, and she started to float as her hair burst into flames and her eyes turned white. Electricity sparked around her.

Talon's eyes grew wide in slight surprise, but he quickly regained his signature smile. "Well... That's if you can even reach me!" He raised his arms up, and hundreds of shadowmen poured out of his shadow, instantly filling the space between him and me. Suddenly, there was a red haze over the shadowmen. Rebecca was boosting them with her powers.

"Fran, be careful! They're being boosted by Rebecca's powers!" The shadowmen pounced on Fran, and with their rage mode on, they were more like super elite undead. Fran was instantly surrounded, but she was able to hold them off well enough with her newfound powers. She shocked, burned, and blew away several shadows while also punching the ones close to her. They wouldn't go down in one punch, but Fran didn’t put her guard down.

I knew that I couldn’t fight off all of those shadows; I had to focus on Rebecca. I turned to her, and there I saw Leo crawling on the floor toward her. He was shouting at her.

"No, my queen, you mustn't succumb to the darkness! I know how it feels! It's comfortable; it feels like you are finally sealed off from all the heartache and pain in the world, but that's not right! You have to fight those feelings of wanting to run away! You have friends, people who love you! You can't let them fight this battle alone!"

I've never felt the dark power that Talon uses to cloud the brains of those he grants wishes to. I may never be able to feel that. But it seems like there is more to it than just absolute control. Leo was a shadow himself, and he came out of that. He must know what it’s like... Could it work though? Rebecca wasn’t changing, and I needed to make a choice. "Leo, stay back, I have to help her get her senses back!" The only way I know to get someone out of shadow mode is to wake them up forcefully. This wasn’t going to be fun.

I rushed forward and conjured the white whip that I had stolen from Talon. I flicked my wrist, and it wrapped around Rebecca's arms and body. She couldn't move freely, but I saw the faintest red glare fall to the ground. A rose shot up between Rebecca and my whip, then enlarged, loosening the grip of the whip. She did a backflip off the growing rose and faced me.

Leo shouted loudly above all the fighting, "She won't recognize you, Steven! Rebecca has a lot of pain and anger she's hiding right now! Please don't hurt her!" This kid was acting like he knew her, but didn’t they just meet today? It seems like Leo has known her for a long time now.

She shot seeds at me that grew into flowers 10x larger than your average rose. My abilities heightened my senses, though, and I was barely able to duck below the explosive growth. A thorn scratched my cheek, and a single drop of blood fell before my skin healed almost instantly. I didn’t have time to check on Fran, but I trusted she was okay. I could still hear her fighting, which was good news.

Leo jumped onto Rebecca's back while she wasn’t noticing. "Please, you have to hear us! We are here to help you!" She picked him up by his collar and just threw him on the ground, knocking the wind out of him. "Leo!" I quickly dashed and slid to where he was. I grabbed him and went invisible. Rebecca didn't have a sense strong enough to find me. She glared into the space I was just at. I began to heal Leo while I carried him to safety.

"Steven, I have an idea." He looked sad. "But I don't know if I can do it... She doesn’t really know me well enough for it to work..."

"Leo, whatever you have planned, you're probably the best person for the job. It seems like you know what she is going through. To be honest, I don’t know Rebecca much better than you do, but you seem to understand her more than I do. I'll distract her, and you try to make it work, alright?" Honestly, I didn’t know what he could do, but I couldn’t handle her on my own right now. I don’t even have any combat powers.

We needed to end this soon so we could help Fran!

Chapter 38

Leo was curled up in a ball in the dark. There was no one around, and there was no sound except the thoughts in his head. "So warm." Leo was away from the stress. Leo was away from the pain. He didn't have to answer to anyone; he didn't have responsibilities. Finally, he could just sleep.

When Leo wasn't sleeping, he was watching the only other thing in the empty room: a giant screen. Occasionally, people he knew would appear, but Leo would just ignore them. He was too tired and too comfortable to move. The screen moved on its own; it was almost like a movie, but it also felt real at the same time. The movie brought Leo to a weird, creepy man who barked orders at him, and he just obeyed.

How had he gotten here? He couldn't remember, but one day, Leo's screen showed someone he recognized. "Rebecca?" She was a girl in his class. She had her red hair tied up in a ponytail most days, and she wore her glasses. She was very shy and often kept to herself. Not many people noticed her, but Leo sat behind her every day at school. He knew exactly who she was. The first time she came on the screen, he sat up straight, and his heart started beating.

"Why are you here in this warehouse?" He thought to himself. "You don't belong here." Leo was reminded of his own guilt, why he was here... He shook his head to forget and then refocused on her.

Weeks passed by, and he watched diligently for when she appeared. He waited. The scary man commanded a special order this time to Leo's screen: "Follow her and make sure she is safe." A guardian. A knight. This was Leo's calling. Truly, that's who he was, who he must have been. It only made sense. She was the only person he cared to see in this movie. He must have been her protector all along.

He saw her from afar, even when she didn't see him. He saw her cry when she was alone. He saw her talk to someone who wasn’t there anymore, someone she missed. Someone who died.

"It's pretty tough out here, Dad... I'm not good at making friends... I can't even talk to my friends from elementary school. I don't think they even remember me." She laid her head on her knees. "Things will change soon, hopefully."

Leo stood up and wanted to shout to her, to let her know that he saw her, that he knew who she was, but what was the point? She wouldn’t hear him. But he would stay by her no matter what.

"Everyone find him!" The scary man changed Leo's orders again. He clenched his fist. "No! Take me back!" The scene changed. The movie kept going, and he couldn't stop it. Suddenly, he was in the street, being shocked, and the screen went black.

Some time passed, and Leo was starting to forget her face. He desperately held on to her image, but the screen wasn’t showing her anymore. His mind was growing foggy, and things went back to how they were. His memory started to fade.

Leo opened his eyes... His eyes? Leo looked down, and he was in a shadow figure. There was a kid speaking to him. Leo couldn’t speak; he could barely understand, but he was starting to get control again.

Most of his days were spent hanging around, playing video games like he used to. He remembered his old life. He even remembered his wish. Something he regretted. A wish to disappear. His life wasn't very hard, but it didn’t mean it was easy. A mom who barely noticed him. A father who was away from home for months at a time. Leo spent his time avoiding people because he didn’t understand them. He didn’t know why they were mean, or if they were pretending. It was hard to connect with people.

Then, a red-haired girl came by. Something sparked within him. He only remembered one thing. She could make the shadowmen more powerful; he remembered that she was important. She made him feel things he couldn’t explain.

Then an explosion rang out. Leo’s body and consciousness were warped through space and time. He was back in his room. He remembered the red-haired girl perfectly. "Rebecca!" He remembered he was her knight. He remembered that he needed to protect her.

He immediately got up and looked for Steven's house.

*********

Leo stood up again, with a new fire burning from within. That’s right, he was her knight. He could save her. He started running, getting closer and closer. Steven was taking all of her attention away. Only he could do this. It was something only he could do. Something that would shock her so much that she would be forcefully brought back to reality—something so pure she couldn’t ignore it. He dodged a growing flower. Steven shouted at him, "Now, Leo! Whatever you are going to do, do it now!" Finally, he was close enough to her to touch her.

"I love you!" He embraced her and led her into a dip, then kissed her passionately.

Chapter 39

Leo was a brave man. Much braver than I am.

Rebecca started to resist but then closed her eyes and began to kiss him back. Then she opened her eyes again and pushed him away. "Wait, what's going on?" She put her hand over her mouth. She was breathing heavily. She turned to me, "Wh-what happened?"

I quickly turned around and ran away. This wasn't my idea. Leo was going to have to deal with this himself. "Bye!" I yelled as I ran.

Rebecca shouted at me, "Where are you going? And you!!! What were you doing?!" Leo froze, but then explained the situation as quickly as he could. Thankfully, she seemed to understand. "Ah yes... It was... necessary... Nothing else you could've done." She closed her eyes and coughed into her closed fist, then quickly accepted the strange situation.

We finally turned to Fran for help, but it was too late. Fran was dangling, struggling and kicking, but Talon had his giant hand around her neck. Her powers weren't showing either. What happened!? Where did Fran's powers go!? Fran was struggling to breathe and reached out to me with a look of desperation in her eyes.

"Hahaha, fight all you want, Francine, but you are powerless now. Your powers are gone for good this time!"

**********

Fran had just started fighting the hordes of enemies. "Fran, I'll take care of Rebecca!" Steven shouted before wandering off. Fran couldn't keep track of where he was, though; the powered-up shadows required her full attention. Fran was itching to try out her new powers. "Haha! Let's do this, crow boy!" She started swinging with all her might now that she knew they wouldn’t be hurt since they were shadows. Plus, Steven could heal anyone if they actually got hurt.

Finally, she could let loose her true power. She put more strength into her punches than she ever had. Even these powered-up shadows couldn’t stay standing anymore. BOOM A single punch sent shockwaves all around her. Crack Her speed and might were making thunder sounds, and her new electric abilities were spewing out, shocking the shadows as well. But no matter how many times she punched, more and more shadows emerged and came forth.

Talon laughed, "Haha, look at how you struggle, Fran! You won't be able to fight all of them on your own, even with your almighty powers! Just give up!" Fran's anger rose even higher. How could he manipulate these poor people and use them as slaves? Thinking about how he did that to her made her blood boil. She made the decision: in order to stop the shadows, I just need to defeat Talon.

Fran shot upwards and found him. Her glowing white eyes seemed to pierce his soul. Talon egged her on, "Come on then! Show me what your all-powerful strength can do! Hahahahah!" Fran shot down straight towards him. He quickly sidestepped her. She landed on the floor, and root parts flung everywhere. There was a crater where she landed. She glared at him. "Stand still and accept your punishment!"

Talon jumped around, running towards the amber resin deposit. "You’ll have to catch me first," then he turned his face into Logan's. "Or maybe you can’t?" BOOM Fran had traveled, and there was a crackling explosion from her powers. Talon disappeared into shadow, and several shadow men erupted from where he was. They grabbed onto her, trying to slow her down and tie up her arms. They were strong. These enraged shadow men were a real problem; they almost became invincible. Almost.

Fran erupted into flames, and the shadow men let go of her. She punched them away and turned to Talon, who was now standing in front of the amber resin. He turned to look at her and smiled an evil grin, then stretched his hand out to touch the amber. Fran shot forward. If he needed the amber thing to make his plans a reality, she would just destroy it.

"Wrong move, Fran," Talon said as she launched herself forward. He immediately pulled his hand away from the root without touching it. Fran reached the amber and punched it hard. But it didn’t break. In fact, she felt a sudden rush of power being drained from her forcefully. It was almost painful. "Ahhhhhh!" Just as she tried to back away, something held her in place. It was several shadow men pushing her into the tree root. "What is this!?" Her powers started draining until she couldn’t fight back anymore. The overwhelming pressure from behind her kept her pinned to the tree. She felt weaker and weaker, like her life force was being drained, and then it stopped. The pressure from behind her went away, and she laid on the ground, coughing. "What... did you... do to me?" she wheezed.

Talon squatted down next to her. "This tree is the first great wish, and you are the ultimate sacrifice." Before Fran could say anything else, Talon grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. His mutant-like arm was strong. She tried to pry his fingers open, but she couldn’t. She tried to muster up her powers, but they wouldn’t come.

"Hahaha, fight all you want, Francine, but you are powerless now. Your powers are gone for good this time! Now die!"

Crack

Fran's neck was broken. Her body fell to the floor, lifeless.

Steven shouted, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Chapter 40

Not a single thought entered my mind. My focus was entirely fixed on Fran. She had a sad smile, her eyes were unblinking. I remembered what it looked like when she laughed, when she smiled with me.

My mind was gone; there was only one thing to do.

A force field surrounded me, and I ran to her. The army of shadow men tried to stop me, but when they hit my force field, they disintegrated back into nothingness. Not a sound could be heard. The entire room was silent except for the moaning of the shadows.

I reached Fran’s body and knelt down, cradling her head in my arms. I looked for any sign that she could possibly be alive. Her eyes still wouldn't move. "Fran, wake up... Wake up," I whispered to her. I healed her broken bones back together, but she still wouldn't move. Talon took a step forward.

"DON'T YOU DARE MOVE, YOU SCUM!" I shouted at him with every fiber of my being. He stopped. "Steven, you are the healer... But she is already dead. The only way to stop this is to bring her back to life."

I didn't want to accept it, but she still wasn't moving. I could feel her hands getting cold.

"Steven, none of your current powers can bring back the dead, right?"

Something he said back at the warehouse popped into my head. Desires made our powers come to life. I wanted nothing more than to save her right now. I hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Fran. I'll protect you now." I wished to bring her back.

I remembered everything we had gone through. Our first time meeting each other. The time she saved me on the lonely night. When I asked her out. Our first date. Our first kiss. The way she made me feel.

Tears filled my eyes. "Come back... please." My heart grew tighter and tighter until it felt like I was choking. "Come back..." I felt a warm power shining out from within me. It was so bright that if you were to look at it, you could go blind. The light surrounded me as I held Fran, then it poured into her eyes, nose, and mouth.

gasp Suddenly, she shot up, awake and breathing.

"Fran!" I shouted and hugged her tighter.

She hugged me back, then tried to push me off. "Wait, Steven, I can't breathe!" I started to cry.

"What happened? Why are you crying, Steven?" I couldn't talk. I was too happy to see her alive again.

But then he spoke. "Hahaha! You did it! You actually did it, Steven!!! Amazing!!!! Everything is coming together!!! You can bring back the dead!"

The mood shifted instantly. "What are you grumbling about over there!" I growled as I scowled at Talon.

He smiled with crazy eyes. "Everything I've been working for. Everything I've done has been for this moment! To get you here! You were the only one who could do it!"

We were all stunned into silence. What was this maniac going on about?

"The first wish I ever received. Finally, I can finish it!"

Rebecca came up to us. The shadow men had all disappeared by now. Her eyes were wide. "What do you mean? The first..." She gasped, then covered her mouth.

"It can't be..." she whispered. Talon answered, "That's right, Rebecca. This was all for you."

He put his hand on the amber resin, and it started to crack.

shatter

The amber resin broke, and inside was a man with red hair, glasses, about 30 years old.

"Dad?" She looked confused. "But how? He disappeared! What did you do?"

Talon smiled and laughed uncontrollably. "I saved him, Rebecca! Haha. I saved your dad. I brought him back just like you wished!" Talon cradled Rebecca's dad in his arms and gently placed him on the floor. "He died that day, and they never found his body. When you made your wish, I went and found him from the car crash, then I put him in this amber resin deposit to preserve him! I did it, Rebecca. And now with Steven's new powers, he can bring him back to life!"

We were all shocked. He was talking like an asylum patient.

Rebecca got angry. "I mourned my father all these years, and you had him here the entire time! What's wrong with you!?"

Talon looked shocked. "But Rebecca, I thought you would be happy. I did this, all of this for you!"

This was the first time I'd seen Talon wear a different face: a panicked face. A sincere face.

"This isn't right, Talon!"

Talon got angry this time. "You're the one who wished it! What do you mean this isn't right!? You were the one who asked for her father to come back to you! He's almost here, Rebecca! Now all we have to do is get Steven to bring him back!"

Silence. Talon glared at me. "Do it, boy!" He commanded. I looked at Rebecca. Her face looked like she was torn. "Rebecca, do you want me to try?" I asked her, knowing that I would try either way now that the possibility was on the table. She scowled. "I don't care." She turned away and started walking. Fran grabbed her arm.

"Wait." She stopped walking but didn't look. "Rebecca, I know this doesn't feel right, but let Steven try."

Then Rebecca turned around. "And what if it doesn't work?! Am I supposed to just get my hopes up again!? I won't be able to live with losing him again! I can't do it! I can't! I just can't!"

Tears welled up and fell from her cheeks. "Don't make me lose him again... I can't do it..." she cried.

Leo came up next to her. "But Rebecca, what if it does work? You have to try. Even if all you get is a couple of seconds to say goodbye. It would be worth it." Once again, Leo said the words that none of us could say. Only his words seemed to reach her heart. She calmed down a little. sniff "Okay... Steven, do your best... I'll accept any results you give."

Suddenly, I felt a little relaxed as well. I don't fully understand my powers, but I knew that I had to try. I went to Rebecca's dad, and I noticed he was already healed. "How is his body healed, Talon?"

Talon glared at me with a suspicious look. "When you touched the tree and it absorbed some of your power, it healed his body. I couldn't do it myself. Fran's powers were needed so we could even open the amber resin again." I nodded, trying to understand, but honestly, it was a bit confusing.

I started to summon the power I felt when I brought Fran back. The light shone around me once again, and I poured it into Mr. Rose. It entered his eyes, mouth, and nose as well. He started to breathe, but it was shallow. His eyes flickered open, and he turned slightly toward me.

"Steven?" He was awake, but there was something wrong.

"It's not sticking. I have to keep pouring my power into him for him to stay! Rebecca, come and talk to him now while you can!" She hesitated, her face as pale as a ghost, then she dropped down onto her knees. "Dad!" He smiled.

"Rebecca? Is that you? Look how you've grown! A beautiful young lady!" He smiled with a warm smile.

Tears kept falling from Rebecca's face, and her dad wiped them away. "Why are you crying, my sweet rose? It's alright. I'm here. Tell me what's wrong."

She started crying uncontrollably. "Dad, I missed you so much! I wished I could have told you I loved you before you left. I'm so sorry I was mad at you that day! I'm so sorry!" Mr. Rose just smiled warmly.

"Oh, Rebecca, I love you dearly. You didn't hurt me. I'm sorry I've been gone all this time. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you needed me all this time, but I've been watching you. You've been doing well without me. I'm always with you." He pulled her head to his, and their foreheads touched. "I'll always watch over you."

Mr. Rose could feel it—my powers were becoming weak. "Rebecca, you won't be able to see me again. But know that I will always love you." He started to close his eyes. Rebecca's tears kept flowing. "Dad, I love you too..." My powers faded. I couldn't make my powers appear anymore. They were completely lost. This power was unique. I don't think I would be able to use it ever again. "I'm sorry, Rebecca. My powers are gone entirely."

blurgh cough

Talon was hunched over, coughing into his mouth. Blood was dripping from his mouth. We tried to help him, but he stopped us. His eyes looked relaxed and satisfied. He lay down and coughed again. More blood. "I'm sorry, I can't heal him, Rebecca. My powers are really gone for good." We watched in horror as we saw him slowly lose more and more blood.

He spoke with a raspy voice. "I know this isn't enough, but I'm sorry. None of you deserved to go through all that pain." He looked like a normal person. There was no crazy look in his eyes. He was dying. Rebecca tried to help him. "Talon, why is this happening?" He held her hand.

"It's okay. This was the deal I made when I promised to grant your wish. I had to put my life on the line to preserve him. This tree root has been draining me this entire time." Rebecca's tears were beginning to dry now, but she still held Talon closely. "Why did you do this?" She asked him gently.

Talon smiled. "You were the only one who showed me kindness... I had to do at least this much for you. You had forgotten that you even made this wish, hadn't you?" She nodded silently. He kept talking. "That's alright. You ended up making another wish too, but I never forgot your first one... This was the only way I could make it happen... Steven, Fran, I'm so sorry." A single tear left his eye. "I needed to be a monster to give Rebecca the chance to see her dad. I needed you to hate me. I'm okay if you hate me forever. Even you, Rebecca, you can hate me too... I'm sorry I played with your lives like it was some kind of game... I really am a monster." His human form started to fade away, and he returned to his original form: a crow. Rebecca held him gently in her arms. "Thank you, Rebecca. For still showing me kindness even when I've hurt you all so much. I'm awfully tired... I think I'll just close my eyes for a moment... Thank you..."

He never woke up after that. Rebecca held him and rocked him. We all waited there with her. And after some time had passed, Rebecca used her powers to dig a hole large enough for her dad and one for Talon. We buried them that day, under the warehouse. The staircase was sealed as if a magical barrier hid it away. It must have been Talon's powers that kept the staircase there at all.

We all went out, and as we exited the building, the sun rose over the mountain. It shined brightly, and we had to cover our eyes with our hands when we left the building. We walked home together but didn't say a word.

It was warm and bright that day. And we all left each other with a warm embrace and a smile.

Epilogue

"Was she a good mom?" A blonde-haired girl tugged her father's coat. She was pointing at a gravesite.

The father answered, "Yes, she was a great mom." He smiled. It had been many years since she had passed away, but he remembered all the things she had done for him. "She protected me when I needed help. She took care of me when I was sick." The father was tall, wore glasses, and had black hair. "Promise me you'll be a good mom too!" He smiled brightly at her.

The girl smiled back with a big toothy grin. "Okay, Dad!"

Someone grabbed the father's arm. "Steven, are you ready?" Steven was older now. He had married his high school sweetheart, and he had a little daughter now.

"Yeah, come on, Lara! We're going home now!"

She held up her hands. "Wait! I have to say goodbye to my friend!" She wandered over to another couple and their son. "Bye, Oscar!" she shouted loudly, just like her mom used to.

The red-haired boy named Oscar waved back with a shy smile as he hid behind his mom's long black cloak.

"We'll see you guys on Saturday! I'm cooking steak!" Leo declared. He was much more mature now—muscular and handsome. He kissed his wife's hand, a beautiful red-haired lady. "I'll wait in the car, m'lady." He still had some old habits.

Rebecca blushed; she couldn't help it. "Thanks," she said as she kissed him.

Rebecca wandered forward to her father's grave and knelt down. She talked about what had been going on all these years. She spoke softly so Steven and Fran couldn't hear her. Then she got up shortly after and walked over to Steven.

"May I?" She gestured towards Steven's mother's grave.

Steven nodded with a smile. Rebecca waved her hand, and flowers bloomed in the cemetery. The flowers surrounded the stone, creating a beautiful image.

"I still can't believe she let us all spend the night at your house." They chuckled, remembering how excited Mrs. Mallard got and how quickly she accepted Fran and Rebecca inside.

"Some memories fade over the years, and sometimes it seems like they were never here at all..." Fran said, still smiling but with a hint of sadness behind her words.

Steven knew what she meant. Living their lives every day, it seemed like life had always been this way.

"But then you remember their laugh, their smile, their jokes, and it's like they were never gone." It was like a slideshow—each image or moment flashing in Steven's mind.

They smiled together. Then Fran wrapped her arms around both of their shoulders. "Man, we should've hung out more at your house, Steven."

We all laughed.

************

*cough*

An old man was lying in a hospital bed. Pictures of his grandkids were on the window. He stared at them lovingly. "I'll come home soon, Fran," he whispered and touched an old photo of himself and Fran holding each other tightly in their older years.

Then a young red-haired woman knocked on the door.

knock knock

"Can I come in?"

Rebecca walked in slowly. She hadn't aged a day since her 30s.

"How are you doing, old man?" she joked.

Steven laughed. "I'm still young enough to..."

Steven stopped. He didn't know what he was young enough to do anymore. He chuckled to himself. "Ah... I guess I can't do much now." He turned to look at the window again.

"Are you happy that you've kept your powers, Rebecca?" Steven seemed to be lost in thought, staring out the window.

Rebecca sighed. "It doesn't matter. I guess my desire to stay young and beautiful was just too strong." She closed her eyes with a joking smile.

Steven closed his eyes with a big smile and laid back in bed. "No, I clearly remember why you decided to stay."

She sat down next to him, and he kept speaking. "So you could save more people. Plus, you and I both know this isn't permanent. The moment you want to go, you will."

It was true. Rebecca was a superhero known across the world for her heroic feats. Her powers were fueled by desire.

"You always say the weirdest things, Steven..." She nudged him.

Steven whispered, "I'll tell Fran you said hi, alright?" His breathing became shallow, and soon it stopped.

"Yeah, I think she'll like that." Tears fell from Rebecca's eyes.

"Tell them all that I say hello."