S.H.H.A.

What Would Maxima Do? Not Sure, But Probably Not Crack A Deal With The Villain.

My breathing quickened, and the air felt hot on the back of my throat. My cheeks burned red, and my skin tingled from the heat. But the sensation lasted only a second before defeat flooded and suffocated my flames.

Hydel had a point. When Boss spoke, people listened. She stopped countless villains and saved even more lives. S.H.H.A. members everywhere acknowledged her with respect. As a kid, I believed her reputation traveled the seas to bases Boss had never visited and every corner of the world. She took on enemies far more powerful or intelligent than Hydel without breaking a sweat.

Maxima sure chose right with Boss. She probably never had to deal with people undermining or not trusting her. When Boss was in charge, things were different. Everyone was happier, and although there were hard times, she kept things going. Because unlike me, she had a team that worked together and got along like family. None of them pushed one another away, had family issues that they wouldn't talk about, or were forced to be a member of the team because their sister was the worst leader in the history of S.H.H.A. and couldn't get anyone else to stick around.

She was a hero; I played pretend.

I tightened my sweaty grip around the metal pole in my right hand. It felt like someone had turned the heaters up at least ten degrees, and the trashcan lid crunched around my other arm became more uncomfortable by the second.

What could he possibly know? All he's ever done with his life is sell drugs to people stupid enough to buy them. The thought burned in my brain like a raging fire. A filthy criminal like him couldn't ever understand Boss and me.

"Criminals are semi-humans too," explained Boss. We eyed the semi-human mother doe as she returned to her white-spotted fawn. The fawn bounced around her in circles on impossibly delicate legs. They didn't know their mother stole the shirt and shorts she gifted them. It was probably their first set of human clothes.

Boss stepped back to leave after a long day of tracking the doe. Until then, I hadn't understood why we didn't stop the doe from stealing before. She was a member of a large underground modern guild of sorts we'd been tracking for days, and we had the perfect opportunity to catch her while she was going back home alone.

We turned and walked away, leaving the happy family to enjoy their day. While we headed out, Boss said, "The difference between them and us is so small compared to the similarities, sometimes I forget it exists."

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, and the memory cleared away. Hydel doesn't know me, I thought. And I don't know him. It will stay that way for now. Just like how Boss always kept it.

"While this conversation has been absolutely delightful," I said, startled by how calm my voice came out albeit the sarcasm, "There are more important matters than whether or not I'm a hypocrite or how Boss would've handled this mess differently than I. Because the answers are an easy yes and yes. What's more important is that if I'm not accounted for by lunch, then my good friend back at camp will send the whole headquarters here. She's a bit of an overreactor."

Seriously? For starters, Ilene and 'overreact' shouldn't be in the same sentence. She's probably lounging in her stupid rolly chair —which was mine and I should really steal back— sipping lemonade or whatever she likes to drink and pretending I'm just a figment of her imagination. Imagination is another thing that doesn't mix well with Ilene. If someone treated me the way I did to her this morning, that's what I'd be doing.

You're being overdramatic, I thought, barely containing an eye roll.

Just saying. Pretty ironic how I wonder why people always get pushed away from me only to spend breakfast snapping at my best friend.