Shock and Awe (Enhanced Book 1)

Chapter 2

It's just after midnight when my alarm goes off. The volume is muted so that the ringing doesn't wake my parents and I fumble around the bed for a minute trying to locate the buzzing device.

I inwardly groan, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep, but duty calls.

With eyes half closed, I pull on my suit. I'm not the girly-girl type, so my costume is a little more modest than the other female super heroes. Actually, most of the female supers are just public figures, not really the 'crime-fighting' type. I resent that.

My getup consists of cargo-style pants that aren't too baggy and stretch enough for any defensive maneuvers I may need in hand to hand combat. I learned the hard way that baggy plus nothing to tighten the waist equals pants slipping off while in flight. Don't ask. The belt around the pants is actually built in and can't be removed or grabbed between the belt and fabric like a regular one would. It auto adjusts using a fancy knob at the front, so turning one way will loosen and the other will tighten to the perfect amount. Don't get them confused in the heat of the moment.

It's a two piece, which is wonderful for bathroom breaks. The top is made of some kind of elastic material that stretches when I fight and doesn't wear out in the wash. The bottom hem has small loops that hook to the waistband of my pants so that I don't accidentally flash any one. The sleeves are long and tight to what muscles I do have and the neck is fitted tight until the base of my neck. From there it fans out with extra fabric that can be used to cover my head like a hood or my mouth and nose. They made it with a filtration type material in case I need to go into a fire - I can pull the fabric up to my nose and breathe fresh air for a while. It also has loops to connect to my mask so that it wont fall down.

My mask - much more sturdy than my original one - has two velcro straps that latch behind my head just under my hair line. The front covers from the tip of my nose and up all the way to the top of my forehead, the sides tapering back. It has different rigid plates here and there that not only conceal the shape of my face, but provide protection in case I get hit.

I know I judged Forest about his car, but I can't really say much because my suit is sage green. In the cover of darkness it usually looks grey to any one near.

I slide on my fingerless gloves with knuckle padding and hook them to loops at the cuff of my sleeve on each side. My shoes are simple light-weight, steel toe combat boots with a knob to tighten them as well. My favorite part of the outfit has to be the bottom of the boots.

Just looking at them, it's hard to tell what is going on, but when I walk through anything (like the concrete super hero ceremony for the city) they leave behind an impression with stars and 'AWE' - my super hero name.

The 'AWE' symbol is also displayed across my chest in - don't laugh - forest green.

Technically, the media named me 'Flying Awesomeness', but Mia commented that flying around with 'F.A.' on my chest might make people think of something else - to which I agree. I don't mind being called 'Awesome' by the general public. When the mayor and I hold conferences, the reporters use the nickname too.

I quickly braid my long blonde hair into two french braids, one hanging over each shoulder. If I could pin my hair to my suit, I would, but I tried that and realized it restricted my head movement. It was a very hysterical Batman 'I can't turn my head' moment that Mia and I still think back and laugh on. I pull my hood over my head and hook it, my braids sticking out of the front to fall about midway to my waist.

With practiced motions, I tuck pillows under my comforter before turning off my lamp. Just as I open the window, I hear footsteps in the hall. I know it's Forest based off the rhythm. I walk to the bedroom door, tugging on it just as Forest moves to knock. His eyes meet mine before glancing down at my suit.