A Celebrity and a Hero

Chapter 2

Jaces POV
I woke up to a massive empty bed. I didn't actually realize how big this bed was until now. The sheets where Crystal would have been are cold. I sat up and stretched. I looked around. God, why is this house so beautiful. I don't belong here. I belong in a studio apartment. I was still so shocked when Crystal told me that she had gotten a contract all those years ago. She had done small little things on the Disney channel, because where else does a child start? But then Disney offered her a role in a show. After the show ended, she got picked for more and more different types of movies. Now she's famous and I'm just sitting here in her bed with nothing to call myself. I got up and walked into the kitchen. Its strange, how well I know this place when I'm rarely here. There's a note on the fridge. "Make yourself at home. Don't drink out of the milk carton with the red cap. Its not milk and you'll be dizzy if you drink it. Love you <3" it read. I giggled. Good to know she's still an underaged drinker. I chuckled to myself. I opened the fridge and was shocked that nothing was in there. I'm not sure why I'm shocked. She's always busy. Stuff probably rots too fast. I'm surprised she can keep milk in here. I grabbed some orange juice and poured a glass before putting it back in the fridge. She has a ton of cups but barely anything to drink. Yet her sink is still cluttered with dishes. I might be unorganized but this looks like its been sitting here for months. If she doesn't do it today then Ill do it tomorrow. I went back to the bedroom and turned on the tv. I put a box on the bed and started going through my stuff. I started folding clothes and putting them on the bed. I hesitantly picked up my super suit. The news from back home came on. I looked over. "Mystery. The Wolf has disappeared after failing to save people from a fire a few days ago. Has she quit? More on this next" the anchor said. My eyes widened and I turned it off. I looked back at my super suit and dropped it as my hands shook. I heard the front door open and quickly closed the box.

I walked out and Crystal smiled at me. "Hey. Meeting ended early. How are you doing?" She asked. I smiled at her. "Good I guess" I said. She's wearing jean shorts and a white V-neck that's tucked in, with a gold necklace that has her birthstone on it. "Is that the necklace I bought you?" I asked. She nodded. "It makes me feel like you're always with me" she said. I smiled. "I wear the one you got me too" I said, lifting my pant leg to show my birthstone anklet. She smiled and walked to me. She hugged me. "I've missed you" she said. "I missed you too" I smiled. She looked up at me and pecked my lips. "Do you wanna talk now?" She asked. I hesitated but nodded.

We sat on the couch together. "Ok. I'm listening" she said. I smiled lightly. "Ok, well, on Thursday, my dad told me that I was working too hard since I came home exhausted. He suggested that I go out with some class mates and have fun. I was hesitant but then on Friday, some people asked me to go out with them so I agreed. I got the alert on my watch that something was wrong. I figured it'd just be a robbery or something else that the police could handle. After my watch went off three times I left to see what it was... but I was too late. The building was already in flames and there were no screams coming from inside. I failed massively." I explained. She squeezed my hand. "Its alright babe. You'll get back out there. I know you will. Maybe you can even find your place here in LA. For now though, you need a break. Focus on your photography. Id be happy to be your model again" she said. I smiled. "Id love that, and thank you" I said. "Do you need help unpacking?" She asked. I nodded. "I'm gonna use the bathroom real quick" I say.

Crystals POV
I walked into my room and saw that she had started already. I put the clothes on my bed into the closet. I opened the box and my eyes widened. I slowly picked up her super suit. "You weren't supposed to see that" I heard. I turned to Jace in the doorway. "Why did you bring this?" I asked. "I couldn't leave it. I'm sorry. Its... important to me" she looked down. I sighed. "That's ok. Just promise me you wont put it on unless its 100% necessary" I walked to her. She nodded. "I promise" she said. I smiled. "Come on. Lets go get some lunch instead" I said. "Ok, Ill get changed" she said.

We walked to a diner nearby. Driving here is a death wish, and god forbid you try to fly anywhere. Not that I could anyway. I glanced at Jace, whos tail is between her legs. "What's wrong?" I asked. "People are staring" she crossed her arms. "Uh, yeah. This is LA and I'm a celebrity. One thing I've learned, there's cameras everywhere and someone is always listening" I said. "How do you deal with this all the time?" She asked. I shrugged. "I've gotten used to it." I said. We walked into the diner and sat down. "So, what are you gonna tell the press about me? Your friend who appears out of nowhere?" She asked. "That's exactly what Ill tell them. I've actually mentioned you before, not by name of course, but just referencing. Ill just say that its you" I said. She smiled. She looked down at the menu. "I know what you're thinking" I said. She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "I do think about it. More than you know. Its just hard ok? Especially now. I need some more time. Maybe with you here, it'll go by faster" I said. She nodded. "I hope so" she said. I smiled. She wants me to come out so we can be together in public. My parents and Hudson, her dad, know but only one person here knows my secret. She's my colleague and my friend. We get paired in movies together a lot. "Hey, Id like you to meet a friend of mine" I said. "Oh no. The last time I met your weird celebrity friends, it didn't go well" she said. "That's just because they were speciest, and they aren't my friends anymore. Besides, this girl cant hate you for being a mutant, because she's one too!" I said. She rolled her eyes. "What kind of mutant?" She groaned. "A dog mutant. Like you. Not a cat" I assured her. She smiled. "You really can read my mind" She said. I nodded. "Its a gift" I shrugged. She giggled. "Alright fine" She said.

Jace is laying in my lap on the couch. I'm scratching behind her ears. Her eyes are closed and she's smiling. I smiled down at her. There was a knock at the door. Jace sat up and I left to get the door. I opened it. "Hi Carter" I said. She smiled at me. "Hey Crystal. I brought you pizza and I brought my gal." She hooked her arm around her girlfriends neck. I laughed. "Hi Harlow" I waved. "Hi" she said. I let them in and Jace walked to us. I shut the door. "So this is the famous Jace I hear so much about?" Carter asked. "Yeah. Jace this is Carter, my friend, and Harlow, her girlfriend" I said. Jace waved. "She's also my manager" Carter said. Carter has brown dog ears and a brown tail unlike Jace who has black dog ears and a black tail. I think Harlow is a super-human but I'm not sure. She doesn't talk much. She's very stern and keeps to herself. I don't know how she ended up with such an outgoing person like Carter. "You talk about me?" Jace asked. "All the time" I smiled. She smiled back. "Come on. Now its a double date" I dragged Jace back to the couch.