The World of Stars «

Chapter 2

  The only sound I can hear is the keyboard. Click click click click! It goes on and on and on. And on.

"Um, Zo?"

"Mhm?" Zoë replies back, her back facing me. I am quite unceremoniously lying down on her bed, staring over at her.

"I'm not quite dead, you know."

Click click click click click click. The keyboard game is still going strong.

"Zoë?" I try again. All I can see is the back of her chair and her long, dark brown hair. And her elbows moving a lot because of her vicious typing. I stare at her for a really, long time.

"What is it, Aish? I really have to finish this paper which is due tomorrow morning, and I haven't even started!" Zoë exclaims. She swivels round to face me and there's a frown on her face. She looks exhausted while she rubs her hands over her face.

Guys. Meet Zoë Black. My best friend who happens to be a Math prodigy and also happens to be going to Columbia University, currently in her last year to obtain her Astrophysics degree. Oh, and at the age of seventeen. Meaning that she joined college at thirteen. Don't be too surprised. She's Zoë Black.

"Well... there's something I needed to tell you..." I say meekly, before half-whisperingly adding, "about yesterday."

She studies me for a minute, her dark grey eyes narrowing. I can almost hear her brains whirring, it is so obvious just by looking at her expression. She calls it her Deep In Thought Face. I call it her Constipated And Desperate To Go To The Loo Face. Same thing.

"Is is the Prince of Hearts?" she asks suddenly. Her eyes are studying me very, very seriously. Sometimes being best friends with a mathematic prodigy makes me feel like I am being analysed almost all the time. It is quite scary actually. Kind of like she can read my brain. If I hadn't been a superhero I would have laughed at the idea. But then I have met certain superheroes who can mind-read. So I don't laugh at the idea. Hmph.

"Yeah, kind of," I say. And then I begin telling her everything.

"So at the end of everything, you let him get away with the money as usual, but you didn't take out his mask." Zoë says, almost incredulously, now planted next to me on her bed.

"I swear to God Zo I tried! He just had to lift me up into the air! And if I removed it on air-"

"Removed it mid-air," Zoë corrects me patiently.

"Yeah, yeah, same thing, whatever!" I say impatiently, gesturing to her to shut up, before continuing, "he could've dropped me! And I can't fly! And I'm afraid of the heights! I can't do that! And later he brought me to safety! He could have killed me but he didn't! I should be grateful to him instead of revealing his identity! That could come next time!"

I realise I am full on rant/shout-ing by now. Zoë is staring worriedly towards her door before turning to me and hissing at me to shut up.

And yes. The problem superheroes like me have to face. The hiding from the public, the making sure that no one knows about my Alter Ego. Except, well, Zoë. And even if I didn't tell Zoë, her being the genius as it is, would study the frequency of my sudden departures and figure it out. Zoë Lopez for you.

"My mother could pop in any time and ask why we are talking about you in mid-air," Zoë whispers angrily to me.

"Well, sorry!" I say back derisively.

We sit for a few minutes in quiet silence like we always do before an argument.

"So... you didn't find out who he is," Zoë says, finally speaking, her voice a stark change in the quiet environment we were currently sitting in.

"Nah, I didn't," I say softly. Both of us continue staring at particularly nowhere. The whole intensity of my mistake hits me so hard right now. I could have ended all my life's work by finding out who was the man behind all the wreck and havoc in our city. And then -

I must have shown some kind of emotion related to my thought process on my face, because the next thing I knew Zo had enveloped me in a hug, and I was crying, and she was saying repeatedly, "It's gonna be fine, Aish, we'll get out of this."