Super

36 - Girl Power

"Only by binding together as a single force will we remain strong and unconquerable." 

– Chris Bradford

"Why weren't you captured with the other supers?" Gold asked suspiciously. "And how can you keep your secret identity a secret with that hair?"

"Let's just say I know how to stay hidden," Spectrum pursed her lips, "I've got a pretty busy day job. I don't exactly get out much as a superhero." 

"And the hair?"

As if in answer, Spectrum's hair rippled with colour. The pastel pinks and blues disappeared, replaced by the brickwork behind her. She was blending in with my entryway wall! That was pretty cool.

"So it's a disguise?" Terry asked, practically drooling.

"You got it," she winked, except it was directed at Gold. He blushed immediately and glanced away.

Half an hour later, the Avengers were assembled once again at my house, only now, our family had grown yet again. Not only were my original friends there, but also a farrago of newly rescued superheroes. Sure, many of them had moved out West, but we had still retained a good twenty or so from the rescues. Then there were the supers who had come in from surrounding states (thanks to Mist's, err, persuasive techniques...) and the five adults Terry and Carter had brought in. 

Luckily both of my parents were out as the supers convened. There were too many to fit in my small apartment's living room, so a few stragglers spilled into the kitchen. Some sat on the counter, some sat cross-legged on the floor, and others talked in the doorway. As for the majority, though, we were in the living room.

Dresden and Athena sat next to each other on the floor in front of the couch. They had been the last to arrive and I think it was fairly obvious why. Dresden couldn't keep his lips away from her ears for longer than a few seconds as he spent each and every minute whispering sweet nothings to her. Every once in a while she would giggle or smirk or gasp and smack him away, to which he would just wink and recline against somebody's legs, only to lean in once more a few seconds later and begin the routine again.

Finn and the Claw were much the same. They were on the couch just above Dresden and Athena; the Claw's head was on her boyfriend's shoulder as he fiddled with her hair. Obviously he wasn't very good at it as his fingers kept getting tangled and she kept grimacing, but then they'd get distracted by something and crack up. The Claw would let out these loud, bawdy laughs and Finn would just blush and chuckle at her when she got embarrassed about it. 

Everywhere I looked there seemed to be some sort of romance. I turned my head away from my friends only to be met with Laser Beam and Fission, flirting and teasing each other in the corner of the living room. Some girl from Delaware was trying (and failing) to flirt with Electro, Everglade had his arm around some other girl, and even Bat Boy was on the phone, having a whispered argument with his own girlfriend (whom I didn't even know about until he'd said 'baby, I have no idea where the china plate with the rooster is!' a few minutes ago). 

Instead of being happy for my friends, all I felt was resentment. Why couldn't I be happy? Why couldn't I have a cute, normal romantic life? Instead, one of the only boys who'd ever really liked me turned out to be an evil bastard that tried to kill me. Actually, that's not true. He never even liked me!

"So does anyone have a plan?" Electro asked in a vain attempt to ditch little miss Delaware. He flinched as she wrapped her tiny hands around his bicep and purred into his ear. 

"I say we take out Bolt," the Claw, finally distracted from Finn long enough to participate in the conversation, piped up.

"That's a really bad idea," Finn countered.