Superman Stole My Tights

C H A P T E R T E N

"You are stronger than you think you are. Trust me."- Superman

Nov. 16

1:26 pm

Hero Union Headquarters

"You know who we are Rowan, and you know our goals." I nod along with Shadows words, taking in headquarters with wide eyes.

It's just so...big.

No, actually, big doesn't do it justice. The mansion is a behemoth. Which of course brings the question: how loaded are these supers?

Shadow and Guardian walk with me down the hall, Ghost still at my side. The other supers were either sent away by Shadow or had more important things to do then entertain the new girl. Still, I can't get over what Ghost said to me, about the supers being more nervous about me staying here then I am.

"Pay attention," Guardian suddenly hisses in my ear, and I realize I've slowed down to admire a painting on the wall. Ghost hits his side.

"Calm down, Rowan is our guest," She snaps, giving me a smile as she nods towards the painting-it's a portrait of someone I don't recognize. "Sol did that, he's pretty talented." I'm about to ask who the person is when I just barely catch my tongue. Because odds are that it's one of the supers who live here, and I don't need to start anything within minuets of being here. There's a shift of new awareness in the air on my part, and the supers feel it. Shadow looks over his shoulder at me, tense as always.

"Lets keep moving. I'll give you a full report in the library. Ghost can show you around after." Again I bob my head, keeping my mouth shut as I follow the trio through rooms and arched hallways until we come to a pair of tall wood doors. Everything in the mansion has been modern up until this point, so theres something about the rustic wood doors with heavy metal handles that catch me off-guard. Shadow wraps his hand around one of the handles and a sudden high pitch ring starts. I go to cover my ears when I notice no one else has flinched. Guardian notices my reaction and grins in that stupid way he does.

"Relax Row-boat, a little noise never killed anybody." I don't merit his comment with a response, although his increasingly bolder nicknames make my hands clench at my side. Soon the ringing stops and an automatic male voice calls out: "Identity Confirmed. A-01 Shadow."

"And 3 guests." He shouts back, and then the doors swing open. My eyes are wide, Ghost jumps quickly to explain.

"Theres sensors in the handles, doors stay locked unless its someone the system recognizes. There's actually sensors all over this hallway-from here on out is the real headquarters. The rest of the mansion is just home." I open my mouth to respond-

"-There will be time for all of this later," Shadow is quick to but in. "Lets just get all of the important stuff out of the way first, then it's open season." He breezes into the room and I'm quick to follow after.

Nothing though, could have prepared me for what I'm seeing.

The library-if you can even call it that-is probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Books stretch along every wall of the massive atrium in front of me. The ceiling is glass, along with pieces of the floor. There's a pane of it beneath my legs and looking down my jaw drops.

For years, people have wondered how it's possible for the supers to be prepared for every situation-even with their powers, they get to the scene of the crime almost too quickly, and too ready. When there was a freak fire at town hall, the supers were there in mere seconds, Aqua-lad levitating with him enough water to put out the sun. A chain of child kidnappings was stopped almost instantaneously as soon as police moved the problem to the supers. Not only had the supers discovered the identity of the criminals in a matter of hours, they had also found all the kids by the end of the day. There were things the public had deemed so impossible that even enhanced supers couldn't help, but they just did anyway.
And now I knew how.
Stories below my feet was another floor of the mansion, deep underground. And there, were hundreds of monitors, all watching over different parts of the city. Monitors that showed streets, schools, even the insides of some homes (was that even allowed? It couldn't be.) Forget fires and criminals, with not even a click of a button the supers could know whether you slept on your stomach or you back.
I paled, and almost tripped over my own feet as I take a few steps back.
"Holy sh-"
"Language, Rowan," Ghost is quick to scowled, although her mood visibly shifts when she sees my face. She groans, shaking her head as she slaps her own forehead.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Shadow I told you this would be too much too fast, she looks like she's going into shock!" I ignore her, all of them, spinning away and pressing my self against the cool wall of the hallway.
It's insane-this is just insane. Why I agreed to live with a cave of super-stalkers I no longer know. All I can think about now is that I need to leave, I need to get out of here, pronto. Oblivious to my internal turmoil the supers bicker like siblings.
"Ghost, you know what our priorities are-"
"She's here for us to protect her, keeping her safe is our one and only priority."
"Oh don't do that, you know it's not, stop getting so emotional about this." That's Guardian, I can sense his stare on the back of my head.
"Better than having no emotions at all, Guardian." She says his name like its their own inside joke, which it very well could be I don't know these supers-these tiny gods with powers I don't understand. Her last statement shuts up both the boys, but when I turn to face them I realized the reasoning behind that is more complicated than a witty comeback.
Ghost is floating.
Hovering, really, barely a inch of the ground.
And she doesn't seem to be aware of the fact, her face settling into a strange level of impassiveness.
Her hands are clenching into fists at her side, her hair pulses and flys in locks like it has a mind of its own. That's not even the worse part. I didn't see it before, I never even heard about it, so it's a significant shock. But from this angle, behind her to the left, I see it so clearly it's impossible to deny it.
Ghosts eyes are glowing.
The entirety of her eyes are a emitting a shockingly white light. I see it all through a convenient gap of coverage from her sunglasses, and it shakes me to my core. Her, like this, her face an odd calm, and with the contrast between the light and her pale complexion making her skin look translucent, it-well...it-
It makes her look like a ghost.
More than her abilities, I realize it's this that gave Ghost her name.
Before I can blink, something in the atmosphere changes between all the supers. Shadow takes half a step back, his posture looking stoic while his hand twitches for his belt, and in a flash the Guardian is at my side, edging to step in front of my path.
"A raven needs no saviour," Guardian says, his voice strong. I don't understand where it came from, but the statement seems practiced and rehearsed. Like a switch was flipped, the light goes out and Ghost drops to earth. Literally and figuratively. She shakes her head slightly, her hand flying to massage her temple. When she speaks her voice sounds slightly hollow.
"I'll fight you on this, Shadow, and I won't go easy," Ghost ignores what just happened completely, turning to look at me, "Tonight Rowan gets settled, tomorrow we introduce her to the other side of the Union." I hold my tongue, admittedly shaken up, even though I hate the way strangers are planning my own life right in front of me. Shadow nods, briskly, motioning for Guardian to follow after him. Before he moves, Guardian grabs my arm and hisses,
"Don't ask her about it Hayes, I hear you upset her and I'll hand deliver you to the freaks chasing you so fast no one even notices your missing." A cat hasn't caught my tongue, it's been chewed off by a lion. I couldn't respond even if I knew what to say to that.
It seems that right now, my only ally is the girl who can float.
I'm left alone with her then, this super who I can't decide whether she's more parts compassionate or lethal. She smiles at me, looking almost shy.
"Come on, I'll show you you're room."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Writers block hit me like a train, hopefully this isn't total trash. Sorry it's so short! Guys your comments are amazing, they make me scream.

Whats everyone's thoughts on our beloved supers? I'd love to hear some opinions on Focal's finest, and obviously Rowan too.
Till next time!
xoxo JustFeedMePizza (actually eating pizza right now guys it's great)