Damsel[ed]: No Rescue Required

Chapter 21: No Prince Charming

The blow crushes me.

Snare, Syndicate, genetic engineering, sabotage, bloodlines, resistance. June begs me to listen, but the words are so foreign I don't care they'll cause my demise.

I'm in danger, the woman tells me, I shouldn't be out, she reasons. Storm says she loves me, but when I see her, I think of Gats, sobbing over his looks. How could she? When the disbelief fades, I'm left so fractured I can't find a reaction. The numb of too many surprises leaves me empty, where I should feel betrayed I only hear the whisper of 'You should've seen it coming.'

Yet school doesn't change, the chatty, Star Trek obsessed Jaylin my only pinprick of relief. When she asks if I'll be at the dance, I give her my word. "Dangerous" or not, I'll be there.

***

Friday, 8:27, I slink through the living room. Fifteen paces, fourteen paces, thirteen... I lower myself so I'm prowling. The darkness sends my heart thudding against my chest, and I hold my breath. If Juniper catches me I'm such a goner that the author of 'Gone Girl' would do well to rename their work 'Gone Guy.'

Nine paces, eight paces, seven...

"Aha!" The lights click on, the blast burning my eyes. I gasp, scrambling backward and against the sofa. I'm screwed, I'm screwed, I'm...

"My little Angel, sneaking out of the house. Never thought I'd live to see the day!" June says, smirking up at me. I fiddle with my buttons, leaning away from her tiny form.

"I have a date at the dan―"

"I know," she says with a wave of the hand. "Heroes and villains masquerade thing. So you're going as a villain?"

"Um..." I adjust my mask. "Yeah. Date's idea, not mine."

She laughs. "It's okay, Angel. You deserve a night out. I don't think you've ever played a bad guy. It can't hurt."

"Huh?" I squeak, planted to the floor. She's okay with it? She doesn't mind me pretending to be evil and all?

She grins. "Be home by midnight. Also, that costume looks stupid on you."

Midnight. A flutter of happiness builds on the inside and I shrug, the trench sagging in all the wrong places. "I'm a dude. You think I care about clothes?"

"No," she says, tapping her siracha-red nails against her chin, "but your date might. Check your closet. I left you something more suitable. A supervillain is only as fierce as he looks." She winks.

I can't help smiling. "Thanks."

"Now shoo!" She waves her arms like the madwoman she is. "You don't have enough time to keep talking! Get dressed, get out, and take the car."

"The car? Is that a good idea?"

She gives a sly smile. "I trust you. Anyway, it's not a stick shift like Gatsby's, if you haven't noticed―"

"What? No way!" I beam, racing towards my room. Her laughter rings through the apartment, Storm grunting as he lumbers into the living space.

"I swear," he says, "that kid's gonna be the end of us."

"I let him take the car," says Juniper, so casual it's stunning.

"You what?" Storm asks. "Honey, I know you want him to have a good time, but that boy can't drive worth a darn!"

"I heard that!" I shout, minutes ticking away. I'm jittery inside, my heart beating too fast.

Why does Jaylin like me? In the movies, the 'good guy' with the heart-of-gold and royal bloodlines gets the girl. Not the villain. Not the freak.