The Undoing Of Heroes | ✓

sixteen

sixteen

WE ARRIVED in Dynamo City ninety-six hours later. 

Dynamo City was .. extraordinary, to say the least. A vast, big and wonderful change from Crown Heights.

My hometown had at first been a small community, forced to grow thanks to rich investors settling down in the area. Businesses flourished, and buildings in the centre of the city had seemed to grow taller by the second. 

Dynamo City was built from the beginning to be a centre. Everything was connected, via bikeways, cars, bus lines, ferries. Everything.

It was such a freedom for it's citizens, and something I intended to exploit. They didn't know who I was. I could do anything.

Anything. 

"We're pulling over here." Mom muttered, hands spinning the wheel around until the car drove onto a gravelled parking lot. Said gravel crumbled beneath the tires until the car pulled to a stop, my body already halfway out of the door. 

I stretched, frowning when my limbs popped. 

"That's what long drives do to you." A bitter voice commented, and I turned to see Gray hovering beside the door, eyes sticking to me.

"Stop staring, you creep." I snapped, unsettled by the heavy and awkward tension between us. 

What was I supposed to say? We spent ninety-six hours, supervillain and superhero, in a car together, without ripping each other's faces off? 

Good job, us. Not.

I still wanted to rip his face off, so there was that.

When I looked up again, searching for wherever Mom had gone, I spotted her just entering the lobby of the shabby motel we'd end up spending the night in. 

The moon was high in the sky, full and round like a pregnant belly. No clouds obscured it's eerie light, and it perfectly reflected the eeriness of me and Gray being somewhere together, without aforementioned face-ripping. 

I shook my head, swearing to myself.

It was a strange predicament, indeed. My boots crunched against the ground as I followed Mom's footsteps into the motel. It's neon sign was red and dirty, yet I could read it's letters perfectly. 

'Super Herotel'

Snorting, I shook my head. Then I stuffed my hand into my pocket, closing my eyes to search for the energy and electricity in the sign. 

It vibrated in my conscience as soon as I found it, and with a half-smile I clenched my fist and drained the electricity from the sign. 

It flickered once, twice, before turning dark. 

"Really?" An unimpressed voice asked from behind me, and I shrugged, not bothering to turn around. 

"Looks better now."

Gray narrowed his eyes, I could feel it, but never once did I face him. Instead I chose to go inside the 'Herotel' and as soon as I did, spotted my mother. 

She was slouched over the counter, batting her eyelashes at some depressed cashier whose lips were so tilted I briefly wondered if they were stuck that way. 

"Just for one night, please?" She smiled, "We'll pay tomorrow."

"I swear to Mirage -" The old cashier began, then shook his head and begun typing something in the computer.