Villainous Us

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Iron Crisis

The first man I ever killed, I killed out of spite.

He wasn't even a man, really, barely eighteen and a little loose with his tongue. He was a Senior, and I was only a Sophomore, but I never regretted what I did. He deserved it.

You see, Chad was a bully. He liked to prey off of the weaknesses of others, and a scrawny, unstable fifteen year old was the perfect target.

He made one too many jabs at my sanity, so I jabbed him in the heart.

When my parents found out, they were furious. They hired a lawyer that very same day, but we all knew there was too much evidence for me to get away with it.

Being a minor, I would've gone to a juvenile correctional facility. However, my crime was enough to land me in federal prison. They made me plead insanity, which landed me a fast pass to the nuthouse.

The media went nuts, of course. Headlines of the psychotic son of a rich man made front pages for months, because apparently nothing else happens in this city.

Four years. They kept me in that hell for four years. There were so many psychologists and therapists. If anything, it was them that drove me insane.

They taught me anger management, and how to avoid environments and situations that might set me off. All the while, I had some very brave tutors come and teach me the rest of my highschool classes.

I never really paid attention, but I pretended to care whenever they came. I got out on good behavior when I was nineteen, with the exception that I had to visit a therapist every month.

That's where I was now, sitting on a couch across from my shrink. Her name was Diana Ampler and in order to remain out of the nuthouse, I'd have to keep her convinced that I could handle being in the real world.

"Have you made any friends, Alex?" she asked me as she looked down at her clipboard.

My mind jumped to Shea for some reason, so I decided to go with that.

"I've been talking to a girl," I said, measuring my words carefully, "She knows who I am, but she doesn't seem to be afraid of me."

"Oh?" Diana asked as she peered at me through her glasses, "And what is she like?"

I shrugged, "She's alright."

"Just alright?" She asked, digging for more information.

I sighed a little, "She has blonde hair and blue eyes. She's around my age and she seems like a nice person. I haven't known her for that long, so there's not much else I can tell you."

"Mm," she replied, then changed the subject, "Have you been taking your medications?"

"Yes," I lied. I didn't need my meds. It's not like they worked on people like me anyway. Supers, I mean. Besides, when you have an outlet for your insanity, it's far easier to control.

"What about your nightmares? Are you still having them?"

I nodded a bit, "They're not as frequent, but they're still there."

"I see," she scribbled something on the clipboard, "Were they about your father again?"

I didn't have to say anything for her to know the answer, so I didn't.

"You know, Alex, you should talk to him. Maybe it would help you to know why he did it."

"I have nothing to say to him," I stated, crossing my arms over my chest, "He abused me, I came out with sanity issues, and I'm the one who has to go through all this. He's faced no consequences because he's rich and an important political icon. Besides, this city couldn't handle another Hale scandal."

"But that seems to be exactly what they got," she said, referring to the new evidence that my dad had been working with the Mobster. Ironic isn't it? I've been the one working with the Mobster and my father's the one getting grilled.

I grunted with distaste at the mention. I hope he rots in prison.

After a few minutes of silence, Diana decided to continue. "Do you have a job?"

"No," I said as I looked out the window. "I've been living off the funds from my parents. It seems to be the only good thing they did for me."

She sighed a bit and glanced at the clock. "We're almost out of time. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

I thought for a second. I found myself thinking about the Hauntress.

It wasn't something I really wanted to ask her, but it would definitely get me some brownie points on that clipboard. And who knows? Maybe what she had to say could help me. "How do you show someone you... care about them?" I asked uncertainly.

Diana furrowed her brows a bit before answering. "It's the little things you do I guess. Small kindnesses and truths can show people a lot of things, including that you care. Is this about that girl?" she gave me a coy look.

I rolled my eyes and stood up, "Bye Diana, I'll see you in a month."

She chuckled a bit as I walked to the door, "Goodbye, Alex. Good progress."

I sighed as I left the building, cracking my neck a bit. I needed to destroy something.

Then I needed to go to the bar.

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A/N

Hey everyone! Megan here with another chapter of Villainous Us. Hope you're enjoying it so far! Up next is Stevie's chapter!