Big City Villain | BOOK ONE

Chapter Thirty: The Solitary Bin.

When I finally came back to real consciousness, it took me a good long while to realize where I was. My first step on this journey was to wonder why I was so wet and cold. Weird, I stopped wetting my bed a long, long time ago. Maybe Ben is pulling some joke on me.

Opening my eyes, I frowned, closed my eyes again then reopened them. The result was the same. Pitch black nothingness. Did I go blind? I could feel my heart thumping hard in my chest with worry at the thought. I tried sitting up, moving, anything but my arms and legs hit walls and water splashed all around me, easily getting into my mouth and nose.

I coughed and spat the water out. Where am I?

I gasped at the sudden realization, the sudden flashback of what happened. No. No. No. I'm in the Solitary Bin. Rubbing my thumb across my fingers and grimacing at the prune skin feel I decided I've been in here probably all night and into the next day. My bones ached from the cold, but I was long past the point of shivering.

My mission was nowhere near complete, CS and Apostrophe got away. And who knows what happened to Tights and Spark. Molly. What happened to Molly? I scoffed inwardly. Red probably threw me in here for who knows how long thinking I'm responsible and now I can't fix anything or find out what's going on.

Getting frustrated will get you nowhere, Coal Black. But the thoughts were spinning around in my brain, every scene from last night being replayed and analyzed, looking for even the slightest clue that Molly was alive, or that Tights and Spark were fine.

Flaming Spark. I shouldn't have gotten him involved, that was a big mistake.

It was a big mistake that I took Molly to the dance. I knew CS was going to strike, so why did I take someone I cared about into danger? What was I thinking? That I was a superhero and could save everyone? Molly could be completely powerless now all thanks to me, the idiot who thought he could save everyone.

My moment of clear thinking soon passed. I couldn't run through what happened yesterday without losing track or getting distracted. Getting distracted by being so cold. There was a hollow feeling in my chest, and every joint in my body ached painfully, my heartbeat felt weak and slow and everything just hurt so badly.

Molly. Reeling from the possibility that Molly could be gone, I pulled up every memory I stored away of her.

The way her hair always ruffled so gently in the wind. Her comebacks and threats of pushing me off the building. Her wearing her bright yellow socks, scared in a corner and staring at me with wide, trusting eyes. If only she knew everything, every secret of mine. Every thought and feeling. I wonder if she would still trust me, still want to be with me? If she knew who I really am, would she want me?

I fidgeted. Growing restless and fighting the need to stretch out my cramped muscles. I'm like a shark in a birdcage, I need to move, stretch, do something anything. I hope Red didn't sentence me to too long of a time in here.

Red. I wouldn't be surprised if I lost all his trust. Even with my straight track record, he'd probably never forgive me if something serious did happen to Molly. Why did I ever agree to this whole scheme in the first place?

Five years ago. That was when I technically switched sides. I hated it, hated the whole idea so much.

"Do you think you are up to it, Coal? Leave behind being known as a hero and only be known as the villain?" Red asked, cocking an eyebrow at me from across his desk.

I sighed loudly and ran my fingers through my hair, suddenly wishing for the hundredth time that day that I never discovered my powers and was hanging out with Charlie instead. But no, I had to fall down the stairs and come out unscathed, find out that I can't get burned and can control the flames. And then learn the hard way that I can't fly.