Big City Villain | BOOK ONE

Chapter Thirty-Three: I Will Always Love You.

"Coal, you are not strong enough, don't you get that?" Charlie asked me. "You're just going to do more harm than good right now. You need to rest." He attempted to push me back onto his bed, but the keyword here is 'attempted.'

I whipped around at him and narrowed my eyes, all my muscles tensing. "City Sweeper has my brother, or she's done something to him, and I promised Ben that I would watch his back, so do you think I'm going to let some trivial thing as being weak stop me from saving him?"

"You're not even strong enough to use your powers!" Charlie tried again.

I ignored him as I grabbed my super suit and went into his closet to change. I told you once, but I'll tell you again, I will never be invisible naked to spare you that terrible image. Changing quickly, I stepped back out and slipped my mask on. I'm so glad my mask has my prescription glasses built in. I can see!

Spandex. Gross, comfortable, weird and strangely likable, remind me to change my suit to cotton or something not so... Huggy.

Charlie, who apparently has no problem changing in front of a girl, was already suited up as Glitch. "I'm going with you."

"No. I need to go alone and do this by myself."

"Coal, you idiot!" he spat, stepping closer to me with his hands balled up into tight fists.

"I need to go and face City Sweeper by myself," I said, squaring my shoulders and putting on my brave face as I stepped past him intending to go to his window, but Charlie had other plans.

He spun around and punched me hard in my shoulder, I was ready and absorbed the shock. Meager energy strengthened me somewhat, but at least it was something. I wonder if I could push him further to hit me again?

"I must be brave," I attempted, but I was already quickly running out of quotes from movies where the hero makes a big speech about facing his greatest fears by himself. Personally, I thought they were just plain stupid and wanted the attention and declarations of how wonderful they are. While I wouldn't mind someone declaring how wonderful I am, I'm not that stupid that I would face CS alone again.

He yanked on my arm instead of a punch I needed. "No."

I shrugged his hand off. "You're coming, don't worry. I was just trying to get you to punch me again."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" he asked punching me hard in my shoulder again except I wasn't prepared.

Just walk it off, Coal, just walk it off. I moaned loudly and rubbed the spot he hit. "I wasn't ready, you idiot!"

"He's such a diva. You know that, right, Molly?" Charlie asked, shaking his head at me and giving me no sympathy whatsoever.

I looked up at Molly, wondering what was going through her mind. She was looking at me already, except her face was dead serious. I straightened up and stepped closer to her. "Are you okay, Molly?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, I'm not."

"What's wrong?"

"You."

I frowned. "Are you still hung up on my identity? Do I need to spell it out to you? I'm the real Flaming Spark. I was the one who answered your cries Friday night, I've always been there every time you cried."