Adopting The Superhero

Chapter 26

Xander's pov

We all watch Nyssa sadly as she waddles towards the staircase, clinging onto her stuffed dog and trying to hide her sniffles.

"We have got to help her," Michael speaks up after we hear her bedroom door slam shut.

"I've never seen her this bad and I've known her since pre-school. Guys, I don't know if we can help her," Oliver says slowly, his eyes watery.

"This bad? What do you mean?" Ashton inquires, confused.

"She goes through these funks a lot when she feel unwanted and paranoid that she'll be left behind. Nyssa has athazagoraphobia," Adien cuts in, finishing Oliver's thought.

"That is a really long word," Luke mutters to himself. I am standing sort of close so I hear him.

"Well when she gets into these moods usually, what do you guys do to help her get over it?" Michael questions, sounding kind of desperate.

"Give her a little space. Lucy was always the one who handled Nyssa's fear. They'd go over into a corner and just sit there and talk for hours and hours at a time. Aiden and I knew better than to intrude so we kept to ourselves and played on social media," Oliver replies, stretching.

"She's never claimed to be done with Viper or being a hero though. I'm really worried about her this time. She's been Viper since we were in fifth grade," Aiden moans, clearly in distress. I sigh and sit down on the floor. Seth takes a bean bag chair and Devon sits down beside me. Rylan and River stay standing.

"Do you guys want me to go talk to her?" I offer, kind of hoping they'll say no. As much as I love Nyssa and want her back, I am the worst at trying to comfort people and will probably end up making the situation worse.

"That's actually not a bad idea. Maybe you can talk her back into herself. Super to super, you know?" Devon exclaims, a smile starting to form on his lips. I send him a glare, which he doesn't notice. Rylan notices and smiles sympathically at me.

"It couldn't hurt to try," Oliver agrees, shrugging.

"Do you want us to go too?" River offers, looking at me. I nod. Rylan and River smile slightly and walk over beside me. 5SOS, Aiden, Oliver, Seth, and Devon all watch me hopefully as I stand up and walk upstairs with the twins, trying extra hard to make sure I don't trip and make a fool of myself.

~

"Hey Nyssa," I greet, pushing her bedroom door open. I hear sniffles from her closet and immediately walk over there. Rylan pulls the door open and we all look down. Nyssa is huddled up on the floor, wiping her cheeks.

"What?" She barks out, her voice shaking slightly. Rylan sits and gives her a tight hug. River and I plop down on her other side.

"I'm fine," she says before any of us even ask. I chuckle softly, not believing it for a second.

"Nyssa, it's okay to be upset and to cry. Shit isn't always going to work out for us or for anyone. I know you said you're done with Viper, but I think you should think about it some more. I mean, she is a part of you. As much as we'll miss her if you do decide to give up Viper, we will understand if you do. It's hard trying to stay sane with everything that's always going on around us. And people being rude shits doesn't help. Just remember that whatever you decide to do about Viper, the three of us will always back you up. Us supers have to stick together afterall," I promise Nyssa, finally putting and end to my rambling.

"I think that's the most you've ever said to me," Nyssa mumbles, letting out a breathy laugh. I smile wider and hug her.

"I need to think still," Nyssa finally answers, leaning against my shoulder.

"Take all the time you need, Nys," River instructs, smiling widely at the older girl. Nyssa nods. I sigh softly, glad that I helped her feel better.

I'm sad to say this but I finally decided on how I want to end this book. There is still going to be a decent amount of chapters, don't worry about that.