Shadow

This School is on Fiiiirrreee

    "I can't believe this is happening!" I paced back and forth on the concrete floors. My boots thumped against the ground with every stomp and my cloak twirled around me. Two pairs of eyes followed my every move.

    "You couldn't have known, Kiera," Lauren said with a sigh. She and Riptide had come as soon as they heard about our mission. Lauren was just in time to see me punch the concrete wall. To my pleasant surprise, the wall cracked and some pieces fell out of it.

    That was before Phantom grabbed me by the hood of my cloak and dragged me into what he called "the Super break room". It was basically a kitchenette with a fridge, a sink, and a microwave. He locked the door and I sat at the table for just two minutes before Lauren and Ally came in, immediately taking advantage of the Keurig.

    "It's not like anyone else knew, either." Ally laced her fingers around her mug. "You're not the only one. I'd never even heard of him until now."

    "You weren't supposed to," I muttered, running my hands through my now-loose hair. I winced at the movement and looked at my bloodied and bruised knuckles of my right hand. I'm such an idiot.

    "What do you mean?"

    I sighed, then sat down at the table across from the two women. They both watched me curiously. Lauren didn't know the full story of Finn either. Just the basic information.

    "My half brother Finn," I started. My voice cracked on his name and I cleared my throat. "A little over three years ago, I had just found out about him. My mother had an affair and he was living in a group home. He was only six. Much too young to die." I gulped. Realizing I couldn't sit and tell this story, I stood up and slowly paced the same path I had before, but much calmer. "Blaze found out about him. I don't know how, he must have followed me to Finn's home or something, but he did. Him and this other man, this other Super, teamed up and took him. I finally caught up to him on a boat out in the ocean." I stopped and stared at the floor in front of me, realizing I'd have to explain my weakness to Ally and Lauren. Who cares at this point? You'll probably die in the war anyway. "The man was wearing all red. Finn called him Strawberry Man." A smile tugged at my lips. "Strawberry Man was going to drown him. I'll give Blaze brownie points, he didn't seem to know Strawberry Man was going to kill him. But I wouldn't be able to save him. My weakness is water." Both girls' jaws dropped in shock. Just casually throw that in there, why don't you?

    "I tried to save Finn. I really did. I jumped after him and swam through the pain. Untied him and everything. But it wasn't enough." I wiped furiously at my mask around my eyes. "I promised him I would save him. He told me he trusted me. The last thing I ever told my little brother was a lie. I can't even keep my family safe. How am I supposed to keep an entire city safe? Especially from the same man? Carp is Strawberry Man. The man who trained me and took me in when I was a kid with no idea what I was doing. Sure, he was an arse, but he helped me." I collapsed into the chair again, my shoulders slumped. "I can't do this. I can't look at him and not remember the look on . . . on Finn's face. Not hear his voice."

    Lauren stood up without hesitating and wrapped me in a hug. For the first time in a long time, I broke down in sobs that wracked my whole body. The kind that made you hiccup and your nose run. Lauren didn't mind. Her arms surrounded me like a warm blanket blocking out the rest of the world. I squeezed my eyes shut and hugged her back. Is this what it's like to have a sibling? A family?

    "If there's anyone I trust, Kiera, it's you," Lauren promised. "Finn would never blame you for what happened."

    "Cameron does," I whispered, sniffing. "She might not admit it, but I know she does. That was one of the first things she told me when we met again just a month or so ago. She told me it was my fault. And she's right. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't careful enough. And my only chance at a family is gone."