Living With the Enemy

Chapter 11: The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

Author's Note: Alright, I'm finally doing this. Chapter 11, everyone.

The next day was my father's funeral.

Throughout the service, I kept watching the sky, and watching my back, waiting for something to happen, for someone to strike, but nothing happened, and nobody did anything.

Damien, for some strange reason, had decided to remain in his civilian guise for the time being, remaining remarkably well-behaved.

It was mostly a quiet affair, because the celebration was not for the superhero my father had been, but the man behind the mask. Still, a few stepped forward to share what he had done for them in his civilian job, fixing and manufacturing computers. Two in particular, a pair of siblings who were in Damien's and my grades, respectively, shared this ridiculous story about the two of them getting a computer from my father and subsequently went into this virtual world where there was a war between monkeys and balloons. Either that, or birds and pigs.I don't know, it was just really strange.

My friends had come, to show their support, and, of course, Dylan was there. He had his arm around me the entire time, and even let me cry into his shirt once.

That was nice.

But anyway, the funeral. It was fine. I had never been to a funeral before, but I was sure that most funerals were like this- quiet, respectful, and dark.

Not that it was dark that day, of course. It was bright and sunny but very cold. But there was a feeling of darkness that had settled over the whole place.

I still wouldn't like to have a funeral like his, though. Not after what happened afterward...

It was toward the middle of the service, and I suddenly decided I really, really wanted to go to the bathroom.

Of course I did.

After I had done my business, I came back to discover that Dylan, along with my friends, was gone. Missing. Disappeared.

I began to panic. If Damien were to attack me right here, right now, nobody would help me and my secret identity would be exposed. What would happen then?

 While I was pondering that, someone called my name.

"Ember!" the voice said again, louder. It was coming from behind me. I put my mask on, just in case, and turned to see Melody, the girl I had fought, in a tree a few yards away. She jumped out of the tree, and I walked toward her.

"What do you want?" I asked, lifting her up by her shirt collar. "Back for more?"

She looked scared for a moment, then her countenance shifted entirely, back to the supervillain she was supposed to be. She smirked.

"No. Also, we have your boyfriend." she said.

I willed my other hand to ignite, lifting it in front of her face.

"WHERE IS HE?" I whisper-yelled.

"I'll never tell."

I lifted my hand closer to her face, almost setting it (her face, that is) on fire.

She panicked, and I forced myself to suppress a smile.

"Okay, I'll talk! If you want to see your boyfriend again, meet Blazon in front of the Harridan place."

Then, she wiggled out of my grasp and began to climb upwards , until she was shielded from my view entirely. I knew she wouldn't give me any more information, so I knelt down and tore two slits in the black dress I was wearing so I would be able to fight with more mobility. Then, I headed down the street to our house.

"BLAZON!" I bellowed, storming down the street. Fires stirred up behind me, and I swore my dress was starting to ignite.

He was there, waiting for me. He looked calm, as if he knew I was coming.

"Ah, Empyrean." he said, sounding nothing like my twelve-year-old brother. "Come to rescue your boyfriend."

"I don't have a boyfriend." I stated.

"Who's this,then?" he asked. Two of the other supervillains brought Dylan out from our house. He looked badly hurt.

"Ember!" he yelled.

I almost marched right up to him and slapped him then.

Damien got a very interesting smile on his face.

"Your name is Ember?" he asked. "I have a sister named Ember. Too bad she's kind of an idiot."

"There's a very good reason for that." I said, taking off my mask. "I'm your sister Ember. And I am not an idiot."

Then, he looked visibly disgusted. "You were my sister all along?" he asked. He took off his own mask, revealing himself to be Damien. "I should've recognized you! All it took was a mask and some flame powers, and you were completely disguised! And to think I used to actually think you were cool! Ugh, never again."

I laughed.

"No, I'm not cool, brother dearest. I'm totally hot." I said as I summoned fireballs to my hands.

"Yes, yes you are." Dylan said.

"Shut up, Dolphin Boy."

Dylan smiled at that, as if he had gotten an idea.

Damien, meanwhile, was unimpressed, looking down on us.

"Yes, I get it. You have fire powers. You're literally hot, and also hot in the way that people use it today to mean attractive. Ha-ha, so funny." he said. Then,

 "Let's see how hot you are when I make you explode."

"I'm gonna make your head burn, Damien." I replied.

He flinched when I said his name.

"Don't call me Damien. That part of me is gone. Now, my name is Blazon."

"Okay, then, Blazon." I said. "I'm still going to make you wish you had never met me."

"Doesn't that go against your 'hero code' or whatever it is you have on your side besides a bunch of pansycake little girls?"

I glared at him.

"First of all, no, we do not have a 'hero code'. And second, did you just call my friends and I 'pansycake little girls? That does it, Blazon. You're dead!" I yelled, running toward him with my hands out in front of me, spewing fire.

He easily sidestepped me and sent me sprawling into the concrete. Then, he threw a ball of energy at me, and I was just barely able to push myself away from it before it exploded.