Shimmer *The Seattle Superheroes*

Chapter Twenty Nine: A Good Friend is Hard to Find

Chapter Twenty Nine: A Good Friend is Hard to Find

Philadelphia; July 17, 2010; 6:27 p.m.

A true friend is difficult to find. Many people do not realize this—they think that anyone with whom they share a close bond is a true friend. Until the time comes that they grow apart from people, they don't see that they only had a situational friendship with the person. There's nothing wrong with situational friendships, but they never last. A true friend is someone who will be there no matter what. Someone who you trust with everything you have. Someone who, regardless of physical separation, never really leaves your life.

In Shimmer's line of work, most would-be friends were scared away before a friendship could even begin to form, so it was safe to say that she had a greater proportion of true friends to situational friends than most. Granted, she had only ever called two people friends in her life before she had come to the ISDA that June, and the thought of one of them now nearly drove her into a murderous rage. Yet, she seemed to have found a true friend in Nash Grant, and he in her—after all, it was rare for telepaths to bond with anyone due to the nature of their power.

As Shimmer slunk through the back alleys of Philadelphia, she wouldn't have traded that friendship for anything in the world. Nash's presence complicated things, of course, as he could not travel through wires like Shimmer and needed a place to sleep, but it didn't matter to her.

She was no longer alone.

"So, what's the plan?" Nash asked, hiking a duffel bag up higher on his shoulder, his hood drawn low over his face.

"I wanted to question that man from earlier," Shimmer told him, absently.

"It's getting late. The police probably won't let you if it's not during office hours."

"Do you really think that they can stop me?" she asked, her eyebrow quirked up.

Nash chuckled. "I think that you're going to have enough trouble with them as it is, so maybe you should go tomorrow morning."

Shimmer sent him a hard look. "Fine."

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"We'll need to find a place to stay tonight," Shimmer pointed out.

"You're actually planning on staying in?"

Shimmer huffed. "No."

Nash rolled his eyes. "Of course not."

"What do you want to do?"

"You're asking me?" Nash asked, pulling his face into a mockingly surprised expression.

"You're the one who needs to sleep," Shimmer pointed out, then offered, "I could get a motel room."

Nash shook his head. "The two of us together will attract too much attention, and I don't really feel like sleeping with my mask on."

"Then what do you propose?" Shimmer asked, her voice more annoyed than her emotions.

Nash considered this. "Well, I know a guy."

An eyebrow raised. "A guy who wouldn't question why you showed up with me?"

"Of course he'll question it," Nash told her. "You're you."

"Am I, really?" Shimmer asked, laughter in her voice.

Nash playfully hit her arm.

Shimmer tried to glare at him, and would have succeeded if he couldn't see the mirth dancing in her eyes. "Who's this 'guy'?"