The Crazy Adventures of Aqua Girl

Chapter 6 - Visitor

"Crazy world." Rachael murmured, as we sat in the cafeteria watching the live news from her phone screen. I picked up another piece of macaroni cheese with my fork and shoved in my mouth. The news was frantic. After Leopard Girl's attack this morning, SkeleMan, a superhero who everyone thought had died in 2006 had attacked another group of tourists, killing 2 people. That left 12 dead, and two missing superheroes. They were nowhere to be found. Even Leopard Girl's husband, who was a normal civilian, claimed he didn't know where his wife went. I had already received a worried phone call from mom, asking if I wanted to be picked up from school, as SkeleMan's attack was a mere 2 miles from our school. I refused, knowing that I had another lesson with Aidan today and I wanted to sass him, badly.

"The main question is, why have two normal superheroes committed lethal crimes? We'll be analyzing the statistics later in the evening." The news reporter had calmed down since the first attack, and was whittling away the facts and figures non stop. 80% of crime in San Fran has been stopped by our heroes, but apparently 3% was committed by them. I was still confused as to why that was so horrifying. Wow. Amazing. 3%. Terrible.

"Are you going to band practice after school?" Rachael asked, slurping her apple juice carton and looking over at me. I sighed. I forgotten all about band practice. Too much going on in my life right now.

"I guess I'll have to. Gotta keep 1st chair." I said, groaning at the thought of having to sit next to Lacey Williams after yesterday's fiasco. Yup, she played the violin, just like me. Fabulous. But, I was 1st chair and she was 2nd, so I had to keep attending to keep my authority over the brat.

"I don't know how you have the time and effort, Cass. Oh by the way our Philosophy essay is due in tomorrow." Shoot.

Why am I so stupid?! Why does Philosophy have to be so demanding?! Write your own essays. I sat in my room at 10pm, with Twenty One Pilots blasting out of my radio and Rufus snoring next to me, trying to type something about the death sentence, and then backing up my opinion. To be honest, I couldn't care less. 'Stressed Out' was playing loudly around my room and I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Yup, I'm stressed out. My laptop screen was a brightly-lit blank page on word, with the few words of 'Philosophy Essay by Cascade Brown' at the top. That's all I've written. In two hours. Lucky for me, band practice was cancelled because the conductor was sick, so I trudged home and arrived to find a note on the fridge, claiming mom had a 'meeting' at 9. She was up to something.

"Rufus, what's your opinion on the death penalty?" I muttered, looking over at my spotty, lazy dog. He sniffed a little. Great opinion. I began seriously debating thinking up ways of saying I hadn't completed the essay when I heard a knock at my window. Shoot. From the position of my beanbag, anyone looking into my room wouldn't have seen me, so I silently lifted myself off of the beanbag and padded over to my shelf, picking up my slingshot that I got for Christmas last year. I quickly loaded it with a pebble from New Jersey's beaches and crawled over to my bed.

Knock knock.

Another rattle on my window. I crouched behind my bed and looked up at the window, only revealing the top half of my head.

"What the...?"

Standing on my windowsill was none other than Blaze Boy, he red cap billowing behind him. I was about to duck down again when his dark eyes rested on me, and his mouth broke out into a grin. Stupid move, Cass.

"Can you open the window?" Blaze Boy said, slightly muffled by the glass. I rolled my eyes and cautiously approached the window. I unlocked it but only opened it a few centimeters, so I could hear him talking.

"What on earth are you doing here?!" I yelled, glad that the apartment was empty apart from my sleeping dog.

"I thought I'd pay you a visit." He replied, looking down at me from his position on my windowsill.

"How did you know I lived here?! Stalker, much."

"I was flying around this neighborhood and saw your bedroom lights on, and then you sat on the floor staring at your laptop blankly." Blaze Boy exclaimed, grinning slightly. "It was pretty funny to watch." I glared at him through the window glass. Idiot.

"It's not nice to stalk people." I said, matter-of-factly as I walked into my room, leaving him standing at the window. "And I don't let strangers into my room." I looked back to find Blaze Boy trying to find another comeback.

"I saved your life." He declared, crouching on my windowsill. I sighed. Fine.

"Fine, fine, fine. But you're only coming in because I'm bored and have nothing better to do." I groaned, unlocking the window once again and pushing it up. I stood back as Blaze Boy slid inside and looked around at my messy room. Empty ice cream tubs on the floor, Ice Woman merchandise everywhere, dirty clothes on my bed. Yep, this was my room.

"I guess you like Ice Woman." He muttered, looking up at the posters on my walls. I nodded.

"So, do I have to call you Blaze Boy all the time?" I asked, feeling inquisitive.

"Well yeah. I'm not taking off my mask. Superheroes aren't meant to reveal their identities, stupid." He retorted, lifting a hand to feel his felt mask. I frowned.

"Hey, you're in my room. I think I deserve to know who the hell you are."

"That goes against my regulations."

"Oh really? Well..." I was interrupted by the sounds of a loud crash and screaming below by window, on the street. Blaze Boy and I rushed to the window and leaned out, finding crowds of people running and two superheroes flying around.

"You've got to be kidding me." I whispered, watching in horror as my idol, Ice Woman blasted ice towards the crowds of people, knocking a few over. Next to her was another superhero, who I didn't recognize.

"Sorry, but I've gotta go." Blaze Boy said, leaping out of the window and looking down. He stopped and turned to me. "Stay safe, and don't come outside." Just like that he was gone, with puffs of smoke where he was standing, I looked back down to the terrifying street below me and saw him ushering the crowds of civilians away while he blew fire in Ice Woman's direction. Next to him, Chemiwoman joined him, throwing acid bombs at the two villain-type-superheroes. Why was my idol hurting and injuring people? I wanted to help fight.

"Rufus, stay here." I climbed out of the window, clutching my slingshot. I wanted to help. With bravery in my heart and Rufus watching from my open window, I leaped onto the drainpipe, and plummeted to the street below.