"I was wondering what kind of girl could have botched up a rescue attempt so badly. Now that I know it was you all along, everything makes sense."
"Go away."
Rome runs his nose down the side of my face, smiling at the way I shiver. "After all thes...
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EVER SINCE THE INCIDENT IN THE FINEST BOUTIQUE, I FEEL RESTLESS. There's a feral energy underneath my skin. Now that Shadow Cougar's awakened, she refuses to go dormant again. I feel her power inside of me, waiting to be released. Shadow Cat and Shadow Kitten have begun to rise as well. With this mind, I decide I need my super costume as quickly as possible.
So I call up my Aunt Mae and Tamala.
"This is so exciting," My sister practically sings, elbow hooked with mine. "I've never been into HQ before."
HQ is the primary building for supers. Each major city contains at least one HQ. Each building contains almost a dozen floors, each one design for a specific purpose. Super weapons, super costumes, super identities, it contains everything a super could want in order to become a hero.
I've been here only twice. Once was on a field trip from SAVE, which I didn't enjoy at all because Ava threw her lunch on me before we even went inside. She says it was an accident, but I had to walk around in soggy clothes that smelled like sushi. The second time when I went to HQ was when I got my license, and I enjoyed that journey much more.
We enter the building. The cool rush of artificial air washes over here. Colors and sound echo all around us. In the front, security guards check our bags for any sort of threat. I hand the one in the front my ID while his assistant searches my purse. His eyes flicker to my face, then to my name, then widen and go back to his place. He straightens up and hands my ID back.
"Here you go, ma'am."
"Thanks," I say and go to Aunt Mae and Tamala, who have already passed. Behind me, the security nudges his assistant.
"Dude, did you see that?"
"Who?"
"The one we just passed - she's Rome Abernathy's mate! I didn't even know she was a super."
"We see all sorts of supers everyday. I don't know why you're so shocked..."
I shove back the urge to scowl, focusing on Tamala understand. She's raced way ahead of Aunt Mae and I, eager to explore. She points out everything, from the holographic posters of ancient superheros, to the magical fountains that sprout water with no piping. A superhero flies above us, casting rainbows from her hands absentmindedly. Another bares his elongated sabertooth teeth at us as we pass.
"There's a gift shop," Tamala laughs, running back to us. "Can we go?"
"Maybe -" I begin, but Aunt Mae interrupts me.
"No way," She snaps. "How can anybody handle all this commotion? I'm not staying here any longer than I have to."
