Capes

Chapter Seven

| HEARTBREAKING CHOICES |

"I didn't say to bring a guest to this little meet."  Meld jumped straight into scolding me.

The rest of his group was behind him and most of them looked very angry.  I could feel the woman in the purple mask's rage the most.  It was hard not to feel when it was right there, emanating.  A girl, younger than the woman in the purple that she stood beside, put her black gloved hands on her hips.  Her pink mask matched her bubble-gum pink spandex suit.  Illusion didn't seem bothered by the waves of irritation rolling off the bodies of Meld's entourage.  He just took it all in.

I crossed my arms.  "Well you didn't say I couldn't either."

Tension pulled at Meld's face.  He mimicked my pose.  "That doesn't mean you should."

"But I did."  I shut down the argument.  "Why don't we get to the point of this 'little meet'."

Meld scowled.  "Your first trial should be erased."

I jumped in, ready to protest, without hearing the rest of what Meld had to say.  "Because Illusion helped me?  That's absolute crap-"

"But it won't be."  Meld finished and outrage was sucked from my body and secured away.  "You completed the trial and even though help wasn't warranted," his hazel eyes flicked over to Illusion, "it did make things more interesting.  Consider one trial over.  Allure?"

The woman in the purple mask stepped forward in the cavernous setting of the subway station.  It was surprisingly dead, even if it was evening.  The fluorescent lighting flickered over us and Meld faded into the subway's off-white tiled wall.

"As entertaining as watching the two of you was, Shade must complete the rest of the trials without help from you-"

"Illusion."  My handsome stranger in spandex supplied his name.  Rather, his alias.

"Illusion," Allure repeated in a soft murmur.  Her voice was hypnotizing.  Smooth as honey.  "Unless you wish to partake in the Hero Trials alongside Shade, we cannot allow you to help her."

Illusion smirked.  "Oh that's fine.  'Vigilante' makes me hotter anyway.  I'll see you around, Shade."  He did some sort of salute to me before taking off, up the subway stairs out of the tunnel.

I turned back to Allure.  Her wild caramel curls framed her face like a goddess and as I looked all around, I could see little bits and pieces of familiarity in the group.  The girl in pink spandex looked like a younger version of Allure; they shared the same pale green eyes and vibrant hair.  The boys looked similar to each other too; each with short hair- besides Meld whose curly dark hair almost touched his shoulders.  Their short hair was much of the same caramel shade that Allure possessed.  There was a little bit of green in all of their eyes, mixed with other flecks- greys and blues and golds.

What made them look so similar?  I didn't get to ask because Allure spoke again, this time only to me.  "That being said, my trial is next.  And I want you to seduce Illusion."

I stared at Allure.  Stared and blinked and stared some more.  I didn't know what was happening- I wish I knew.  Did she not realize I had just met the guy?  Not to mention I had a boyfriend and given that they knew all about me, both Shade and Paige Oliver, they knew that I had a boyfriend.  A wonderful boyfriend that I wouldn't dream of cheating on.

There was just no way.  "No."  I said immediately.

I agreed to these trials because I had expected violence, not heartbreak.  I would not hurt Blake nor lead another man on.  Allure's perfectly plucked brow rose above her mask.  "No?"

She was damn right no!  "I have a boyfriend."

"So?"

So?  So?  How could that just mean nothing?  It was supposed to mean everything!  It meant everything to me!  And here Allure was, dismissing the idea that monogamy mattered?  If I had thought these superheroes were crazy before this, it was obvious now there was more oddities to be found lying just beneath the surface.

"I won't do it.  I love him."

"Love has nothing to do with seduction."  Allure sighed and rolled her eyes in a dramatic show.  "Seduce Illusion or sacrifice becoming a hero.  I won't change my trial to fit your needs."

Ferocity rose up within me.  "How is seducing him even a trial?"

"My power lies in persuasion."  Allure explained.  "I need to see that you're cunning.  That you want this and you're willing to do anything to get it."

And so cheating was the only way to properly show her how serious I was about these trials?  We were talking about shattering the trust I had in myself for my relationship.  What if I could never look Blake in the eye again, much less look myself in the mirror?

"I won't."  I shook my head so hard I saw doubles of all of the tiled walls creating the subway tunnel.  "I won't destroy myself like that.  Hurting Blake isn't an option."

Allure huffed.  "Fine.  Come find us when you're not being a baby."

And with that final message planted in my head, the seven superheroes, who just continued to be stranger, disappeared and the only thing left in the tunnel was me and a train that whizzed on by, creating a whooshing sound it left behind.

Then; silence.

~~~~

So thanks to RJWritings18 and maplethorp and livedreamfly , I've decided to post this chapter really early.  Surprise update!  Thanks for reading!  Oh and, should Paige have agreed to the trial Allure proposed?  Would you do it?

CK