Sapphire Angel - Superheroine

Chapter 1 - A Night Out

Elizabeth Harper turned the last spinner on the combination lock and pressed the button. Nothing. The metal box on the coffee table remained locked. Her face showed no emotion as she opened a spiral notebook, grabbed a pencil, and crossed off a number on the page. Numbers filled the page, with half of them similarly marked off.

She rose from her seat on the sofa and moved around the coffee table to the living room window. She glanced at the clock near the television. John should be back soon. She wished he had skipped work during her visit, but she understood. She visited often, and this was his first year at his new job. When she graduated from college in a few months, she would be in the same situation.

As she looked back at the box, her eyes fell upon the stack of comic books piled next to it. A pang of guilt hit her. She had promised to read a few of them, to better understand John's hobby, since it had taken courage for him to reveal his secret passion. She'd gotten through one, but had spent the rest of the day finding one excuse or another to avoid reading more. The surprise she planned for him should more than make up for it, though. She tingled with excitement as she imagined his reaction. If she could go through with it.

She turned back to the window and pulled back the curtain, seeing a strange mixture of denizens stalking the street in front of John's apartment. As darkness fell upon the town, miniature ghouls, goblins and princesses moved from door to door, with their parents not far behind. Adult-sized pirates, police officers, and devils also pranced down the sidewalk, many clad in short skirts and revealing tops. This section of Harrisburg had become a party town, and Halloween was an excuse for its young adults to push the bounds of decency.

Perhaps she shouldn't judge. Her costume was less risqué than many of the costumes outside the window, but was bold for her modest standards. Her heart raced as she questioned her willingness to follow through with her surprise for John. But he would love it.

They were heading to a Halloween party after he arrived home, and she had decided she would be a superheroine. Not Supergirl, Wonder Woman, or some other popular heroine, but a heroine of her own creation. One she had seen in a dream, after John's endless efforts to push his hobby on her.

A figure skating dress, made of a stretchy blue and white spandex material, hugged her slender figure. The dress was all one piece, and was sapphire blue on top, with a white skirt and white bikini bottoms stitched under the skirt. Tights accentuated the dress and gave her slender legs a subtle sheen. On her feet she wore white ankle boots, which resembled figure skates without the blades. She wore satin gloves that extended from her fingertips up her toned arms to her elbows. The gloves matched the white skirt of her costume and added an air of elegance to her appearance.

Her straight blond hair hung down and caressed her shoulders, framing the face of an angel. Sweet and innocent, she had the face of the proverbial girl next door.

Beth moved to the bedroom and stood in front of the full-length mirror affixed to the door, hardly believing what she saw. Her stomach performed flips as she thought of John's arrival. He would forget all about the unread comic books. A smile crossed her face.

From behind her, she heard a scraping sound and the grunts of a man. It meant one thing — John was home, working to open the front door, which always stuck in the frame. The defect was annoying, but at least it alerted her when he arrived. With a skip, she headed to the door. She pulled as he pushed, and the door creaked open.

John stepped forward, but froze when his eyes fell open her. His jaw hung open.

"Hello?" Beth said, putting one hand on a cocked hip.

"S... Sorry," he stammered. "You are unbelievably hot."

Beth's grin grew wider.

"Too suggestive?" she asked.