Tower of Light (Under The Cowl Book #2)

CHAPTER 8

     Jessica quickly stiffened up. Her body felt like a thousand tiny needles pricking every nerve under her flesh. It was a jolt of a lifetime from her chin down to her toes. She listened to the gargle from her throat and watched a white blur in the corner of her eyes nearly flood her vision.

After the eruption of green light she returned to the tiny shop with Lianna standing across from her. A striking surge of energy poured from her ring then swallowed her whole. As her muscles weighed heavy, a feeling of being under water swelled. She'd become helpless and quick to descend the floor, the unforgiving hero breaking her fall once it came to an end.

Embarrassment reached new heights for Jessica when she wasn't lucky enough to pass out from the shock. Lianna lifted her off the floor like a damsel in distress and carried her limp body into the store van at Mary's request. She slid and rolled from side to side, Mary tried her best to keep Jessica from sliding too far and bumping into the packed boxes.

Not use to the ceiling she found herself looking up at after Lianna carried from the van, into what looked like an indoor parking lot, up a dozen or more flights of stairs, until dropped onto a couch not hers.

In what looked like a downtown loft, it's through the ceiling high windows where she could see her reflection and the busy street with its surrounding buildings below.

Jessica pulled herself up off her back once feeling returned. She tugged on the couch cushions under her legs and get a better look at her new surroundings.

A living room decorated with an enrichment of various knickknacks without a real designer's eye, Jessica removed the checkered flannel blanket from over her.

She dropped her feet onto the floor when the sudden explosion of a steam whistled from a kettle pot. Jessica turned her attention to the stove behind her. On the other side of a closed door not too far from the kitchen, a flush of water echoed as the door frantically swung open.

Enter Mary, or at least a woman awfully similar to the woman name Mary Baston she met before. This woman is skinny, frail, and completely disheveled. The knotted curls in her hair to the grandma look of a yellow cashmere sweater and long jean dress. She is not the same woman Jessica remembered with smooth and bouncy brown curls, a gorgeous athletic figure to die for, and flawless skin. The twisted mop of hair on her head, peppered pimples, and splotches of red spots on her neck showcased a different woman entirely.

Mary raced to the stove and turned off the flame under the kettle. She wiped her forehead and practically jumped out of her skin as she found Jessica up and awake. "You scared me. Are you feeling any better? Lianna told me that you might be feeling a little... emotional."

"Who are you?" Jessica asked, more so for peace of mind and to confirm what her suspicion had already pointed toward.

"Right," Mary pulled her sweater close and tucked her hair behind her ears "I know I look a little different from before. But it's me, the same Mary Baston you've already met. The magical power of Shazam changes my appearance and grants me a whole slew of powers. I sometimes can't even keep up with those powers."

"So this is the dorkier version of the real you?"

"This is the real me."

Awkward silence and averted gazes filled the space between them.

"Can I get you some tea?" Mary offered.

"You don't have anything stronger?"

"I've got coffee."

"Coffee is fine."

"Good." Mary raced to the kitchen and grabbed the first mug she found in the cabinet above the sink.

"You've got a pretty nice place here."

"Thanks, Michael found it for me. He doesn't stay here too often, only when he's not working."

"Does that mean you're not working?"

Mary's answer does not come as fast as expected.

"You're working me, aren't you?"

Mary placed the cup of coffee on the table across from Jessica. "Careful, it's hot."

Jessica doesn't bother to look down at the steaming mug; instead she waits for the answer to her question.

Mary sighed heavily. "Ok, I will admit, this is me trying to work you." She flops down in the love seat off to the side of the couch. "We do need your help."

"I don't think I will be of much help given I'm the last Green Lantern on earth."

Jessica watched as Mary gave her a look she remembered seeing on the faces of those at the funeral of her hunting buddies. A look that came before the words "I'm sorry for your loss." The question, "How come you're still alive?" asked under the breath of the grieving families. And after hearing those words so many times, it made her sick to her stomach.

"If you're about to say what I think you're going to say, save it. Baz and I may have shared a power battery and worked together to protect this sector, but we were far from ever being friends. I'll help you find this sentient being that was after Danny and killed the Doom Patrol. Where do you want to begin?"

"You don't waste any time. A girl who likes to remain in control, I like it. I'm going have to make some calls first. Can I count on you being available tonight?"

Jessica grabbed Mary's cell hanging loosely in her sweater pocket. "You can text me where you want to meet up."

"Where will you be?"

"You seem to know so much about me already, so I think you already know what I'm late for."

"I don't think I do."

"You've watched me for three days, and you don't know."

"It's Tuesday." Mary said softly, as if she should have known better.

"And what do I do on Tuesdays?"

"I know."

"And just to give you a heads up on what I learned so far, I wasn't the only one who joined these kinds of groups on Tuesday nights."

Mary's eyes narrowed with curiosity at Jessica's meaning.

"Casey Brinke started going too."

"The same group?"

"I think it was her way of trying to run into me. But it seems she started taking a liking to the group because she kept coming back."

"You think you'll find anything?"

"There's only one way to find out."