How To Be Me (boboiboy galaxy)

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The door opened, and this time, it was Ice who came in. She was holding a cardboard box of lightbulbs and a ladder in her other arm, and she couldn't look more done with the job she was assigned to.

However, when she saw Thunderstorm was awake, startled, and staring at her, her expression turned soft, and relieved. She set the ladder down, just below one of the busted lights and put the box on the floor beside it.

"Solar said you had a breakdown. Are you okay?" Ice sat on the chair that Solar sat before, placing her hand on Thunderstorm's bandaged one. She jerked her hand away out of instinct, but Ice's grip was firm and gentle. "Don't panic. This seems unbelievable, but Quake was the one that told me to give you that phone."

"Quake...?" Thunderstorm's voice trailed off. "Why?"

She exploded in to hacks and coughs, instantly covering her mouth with her hand. Due to the dryness of her throat, every cough gave her the sensation of vomit, but there was nothing to empty.

Ice noticed this and left outside, and returned with a cup of water. It was lukewarm, easy to drink for someone injured like her. She downed it, and she cringed as she rehydrated her dry mouth and throat.

Ice patted her back, soothing her choking and coughing whenever she did. Thunderstorm was stiff through all of this, though she had no idea what to react. She had never felt so... raw and child-like, with everyone fussing over her and tolerating her.

It was a foreign feeling, because she never had the chance to be a child. It was weird.

"Okay. I've got to change these lightbulbs." Ice stood from her chair and walked towards the plastic, foldable ladder you could get from Walmart for $39.99 and unboxed one of the light bulbs.

When Ice was changing the lights, Thunderstorm asked her: "How long have you been watching me?"

Ice glanced at her, coating her hand in frost to prevent being burnt or electrocuted by the wires. "Ever since you and your team registered to be a hero group. We were here far longer than you, but we never saw anyone else with elemental powers like us."

"But why me?" Thunderstorm stared at the glass in her hand. She finished the water, but she didn't know where to place it. She rotated it, and she could see herself on the faint reflection, confused and tired of the lies. "Why not Blaze and Thorn?"

"Because," Ice worded her sentence carefully, screwing in the bulb, "you're just like us."

Thunderstorm sighed. "Like you?"

"Like me," Ice agreed. She covered up the bulb with a new translucent cover and stepped down from the ladder, moving towards another on the opposite side of the room. There were four in total, one on each corner. "When I was younger and on the run, mom found me and took me in."

"Your mom?"

"Not exactly." Ice scraped at light bulb's surface to remove a speck of dust. "That's just our nickname for him. I'm pretty sure you'll meet him sooner or later." She climbed up the ladder, and started repeating the same process. "What about you?"

Thunderstorm's tongue suddenly felt dry, and her jaw was wired shut again. She held her breath, remembering the man that fostered her, but was never there for her.

Ice finished covering up the bulb and climbed down, moving the ladder to the side of the bed. She didn't pester for any answers, which was a relief. Her gaze was fixated on the minor task ahead of her.

The rest of the bulb replacement was in complete silence, but her actions eased Thunderstorm's tension as she was acting casually and showed no sign of hostility.