𝐏𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (marvel fanfic)

Chapter 8 🎄⛄

When they entered the normally bustling school, nobody was in the corridors, only the tv was on with two students reporting the news of the day. A glance at the television chilled Sarah's blood, videos of water moving uncontrollably in a glass flashed by for a few seconds. "That's why," she couldn't help but mutter under her breath. That was why surveillance had increased in that area.

Her powers had gotten stronger and her emotions took control at the wrong time and place. And that alerted the dogs sniffing after her trail, the question was, which ones. Depending on the answer, she might have to take some precautions. Though the presence of the red-haired hero made her lean toward one side, there was no telling if both sides were alerted.

The class was in chaos, save for the few studious people that studied in silence in the corners, the noise all came from one group, Flash's friends group. Peter slipped through to join his friend, Ned while Sarah took out her only study materials, her second-hand computer, and her textbook. She just had to wait now, she thought as naturally, silence ensued. People went to their seats and waited for her to speak.

"Today, we're starting a new lesson," she started speaking as she wrote the title with chalk on the board. Her handwriting was simple and readable, nothing too extravagant or doctor-like. If asked, her students would probably say that she wrote in comic sans.

At lunch, she made idle chat with her coworkers, ate the passable food, and kept up with the daily gossip. Truthfully, would knowing such did that or said that matter in her life? Not really, but she still found a certain entertainment in the activity. It was dumb conversations for people who had nothing to talk about, people who only knew each other on the surface and whose only common point was others' life, still, it kept the time going and caused some empty chuckles. To Sarah, it was harmless chatters that amounted to nothing as long as not pointed or targeted toward one specific person or group. This was also a very effective way to know all about the strange events that occurred.

As usual, the days passed, with her giving class and having pauses during which she prepared her lessons to keep her mind occupied with something else than her impending danger. Weeks went by and soon enough, she found herself discussing science with Peter every morning on their way to school. Most would find their conversations boring but both thoroughly enjoyed the subject. And along the way, the subject sometimes drifted to more philosophical debates.

He was struggling to ask his questions and she could tell, his thoughts were written all over his face. When he finally gathered the courage to ask, she had an inkling as to why he was so hesitant. "Ms. Cano... how do you feel about heroes?"

"I am grateful for their work," she answered honestly, "but at the same time, I pity them."

Peter looked intently at his teacher, finding the answer very particular.

"Hero is a title that when given deletes the human. A hero is a mythical figure that goes beyond an ordinary person's imagination and is thus not human to them. People use them as shields to protect themselves without regard for said hero's feelings and when the shield is not needed anymore, it is thrown away. People don't sympathize with the human behind the title, they only admire the shine of it." She smiled bitterly. "I don't envy heroes. The line between admiration and hatred is thin, and heroes, by simply existing, are constantly threading that fickle line."

The young teenager fell deep in thoughts, his hands fiddling with his bag's straps.

A part of her hated the downcast look on his face so she added an afterthought, "I believe that heroes, fundamentally, are here to bring hope. After that, we have to save ourselves."

Silence ensued, with neither feeling like talking. Peter was thinking while Sarah, in fear of influencing too much the young hero-to-be, kept quiet.

Once in front of the school gates, they separated and Peter joined his friend who inquired about his pensive look. "Another deep talk with our math teach?" Ned teased his silent friend.

Peter ruffled his already messy hair. "Yeah..." he stopped to gather his thoughts, "She helped me with a question that had been going through my mind for quite some time."

"Not going to tell your best-" he insisted on the word as his arm snaked around Peter's neck, "friend?"

"Na, maths stuff you wouldn't understand," Peter lied easily, having already thought about his answer beforehand. He steeled himself to resist Ned's pout.

_____________________

At the end of the tiring day, Sarah walked up the stairs to her apartment with a dried throat and an exhausted mind.

What she certainly didn't expect was to see the door forced open and her apartment turned upside down. Immediately, her alertness grew, her steps grew lighter and her breath softer. She walked in and closed the door after making sure she didn't sense anyone in. As she turned on the lights, she frowned. Her windows were broken and she could see water flowing on the floor. The intruder wasn't careful enough and dropped the water containers, after all, she never closed them.

After a small but throughout tour, she noticed her few valuables were stolen, amongst which her old barely working TV, some not very expensive paintings, and her small wooden dining table. She quickly deduced it was a burglary, given they didn't find her hidden stash of money and the weapons she hid under the flooring. A deadly organization would have easily found them.

She still made sure no cameras were left and after closing the windows, with a swipe of her hand, all the water went back to its containers, leaving a dry floor. She threw her bag on the floor and settled on her sofa to breathe and think. They probably gave up on dragging the sofa from the third floor given that it was still pushed close to the front door.

She closed her eyes to calm her heartbeat. Seeing the opened door, her mind immediately thought of the worse but now she had to calm down, lest she caused another accident herself. She tried to reassure herself. A burglary was something that was to be expected of the district she lived in, even if she had never been robbed. Moreover, nothing she truly cared about was stolen. And the worst was avoided, she wasn't there at the time of the act, she couldn't tell what would have been her reaction, had she stumbled upon people coming to rob from her, probably a bad reaction though.

With a glance at the opened fridge, she melted a bit more in her comfortable sofa. She had nothing to eat, they took everything, given it wasn't much-she was supposed to eat pasta that evening. At the thought of eating warm and tasty pasta while watching the news on her TV, Sarah let out a depressed sigh. She couldn't help but think of tracking down the robbers to take back what was hers and give them a good beating, but she knew it was too much work for nothing but further troubles. So she did what any normal citizen would do, grab her purse and go out in the middle of the night, leaving her apartment unlocked-because there was nothing to steal from now.

She enjoyed the chill breeze and admired the city landscape.

The sky was black, stars no longer visible under the dark fog that had found its place a long time ago over the sky. The skyscrapers hid most parts of the sky, providing a sinister feeling to the people weaving through them. She enjoyed the darkness though, it welcomed her as one of its own and she found comfort in its embrace.

The streets were mostly empty in her district, save for the few drug addicts that were too wasted to notice her. The lights were flickering without giving too much light as she walked in the shadows, avoiding the parts she knew were under surveillance.