Page 28 of The Not So Super Hero

“Get out of my head!” She shrieked until her voice grew hoarse. Zane wasn’t even doing anything. She didn’t stop her blood-curdling screams, not even when Zane walked away. Zane approached Bailey, Sasha’s cries continuing in the background.

The mist around Bailey let up. Zane stood before him; his eyes pitch black while his fingers twitched at his sides.

Bailey couldn’t bring himself to speak or look away from the dark of Zane’s eyes.

He felt bare, like every secret he ever had was laid out for Zane to see. It made him feel cold and afraid.

“Go,” Zane ordered, raising his hand to point at the blockade. “It’s safe over there.”

Bailey wanted to ask, is it not safe here? But something told him Zane wouldn’t answer.

Nodding, Bailey stood on shaking legs. He backed away, attention fixated on Zane.

Zane didn’t look away either. He kept his attention on Bailey until his ankle hit a stone that blocked his path.

Jumping, Bailey glanced at his ankle, then back at Zane.

But he had disappeared. Nothing but a wisp of smoke remained, disappearing into thin air.

Pivoting on his heel, Bailey couldn’t find Zane anywhere. Whatever questions he had were left unanswered. A second later, a pair of arms wrapped around Bailey. A first responder tugged him towards safety. Officers piled around Sasha, who had finally passed out.

Bailey was dragged away, being asked if he was all right, if he had any injuries, but the boy was incapable of responding. For once, his mouth felt sewn shut. There were no words as his mind tried to wrap around what he had just witnessed.

Bailey always knew Zane was a mutant. He never suspected how strong.

It was almost unfathomable, imagining someone like Zane with a power that most only dreamed of.

He fought off a super villain. Most mutants would cave under that kind of pressure without proper training, but Zane didn’t flinch.

Remembering his stony expression sent a shiver down Bailey’s spine.

He hated it. The way Zane showed no remorse.

It was terrifying. He looked like a completely different person.

There wasn’t time to settle down after what had happened.

Classes were canceled. Some dorms were destroyed while parts of the campus were severely damaged.

Those who stayed in the dorms were sent to stay in apartments or hotels off campus.

Bailey was one of those people since his luck had to be the worst and his dorm was one of the completely crushed places on campus. Go figure.

Ryan wasn’t as bummed about it as Bailey since the only thing he talked about was how glad he was that Bailey made it out alive.

Amery was the same, bursting into tears after Bailey explained to them what had happened.

It seemed she couldn’t handle the thought of Bailey being so near death.

Maybe Bailey would be more frightened by it, too, but he kind of felt numb. He wasn’t sure why.

“Zane must be one hell of a mutant to have actually beaten Sasha,” Ryan said after Amery calmed down enough to hold a conversation. The three of them sat in the hotel room they were given. Amery wasn’t meant to be in there with them, but it wasn’t like the school was actually checking.

“Last I heard Sasha’s a Level 8 and Zane didn’t even get any help from the heroes,” Ryan added.

“It could have been dumb luck?” Amery suggested. “Even if it’s shocking, I’m grateful you were with him. If not, who knows what would have happened? Your luck is going to be the death of me, too!”

Amery constricted Bailey with her grip. Not that he was complaining, since cuddling was something he sorely needed.

Although everything had died down, Bailey still felt like he was there, lying on the sidewalk in horror.

He watched a battle between people who he couldn’t ever dream of going up against. Remembering Zane, the way he moved, how he seemed to know exactly what to do and when to do it, it had Bailey questioning who Zane really was.

He sure as hell wasn’t a typical janitor.

Not to mention Sasha seemed to know him.

How the hell did Zane know a villain? The guy didn’t seem like the villain type.

Ok, so Bailey constantly called him one, but he didn’t blow up cities.

The guy was an asshole, quiet and aloof, but he sure as hell wasn’t a Sasha or Boomer.

At least, Bailey didn’t view him as one, though he didn’t seem like a hero either.

He didn’t have powers that Bailey heard past heroes using either, so how did they know each other?

Bailey left that part out, not informing either of his friends of the conversation between the two.

There were some secrets that needed to remain secrets.

“I better get going. You look like you need to rest.” Amery brushed a strand of Bailey’s hair behind his ear, tucking it beneath the glasses he bought from the store. They weren’t the best. His eyes felt a little strained from wearing them, but they would have to do.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m tired,” Bailey breathed out quietly.

Amery said goodbye, ordering Bailey to get some sleep.

It was a long day with what happened, the interviews with police afterwards, then Bailey filling his friends in.

It was well past 3am. Bailey was both mentally and physically exhausted.

However, even after his eyes closed, Bailey couldn’t sleep.

He remained there in bed, staring into the darkness of the room that paled compared to the darkness that saved him that day.

He kept imagining it there, the mist that surrounded Zane and protected them.

The shadows seemed to come to life, even if Bailey knew they couldn’t.

It made his body break out in goosebumps before he tossed to his side, hoping that if he stared at the wall it would help.

It didn’t.

He kept dwelling on what happened, what Sasha said.

Somehow, her voice wouldn’t leave his head, continuing to bombard him.

She said Zane wasn’t her main objective, which meant he was an objective?

What would Rebirth want with Zane? He was powerful, but surely, they had many powerful people in their arsenal.

They wouldn’t send someone after Zane if he wasn’t important to Rebirth.

Was he important to them and if he was, why?

She mentioned she was shocked Zane remembered how to fight. Which meant they fought before? It made sense since Zane clearly knew how to fight but, why did they fight before? How did they? Whose side was he on?

And who the hell was Law? Hearing that name made Zane flinch. He didn’t move at all or comment on anything, but that one word seemed to bother him most. She said Law missed him. Who were they? How did they know each other? Was Zane frightened of them? If so, why?

No answers, not a single one, even after thinking about it for what felt like an eternity.

With a groan, Bailey checked his phone to find that it was after 4am.

He was exhausted, and it seemed sleep was finally taking him.

However, even when the boy drifted off into the sleep he desperately needed, he found himself asking,

Who the hell is Zane?