Page 36 of The Not So Super Hero

Bailey’s mind was foggy, almost like he was in a trance.

Each step he took felt shaken. Any moment his legs were going to give out, or even the floor.

There was an odd softness to the air. Everything felt and looked distorted.

Regardless, Bailey moved about the unfamiliar space, examining the table he found that was strewn with papers and books.

Someone had been studying. Books on mathematics, literature, and history sat open and clearly read, with notes scribbled on paper lodged between the pages.

It looked like a child’s frantic writing.

Bailey could barely make out the chicken scratch, snickering at it while remembering how he used to take notes.

However, his chuckles died down when his eyes took in the name at the top of one worksheet; Zane Vixen.

A sudden chill traveled down Bailey’s spine. He probably would have looked through the papers all day if not for the sound of a familiar voice coming from behind him. Bailey perked at the noise that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Looking over his shoulder, he found a pair of sliding oak doors with golden handles on the far side of the room. They were slightly ajar, the occasional sound coming from the other side. Thinking that perhaps the voice belonged to Zane, Bailey moved towards them with little thought.

“Stop acting like my mother!” came a voice that Bailey swore was Zane’s, yet it was much softer, child-like even. That made sense, judging by the papers. Perhaps the question was no longer where was he, but when? Was Bailey, somehow, seeing into Zane’s past?

Before Bailey could get an answer to that, an ear-splitting scream so terrified and painful rippled through the air. The fear Bailey felt during his own nightmare returned with a vengeance. His entire body shook to its core as a woman’s scream echoed through the air...

Then everything went black.

Bailey knew when he opened his eyes that he had returned to the present because he gazed directly at Zane’s wall.

The world around Bailey felt real, unlike the one he had been dreaming of.

Reaching out, his fingertips grazed the wall, cool and hard to the touch.

The warmth that was behind him when he fell asleep was nonexistent, though.

Curious, Bailey turned to check on Zane, only to find that he was missing. Bailey sat up in time to hear the toilet flush. Zane stepped out of the bathroom, hair slightly damp as if he washed his face. When Bailey’s eyes met Zane’s, he wasn’t that shocked to see exhaustion.

“Something wrong?” Zane asked in a hoarse voice. Clearing his throat, he moved towards the bed, planting himself back in his previous spot.

“No,” Bailey answered, moving over to give Zane some more space. Unlike Zane, Bailey kept his eyes locked on him, waiting and looking for a reaction. “Just woke up and saw you gone, thought maybe something was wrong.”

“Needed to piss.”

“Uh huh.” Bailey rolled his eyes, twisting his fists into the blankets while watching Zane’s back, which faced him. It was difficult for Bailey, who felt as if he had gotten a small glimpse into Zane’s past.

How did it happen? Why did it happen? Was Zane aware of it? What the hell was going on? Bailey didn’t understand, and he wasn’t sure if he should ask or make Zane aware that he may or may not know something more about him.

About the only thing Bailey could come up with was to pry it out of Zane without revealing that he knew anything. There was a moment where he asked himself how he would achieve that, but he quickly found an answer.

“Walker,” Bailey said, causing Zane to peer at Bailey over his shoulder. “Chris’ last name is Walker, so you chose not to change your last name? Levitt is your family name?”

Zane stared at Bailey like he grew a second head. When the boy only smiled back, Zane answered hesitantly, “Levitt is my family name.”

Bailey nodded, recalling what he saw in that weird dream. So Vixen was not his last name, or he was lying?

“Why do you ask?” Zane inquired, sitting up so that his arm brushed against Bailey’s. He would freak out about the proximity that mirrored their actions earlier, but Bailey was trying to play his own game of Sherlock Holmes. He would freak out about it later, after he uncovered a few mysteries!

“Curious,” Bailey answered with an innocent shrug. “You don’t really talk about yourself, so I thought if I asked, maybe you’d answer bit by bit.”

Zane rolled his eyes. His shoulders stiffened. A silence fell over the both of them, one that was tense and very much not welcomed. Bailey picked at the blanket. Then, to his surprise, Zane said, “I never met my mother. The only thing I know about her is her last name; Levitt.”

“And your father?”

Zane’s face fell the moment the F word passed Bailey’s lips.

Watching Zane’s pale blue eyes grow dark spoke more than words ever could.

Bailey swore the darkness of the room moved, much like they did the other day.

Anger seeped from Zane’s very pores, but Bailey knew none of the frustration was directed at him.

He wondered what the man had done to invoke such a reaction from Zane, though. ..

“Chris is my father,” Zane said. “He has more than earned that title. Let’s keep it at that.”

Bailey wasn’t sure what to say or what he planned to do, but he wasn’t given the time to consider it. Zane fell right back into bed, grumbling a quick, “It’s late. We should get some sleep.”

Bailey gave in and agreed, slipping back under the covers, although he absolutely hated the atmosphere that was now festering in the apartment. Sure, Bailey knew Zane’s past was likely a touchy subject. But he hadn’t expected such an emotional reaction, nor the aftermath of their conversation.

“Have you ever told Chris that?” Bailey asked, feeling Zane tense up again. He was likely expecting another anger inducing conversation, but Zane grew embarrassed. “I’m telling Chris exactly what you said.”

“Don’t you dare,” Zane growled, turning over so fast that he knocked his foreheads against Bailey’s.

The two yelped, but the pain didn’t detour Zane from threatening Bailey.

He chuckled, which resulted in them arguing over how Zane would kill Bailey and dispose of his body.

Who knew that talk of Bailey’s upcoming death would cause a better mood?

Eh, Bailey didn’t care, so long as Zane fell back asleep with a smile on his face.