Page 48 of The Not So Super Hero

“It wasn’t the same place without them, so Nate and I decided we’d never let Rebirth have their way again. We returned to the U.S. and waited for their inevitable return,” Natalia finished.

“You two were heroes before anyone even knew your names.” Bailey smiled, Natalia returning the action with a slight blush beneath her eyes. “I don’t think I could ever be as brave as you and Nate.”

“Oh, I believe you’re a lot braver than you think.”

“Yeah, you’re dating Zane. That’s pretty brave,” Chris chimed in, causing Natalia to giggle.

“We’re not dating!” Yet? No one listened.

“Natalia, your brother is about to get it,” Adrianna spoke quietly, yet she garnered everyone’s attention.

Everyone looked out the window to find Nate standing atop a building. Zane worked his way towards him, Nate completely unaware of the danger. Natalia snickered, then full on howled with laughter when Zane finally did what he wanted to do all day; he kicked Nate right off the building.

Chris and Natalia were in hysterics. Bailey cursed until he realized Nate was okay. His ice erupted from the ground, catching and pushing him into the sky. Nate screamed all forms of curse words. At least Bailey thought that was what they were, which only had Natalia crying from laughter.

“Is it ok for it to get so violent?” Bailey asked, squeaking at the spears that Nate threw in Zane’s direction. He dodged, hopping or sliding under them, then disappearing into the shadows.

Apparently, violence was okay because the day went on as such.

The only break came around lunch. Someone brought them food.

They ate in the watch box. To say Zane was moody would be an understatement.

He didn’t even speak, and somehow that was the worst thing imaginable.

It was incredibly uncomfortable, so much so that even the naturally bright Bailey couldn’t force conversation.

After lunch, Zane’s training continued. Most of the day he ran about whatever city or wilderness Adrianna’s mind came up with. He evaded, hid, or came up with strategies to win the game.

It was odd for Bailey to see Zane in such an unfamiliar environment.

While it was obvious before that Zane knew how to fight, it was never clear that he knew more than that.

Zane knew how to fight, how to hide, how to attack, when to attack.

He was a soldier. That was something Bailey never even considered, yet it was so clear that not only he, but also the twins, were trained from a young age.

Zane never forgot about the training. He simply hid it.

Bailey was glad he was learning more. At the same time, he feared learning the truth.

He knew the past Zane refused to show was a dark one.

Bailey knew he would hate the rotten bastards that dared to hurt Zane.

But he also knew that Zane would have to talk about it one day because hiding it had led to nothing but trouble. Didn’t Zane hate trouble?

“I think that’s enough for the day, don’t you?” Chris looked at Nate, who exchanged places with Natalia for a break.

Nate nodded and spoke into the intercom. “Let’s call it quits. We don’t want Zane passing out on us tomorrow.”

Bailey had a feeling Zane wouldn’t mind passing out. It was a form of sleep, and the man loved his sleep.

Adrianna let up, the city disappearing in a wisp of blue smoke to show a bare room. Zane seemed thrilled with the idea because he moved towards the door. Natalia followed, stretching her arms above her head.

“Nice to know you’re annoying as ever, even in battle,” Natalia said once they all met back up downstairs.

“It’s natural for me,” Zane said.

“Annoying? He’s crazy. He kicked me off a building!” Nate screamed.

“I know.” Zane smiled. “It was great.”

There was about to be a fight outside the training room if the two kept it up. Bailey stepped between the two, trying to defuse the situation, or escalate it depending on if one actually attacked.

“Zane, I bet you’re hungry. Let’s head back and get some dinner!” Bailey exclaimed with some forced laughter. He wrapped his arm around Zane’s before he argued. Not that he was going to. Zane was tired and hungry, which led to him feeling more irritable, if that was possible.

“Yeah, Bailey has something nice for you to eat.” Natalia smacked Nate for that statement. The damage was done, though. Bailey burned a brilliant red. Rather than stand there and be teased for it, he bolted down the hall. Zane was dragging his feet, so it was more like a sluggish jog.

“You know they tease you because of your reactions, right?” Zane asked with a smirk. His eyes were half shut showing off how tired he actually was.

“How am I meant to react?”

“Start by not lighting up like a Christmas tree.”

“I don’t do that!”

Zane snorted, his expression stating, yes you do . Bailey scowled, then grumbled the rest of the way to their apartment. The moment they were inside, Bailey noticed someone fixed the wall. Zane hit the couch with a low groan to bury his face in the pillow.

“Aren’t you going to eat first?” Bailey gestured to the kitchen.

The only response he received was a very low groan.

It seemed Bailey was going to be the cook.

He decided on some grilled cheese because it was easy and not too dangerous.

There was an open flame on the stove, but hey, he didn’t burn anything down.

He did, however, slip on his own feet, fell on the floor, landed on the sandwiches, thus ruining them and had to make more.

He had to change too because he had melted cheese on his clothes, but that wasn’t the point.

When the food was done, Bailey returned to the living room.

Zane sat up, eyes half closed in an almost zombie-like state.

He didn’t notice Bailey sit next to him until he was presented with food.

To prove how out of it he was, Zane actually whispered “thanks” and ate his food.

Bailey kind of liked exhausted Zane. He was actually really nice.

Once they finished eating, Zane announced he was tired.

That was understandable, so Bailey simply nodded and watched Zane get up to disappear to the bathroom.

The shower could be heard, signaling that Zane was getting a shower.

Bailey frowned, sinking into the couch while wondering if perhaps he should make some hot tea or something.

Zane was obviously tired and for good reason.

Bailey wished he could help, but Zane went straight to his room after his shower.

There wasn’t even the sound of a TV coming through his door. To check, Bailey cracked the door and found Zane completely unconscious on his bed. He didn’t even bother getting under the covers.

Bailey chuckled, retrieving a blanket from his room since he didn’t want to rip Zane’s blanket out from under him, then tip-toed back into the room. The man didn’t even move when Bailey wrapped him up in a blanket, proving how out of it he was. Then Bailey retired to his room for the evening.

The apartment was peaceful. Bailey fell asleep easily that night. Then he was rudely awakened. The noise was not a shout but a whisper that repeated like a broken record. Repeatedly, a quiet voice that was familiar yet different said two paltry words; “I’m sorry.”

Bailey heard it, thought he was dreaming, then opened his eyes and retrieved his glasses to find a peculiar sight. Darkness encased his room. Shadows slithered like a dark liquid, circling around everything and somehow whispering those two words over and over.

“Zane?” Bailey called out. He didn’t get a response, so he tried once more. “Zane!”

Not a word.

Bailey wasn’t sure what to do. It didn’t seem like anything bad was going to happen, but with his luck, it would.

Bailey took cautious steps through the void.

The shadows felt cold against his feet, yet it never clung to him nor made a move to cause him harm.

Regardless of that, Bailey was slow. He opened his bedroom door.

Outside, the entire apartment moved like an ocean of shadows.

The closer Bailey got to Zane’s room, the louder it became.

The whisper became a shout. Bailey wondered if it was all in his head.

It had to be because how could it be so quiet then feel like it was physically slamming into him after opening Zane’s door?

Bailey flinched, his movement stopping completely because of the sudden jolt from the noise.

He pressed his hands against his head and tried to speak once more. “Zane! Zane, wake up!”

Bailey could see he was still asleep, though he was anything but content.

Zane’s brow furrowed, lips moving so rapidly that Bailey wondered if perhaps he had fallen into a nightmare.

His veins became a dark black beneath his pale skin.

His eyelids darkened, mirroring the shadows in the room.

He almost didn’t look human with that constant twitch of his limbs.

If it was a nightmare, Bailey really wanted to wake up.

He moved closer and closer to Zane, his vision blurring. When he reached Zane’s bedside, the words were practically screaming at him; “I’m sorry.”

Bailey grabbed Zane by the shoulders, shaking him furiously.

He called out his name, but Bailey’s voice disappeared when put up against the shouting in his head.

Suddenly, Zane’s eyes opened wide to show pure black.

He shot up from bed with a deep breath, the words finally changing to a name that Zane practically choked out, “Isaiah!”

Everything changed in an instant. It felt like Bailey was suddenly put into a typhoon; the wind picking up in their apartment. The shadows around Zane and the apartment returned to him. His skin reverted to normal, eyes went from black to their natural blue, but his heavy breaths remained.

Finally, it was quiet. Bailey’s ears rang, so he wasn’t sure if he shouted or whispered his next question, “Zane, are you...ok?”

The peaceful Zane was gone. His head snapped to the side, taking Bailey in for a moment before growling, “Get out.”

“Huh?”

“I said get out,” he repeated, voice shaking, as were his legs, though he still got up and pushed Bailey out of the room. There was no time to struggle before the door slammed shut, leaving him confused, cold, and alone in the hall.

Bailey turned around to look at Zane’s door. He wasn’t surprised to find it locked, but definitely annoyed. Why weren’t they past the not talking stage?

Sighing, he knocked on the door and requested Zane to come out and talk. When that didn’t happen, he suggested talking to Chris, but all he got was a very stern, “Go away.”

Bailey scowled. It was obvious he wouldn’t be getting any answers.

Grumbling, he returned to his room, getting into bed even if he knew there was no way he would fall asleep.

With his face buried in his pillow, Bailey tried to piece together what happened.

It wasn’t a nightmare; it was real, and that only made it more confusing.

What the hell happened? Why was Zane apologizing? And who was Isaiah?