Page 85 of The Not So Super Hero

“It says she was a late bloomer. Her mutation didn’t manifest until she was sixteen.

She was the first mutant whose level couldn’t be read.

She was the first Level 11 kept off the records,” Bailey whispered, watching the color drain from Zane’s face since he, too, knew what happened.

“It doesn’t say anything else about her mutation, though. ”

Zane’s breathing grew heavy. Bailey asked if they should stop but he refused and quietly requested Bailey to continue.

There wasn’t much more to tell, especially when it was nothing good.

Celeste was watched like a hawk. Somewhat for her own safety, but also because she was considered a threat.

News never broke out due to what people knew would happen; fear.

Fear of mutants growing too powerful to control.

Celeste’s grades dropped. She didn’t apply to any colleges her senior year.

She went missing, disappeared on her way home from school a little more than a year after the results.

Police thought it was her boyfriend, a man her parents were unaware of, but based on social media and what her friends said, she was talking with an older guy.

Bailey was fairly certain who that guy was. She was only 17.

“She was seventeen?” Zane asked with a furrowed brow. Bailey hated repeating himself, but that was what it said. He wasn’t surprised by Zane’s reaction, which was to repeat it like he thought, somehow, that would change it. “She was only seventeen. Seventeen.”

Zane turned the picture over, looked at the date again, and realized it was likely one of the last pictures taken of her. And even after all the shit she likely went through, she was smiling.

How? Why? Why her?

“She was only seventeen,” Zane repeated, getting up from the couch, which had Bailey jumping up as well. He watched Zane walk into the kitchen, photograph still in hand. He wasn’t sure what Zane was going to do, so he followed silently after him.

“You can’t blame yourself for what Antoine–”

“I probably lived longer than her,” Zane hollered, spinning on his heel to stare at Bailey with wide eyes like he somehow just realized that.

Bailey too. He realized that he probably lived longer than her.

“She... she wasn’t even out of high school.

She didn’t go to college, didn’t get to do anything that she probably wanted to do. Because of me.”

“It’s not because of you.” Bailey rushed over to Zane, taking the picture only to set it aside so he could take Zane’s hands in his. They were shaking, as was his whole body. “Antoine did it. Rebirth did it. You and your mom, you were pawns in their game, and it was not your fault.”

Zane kept his eyes lowered, focused on the floor.

“Listen to me. What happened...it’s horrible beyond words.

She didn’t deserve what happened to her, but you didn’t deserve any of it, either.

Rebirth hurt others because they didn’t care.

They hurt Celeste and they hurt you.” Bailey reached up to press his hand against Zane’s cheek.

“But you are nothing like what Antoine wanted you to be. You’re not a monster like he hoped.

You’re a hero and you stopped something like this from happening to anyone again and you will continue to do that, so doesn’t that mean that you and your mom beat him? ”

Zane finally looked up, finding Bailey smiling at him, warm and comforting and everything he needed.

It took a moment to let that sink in, but, after flipping it over in his head, Zane knew Bailey was right.

It still hurt. He was still mad. He wished his mom were with him today.

He wanted to know what she thought of him.

Would she be proud? Would she have loved him?

He hoped so, but he was confident in one thing.

She would be happy that Antoine didn’t get his way.

“You’re pretty good at these lame speeches,” Zane whispered, causing Bailey to purse his lips.

“It wasn’t a lame speech.”

“It was pretty lame.”

“Pretty cool, you mean?”

Zane’s lips twitched into a smile. He didn’t admit it, but his kiss was answer enough.

“Come on, there were a few more pictures of her in there.” Bailey grabbed Zane’s hand and pulled him back to the living room.

There, Bailey set aside whatever else they had in order to look at the pictures.

Some were from Celeste’s youth and they discovered she had blonde hair as a kid.

The silver must have come into play after her mutation manifested.

Other photographs were clearly selfies. Some of which where she was making a silly face that had them laughing, but one in particular really caught Zane’s attention.

It was Celeste, probably around fifteen, standing between a man and a woman.

Her parents. Zane’s grandparents. Her dad was actually shorter than her, while her mom was around the same height she was.

It was damn adorable. She took after her dad, who also had blonde hair, but blue eyes, while her mom had deep brown hair and green eyes.

When Zane wouldn’t stop staring, Bailey finally said, “They’re alive. Your grandparents. The file says they’re living in the same home that Celeste grew up in.”

The moment Zane looked at Bailey, he knew Zane wanted to go. He would hop on a plane, fly to another country with no idea where to go or how to speak their language to meet them. However, at the sudden darkening of his eyes, it was clear he was frightened too.

“I’m sure Chris could get a hold of them?” Bailey suggested, taking Zane’s hand in his own. “Maybe they’d be willing to meet with you.”

“Why would they?” Zane asked, turning away. The hope drained from his eyes. “Their daughter was kidnapped and forced to have a kid. Why would they want to meet that kid?”

“Zane.”

“It’s not a crazy thought.”

“But you can’t just assume that. Marceline wanted to see you again.”

“That’s entirely different.”

Bailey pursed his lips, giving Zane a glare that didn’t seem to bother him. While he understood Zane’s feelings, he hated the idea of him not even trying.

“Please, let me talk to Chris. If he can get a hold of them and they say yes, let’s visit.

I’m sure they have even more stuff to tell you.

Dn’t you want to hear it? Don’t you want to give them the chance to meet you?

” Bailey hoped that would work. Judging by the way Zane’s hand tightened, it seemed it did.

While he didn’t verbally say yes, he gave a curt nod that Bailey smiled at.

“I want to put these up.”

“The pictures?” Bailey asked. There were quite a few of them but he had already planned to do that.

“Obviously we are. We can run into town tomorrow and get some frames. Then we can add to it after we get some pictures of you, Nate and Natalie, then you and Chris, you and Marceline, you and your grandparents–”

“No,” Zane interrupted with a scowl that Bailey completely ignored.

“A bunch of cute ones of us, too. We’ll have a whole family wall.”

“Disgusting.”

“We should add some each year too, like those ones where people take them at the same place in the same pose to see how they change over a year.”

Zane groaned, grabbed the folder, and left the couch. Bailey laughed and followed him, pleading for Zane to agree. He never did, but honestly, he would probably cave after another hour or two of begging.

Besides, Zane secretly liked the idea of a family wall. A family. It was something he always wanted and now he had so much of it, he didn’t know what to do. Not that he was complaining, he wouldn’t have it any other way.