It was hard to stop the bullets, but my hands came up, and I pushed my power out, making them stop mid-air before falling to the floor in tiny puddles. The man tried again to run for the door, but then was hit with a giant snowball to the head.
He was knocked to the floor, unconscious, and I looked around for the source of the giant snowball, but there was no one outside that could have thrown it.
“Figured I’d lend a hand,” Arthur whispered, leaning close. When he returned to his full height, I looked up at him with complete surprise. He was like me—someone with powers.
“Wanna talk about it? My apartment’s close by,” he asked, and I nodded, wanting to know more, but then looked to Ruby. She was fine and walking our way.
“Go ahead and get out of here. I’ve got this. I know how much you hate attention.” She touched my arm lightly, but I could feel her appreciation in that touch. She knew as much as I did that those men could have hurt her. She was now able to go home and hug her daughter because we intervened.
This was what being a hero was about. The fact that this woman would see her daughter again because of me.
I was feeling emotions I wasn’t very capable of coping with right now. It had been a lot. Crap. I knew what was coming, and instead of saying anything I took off for my apartment. If I was going to have a meltdown, I wanted to do it in my house.
I heard Arthur running behind me, but I was already starting to lose it. I heard someone’s car crunch outside my building, and knew it was only a matter of seconds before I screamed, scaring everyone in the complex. They were used to it, though. No one called the police anymore like when I was new to the place.
“Gwendolyn, are you okay?” Arthur was following me up the stairs. I didn’t want him to see me like this. Things had been going so nicely, and now I knew this would probably scare him away. No one else could deal with me, so why would he?
I got the door open to my home and fell to my knees. Hands went to my hair, and I screamed. Episodes like this didn’t happen that often anymore, mostly because I didn’t put myself into situations where there was too much stimulation, mentally or emotionally.
“Shit!” Arthur cursed, and I felt him try to pick me up, most likely to move me from the doorway. I thrashed, not liking the feeling of being touched right now. My skin felt itchy.
Cora moved to my side, knowing that I was about to pass out. She would watch over me—protect me—and Pops would make sure my vitals were stable. I was glad I had them.
My body began to sag, and then I was out.
“How long do these episodes last?” A man’s voice was talking near me.
“Usually about four hours. Her mind and body need a break to process all the stimulation. It’s been a while since she’s had one of these moments, so she probably needed an extra hour.” Pops?
My fingers twitched, and I felt warm metal against my side. I rubbed against it and knew it was my Cora. She would always lie with me and comfort me. Sensing I was coming to, she alerted the others with an excited whimper and then began crawling up toward my face, where she’d nuzzle me awake sweetly.
“Thank you, Cora.” I opened my eyes and gave her a smile before petting her metal back like one would a cat.
Pops appeared in my vision.
“You managed to not have any injures this time. Great job getting back to the apartment.” His little robotic voice was calming, and I felt at ease again.
As I sat up, I noticed another person in my home, and I jumped back, not expecting another human here.
“It’s okay. You’re okay. It’s just me, Arthur.” His voice was soothing, and my body seemed to relax hearing the low timbre coming from those lips. Like a thunder blanket you would give to dogs during a storm, his voice had the same effect.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice was slightly scratchy, a common occurrence when I had these meltdowns.
Pops was there in a hurry with a bottle of water for me, and I quickly opened it up to take a large sip. The cold liquid was just what I needed to feel normal again.
“I was worried about you. Wanted to make sure you were all right.”
Well, that was nice. I didn’t have anyone but my robot family and my old counselor that cared enough about my well-being to check on me. Although, I think more people would if I let them in. People like the Hero Society were kind and like a family. Maybe I could try more with them.
Hero Society. Powers.
The memory came to me like a flash of light.
“You have powers!”
Chapter Eight
Arthur
