Palm trees shook as a salty breeze pushed by, and sea-foam spilled from waves to reach up and graze against her bare toes. She was wearing shorts now, at least. I turned, taking in the scene. A small island with nothing but a tropical green forest, a sliver of beach, and the shining ocean beyond. The air smelled of salt, and seagulls cried in the distance.
She’d perfected her craft; it all felt real.
I grunted as I dropped down beside her, a scowl pulling at the corners of my mouth. “You’ve gotten better at this, at least.”
She threw a handful of sand my way; her face pinched in irritation. “Of course I have; I’m not a trainee anymore.”
“Still can’t control your ability, though.”
A hateful laugh slipped through her full lips. “Says the guy who’s still pushing coolant to keep from burning out. I just need better gear. The VIA hasn’t replaced mine since I…” she trailed off and dug her toes beneath wet sand.
Her cheeks puffed out, a pout that always gave her away. She’d done the same thing whenever I antagonized her, or whenJoon decided to train with me instead. It was that I’m-pissed-but-I’ll-deal look.
“What did you do this time?” I asked.
“I didn’tdoanything. I just… took a break. I’m still taking contracts; I’m just not directly associated with the agency right now. Well, I’m not supposed to be, but my latest extension is… kind of up in the air. So, why are you here?”
“Because a crazy lady pulled me into a daydream,” I hummed.
Alex scoffed before twirling a finger, the scene around us swirled as the colors melded together. When it finally stopped, we sat in an interrogation room. She sat across from me, her arms crossed and chin tilted up in defiance.
“More comfortable for you?”
I rolled my eyes, and a pair of handcuffs appeared on my wrists. They were perfectly cold, biting into my skin.
I couldn’t help myself, couldn’t stop the sarcasm from slipping through. “So this is what you’re into, huh? Can you conjure up a cigarette while you’re at it? I’m not sure how long Reed will take; he’s a bit of an idiot.”
Her nose pinched and those blue eyes widened, glancing down at the mask still around my neck. “Seriously?”
“What can I say?” I jingled the cuffs. “I’m a sucker for punishment.”
“Cute.” Alex deadpanned. “Answer my question, would you? It’s been a bad day.”
I leaned back, and the cuffs disappeared. A white and red box appeared on the table before a cigarette manifested between my fingers. I went to light it, but no flame came from my fingertip. My eyes found hers as I raised a brow.
“You can’t use your power here. You don’t remember?” Alex jutted her chin as the end began to glow.
I took a long pull, and as much as I hated to admit it, she wasgood. My brand, my flavor, the same ease to my shoulders as I blew the smoke to the side. I watched her watching me, and spiders crawled along my spine. Joon never wanted us to get too close—he was always afraid of what I could do to her. She couldn’t run away from my fire, like he used to.
“We didn’t play nice back then,” I said. “How did you know what brand I like?”
Alex cocked her head, and I could swear her blue eyes shone with mischief. “I took a wild guess; only assholes smoke those. Enough deflecting, tell me why you’re here.”
I let out a long sigh as I chewed my cheek. “Alex…the VIA sent me to collect you.”
She scowled, and it was difficult to take her seriously. Alex was still frail, but she had grown a bit, at least. There was more muscle in her arms, a little more curve to her body than I’d remembered. I tried not to focus on that detail.
“I’m not fit to be a Hero anymore; they’re wasting their time.”
I held my tongue and took another pull of my cigarette. The old me would have confirmed her observation, would have agreed and sat in warped pride from the thought that I was right. Alex was always so breakable; so weak. That’s what I’d thought, anyway. But she had bested me more times than I cared to count at the academy, and that made me even more irritable around her.
Until my temper went too far, and I actually thought she was going to drown me with an illusion. Alex got hurt, and it was my fault.Ihurt her. Not a Villain, but the person who was supposed to be a Hero. After that moment, everything got turned upside down. I held my breath around her, and tried not to get too close. I played by Joon’s rules to keep her safe from me.
I glanced down at her hand, and there it was. Dark red splotches that ran across pale skin; scars that still refused tofade, and likely never would. Joon’s anger was justified—my ability did real damage. Being impaled was easier to heal than an injury from my fire. I’d branded Alex, permanently. My mark, my fears, buried inherskin. Nausea overwhelmed me.
When I refused to respond, Alex laughed, a husky sound that made my skin go tight. It was full of sarcasm and hatred.
“What was it you said back at the academy? ‘Girls like you don’t belong in a fight’.Something like that, right?”
