Don’t be Alex, don’t be Alex, don’t be?—
“If you don’t get thatslothoff the battlefield, I’m gonna lose my shit.” Leo crossed his arms as he stood in front of me, covered in soot while smoke billowed out of the mask around his mouth.
It always reminded me of a muzzle—a metal contraption meant to help him breathe, designed for a feral dog. He never hesitated to defend his territory.
“You know she hates when you call her that,” I groaned. “It’straining, Theron. Don’t take it too seriously.”
Their feud was never ending, and not a single day went by without me having to play mediator. The worst part? I was the one to introduce them.
Stupid Joon, thinking everyone could get along. How naïve, how simple-minded, how fucking masochistic of me.
“Yeah, and thenI’mthe bad guy when someone gets burned,” he spat. “She was asleep right in the line of fire—you’ve gotta be kidding me. She doesn’t belong here, and you know it.”
Children were exhausting.
“Just because she can’t raze a building to the ground, doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be here.” I grit my teeth. “There’s more to being a Hero than just strength. We all have weaknesses—you should know that better than any of us.”
Leo’s brows pinched, and he went rigid under my scrutiny. I was never sure how much weight my words held with him, but he always paused before firing back, and I took that as a good sign. Variants had abilities, but they also had backlash. My legs had been broken more times than I could count; pushing them too hard, going too fast, letting my ability take control even when I knew my body couldn’t keep up. The academy had even fit my suit with specialized braces to help regulate the force.
Leo had the worst backlash I’d ever seen.
Steam hissed through the black uniform they made us wear for training. His mask kept pushing out smoke, and orange tubes that ran along his suit pushed bubbling coolant as a watch on his wrist flashed with red light. If Leo kept going like this, losing to his temper and his flames, he’d be living with steel lungs in twenty years. Worst-case scenario, he’d burn himself out in only two, and create a blaze that could swallow half of Nightmyre.
“She’s vulnerable.” His tone dropped, and I raised a brow. “What happens if she ends up on the field? What happens if she’s got a shitty partner, or gets separated? She can’t wake herself up. It’s a fucking liability.”
Says the talking matchstick.
“It almost sounds like you care.” I huffed a laugh, and Leo’s eyes went dark.
A tingle went up my spine and nausea curled in my belly. Alex and I both knew she’d end up in second or third class; the goal was never to have her on the field. I wanted to find a way to change the system entirely, and make it so Variants like her would be acknowledged for their value. Yet Leo fixated on a miniscule possibility, and set off every sprinkler in the vicinity the moment Alex would appear.
I pulled my lips into my mouth and hummed. “Are you still mad about the time she won?—”
Flames danced across his forearms. “Thatwas a lucky shot.”
It wasn’t. Leo underestimated Alex when she’d first enrolled, and didn’t bother to look into her ability, or how it worked. He didn’t realize she wouldn’t need to touch him, and was drawn into her daydream within seconds of their first match together. It was the first time I’d ever seen Leo lose.
He ripped the mask from his face and black smoke poured from his curled lips. “This isn’t a game, Cho. You can’t guarantee she won’t be assigned a combat role.She shouldn’t be here.”
Like a demon that had been summoned, Alex stomped through settled ashes with wrath on her face. Her long black ponytail was singed at the ends, and dark circles hung under her eyes. For someone who dwelled in daydreams, Alex never slept well. Backlash was a bitch.
“Were you trying to kill me, or what?!” she snapped.
Leo tucked his shoulders back, and I tensed at the standoff.
“If you need to take a nap, do it somewhere else,” he snarled. “I’m not getting paid to babysit.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t see anyone here signing up to be a firefighter, either. Guess we’re both shitty, then.” Alex grinned as her blue eyes narrowed.
Leo’s fists lit up as his dark eyes glowed red. My legs buzzed with urgency as heat wafted in the air, and no one dared to attempt a de-escalation. The instructors were useless when itcame to Leo’s flames. It had been a long standing rule to clear out when he went off, and wait for the fire to die out.
“Alex…” I gave her a warning look.
She didn’t bother to turn my way. Her chin lifted, refusing to back down even as Leo towered over her. Alex had never been the type to let people intimidate her, but she rarelyinitiateda fight. Leo was a special exemption.
Leo leaned forward. “At least I can actually get something done. You take out one opponent, and head to bed. Not very efficient, if you ask me.”
Blue sparks rained down from two small horns on Alex’s head. The attachments were meant to stabilize her ability and focus her power, but Variant abilities were unpredictable with heightened emotions. Sometimes, equipment wasn’t enough.
