I could only watch in horror at what was going to happen. Two gangs were in a gunfight. One notoriously known for their active desires to see supers as humans, and the other thought the opposite. And there was an innocent civilian about to get caught in the crossfire.

If I wasn't a coward, I would've stepped in and tried to save that bystander. But at this point, there was no saving him. As the gangs continued firing their deadly weapons, I could only hear horrified gasps. I tried to cover my ears and keep my eyes closed, but I couldn't. I could only stare in horror as the bullets entered his body. There was no saving him, my thoughts only confirmed when I heard his body hit the ground. 

The perpetrators could only stare at their victim's bloodied body. I heard some words that sounded like shouting and swearing, yet they didn't notice me. Good. I was simply the invisible witness, the one who blended in with the shadows like it was no big deal.

I heard more screams from alleyways, and I could only assume they were from people who were witnessing more crimes. I couldn't distract myself from the petrified wails of unfortunate spectators of whatever was happening. 

If I could sneak over and make myself visible to the other witnesses of gang violence, I'd comfort them. Yes, I'm a Super. Aka, the group of people who live in hiding. As I was about to move forward to try and leave the scene, I learned a scream. A scream that caught my attention that I couldn't help but dash over to where I heard it.

I was too late. One of the gangsters, a gun in hand, lay on the ground, breathing heavily. His eyes were blown wide, and it seemed like a majority of his face had been burnt to a crisp. I had no clue what to think. In just five seconds, he'd been shooting, and now he was injured.

On the wall behind him, I noticed a peculiar circle. Inside the circle was a flame, a lightning bolt directly in the middle as what appeared to be rain clouds were above the flame, which was over a cracked piece of ground. It was a peculiar symbol, and then I saw the writing underneath it.

The Elemental Hopes.

Who were they? What were they doing in the city? Were they...Supers? I know it was an immediate accusation, but my brain thought that it made sense for them to be Supers. I just had no clue who they were, where to find them, or why they had teamed up.

Maybe it was to promote equality for their own fellow Supers. It would make sense, as the government detains us when we're exposed in the open. I was certain I knew the why now, but I just needed to know the who and where now.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Searching for other Supers was harder than it would seem. Most of them lived in hiding, in fear. So searching during the day was pointless. The most that really happened were the usual protests that Super-Supporters held, demanding justice for them. Glad to see some people cared about our existence, even if it wasn't many people. 

While continuing my search, I came across a guy. His eyes were cold and he seemed to have no readable facial expression. He wore a business suit and stood tall when I came across him. He seemed to be an intelligent guy.

When I asked him if he knew about a Vigilante team, he looked up at me and scowled. "If they're Supers, they're menaces," he remarked coldly, glaring into my soul. "They don't deserve the attention you're giving them. You're adding fuel to the fire and promoting their dangerous behavior in our society. They won't be worth your time. They're better off in jail."

"Okay, uh..." I trailed off. I didn't want his name anymore. I wanted to know if he knew anything, and he just went on a rant about how we're dangerous to society. That's never a good sign. I decided to drop it and just continue my search. "Bye."

"You're welcome, by the way," the man replied, and I could feel him glaring daggers into the back of my head. "I'm just trying to help you get on the right path." As if that was enough justification for his statements. What he'd said about Supers fucking hurt. I tried to ignore the pain as I walked faster.

As if he thought I was no longer able to hear him, he gave a sigh and said. "Frank's the name, don't forget it." To some, he might've looked crazy. I mean, how would a sixteen year old investigating a possible team listen to him, who was probably around forty something. 

But his last statement to me was still heard. I would definitely keep in mind to stay away from him. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

It happened that night. I finally found them.

It was another fight. Some random civilian had been pushed around and socked in the face by three delinquents. They were laughing at the innocent victim's pain, ignoring the cries for them to stop. I started to walk up to them, but apparently, they heard me.

"You better stop walking," their leader scowled. "Or I'm gonna call the police and tell them you did this. You don't have an alibi. You-" The guy was cut off as the ground shook beneath the punks.

"Let's get out of here!" One of the more cowardly ones exclaimed, the other lackey following the fear filled jackass.

Before the leader could sprint, it seemed like he was flung back against a wall, crashing into it. I winced, not because of sympathy, but because that genuinely looked painful. I admit, I did feel a little bad now, only because that looked painful.

As the electricity from the third zapped him, the once bold bully quickly gained a sense of fear as he started to run. All five masked humans just watched as the guy bolted from the scene in a panic.

"Well gang, nice work today," their supposed leader stated, giving a confident grin to them all as he brushed off his white bodysuit. "Now, I believe we shou-" 

"Windbreaker, somebody found us," a girl with a navy blue mask covering her eyes spoke up. She turned her stare towards me, narrowing her eyes. "And somebody uninvited, might I add."

"Whoa, chill," a second male chuckled. "Windbreaker, Hydro, let's chill out here." Heh, chill. Yeah right. "I'm sure she didn't mean to find us. I mean, we're just normal people."

"With powers," Windbreaker retorted. "Flamethrower, that paints us in a negative light. She could report us to the police. We could be detained and sent to a sanctuary. Prison, maybe. Given death penalty. You know the gist."

"Windbreaker, if she were going to, she would have her pho-" a girl in a greenish-brown bodysuit began.

"Natura, that doesn't matter! Just because she isn't now, doesn't mean she won't!" Windbreaker started screaming. "We're fucking exposed! One eye witness could mean our careers as vigilantes are over!"

"...And this, is why I don't trust your leadership skills," a third male in an electric blue outfit retorted, glaring at the paranoid Windbreaker. "Anytime something goes wrong, you jump to worst case scenarios. Seriously, that drives people away."

As I felt four pairs of eyes on me, expecting an explanation, I gave a sigh. "Look. I'm a Super too. Why would I rat you out? That'd add fire to the fire."

"Lady has a point," electric blue mask guy pointed out, winking at me. "Besides, she's pretty cute too. I say we invite her into our group." Wait a minute, when did I agree to be in this group?

"I'm cool with that, Electro," Flamethrower nodded. "Two votes yes."

"I..wait, I never said I would join!" I exclaimed quickly, wide eyed and beginning to get nervous. "I just said I wouldn't rat you out! I'd prefer to keep under the radar!" 

"Well then," Windbreaker replied, eyeing me. It seemed like he still didn't believe me, as he had a frown on his face as he tapped a finger against his chin. "Let's say you are a Super. What are your abilities?"

"Invisibility," I answered quickly, not hesitating for a moment. "And minor shadow control. More or less hiding myself."

"Sneaky little spy," Electro affirmed, giving me another cheeky grin. "I love spies, you know. Maybe we could, I dunno, go spy on-"

"Electro, this isn't some romance novel where the girl falls for you immediately," Natura commented with a frown. "So stop your desperate flirting attempts." 

"Wow, thanks," I told Natura, smiling slightly at her. She didn't smile back, giving me a curt nod and a simple thumbs up. 

Wow, these people are really serious. "I should probably go-"

"To the police! I knew it!" Windbreaker snapped. "I knew you were sus-" 

"STOP WHERE YOU ARE! HANDS UP!"

Shit. 

"GET DOWN!" Electro shoved me down. When I hit the ground, I felt my knees begin to bleed. I tried to stand, but all I could feel was a wave of dizziness, forcing me back down to my knees. I heard screams, of fear and anger, making me wince. Yeesh. No wonder Windbreaker didn't want me to find them.

That was my last thought before I passed out.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke sometime later to a cracked ground, dying flames, and smoke in the air. I stood up groggily, rubbing my eyes as I took in what happened. 

Windbreaker was on the ground, bleeding from some wounds. Electro was standing still, looking surprised. Natura was scowling, her fist clenched as the ground around her shook. Hydro was busy putting out the flames nearby.

As for Flamethrower...he was gone. Nowhere in sight. "What happened?"

"You...happened," Windbreaker snarled at me from the ground. Geez, even in this man's possibly dying moments, he still had the audacity to throw shade. Can't say I blame him. They seemed composed until...

"He's the only one mad at you hot stuff," Electro spoke up, giving me a wink. If only I could get this guy to stop flirting with me. "It was probably the douche. Couldn't handle our extreme awesomeness."

"Well now Flamethrower is gone and we need to find him," Hydro growled out, her eyes narrowed.

Wait...wait...what. He was taken?! "You mean..." I trailed off, not liking the indication.

"Detained, probably imprisoned. Who knows," Natura confirmed. I felt my heart sink. I shouldn't have sought them out. I shouldn't be here.

"So, hottie, I got a proposition for you," Electro began, and I was worried it'd have to do with a date. "You can come with us to help find our teammate and be a temporary member."

"WHAT?! NO!" Windbreaker exclaimed. "SHE IS NOT GOING TO BE A MEMBER OF OUR TEAM!" 

"How hypocritical," Hydro stated, eerily calm. "We're all Supers, yet the minute another one enters the team, you say no. I say yes, two to one. Unless Natura says otherwise."

"I'm down," Natura said. "Three to one."

"..Fine," Windbreaker gave in, looking at me. "But you better not betray us."

"I don't know your identities, and I'm literally in the same category as you as a Super," I retorted, rolling my eyes. This guy was too paranoid, how did they stand his leadership? "How could I betray you? What would I get out of this?"

Before the aerokinetic could answer, Electro cut in. "Well then, first things first...medical care!" With that, he ripped off one of his suit sleeves and wrapped it around the other guy's wound. Once he did that, he offered out his hand which their commander took. "I'm not the best at first aid, heh."

"That's alright," Windbreaker gave a nod, seemingly calming down enough to look as confident as he had earlier. "Now then...let's go find Flamethrower!" He exclaimed confidently, walking away from the rubble like it was nothing. Natura and Hydro followed him, leaving me and Electro.

"Come on, sweet stuff," he prompted with a grin. "We have a Super to find." And with that, he was on his way. I couldn't help but follow, not just eager for the journey, but for whatever action we'd have to deal with. Although running from government and police didn't sound fun, I couldn't help the adrenaline rush.

Because I knew one day we would find Flamethrower. He wasn't dead just yet, so there was still a chance. And I knew that we would be able to find him, somewhere, somehow, at some point.