The door opened, and this time, it was Ice who came in. She was holding a cardboard box of lightbulbs and a ladder in her other arm, and she couldn't look more done with the job she was assigned to.

However, when she saw Thunderstorm was awake, startled, and staring at her, her expression turned soft, and relieved. She set the ladder down, just below one of the busted lights and put the box on the floor beside it.

"Solar said you had a breakdown. Are you okay?" Ice sat on the chair that Solar sat before, placing her hand on Thunderstorm's bandaged one. She jerked her hand away out of instinct, but Ice's grip was firm and gentle. "Don't panic. This seems unbelievable, but Quake was the one that told me to give you that phone."

"Quake...?" Thunderstorm's voice trailed off. "Why?"

She exploded in to hacks and coughs, instantly covering her mouth with her hand. Due to the dryness of her throat, every cough gave her the sensation of vomit, but there was nothing to empty.

Ice noticed this and left outside, and returned with a cup of water. It was lukewarm, easy to drink for someone injured like her. She downed it, and she cringed as she rehydrated her dry mouth and throat.

Ice patted her back, soothing her choking and coughing whenever she did. Thunderstorm was stiff through all of this, though she had no idea what to react. She had never felt so... raw and child-like, with everyone fussing over her and tolerating her.

It was a foreign feeling, because she never had the chance to be a child. It was weird.

"Okay. I've got to change these lightbulbs." Ice stood from her chair and walked towards the plastic, foldable ladder you could get from Walmart for $39.99 and unboxed one of the light bulbs.

When Ice was changing the lights, Thunderstorm asked her: "How long have you been watching me?"

Ice glanced at her, coating her hand in frost to prevent being burnt or electrocuted by the wires. "Ever since you and your team registered to be a hero group. We were here far longer than you, but we never saw anyone else with elemental powers like us."

"But why me?" Thunderstorm stared at the glass in her hand. She finished the water, but she didn't know where to place it. She rotated it, and she could see herself on the faint reflection, confused and tired of the lies. "Why not Blaze and Thorn?"

"Because," Ice worded her sentence carefully, screwing in the bulb, "you're just like us."

Thunderstorm sighed. "Like you?"

"Like me," Ice agreed. She covered up the bulb with a new translucent cover and stepped down from the ladder, moving towards another on the opposite side of the room. There were four in total, one on each corner. "When I was younger and on the run, mom found me and took me in."

"Your mom?"

"Not exactly." Ice scraped at light bulb's surface to remove a speck of dust. "That's just our nickname for him. I'm pretty sure you'll meet him sooner or later." She climbed up the ladder, and started repeating the same process. "What about you?"

Thunderstorm's tongue suddenly felt dry, and her jaw was wired shut again. She held her breath, remembering the man that fostered her, but was never there for her.

Ice finished covering up the bulb and climbed down, moving the ladder to the side of the bed. She didn't pester for any answers, which was a relief. Her gaze was fixated on the minor task ahead of her.

The rest of the bulb replacement was in complete silence, but her actions eased Thunderstorm's tension as she was acting casually and showed no sign of hostility.

She tensed again. They could be waiting for the right moment to pounce on her. all of this could be an act.

When she covered the last one, she climbed down from the ladder. She closed the ladder and sandwiched it between her arm and waist, using her fingers to hold the empty box.

"You'll be alright, okay?" Ice took the glass from Thunderstorm, careful to avoid colliding against anything with the ladder in her hold. She left the room, and closed the door by hooking her foot on the wood, then pulling it to close, the knob clicking into place as she was left in the room. A bee-shaped nightlight was lit by the door, basking the room in a gentle yellow glow.

The air-conditioning was blowing softly, the cold air barely having any affect, as Thunderstorm was sweating bullets.

What were they going to do to her?

* * *

Solar kept his word and brought a tablet for her to check on the news. The only problem at hand: Thunderstorm is painfully oblivious to technology and how it works. She knew how to call and how to use a search engine, but that was just about it. She was like a grandma from the last generation trying to understand the schematics.

Thunderstorm asked Solar questions on the functionality of each icon and application so many times Solar gave up and helped her search, with the words: "You're pretty, but smart you are not."

Pretty? Thunderstorm and the adjective were not compatible. This was the first time someone called her that, even if it was a light-hearted joke. Her face burned again and she turned away.

Solar grinned victoriously, handing her the tablet that had a video on pause. It was the video of the event, the date uploaded three days ago.

"Three days?" Thunderstorm quizzed, then a possibility clicked in her mind. "I was out for three days." She said it like it was a predicted outcome, but unwelcome. "Three days."

"Well, not three," Solar said, clicking into the video, which had the thumbnail of a reporter and the dormant golems in the background. "This video was uploaded late. You were out for five days. Guess you're replacing Ice for the title of Sleeping Beauty."

If Solar was doing this on purpose to embarrass her, then he was doing an awesome job. Joke or not, she wasn't used to the statement that included her.

She tapped the screen, which played the video in a low resolution, the images blurry. Solar sighed, then turned his head towards the door.

"WHO'S HOGGING THE WIFI NOW?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M RAISING MY BABIES!" Cyclone's voice screeched back.

"YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP," Ice snapped, followed by the sound of a plate. "Oh, for the love of-"

An argument then boomed between Cyclone and Ice, which was quick to shut down as soon as it started. Solar sighed, trying to get the video as smooth as possible, but he was only able to get it at a 144p resolution at best, which blurred out the words.

All they needed was to know what happened, so they skipped that luxury. However, staring at a blurry, choppy screen was murder to the eyes.

"... the attack was organized by an unknown villain, which the authorities suspect the culprit to be one of the infamous elemental villain group, never caught on tape. Witnesses report they saw the element of earth and light, though there are claims that the recently exposed hero Thunderstorm refused to help them and ran away."

"Element of light?" Thunderstorm frowned.

"Oh, yeah," Solar said. "I was there too. I was busy fighting off Thorn. My bad."

So that's why she didn't see Thorn throughout the entire endeavor. To be honest, she didn't expect to see more elements of different calibres. You get a new surprise each day.

The camera moved, capturing two people in the shot. Even with the blurry screen, Thunderstorm could tell from their clothing that it were Blaze and Thorn.

"So tell me, what's your opinion on this?" the reporter asked.

The video wasn't clear, but Blaze crossed his arms and snorted, head tilted as if he was cursing someone, most likely her.

"We decided to kick Thunderstorm off the team. She helped the villains in this, and she's classified as a level-S threat against society. The proof is that she disappeared with the villains after the golems are all defeated," he said. "Warrants are being granted as we speak, and we will do our best to bring her to justice. Thunderstorm has gone rogue."

The video had yet to end, but Solar paused the video and took the tablet from her. Thunderstorm stared into the empty space with an expression of disbelief, then droplets of tears fell onto her blanket.

She was no longer a hero.