[ C h . 2 ]

[ [ s o n g  o f  t h e  c h a p t e r : t h e   b l a c k e s t   s k y   b y   b l a c k   e l k  ] ]

__

Exiting the school gates after school, I was met with the constant chants of protesters who had nothing better to do than spout nonsense in front of our school.

There are rumors circulating in the media that our school is harboring both supers and villains. Of course, this is true but they have no solid evidence.

Regardless of actual evidence, many citizens have taken it upon themselves to protest our integration.

Some of them have been out here since I was a freshman. Like Jim. It's become our thing to talk to each other every time I am leaving school. Today he was wearing a shirt that said, Villains are the Worst. There was no pun or anything, just the statement that villains are the worst.

I guess he just wants the world to know how he feels without beating around the bush.

"Hey Jim, how's it going?"

He glared back at me.

What a fulfilling conversation.

"So, I guess you've been waiting out here to tell me that villains are the worst?"

He glared.

"Can I tell you why I don't think all villains are the worst?"

He continued to glare.

"Because if all villains were the worst then are any villains really the worst? That's like saying all supers are the best."

"But all supers are the best." I don't think he's blinked throughout this whole encounter.

"But if all supers were the best then really none of them are because essentially, they are all on the same level."

We stared at each other for a moment before I raised a hand to my head in a fist and spreading my fingers like an explosion. "Mind-blown."

"You're saying these things because you are a villain."

"Maybe I am-"

"You are."

"-Maybe I'm not." My parents take on that title and that's fine by me but I choose not to. It's too... permanent for me. I feel as if once you take on that name, that's it. You can't take it away from your image. And the burden of that name is too heavy for me to take on right now. "What makes you so certain?"

"Just a hunch," he grunted, holding his sign higher. I smirked.

"We'll see how far that hunch gets you in life Jimmy boy," I turned around to look at my high school. "Seems like it's already taking you to bigger and better places! Toodles."

I left him with an infuriating smile plastered on my face and waved as I shoved past him and his group of vocal activists.

I dropped my smile once a rounded the corner with a sigh. What a group of Debby downers.

__

"Okay, everyone listen up!" I waved around my meter stick, felling powerful with it in my hand.

"This is a top secret, "Las Vegas rule" kind of operation so if any of this gets out to the public, I will have your heads! Is that understood?" I paused, waiting for a confirmation.

Luna barked once from her position on my bed, wagging her tail on my bed.

I smiled proudly. "Thank you Luna. I have now promoted you to executive director of this operation, seeing as you seem to be the only one willing to talk." I glared at my stuffed giraffe and monkey, shaking my head.

"Momo and Tina," I sighed, placing my hands on my hips and halting my pacing, "I am very disappointed in you."

I resumed my pacing. "However, you can stay here and listen. I trust you both won't tell a soul." I checked their expressions through my peripheral to see if they cracked.

Their poker faces were spectacular.

"Moving on," I muttered, walking to my white board. "As you all know, I love my lists." If I wasn't organized than there was no hope for me in this world. I have too many thoughts in my head to not have them organized by category; otherwise I'd never get them done.

I barely get my tasks done now.

"So I've divided Operation S.O.P. into three different categories."

Bark!

"Great question Luna; I'll tell you what it stands for." With my meter stick in hand, I pointed to the letters. "Operation 'Save. Our. Parents. of course." Luna tilted her head as if trying to figure it out.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay Luna, no need for the sass; I'm aware its not the most amazing name ever." She licked her nose.

"As I was saying, Operation S.O.P. is divided into three different categories: planning, execution, and the cover-up. Planning is, of course, going to be the longest stage of this operation and the success depends solely on the thoroughness of this stage. There can be no room for mistakes." I stared at the board for a moment.

And then a moment longer, before pursing my lips and turning back towards the team.

"That's all I've got so far." Luna buried her head in her hands.

"Hey, at least I got this far and am not sitting around moping..." We shared a look. "...Anymore," I grumbled. I placed my meter stick against the wall and sighed.

"With that out of the way," I began pulling on my socks and shoes, "Luna, are you ready to go for a walk?" She barked happily, springing off my bed and out of my bedroom. I smiled, shaking my head. After grabbing my jacket and an umbrella, I turned off the lights and shut my bedroom door.

I peeped into the kitchen, my nose following the scent of homemade spaghetti. Of course I was blessed with the sight of Simon, our butler, wearing a white apron and dancing to the Annie Soundtrack.

"If you were about fifty-two years younger, a redhead, and a girl named Annie, you'd be spot on right now." Startled, Simon turned around, meeting my teasing grin.

"Miss Genevieve, I didn't hear you come in." I laughed as I walked in, giving him a hug and taking a seat on the opposite side of the island.

"Clearly," I said with a smile. "I can't wait to eat dinner. When will it be ready?"

He turned away, grabbing the onions on the cutting board. "It should be ready by the time you get back from your walk." I nodded, turning towards Luna, who had her leash in her mouth.

"You hear that Luna? Dinner will be ready once we get back." She barked enthusiastically as I adjusted her leash to her collar. "We'll be back soon," I told Simon as we headed to the door.

"Miss Genevieve?" I turned around after unlocking the door. "Do you have your phone?" I felt my pocket. "Yeah, I have it." I opened the door, letting Luna out first.

"Oh, and Miss Genevieve?"

"Yeah?"

"Please be safe." I gazed at him for moment before nodding.

"I will," I promised and shut the door.

__

It was only drizzling at this point, so I just pulled my hood up over my head instead of using my umbrella. Luna and I made it a mission to spend some quality time together everyday. Since she is always cooped up in the house with no one to really play with, this was our daily form of exercise.

Luna is one of my best friends.

I found her when I was fourteen in a box near a dumpster. It was on a rainy and dreary day like today when I was on my way home from school and heard the most heart-wrenching whine. She just was a puppy.

I had always wanted a dog, a German shepherd to be exact, and she was perfect. I'll never forget the way her eyes lit up when I took her home and how that was the first time I ever really felt happy, hence her name Luna. She is my source of light in darkness.

Her steady footsteps calmed me as we walked further down the street together. The moon was bright tonight and for the first time since my parents' incarceration, I felt optimistic for the future. As long as the moon rose every night and I had the ability to stand here and look at it, I should be thankful right?

We kept walking until Luna finished all her business and turned back. We began our familiar trek home. The trees began to cast a shadow on the street and the orange glow from the street lights reflected off of the wet sidewalk.

Luna paused but I passed her, continuing home. When her leash reached its limit, I tugged a little and looked back at her.

"Luna," I called. "Come here girl." She didn't move. Instead, a deep rumble formed in her throat as she gazed across the street. I walked back to where she was and tried to match her gaze. However, I looked over and saw nothing.

She was starting to freak me out. She never acted like this. "C'mon Luna, let's get home," I coaxed but she wouldn't budge. I tried to follow her line of vision again and once again saw nothing but darkness.

I sighed. "Luna you're--"

Wait.

Something moved.

It was a subtle and silent movement, one that I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been staring so hard. But I was. So I did.

But I think that was the objective; to get me to notice.

It was a silhouette of a person just standing on the opposite side of the street from me. The person wasn't moving at all. Though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was looking right at me.

I was frozen in fear as Luna continued to growl. I stood up and pulled her leash with more force than normal to get her to move. "Luna, let's go, right now." She understood my tone and snapped out of her phase, rushing past me and leading me home.

With a pounding heart, I kept my gaze on the person we were getting closer to with each step. Running through all of my combat tactics and sparring lessons, I mentally prepared myself for confrontation.

We were getting closer and closer and Luna, although still walking, continued to growl at the entity. I looked down at my phone to throw of suspicion that I was aware of my being watched. The time was 8:52; we had been gone for a little over thirty-five minutes.

Unlocking my phone, I go straight to my text messages and send my location to Norman before sending a text.

Being watched... If I'm not home in ten, come here.

I closed my phone and looked up.

Of course, the person was gone. Luna was also no longer growling, but I wasn't fooled. He wasn't gone. I could still feel his gaze. The unsettling part was that I wasn't sure from where.

That was, until I felt the air around me shift and I was able to duck at the last moment.

The person missed my head by mere inches and grunted at the imbalance it caused. I ducked low and Luna jumped over my head, her jaws aiming for the person's arm, but with a flick of his wrist, she was thrown backwards with a yelp.

"Luna!" I cried out, trying to rush to her side, but getting my arm caught in the attacker's vice-like grip. "Let me go!" I twisted my wrist forcing their arm into an unnatural position before bringing my leg up for a groin shot, but their free hand shoved it down and brought me closer to them.

I forced my head back into their face, relishing the noise of their pain. Luna was charging towards us again but once again, she was shoved back, this time into the brick covering on a mailbox, leaving her down.

"Luna," I cried out again, hysterically fighting the person's grip. No one messed with my dog, especially not twice. I attempted to disable one leg by wrapping my ankle around theirs and shoving my knee into the back of theirs, but I was met with an adversary I have never faced before.

The person placed both hands on my temples for the slightest of seconds and every piece of information I'd gathered with my photographic memory was stripped from me in a moment.

I couldn't... I couldn't remember anything like I normally could. I couldn't...

All energy left me, my energy contained within the memory that I no longer seemed to possess. It was as if someone was blocking my powers, which was impossible. I read about it in a book... I think.

I collapsed on the wet ground below me, fighting my hardest to disable the attacker in front of myself before I was left completely vulnerable before them but it was not use.

My eyes, heavy with exhaustion and overcome by the looming darkness succumbed to it.

Get up and run home Luna.

Succumbed to nothing but everything.

Run for your life.

--

so like hey i'm back but i'm sure you don't believe me because i take long ass breaks and then randomly pop up lol.

But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know might seem similar to The Call but really they will have very few similarities as the story goes on. As many of you probably know by now, I hate taking too long to get to the action, so the story is going to pick up very soon!

Love you all! Please vote and comment your thoughts on the chapter! Tell me if you liked if or if you think I'm the worst( haha but actually ). Let me know how you are feeling because I want to connect with you guys.  :)

xx,

jean margaret

( PS : HAPPY THANKSGIVING. I'M THANKFUL FOR YOU. )