I snap back to reality when Corrosion responds. "Look I know what I'm asking you to do is unorthodox and what some may describe as idiotic. But all the other heroes are busy and you're the only other person that I can think of that can help me fight them."

Wait did he just say all the other heroes? As in he asked?

"Hold up, did you just say other heroes? Like you spoke to them?" I ask, kind of shocked and the fan girl inside me is starting to stir.

He finally looks up to me and all the seriousness is wiped away and replaced by an excited stupid smirk. "Yup. I'll tell you about as soon as you agree to help."

Dang, I so just gave him the upper hand didn't I?

I take a hesitant breath, already knowing my answer, a sure answer. I don't know why I'm being hesitant. Maybe because I know that there is no backing out of this. Maybe because I still don't know what his real motives are. Maybe because I don't even have a plan. But I have to do this. For the city, no screw the city. For the lives that infest the city. "I'm in."

Corrosion let out a small chuckle that made me immediately regret my life decisions. "Great," he tilts his head and a chunk of hair falls in his eyes, right between the little crease in his brows.

____________

After Corrosion oh-so-dramatically said "great," he pulled up a roll-y chair out of no where and a cartoonishly large black chest that resembles one of Black Ops'. drop boxes. "First things first, get you supplies for the missions." He starts to rummage through the box after ushering my to take a seat. 

"So it's a mission now and not just a big clean up for your mess?" I smirk a little, knowing that it'll get under his skin, but in a playful manner.

"No." He stops and stares straight at the wall to my right, then continues whatever business he's up to. "Well kind of, more of an operation really." Still throwing stuff from different corners within the chess, bombarding the walls to where the thumps were almost visible. 

I feel a smile tug at the corners of my lips. "So... Do you have a name for this operation?" Hoping that I can trick him into giving me an opening to name this so called "operation." Just to make a reference that he'll likely miss. I just can't help myself.

I'm a nerd, deal with it.

The glossy light bounced harmlessly off his pale upturned nose as he scrunched due to the bizarre inquisition. "Uh...no, not really-" he cut himself off, "well, not officially." A faint. reminiscent smirk lingered on his face, almost like the memory was fond. I choose not to poke the bear, I don't want to mess up whatever made his smirk turn ghostly.

Before I can continue on with the not-exactly-small-talk-but-not-really-a-conversation, Corrosion laughed triumphantly, and turned to me with his hands full of random everyday objects. 

"Is that the 'supplies' I'll need for the operation?" Evident in my restricted voice that this just seams ridiculous. 

I tilt my head and look at everything. The base in which he's effortlessly balancing the items on is wrinkly black cloth. 

Please tell me he is not making me wear a skin tight suit like he is...Ew.

He walked towards his desk once again and told me to follow, I did. Immediately he started to lay the objects onto the polished wood. 

Why must he be so dramatic about everything? He's probably in the drama club. Haha, I would like to see that. Imagine him doing a Shakespeare play wearing tights and a feathery hat...Wait he is in tights, never mind.

It is seemingly taking him ages to lay out all the items. Probably because I'm just standing around awkwardly and trying not to seem like I don't know how to person. So, knowing me, I decide to talk. 

"So...the weather outside. It's fall. The leafs are now waiting to die in horror as everyone around them do so and wilt. They're probably like 'Oh no! My friend Bob is gone! I must live for him." I said in a high pitched and dramatic voice. "And then starts to wilt a day later, 'Ahh! I promised Bob I will live for him, I'm sorry. I must leaf this place as did you." 

I become more aware that I'm rambling and realize that I just imitated a leaf dying and made a comically morbid pun. I also see that he's now carelessly leaning on the desk, arms crossed, and an indecipherable smirk on.

I hate myself sometimes. I get myself into these situations and make a fool of myself. At least I didn't yell out "Cyanide, duh!" In the middle of class this time. And before you ask no, I was not trying to think of a poison or anything. My friend and I were trying to name words starting with the letter C, and I just remembered that...I'm not insane. I promise.

Queue my awkward shuffling and coughs. His crystallized sap like eyes stared incomprehensibly at me. Like he was trying to decide how to respond or more like he was trying to figure something out. 

This is getting creepy. 

What do I do? Do I just let him stare at me? Do I say something like "hey, creepy McCreeperson, stop staring at me. I know I'm an Anomaly but you don't have to alienate me from being one." No I can't say that, I don't feel like getting beaten again. 

Instead I just burst out laughing. 

Yup, you read that right. 

Unlike normal people, who probably would've cleared their throat or said something to change the topic of staring silently, I decided to laugh. Not a chuckle or a girlish squeal, no, I mean chocolate milk coming out of your nose worthy laugh. I laugh during situations I don't know how to respond to.

I began to laugh uncontrollably. My stomach began to curl, my throat progressively getting scratchier and dry, and my eyes filled with tears to where all my surroundings just look like the inside of a kaleidoscope. My mind clouded, my ears muffled, and my legs go numb.

I blame the morphine. 

This is on him. 

I'm not even sure if the dosage of morphine he gave me would even make me giggly, just let me believe I'm not this weird when I'm not forcibly drugged. Corrosion is a green and black blob to my left, most likely trying to figure out what to do or regretting convincing me to work with him. In my attempts to get myself to stop laughing I prevented any air getting through my throat and nasal passages.

Do you know what happens when your body is trying to laugh and don't allow any air to get through?

You choke. And then you cough. 

After my coughing ceased I found myself on my knees and my arms hanging on to the desk. I wipe away the tears and dust myself off. I look at Corrosion and say with forced casual-ity, "So uh..you were....um...showing me the stuff I'll need of the stuff." Wait, what? Did I just say the stuff I'll need of the stuff? Ugh, why mouth?

He snaps out of the trance he apparently was still in and replied, "Oh, uh yeah." He gestured to the desk. "As you can see these are quiet inconspicuous objects. First we have what you're going to wear until we can figure out a more believable attire." His gloved hands grip lose fitted basketball shorts, about two sizes too big for me. "They might be a little big, but they're only temporary until we can find something better." Obviously reading my facial expression I haven't even noticed I was wearing.  

I open my mouth but he continues talking before I can make a sound, thankfully. "Your shirt would be just a plane black running shirt." He shoves the two items of clothing into my arms, both of which are extremely big. And precedes with his thrown together version of a superhero starter pack. Corrosion picked up running shoes that were the opposite of the previous clothes, which is white and only one size to big, because "You can't be known as the emo superhero." Next were the gloves, which was not as cool as his fitted, good material, durable gloves. Mine were black latex gloves, the kind CSI's use in TV shows. "No finger prints," he chided. A pamphlet titled "So you don't know how to do your hair," inside the fish tail braid was circled obsessively with a red sharpie. 

My expression went blank. "Why?"

"Because you can't have the same hairstyle as a superhero and as a civilian, people will start connecting the dots. We have to throw them off the trail." At the end of the sentence his arms created a wavy motion, like a trail was a wave. He's weird.

Then a silver hair clip so it looks like I just have a sliver of hair dyed. I asked, he answered with the previous answer. Next was a mask, the typical, cliche, and classic style. Black of course.  Suddenly he pulled out a backpack from under his desk, how I didn't notice that earlier I have no idea. It looked like a regular black Jansport backpack, although he said it contained secret pockets so that I can have my "suit" with me at all times and if anybody looked in it, all they'll find was my school work. He opened the backpack and demonstrated the pockets were on the inside on the back and in the lining on the inside front, behind where the outside pockets are. Unexpectedly he pulled something out of the backpack.  

It was one of those forty dollar Bluetooth earbuds. The ones made to blend into hair, this one was dark brown almost black. But they're also made to be water proof and stay on your head. The earpieces are hooked to line the outside of your ear, the hooks hold small rectangular prisms with a silicone curved earpiece attached to the side. Both earpieces are connected by a thin rubber ribbon and a tightening mechanism in the middle of the half loop the earbuds made. 

I snap out of my shock and closed my gaped mouth I wasn't aware I had. "I can't accept these." I hand them back cautiously like you would a bomb. He grabs them and shoves them back into my palms. "I'm asking you to fight unleashed villains without no training and having basically no control of your powers. Take them, if anything I'm going to owe you for this." I don't protest further, until the next object was pulled from the bag.

 A phone.

 A smart phone.

 An iPhone.

I've never had a smartphone before. All I've ever had was a small block with a one-by-one inch screen and twelve small buttons for numbers and letters. And I'm perfectly fine with that. 

Hey, at least it works.

"Okay, now I really can't accept this. It's at least a one-fifty." I gently set it on the desk and take a step back. 

His brows droop at this reaction. "Like I said. You're risking your life to help me unscrew the city that I screwed in the first place. I put the entire place in danger just because I wanted to preform the impossible." His voice is soft and breathless, almost sounds like he's' holding his breath. Corrosion takes a step forward. "Please, it'll help ease my conscious on what I'm asking of you. Just..." He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Just take it." He holds out the phone for me to take. But I don't know if I can. Who knows how much the stuff he already gave me cost, let alone a smartphone. 

How can I take it from him? I can't pay him back. It'll be stealing. Taking advantage of him. Freeloading.

But in a weird way, by him holding out the phone, arm extended, it feels like he's putting himself on the line. Like if I reject the phone, I'm rejecting him as a person. That if I reject it, it'll crush him. Almost like the unspoken truth is that this moment, this action, this choice, will be the defining moment of how our partnership is going to be. Rejecting the phone, we're strictly partners and there will always be an unexplainable barrier between us. 

The sword hanging above our heads. 

Our inevitable downfall of not having any connection as humans. 

Accepting the phone will be accepting this situation. Accepting him. Accepting our partnership, accepting that we're forming a relationship. Accepting each other. Accepting that we'll be in each others lives from now on. And accepting the burden of the city is shared between the two of us. Possibly the only advantage we'll have over our opponents is that we're a team. That we have a connection other than a title as partner. A connection that will help our trust, understand each other in high pressure situations, that if something bad happens we can't blame one another. 

A unity.

Not necessarily a friendship, but a start of a balanced acquaintance. A type of  equilibrium between us.

After a suffocating moment, probably longer than a moment. I extend my arm, trying to keep the trembling to a minimum and grab the phone after the last of my hesitation prolonged the finger tips for a half second. Taking the phone and slipping it into my back pocket.

The action itself was mere and anti-climatic. 

"Okay." I clapped my hands and the empty sound echoed in the empty space. "I'm guessing that's it?" I ask trying not to sound like I want to get out of here. More of a forced and obviously fake cheerfulness after that pregnant scene. 

"Um...actually there's one more thing." He reaches in the bag and tosses it into the air like a magician would. He caught it in the air, his ego in full swing once again. "Two chargers. One for the iPhone and the other for the earbuds. The earbuds charger is just a regular android one." 

"Thanks. But why would I need the earbuds and phone? I mean, I just don't get how my lack of electronics would effect me in a fight." Instead of just standing there awkwardly I decide to sit on the chair, so sit awkwardly.

"Well how it's going to work is that I'm going to be monitoring the city and in order to tell you, you're going to need a reliable phone, no offense. Also, in the off chance that I don't detect an Anomaly one of the news apps will alert you. The earbuds have a modified battery so instead of only lasting a few hours it'll last eighteen hours. You can wear them all throughout school and in fights. All you have to do is push a button on the earbuds and make up an excuse to get out of class. They wont fall off of you during a fight and is sweat resistant. I'll be hacking into cameras to monitor the fight and guide you through the fight, advising you and such. See, you wont be alone, I'll be the brain you'll be the body." His cheerful smirk faded into confusion and added, "That sounded a lot less creepy in my head." 

I nodded acting as if I fully comprehended the subject.  

Damn, what have I got myself into?

This week has been passing by so fast, heck just last Monday I was concerned about when my next Biology test is. Now I have powers, a partnership with a secret superhero, and an alter ego. I am going to have so much make up work from missing days of school. 

Fuck.

I've been out cold for three days.

Three days of sleeping in this warehouse.

Three days of not talking to anyone.

Three days of not returning home.

Of not speaking to my family.

"I haven't been seen in three days." My voice is hollow.

Corrosion looked up from his computer. "Uh...yeah. Why?"

"My family must be worried sick." A sickening thought streams through my head. "I didn't leave on good terms with my family." I sense my eyes widen, they must be so worried. And after that, they are so going to kill me. I cover my opened mouth with my palm, knowing my jaw is not coming back up for a while. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!" I take in choppy breaths trying to calm myself down. "They're going to think I ran away or or...I don't know think I'm dead or something." I start pacing once again. "How am going to explain this. How the hell do I explain this. They must have been looking for me every where. They probably called the cops. Shit! How do I explain this to the cops. This is going to be humiliating and horrible and I'm in soooo much trouble." 

My breath consistently hitches in my throat while I'm trying to take in soothing breaths.

Not working.

I feel my eyes start to sting and feel liquid at the edges of my eyes.

Dammit Kendal what did I tell you, I thought. No crying. Crying doesn't get you anywhere and is a sign of weekness. Cut your shit. It's not a big deal. 

I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, trying desperately to not cry. 

Breath. Just breath.

"Hey, calm down. Seriously, I've been monitoring things so that they don't get out of control." I forgot Corrosion was here for a second. After jumping a bit, I looked to him, trying to keep my facial expression in check.

No weaknesses.

I try to not focus on the situation. Keep my mind occupied and my eyes dry. "Have they?" My voice cracking at the end.

Dammit Kendal. 

He looked at me in a calm manner, body language relaxed, smirk faint, eye brows tilted up.

How the fuck is he calm?

"No, things have been pretty mellow, minus all the attacks. Your family haven't notified the cops, have not issued any alert. You can calm down. They haven't even called you in for missing Friday at school. Honestly on how little the activity has been concerning you, you'd think that you haven't been missing." He spoke lightly and with confidence, like that was okay.  His stance was tilted, like this is the best possible situation for me.

They haven't called the cops. 

Haven't talked to the school.

Haven't told anyone.

Haven't been looking for me.

And nobody has even bat an eye towards my disappearance.

I know that I'm not the most interesting person. I know that I'm invisible to just about everyone. I know that I'm not the first person you want to hang around, heck I know my existence has no purpose and will probably never impact not a single life, that I don't mean a whole lot to none but a person or two. But...my own family. I know things at home have been kind of shitty sense the incident. But damn, Konner has been stoned off her ass for this long? So drunk that she couldn't even comprehend that there's someone missing from the house. The only other person in the house. The only one in this whole fucking world that gives a damn about her? And she hasn't even noticed?

 I doubt she even cares.

I wouldn't expect my friends to notice I've been missing, I've been kind of distant with them lately. I wouldn't expect my dad to. Not even my mom, she's on a business trip. But my own sister. The one that's been looking out for me the last few years, hasn't even cared. The one that I had to drag to bed or force her to drink water. The one that is constantly irritated by me yet takes care of me the best she can. The one that I thought loved me, my sibling that I was once so close with.

Not even caring.

Not even making an effort.

An emotional smog settled over me, heavier than the heart. It weaved itself within my body, my brain, my heart, creating a settlement. Black, cold, and ruthless. My heart sank, no longer beating rapidly. My brain clouded. Limbs weighing me down.  My mind blank.

I turn away from Corrosion. Show no weakness.

"Oh..." No choppy words Kendal, keep it cool. "That's convenient. Lucky for us, I really just freaked right there didn't I? Haha...whoo, dodged a bullet there." It takes all my strength to keep my head up high, yet it still droops. I feel my eyes water more. In response I clench my fist, digging my fingernails into my palms.

Keep it cool.

"Hey, what's wrong-" The G was mostly cut off. A beat of silence passed over us, knowing that he just figured out the atmosphere. Knowing he knows what's wrong. But he doesn't know the full picture, and he never will.

How is he going to perceive me after this?

"Oh..." I can feel his sympathy through the air.

I fucking hate sympathy directed towards me.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure they are worried. They are probably out looking for you right no-"

I cut him off. We both know he's been watching my house, no one's came in or out of it in days likely.

"Don't say it. You don't know what you're talking about." I take a deep breath, he takes the pause as an invitation to continue talking. 

"Don't be to sure about that."

What is that suppose to mean? 

You know what, I don't think I want to know.

"I need to stretch my legs, been sleeping for days. I'll see you later." I brushed passed him without making eye contact, shoving the supplies in the backpack, and walking away without a word.

When I had a foot out the door though, his voice came. "You shouldn't be alone."

I shouldn't be a lot of things.

"I'm fine."

 My voice barely above a whisper, it's either that or risk a crack in my voice.

"I'm serious." His tone hard, demanding, he is serious.

I walked out without another word.

_________________________

...Okay so what did you guys think? It took me a few weeks to write this because I had to do so many revisions on this and make so many changes. It was going to be longer but I decided to cut it in half. Thoughts? Critiques? Questions? Predictions? Anyways, thanks for reading, hope you liked it. Have a good day! :D