Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
ALEX
“If anyone is going to win in a fight against TechTank, it’s gonna be Razor.” Joon waved his hands in the air, letting melted ice cream drops splatter around us.
I jabbed my finger on the magazine, refusing to let up. “Insinuating that another Hero can even come close to TechTank is blasphemy. I’m revoking your Variant card; you’re a traitor.”
It was the first day of summer break, and we were already in an all-out Hero war.
New Heroes cycled into the public eye every summer, fresh from the academy, and the media always ran to comparisons and predictions on how the rankings would change.
Every Hero had a class, and weren’t officially ranked, but everyone knew who was top dog.
TechTank had reigned supreme for eight years running, and I refused to acknowledge that he was slowing down.
“Listen, I don’t care who’s number one right now.” Joon dropped the rest of his melted mess into the trash beside us, and leaned back on his hands with a satisfied grin. “I’ve got one year left before I can apply for the academy, and after that? I’m going straight to the top.”
He pointed his finger straight to the sky, and the sun shone down on him, like he’d manifested his future right at that moment.
The sounds of car horns faded in the background, and the sliding door of the market behind us stalled just for him, just for this moment.
I didn’t doubt it one bit—one day, Joon would be in the magazines, too.
“I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines,” I hummed. “Maybe I can be your sidekick or something.”
Joon whipped around, and his dark eyes narrowed in on me. “If you think you’re sidekick material, you’re actually a lunatic. I can’t think of a single Hero right now that can stop a Villain without some amount of damage.”
I huffed a laugh. “And?”
He put a finger on the attachment on my head, the small horns that kept me in the hospital for a week. Joon hadn’t left my side when I got them put in.
“Imagine what you could do for Variants, Alex. Everyone thinks we’re either badass or evil.
No, in between. Picture a Hero that could de-escalate or disengage a Villain without lifting a finger.
No injuries, no property damage, no chance of escape.
You’re gonna be a Hero that changes the game, little dreamer. Quote me on it when you’re famous.”
“—yet?”
“It can take time to come out of anesthesia; she may need more rest.”
My body was weightless, at peace; like sitting in a bath. Something rested on my shoulder, and it felt like sunlight. Tingling, warm, urging me to curl up and nap.
“Alex?”
I hummed back something incomprehensible and went to turn over.
“No, no, no, don’t do that,” a scratchy voice was beside my ear, and someone laid me back. “You’ll hurt yourself if you lie on them.”
Bright white light made my eyes squint as I blinked, finally settling into reality. I’d been dreaming before, right? What was it about again?
“Did the aliens take me?” I groaned.
A chorus of chuckles filled the air, and my eyes settled on the room. White blankets were stacked on top of me, pulled all the way up to my chin; a horrid attempt at swaddling. Leo leaned over me, his hand on my shoulder, and exhaustion was clear on his face.
“What the hell happened to you?” my voice was scratchy, and fading.
He smirked and shook his head. “Someone asked me for a morphine drip, and apparently, getting doctors to actually follow through with that is more exhausting than fighting Villains. How are you feeling?”
It took a moment to register, and then it all flooded in. I had surgery, and Leo had actually followed through on my ridiculous request. Apparently, he didn’t realize that I was half-joking at the time. He got me the good stuff. There wasn’t a single ache or pain, only endless warmth.
“Fucking awesome,” I drawled with a cheesy smile. “Waayyyy better than last time. I’m chillin’ like a Villain.”
“Don’t get too attached,” a familiar voice called from across the room. “They’ll take you off of it soon. You’re lucky that you have someone like Leo to advocate for you—they were going to give you Gabapentin.”
Doctor B shuffled over, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his scrubs, an ID badge still hanging around his neck. Behind him, Reed peeked his head out, and sent me a silent wave as he grinned.
“… What hospital are we in, again?” I was almost positive I was at a center specifically made for VIA use.
“Same one you got surgery in, don’t worry, no transfers were made,” he chuckled. “Mr. Theron here had called me as soon as you went under. He was quite concerned with the process and wanted you to have a familiar face around for when you woke up.”
Leo dropped back into the chair beside me, tilting his head to the ceiling, as if he was exiting from the narrative. His jaw worked, chewing his cheek, and he picked at his nails as he remained silent. I couldn’t smell cigarettes; only that musky cologne.
Has he been waiting here this whole time?
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out, but it was definitely too long for someone who was waiting on a smoke break.
“How long has it been?”
My question was for Leo, but he’d completely zoned out. Instead, Reed sprawled out at the foot of my bed, propping himself on an elbow as he placed his chin on his palm.
“They told him four hours, but it took a little over six. Something about the way your skull was broken up—”
Doctor B interjected, “Well, that’s a bit harsh.
Your implants obviously caused some complications with your skull formation, and in the process of fixing that, the dura mater was compromised.
Luckily, the VIA has some extremely talented Variants on hand.
With their abilities and the surgeons here, you shouldn’t have any long-lasting effects.
We just have to keep an eye on infection, obviously, and it’s been recommended that you take it easy for at least a week. ”
I nodded only slightly, following along. “And my surgeon isn’t here to explain this because…?”
Doctor B and Reed turned to Leo. His head lulled, his fidgeting had stopped, and his breathing had settled into something deep and rhythmic. He’d fallen asleep within seconds.
“Yeah, well, about that,” Reed lowered his voice to a whisper.
“He kinda went apocalyptic when they came out to give an update. After the whole duram matin thing, you know.” Doctor B looked like he was physically restraining himself from correcting the redhead.
“Anyway, it was a whole thing. They called me—kinda hurt I wasn’t informed on the whole major surgery thing, but that’s cool, I’ll go fuck myself—and I came in to save the day, as usual.
Long story short, it’s in the staff’s best interest that Doctor B relay the info and all.
Don’t worry about confidentiality, because the VIA doesn’t give a shit, clearly. ”
My head was spinning, but I got the picture that everything would be fine.
I watched Leo, the way fatigue draped around him, and reminded myself to thank him later.
It was obvious that I’d needed an upgrade, but without him, I likely would’ve kept waiting.
I didn’t want to think about what would have happened if I had.
“He hasn’t left your side,” Doctor B grinned and patted my foot. “You’ve got a great support system, Alex.”
A tremble formed on my lips, and my chest sunk—not in a bad way. In the way it would sink, and then lift, at the drop off of a roller coaster. When you raised your hands, and nothing mattered except for that moment.
The door to my room echoed with fierce knocks, and we turned our heads as it swung open.
In the hallway, the Hernandez family stood panting, as if they had sprinted all the way here.
Minnie shouldered off an assortment of bags she was carrying, and shoved them behind her into Gabriel’s chest, who was already carrying four.
“Ay, Dios mío, I thought he was taking you on a date, not to a hospital!” Her shriek made Leo finally jolt up.
He grasped at my bedsheets, lurching forward with panic on his face. “What happened?!”
Reed gave a cat-like grin. “A date? Juicy, tell me more.”
Gabriel waddled in, balancing ten bags by himself, while Sofia and Matias tiptoed behind him.
Sofia was nearly eighteen now, and Matias had just turned ten.
I would see them at Nightmyre PD occasionally, dropping off food to Gabriel, or spending the day with him when school was out.
They were good kids—a good family. The tears welled up with a vengeance, and I couldn’t stop them from falling.
Minnie scooted in beside me, tucking her arm behind my back as she pulled my face into her shoulder. “It’s okay, Alex. Let it out; we’re here.”
Reed made room for Matias to climb up beside him, and Sophia pulled up a chair to sit before clasping my hand in hers. Gabriel began rifling through their bags, stacking containers of food onto any flat surface he could find.
“We would have gotten here sooner, but Sofia insisted on making Pozole,” He gave his daughter a sarcastic smirk.
She squeezed my hand and gave a small smile. “It’s great when you’re sick, and hospital food is no good.”
The room should have been smaller, nearly suffocating, with this many visitors.
When I’d had my first surgery, my parents had been working doubles just to afford it.
Joon was the only one who could stay with me.
His mom would visit when she got off her shifts, dropping off food and getting updates to relay to my parents.
She’d moved back home when Joon got into the academy, and couldn’t stomach coming back to Nightmyre after he died.
My parents were still close, still working themselves to the bone, but it never crossed my mind to reach out to them when I needed it.
I’d visit every month or so, we’d talk about the weather and work, and that’s where it stopped.
They never asked about Joon or the VIA, and I never talked about it.
We didn’t have that kind of relationship, and I thought that was fine.
Joon was the only one I ever wanted to rely on.
But my circle had grown larger, and I hadn’t thought about it before. Minnie and Gabriel were there when he died. Doctor B took me under his wing when I needed a change, and now Reed and Leo were here, too.
Leo stayed with me the whole time. He kept his promise.
I sniffled, soft hiccups breaking up my words as I turned to him. “You called them all?”
He stilled, eyes wide, as if he had done something wrong.
“I, uh… yeah. I wasn’t sure what you’d need when you woke up, so I asked Dahlia to look them all up and get their numbers. Was that — I mean, is this okay?” Leo swallowed hard, gaze flitting from face to face.
I smiled and wiped my wet cheeks. “This is perfect. Thank you… thank you all so much.”
He let out a long breath, nodding, and gave me a smile I’d never seen. Leo had smiled; he wasn’t inhuman. But I hadn’t seen it so genuine before.
“You look so cool now,” Matias chirped, leaning on my ankles. “Like a dragon!”
The room went silent, and everyone’s eyes were wide as they turned to me.
Reed pursed his lips. “You know what? I totally see it, kid.”
Sofia turned to whisper-yell at her brother, and Minnie patted my shoulder gently. “Kids, right? So silly.”
“Well, if we’re speaking scientifically,” Doctor B couldn’t look me in the eye, “larger implants would mean larger output, right?”
“… Give me a mirror.” I turned to Leo, the demand urgent.
He leaned back, crossed his ankle over his knee, and clasped his hands in his lap. “No can do, Sweetheart.” His necked bobbed as he swallowed. “Genius. Kind-hearted-woman. Badass on a bike. All of the adjectives for someone who definitely does not look like a fantasy creature.”
His face turned bright red.
“Yeah, no, not suspicious at all. Did you want to borrow a Thesaurus? It might help next time you wanna butter her up,” Reed quipped.
“Why?”
Leo’s knee began to bounce. “Because you’re happy, I’m happy, and I wanna sit in it for a minute. Let me soak this in, maybe take a smoke break, and then we can talk about it—”
“—if I do not have a mirror in my hand within sixty seconds, you’re going to need to pump me with more morphine, because I swear to God, if the VIA made me look like a—”
Three phones set on camera mode were in front of me before I could finish my sentence. I wasn’t sure whose I’d grabbed, but I hoped they had insurance, because the device slipped from my grip the moment I saw myself.
“Definitely a dragon,” Matias cackled.
My eye was twitching; I was sure of it. “You’re right, kiddo. By the way, where is my surgeon again?”