It was the anniversary.
Bubbles swallowed hard and pointedly didn't look at the calendar on the fridge as she ate her waffle. Of course, just because she wasn't looking at the calendar didn't mean she wasn't thinking of it. It was hard not to. The waffles suddenly became sawdust in her mouth and she found herself unable to finish them. She got wearily to her feet and dumped the remnants of her breakfast in the trash, quickly washing the plate and setting it aside to air-dry. She tried hard not to think about it, but it kept coming back… that awful day ten years ago. She briefly recalled a flash of light, then she could see her sisters running towards her in slow motion, screaming her name in muffled voices and trying to keep her awake. Burning pain gripped her tiny body, drawing her towards the darkness and the promise of not feeling… Bubbles clutched the edge of the marble counter, sweat forming along her brow. She looked down at her pale hands, feeling sweat dampen her palms. She yanked her hands off the counter and looked at the marks her hands had left, rubbing them away with a towel before she quickly left the kitchen, going into the living room. She went across the room, sitting down lightly on the couch and turning on the TV. She flicked aimlessly through the channels when a news article caught her eye. She paused for a moment, watching in horror.
"… today marks the tenth anniversary of the 'Powerpuff Girls' hanging up their powers for good," The anchor man—channel 6's own Harold Brawn—said in a slightly mournful voice. The channel skipped to a video montage of the Powerpuff Girls. Three bright eyed kindergarteners waved to the camera as they flew over a bustling, shining city. Chicago, or as they had called it 'Townsville'. It showed the girls—a sweet girl with blonde pigtails, a smart girl with long red hair tied back with a red bow, and a brash girl with a bob of black hair—fighting crime, stopping bank robberies and fighting people such as the insane Dr. Joseph Moe, or 'Mojo-Jojo' as the girls had called him. They also showed the girls stopping a red faced, devilish man called only 'Him' as his name had never been learned. It showed the rogue billionaire's daughter, Sophia 'Princess' Morbucks, getting knocked out of the sky and barely caught by the red haired girl. Bubbles swallowed hard and sank back into the cushions, watching as a younger version of her and her sister's flashed across the screen. Harold Brawn commentated the entire time, but Bubbles wasn't listening. She felt horrible fear make her limbs numb when they came to the last video, a home video of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup flying across the sky, the pink, blue, and green streaks behind them as they went. The girls were all giggling, unaware of the horrible thing that was about to happen. Suddenly, a bomb went off just underneath them in an apparently abandon apartment. There was much screaming as people dove for cover, but the person who had taped it filmed the Powerpuff Girls as they attempted to escape the blast. Blossom and Buttercup were able to pull out of the way, but a huge piece of shrapnel tore through Bubbles, her blood spraying everywhere as she spiraled down to the ground, creating a crater as she hit the pavement. Blossom and Buttercup screamed in the sky and nose-dived for their fallen sister. The person with the camera ran forward to check the damage on Bubbles, as did others. Blossom and Buttercup wailed when they saw the horrible state the young, sweet Bubbles was in; her blonde pigtails had been torn out and she was pale as snow, her eyes wide with pain and her arms and legs akin to a rag dolls. Buttercup tore the piece of shrapnel out of the terribly injured Bubbles, throwing it aside as Blossom tried to staunch the bleeding. A doctor rushed forward, attempting to help. Another person called 911, but in spite of everything, the video kept rolling, filming every grisly moment of the Powerpuff Girl's last escapade. Bubbles watched, numb, as Blossom and Buttercup flew into the settling dust to find the culprit. They violently threw the insane Dr. Moe out, followed closely by a hysterically laughing 'Him'. Dr. Moe was fatally injured and died soon after he was cleared of the building, likely from smoke insulation, shock, and blood loss. However, 'Him' kept laughing as Blossom and Buttercup beat him to a bloody pulp, crying as they did so, screaming over and over how he had killed their youngest sister. An ambulance arrived on the scene just as it appeared 'Him' was about to die. The police retained Blossom and Buttercup, still mad with grief, and strapped the profusely bleeding Bubbles and 'Him' to stretchers, taking them away in separate ambulances. That's when the TV was abruptly turned off by someone who had managed to come into the living room and steal the remote. Bubbles looked up to see her father looming over her, a sad look in his eyes. He was a kindly man with average features and mousy brown hair, but he was very protective of his three daughters, especially concerning their retirement. That's why they'd moved from Chicago after Bubbles had recovered; they'd moved to a sleepy Wisconsin town in the middle of nowhere, intent on escaping the press for the rest of their lives. Bubbles wasn't really helping that by watching this.
"Are you alright?" Bubbles father asked her in a concerned voice. She nodded, getting up slowly from the couch and running her fingers anxiously through her long, platinum blonde hair.
"Yes," She replied hesitantly in quiet voice. After her accident ten years ago, she'd become very quiet and shy, rarely speaking up in school; she had a nonexistent social life, her only friends—besides her sisters—being a gay boy named Alexander and another boy named Fabio from Italy who had a girlfriend named Lila that hated Bubbles. But at least she had any friends at all and it was a bonus that Alexander and Fabio cared so much about her in the first place.
All the same, Bubbles couldn't help but think of the reason she was so reserved and never spoke much anymore. Ten years ago, she'd been so bright and fun and cutesy and… bubbly! But now, she was bitter and shy and quiet and grim. If that accident had never happened, if only…
"Bubbles, are you sure you're alright?" Her father inquired, interrupting her musings with his worrying. Bubbles shook her head, riding her mind of such thoughts, and smiled halfheartedly up at her father.
"I'm fine," Bubbles insisted, a hint of sadness to her words. Then again, all of her words and actions carried a hint of sadness and misery and despair. It was just the way she was nowadays.
"Well, are you ready for school yet?" He asked, trying to distract Bubbles. She was glad about it.
"Yes," Bubbles
replied timidly. "Is Buttercup?"
"She's running late…"
He shook his head indulgently.
"Again," They chimed in unison, and Bubbles giggled airily. Her father grinned, glad to see her laughing for once. Since her accident, she'd become so stoic… she rarely laughed anymore.
"Argh!" A girl with spiky black hair flew into the room, a doughnut in her mouth. She wore low rise jeans with chains going through the belt loops and hanging down the thigh of her skinny jeans. Her shirt was cut off and exposed her pierced belly button and flat stomach, and she even had chain bracelets decorating her wrists and a piece of blue, green, and pink fabric tied around her muscular forearm. Bubbles smiled; it was her sister, Buttercup. The resident badass of the school and toughest chick around.
"Hurry," Their
father chided in a teasing way. "You don't want to be late
again."
"I know, I know!" Buttercup hissed impatiently,
getting her backpack from the floor. "Let's go, BB,"
"Coming,"
Bubbles followed her sister to the front door, her messenger bag
slung over her narrow shoulder.
"I'll see you girls after school!" Their father called after them.
"See you later!" Bubbles and Buttercup called at the same time. Bubbles jumped off the porch into the drizzle, a jacket draped over her arm. Buttercup, however, had no jacket at all, but she looked hardly affected by the cold.
"Hurry, hurry,
hurry, hurry!" Buttercup insisted, rushing over and jumping into
her beat up truck. Bubbles smiled lightly and followed, getting in
the passenger's side and watching anxiously as her sister started
the huge truck and maneuvered it easily out of the gravel driveway.
Their eldest sister, Blossom, was already at school for an early
student council meeting. If she'd have been home, she'd have
already had the sisters out the door. And she'd have remembered
the anniversary. Buttercup likely knew what day it was and the
anniversary, but Bubbles doubted she would acknowledge it since it
had been such a horrible day for them. This was the same day ten
years ago that Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles had decided to swallow
a chemical called liquid Z. It was an unnamed element on the chart
and extremely toxic to people who didn't have superpowers like
them. But, liquid Z did something very strange; it took away their
powers. The girls had made this decision on their own, though, and
didn't regret it. Dr. Moe had died, Sophia had moved to Paris to
become a model, 'Him' was MIA, the Greengang had relocated to New
York… Basically, they had had no reason to keep their powers, so
they'd gotten rid of them. Bubbles could only imagine what was in
store for them at school. Everyone in their town knew who they were,
but this was a secretive town, intent to keep the Powerpuff Girl's
protected. Their father was close to everyone in town and Blossom
knew most of the residents. They would never give the Powerpuff
Girl's up to the press, but they had questions of their
own.
Buttercup pulled jerkily into the parking lot adjacent to
the school. She came to a hard stop and roughly pulled the key from
the ignition, pocketing it and jumping out of the truck. Bubbles
followed suit, walking around the side of the car so that she could
walk beside her sister into the school.
"Do you think anyone
knows?" Bubbles inquired anxiously as they walked through the
parking lot to the front doors of the school. Buttercup shrugged
stiffly and glared around; no one else was in the parking lot. They
were late… again!
"If anyone does say anything, I'll rip
their face off," Buttercup snarled under her breath. Bubbles
looked nervously up at her sister—Buttercup was at least a foot
taller than her.
"Buttercup," Bubbles chided quietly.
Buttercup pushed the glass door open for Bubbles and a wave of hot
air smacked them both in the face. Bubbles pale hair flew out around
her, making it look like a lion's mane. If only she had as much
confidence as a lion, Buttercup thought sadly.
"Don't worry, BB,"
Buttercup grinned halfheartedly at her sister, hoping she looked
reassuring. "I doubt anyone has the balls to say
anything,"
Bubbles glared at her sister, but before she could
say anything more, a tall girl—only a few inches shorter than
Buttercup—breezed over, her long red ponytail swinging out behind
her, held together only by a red satin bow. The girl had hooded pink
eyes and very long eyelashes that brushed her narrow cheeks when she
blinked. The girl was pouting disapprovingly at what Buttercup was
wearing.
"Why must you be
like that?" Blossom asked, aggravated with Buttercup. Buttercup
shrugged nonchalantly, grinning widely at Blossom. Blossom scowled
and shook her head. "Buttercup, you'll get called into the
office for sure wearing that," She scolded angrily. Buttercup
shrugged.
"So?" She inquired coolly, lacing her fingers
behind her head.
"What you're
wearing is a direct violation of dress code!" Blossom pointed out
warily. Buttercup shrugged again.
"So?" She
repeated.
"You'll get another detention!" Blossom hissed.
"So?"
"What
is wrong with you—" Blossom began, but she was cut off when three
girls came over. They were all of varying heights, but they were all
thin and wearing clothes that hung on them like rags. One girl had
naturally blonde hair, the second brown, and the third dyed blonde
hair. The only other set of triplets in the school, Tina, Sarah, and
Lisa.
"Hey, Blossom," They chimed.
"Let's go, we're going to miss the beginning of first period," Tina drawled, popping her gum noisily. Sarah, Tina, and Lisa all glared at Bubbles and Buttercup. Blossom frowned, annoyed with her friends, but nodded.
"Fine," Blossom
sighed, turning to her sisters. "I'll see you guys
later."
"Peace,"
"Bye,"
Buttercup and Bubbles
continued along the hall, heading for their lockers beside the
reading classroom. It was a very small school, only two stories with
very low ceilings. Buttercup often felt trapped in the horrible
setting; she found herself yearning for the open skies once more,
being able to fly and be free as a bird…
No, no, no. She wouldn't allow herself to think of those days. They were long gone and as well they should be. Bubbles had almost died because of their superpowers and Buttercup hated anything that put her sister's safety at risk. Still…
"Uh, oh," Bubbles
whispered as she opened her locker, shoving her messenger bag inside.
Buttercup quickly put her backpack away and roughly pulled out her
folders and notebooks for the first half of the day. She slammed her
locker shut and looked to her sister, who also had her things and was
staring down the hall.
"What?" Buttercup followed Bubbles
line of vision and gasped in annoyance. Sauntering down the hallway
like he owned the world was Mitch Johnson, the vice-president of
mayhem at Mariner High. He was talking to his friends, who were
standing around him like he was god or something. Mitch had ruffled
auburn hair and it often fell in his hazel eyes, making him look
half-cool and half-inept. Buttercup often wanted to scream at him
and, despite how much bigger and stronger Mitch looked, she could
take him easily. Mitch felt Buttercup's burning glare and looked
up, meeting her eyes. He grinned in a cocky way, winking at both
Buttercup and Bubbles like the arrogant jackass he was. Buttercup
sneered.
"Buttercup, don't start another fight with him," Bubbles warned apprehensively, reaching out and lightly touching her sister's bare shoulder. Buttercup felt rage twist like worms in her stomach, frustration and anger coursing through her veins like liquid fire. Only Mitch Johnson could make her feel so utterly infuriated.
"Yo, princess. Buttercup." Mitch greeted snidely as he passed the pair of them, winking suggestively at Bubbles, who blushed and looked down at her faded blue sneakers as the blood rushed to her cheeks.
"Why you—" Buttercup began, her voice half-strangled with fury.
"Buttercup," Bubbles repeated in a low, stubborn voice. Mitch and his group laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world, their annoying chuckles echoing in the solemn, abandoned hallway. Buttercup felt the vein twitch in her forehead, all her instincts screaming for her to lunge at Mitch and drop kick his cocky ass. But Bubble's reassuring presence at her side gave her pause.
"Whatever," Buttercup huffed sulkily, kicking her locker hard in frustration. There was a dull throbbing in her toe for the rest of the day, but she wasn't about to own up to that. She turned and marched proudly down the hallway, Bubbles following timidly at her black heels. "Those stupid bastards. Why don't they have to go to class?" Mitch and his gang were notorious ditchers, and they had received more detentions that even the infamous Buttercup Nygel, something that Buttercup hated. She was still the biggest badass in the school, but Mitch was a close second. She'll be damned the day Mitch Johnson out badass-ed her.
"Buttercup, don't let them get to you. That's what they want." Bubbles murmured soothingly, her breezy, light voice calming Buttercup considerably. Buttercup loved her two sisters dearly, but she adored Bubbles. It was hard to believe, when they were younger, how mean she had been to the pair of them.
"Whatev." Buttercup replied hotly, irritation still pumping wild and hot through her blood.
At last, they came to their classroom. Buttercup stomped brashly inside, but Bubbles held back, self-consciously touching her straw colored locks. Her stomach twisted and her heart started to race a little faster in her chest at the thought of walking in front of Fabio in the middle of class. No, no, no! She couldn't think like that. He was her friend, nothing more. He couldn't afford to be anything more. Bubbles clenched her jaw tightly, forcing back the blush and quelling the rapid beat of her heart.
And in the span of five seconds she managed to close off her heart once more.
"How nice of you to join us, Buttercup, Bubbles." The teacher remarked sharply as they entered the classroom. It was like any other classroom in any other school you would see in America; white brick walls, dirty tiled floor, white board in the front, lame posters with stupid sayings hanging, large metal cabinets stuffed to the brim with cleaning supplies and books shoved up against the walls. Desks were filed in five neat rows to the back of the classroom, most of them filled with impatient, bored, tired looking kids who rubbed their eyes and struggled to keep themselves awake. Sitting in the very back, hand cupped around his cheek, was dark haired, model gorgeous Fabio. His eyes, before Bubbles and Buttercup had come in, had been bleak and eerily corpse like. But as soon as Bubbles wandered in, he sat up straighter.
"Sorry, Mrs. Baker." Bubbles chimed politely, bowing her head slightly to her teacher. Mrs. Baker was an older woman, a bit on the larger side with short, curly brown hair. She wore her usual baggy, earthy toned blouses and skirts, something that didn't match how icy she could be when she needed to.
"Its fine, Miss Nygel. You may sit down. We were in the middle of reviewing last night's homework, so if you'll get it out." Mrs. Baker sometimes seemed a little ADD, as her moods could change from black to white in a matter of half a second. But, all the same, she was a nice woman and a well respected teacher in Mariner High.
Bubbles hurried to the back of the room, her cheeks still feeling a little red at having so many eyes trained on her at one time. She sat down in her usual hair beside Fabio, carefully ignoring him as she arranged her things on the desk top. Her hands, regrettably, felt slightly clammy, but she refused to be nervous around Fabio. She glanced over at him and saw, to her slight disappointment, that he had turned away from her and was staring dismally out the window. Outside, the tall pine trees stood like sentries in the lush green grass. The trees twisted gracefully into the sky, the needles gleaming in the watery light like emeralds. The sky was seemingly blocked out within the confines of the stuffy classroom, but Bubbles had come to love the usual wet and gloomy days. It seemed to be reflecting her normally constant mood of misery.
"Alright, will someone answer number 3?" Mrs. Baker inquired, pacing across the front of the class slowly while looking down at the answer key for last night's homework. "Yes, Vera."
Bubbles, as usual, didn't get anything wrong in science. And at the end of class she had most of the next homework assignment done. They were adamantly learning about the universe; things like alternate realities, black holes, chances of alien life forms, planet rotation, geography of our planets in the solar system, other solar systems. It was something Bubbles loved to learn about, but not even learning about black holes, as she had waited for so long, could pull her our of her sour mood. She could sense people glancing at her and Buttercup, unsure what to think of them. Even Fabio.
That stung.
"Now, the rest of the worksheet is for homework tonight. I'll see you all tomorrow." Mrs. Baker dismissed just as the bell rang. There was a flood of noise in the hall as kids rushed from their classrooms. Bubbles got to her feet hesitantly, pretending not to notice the people who stared at her in awe and horror. The mutterings, the disbelief, the irritation, the anger. Bubbles felt frustration build in her chest like a scream, blood roaring loudly in her ears as she walked past all of them out into the crowded hallway. Buttercup was already there, as was Blossom. Both of them had their backs to the other kids, pointedly ignoring the whispers that seemed to fill Bubbles' ears like water.
"I don't like this," Buttercup remarked impatiently as Bubbles went over to stand with her sisters. She glanced over her shoulder at Fabio, who had exited the classroom and was already disappearing in the sea of kids, pretty Lila on his arm. He looked over his shoulder at Bubbles, seemingly wistful. Their eyes met and Bubbles felt a surge of what she had felt before, outside of the classroom. Self-consciousness, a racing heart, a fierce want to impress him. Bubbles blushed in spite of herself and turned away, angry that she felt such a need for him to like her. She wasn't the weak little girl in some cheap Stephenie Meyer romance. She was a super—an ex-superhero. She wouldn't let herself fall to such a meek level.
"Let's go,"
Blossom intoned suddenly, snapping Bubbles out of her ponderings.
"We normally have class with each other, so we don't have to
worry about facing anyone alone." Blossom sighed heavily, wearily.
Only then did Bubbles and Buttercup see the smoky violet circles
under her dark lashes. She hadn't slept much this week, and most
likely because of the anniversary.
"If anyone gives us any
trouble, I swear, I'll drop kick their fat ass." Buttercup
promised earnestly, clenching her hands into fists for affect.
Blossom rolled her eyes dramatically, but Bubbles could see the
glimmer of relief in the depths of pink all the same. "Let's
go!"
"Jeez, Buttercup, calm down," Blossom chided, smiling tolerantly as she followed hard headed Buttercup into the roaring tide of kids. Bubbles hesitated, glancing over her shoulder at Fabio. But he was already gone.
Bubbles shook her head in frustration before following her sisters to reading.
