The first few days after the "unveiling" I spent training and trying to get in touch with Kick Ass. Everyone heard about Frank D'Amico's death and how it was supposedly Kick Ass and the girl (who had killed all the guys at the unveiling) who had killed him. No one had seen Chris for a little while and Red Mist vanished. At first I wondered whether it was worth it, being a superhero seemed to be a lot of hard work.

I tagged along with my brother, Dave, Katie, Marty and Marty's girlfriend to the comic book store. I had become strangely quiet and for some reason Todd decided it was because of Dave and Katie. "Look, you knew nothing was going to happen between you two anyway." Todd said quietly nodding towards Dave.

"What? Oh, no I knew that. What's your point?"

"You've been mopping around for days now."

"That's not about Dave and Katie." I whispered angrily.

"Then what is it?"

"Well, I-I can't tell you." I told him and he didn't look impressed.

"Whoever he is I'll punch his lights out."

"What made you think that I was moping because of a guy?"

Todd shrugged and looked back down at the comics. The door opened and in walked in a very pale boy with a new bodyguard. I glanced up and saw Chris as he made his way to the back of the store.

The whole shop had gone silent. I looked up at the Kick Ass comics and costumes. That would be the last thing Chris would want to see. "Is it that guy?" I heard a voice next to me say.

"No, Todd."

Dave wrapped his arm around Katie and glared towards Chris. I walked over in Chris's direction, just far enough that if he wanted to talk to me he could but I didn't look suspicious. We only met the once. I thought to myself.

I admired the newer comics that were nearby. "Hey." Chris smiled at me sadly.

"Hi." I couldn't keep the sympathy out of my voice.

"How are you?" I could see him trying to remember my name.

"I'm fine. And you, how are you?"

"Coping." He said bobbing his head sadly. I had the urge to hug him but I thought his bodyguard might actually stab me.

I heard frightened mutters from the other side of the store but ignored them. I wanted to ask Chris where he had been but knew the answer would depress him so I turned to the comic in his hand. "You're reading Impulse comics?"

"Yeah, I saw you reading it last time so I thought I'd have a look." He smiled bashfully and I felt a hand on my arm.

I looked up to see Dave "Can I speak to you a minute? Sorry." He dragged me away from Chris. "You shouldn't be talking to him."

"Excuse me?" I was dumbfounded. Dave had hardly ever spoken to me before, I had lived in New York for eight years and he'd hardly ever acknowleged me.

"He's bad news, Penny."

"Who are you to stop me from talking from him? You're not my brother."

"Would it stop you if I got Todd to speak to you?"

"What? No, jeez what's got into you?"

"Please, I'm doing this for your own good." Dave's anger washed away and he was now begging me.

"I can look after myself." I turned from him and walked back to Chris, I noticed Todd's face as he realised what Dave had said to me. He didn't look impressed.

"Sorry about that. My brother's friend's a dickhead." I smiled sarcastically and Chris laughed.

"Do you wanna coffee?" Chris asked out of the blue.

I agreed and we walked the short distance to the café on the other side of the shop, I had hoped he meant somewhere else. Todd raised his eyebrows at me and I glared at him.

Dave stared at me and Chris the whole time we were sat together. It was really starting to get on my nerves. "Tell me about your home, in England."

"Oh, well it was quite small with a large back garden, me and mum lived just outside Birmingham. She said the schools were better but I think it was because everyone left everyone else alone. The house always smelt of smoke, even though neither me or mum smoked."

"It was just you and your mum?"

"Dad was here with Todd."

"Why did you come back to America?"

"Oh," I knew this was the end of whatever date we were having. Murder wasn't the most romantic topic. Then again he was Frank D'Amico's son. "well, my mother murdered a man."

"Huh." Chris looked confused and I let it sink in a little bit. "Murder?"

"Yup."

"Huh." After a short pause he added, "Ok."

What the fuck? "Wow, no one's reacted like that before."

"I'm not just anyone." He replied confidently.

I felt myself blush.

Todd tapped my arm. "We better get home. Dad will wonder where we are."

"Todd, this is Chris. Chris this is my brother Todd."

"Nice to meet you. We really have to go." The two guys briefly shook hands.

"Alright. Here." I gave Chris my number. "If you wanna meet up again or something."

Todd dragged me out of the store his face was like thunder.

"What's the hurry?" I asked Todd, he was acting strangely.

"First off, it's starting to get dark so muggers are going to come out soon and second I think Dave was about to rip Chris's head off. I don't know what's gotten into him." Todd genuinely looked concerned.

That night was the first night The Purple Eradicator was going to fight crime. I got into my costume then realised that I would need to get out of the house without being noticed. There was a drainpipe next to my window and I climbed down it. I thanked god for my gloves as I stuck my hand on a nettle as I fell to the ground.

I searched New York, jumping over rooftops and walking in the shadows. I saw a pair of men mugging an old lady down an alleyway as I prowled the streets, This is it. Now or never. Something inside of me screamed never.

I walked through the shadows. "What do you think you're doing?" I whispered, to my annoyance in my Batman impersonation.

One of the men stopped, "Who's there?"

"Just me." I said brightly staying in the shadows. That didn't work either, how could I be intimidating when I sounded so happy.

"I'd get lost if I were you." Said the other man. The old woman was cowering on the floor.

"I could say the same thing to you. Get away from the old woman or feel my wrath." I was suddenly reminded of Virgil's Aeneid, god I hated that book.

The two men laughed, "Fine then." I said doing a double front flip in their direction. I kicked one in the face and broke his nose it made a crack that sounded like thunder. "Call 911!" I told the woman kicking the other man in the stomach and winding him. I felt a punch in my kidneys but my bullet proof vest softened the blow.

I turned and round house kicked the man behind me he fell to the floor like a corpse. I knew the other was up again so I punched his balls. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor. I turned to the other slightly more butch man who had returned to his feet. "Alright girly. You wanna play?" The man said pulling out a knife.

I laughed. I heard the sirens of police behind me and smiled darkly. "It seems playtime is over." I did a forward flip followed by a jab into the mans nose, it broke, and returned to the shadows. I walked up a fire escape and watched as the two men were arrested and put in the cars.

A policeman looked into the sky and shook his head. "There was someone here. That old lady couldn't do this and phone the cops at the same time."

I smiled, my work was done. I turned and let the wind inflate my cape. "There!" I heard the same cop shout.

I turned, than ran as fast as I could away from the scene. I hadn't done anything wrong, completely the opposite in fact, but the last thing I wanted was to be caught. Coward.

I returned to my house and nursed my fist. Falling asleep with my hand in the warm water mixed with TCP.

"Listen to this, a new one's popped up!" My dad told me excitedly at breakfast. He turned up the volume.

"A new wh-"

"Shh." Todd told me.

A black woman newsreader spoke, "A new superhero has appeared on the streets of New York. Sources say she helped an elderly lady who was being mugged. We have no images of this new hero but the elderly lady, Doris Johnson, said she had a dark costume and a cape. She wishes to thank this costumed crusader…"

I zoned out happy in the knowledge I had done some good.


Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed and well, tell me what you think.