The phone rings. And rings. And rings.
On the sixth ring, John picks up.
"Hello, Eloise?"
He sounds far away, like he's placed me on speaker, and I can detect a bit of annoyance in the way he sharply says my name.
"Hi, John. Sorry to bother you. I wanted to see how the homework was going."
A long groan is heard on the other side.
"That well, huh. Do you need any help?"
"Not unless you can write this ten-page paper on the role of empathy in To Kill a Mockingbird."
"You're right that is a tough one. I'd approach it as a comparison piece where you examine Scout's and Jem's journey into learning how to be emphatic while using Atticus and Tom Robinson as characters who already possess empathy."
"Have you already read To Kill A Mockingbird, Eloise?"
"Yeah, I read it in ninth grade." I blush a bit, knowing that I am sounding precocious.
I've always enjoyed reading, and I spent much of my childhood reading anything I could get my hands on, books, magazines, comics, manga, etc.
"Well you've given me a good start, but I have to get back to work now."
He ends the call before I can say goodbye. Urgh, what a jerk. He could have at least given me five more minutes of his precious time. I place my phone on my nightstand, and I dig out my laptop from my backpack.
I open my folder for EMBER and open the folder I've named VICTIMS. I select X-Static picture and I add his real name, Rei, as well as Remi as his sister. Something about this case sparks a memory. Activating my bot that cloaks my presence, I dive into deep web and scan for mentions of vigilantes. This part of the internet is perused by criminals, drug dealers, hire guns, the lowest of the low. But right now, this is the only place where the truth on EMBER is not masked by media BS.
There! The mention of a newbie vigilante. Calling herself X-Ray, has electrical powers like X-Static. No one has put together that X-Ray and X-Static may be related, but I would put my money on the fact that X-Ray is Remi.
So, Wellston's Queen has decided to take up her brother's mantle and become a vigilante. I would applaud her for taking up the fight for justice, however she is too young and inexperienced, and she will end up getting killed. And I can not bear to see another vigilante die in front of me.
Wiping away a solitary tear, I see a mention of more high-tiers being around X-Ray. She is smarter than she seems. She brought backup, and if my research into her social media profile was any good, I would say she brought Blyke and Isen with her. I tuck away this knowledge and scan for more mentions of X-Ray. She seems to have stopped a few weeks back, so something must have happened. Could the appearance of the Joker have altered her priorities making her concentrate on the incidents at Wellston?
Ding. Ding.
A notification on my computer and phone ring simultaneously. Entering the combination, I open the message which reads 'Fire-powered tier on rampage in Lincoln View'.
Lincoln View, that's thirty minutes by public transportation, I would only be there in time to see the soot and smoldering buildings. I'd need my bike; Lincoln View was only fifteen minutes by motorcycle and that's as fast as I could go. If only I had a teleportation ability or a time manipulation ability like Seraphina had had.
Looking through my window outside, the storm had abated though nightfall meant the sky was still pitch black. I gently walk to my bedroom door and lock it so Evie does not come in. Heading to the closet, I pull aside the floorboard and extract my suit and black leather boots.
Pining up my hair so that not one strand can escape, and tightening chest binder around my breasts, I become flat chested as a man. I put on my black t-shirt and black jeans, finishing up the look with a black and green leather jacket. Zipping up the black boots I get an additional another six inches of height. I am unrecognizable as Eloise, for now I am Poison Ivy.