"I can't believe you told him!" Luna scolded her.
"Why didn't you stop me then!?" Leni fired back from her seat on her bed. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because Lincoln hit the mute button!" Luna pointed to the boy, sitting on Lori's bed with his head bowed and fingers laced. "I would have absolutely-"
She threw her hands up, too angry to find words, now.
"It's not just your secret, Leni," Luna continued. "You brought us in on it. You have twelve people, in this house, that are vulnerable now that some super powered psychopath knows your name. The only thing keeping us safe now is if he doesn't Tweet it, or go blabbing it to his buddies!"
"I'll protect you," Leni stood.
Luna rolled her eyes. "You can't even protect yourself half the time."
The two girls glared at each other. There was electricity in the air, and it was all Leni could do to not lunge at her. She could strangle her right now!
"Get. Out."
Luna tilted her head. Not getting the message.
"Get out. Of my room."
Luna continued to stare at her. Eventually she saw that Leni wasn't backing down, and shook her head.
"Pssht. Whatever." She walked out. "Your Song. Not mine. What do I care?"
Luna slammed the door to her own room across the hall and Leni sat back down on the bed with her head in her hands.
"What am I doing…?" She asked out loud.
Pulling the skin under her eyes, she looked across the room to her brother, who she forgot was there. He hadn't looked up since the argument started.
"Lincoln?" Leni called to him. "Are you okay?"
His eyes flicked up at her, before immediately retreating back down.
"I'm sorry." He said in a hoarse whisper.
"For what?"
"I've been…" He sniffed, wiping his face with his arm. "I haven't been a good brother."
"Aw, Linky," Leni got up and sat next to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Of course you have."
"No," he shook his head. "When I showed you that stuff… all those shows and movies… I was just goofing around. And then when you told us you had powers, I got so excited… I thought it'd be just like the stories. All those comic books… I don't think I should have encouraged this…"
"Lincoln."
The sternness of her voice startled the boy. He looked up at her.
"This was my choice," she told him. "And I wanted to do it right. I'm still figuring this out. So you don't have to worry about it. You didn't do anything wrong."
Lincoln looked down. The two sat in silence for a little while.
"I'm going to do some research," he decided, standing up. "Some superheroes have real world problems. I guess to like… spice up the story, or something. Maybe I can relay some of the stuff to you before Meltdown shows up again."
"Meltdown?"
"The uh… TJ," Lincoln sheepishly clarified. "That's what you called him. Or, so I thought."
"Oh," Leni remembered, "I see. I guess I should come up with a name myself, huh?"
"I can help with that too," Lincoln waved. "Let me get back to you."
"Thanks, Lincoln."
He left the room, and Leni sighed. She felt like she hadn't really stopped since she got her powers.
"I need a break." She sighed.
"Leni!" her mother called from downstairs. "Come help me get some groceries!"
Figures. A mom can smell desperate want for rest a mile away.
Lucy met her at the stairs.
"I'll help too." She volunteered.
The three of them- Rita, Leni, and Lucy- rode to the store in relative silence, right up until their mother started to lecture Leni.
"Honestly, Leni," Rita told her, "You should be taking on more responsibility. I know you have a job, but its not really safe to go into the city right now. You play with Lily, but you don't change her, you don't feed her. You don't help the little ones with getting dressed in the morning."
Leni rested her head against the cold window. She did take care of Lily. She just never told her Mom when she changed her. And she did try to feed her, its just when she put her into her booster seat, one of her parents is right there, food in hand. Of course, what she's really wondering is what Leni has done lately.
What have you done since Lori left?
I'm trying my best! Leni wanted to shout. But she didn't. She just stared out the window.
Soon enough, they arrived to the super market. Leni hopped out of her seat and offered her hand to help Lucy down.
"Alright," Rita told them, not paying attention to Leni, again. "Let's make this quick."
Leni held Lucy's hand, and she didn't argue otherwise. They walked into the store, the mother and the older daughter grabbing a cart. A big family like them, they needed a lot of supplies.
Walking through the lot, as well as the store itself, was spooky. And not in the way Lucy might enjoy (probably). The whole property was vacant. Leni spotted a single cashier at the front of the store, mindlessly tapping on her phone. There wasn't a single customer aside from them.
"Where are all the people?" Lucy asked, surprising Leni with her forthcoming.
"They're probably at home, sweetie," Rita answered. It was the sort of answer that she was brushing past the "Why" of it. "Come on, let's pick out some cereal."
Leni followed them closely. Her head kept scanning the aisles up and down. Absolutely no one was here. It felt like they were intruding. They went through the store, picking out what they could. A lot of the shelves where empty.
It suddenly occurred to her why nobody would be shopping right now, everyone already has. They rushed here when the generator exploded, bought what they could grab in bulk, and are probably huddled in their homes. They're waiting for the world to end.
Leni looked to her Mom, who looked knowingly back at her. She already understood this. She must not have been able to make the trip earlier, worrying about her children first and foremost. Maybe she was counting on the fact that they would have restocked by now. That is not the case right now.
Leni started being a hero to help people. She wanted to inspire and reassure. She's been doing a lousy job of it. She needed to do better, if she didn't want that Marshal guy coming down here with his crazy restrictive laws.
Lucy gripped her hand.
"Hide." The girl barely breathed.
Leni then heard something behind them, at the store entrance. A group of loud girls walked in, they started harassing the cashier. Leni couldn't see them, but they sounded like trouble.
"Hide," Leni echoed, repeating the order to her mother.
"What? Why-?" Rita stopped when she heard the commotion. She obeyed, letting herself be pushed towards the racks of discount clothes that were nearby. They crouch stepped to the back of the department.
"What's happening?" Rita asked her daughter.
Leni listened out, knowing full well that her mother didn't have the kind of hearing she had. If she's careless, she'll find out her secret, but that's not what's on Leni's mind right now.
"Hellion Angels," Leni whispered. "That's what they're called. I think that's what they're called."
"Oh God… What do they want?" Rita asked.
Leni listened more. The cashier and the manager have locked themselves in the office. The Hellions have started roaming the store.
"I don't know. I think they're here to shop. Just, without the paying part."
"That's stealing," Lucy quietly corrected.
Leni risked peeking above the racks, and she spotted one of them skipping through the store. She was giggling.
"A whole store to ourselves!" the pig-tailed girl frolicked. "Pick of the litter! I'm going straight for the Reese's Puffs!"
"Focus, Cindy," a female, but more masculine figure reeled her in. "We need to pick the food, not pig it."
"Whatever!"
Leni looked at the group as they entered. The Hellion Angels looked like Hot Topic ravers. It was like they took three different outfits and split it between the three of them. The pig-tailed girl had white fuzzy boots, a fishnet top that showed a black bra underneath, and a purple backpack that was a cat's face.
The other girl had short black hair that bobbed around her jaw. She had white fuzzy bottoms, combat boots, a tank top with a cracked skull on it, and an oversized jacket that she kept her hands in the pockets of. She blew bubble gum and stared off into the distance.
The final girl was the scariest. She had a skirt, knee high socks tucked into sneakers, and a bright pink sleeping hoodie. The hood of it was pulled over her head, showing that it had stuffed wings, and a unicorn horn. Resting on her nose was a pair of square glasses. Aside from the fashion statement, she held an aluminum bat covered in stickers over her shoulder, and was over six feet tall. She was an imposing figure compared to the other two.
Between the three of them, they all had a hair flipped over their foreheads, colored pink. It was common enough trend that this particular gang decided to wear it as their badge. Their clothes were all faded, and had some mysterious stains on them. As much as Leni wanted to believe it, that was not dried ketchup on that girl's socks and bat.
"Get down!" Rita yanked her daughter back by her shoulder, whispering frantically. "Don't move!"
Leni obeyed. She tried to think. She didn't bring her suit with her, and even at her top speeds, it would take too long to go home and change. She was stuck in a dress, her favorite shades, and a pair of flops. Was there any way for Leni to fight these girls and keep her secret? She wasn't sure.
All the while, Lucy stared at her. She seemed to be able to read her thoughts.
"If we're quiet," she whispered. "We can sneak to that safe room. At the front of the store."
Leni blinked at her. She's right. The cashier and manager are on the phone with the police right now. The safest place for them right now is in that room with them.
"Okay," Leni decided, "We'll make our way there. We need to be quiet, okay?"
Lucy nodded. Their mother just looked horrified.
Leni looked around the corner. The Hellions are moving on. Leni turned back to her family and motioned them to stay quiet. Still squatting, she waddled her way over to another rack of clothes, keeping them between her and the intruders.
Her mother complained behind her. "Oh, my back. Oh, I'm not supposed to be crouching this long."
Lucy shushed her as Leni looked back at the Hellions.
They disappeared.
"Well, looky-looky, I found a cookie."
Leni gasped and stood straight up. She was nose to nose with the pigtailed girl, leaning over the racks.
"What's on sale, Candy?" the second girl showed up.
"Looks like a normie, Missy," Candy answered over her shoulder, sliding off the rack and walking around it. "With her Mama and her little…" She stared at Lucy. "spook?"
Lucy made a very rude gesture. Leni would have to ask where she learned that later.
"Ha!" Missy laughed. "Spook's got fire! Just like you, Gretta!"
"No fire like mine," Gretta- the giant with the bat- responded, sizing them up. "Got anything good?"
"Nah," Candy reported. "They're naked. Except… What's in the purse, mama?"
Rita didn't answer. She just pulled Lucy behind her and held out her bag. Missy snatched it and turned it upside down. Emptying the contents.
"Nothing good," she reported. "Where's your wallet?"
"I…" Rita stammered. "I thought it was in there… I must have left it at home…"
"Cheeky Liar," Candy screamed.
"She must be hiding it," Gretta suggested. "Grab her and search her."
Leni pushed the racks at Missy, crashing it at her feet, startling the thug long enough for the two of them to run.
"Go, go!" Leni shouted.
They ran past her, Rita shielding Lucy as they escaped. Leni stood in front of Candy as she lunged for them.
"What the hell?" the girl complained.
Leni took the opportunity, grabbing her by the scruff of her shirt and reeling her arm back. She socked her, aiming for the back of her head. She fell back, a tooth flying out of her mouth, and falling out of consciousness.
"Hey!" Missy yelled.
Leni ran, loosing her flip-flops and dropping her shades. She sped up to catch up to her mother and slowed down to match their pace. She looked back at the other two, and saw that Gretta was catching up to them faster than expected. She held her bat out at her side, ready to take the family's heads off.
Leni slowed to a stop.
"Keep running!" she heard her mother shout.
Leni watched the giant girl move in slow motion. She ducked as she swung her bat, countering with a swift punch to the gut. She let out an "Ooph" as the wind got knocked out of her.
"Stupid…" She heaved, holding her stomach. She raised the bat over her head with one hand, bringing it down. "Bit-"
Leni zipped around her, her hair whipping around her face as she used her super speed.
"What-?"
Leni didn't give her the chance to breathe. She hooked her arms under her shoulders, shooting herself and her passenger into the air. They rose about ten feet into the air and slammed back down into the tiles, with Leni twisting the two of them so she landed on top of the villain.
Gretta let out a groan underneath her foot. Leni huffed. That was… scary.
"What are you?"
Leni looked over to the last standing member of the group. Missy looked scared, as she stepped away, Leni drifted over to her.
She was angry. She was furious. These people were out for blood. And her family was almost the quarry they found. Leni wanted to drop her from the tallest building she could find. Let them leave a mess only one more time…
Instead, she drifted over her, towering over her head.
"Everywhere."
Missy cowered under her gaze. Leni liked to think that Luan heard her, somehow.
"Leave," Leni ordered.
The girl looked at Gretta one last time and skirted around her, running off towards the exit. Leni zipped over, collecting her sunglasses and footwear, and drifted over past Gretta.
She let her feet smack against the tiles as she ran to her mother and sister, both at the front desk and in the doorway of the office they had back there.
"Leni!" her mother shrieked when she arrived. "What happened!? Where did you go?!"
Leni pushed them into the crowded room with the workers. She tried to sound out of breath.
"The super…" she huffed. "That… flying girl… She came in and saved me. I got grabbed, but she saved me."
"Oh, thank God." Rita hugged her daughter. Leni looked down to Lucy, who was still breathing heavy from the running. She gave no commentary.
"Are those… cameras?" the nine year old suddenly asked.
Leni got bugged eyed and followed Lucy's gaze. Next to the safe, was a computer display with black and white cameras. The screen was split into four, each corner showing a different location within the property.
"Oh right!" the cashier realized. "I can finally get a glimpse of this hero girl! Can she actually fly?"
The cashier, her boss, and Rita all curiously leaned in over the screen. Lucy seemed to be all but screaming at Leni. Leni shrugged, not knowing what could be done.
This might be it. If she's caught, she's caught. She'll be grounded for the rest of her life, but hey; it was fun while it lasted.
"Where did you say it was?" the boss asked. "Over by intimates?"
"Um, yes," Rita said, "They chased us past the underwear."
Leni leaned over their shoulders, tempted to use her power just to get a better view. She saw enough of the screens to see. The first camera was focused on the beer aisle. The second camera focused on the entrance to the dressing rooms. The third was homed in on the main entrance. And the fourth camera…
Was broken. Gray static filled its corner of the screen.
Leni leaned against the wall, trying not to sigh in relief too loudly. She smiled as she looked up at the ceiling. She looked at Lucy, who was smirking back. What luck!
"I think I see her!" the employee announced. "That flicker on the screen! I think that's her coming in!"
Leni couldn't stop smiling. It was a harrowing experience. But it was a win.
She needed a win.
