She dropped him into the snow.

He sputtered and shouted at the shock of sudden cold. She landed a couple feet away from him.

"Where are we?" Leni wondered aloud.

"How should I know?" Meltdown snapped at her. "You flew us here!"

Leni had flown over a lot of land. Some cities and a lot of trees flew by underneath them. Eventually they stopped here with line of trees suddenly halting before an open field of ice.

"Is this the north pole?" She guessed.

"No way," Meltdown shivered. "This is a frozen tundra. No plant life can grow beyond this point going north. How long were we flying?"

"I don't know." Leni answered. Then that tightness squeezed in her chest. She remembered why they flew together to begin with.

"You…" she worded out. "killed my brother."

Her voice didn't sound nearly as angry as she thought it would. The only thing she could think to feel was hurt.

"Yeah…" he nodded. "I'm sorry about that."

They stared out into the ice sky. The cold of the world chilling them to their cores.

"If you want to kill me," he offered. "I get it. I deserve it."

Leni didn't answer.

"I got so angry," he continued. "I don't know what I... Well, I know what I'm angry at, I just. I messed up. I took it too far. And I don't even know if it's me or these powers."

Leni stared straight ahead next to him. The distant horizon acting as little more than a focal point.

"I think I hate myself," she confessed.

"Why is that?" TJ wondered. All his earlier energy was gone.

"I'm an idiot," she explained. "I get mixed up. I try to do good in school, but I get stuff wrong. Everyone talks behind my back. Even my sisters! Everyone thinks I'm retarded, or a slut, or both, and I just… can't win. Anywhere!

"Lincoln, though…" she dared to flicker a smile. "He's just… such a good boy. He spends time with me. He doesn't press me to see what's bothering me. He corrects me without making me feel… bad. He listens to me babble on about clothes and boys and… I like listening to him about his videogames and superheroes, and what he and Clyde did that day. I watched him grow up from the time I was six years old. Aside from Lori, he's my best friend."

Leni's smile faded.

"And he's gone."

"I'm sorry you hate yourself," TJ apologized. "You shouldn't. None of that is your fault. I'm sorry we couldn't have been friends."

Leni nodded.

"Before something else happens," TJ wondered. "I just want to know. Why are you so against… killing someone?"

Leni took a deep breath.

"Everyone is a baby," she answered.

"Sorry?"

"At some point in their lives, everyone on earth was a cute little baby," she explained. "They grew up either watching TV, or playing soccer, or running, or laughing, or swimming… They grow up, making choices. Sometimes they feel like they don't have a choice, but they do. I know it's sad, but I know there are people out there trying to reform the best they can. I know there are systems in place that can be corrected without killing someone."

"So… yeah," Leni kicked the snow at her shoe. "That's all I got."

TJ nodded. He wiped his nose.

"So, what happens now?" he asked.

Leni took a breath.

"I can't have you running around my city anymore," she declared. "And I can't take you to jail, because your really, really smart."

He didn't deny this. He just stood there, with a lowered head.

"So you're leaving me out here?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You know I'm a city kid, right?" he informed her. "Never spent one day out in the woods before. And you're leaving me out here? In the Canadian wilds?"

"You'll survive," Leni assured him. "If you really want to."

He huffed and shook his head.

"And TJ?"

He looked at her.

"If I ever see you again," she promised. "I'll drop you."

He didn't answer. He just watched as wind whipped around her head. She left the ground and shot straight up into the sky. A second later, thunder rang through the sky, signaling that he was alone in the wilderness. Alone in the woods, with a silly costume.


Lori drove throughout the city. Her head on a swivel. She should be home, watching her sisters, but this took a new precedent.

It had been three days, and no one had seen Leni.

They checked the mall, the house, the restaurant. Lori had just got done breaking and entering her old high school just to check the rooms.

She swore under her breath.

"Come on, Leni," she muttered to herself. "Where are you?"

Luna had filled her in on the details, at least the stuff Lori couldn't piece together already. Leni always did love making those costumes, and she was always such a sweet person.

She has to be in so much pain.

The phone doesn't even ring when they call her. And, normally, everyone would be out looking for her. But this freak storm blew in not too long ago. The winds themselves were rocking the cars parked on the street. Vanzilla was in danger of tipping over the more she drove it.

Everyone in the city had taken shelter, following the news' warnings. A storm like this, so far inland? It wasn't possible.

Then again, there are super people running around, now.

As Lori tried and tried to spot anyone who could even point to her sister, she spotted someone. At the corner of the block, a blond girl with a trench coat was standing against the wind and rain. Her hair whipped wildly around her head.

Is that her? It might be. She was facing away from the van, so Lori couldn't see her face. She was hunched over too, like she was trying to stay warm.

She had to try. She threw the van in park and opened the door. A stupid idea in the city, but no one else was around.

Rain pelted her immediately as she stepped out, soaking her instantly.

"Hey!" she called out over the storm. "Are you okay?!"

The girl didn't respond, so Lori stepped closer.

"Leni?" she called out. She grabbed the girl's shoulder and spun her around.

"Wrong girl, wrong neighborhood!" The teen pulled up a knife with a giggle.

Lori let go and stepped back. Only to feel a pair of massive hands grab her and shove her into the alley.

She fell into a puddle, soaking what little bit of her wasn't already wet from the rain. She looked up and saw herself surrounded by women brandishing knives or pipes or other makeshift weapons. Under whatever raincoats they had, they wore trashy pink and black clothes.

Lori remembered hearing about these girls. Hellion Angels. They were muggers and harassers. Whatever they did to women though, guys got off so much worse. Things like mutilation being reported on the news.

The one who grabbed her was a tall woman with a wicked grin.

"Search her," she ordered. "I want to see everything she has."

Lori shrieked for help, but she knew it was fruitless. No one was out here, no one was-

The rain parted, and the sun started shining down. When Lori looked up, she saw that a circle had opened up in the clouds above, like the eye in a hurricane.

A shrieking sound pierced her ears, and as everyone stopped to hold their ears, Lori saw her chance to escape!

She dove forward, pushing past the little girl and her mammoth friend and rushing out of the alley.

"Hey!"

She ran to the van. Running with everything she had in her.

They caught her anyway.

As the big one grabbed her, and she started kicking and flailing, another high pitched screeching echoed through the air.

"What the hell is-"

The girl never finished, as she was pummeled by a blur.

"Did you see that?"

"It got Ashley!"

"She's back! That super girl is-"

Thwack!

She fell over as a piece of two-by-four was broken in half over her head. The girl who did it dropped the remaining splinters and drifted closer.

Everyone froze in horror at Leni's appearance. When Lori last saw her, her costume was in perfect condition. Now it was filled with holes. The gloves were singed and had black scorch marks. The cape was ripped in half up the middle, a small amount of cloth left keeping it together. Her domino mask was missing. Her ponytail had come undone and being perpetually held up by constant wind.

But that wasn't what scared Lori. It was how her skin lacked any sort of color, or pigment. Her eyes were black, leaving only a greenish-blue dot where her pupils should be. And her jaw looked unhinged, hanging open.

She looked like a monster.

She attacked first, grabbing the girl with the knife and flinging her against the wall, letting her fall the ten feet to the pavement. She groaned and didn't get back up. Leni swiped her arm at another girl, causing her head to hit the pavement with a hard thud.

The last girl, the one grabbing Lori, let her victim go and backed away.

"I give up," she surrendered. "I give! I'll go to jail now, no complaints. Please."

Leni drifted towards her. Her face betrayed nothing.

"Wait, what are you doing? I surrendered already! That's how this works, right!? Please, don't hurt me, I won't do it again, I promise!"

Lori watched as Leni grabbed her by her shirt and hefted her into the air. She slammed her onto the hood of a car, crumbling the roof of it and shattering the windows.

"Leni!" Lori called out.

The thing floating in the air turned to her, ignoring the others running off. She drifted down in front of her. Lori looked at her, and she looked back at Lori. Two dots in a black void searching for recognition.

"I was so worried about you," Lori hugged her sister. She was shaking in her arms. Lori might have been shaking too. "We're all so worried."

"Linc…oln…" she rasped in her ear.

"I know," she answered. "But I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Can't… go back… because… Linc… oln…"

Lori tried to decipher what she might be thinking. All the while, she tried to reassure her.

"Leni," Lori told her. "What happened to Lincoln isn't your fault."

She screamed. It was an unholy noise that Lori had never heard before. Wind whipped around them. With her arm still hooked around her sister's neck, Lori pressed her palms against her ears as windows shattered around her.

Something's wrong. This isn't just guilt, this is loathing. She wouldn't be acting like this unless…

"Leni!" she tried desperately to calm her down. "Leni! Lincoln is still alive!"

With that, the cries stopped. Lori tentatively pulled back, hands still on the girl's shoulders in a death grip.

"He's in the hospital," she further explained. "He got… really hurt, and it was a close call, but the doctors said he's going to pull through. He's going to be alright."

As Lori watched, Leni's mouth closed, her jaw no longer looking unhinged. She just stared at the older girl, awaiting more.

"We're going to go home first," Lori told her. "Then we can see him. Okay?"

Leni stared at her, giving no answer. Though she offered no resistance.

Lori ushered her into the car, even putting on the seatbelt for her. As she walked around to the other side, she shot a text to Luna. She instructed her to get the kids upstairs by the time she got home. She shot another text to her parents, who were at the hospital with Lincoln.

"Okay," Lori breathed as she sat behind the wheel. "Let's go home."

Lori had to back up to avoid running over any of the unconscious bodies in the street. The rest of the ride home was ridden in silence. Lori kept one eye on the road, and the other on her sister. Her lips were still parted, and she was just mindlessly staring out the window. Color seemed to be returning to her skin, however slowly. Even with so much of her thoughts occupied, it didn't escape her notice that the storm started clearing up too. It even stopped raining.

They drove into their driveway and Lori hurried out to the passenger's side. She walked Leni through the front door of the house.

It was still quiet, and Luna just stepped down the stairs. She looked like she'd been crying.

Who am I kidding? Lori thought to herself. We've all been crying.

Lori, with Luna's help, set Leni down on the couch. She just stared ahead. Her eyes changed back to normal when Lori wasn't looking.

"She's pale," Luna noted. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," Lori said, "I think she's in shock."

"Leni?" Luna knelt down next to her. "You okay?"

Leni didn't acknowledge her presence. She just stared straight ahead.

"Leni," Lori tried, "Are you hungry?"

She nodded. The first response she's given since Lori brought her back. Lori took it as a good sign.

"Okay," Lori sighed with relief. "Let's get something to eat, okay?"

The two sisters got on Leni's sides and hefted her up, escorting her to the dining room. They sat with her as she timidly ate some reheated leftover meatloaf. As she took each bite, the next bite became more and more enthusiastic. The plate was practically licked clean. Apparently that wasn't enough, she got up after eating that (much to the shock of her sisters), and devoured the leftover lasagna they had stored away.

They managed to convince her to go up to her room and change into some regular clothes. That much she did by herself.

"She's getting some autonomy back," Lori reported in a whisper when Luna opened the door. "That's good. I think."

Luna nodded.

"Should we go with you? To see Lincoln?"

"I don't know," Lori answered, "Maybe. Let Leni rest a bit first, okay?"

She didn't argue. She just bit her lip. "Just let me see her, okay?"

She let Luna enter and the girl went to hug her sister. Leni, now dressed in her regular garments, reciprocated, but her face was blank.


It was a couple of hours later, but Leni and the Loud crowd were packed into Vanzilla. Leni sat in the front passenger side, with all her younger siblings sitting in silence behind her.

Leni didn't have a concept of what was happening around her. She could barely remember her own name.

"Hey," Luna suddenly leaned up in the front seat. "You forgot these."

Leni took the object she offered. Her favorite pair of shades. White rimmed, black lenses. She hadn't worn these in... it must have been months.

"Thanks, Luna," Leni uttered

The ride was ridden in silence. Leni didn't comb her hair, and her dress was wrinkled to smithereens. She used to take such pride in how she looked. Now she just looked like a mess.

The crowd slowly and solemnly exited the van on admittance to the hospital. They navigated the hallways and elevators to a numbered room. Lori entered first, with Leni as her shadow.

The room was dark, with curtains drawn. There was a rhythmic beeping that echoed in the recesses of the girl's brain. Her parents were sitting on the back bench together, and raised their weary heads as their children entered.

Leni's father smiled warily, but her mother's face couldn't be read at the moment. They seemed hesitant to get up, but they did. They each got on Leni's sides and hugged her tightly.

"Hey, kiddo," her dad spoke softly. "We were worried about you."

"Sorry," Leni apologized, keeping her voice at the same level. "I was… upset."

He nodded. They both seemed to look at Rita. She still looked unsure, but stroked her daughter's face, all the same.

"I'm glad you're safe, honey," she sounded close to breaking down any minute. Leni would have joined her.

She grabbed Leni's hand, leading her deeper into the room.

Here she saw Lincoln for the first time since… that day.

He was asleep, his bed propped up on a raised bed. His clothes had been exchanged with a hospital gown. Bandages plagued his forehead and arms. Leni could see hints of scarred tissue underneath them.

She dared to step closer, and as though he was responding to her presence, one of his eyes opened.

He sucked in a bunch of air and yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

"Hey, Leni," he broke into a smile. The look broke her heart.

"Hey," Leni gulped some air. "Linky."

He smiled wider. "You okay?" he asked her.

Leni almost broke down all over again. Another tear ran down her face.

"I'm… supposed to ask you that," she laughed out, sounding a bit hysterical. "I just… I thought I lost you."

She cringed as she glanced at the crowd behind her. "I thought we lost you…"

Lincoln nodded, his smile fading.

"It's kind of hazy," he answered. "I think what happened was… the roof fell on me… but I propped up the fire extinguisher. I think that caught some of it from falling on top of me. Or I just… got really lucky."

He huffed out a breath, taking in more air to speak. This was draining him.

"Still got my legs pinned," he explained. He raised his bandaged arms up, "Still got cooked a little, too."

He shifted on the bed, looking down at himself. He reached out with his arms, pulling the blanket over his legs, until he exposed one.

It was completely in a cast.

"I got messed up," he told her. "Kind of bad."

Leni pulled the blankets back all the way, seeing both his legs in a cast.

"We're looking at a wheelchair for a little while," he then said. "Because the beam hit my lower back. But a little after that, I'll be doing physical therapy. But that's only like a year away. I'll be up and running in no time."

Leni was speechless. She looked at her brother in absolute horror. Her mind started spiraling down to hopelessness and oblivion.

"Leni," Lincoln called to her. "Leni."

He grabbed her hand, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"This," he told her. "It was my choice. Just like what you told me. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'd rather have you around than some dumb-ole-legs."

"I-" Leni stammered. "I…"

"It's. Not. Your. Fault." He insisted.

"Lincoln…"

Leni, unable to take it any longer, leaned over the boy and wrapped her arms around him. She gave him a gentle squeeze, trying not to cry; and failing.

"You saved me," she gave a hard sniff. "You're my hero. You know that, right?"

Lincoln only hugged back, not answering, but sniffling too.

"Ah," he wiped his face, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, guys, but I think I'm a little tired, already. I need to sleep a little bit."

"Okay, honey," Rita suddenly stepped in. Her voice had the air of control, like she was giving orders under the guise of sweet suggestions. "You rest up. We'll be right outside, okay?"

He nodded. He lied back down, with a content smile on his face. Within moments, he drifted off to sleep.

Leni was led out of the room. Her sisters, under the orders of her parents and eldest sister, were escorted to a waiting room-esque corner of the hallway. Leni was dragged to the opposite end.

"I want to know," Rita demanded, almost with a snarl. "I want to know everything."

Leni shivered under her cold gaze. Lori stood with her, a hand on her shoulder. When Leni opened her mouth, she spilled everything. From the day that weird reactor exploded, to when she told her siblings.

"You brought your younger sisters into this?!"

"Mom!" Lori held her hand up.

"Honey," Lynn placed his arms around her shoulders. "Let her finish."

Leni gulped, continuing. She told them how she had listened to a news broadcast, and how it gave her the idea to help people. Even if it was anonymously.

"I've been doing a lot of good, Mom," Leni explained. "villains like Crusher, Dream Queen… I put them away. I kept them from hurting anyone else."

"Why couldn't you have just told us?" Rita scolded her daughter. "Why did you lie to us?"

"Because I…" She gripped her fists at her sides. "I wanted to feel…"

She choked on the words.

"Well?" Rita waved at her. "What is it? You wanted to feel what?"

"Mom…" Lori was warning her mom to back off.

Leni, though, had lost her temper.

"I wanted to feel like an actual person!" she screamed at her. "I wanted to stop being seen as some idiot you have to take care of! At least as… this other person… with this mask! I'm seen as an actual human being! With this power, I can do whatever the hell I want! Is that the answer you want to hear, Mom!?"

The three adults stood in silence around the girl. She was heaving, and leaning against the wall. She leaned back against it, fresher tears streaming down her face, and sliding down to the floor.

"I just…" Leni sobbed. "I wanted… to like… me…"

She sobbed into her knees. She heard Luna running up to them, even without the super hearing.

"Don't take this out on Leni!" Luna begged their parents. "This isn't on her, dudes. She'd been carrying this inside for a looong while. It's been eating away at her all this time and… This is on me. Leni, I said those awful things and… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The musician collapsed to her knees next to the girl and hugged her.

"You're not an idiot, Leni. You're so much more than that," Luna continued. "That's the truth. The actual truth."

Leni hugged her back. All the while, Lori got down next to them and started rubbing her roommate's back.

A few moments of silence passed. Rita seemed like she was still making up her mind.

"I don't know about this… superhero business you've started for yourself, Leni," she stated. "But it's clear that your father and I's parenting policy might have been too lenient on you kids."

"We didn't mean to leave you with feelings like this, sweetie," Lynn Sr added. "We wanted to respect your privacy, while giving you some freedom to make decisions yourself. I mean, we never thought it'd make superheroes, but…"

"I think we still need to talk this out for ourselves," Rita suggested. "Why don't you go wait with your sisters?"

Leni scraped herself up and obeyed. She walked over to her sisters, who cleared off a seat for her, and sat with them around her.

"Did you kill him?"

Leni looked up at Lana. One of the most innocent among them. She didn't look angry, or hopeful, just mildly curious.

"Lana," Lori warned her off. "That's not-"

"No," Leni answered. "I didn't... I made sure he won't bother us anymore."

The girls processed the information. Perhaps they themselves were wondering if the words had some hidden meaning. Or maybe if they were wondering if they would've done the same thing Leni had.

"So..." Lori wondered. "What happens now?"

"I think," Lisa interrupted, "As a scientist, with everything going on around us at the moment. I can say: Bunk this. Let's take a day to rejuvenate ourselves and feel gratified that we all still draw breath."

"I agree with the nerd," Lynn raised her hand to cast her vote.

Everyone more or less agreed.

Leni sat there, in a lobby, with most of her siblings. Her brother was going to be crippled for a while. And her parents were discussing what to do with her down the hall over there.

For now, that would have to be enough.