Chapter 12

"Adelina Covington."

The young blonde glanced up, nibbling on her bottom lip as the archery coach called her name. she took a deep breath as she stood up and made her way towards the field. The rest of the students that were trying out for the archery team all laughed and chatted within their little groups as Adelina took up her position. Up in the bleachers, Nami sat, looking like she was brooding but in reality, was there to cheer her on, in her own way. The coach handed her the wooden bow, a cheap thing that had the paint chipped in multiple places, and a quiver of five arrows.

"Alright," the coach said, "You're going to hit as many targets on the other side as you can."

Adelina nodded nervously, feeling a little bit better about her chances when she saw how close the targets were. She smirked before returning to the look of a nervous young girl.

"Can…..may I step back a couple of steps?"

The coach glanced up from his clipboard, looking a bit confused at the question, as though he was expecting her to ask if she could move up, not back. "If you'd like…."

Adelina beamed, walking back all the way to the fifty-yard line. The coach looked a little shocked, as the targets were on the ten-yard line, near the right goal. Her move got some surprised whispers from the other students. Adelina took a deep breath as she retrieved an arrow from the quiver.

The world seemingly fell away as she nocked the arrow, silently inhaling drawing the string back to her chin. There was a moment where she held the arrow to her chin, feeling peaceful and allowing the silence to envelope her.

Steady, Ade…... Nightcrawler's voice echoed her mind, a replay of what he said to her when she first decided to pick up a weapon to defend herself with. Her hearth thundered in her chest as she took aim and a beat later, her fingers straightened. The string snapped forward, sending the arrow flying through the air. There was silence as the arrow whistled, creating a thadump when it impacted into the target. Everyone's mouth dropped open, except for Nami's of course, in shock at the sight of a near bullseye.

"Holy…." The coach muttered.

Adelina, feeling a burst of confidence, re-nocked the bow and let another arrow fly, this one impaling just a few inches above the one that she fired first. Another shock went through the crowd. Nami smirked, moving from the top of the bleachers to the bottom.

The coach ran up to her, falling on to his knees. "Please say you'll join the team!"

"Uh…that's why I came to tryout…."

"Oh! You could be the team captain!"

"Okay…...?"

"YES! Oh, thank God, I get to keep the title of champion!"

Adelina shot Nami a look, to which the young girl just shrugged in response. Adelina was given a waiver to sign, and a tentative schedule for the archery team. Once finished, she and Nami left school grounds, heading for Bayville proper on a bus. In Nami's bag, the costumes were hidden, and tonight was the first time they were to done them. Adelina tried to sort through her memories for stories told by her friends of two masked figures that weren't a part of the X-Men.

Nothing came to mind.

They were creating a new timeline, one that didn't follow the events of the one that they had learned from their mentors. It felt…...honestly it felt invigorating to know that they were creating something unique. And maybe this timeline that they were creating, this little branch that had appeared wouldn't follow the same path as it led to the world that they grew up in.

One could only hope….

The bus dropped them off in the midst of the city. Even though they had been there before, Adelina couldn't help but gawk at the tall buildings and the loud noises that crowded the city. Nightcrawler had told her stories about the city, how it could be interesting and overwhelming all at once.

He got the overwhelming part right.

Nami glanced around, before gesturing for Adelina to follow her through the throng of people. The two walked until they came to an abandoned parking garage. The bathrooms were available and private enough for the two of them to quickly change into their costumes without anyone noticing. Adelina hesitated before switching off her image inducer. She watched the mirror as her image rippled, returning to her scaly, claw-fingered form. Her wings stretched out behind her, a bit stiff because of her having it against her back all day, but once they were out, they felt good and ready for a flight.

"Here."

Adelina's tail caught her new outfit and the excitement only increased as she took in the design with wide eyes. "Wow! This has to be your best work Nami!"

"Call me Tsunami while we're wearing these."

Adelina turned around, gaping at her queen in her outfit. It was light blue and teal, with a dark blue flap, with golden Atlantean symbols of protection sewed on for protection. It looked good on her.

"Whoa…...you look like a real queen!"

"Thanks." She pulled something out from her pocket, fiddling with it for a moment before glancing up to Adelina. "Until we finish our mission, we're gonna have to hide our identity. With these."

Adelina was handed a mask, one that matched the color scheme of her outfit. She examined it for a moment, feeling a sort of weight land on her shoulder. They were going to make history.

If only Nightcrawler and the others were here to see us. Adelina smiled softly. They would be so proud of us.

She took in a breath, fighting down her feelings before looking up. Nami, or rather Tsunami, was smiling, as though she knew what Adelina was thinking.

"The sun is setting." She announced after ducking her head outside the door. "Get ready and we'll leave once you're ready."

Tsunami left the bathroom, leaving Adelina alone with her clothes and her heart thundering in her chest.

It took about twenty minutes for her to figure out how to get the outfit on over her wings and tail. But she figured it out well enough and she walked out to see Tsunami stuffing their backpacks behind a dumpster.

She turned around, smirking. "Damn, I did good."

"You sure did, Tsunami."

"What's your hero's name gonna be?"

"Uh, I don't know yet."

"Better figure it out before we encounter the X-Men." She turned her head up to the sky. "Come on. Let's get to the rooftops."

"Right." Adelina placed the mask on her face, blinking as she adjusted to the strangeness of the fitted cloth on her face. "Where to first?"

"Since it's our first night, I thought we might go wherever we feel like. Learn the layout of the city and find the troubled spots. Then, we'll map out a patrol route. One that we'll stick to and maybe mix up once we get more supplies and tools."

"Roger that, Charlie!" Adelina saluted.

Tsunami smirked. "Come on. Let's get going."

Adelina watched her friend leap up onto the fire escape, scuttling upwards as though she was a lizard before disappearing on the roof. The young girl smirked as she crouched down, before giving her wings one good hard flap. Lifting off, Adelina followed Tsunami, flying high above the rooftops of Bayville before landing in a crouch next to the blue-clad girl.

"You know, that's bad for your knees."

Adelina quirked an eyebrow. "And who are you? Deadpool?"

Tsunami scoffed. "Thank goodness, no. Just…..don't go doing superhero landings too much."

"Sure thing." Adelina smirked. Her eyes went over the skyline of the city, a cloud of smoke catching and holding her attention. "You see that?"

"Yeah. I do."

"What do you think that's all about?"

"Don't know."

Sirens graced their ears. Adelina turned around to see large red and white trucks barreling down the street, with the other cars desperately trying to get out of the way.

"Is that…?"

"Yep."

"And are we….?"

"Oh yeah."

Adelina smirked. They're first superhero act was to help save people from a burning building. It was cliché, but they were gonna do it

"Let's get going." Tsunami jumped from the rooftops and ran. Adelina smiled fully before jumping into the air.