Thank you all for the reviews and such a warm response to the first chapter of the story. so far. I leave you with the second chapter, not before thanking everyone that left a review, and replying to some:

The Siege Perilous: Hi.

FanficFan920: Yeah, they dead.

Guest1: I've always planned it to be this way. The reason why in this AU they haven't grown up all together in the Loud House is because I wanted a build-up to an Avengers even where they all have to come together and learn to work as a team.

Epic Gusher: That's an interesting prediction lol We'll see what happens by the end!

A Hopeful Observer: That's a great take, yeah. And we'll see about Bobby and the Casagrandes, which people seem to be guessing that they'll feature in this fic.

meowloudly15: Thank you so much, it's always nice reading from you!

theblainestorm: I'll eventually get around to make a cover for this one.

Chapter 2: The neighbors.

Contrary to popular belief, the worst part of being a hero isn't risking your life to protect others. That's a responsibility we gotta take seriously, it could never be a bother or something we don't like. No, the worst part is definitely the paperwork.

"So, are you in conformity with the report?" The officer asked me, looking up from the tablet where he'd written and read my statements.

"Yes," I replied without much enthusiasm. We'd been standing on the side of the sidewalk for almost forty minutes now, with me recapping everything that had happened in the chase and answering the same questions I was always asked.

"Perfect. Please sign here to leave on record that you're satisfied with the written report and the transcript of your statements."

I took the tablet and the stylus that he offered me, and I signed the digital document.

"Great," the officer said, taking back his pen. "If the version of the civilians and the officers match yours and Eclipse's statements, then you'd be exempt from any lawsuit for collateral damage."

"Good to know."

"Thank you so much for your service to this city."

"Same to you, sir."

Not wanting to continue wasting my time, I took to the air and ascended to the roof of the nearest building, where Leni was waiting for me, sitting and checking her phone.

"You ready?" I asked, moving my arms to stretch them out after a long while of no action.

"Yeah," she answered, still smiling at the screen of her phone. "Why do you get annoyed talking to the cops? They're always, like, super polite."

Conversations with Leni were never easy. It's hard to talk when the other person can feel every emotion in your heart, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Well... Almost nothing.

"It's not them. It's… the whole process. It's a lot of time wasted."

"Oh. I see."

"Besides... I'm pretty beat up," I admitted.

Leni looked up, setting her phone aside and walking to me with a concerned look.

"Did they hurt you?" She asked me, looking at my dirty and scratched suit. "I'm so sorry! If only I'd been quicker checking the car and making sure everyone was okay! I could've helped!"

"Hey," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "you did what you had to do. Remember, the most important thing is that no one gets hurt. And you took care of it."

"You got hurt," she countered, taking my hand in hers. "You count, too."

"Civilians are more important than heroes."

"But…" She looked to both sides, like trying to make sure no one was around to listen to us, and then she leaned forward and whispered, "You're not just Nova. You're Lori. And Lori's a regular person too."

I smiled, and my heart warmed up. Leni was by far the kindest person I knew, always concerned about others. And we were both incredibly dependent on each other.

"I know. But it only hurts a little, okay? Don't worry, it's not a big deal."

I said it with honesty and feeling incredibly grateful to have such a caring sister. And she sensed it, which helped calm her down. She smiled and nodded.

Perfect. Now it was time to make my move.

"Though, in all honesty, I think I need to take the rest of the day off," I said, rubbing my ribs where I'd been beaten mercilessly. "I need to rest before I can continue patrolling."

"Oh, let's go home then!" She offered right away. "Don't feel guilty, you did a lot today!"

"No... that's not what I feel guilty about," I prepared, looking away so I wouldn't have to look her in the eye.

"Huh? Then what…?"

I took a second, considering every word I was about to say and choosing them carefully.

"It's just… well, what you told me about Ace Savvy… I think I was too harsh with him," I lied. Which under normal circumstances, wouldn't have been a good idea, since Leni would immediately be able to detect the disconnect between what I said and what my heart felt.

Unless it was a smokescreen.

"Ohhhh, I see," she said, nodding as if everything suddenly made sense. "That explains it."

"Yeah. So I was thinking… He went to patrol the other part of the city. Why don't you go find him and talk to him for a bit? You know, try to cheer him up, make sure he's not hurt by what I said."

The corners of Leni's lips curled up and her face lit like it always did when we talked about the new Ace Savvy.

"That sounds great! Are you coming with me?"

"Nah. I don't want to see him right now. Besides, I'm gonna be flying around for a bit to loosen up."

"You sure you don't wanna come?" She asked, frowning as if something didn't make sense.

For a second I panicked but immediately pulled myself together to keep the charade up.

"Yeah. Trust me, I think it's best if you go on your own."

No lie in that sentence. My feelings were clear, easy for her to read. "Alright. Okay, I'll go find him. Where do we meet?"

"At the bus stop in the usual square. In… an hour and a half, maybe?"

"Sounds good!"

The two of us rose from the roof, floating mid-air. She did it with elegance, and I did it with my bluish aura surrounding me.

"And Nova," she said, using my hero name as she always did when we were in public, "seriously, don't feel so guilty. Ace's a good guy, he's not gonna hold a grudge against you or anything like that. I'm sure he'll forgive you if you apologize!"

"Thank you. Good to know. See you later."

And without further ado, the two of us headed off in opposite directions. As soon as I was finally alone, I let out a huge sigh.

"I'm not feeling guilty for what I said to Ace, Leni," I thought to myself. "The guilt you sensed is for lying to you. I hope you can forgive me, but I don't want you to deal with this. Not if I can do it for you."

Standing on the sidewalk, I took the piece of paper where I'd written down the address and looked at it again, hoping maybe that the words and numbers would magically change and I could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I had simply made a mistake. But no, my handwriting didn't change, I was at the right place.

I looked at the gas station from top to bottom. The building was like the child of a haunted house and a hobo's shop, cosplaying as an abandoned train wagon. The cobwebs hanging from the roof seemed big enough to catch a pigeon, the windows were so dirty they looked tinted, and a collection of overflowing trash cans made me believe that instead of taking them out, the owner just put in new ones once they were filled.

I covered my face with my hands, and my aura burst like flames around me as I did my best not to scream in outrage. Maybe I messed up the address? No, it couldn't be, I'd triple-checked it the night before. I'd prepared a thousand excuses for Leni to go somewhere else and let me get there on my own. Had the information been wrong, then?

My head told me I shouldn't even bother going in, but I couldn't afford that. This place was my last hope, my last chance to secure a better future for Leni. So, taking a deep breath and bracing myself as if I were heading into a life-or-death battle, I approached the store's entrance.

I opened it carefully, and as I entered, the sickening stench of cheddar cheese and burnt hot dogs filled my nostrils. Not even the spandex in my mask, specifically designed to allow air to pass through but not certain toxic substances, was able to stop it. I looked around, noticing the empty shelves, the remains of wrapping and papers strewn on the floor, and a stain on the wall that looked suspiciously like a cockroach. It was a post-apocalyptic setting.

"Hey, no idling around!" A scratchy old voice suddenly called from the counter. "This isn't a museum! Either you buy something or you leave!"

I narrowed my eyes and gave the man an inquisitive look. He was an overweight older man, with chunks of unkempt gray hair that clung to the sides of his head like cotton candy made from lead and shoe dust. He was wearing a red shirt with mustard stains, and a raccoon lying under his nose.

Or, no, wait, it was a mustache.

"Good afternoon," I said, ignoring his rudeness and walking over to the counter, stopping only when I was close enough to confirm that the stain was actually a cockroach. "Are you the owner of this… elegant establishment?"

"That's right, girl! You're talking to Flip! What can I sell you?"

"Flip. All right, Mr. Flip, I'm Nova," I said solemnly, placing my arms on my hips.

That was my press pose, the one I used whenever I decided to speak with a reporter to send a message to the citizens of Royal Woods. It usually commanded respect and admiration, and sometimes a little more from the city's single population.

"I know who you are, honey," he told me without even flinching. "If you want me to give you something for free just because you help the city, I'm sorry, I'm not in a position to do charity."

I clenched my fists and jaw, preventing my aura from manifesting. He was my last chance, I couldn't make him angry or scared. I needed to be strong. This was for Leni.

"I'm not here to ask for charity, Mr. Flip," I said with the biggest smile I could fake. "I came for an ad in the newspaper about an advertising and insurance agency."

Flip's face changed completely from one moment to the next. I could almost see his pupils changing into money signs, and he straightened up so fast his spine cracked like a xylophone.

"Oh, that explains it all!" His tone changed to a much more friendly one. "So you came to talk business?"

"Uh... Are you the head of the agency?"

"You got that right! Welcome to Flip's Food and Fuel, and Top-Notch Advertising Agent!"

"That's definitely not on the sign."

"Too many characters, too expensive to print. But that doesn't matter!" He leaned into the counter and forward. "So what do ya want, huh? A photoshoot with my preserves? A billboard on the street drinking my Flipees? A car wash service at the entrance of the refueling station? Appearing with my products will boost your heroine's image! For a price, of course."

"Wait, what?" I said, shaking my head. "No! No, I'm not here to buy publicity, what are you talking about? I need a sponsor who can give me Superhero Insurance."

Flip was silent for a few moments. And then he began to laugh out loud, hitting the counter with his clenched fist and pressing his chest as if he feared his lungs would come out of his mouth. I stared at him, speechless and not knowing how to react. He continued to laugh until he started to cough, and he had to pour himself a glass of what appeared to be room-temperature beer to catch his breath.

"Girl, what are you talking about? Superhero Insurance?" He asked me, looking at me as if I was the most idiotic person he'd ever met in his life. "We're in Royal Woods! There's no insurance for heroes! Are you crazy?"

I'd already heard it all, of course. In the past few months, I'd been to every single insurance company and ad agency in town, and they'd all given me the same pitch. Ace Savvy —the real one I mean— was the only hero our companies had been willing to sponsor and insurance for. Eclipse and me? They'd given us a thousand and one reasons why they weren't willing to give us money to support us.

We were brand new. We didn't have enough experience. We could end up becoming villains. We were minors. We weren't attractive enough. We were too attractive. Leni's powers weren't flashy enough to engage the audience. My powers were too destructive to offer insurance against damage. We were going to disappear in a couple of months anyway.

No matter how much I argued, begged, or begged, I always ended up rejected. I'd tried everything and everyone, and hadn't managed to get a single positive result.

And Flip, as much as I hated him, was my last hope.

"Come on, Flip, you seem to be a smart businessman," I said, trying to flatter him to make him feel more comfortable. "I'm the oldest hero in Royal Woods right now."

"You don't even look old enough to drink."

"I don't need to drink to save everyone. Eclipse is also fantastic. Imagine all the publicity you would get if we recommended your store! You'd be full of customers!"

"Even if everyone in town bought me a Flipee, I couldn't afford insurance for you," he sneered. "I saw what you did a few months ago, fighting that Tetherby robot. You and your little friends destroyed a warehouse and two whole blocks. Just today you trashed a street in a chase, I saw it on the news. I'd have to be crazy to invest in you! And what do I do with all the money I give you once the curse takes you, eh? Who will take care of poor Flip then? I'm sorry honey, I didn't become a successful businessman by giving money to the first person that asks for it."

I placed both hands on the counter, pleading with my eyes.

"Flip! Please! It doesn't have to be too much! Just…just enough to pay rent!"

"Ha! If I had money to pay rent I wouldn't sleep in my truck! No deal."

And just like that, my last hope vanished, disappearing like a candle in a storm. My arms relaxed and fell to my sides, hanging like dead weight.

"You heard the rules: buy something or leave."

It took me a few moments to react. I understood that there was nothing I could do to make him change his mind. Once again, I'd failed as an older sister. Without saying a word to him, I walked toward the door.

I would have gone through the roof and flown right into my meeting with Leni, but unfortunately, I didn't have insurance to cover the damage.

"Come in," the soft voice said. "Don't be scared. It's yours, after all."

Not without some shyness, Leni and I crossed the threshold and entered the apartment. It was relatively small, at least compared to our old house. But for two girls aged twelve and eleven? It was a mansion. Too big, in fact.

"The first bathroom is over there," the man said, pointing to the door to the right of the entrance. "It has a sink and toilet, perfect for visits. Over here there's the kitchen. It has a microwave oven and a fairly large refrigerator, so you should be fine. There's no actual dining room, but you have the breakfast bar in the kitchen, and you can also eat on the sofa with the coffee table. The main bathroom is over there, and there's a small room on either side. They both have windows into the back of the building, so the morning sun won't bother you. And over there is the balcony. It's not big or anything, but you can get some air over there, and in the summer it helps with the cross ventilation."

Leni and I didn't talk much back then. We were still incredibly shaken by the death of our adoptive parents, and having to move so soon was insane. I appreciated the tour and everything he was doing for us, but I couldn't show him just how much I did. I couldn't possibly dig that deep into the quicksand of my depression, swallowing any other emotion that tried to escape.

He seemed to notice, and gently took our bags, set them aside, and guided us to sit on the sofa, kneeling in front of us so that he was at eye level. He combed his hair carelessly with one hand and straightened his tie for no apparent reason.

"Lori… Leni… I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm not going to ask you to smile or look ahead into the bright future. You're very mature, and you know that this isn't something that can be solved with a few words of encouragement", he told us solemnly. "Take the time you need to let out everything you feel inside. Don't fight it. It's normal to feel that we're in an ocean that is trying to pull us into the dark depths. And sometimes it seems that the easiest thing is to just let yourself sink."

Leni began to cry silently, and it didn't take long for my own tears to appear. His words were too real.

He placed a hand on our shoulders, patting us gently to cheer us up, or at least let us know we weren't alone.

"But even with everything you've lost, you still have each other," he told us. "Never forget it. Your union is the most precious treasure you have. Take care of it, and always go back to it whenever you need to."

His mouth opened and closed as if carefully considering his next words.

"And, to the best of my ability, I'll also make sure you're taken care of and you have all you need. I have contacts with the mayor's office and the justice system. I'm not gonna let you go to an orphanage. This will be your home, and it will be yours. It won't be easy… but you're brave and strong."

We were unable to respond immediately. It took us long minutes of breaking down into tears until Leni finally found her voice.

"T-Thank you, Mr. Savvy."

Ace Savvy, dressed in a shirt, suit, and tie, smiled at her with his unmasked face, took a handkerchief from his pocket, and offered it to Leni to dry her tears.

"That's my name when I'm working," he said, reminding her of what he had already told us the day before. "When I'm not in my uniform, I'm Spade Nifty."

"Lori, did something happen?" Leni asked me as we sat on the bus, with the backpacks that carried our costumes on the floor next to our feet. "You're happy, but also sad. And super worried. What are you thinking about?"

I closed my eyes and smiled.

"Do you remember when Spade sent us tickets for the summer festival?"

Leni's eyes lit up with the spark of a pleasant memory. "Of course! It was, like, the best weekend of our lives!"

"Yes. It was. All thanks to him. We're here thanks to him. And… and I feel like I didn't thank him the way I should have."

Once again, I was tricking Leni. It was the only way to do it. She could read my emotions, but not my thoughts. She knew what I felt, but not what it was that made me feel that way. Blatantly lying to her wasn't a solution, but if I could find something else that made me feel the same way, I could use it as a shield and divert attention from my real problems.

Leni came over and hugged me from the side.

"Don't say that! Spade knew how much we loved him, and how important he was to us. Trust me. He knew."

"I believe you, but…" I sighed, feeling truly affected by the conversation, not just pretending. "Everything has been so difficult since he left."

Leni remained silent, hugging me and gently rubbing my shoulders with her hand.

"Lori?"

"Yeah?"

"You're doing a great job," she said softly. "He would be proud."

We couldn't say too much in public, but still, those words were exactly what I needed. Leni was practically oblivious to the concept of lies; I could trust that she said it because she really felt that way. And I wished with all my heart that it was true. The responsibility of having to keep an entire city safe was too great, and the thought that my mentor would be proud if he could see me filled me with relief.

Even if it was just for a fleeting moment before reality and all my problems hit me again.

"Thank you, Leni. You're also doing great. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you."

"Don't worry about that, 'cause the two of us will always be together," she assured me. "Spade said that, remember?"

"Yeah. I remember."

"As long as you're with me, I'm not afraid of anything. Because I know we'll figure it out together somehow," she admitted.

"Yeah... We'll work it out," I answered, trying to focus on positive memories so my emotions wouldn't give me away.

Several minutes later we arrived at our destination. A small apartment building, only five stories tall, with three apartments in each of them. It was relatively far from the center of the city, which was sometimes inconvenient in getting to where we were needed quickly, but it had the benefit of being inconspicuous, allowing us to change into our civilian clothes away from home and return unseen through the public transportation. We got off the bus at the corner and were just reaching the entrance when we ran into one of our neighbors.

"Hi, Mr. Howlett!" Leni greeted him.

The man turned to look at us. He was an old man, probably closer to his eighties than his seventies, but one shouldn't be fooled by his gray hair and wrinkled skin. The man had the heart and fighting spirit of a wolverine. Little did we know of his past. Only, according to rumors, that he was a war veteran. He lived alone, wasn't a man of many words, and tried to avoid socializing whenever possible.

Leni, of course, wasted no opportunity to make small talk with him.

"How are you? Are you okay? What did you do today?" She asked quickly, walking up to him with a big smile.

Mr. Howlet frowned, clutching the multiple shopping bags he was carrying.

"Nothing," he answered without skipping a beat, turning his back on Leni and heading towards the entrance of the building.

"Wow, that sounds boring," my sister said, stepping forward and opening the door for the old man.

I covered my face with my hand. Leni was excellent at reading emotions, but for some reason, that didn't translate into an understanding of social interactions.

"Everything is boring when you're old," he said reluctantly, entering the building without even thanking her.

"Oh, don't say that! I'm sure there's something that you think it's fun. Like… I don't know, watching pigeons, or sitting in the park and complaining about noisy kids."

"That last one is kind of fun."

"See? I knew it!" Leni celebrated, becoming a noisy kid. "You have so many bags, can I help you carry them?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to have you around."

"Oooooh!" Leni said, too cheerful considering what she had just been told. "Well, alrighty, but I'm going to walk you to your apartment to make sure nothing happens to you, and dragging those bags by yourself makes you move super slow. If you give me some to carry, we'll get there faster!"

Mr. Howlett gave me a tired look as if blaming me for not keeping Leni in check. I just shrugged.

He sighed.

"Fine. Take these," he said, holding out some of the bags with his groceries.

"Yay! I love helping people!"

"Please stop yelling."

"Okay!" Leni said, turning to look at me. "I'll catch you up at home!"

Mr. Howlett lived on the first floor, and we were on the fifth. He didn't like using the elevator, so they would take the stairs. I waved to Leni and headed for the elevator, calling out to it and waiting until the door opened.

A young man in his twenties was coming down but stopped when he saw me.

"Oh, hey Lori!" He greeted me with his typical carefree smile and New York accent. "How's it going?"

"Hi, Ricky," I greeted him, genuinely happy to see him.

Richard Rider lived on the 3B, and had been a student until just a few months ago when he had finally graduated from engineering college. He was an incredibly kind and intelligent guy who always managed to get a smile out of everyone in the building.

"Where's your sister? It's so weird to see one of you without the other," he commented.

'Leni went to help Mr. Howlett with some groceries."

Richard laughed. "Did the old man actually accept help?"

"He… decided not to object. You know how he is."

"Yeah. He's the best there is at what he does, though what he does isn't very good," he joked. "But he's a good man. It's very nice of your sister to help him."

"Yeah, well, that's what neighbors are for, right?"

"Exactly. That reminds me," he said, picking out his phone and searching for something on it. "My uncle bought me a new TV as a graduation present the other day. So now I have an extra TV. Wanna have it?"

He held out his phone to me, showing me a picture of what I assumed was his old television. It looked pretty big, at least fifty-five inches. Much bigger than the one Leni and I had in our humble home. And presumably much more expensive than we could afford.

Especially at that moment.

"Oh, it looks great, but I don't think we're looking to buy a new TV right now."

"Oh, no, no, no!" He told me quickly. "I didn't mean that, I don't want to sell it to you, sorry. I mean just giving it to you. As a present"

"What?" I said, taken aback.

"Yeah, I don't have room for both of them, and I remembered when I fixed yours a few months ago, so I figured maybe you guys could use it."

"But…Ricky, we can't accept that. It's… too much."

"Oh, come on. You and Leni helped me with shopping and laundry when I was too busy studying for my finals. It's the least I can do."

"I… I don't—"

"Tomorrow afternoon I'll drop by with it," he told me, without giving me time to refuse, and walking away towards the exit. "Say hi to Leni!"

I said goodbye to him, still stunned by what had just happened. Once inside the elevator, I smiled. Ricky was the closest thing Leni and I had to a cousin.

I quickly made it to the fifth floor and walked up to my apartment when the door across the hall opened, and a teenager a couple of years younger than me came out of it.

"Hi, Lori," he said, calling the elevator that had just left.

"Hey, Sam. How's your mom?"

"Oh, you know. Busy," he said, not making a big deal out of it.

She definitely was. The woman had at least three jobs and spent most of the day in one of them. Mr. Alexander had disappeared some years ago. Many believed that he'd simply abandoned them, but Sam, his sister, and their mom still had some hope that one day they'd find him. Sam tried to act like he didn't care, but Leni and I had babysat him and his little sister long enough to know how much it affected him.

Besides, I knew a thing or two about losing a parent.

"Hey, looks like we might get a new TV tomorrow," I told him. "It's pretty big. Maybe you and Kaelynn can come over for the weekend to watch a movie or play on your console."

Sam's face lit up, but he turned his gaze to the elevator that had just arrived.

"That'd be cool. See ya."

He stepped away with a smile that he tried to hide, and I ended up going into my apartment, happy to be able to give back a little of everything they gave me.

But once I turned on the light and closed the door behind me, the weight of the silence brought me back to reality. I sighed and dropped my backpack on the couch. I immediately headed for the refrigerator only to find that it was as empty as I'd feared. Without complaining, I took a painkiller from the cabinet to try to alleviate the numbness I felt in my entire torso and back. I went to my room to change into more comfortable clothes.

Once in the privacy of my sanctuary, I grabbed some loose pajamas and proceeded to undress. Before putting the clothes on, I took a look in the mirror. My skin had nasty blue and purple spots all over it. Cuts, bruises, scrapes, even some clearly swollen areas. My powers helped my metabolism speed up and heal wounds faster than normal, but it was still too slow. I'd need to take a day or two off patrol to recover.

When was the last time Spade had taken a day off?

I wasn't like him. I was weak. I was careless. As much as I hated to admit it, if the new Ace Savvy hadn't arrived when he did…

I shook my head. No, I couldn't think that way. He arrived just before I could perform my ultimate attack. It was my trump card, I definitely would have gotten rid of those criminals. But where did they get those weapons? The black market? Were they Royal Woods residents, or had they come from another town?

I had a lot to figure out. And unfortunately, I didn't have the contacts with the law enforcement and prosecution that my mentor had. I was practically on my own. The responsibility of keeping everyone safe rested solely on my shoulders.

But how much could they trust me with that responsibility if I couldn't even keep my own sister safe?

As soon as I finished getting dressed, I took a look at the letters I'd been receiving for the last few months. Debts, debts, and more debts. Ever since the accident all those years ago, Ace Savvy… Spade, rather, had taken care of us. Maybe he felt partly responsible for not stopping the villain. Maybe it was the fact that we were two metahumans, two-times orphans, with no family to go to. For whatever reason, he'd made some kind of legal maneuver to become our guardian. And since then, he had taken care of all our expenses. He paid our rent, our utilities, taxes, and sent us checks every month so we could buy food and whatever else we wanted. We didn't have a life of luxury, but we'd never lacked for anything.

But a few months after his death, nearly a year ago, the checks had stopped coming. A lawyer tried to explain the situation to me, but the anonymity with which Spade had kept his accounts and the obstacles he'd set up so no one could track him down to us had now turned into a problem. According to the lawyer, everything would eventually turn out in our favor, and we'd be able to access a trust fund he'd set up for us. But the confusing circumstances of his death —the Secret Identity Act prohibited the general public and even institutions to have free access to metahumans' secret identities— had unleashed a legal battle between many different actors, and it would take many, many months for it to sort itself out.

Naturally, the rest of the world wasn't willing to wait many months for Leni and me to pay our bills. And there lied the issue: we had exactly zero income sources on our own. We were still minors. We were both in High School, and our free time demanded us to be patrolling, fighting crime, or recovering from our battles.

And unfortunately for us, Royal Woods was practically the only place on Earth where being a metahuman wasn't a job opportunity. Anywhere else in the world, being a metahuman would turn you into a celebrity, and infinite doors would open to you. Publicity, insurance, image deals, merchandising, biographies, action figure lines, clothing contracts, even deals with the government. Becoming a hero was a great way to stop worrying about money.

And yet, we were both broke. Leni wasn't fully aware of it. I'd done all I could to hide our situation from her. As far as she knew, we were still getting Spade's checks in the mail. She didn't know I was tapping into our savings to deal with our daily expenses. Luckily for me, Leni lived a simple, humble life, never asking for much. Even with how much she loved fashion, she would make her own clothes, which made everything much cheaper.

She deserved so much more. What kind of life was I providing my younger sister with? What future could she look forward to? We weren't just in a town that managed to make every meta disappear, we weren't even getting minimal compensation for our effort and sacrifice. We had no money, we had no education secured for us, we didn't have any healthcare plan. Nothing.

We gave it all for our beloved city, and yet no one there was willing to lend us a helping hand. I'd tried everything to find support, but Royal Woods had turned its back to us.

Well, I'd been considering this for several months, and as far as I could tell, there was only one option left for us.

Once I changed into my new clothes and with the painkiller starting to take effect, I got out of my room with my phone in hand, realizing I had no other option than to order a pizza. However, I heard two soft knocks, and then the key on the inner side of the door turned by itself, and Leni walked into the apartment carrying a weird-looking bag.

"What's that?" I asked as Leni continued to walk to the kitchen bar and closed the door with her telekinetic powers.

"Oh, Mr. Howlett said he'd prepared a big beef stew! But he's suddenly tired so he'll probably go to bed early, and he told me to grab it so it wouldn't go to waste. Yay!"

I sighed in relief. Sometimes, the universe would pity me and would send me a little pat on the back. Those random gifts from people had lately become our salvation. More and more often.

"Alright," I said, putting my phone away. "Let's get everything set up. And let's go to the couch, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Leni left the bag with the strew pot on the bar and turned to look at me. "What's up?"

I focused on every happy memory I could think of. The summer festival. Kaelynn's last birthday party. Ricky's graduation party. Anything that would help me conceal my true feelings from Leni's powers.

As soon as I felt as ready as I'd ever be, I dropped the bomb.

"I'm thinking of taking a small trip out of town."