Chapter 6:
There had been an incident.
One where she had been her most vulnerable.
And one where she hadn't been able to fight back until it was too late.
There had been an incident.
"I think I failed my Hero History final," Dani said as she sat down at the table with Will and Ethan. While Layla, Magenta, and Warren sat with his presently on-again girlfriend Eve.
She could have sat with them but the last time she tried, Eve had frozen her to her chair. And well...stone walling bullies was what Dani did best.
"It couldn't have been that bad." Will looked up at her from his mad science textbook.
"It might have been. I didn't manage to finish." She pulled out her lunch. "Well, at least this afternoon's exam's technical. And then we're done."
"Speak for yourself, I have to retake the Mad Science final," Will muttered.
"At least he's letting you retake it." Ethan poked at his questionable cafeteria food.
"That is true, he could have made you take summer school." Dani passed Ethan some of her lunch.
"WOO SUMMER!" Zach sauntered up. "One more test and we're done!" He tried to gracefully sit down, but Zach was anything but graceful and basically fell into his chair. Almost throwing his lunch in the process.
"Not for Will." Dani and Ethan began snickering.
"Sorry, bro." Zach pat him on the back. "But we're still doing the Fourth of July at your place?"
Will laughed, "Not if I fail this exam."
Dani looked up, "When's your exam?"
"Monday."
"Come over this weekend. I'll walk you through the ones most likely to be tested."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'll probably need help with Hero History next year. So...Call it a premature favour."
Dani was spread out on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Too tired to do anything but too awake to sleep. She had been like that since she tried to sleep last night. Her pulse was still racing despite her body's unwillingness to move. She lost track of time until she saw the sun peak through her curtains, then she lost it again.
Eventually, her phone rang, and she sluggishly rolled over to grab it off the nightstand. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's Will."
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Sup?"
"Are you free right now?"
"Yeah, why?" She paused, "Oh. Right. Mad Science. Sure."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, it was a long night, that's all." She rubbed her forehead, "Come over. But...uh. Take your time. And if no one answers the door, just come in through the back."
"Oh. Okay. See you soon."
"Yeah." She hung up. Having people come over was still such a strange thing. She rubbed the back of her neck before standing and going to take a shower.
She was wrapping her bone bracelet around her wrist when she heard the back door open. "Give me a minute!"
"Okay"
"You shouldn't have shown off last night." Giselle floated behind her.
"He wouldn't get off my case." She fingered the bracelet. "Can you go back now? I need to focus."
"Okay. Wouldn't want to interrupt your date."
"I am helping him study. That is all."
"Sure." Giselle flew back into the bracelet. "You keep telling yourself that."
Dani rolled her eyes, hearing the word 'date' directed at her was almost comical. Danielle Hol- Nocta, she reminded herself, did not flirt, or get flirted with. And thus, dating was just as comical of a thought. She gave herself a once over in the mirror before leaving her room.
Will stood from his spot on the couch. "Hi." He held up a plastic bag, "I brought snacks."
She nodded and brought him to the dining room, where pieces of random technology were separated into stations. "Let's get started, then."
Dani snorted, "Okay, so what happened?"
"So Medulla lifted the glass, and the girls faint. Just drop. So, he puts the glass back, then lifts it back up and Zach just drops. No warning just drops." Will chuckled at the memory.
"Hero support classes sound a lot more fun than our classes." Will couldn't see her face but her tone was contemplative.
"They still have to take Hero History."
"Nevermind then." She began plating the food she had been cooking and brought it over to the kitchen island where he was sitting. She placed his plate in front of him and took a seat. She watched him take a bite. His face turned red, as he began coughing. "Too spicy?"
He nodded and drank some of his water, "A little."
She looked at her plate, "That's weird, I already cut down the spices by half."
When they had finished eating, and the dishes had been taken care of, rather than getting back to studying they sat on the couch and hung out.
Dani looked at him, "So, you've known Layla a while, right?"
He looked at her, "Yeah, she's my best friend. Why?"
"I was just wondering, and don't take this the wrong way. I actually have a reason." She sighed, "I was just wondering if she's really as nice as she seems."
Will gave a nervous laugh, "Well, she did get Warren to stop trying to kill me."
Dani's brows furrowed, "Wait, what?"
"There's a lot of history there. And it's complicated. But long story short, there are reasons why the cafeteria has scorch marks on the ceiling." He looked at her seriously, "Why?"
"I was just wondering why Principal Powers decided to pick Layla as 'my first friend' at Sky High." He gave her a look and she shook her head, "Look, some things happened and it's a mess that I don't want to get into, but in the end Principal Powers thought it'd be best if I had a friend. I was just wondering why it was Layla."
Will stared at her, "It's not just her, you know."
His stare made her ears itch and she turned away, her fingers fiddling with her bracelet as a distraction, "I know."
Giselle leaned over Will's shoulder, and whispered into his ear, "Kiss her. Just lean in and do it."
She stopped herself from trying to touch her hair, "So, uhhh, you wanna watch a movie?" When he didn't respond she looked over and saw Giselle. "What are you doing?"
Giselle looked up, "Helping?"
"Who?" Dani didn't notice the fact that Will was blushing.
"You?"
"Sorry, Will." She tugged the tether holding Giselle to the bracelet and pulled her back in. "She's testing her powers, on you apparently. I can put her in the bedroom if it'll make you feel better."
He snapped out of it, "Uhh…" He shook his head and looked away. "No. It's fine. Did you say something about a movie?"
"Um. Yeah. If you want to watch one." They were both blushing now.
"Oh. Yeah. Sure." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You choose this time."
She gave a small laugh and stood, "Are you sure? I'll pick something scary if you let me."
They sat close together, sharing a bowl of popcorn. She felt him jump when the zombie slammed up against the glass. She hesitantly placed her hand over his, "Better?"
He didn't take her hand in his but ran his thumb over the tips of her fingers, "Yeah, thanks."
Dani watched as Will packed his things, "So...tomorrow?" He asked.
"Yeah. Same time?"
"Sure!" The enthusiasm made her smile. "Oh. Right. I wanted to ask you. What are you doing for Independence Day?"
Hiding under the bed, with her headphones in with the volume at full? What she said was, "Uhm. Nothing, why?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I know you heard Zach at lunch the other day but I didn't get the chance to actually invite you. We're having a party at my house and I was wondering if you wanted to come?" Queue the boyish smile.
She bit her lip, then smirked, "You know what? Pass your Mad Science exam and I'll go."
She didn't think it was possible but his smile got bigger. "Okay! See you tomorrow!" He quickly left, accidentally slamming the door behind him hard enough that it shook the house. The door opened up again, "Sorry."
"No worries." She waved as he left again with less gusto than before.
Three days later, Will was sitting on her couch. A paper crumpled in his hand, exhaustion clear on his face. She stared at him, waiting for him to tell her how he did. "Well…?" He handed her the paper, she looked through the class list and tried not to look at the grades for classes that weren't Mad Science. "Will! You got a C! Minus! But it's still a C! You passed!"
"All thanks to you."
She looked at the paper again, "Wait. How'd you only get a B in flight class?"
He took the paper from her, his cheeks were redder than they were a moment ago. "It's a lot more theory than you think. And it's not like your grades are so great."
She raised an eyebrow, "Aside from Hero History, I got all As." He gaped at her, "Will. Hon. I was headed to M.I.T. before I got sent to Sky High."
He opened his mouth, then closed it. He swallowed, "So, how 'bout that movie?"
She patted his shoulder and turned towards the TV taking the DVD remote off the table and pressing play. The opening monologue started as she placed the remote back on the coffee table. Then as they watched as the scientists reopened The Hive, Will stretched and yawned. She looked at him, "If you're tired we don't ha-" She felt his arm behind her as he looked away. "Oh…"
They talked a lot after that night. More than any boy Dani had ever talked with before and she had a brother. If he could be called that. Just thinking about it made her stomach flutter. Now, it was the Fourth of July, and she was standing outside the address Will had given her last night. The smell of BBQ filled the streets and different kinds of music from neighbouring houses. She climbed the steps and raised her hand to knock…
"Are you going to be alright today?" Giselle floated behind her.
Dani lowered her hand. She wanted to laugh it off and ask what she meant. But she knew. Of course, she knew. Counting back from ten, Dani let out a breath. "If we get back before the fireworks start, I should be fine. God. I want to be fine."
"Dani?" Layla's voice brought her attention away from the door that she was totally planning to knock on. She was.
"Hi, Layla! Hi!" Her voice was a little too high even in her own ears.
"Going to the party?"
"Yeah." Her hand twitched at her side.
Layla smiled, "It's this way." She pointed to the back gate.
"Oh…" She hopped down the steps. "Thanks."
"No problem." Layla led the way and they found Zach, Will and an older couple that Dani assumed were Will's parents. "Will!"
Will and his parents came over and Layla greeted them, "Hey, Mr and Mrs Stronghold. My parents are sorry they couldn't make it, there was an emergency at the Baker's farm my mom needed to help with."
As Layla and Mrs Stronghold continued to talk, Dani stood dumbfounded. Before her stood The Commander and Jetstream. Or as she knew them, The Man Who Tried To Have Her Killed, and The Woman Who Let Her Live.
Will's voice cut through the fog, "Mom, Dad, this is Dani."
They finally noticed her standing there, their eyes widened a touch. Not enough for anyone else to notice, but Dani did. Of course, she did. Mrs Stronghold let out an awkward laugh, "Of course. Welcome, Dani." Mrs Stronghold's hand was calloused in Dani's as they shook.
Mr Stronghold, on the other hand, was less courteous. When they shook hands his grip almost broke her hand. "Yes. It's nice to meet you."
She could say nothing past the lump in her throat. Giselle's voice was what snapped her out of it. "Careful. You're oozing."
Dani quickly straightened up and pulled her hand back. The purplish-black ooze returned inside her hand. "It's nice to meet you too. Both of you." She flexed her hand before smiling, "Sorry, I was in awe. The Commander and Jetstream are well talked about in school. I never thought I'd meet you in real life." Mr Stronghold's eyes narrowed. The man knew a challenge when he heard one. Good.
She turned to Will, "Thanks for inviting me!"
Magenta's voice came from behind them, "I told you they were back here."
Dani watched as the celebrations continued as she stood near the refreshments table. Mr Stronghold knew thus he was trying to keep his son as far away from her as possible. She didn't blame him, she'd probably do the same thing if she was in his shoes. Mrs Stronghold didn't seem to mind as much. But she could still see the protective hand on Will's shoulder when he walked past her. They had to let him go eventually, right?
When Will managed to slip away from his parents' grasp. He walked towards her, "Hey, I feel like we haven't been able to talk tonight."
Dani took a sip of her pop, "I don't think your parents like me very much."
"They're not usually like that, they just don't know you."
The song on the radio changed and Dani grinned, "I love this song. Wanna dance?" He fumbled with his response. She rolled her eyes, took his hand and pulled him onto the grass. She took his hands and started to sway to the beat. She smiled and lowered her voice, "See? It's easy." He flushed and nodded. When the song ended they pulled apart, but his fingers stayed tangled with hers.
It was nice.
It was easy.
The afternoon went on, and soon enough Dani's watch began beeping. It was time to go. She turned off the alarm, "Oh, I have to go. Curfew."
"You sure? You're going to miss the fireworks." Layla's brows furrowed.
Dani rubbed the back of her neck, "Well when the government dictates your life, what can you do?"
"Okay, I'll walk you home." Will grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair.
The walk back was quiet, their fingers intertwined. Dani rubbed the back of her neck again with her free hand, "Thanks for inviting me today. It was fun."
"Good." Will looked away, "So, we should do it again some time..?"
"Sure." They got to her door.
"Maybe with just the two of us?"
Dani looked at him, her face felt hot. "I'd like that."
"Great!" He paused, "Um...I'll call?" She nodded. Their eyes met and the space between them was both not enough but also too much. There's a scene in Scooby-Doo Where Are You?! where Scooby cuts into the fog and eats it. The energy between them felt like that. Palpable, edible.
"You could just kiss him." Giselle's voice made her jump. The energy dissipated.
Dani laughed, "So you'll call?"
"Yeah."
She smiled, "Okay. I look forward to it." She let go of his hand and went inside. She went to the sink, turned the tap on cold and stuck her head under the faucet. When her face felt like it had stopped burning she got out.
"You should have just kissed him." Her head went back in.
When Dani left the comfort of the kitchen sink and began towel drying her hair, she muttered, "It's not that easy."
"So you don't want to talk about it?"
"Nope."
She stood with Giselle, as they watched the fireworks. The hill they were on was quiet; they were the only two people there. Or they should have been. As one of the larger fireworks went off something hit her head and she went down before either of them knew what was happening.
Dani startled awake. Hitting her head on the undercarriage of her bed. She rubbed the potential bruise. She didn't realize what woke her up until she crawled out from her hiding spot. She checked the clock. 3 am. She didn't hear any more fireworks. So she took out her earbuds and stretched. Then she heard it. A scratching sound at the back door.
She sighed, the sound was unforgettable. She put on her shoes, opened the door, looked down and sighed again. "Yeah. Sorry." The roadkill stopped scratching and stared up at her with garbled hissing. "Well, I don't know what you want me to tell you." She stepped over what was probably once a raccoon and grabbed the shovel from beside the door. "I'm not carrying you."
She left her yard, leaving the gate open for the squirrel(?) to follow. Once she was hidden within the trees she began digging. She dug a shallow grave, "In." The rabbit(?) fell in. She looked at it again and sighed a thousand years worth of sighs. She pulled at the invisible strings binding the bat(?) to its body.
She pulled the soul from its body and she stared at the ghost of the raccoon(!). "Sorry." She released the ghost so that it could move on. She quietly began shovelling dirt into the hole.
"I never knew you could raise roadkill." Giselle began tossing dirt into the hole.
"Yeah. It's never on purpose, just on bad nights." She rubbed the back of her neck, "I thought grandma beat it out of me, but then...you know."
She felt a hand on her shoulder, "Yeah. I know."
Three weeks passed.
"You okay?" Giselle sat beside Dani.
Dani looked at her from the corner of her eye, not really taking her eyes off the tv. "We've got A/C, Billy sanitized the couch, I've got you, my hair's growing back, we've got the house to ourselves, and Christian's been on one of his benders for so long, I think he might be dead. Which would make him useful for once. And to top it all off, Agent Kennedy continues to be perfect. What's not to be okay about?"
"You haven't heard from Will yet."
Just as Giselle said it, Dani's phone began ringing. "Ask and you shall receive." She answered, "Hello?"
"Hey." Magenta's casual voice almost startled her.
Giselle watched her intensely. "Hey Magenta. What's up?" All interest was lost.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing much. Why?"
"Okay, cool. We're coming over. We'll be there in five."
"Oh...kay? See you soon then?"
"Yeah." Magenta hung up.
Dani looked at herself, "I need pants."
Dani looked at the pile of food on her dining room table, "Okay, not to sound ungrateful, but what are you doing here?" She looked pointedly at Warren who sat across from her.
"We caught him at the end of his shift." Layla had explained when they arrived, but she didn't believe it.
"I don't think your girlfriend would like you being here."
"Ex." Magenta had to swallow a laugh, "They broke up again."
Dani nodded, "Ah."
"Speaking of relationships." Layla looked at her, "What's going on with you and Will?" When Dani didn't respond she continued, "Seems like you two were getting close at the party."
With pursed lips, she shrugged. "Couldn't tell ya." She had an idea why she hadn't heard from Will, but chose not to mention it.
She knew why. She knew it in her gut.
"So you're newly single, thinking about a summer fling." She looked pointedly at Warren. He nearly spat out his water.
When they left, she picked up her cell phone and called Will.
It rang.
He didn't answer.
One day left of summer break and she stared at her cell phone. She needed to be sure before she went back tomorrow. She had to be sure.
She went to the house phone, ignoring Christian's glares as she walked past. She punched in the number for Will's cell phone and pressed the call. She was kind of hoping he didn't pick up.
"Hello?"
"It's me. We need to talk."
"Yeah. I know."
"There's a school about halfway between our houses. There's a field behind it. After dark. Come alone." She hung up.
Dani sat in the field, reading her book, despite the sun being down for an hour. She stood when she heard footsteps and looked over at him. His face was as grim as her insides felt.
He knew.
"So?" She looked at him expectantly, but he said nothing. "Just say it."
"Did you -"
"Yes."
"How- How could you-"
The next thing both of them knew they were on the ground, with Dani clenching Will's windbreaker in her hands. "How could I, what?" She growled. "Did your daddy not tell you?" The look on his face told her that The Commander had in fact not told him everything. "Of course not!" She barked a laugh, "Of course, he wouldn't. It'd make him look bad. But everything is just so black and white for you damn heroes."
"How could I kill a man? Easy. He deserved it. And if I hadn't used my powers to do it, any other court would have seen it in self-defence. But not your daddy. Not him or his band of sycophants. Did he tell you that his first reaction to seeing a fifteen-year-old girl was to sentence her to death despite knowing exactly what happened? Of course not. And he would have gotten away with it too. He would have, had your mother not been so undecided. And I don't know what made her change her mind, but I will always be grateful for that."
"And then there's you. Judging me from your high horse. Born from the blood of murderers who kill innocent kids. A council born and bred from Strongholds and those they deem fit to rule alongside them. How dare you judge me. How dare you judge me when your father and grandfather have sentenced kids half our age to death because they were deemed dangerous and couldn't control their powers. You're cowards, the lot of you."
She exhaled, got up and began to walk away. Seething.
"Dani!"
She wheeled and jabbed her finger into his chest. "Listen here, Stronghold. You really wanna know why I killed him? Fine. He took us. Took us and tried to break us, and when that didn't work, he stabbed me. And then 24 hours later, he killed my best friend in front of me. And if I hadn't done what needed to be done. It'd have been me next. And then some other girl, and then another. So I killed him. And what did I get for it? Three months in the hospital, and then two in a cell. Where your dad and people like him decided my fate for me." She took a breath.
"And your dad proved he was a coward then, just like he did when he told you what I did. And you? You're just like him. I had hoped that maybe, just maybe you were like your mom. But you proved me wrong. Good for you William. You're just like your dad. A coward." She turned.
And this time when he called her name, she didn't turn back.
Well, at least now she had a reason to learn Hero History.
Author's Note:
*Accidentally spills Will Falls in Love With New Girl trope on the table*
Ahem.
Here it is.
Again this chapter isn't properly edited so if there are any issues let me know
If there aren't hope you enjoyed it anyways
