Life was good for the second youngest member of the Parr family. Very, very good. Finally let off of his leash, Dash looked forward to nothing more than donning his superhero suit and taking to the city. Though in the meantime he was finally allowed to compete in school activities, he wasn't allowed to really cut loose in them. And he rarely won, in order to maintain the illusion of trying but not being perfect. And looking like he wasn't perfect was a stretch for him.
He could feel the excitement welling up inside him as he prepared for school that morning, running around his room. There was a big practice session in school, where he would wind up running for hours on end. Not at his top speed, but it sounded like a whole lot of fun to him nonetheless. He didn't even pause as he streaked past the living room to the kitchen for a snack.
He couldn't resist letting out a joyous "Who's the Dash? I'm the Dash!" As he passed right by his mother. He skidded to a halt in the kitchen, grabbed a few candy bars out of the pantry, hefted his backpack securely over his shoulder, and turned to streak past the living room right out the front door. "Love ya bye mom see ya!" He shouted before he broke through the door into the street.
The biting cold of Winter bit into the exposed skin of his face. He hadn't really wanted to bundle up for fear that it would slow him down, but now he found himself slowing down for the sake of not turning himself into a human Popsicle. He hated it when his mom was right, which she was, but he would never admit it to her.
He soon reached the playground of the Elementary School he was attending, slowing to a more normal pace as it hove into view and walking onto it as if he'd been there all along. Snow began to float down from the sky as he reached the jungle gym, looking up at one of his best friends dangling from the top with his legs flailing.
"Come on! I wanna get down now!" He whined angrily.
"Go ahead and let go. I'll catch you." Dash called up to him. The boy looked down, then let his fingers slip off of the bar. Dash was true to his word to break the boy's fall, but using the word 'catch' wasn't really appropriate. Dash grunted from the ground as his friend climbed off of him.
"Thanks Dash." Dash's best friend Darrel knelt down and pulled him off the ground. "I thought nobody would help me down."
"Let me guess. Stacy?" Dash asked. His friend blushed and looked down, running one foot through the thickening snow. "You've got to stop this man. She's got you wrapped around her finger."
"It's not like I let her! She's just so strong..." Darrel whined.
"She's half your size!" Dash reminded him.
Darrel looked down shamefully, clasping his hands behind his back. "Well, what should I do?"
"Next time she tries to push you around, puff out your chest..." Dash puffed out his chest to demonstrate, getting a mean look on his face. "And say 'Hey Stacy! You can't push The Dash around! So buzz off!'"
"But I'm not 'The Dash'." Darrel pointed out.
"You know what I mean!" Dash retorted. He walked up to his friend and slung an arm around his shoulders, which was hard to do since his friend was a bit taller than he was. "Okay, you can be 'The Darrel: The boy who stands up to girls'." Dash said in a soft voice.
"Wooow... I can...?" Darrel asked in amazement.
"Yes you can. Just do what I told you and those girls won't stand a chance." Dash said.
"Okay, I'll do that. Thanks Dash." Darrel smiled as the school bell rang. "Come on, let's get inside before they think we're tardy!" So they both ran toward the school building with almost every other kid in their class.
The class faded without anything important happening. There were a few tussles in the cafeteria during lunch time, Darrel hiding from Stacy at all costs, and Dash's own encounter with a little red-pigtailed girl with shining green emeralds for eyes, freckles almost intricately spread across her milky smooth cheeks, and a set of barely detectable braces on her teeth.
"Hello Dash." She told him with a gentle smile.
"Uh... hi Marie." Dash replied uncomfortably.
"Whatcha doin'?" The girl asked. Dash looked down at the tray of cafeteria food clutched in his hands.
"... Eating lunch." He replied dumbly. Marie giggled.
"Me too. Wanna eat together?" Marie asked.
"Uh... uh..." Dash cast about for any escape. Darrel was behind Marie, waving his hands like they were on a sinking submarine. "I can't... I have... poop... a lot..." He muttered. Marie blinked and stared at him in confusion, while Darrel slapped himself in the forehead. "Gotta go bye!" Dash took off at a run across the cafeteria, his super speed kicking in slightly to get him there very fast. Finally he skidded to a stop at a table and sat down, his heart pounding.
Darrel's arm wrapped around his shoulders from behind. "Maybe one day you can be 'The Dash: the boy who stands up to girls.'"
"Shut up Darrel." Dash retorted grumpily as his friend took a seat beside him. The rest of the day went on, until finally the time Dash was waiting for arrived. It was a soccer tryout, something Dash had been wanting to try for a while. With all of his practice at running, he was able to control his feet like nobody's business. So soccer just seemed natural for him.
"Okay everybody, line up." The coach blew his whistle as all of the kids scrambled to get in position. The soccer team was co-ed, so there was a small group of girls set in among the boys who wanted to prove themselves by being good at a physical sport. "I wish you could all be on the team, but well, some of you probably suck."
The children all just stared at him. "But that's okay. If you're not cut out for sports, there are less manly things you can do in the future. Like being an accountant or a home designer. Now everyone line up by the first letters of your first names, which I'll call out now." And so he did, placing Dash, naturally, near the front of the line.
He waited his turn, then walked up to the line the coach made on the ground. He heard a few kids who knew him cheering, including, when he glanced back, Marie. "Okay Dashiel, you've been doing good in the track team, but let's see how you do with something more complicated than running." He smirked. Dash resisted the urge to fire back. He mentally chanted 'modesty is a virtue... modesty is a virtue...'
The coach tossed the soccer ball into the air toward him, and Dash raised one leg, hopping forward and kicking it back into the air. He hopped after it, kicking it up again, keeping this up a few times until his audience was applauding the display. "Well, not bad." The coach admitted.
"I'm good with my feet." Dash couldn't resist gloating a little as he kicked the ball up one more time, then brought his leg around to kick it into the net nearby. The audience mostly burst into applause... those who weren't fuming at being shown up did anyway. Even the coach clapped as Dash took a bow with a broad grin on his face.
"Okay, to the back of the line, others need their shots too." The coach shoved him toward the back of the line of kids. He took his place, satisfied that he'd proven his point about being good for the team. A year of being a superhero in lots of different situations had made him good at far more than just running. His speed applied to everything he did.
The soccer tryouts ended with the coach promising to reveal the results in one week, so Dash turned to leave the playground with a satisfied smile on his face. Darrel and Marie both ran up behind him. "Dude, that was absolutely amazing!" Darrel exclaimed. "I knew you were good, but not THAT good. You've got to teach me all that."
"Some people are just born with it." Dash grinned. He was caught off guard when Marie kissed his cheek from the other side, drawing his attention to her with wide eyes.
"Good tryout Dash, I hope you make the team." Marie smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow!" She turned to run toward the sidewalk where her father was waiting in his car, leaving the two boys staring after her numbly.
"It looks like my dad's here too. I'll see you tomorrow Dash." Darrel said. Dash blinked, then wiped his cheek where the girl had kissed him.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Dash grumped. Darrel waved and ran to his own car, so Dash turned to run away from the school, normal speed at first, but once he was out of sight he sped up to blistering speeds, racing through the cold faster than anyone could hope to see him. He darted through alleyways and backyards on the most direct course toward home he could find.
When he got there he slowed down and burst through the door, walking inside importantly. "The Dash is home!" He shouted before looking around the room. His parents were standing in front of the couch, on which his sister was sitting with red eyes and wet cheeks. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I missed something good didn't I?"
"Nothing you need to worry about." His mother told him with a smile.
"Come on and tell me!" Dash begged, annoyed to be left out of any interesting goings on, especially if it meant embarrassment for his sister.
"Buzz off." Violet flicked her hand at him, and Dash found himself trapped floating in the center of the force field. She shoved him, sending him rolling across the room until the shield bumped into the wall. "Hey! Get me down from here! These force fields aren't fair! You're not supposed to- oof!" Dash huffed as the field dissipated, letting him fall to the floor with a thud. "Mooom!"
"Dash, Violet's going through a rough time right now. Why don't you try to lay off of her for a while?" His mother knelt down in front of him to help him to his feet.
"She's the one who attacked me! I was just wondering what was going on!" Dash exclaimed angrily.
"Dash... just please, leave her alone. She had a hard day today." Helen said. Dash just glared up at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay... look, she disappeared from school. There was an accident, and it kind of freaked her out." Dash's expression changed from one of irritation to one of concern.
"Is she okay?" Dash asked.
"Yes, she'll be fine." His mother told him. "Her powers are just changing. But don't mention it to her, she has to get it under control on her own. Okay?"
"Okay mom." Dash nodded.
"Good. And from now on I want you to get a ride to and from school with your father. At least for a little while. And NO complaining. Got it?" Dash nodded silently. His mother smiled and patted his head. They both looked over when there was a knock at the door. "Can you get that while I take care of Jack-Jack?" Helen asked.
"Sure." Dash nodded and moved to answer the door while his mom walked into the other room to find the now howling baby. He pulled the door open and looked up to see Violet's longtime friend Lisa standing outside in a thick sweater and a worried expression on her face. "Uh... hi Lisa." Dash gulped slightly. The girl looked down at him and smiled.
"Hey, what's up little man?" Lisa asked.
"Just got home... aced my soccer tryouts. I'm practically on the team already." Dash beamed proudly.
"It's the beginning of Winter." Lisa said.
"We like to practice through Winter so we're ready in the Spring." Dash replied.
"Huh... interesting. Is Violet here?" Lisa asked. Dash sighed inwardly, disappointed that his attempt to impress her had fallen flat.
"She's back in her room." Dash stood aside to let the girl in, shutting the door behind her. Dash leaned against the door, watching Lisa walked into the back toward Violet's room. He heaved a soft sigh when she faded out of sight and turned to walk toward his room. Well, he had soccer practice to concentrate on for a while... though he couldn't help wondering if Violet would really be okay.
The next day Dash let his father drive him to school, sliding out of the car when they got there, waving back to him, and walking onto the playground where most of his peers were already waiting for the bell to ring. He wandered across the snow, bundled up against the cold. He looked over at the jungle gym, and rolled his eyes when he saw Darrel once again facing down his female nemesis, Stacy, who had a group of helpers.
"You get up there right now mister!" Stacy insisted, stomping up to him. She was indeed shorter than he was, but he looked cowed nonetheless.
"N... no!" Darrel finally stood up for himself, pushing himself up on his tiptoes to appear even taller. "I'm the Darrel! And I don't have to listen to you!" Dash grinned, proud to see his student make good use of his teachings. Stacy didn't look that impressed though, moving closer and pressing her chest to his with a scowl on her face. Suddenly she puckered her lips in a kissing motion.
Darrel snapped like a twig. "AAAAGH!" He turned to run as fast as his legs could carry him.
Stacy laughed wildly. "After him girls!" The small gang of girls chased after him. Dash watched dumbly. Well, maybe he would apologize to Darrel later for the bad advice... after the girls were gone. Those girls were vicious; he didn't want to get caught in the middle.
"Hey Dash." A soft giggle called his attention to the side, where he saw Marie walking up to him with her arms behind her back and a smile on her face. "You're late. Normally you're here much earlier. I've been waiting for you."
"Well, I had to take a different route here than usual." Dash half-lied to protect his identity. Suddenly something occurred to him. "Why have you been waiting for me?" He asked.
"Oh... no reason." Marie shrugged that off in that annoyingly cute and secretive way girls had. "So what did you think of me at the tryouts yesterday?" She asked. In truth Dash hadn't been that impressed. She dropped the ball several times trying to imitate him. But she wasn't a superhero like he was. And she was a girl. So she had a few handicaps.
"Pretty good." Dash told her. "The ball went in the net." It was the only thing he could think to encourage her about. A lot of people couldn't even say THAT much though, so it was something.
Marie giggled cutely. "Thanks Dash." She grabbed his arm, smiling up at him. Why was she getting so close to him? It made him a bit uncomfortable, her face was less than a foot away from his, and those emerald green eyes... staring into his in a strangely enticing... yet scary... manner.
The school bell saved him from freaking out, as the girl pulled back and looked in its direction. "Time to go, I'll see you later!" Dash took off across the field toward the school, leaving the girl behind. He slowed down when he was satisfied with the distance between them, and Darrel appeared beside him, looking rumpled and disheveled.
"Geeze man, what happened to you?" Dash asked curiously.
"I don't wanna talk about it." Darrel shook his head. Dash couldn't get anything else out of the boy, so he let it go and went through the rest of his day. As the school day wore on, he found himself thinking more about Violet. She'd just disappeared from school after an accident involving her powers... he wished he knew exactly what happened. He was worried it might happen again... he really didn't want anything to happen to her.
At lunch he wasn't feeling that hungry, but he got his lunch anyway and carried it toward one of the tables in the back of the cafeteria. He sat down and sighed, resting one elbow on the table while he shoveled some white goop he hoped was mashed potatoes into his mouth. He ate in silence until he heard a pair of footsteps walking up behind him.
"You little moron." Darrel's dark voice taunted. Dash blinked in surprise and turned around to see his friend scowling. "What were you thinking giving me that bad advice?"
"Hey, sorry, I thought it would work No reason to get all bent out of shape over it." Dash replied, still off-guard.
"You don't know what I went through!" Darrel grabbed the front of his shirt roughly. "You little failure of a friend!"
"Hey, let go!" Dash shoved desperately in fear, and to his surprise Darrel stumbled back into the wall, his tray clattering to the ground. All eyes turned toward them.
"What was that for!?" Darrel demanded in surprise. "I just asked if I could sit down!"
"No you didn't! You said I was a bad friend! Then you grabbed me!" Dash replied.
"Geeze, whatever. I'll sit somewhere else." Darrel pushed himself up and turned to walk away, wiping the spilt food off of his shirt as he walked. Dash stared after him in confusion, then looked around the cafeteria.
"You... you all heard him... you saw him..." Dash insisted. The other students exchanged glances, then watched in fascination as one of the teachers approached Dash. "He was..."
"To the principal's office young man." The teacher demanded, jamming her finger toward the exit. Dash stared up at her in confusion, then slid from the bench and turned to leave the cafeteria, trying to ignore the staring eyes of his classmates. He was numb as he walked out into the hall, turning to head down the familiar path to the principal's office.
Why would Darrel do this to him? He thought they were friends. Just because Dash gave him some bad advice didn't mean he could do this. Dash walked into the office and sat down in front of the principal, who looked down at him with a disappointed look on his face.
"Dash... what happened?" He asked.
"Darrel was yelling at me, and he grabbed me... I pushed him back and then I got sent here." Dash replied.
"Always blaming other people. You've been so good lately..." The principal began.
"I'm blaming him because he started it!" Dash shouted in frustration. "It's the truth!"
"Dash, accept responsibility for your own actions." The principal demanded. Dash clenched his fists and growled in frustration, but managed to hold his tongue. "Good. Now give this to your mother." The principal held a small note out to him across the desk, which Dash took with a flick of his wrist. "See that she gets it."
"Fine." Dash slid off the seat and turned to leave, stuffing the note into one of his jacket pockets. The rest of his day was lousy. He didn't get much to eat because of this, and the rest of his classes were giving out quizzes he was too pissed off to focus on. He was sure he failed them all, but he didn't care. When the final bell rang he was more than eager to march right across the snow-covered playground to his father's car by the sidewalk.
"Hey, Dash! Wait up!" He heard Darrel running up behind him, so he sprinted up to the car and leapt in before the boy could catch up.
"Have a good day at school son?" Bob asked.
"Fine, let's go home." Dash grumped. His father looked concerned, but started up the car and drove away before Darrel could reach them. Dash sat back in his seat, knowing he would be in for a rather large earful when he got home with the note.
He was surprised though. His mother took it in stride and simply told him to be nicer. That was a big relief, but it didn't help his concern over his grades, or his friend's sudden betrayal, or his sister's sudden disappearance the day before. He still felt lousy, but at least he wasn't grounded. He still had to go back to school the next day to face his traitorous friend, however.
"Hey, Dash!" Darrel ran up right when Dash stepped onto the playground. "Hold on a sec!"
"Go away. I'm not talking to you right now." Dash held up his hand to stop his friend and kept right on walking, marching toward the swing-sets. They always calmed him down before school. They gave him the feeling of running fast without having to reveal his powers by actually doing it. When he reached them he found Marie sitting on one of the seats, watching him.
"Hello Dash..." She said softly. "Are you okay? I heard about what you did yesterday."
"I didn't do it. HE started it." Dash growled more forcefully than he intended. Marie looked a bit scared, so Dash just growled and turned to leave.
"Dash, hold on!" Marie ran up behind him and grabbed his shoulder. "I'm sorry, of course I believe you."
"You do?" Dash looked over at her.
"Sure, you wouldn't lie." Marie gave him a bright smile. "So cheer up, okay? I hate seeing you sad and angry."
"Okay... thanks." Dash smiled for the first time since being sent to the principal's office. Marie giggled cutely and smiled back, but the bell interrupted anything else they might have said.
The rest of the day passed, as did the day after that. But three days later he once again found himself the butt of one of Darrel's attacks, to which Dash appropriately responded, and received a note for. Two days later it happened again, and Dash couldn't stand it he was getting so ticked off. Marie kept his spirits up, but nobody else would believe a word he said. It was like he had a "guilty" sticker stapled to his forehead.
His mother took the notes in stride, until one day when he brought a note home for attacking someone besides Darrel, a little punk who made a crack about Violet's troubles in school and took a swipe at him. His mother just glared down at him in disappointment.
"Dash..." Helen sighed, looking past the note at Dash, who had a puppy-dog smile on his face. "What's happening? You've been so good."
"It's not my fault." Dash complained. "This bully keeps attacking me, so I have to fight back don't I? So I kick his butt and I get in trouble for it! And then he does it again the next day! He's TRYING to get me in trouble I know it!"
"Dash, what aren't you telling me?" Helen demanded.
"Nothing!" Dash insisted. "It's the truth! They're all out to get me or something, I know it!"
"Well, they got you, and me too." Helen said as she pulled on a jacket to guard against the Winter chill. "We have a parent-teacher conference with your teacher tonight."
"Do we have to go?" Dash asked hopefully.
"It's that or expulsion, and I won't have that." Helen tossed the boy his jacket, then went into the back to fetch Violet. Dash crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to emerge again. She grabbed Dash's hand as she passed and dragged the boy out the door. He put up some resistance, but she wrapped her arm around him and lifted him into the air, taking his feet off the ground and thus disabling his power. Dash yelled in protest, but she just put him in the car and climbed in after him, driving toward his school.
When they reached the school Helen grabbed her son's hand and walked inside. He stopped resisting finally, walking along beside her as they walked into the principal's officer, where both his principal and teacher were waiting.
"Mrs. Parr, it's good that you could make it." The principal said.
"I wish I could say I'm happy to be here but..." Helen trailed off. Both men chuckled. Dash would've hurled if he thought he wouldn't get grounded for it or something.
"We just want to talk." Dash's teacher gestured to the pair of chairs sitting in front of the principal's desk. Helen sat down, pulling her son into the seat beside her. "Mrs. Parr, we're afraid your son has been lashing out frequently as of late... and we were wondering if anything might have happened at home to cause it." He asked bluntly.
"No... I can't think of anything. Do you have any ideas?" Helen asked.
"Frankly no. We've questioned him repeatedly, but he keeps insisting that someone else is pushing his buttons. We've tried to reason with him, but he won't listen. Today he insisted that a boy half his size was trying to punch him, so he felt the need to beat him to the ground until he stopped fighting back." The principal shook his head. "This is the most violent outburst yet, and they're getting worse. So we'd like you to see to him. If you can't, we have no choice but to expel him."
"I understand." Helen looked down at her son, but he still refused to meet her gaze. "Thanks for telling me about this."
"We hope we can work something out. Dash is a bright young boy and it would be a shame to waste such potential." Dash's teacher said.
"I'll take care of it." Helen nodded and stood up. "Come on Dash, we've got to get home before Jack-Jack drives your sister insane."
"Wouldn't possibly want that." Dash muttered as they turned to leave the school. After Helen got them both in the car on their way home Helen spoke.
"Dash, what-"
"Just shut up." Dash demanded. "You don't believe me, so why should I bother?"
"You should bother because I am your mother and you won't be beating innocent kids to the ground anymore." Helen snapped back. "Honestly Dash, I never expected anything like that from you."
"He was attacking me." Dash replied angrily. "I keep saying that!"
"Well next time some kid attacks you, go tell a teacher, alright?" Helen retorted. "I don't care if he puts you in a headlock and tries to slam you to the ground, you don't beat other kids like that. You get away from him and tell someone. Do I make myself clear?"
"This is what I get for sticking up for myself and my sister..." Dash mumbled under his breath.
"Do I make myself clear Dashiel Parr?" His mother asked again.
"Crystal..." Dash said venomously. The rest of the ride home was besieged by a thick, tense silence. Dash just stared out the window, trying his best to ignore her. Why wouldn't anyone believe him? He wasn't causing any of this, it was everyone else. They kept goading him and attacking him. Why wouldn't anyone stick up for him for a change?
Well the good news was he made the soccer team. And so did Marie, though Darrel didn't. Dash almost felt guilty for being glad that his former friend failed to make the team... but it quickly passed and he was able to gloat to his heart's content. So he went to soccer practice, but the taunts seemed to be getting worse. Dash found himself hearing whispered threats about his parents, his sister... everywhere he went it seemed like someone was following him.
He even found himself howling like a maniac at some poor boy in the supermarket because he heard someone say they were going to hurt Violet. The taunts were getting worse... escalating from taunting whispers to open death threats. Everyone he saw it seemed, when he wasn't looking, whispered something about wanting them dead. It was driving him crazy, until he just wanted to block it out.
The only time the voices stopped was when he was actively engaged in something fast and exciting, like their soccer practice. It was hard to play in the snow, but they managed it, bundling up and kicking the ball with frozen feet. The only problem was that the ball was pretty white, and kept getting lost in the snow. But they managed.
"Okay everyone, good game tonight. It's time for you all to head home now. Have a wonderful weekend." The coach shouted over the roar of excited children. Dash turned to walk to the sidewalk, looking around for his father's car, but he didn't see him anywhere.
"Dad late?" Marie walked up beside him, looking around at the line of cars.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Dash replied.
"Yeah, me too." Marie smiled slightly. "Good game today Dash. I thought you did a great job."
"Thanks." Dash replied absently. "I mean... you too." He amended when he realized how he sounded. Marie smiled almost sadly, looking out across the cars again for a moment before turning back to him. She surprised him by kissing him on the cheek. Dash looked over at her to see her smiling a sad little smile, her hands clasped behind her back.
"You changed Dash..." She told him softly.
"Huh...?" Dash stared at her curiously, but she just turned to walk toward her dad's car.
"I'll see you on Monday." She waved before climbing into the car, which soon took off down the road, leaving Dash standing alone on the sidewalk knee deep in show. He wrapped his arms around his chest and pulled his jacket more tightly shut against the cold, standing and waiting. He could have been home in a matter of seconds, but his mom still insisted on his dad picking him up.
Then where was he? Dash was freezing his butt off. He started pumping his legs to keep the blood flowing, warming himself up a bit from the exertions. Dead... Dash looked around in surprise, but didn't see anything. A soft wind blew through the soccer field, but that was all. They'll be dead. What was this? So will you... It was haunting and creepy... now the voice was coming from nowhere. "You're not real..." Dash insisted. You'll be DEAD! The voice was screaming now, driving Dash to his knees in the snow and clutching his head. YOU'LL ALL BE DEAD! "You're... not... real..." Dash insisted. And your sister will go first... "Leave Violet alone..." Her body will be crushed like a melon... "Not real..."
Don't deny me anymore. You hate me... and everyone else. You hate us all. "I don't even know what you are..." You want me to kill Violet...? The girl whom you parents treasure far more than you? "No!" Lies. "You're not real!" Her death will come first... "No! Leave her alone! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Suddenly Dash found himself staring up at a car door, the one that belonged to his father.
"I'm so sorry Dash, I didn't mean to leave you out here. I was just... occupied with work." His father said quickly. Dash was shaking like a leaf, though not just from the cold. He wouldn't dare reveal the real reason though, they would probably have him locked in some hospital for nut jobs. So he climbed into the car and put on a tough face.
"H-h-hey, don't worry about-t-t it dad." Dash shivered through his speech, giving his father a weak smile. "I'm t-tough enough." His father smiled and turned up the heater, though it didn't really stop Dash's shivering. Suddenly a shockwave rocked the car, and half the city. "What was that!?" Dash demanded, his heart skipping a beat. The timing couldn't be coincidence...
"There." Bob pointed to where plumes of black smoke were billowing into the sky. "It looks like a fire. Come on son, you up for a little rescue mission?" Dash breathed a sigh of relief. It was only a fire... nothing that could come hunting for his family members.
"If it's warm, I'm there..." Dash commented. His father turned the car toward home and drove them there as fast as he could. When they reached the house Dash could see a giant fireball down the street. It almost looked like it was moving... but that wasn't possible. It was his own imagination, he was sure of it.
"There you are, get suited up so we can go!" Helen marched out of the house quickly, wearing her red, black, and gold Elastigirl suit.
"Yes ma'am!" Dash dashed inside the house and emerged moments later in his own superhero outfit. He had yet to choose a superhero identity for himself. He wanted to call himself The Dash, but that was too much of a dead giveaway to his real name. His second choice was Incrediboy, but his father shot that one down instantly.
"Where's Violet?" Bob asked.
"I don't know, she's not home and we can't wait for her." Helen replied. "Now come on, we have to stop whatever this thing is." So the three heroes turned to run toward the disturbance. Jack-Jack, as usual, was staying with one of the neighbors. The fire was, literally, a massive demon that looked like molten rock that had burst into flames and emerged straight form the mouth of a volcano. Dash's breath caught in his throat and he slowed down on approach. Its howling, gutteral voice as it seemed to laugh in triumph... was familiar...
The second sound that floated out from the demon was even worse. A scream of anguish and pain, coming from one of the demon's hands. All three family members saw her at once, and all of them screamed in unison. "INVISIGIRL!"
Bob charged up to the demon with a furious yell, plunging his fist forward with all the strength he could bring to bear. But the demon merely stumbled. It looked over at them, then turned back to the teenage girl clutched tightly in one fiery fist.
"Your death will come another time... when I choose." It told her before flinging her body carelessly over it shoulder. Violet's small frame flew through the air, slamming into the ground like someone had just tossed a rag doll carelessly to the floor. Dash just watched in horror for a moment, watching his sister roll limply to the ground on the other side at Lisa's feet.
"No!" Helen screamed in fear as her daughter rolled to a stop. She didn't have any more time to worry however. The demon was turning on them, bringing one fist down right on top of her. She threw herself out of the way just in time before the fist embedded itself in the street.
"You leave my family alone!" Bob hurled himself at the demon again, leaping into the air and slamming straight into its stomach. The full force of his body had more impact, driving the demon back. Finally Dash pulled himself out of his shock to make himself useful to his parents. Sitting and staring wouldn't save anyone, it was time for action.
"I got it!" Dash vanished in a red blur, slamming the full force of his body into the creature's ankle. He didn't have much weight, but with that much speed his momentum more than made up for it. Its foot flew out from under it, collapsing to its back.
"You... YOU!..." Helen's eyes were glowing with fire as she leapt into the air, sailing up over the demon. Her fists lashed out well ahead of her, aiming straight for the creature's eyes, but the demon raised one hand and swatted her aside, sending her flying into a nearby building.
"RAAAAAGH!" Bob let out a scream as he leapt into the air, coming down on top of the demon. The living fireball grinned and clenched its own fist, slamming it into him. He flew back into the ruined burning building, leaving Dash to stare up at the massive creature as it climbed to its feet in front of him. Dash fell to a crouch, ready to run at a moments notice, but it didn't attack.
Death is waiting for you... all of you... and you are waiting for it. The demon stared down at him as the voice spoke again. Dash's eyes went wide, staring up at it. Suddenly the flames simply flickered out, as if they hadn't been a demon moments before. Like a campfire being blown dark... leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.
Dash stared at the sky, too stunned for words. The thing he kept hearing... it was this demon. It must have been making him hear all those things... the voice on the field, the things everyone kept saying to him. Why was all of this happening to him?
Soon his father emerged from the burning wreckage to run up to him, looking around in surprise. "Dash? What happened? Where did it go?" He asked. Dash didn't answer for a few moments, trying to decide how much to reveal. Finally he decided to tell nothing... it would only make them think he was going insane... which he just might have been.
"It... it just disappeared." Dash said. He wouldn't tell what the demon had said... maybe it wouldn't come back. Maybe the voices were over now... maybe he could get back to his life...
The wait for his parents' friend Edna to finish working on Violet in her little ER was excruciating. Dash couldn't stand still, clasping his hands behind his back and walking around. Lisa was sitting on one of the chairs in the same room, wringing her hands together. His parents were waiting in the next room, but it didn't matter. He just wanted to be with Violet.
"Are you okay little man?" Lisa asked. Dash stopped pacing long enough to look over at her.
"I'm fine..." Dash replied. "I just... Violet's gonna be... she'll be fine... she's a hero... like me and... and mom and dad..." He stuttered despite himself. Lisa smiled and stood up, walking over to kneel down and wrap her arms around him. Dash leaned against her, trying to fight back the tears that struggled to get out. Tears of helplessness and frustration.
"Of course she'll be fine..." Lisa told him softly. "She's almost as strong as you." She said jokingly. Dash giggled slightly, grabbing her neck and holding on for dear life. Lisa stroked his back gently, holding onto him until Edna finally walked into the room. Dash pulled away from Lisa, wiping at his tears with one gloved hand.
"Can I go see her...?" Dash asked.
"Of course. But do not wake her up." Edna replied. Dash nodded and ran past her down the hall, pushing his way into the ER. He found Violet lying on a steel table in her underwear, hooked up to a small group of machines surrounding the table. Tubes and wires of all kinds led into her thin body, almost making her look like she was in a coma like so many people on TV...
Dash approached the table and sat down beside it, staring at his unconscious sister. He couldn't help but feel like this was because of him somehow. That demon... it said he wanted this. It told him his sister would die... well she wasn't dead, but it was close enough. Dash reached out and grabbed one of her hands, holding it tightly as a fresh wave of tears flowed down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Violet..." He sniffled lightly. "I don't even know what I did... but I'm sorry..." He lowered his head, holding her hand tightly. She had to wake up soon... she just had to...
Fortunately, she did wake up later that day. For a while Dash remained paranoid about the demon and a return of the voices... but they seemed to be gone. He waited one day... then two... then several weeks passed and there wasn't a single whisper. He was beginning to think the voices were gone for good. That would be a major relief. He was even able to patch things up with Darrel, and Marie told him he was back to his old self... followed by a kiss on the cheek.
He slowly forgot about the voices, the notes to his mom stopped, and his friends were all back with him again. In short, life was good again. Though he did notice that his dad was rarely around... it didn't matter much, because his mom said he was allowed to run to and from school now that the major concerns and worries seemed to have passed. Violet even made up with Lisa a week before Christmas.
The good life continued right up to Christmas morning, when Dash pre-opened his presents as-per his Christmas tradition before actually going down with the rest of his family to open them. He set to his present like a jackal on a carcass, ripping it apart until he got to the joyous center. He made a show of being excited since he already knew what it was, jumping on his dad and shouting "Thank you thank you!"
He moved to the other side of the room to figure out his present until suddenly his mom stood up. "Bob, we need to talk. In our room." Her voice was light enough, but Dash had heard that tone enough times back before the second rise of the Superheroes. Something was wrong... and the feeling only got worse as their parents vanished into their bedroom, leaving Jack-Jack with him and Violet.
They were in the bedroom for only a few minutes when their father emerged and walked into the living room. "Kids, I'm going out for a little while on patrol. I just need to make sure nobody's committing any crimes during the holiday celebrations." He told them.
"Can I come!?" Dash asked excitedly. He loved fighting crime.
"No, Dash, you stay here and play with your presents." He leaned down and pulled the boy into a hug. "I'll be back when I finish my patrol." He said.
"When will that be?" Dash asked.
"I don't know..." Bob smiled slightly and patted his head. "You're the man of the house until I get back, okay?"
"O... kay..." Dash stared after him as his father turned to leave, leaving the three kids in the living room. Soon their mother emerged again to take care of them, looking and acting as if nothing was happening. The kids knew better... but they also knew better than to dwell on it. So Dash made the best of it, trying to keep his spirits up, especially when Lisa arrived to spend Christmas with them.
The rest of the day crept past them, until Dash found himself in the dining room setting the table for Christmas dinner. It had been a good day all in all, he had nothing to complain about. And Lisa was being exceptionally nice, he was really glad Violet had decided to patch things up with her. She was pretty cool... for a girl anyway.
"Don't be too long honey." His mother's shout came from the kitchen, though Dash couldn't hear anything else. He finished setting the table and made his way back to the kitchen.
"Where's Lisa?" Dash asked.
"She went home." His mother replied. Dash sighed inwardly, but tried not to make his disappointment too obvious. "Come on, why don't you help me with dinner?" She patted his head and moved him over to a can of corn, handing him a can opener so he could pry it open. He wasn't at it very long before he heard the front door fly open.
"Mrs. Parr!" Lisa's voice shouted from the living room. "Mrs. Parr where are you!?"
"Lisa?" Helen walked into the living room, with Dash following right behind her. "What's going on?"
"Violet's being attacked by that demon from before! It just came out of nowhere! She hid me, then ran off to lead it away." Lisa was shaking in fear, her wide eyes shooting every which way. Dash's heart froze in fear. He'd thought it was gone... the demon that had been plaguing his mind with those damned voices was back.
"Dash, get-" Helen didn't even have to finish her order. The boy vanished, then reappeared in his superhero suit. Helen quickly donned hers, then ran back out to the living room. "Lisa, can you watch Jack-Jack while we're gone?"
"Uh... uh-huh..." Lisa nodded numbly.
"We'll be back as soon as we can. Come on Dash!" His mother ran out the front door and took to the rooftops while Dash followed closely on the ground, pacing her with ease. He was tempted to speed up, but he couldn't leave his mother behind. Besides, he didn't know exactly where they were trying to go. He didn't hear or feel anything weird, which was a good sign.
Finally his mother leapt to the snow into the park in the middle of the city. Dash ran up beside her, looking around. Violet was kneeling in the middle of the park, panting heavily with her shoulders hunched over. A group of frightened and curious onlookers surrounded her, and the demon from before could be seen headless off to the side.
"Violet!" Helen ran toward the crowd to push through it, leaving Dash standing outside the circle of people. He looked over the demon's body, then made his way toward its head, which had landed right side up, as if its body was simply buried underneath the snow. He approached it with wide-eyed wonder, his heart pounding rapidly.
Was this it...? Was the whole thing over so suddenly? The demon looked dead enough, and if this was the one that had been speaking to his mind... then it looked like it really was gone. Thanks to Violet... he didn't have to worry about it ever returning again.
"Son, we're leaving!" Dash's head snapped back toward his mother, suddenly coming back to his senses. He turned to follow her home, as she helped Violet along carefully. When they got there Violet said she wanted to get down, so Helen put her down and let her walk through the front door under her own power. She'd barely walked inside when Lisa shouted in glee.
"Violet!" Lisa jumped up and ran to hug her friend tightly. "Oh my God, are you okay!?"
"I'm okay... I got rid of it..." Violet's voice was shaking in weakness, but there was a tinge of pride contained within it. "He won't come back again..." She leaned against her friend tiredly, holding onto her. Dash smiled slightly and walked around them to look up at his sister's tired face. It was good to see it smiling.
"Come on honey, I'll help you get ready for bed. You should get home before you get in trouble Lisa." Helen told Violet's friend. Lisa nodded.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow Violet. You just rest up... and thank you for saving me." She smiled and squeezed Violet one last time before turning to leave. Helen picked up Jack-Jack, then turned to lead Violet into the back by one hand. Dash followed to head into his room alone, peeling off his super suit and pulling his pajamas on before climbing into bed.
He lay silently, staring at the ceiling. It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He was sure the demon was gone now... there was nothing left to worry about. Except a thunderous crash from right out in the hallway that jolted him straight up in bed. He could see dust floating through the hallway right outside his bedroom door.
He crept toward the hallway, meeting Violet and turning to look down the hall. They saw their father in his Mr. Incredible outfit marching down the hall toward the living room away from a hole in the wall, from which Jack-Jack's screaming could be heard. They started to creep after him fearfully, but their mother's voice stopped them.
"Kids, don't. Stay back." They both turned to watch their mother emerge from the rubble, rubbing the back of her neck stiffly.
"Mom, what's going on?" Violet asked fearfully.
"I don't know. You two just stay here, and take care of Jack-Jack." Helen demanded.
"But mom..." Dash complained softly.
"Stay here! I'll be back as soon as I can!" With that their mother turned to run from the house, leaving the two children alone with the frightened, screaming baby. Dash just stared after her in shock, confused and frightened once again. Why couldn't anything ever be simple? Why couldn't they just lead normal, problem free lives for more than a month at a time?
"This is your fault you know." Violet told him acidly. Dash blinked and looked at her slowly. She had a vicious sneer on her face, staring down at him. "They fight because of you."
"Violet..." Dash said softly. "Stop..."
"What's wrong Dash? Afraid of the truth?" Violet shoved him roughly against the wall, which was easy since she was twice his size. "You're nothing but a burden! Your antics stress out mom, piss off dad, and make trouble for everyone involved with you!"
"It's not her... it's not her... it's not her..." Dash closed his eyes, chanting softly to himself.
"And you have the nerve to have a crush on my best friend? You sick little pipsqueak." She grabbed his arm roughly. "I should cut you in half."
"Get away from me!" Dash yanked his arm away from her and streaked out the front door, bursting out into the cold. It was very late in the middle of Winter and he wasn't wearing anything warmer than a set of pajamas. He was freezing, but he didn't stop running through the night. He wasn't actually going anywhere, he was just trying to outrun his sister's words.
"It can't... I mean, the demon's dead. It's dead... but Violet wouldn't say those things... she doesn't think..." He reached up to wipe at his eyes furiously. Suddenly his foot landed on a patch of ice, sending him stumbling to the ground at very high speed. "Aaagh!" Dash howled as he slammed into the street and slid along it to slam into the door of a nearby house with a heavy thud.
Dash shook his head clear, then opened his eyes to see his sister standing over him. She had a scowl on her face. "You can't outrun me Dash. Not with my new powers. Powers that are a hundred time better than yours."
"Stop it!" Dash pushed himself up and took off running again. He thought he might've heard the door of the house open before he left, but he didn't look back to check. He just ran as fast as he could, flying down the street in a desperate attempt to leave her behind. Suddenly she appeared right in front of him as if fading in from her invisibility powers. Dash skidded to a stop to avoid slamming into her.
"Running... typical little coward." Violet sneered. Dash turned away from her to see Lisa standing behind him.
"You really think I would like someone like you?" Lisa barked out a laugh. "Stupid boy..." Dash turned again to find Darrel blocking his path.
"Friend? Who needs a horrible friend like you!?" Darrel shouted.
"You're a failure, Dash." A pair of voices floating from behind him. Dash turned slowly to see his parents glaring down at him disdainfully. "You've done nothing but hurt this family... nothing but hurt US." They told him darkly. Dash backed away from them, but couldn't go far lest he bump into Darrel behind him. Suddenly he heard another voice... this one softer and gentler.
"Dash?" Marie stepped past Lisa, watching him with wide eyes. She was shivering in the cold, wearing a thin pink nightgown that brushed against the snow as she walked and her deep red hair hanging about her face. "Are you okay?" She wouldn't stop shaking, but still her eyes were glazed over with fear and concern. She didn't even notice the figures standing around him.
The figures turned to look at her as if in surprise, and Dash was afraid they would attack her. "Marie!" Dash charged forward, scooping her out of the snow and charging past Lisa with the girl clutched in his arms. Marie shrieked in fear and surprise, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep from falling. "Don't worry, I got you."
"Dash, where are we going?" She asked. She didn't even question that they were easily exceeding 30 MPH on foot.
"Away from them!" Dash replied. Marie blinked, staring up at him.
"Away from who...?" Dash looked down at her, slowing down. She looked genuinely confused.
"Away from... them..." Dash looked up to find that they were alone in the street. Marie looked around as well, then looked up at his face again, shaking her head.
"Nobody's there Dash... nobody was ever there." She told him solemnly. Dash blinked slowly, as if his mind was coming out of a fog. He'd known that... they would never follow him around like this. Why would he ever think that?
"It's not gone..." Dash shivered partly from the cold, partly from the realization of what was happening. "Violet killed it... but it's still not gone." Marie didn't respond. Instead she just wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He was caught off guard at first, then he hugged her close, resting his cheek on her shoulder and closing his eyes.
"It's okay Dash..." Marie cooed in the way usually reserved for mothers. "It's okay..." No it wasn't okay... but somehow Dash was still comforted. That demon... it was still in his mind somehow. Even after Violet had taken it down it was still there. He didn't know how... he didn't know what he could do about it... but there was one thing he did know.
This wasn't over yet.
THE END