They had been driving for hours.
At least, that's how it felt to Leo. The boy, eyes watering from the gushing air through the open doorway slicing at his eyes, brushed back his swiped hair as it jumped around his skull like a burning spider. The radio was raised up to some techno song, and Robyn nodded her head to the beat as the car slid down the desolate grey road that matched the hue of the dry rocks lining the curbs of pavement and desert.
Surprisingly, no cops had pulled over the teenager driving without a driver door in a stolen taxi cab. Leo stiffened up at a particularly loud snore from the still dozing cab driver in the back seat floor. The hot wind simmered under the shimmering mirages of silver liquid that danced on the horizon of the flat landscape.
The only other source of life was the flying Pro-Hero that soared above them. They had caught up to Hawks after pulling off the interstate, but the car kept its distance from the man as they followed the dark dot gliding through the sweltering sky./p
"Do you think he knows we're here?" Robyn turned down the radio and asked.
Leo bit his lip, his left leg bouncing on his toes in a nervous tic that made his body shake like a slinky.
"What are we even gonna do when we catch up to him?" Robyn asked. "He's gotta come down eventually."
Leo hunched and leaned forward to catch a better glance. He shielded his eyes as a crack in the fly-splattered windshield zapped a ray of blinding sunbeam at his eyes.
Hawks seemed to have slowed down, his wings not lifting him as much. He could know see the underside of his scruffy chin, and his face appeared pained as he gasped for air. Even his arms seemed to arch more limp over his sides with a wobble as he descended slightly like an incoming airplane.
Leo sat back and viewed the rest of the desert landscape. The last town a ghost of a memory in the rear view mirror, it was the part of California that only saw buzzards and coyotes visiting the shriveled cacti seared by the endless heat. Even the pavement, dried and cracked like the earth around it, seemed to shift from actual use as the taxi rumbled and squeaked down the desolate road.
For as nervous as Leo was at confronting Hawks, there was a strange calm that massaged the nerves shaking in his spine. He had been driving for this entire time, and he noticed how Robyn still had that chipper smile on her face.
"So, you have problems with your dad or something," Robyn asked out of the blue.
Leo tensed up in his seat and gripped the steering wheel like a ball of dough. "I'd...rather not discuss."
"But you gotta talk about it at some point," Robyn said and turned towards Leo. "I mean, it can't be that complicated. Dad was a big Pro-hero. Was tough on you. End of story, right?"
"No, not end of story. He was Chronos. Third biggest Hero in the U.K. Practically royalty," Leo said a hint of sarcasm. The crown of his head fell below the top of the wheel as he stared down towards the dashboard. The fuel gauge was leaning like a boulder over a cliff towards the empty side.
Thumbing at his wristwatch, he watched the seconds tick by as the endless horizon remained frozen beyond the cooked landscape. A far cry from the damp chill of Manchester.
As the seconds ticked, he thought back to the array of clocks in his fathers home. The walkway into his den was lined with different machines that chimed and whirred with every passing hour. On the hour, the whole wall would explode in a crashing symphony of cuckoos and rings that would have woken a coma patient from his or her slumber. Leo attributed fighting through those alarms as the reason he was so good at sleeping.
The walkway was long with the mold green carpet clashing with the amethyst floorboards and apricot brick walls. But what made Leo shiver was the memory of the angry face waiting beyond the giant oak door into his den. The disappointed Pro-hero, Chronos, having to tell his son about another phone call.
"You're never going to amount to a hero if you keep doing this, Leo," the tall, burly man said. Outside of work, he was as refined as the Queen's wardrobe. Mink overcoat shrugged over his titanic shoulders, he puffed on a cigar with his lavender tie stretched stiff from the smoke. /p
"Dad," Leo cries out. "He's a fag. Plain and simple! What am I supposed to do."
"What do you care what he is?" Chronic said. "Heroes save all people."
"He's not a person," Leo crosses his arms in defense.
"You embarrass me and make the school call me every other day," Chronos shouted. "You think your mother would approve of you acting like a loser?"
"Did mother approve of you cheating on her?"
Chronos went to the back of his golden desk and threw open the drawer. He took out a thick leather switch and raised it above his shoulder. He darted for Leo, and the young boy saw that he had once again gone too far. He stiffened up and smacked his back onto the wall behind him.
"What? Dad, don't use that again!"
"It's what you deserve, you bastard!"
The second hand on the clocks posted around the room paid no mind. They simply ticked on at the same speed as the wristwatch Leo blew a resigned sigh into as he drove the car further on.
Robyn looked around the cockpit of the car, hoping the next topic of discussion could be found elsewhere. "Okay, then what about where you grew up?" Robyn asked. "England? Is that a fun place?"
"Manchester isn't," Leo said. "Always grey and polluted."
"I'm sure there were some sunny days."
"Even then, it was just the sun behind some smog," Leo said.
"But I'm sure there's good things about Manchester," Robyn chimed. "Buskers and haggis and all that."
"That's Scottish."
Robyn shrugged. "The main thing is that Manchester can be good and it can be bad. But it's up to you to find what's good about it. I mean, a lot of Manhattan sucks. Crime, prostitution...everyone in K-Town thinking I'm Korean when I'm Chinese."
Leo glanced over at Robyn, who sat rapt with attention like Leo was important. It made his face warm despite the brushing wind in the cabin. He snapped back to the road and brushed at his eyes. "Why did you decide on this school? You could've gone to Empire State?"
Robyn twirled a strand of her hair. "Heard Deku was gonna be there. Number One hero on Earth, couldn't say no to that! And...I guess I wanted to get away from New York. Memories, y'know?"
Robyn peered our into the landscape, a faraway look in her eye as she thought back to the urban landscape she left. The twinkling lights of the block by her home and the cacophony or honking cabs and garbled Korean that snuck past her window. Her bed, a plush queen with pink sheets, rustled underneath her soft fingers as she leaned her head on the cold window. Hot breath fogging up glass, she peered down to the street always crawling with people laughing and drunkenly hanging off each other.
Her nose twitched with a deep sigh tickling past her lips. "The neighborhood is much quieter than it used to be. Kinda depressing now."
"So like Manchester?"
Robyn giggles. "Sure. It all comes back to Manchester."
Leo big away the ghost of a smile and tapped on the ripped leather of the steering wheel. "Well...Manchester was very mean to me for a long time. And Manchester didn't take care of me."
Robyn raised an eyebrow. "So...Manchester made you feel abandoned?"
Leo nodded.
Robyn, deciphering the context, turned down the air conditioning in the cabin. "I think you and Manchester could get a long if you tried. I mean, what's your goal in life? To be a hero? I'm sure...Manchester would also want you to be a hero. But it's on you to try and reconnect because nothing is around forever. One day, you'll see...Manchester for the last time, and you'll regret not saying and doing what you need to heal yourself."
"I still need time. I only last saw him a month ago."
"Saw who? I thought we were talking about Manchester?"
Leo faces Robyn who had a sly grin on her face. Understanding her words, Leo glances down at the wristwatch that ticked the seconds away. Time slipped past his fingers everyday like the coarse desert sand kicked away by the shovels of wind that dug into the ground.
Robyn leaned towards Leo and half-punches him on the shoulder. Leo cried out as the taxi shook from the quick jab to the left before centering.
"You need to stop being such a Debbie Downer. You know, everyone thought it was cool when you won that challenge."
"But I ended up in the hospital wing," Leo said.
"Who cares?" Robyn huffed. "A win is a win. James was talking about it for days after."
Leo tensed up again, suddenly remembering the outburst earlier in the day. His legs bounced faster in his tiptoes and he bit a fingernail on his left hand.
"I'll have to deal with him when I get back," Leo nearly whispered.
"I overheard Abel and Austin talking g about it," Robyn chuckled. "Honestly, he probably deserves a punch every once in a while. Knocks him down a peg."
"Do you actually like him or something? Everyone talks about you and Anton."
Robyn crosses her legs and folded her hands in her lap. "Anton's a sweetheart. He doesn't seem like it, but he's just grumpy because of Pathogen. He's actually really funny when you get to know him. He's like a greasy-haired Eeyore. Adorable!"
"And that...you like that?" Leo asked with a hint of incredulousness. "But what about James? What's to like about him?"
"Oh, he's just hot," Robyn shrugged. "And I like how he screams at everyone all the time. Wakes me up in the morning. And besides, he's your friend, too."
"Friend," Leo repeated. "I guess."
Leo trailed off and remained quiet, deciding he was dumb for not predicting the shallow answer. It was best for him to focus on Hawks and tailing him down the endless concrete line that cut through the desert. Paying attention back tot he highway, he shifted his gaze upward and noticed the sky unblemished.
No Hawks.
Robyn made a noise and leaned onto the dashboard. She looked up and scanned the air above.
"Hey," Robyn said. "Wasn't he just up there?"
Blam!
Hawks's limp body slammed into the hood of the car like a dead fly. The ensuing smash boomed through the cab like a nuclear bomb with bits of metal sputtering off to the side. The windshield cracked and caved into the cockpit. Hawks's face dug through the cracked glass with his mouth wide open and head lolling onto his shoulder.
Leo screamed at the top of his lungs, his throat burning like a desert wildfire as he slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched and smoke steamed out of the tire marks being burned onto the pavement. Robyn's forehead slammed onto the dashboard causing the girl to yelp in pain.
As the car lurched to a halt, Hawk flew off the hood and launched through the air. His lifeless frame plummeted to the ground and skid over the cement with a sickening crunch that flipped Leo's stomach like a burnt pancake.
With a quick tumble, Hawks slid to a stop in a heap. His wings covering half his body, the over half was covered in his torn jacket with holes through his shirt and pants revealing angry road rash gashes. His tongue stuck out of his mouth with cuts etched into his cheeks. Small beads of blood and dirt mixed into deep scarlet particles that bubbled around the edges of his jaw and nose.
With a loud moan, Hawks stirred in his heap of bones. Surely, a few of them were broken, but Hawks powered through and staggered to his feet. His feathers bent and wings straggled, he seethed through his teeth and stared down the taxi cab. He was weakened and tired from dehydration and flying this far. He forgot just how fast cars can go in America and how big and diverse the landscape was around here. Despite that, he had enough in his reserves to take out his stalkers.
"You two," he shouted over the hum of the cab's engine that may just twenty feet away. "Why are you two following me?"
"Mister Hawks," Leo pulled his head from the window and yelled back at Hawks. "My notebook!"
"Oh, you mean this," Hawks pulled out the small notepad and folded the spiral bound side towards the flat half with his hand. "The thing you've been using to track me down? What do you know?"
"I don't know anything," Leo shouted. "I just followed you because I wanted something for a friend of mine."
"You want it?" Hawks slid the notepad back into one of his pocket. "Come get it."
Robyn leaned over towards Leo. "I think we should hit him."
Leo nearly spat out his saliva on the windshield and double checked his head towards Robyn. "What?"
"Robyn grabbed the steering wheel and began to straddle her leg across the shifting gear in the center console. "He'll attack us. We can't take him on. Our best weapon is the car."
"You're crazy," Leo said. "No!"
"We're in too deep, Leo," Robyn shouted. "No going back now! YOLO!"
"What does that even mean?" Leo screamed back.
Robyn and Leo fought for control of the steering wheel. While Leo was preoccupied pushing Robyn's hands away, the girl stepped on the gas and screeched the car forward.
The taxi rushed ahead, occasionally roaring to a halt and revving up the engine to accelerate as Leo tried to push Robyn away. As it snaked in a curve on the road disregarding any lines painted in faint yellow on the concrete, Hawks tilted up his chin and brazed his wings apart to full span.
"Come on," he said. "Hit me. Hit me."
Hawks plucked out a feather from his wings. The red feather tightened and sharpened like a knife in his hand as he pointed it at the drivers side. His fingers back at the root, he prepared to fling it right at Leo's head and into his brain.
The car screamed closer. Leo did all he could to pull it away from the center of the road where Hawks stood. Robyn, with surprising arm strength, kept the wheel true down the center. She slipped right into the right half of the driver's seat nearly pushing Leo out the car altogether. Almost losing his balance, Leo grabbed the wheel and cried out as his feet fell off the brake and was blocked by Robyn's leg.
Just a few feet away from the car, Hawks reared back and prepared to throw the feather. The ground rumbled, and the pebbles of dirt and dust pitted and pattered on the terrain.
Just a few more feet. Then, he could end this threat.
Until he couldn't throw it.
As he started his heave, a small grey desert jackrabbit pranced out right into the center of the road. Just between him and the taxi cab. The beady black eyes of the rabbit turned towards Hawks, completely oblivious to its immensely destruction.
Hawk felt his heart skip a beat. Dropping the feather, he dived forward and flailed his arms.
"No, stop!" Hawks yelled. "The rabbit!"
Leo and Robyn were too involved in their fight for the wheel to notice. Hawks, sewing he had no other action, dashed for the rabbit. The car raced right at the center.
The rabbit looked up. The dirt-coated grille of the car charged towards it like a hungry lion.
Hawks, in a last desperate heave, leaped and grabbed the rabbit in his hands. Feeling it's prickling and matted fur, he chucked the rabbit to the side and in safety's warm grasp.
In mid-air from the jump, Hawks congratulated himself in saving the rabbit. As he descended, his face went from a light smile at the oblivious jackrabbit to the sight in front of him. His smile faded into a yell of terror that would only be heard by him.
"He was then rewarded with the front end of a taxi cab slamming into his face.
Anton could not say he was having the best day.
The moment word got out about throwing a hot dog in Linda's face, students of all years were hounding the boy. Some happy, some furious.
"Way to go, freshie," a third year said.
"Stick it to the man!"
"Sexist pig!" One girl screeched.
"You should be disbarred!"
"Excommunicated!"
Running through the lobby of the dorms, Anton rushes past all of the comments and jeering and pushed into the first year boy's common area. Ignoring Abel shouting at him blocking his view of the television as he and Austin played video games, Anton ran to the end of the hall and slammed the door shut.
Locking it, Anton collected his breath and plopped himself into his bed. Not bothering to open the blinds, his room was as dark as outer space as he buried himself in the crisp cotton covers.
Hey, Boss, I'm beginning to think you're not enjoying this school so much.
"You think?" Anton said into his pillow. He pressed his head in and smothered himself with the cool pillowcase.
You just need to get your mind off things. Watch some tv! That will cheer you up! Watch some of Bear News! Those guys are always hilarious!
"They're not hilarious," Anton said. "They're a news channel."
Hahahahahaha! Bear news is a news channel? You see? Comedy gold?
Seeing how Pathogen would not leave him alone until he tried, Anton groaned and flipped himself on the bed. Reaching towards his plastic green nightstand, he grabbed the remote and turned on the old box television with angular rabbit ear antennas pointed at space.
He flicked the television on. The first face to pop up was a puffy cheeked man with a red bow tie around his neck.
"...story out of One-party state California. Everyone knows Linda is has begun campaigning for Governor, and will be a shoe in for her party's nominee for President in a few years. What we didn't know was just how our younger generation was beginning to fight back."
Anton's jaw dropped when he saw the picture flash on screen. Linda's face was completely obscured with a splotch of ketchup and processed hot dog meat crashing into her face mid-impact. Anton was falling with his arm frozen forever in a throwing position.
"A hot dog. Yes, the new symbol for a new revolution brewing on high school campuses. Linda was admitted to the hospital earlier today. Why? A brave man, tired Linda's disdain for younger people and her barely concealed bigotry against people with quirks, decided to hit Linda with a hot dog."
"No, no, no," Anton grabbed his sheets and wrapped them around his body. "I didn't want this!"
On the screen, another person with a yamaka popped up in screen and began to speak faster than the most skilled rap artist. "Okay, honestly, Buster Carlson, I gotta be completely honest with. My wife is a doctor, so I think I know more about women's health than most people, gang, and hypothetically speaking, if Linda was taken to the hospital, she would only be doing this on taxpayer dollars which should be used for more important things, folks."
Maybe...it's just Bear News?
Anton changed the channel.
Another anchor, this one a lady with short black hair and thick-rimmed glasses. "And now, we come across the evil hatred from a man who thinks women should have no power in their own country. What many call a member of the young male incel movement."
A picture of the incident again blared on the screen.
"That's a lie!" Anton said. "I'm not an incel."
Could've fooled me.
Pathogen, shut up!"
Anton flicked the channel again. This time, a fat sweaty man with a thin and youthful lady screamed at the camera.
"And I'll tell you this right now," the male host shouted. "The next time somebody comes after Linda, we're at war with them. You hear that? War!" He drew out.
"I agree with you so fucking much, "the lady complained in a voice akin to nails on a chalkboard. "This is how men in our country act like now. So much fucking sexism from these losers who can't get ahead in life. You know why you can't be successful so you have to resort to throwing hot dogs at woman, dickwad? It's because you fucking suck and you're dumb."
"That's not me!" Anton said. "I'm not sexist!"
To be fair, The Youthful Turcics say that about most everyone.
Anton changed the channel again.
"Back on the America News Network, and some shocking news," a buff anchor with a righteous voice boomed out before a picture of Anton showed up again. "The green supremacist movement is at it again, and this time, Linda is the victim."
"Green supremacist," Anton scratched at the top of his head. "I didn't even know those exist!"
Flick.
"Lemme fell ya folks. First, they put fluoride in your water and turn frogs gay, then they come after your hot dogs, then they come after your guns, then we're all in deep shit. Do you hear me! Deep shit! The liberal establishment is lying to you!"
Flick.
"Linda's party has been targeting kids since day one. Whose to say they won't lower the age of consent to twelve?"
Flick.
"I bet they staged this to boost Linda's popularity. If they can rig an election, they can probably rig a hot dog."
Flick.
"I can't think of a more direct attack on our democracy since maybe the War of 1812. The Supreme Court should charge him with treason and consider the death penalty!"
"Flick.
"And welcome back to the show."
Anton breathed. Finally, The Jerry Kibbel Show. This was a funny show and the host was always apolitical and would stick to funny one liners.
"But folks, I gotta start with something serious," the middle-aged man with a beard began to cry crocodile tears. "A friend of mine was attacked today..."
The crowd awwed.
"What's more frustrating is that all our president does is create division and hate on social media, and what happens next? Someone gets inspired by those words and decides to do this. Throw a hot dog at Linda."
When Anton saw the image again, he screamed. Throwing the covers off his bed he turned the television of and ran out the door. Slamming the door behind him, he screamed and headed for the back staircase.
As he shrieked and sprinted away from the television, he darted last Drake who was carrying a bunch of textbooks in his arms. He sidestepped Anton as the boy flailed his arms like an inflatable dummy and tore off around the corner.
Drake thought it was weird, but he decided there was no point in harping on it. He headed back for his room to avoid any other trouble. He carried the books with ease in front of him last the other dormant rooms.
The day had been pretty uneventful for him. Other than Linda and the others intruding on his hot room, he had laid low as planned. Blake had tried another round of chess at him, but he easily won. Katsu asked him to spar with him earlier, but Drake decided it would be against his strategy at the sports festival to show direct combat against his classmates. He knew the element of surprise would work best in this setting, and he knew he would be rewarded.
As Drake reached his door, he set down the pile of books and rummaged for the key in his pocket. As he did, he cringed when he heard Abel cheer down the hall at another video game victory. While he conceded video games had their place in strategy and reflex building capabilities, he would rather them be banned than having to hear Abel for much longer. The boy was loud and obnoxious in every way imaginable. He would look forward to knocking down God's gift to men and women a peg or two.
"Oi, Iguana."
Drake sighed. The key was already in the hole, and he just wanted to turn it and study.
"Good evening, James." Drake closed his eyes and breathed.
"Have you seen Leo anywhere," James asked. "I've been texting him and poof. He's gone."
"Maybe you should try calling him," Drake turned the key and opened the door. "Some people like calls instead."
"Okay, grandpa," James sulked and patted at the bandage around his cheek. "The weirdo punched me in the face earlier, and he's probably in hiding from it. So, if you see him, tell him I'm not mad and I just wanna talk."
Drake faced James and raised an eyebrow. "And why would he believe you?"
James stopped and made an odd face. "Huh?"
"All you do is shout at people and scowl at them," Drake said. "Why would he believe you?"
"Because it's my word," James said. "Since when do you get to lecture me? You just sit in the corner and sulk all day."
Drake narrowed his eyes and adjusted the bottom of his school blazer. "Have you heard the story about the tortoise and the hare?"
"Huh?" James said. "Can you speak English, you iguana? I'm asking for a favor."
Drake decided to ignore him and head into the room. At this, James kicked his foot at the door and blocked his way. "Oi, I wasn't done talking to you."
"James, I'm preparing for the Sports Festival," Drake took a step closer towards the boy. "I don't have time for you."
"For me?" James grabbed his chest in frustration. "For the record, I wanted to tell you to stay out of my way during the festival."
Drake raised an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?"
"Because I'm the one here who has what it takes," James said. "And no amount of flying around like a mosquito can fix that. Got it?"
The two stared at each other, neither of them giving up an inch in their stares. James of anger, Drake's of apathy.
"For the record, James," Drake mocked the boy. "I already know quite a bit about your quirk. And I've studied and logged most people in this class already. You were the easiest one considering how much of a show off and loudmouth you can be."
"Wait just a sec-."
"And I've been planning on these strategies for a month already," Drake grabbed James shoulder and nudged him aside. James felt a fire erupt in his chest as the boy disrespected him. "So if you study as well as you create nicknames, you should need no luck in beating me."
"I won't," James roared. "I am going to win!"
"Good luck, classmate," Drake kicked his hooks into his room and began to close the door. However, before he did, he turned back and gave off just the lightest of confident smirks. "And make sure you don't overheat. There may not be any potassium injections from the hospital to save you."
Before James' face had turned completely white, and before he could investigate on how Drake could possibly know about that, the door slammed shut.
Steam sizzled out of the hood of the dented car. Now, the front end was almost falling off just hanging on the bolts keeping the frame in place. On the end of the bent chrome, spots of blood and even a chipped tooth painted the cheap plastic.
The car had snapped to a halt. Once stopped, Leo parked the car which was now perpendicular to the road blocking it off from any traffic. He hopped out and yanked the keys away from the ignition with the engine sputtering into nothingness and ran towards Hawks.
"No," Leo cried out. "No, no, no."
His arms flailed once he came up to Hawks. He kneeled down by the passed out hero and shook him by the shoulder.
"Mister Hawks," Leo shouted in his ear. "Wake up, please! I need something from you!"
Hawks had been completely demolished by the vehicle. Blood coated the top of the man's skull, and his legs were bent in ways no man should witness. Leo shook Hawks and slapped at his cheek once to get his eyes open. His skull lolled like a limp doll with the tremors.
Behind him, he heard feet pounding towards him and a shadow shielded him from the sun. Brushing past his arm, Robyn sat down and revealed a bottle that she pulled up to Hawks' lips.
"He's probably dehydrated," Robyn said. "He just needs a drink."
Putting the lips up to his lips, Hawks remained unmoving as an odd purple canteen of some lukewarm black liquid sloshed around the top. Robyn smushed his lips to the precipice, but Hawks budged none.
"What even is that?" Leo asked.
"I just found it by the cab driver in the back," she said.
"What if that's poison or alcohol?" Leo shouted out. "Or what if he has mono or strep throat?"
"Then the poison or alcohol will kill the disease," Robyn said matter-of-factly.
"Leo, suddenly, feeling a small strand of nerves snap in his back, reaches over and snatched the bottle away. He stood up and pulled away from Robyn.
"Hey," Robyn said with minor outrage. "He's dehydrated."
"You're not helping at all!" Leo said.
"Okay, then maybe I'll do CPR," Robyn said. "You wanna do the mouth-to-mouth part? I'd prefer to do it, though."
"He's not moving! He could be dead!"
"In that case," Robyn talked her fingertips together. "I think I saw a shovel in the backseat. No one would ever know."
"Leo squeezed his hand around the bottle, his anxiety giving way to a strange emotion brewing in the pit of his gut. Beads of sweat dribbling at his forehead, the boy breathed like an agitated bull through his nose. "Don't you take anything seriously? Do you know how much trouble we're in?"
Robyn peered back down at Hawks. She nudged his midsection with her feet. No movement. "I could probably heal him and he'll be fine."
"Yeah, then he wakes up and finds out we did this and has us expelled," Leo shouted. "And he won't give me back my notebook or what I need from him!"
"He's a Pro-Hero," Robyn shrugged. "He'll get it was an accident. If anything, we broke his fall with the car."
Leo ground his teeth with his drying tongue scratching at the roof of his mouth. His patience running thinner than the blood trickling down Hawks' cheeks, he threw the bottle in his hand back towards the taxi cab. The canteen slammed on the ground and rolled underneath the vehicle.
"You've ruined this," Leo shouted. "If I just met Hawks by myself, none of this would have happened."
"I haven't done anything," Robyn said with a calm smirk at Leo. "You took Midnight's whip. You stole the cab. You made Midnight crash into it."
"You told me to steal it," Leo pointed in anger at her. "And you made me late to every stop on my list. If you hadn't slowed me down, I'd have bumped into him at the right place."
"You always walked behind me," Robyn said. "If anything, I sped you up."
Leo clenched his fists and walked with angry purpose at Robyn. "You kept distracting me! Always going off and talking about this car you saw and that thing on the shelf! And in class, all you do is get in the way!"
Robyn let out a mirthless chuckle as Leo stood just an arm's length away from her. "Oh, so now it's just about me in general."
"Everyone is annoyed by you," Leo said in a dark and low voice. "All you do is stare at Anton and James and make jokes and stare off into space like you're looking at somebody. But don't worry! It's not your fault, Robyn," Leo gestured out to the entire desert. "Everyone in this class is annoying! No one respects or likes anyone. We haven't learned anything in a month, and my quirk is still as weak as it was before. I'm as weak as I was before."
"Really, Leo," Robyn took a step closer to the boy. "Would the Leo from a month ago have stolen a cab and run over Hawks? Sounds like an improvement to me."
"I try to do one good thing for somebody, and this is what I get," Leo said under his lips.
"You're not doing this for someone," Robyn said.
Leo shot a glance over at Robyn. "Don't talk about things you don't know."
"But you're not," Robyn waved her hands in the air. You're doing this because you did something. And now you're trying to make up for it. But it's not for that person. It's for you. You're just doing this to make yourself feel better about whatever you did"
Robyn sounds on her heels and headed back for the car. Leo charged from behind her and stalked by the girl as she skipped over to the side of the vehicle.
"Where are you going?" Leo demanded.
"I'm getting the jar. Then, I'm healing Hawks."
"No, heal him first. We don't need the stupid jar!"
"Then spit in his mouth to hydrate him," Robyn laughed to herself as she crouched down towards the edge of the taxi.
Feeling a snap in his neck, Leo reaches down and grabbed Robyn's wrist. With an angry grunt, he hoisted her up to his height.
"Wha-? What are you doing?" Robyn struggled in his grasp.
"Leave the jar alone!" Leo said as he let go of her wrist.
Robyn, after a second of trying to shake off Leo, frowned and put her hand on Leo's neck. She shoved back on him to create space. "Get back. Let me get it."
"No, heal him!" The frustrated boy stepped closer.
"Get back, Leo," Robyn said. She reached up and leaned back her hand.
With a flick of her wrist, she smacked Leo in the face. In that instance, Leo saw spots of brilliant blues and emeralds flash in his face. And, for just a millisecond, his body shriveled up as anticipated another blow. When he blinked, the image flickered from an Asian girl to that of a much more imposing figure. One of his father sneering at him in delight at hitting him. And the response from Leo was to expect even more of it.
Because deep down, he felt like he deserved it.
Instead of backing away Leo grunted out and grimaced at Robyn. With an angry shout, he pushed the girl onto the dented hood of the car. The hot metal burned the back of Robyn's jeans and the bent aluminum dig into her legs. She grunted out and tried to get up, but Leo came over and reached his hands out again. Without thinking, like the instinct of a leopard, he pounced and pushed her again. His mind was a computer on autopilot as if he were attacking from muscle memory of deeply hidden memories.
Robyn cried out when she was pushed back again. Leo situated himself right in front of her, his legs pushed up to the car. Robyn grabbed at Leo's wrists and squeezed hard, a copper indention marking into them. Leo tried to break her grasp, but she pulled back on her arms and wrestled him closer. He twisted his wrists and escaped her hands. He reached up to push Robyn back again, but she met his palms mid-air with her fists and punched into them. They stung, but only a small bump that was erased by the adrenaline pumping through Leo's body.
"Stop," Robyn, now completely serious, widened her eyes with a modicum of fear as the boy seethed with rage. "Leo, stop it!"
"You stop it!" Leo said. "You hit me first!"
Met in the middle, Leo and Robyn smacked each other's hands and arms together. Like two toddlers fighting over a toy, the pair fought for space with Leo and Robyn occasionally knocking the other in the face or shoulder. Robyn would deflect one of Leo's hands before counteracting with her own blow. They both grunted out with Robyn bopping Leo on the nose. It made the buy back away and fall back. However, with squeezing Robyn's wrists, he took her with him.
Leo slammed onto the pavement, assures a gash had been cut into the back of his head as droplets of blood trickled through his sand-infused hair. Robyn fell onto Leo's lap and continued to struggle away from Leo's grasp. The boy kept his hands around her wrists and squeezed hard with red imprints planting into the girl's fair skin.
"You're hurting me," Robyn cried out. "Stop it!"
"You hurt me!" Leo struggled and forced himself to sit up. He took his fists and pushed Robyn back as they both smacked each other's hands again.
"Leo, I just want to help! Stop it!"
"You don't get to hurt me again," Leo yelled with finality the words he finally wanted to say, but to the wrong person.
"Leo, please!"
"You don't get to hurt me anymore!"
With the final shout, Leo let go of Robyn's wrists and pulled his fist back. Thinking of all of his ill wishes against his father, Leo let fly a punch aimed at Robyn. The quick girl saw this and dodged underneath just in time before taking her own palm and aiming to sock Leo on the cheek.
Smack!
Leo fell onto his back. The impact snapping him out of his craze, he skirted himself over the floor with his hands and propped himself to sit upright. He gasped for air along with Robyn, who pressed her back up to the side of the taxi cab.
They both stared at each other. Both to afraid and too exhausted to make a motion to the other. Leo's shoulders heaved and bobbed like a boat in a typhoon. His limbs aching, he roasted his palms on the hot concrete beneath him as he rested on them. If he didn't use his hands, he knew he would just stay on his back and faint.
Only the sound of gasps and the occasional choke came from the flustered students. With a few more blinks, Leo came back to his senses and realized he was fighting no ghosts of his past, only an upbeat Asian girl who wanted to keep him company that day.
Moments trudged by like wading through a big. If Leo looked at his wristwatch, he would swear that the second hand had slowed to the crawl of a tortoise. The desert around them remained still; only the searing ringing in Leo's ears from the fight creating any sound barrier to his shame.
Braving a look up from his lap, Leo locked eyes with Robyn's blue orbs. They were wide and very alarmed.
"R-Robyn," Leo stuttered out.
The girl scrunched her legs together and covered her front to use like a shield from a sword. She hugged her knees closer to her chest. A few charcoal scrapes scratched into her face, and the bangs of her hair lay mussed up above her forehead. For her, the physical pain would be easy to fix.
Seeing her shrink from him, Leo transported himself back to those same words that were said to him over and over again in middle school.
"Please," the boy cried out. "Leo, stop it!"
"Cry harder, fag," Leo dug the boy's head deeper into the toilet.
His friends laughed behind him as one of them kept flushing and they gave him a swirlie. It was a weekly ritual at this point.
And so it continued through the school year. Insults. Shoving. Stealing lunch money. It made him feel alive and in control of somebody. His friends loved him for it, and finally he was noticed for being more than just Chronos' child.
In a way, this cruelty had been easy for him to channel. He just had to think of his dad.
And to feel miserable, he just had to think about that boy.
And as Leo looked at Robyn, her strokes for air giving way to bubbling bouts of cries, he had never thought more about the boy.
He crawled over towards Robyn. The girl had begun to cry, and she hugged herself harder. She brushed away some of the tears, but more would pour out as her arms became silly string and shook with the ferocity of an earthquake. She kept her gaze down at her feet as her body began to wrack itself with sadness.
Leo could not take the image of her and the boy out of his head any longer. After his promise to never be as vicious, as mean as before, and he had broken it. He truly was weak.
"Once he crawled up to Robyn's side, he reached a hand out and cautioned a tap on her knee. Robyn looked up and wilted away from him.
"Robyn," Leo chokes out again. His eyes a reservoir, he locked back onto Robyn's gaze as his gentle tone coddled the girl to look at him.
When the met, the dam burst.
"Robyn," Leo shook with a watery tone. "I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry."
"No, Leo. I shouldn't h-."
Leo wrapped himself around Robyn and buried his head into her shoulder. His body cascaded in tremors as he wrought himself of tears. His muffled voice cried out in her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Leo said. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I-I can make it up to you! Just let me make it up to you! I promise I'll be better than this. I want to be so much better."
Hearing the sorrowful sincerity, Robyn cried and held Leo in her arms. In a way, this was becoming cathartic for her. Her own family, torn by tragedy, and how she covered it up with a bright smile and attitude. How alone she truly felt since her brother and father left. How even more alone she felt having to see her mother stumble intoxicated on year old beer in her living room. Then passing out and waking up sixteen hours later only to do it all again.
She cried as well, her own head resting into Leo's shoulder.
"Leo, please stop," she soothed in his ear as they cried together. "Please, I can help you."
Not a soul drove down the road for the next few hours. If any did, they would have seen two hurt high schoolers locked in a warm hug with a comatose Pro-Hero laying to the side.
And a jackrabbit that hopped around the area wondering what it had missed out on.
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