Author's Notes: Been a while, huh? Well here you go. Next chapter of Eli's story is finally here. Enjoy.
Chapter Warnings: This chapter is rated T for teen for mild swearing and violence.
The Markings of a Hero
Chapter Seven: Work Shifts
Three weeks. That's how long it took for Eli to finally get used to the changes that were going on within and around him. His body was constantly in pain from Ben's training, and thus he felt little pain from anything else. His fingers constantly twitched from all of Nick's teachings which made it tough to type at the end of the day. Yet, despite all of this, he kept up enough of a charade to keep his mother and stepfather from worrying too much.
Eli had also regained some trust with George as George had stopped by Eli's apartment to talk a week ago. George had, in so many words, apologized for what happened at Crinkly Park. It was obvious to Eli that it was insincere but he accepted the apology nonetheless.
Eli had met up with Hannah three times during the three weeks. With him running back and forth from Nick's, Jade's, and work, the two had very little time to see each other as Eli was normally busy or too tired to meet up with her during Hannah's free time. Of course, during their last meeting, Jade had appeared at Eli's door and their time had been cut short due to Jade's presence.
Jade had yet to stop teasing Eli about that incident.
Speaking of the Vietnamese girl, she had been quite the help for Ben's training. Jade had done a great job in going further into detail about the Dragon Style Kung-Fu and its origins. She had even gone as far as taken Eli "running" with her, which included a dangerous jog across rooftops in Cheshire Square. As athletic and brave as Eli was, he had never been so close to fainting in fear as he was the first night Jade leapt from one building to another and dared him to follow. Eli theorized that his competitive nature is what really carried him from one building to the next while his common sense and fear haunted him all the way home that night.
And again, Jade had yet to stop teasing Eli about this incident as well.
As for work, Eli has slowly come to enjoy his new work area. The kids there, who ranged from ages four to fifteen, were not as bad as he thought and the pay was relatively good for a few days on job. He normally worked with a guy named Pete Janson, who was not a bad co-worker per se. Pete obviously did not like the kids and it was apparent that they had similar thoughts of him. However, Pete spoke about his parents who normally held charity events in Madison to support the Rebecca Fairhaven Children's Home (an orphanage located in Ivy Town) and how they were quite strict about him learning how to interact with children. Eli and Pete did not always see eye-to-eye but they both could relate to overbearing hardworking parents.
Eli sighed as he sat on his bed, the next problem in his mind being larger than the other thoughts. Then again, Leila was not necessarily a problem. No. She was. She was a big problem. And then she wasn't.
Eli shook his head; his hands going over the freshly cut hairs of his head. His mom was something hard to pin down. He knew that she was trying to create some bond that was never there but he was not always ready for her advances in the area. There were times when she was obviously angry and said nothing- oddly this bothered Eli greatly- and then there were times when she was lecturing over something small that had occurred months ago. Leila was also very skeptical whenever Eli watched Sam without adult supervision, but never stopped Sam from wanting to go with Eli.
Nights with Leila got stranger now. Their talks now started with Eli being late for whatever reason. From there, they would talk about a past event that most likely included a too-young-to-remember Eli and his happy parents. A silence would follow that and then one of them would go to bed before any more emotions could be revealed. Some nights, Eli would leave Leila out in the back to smoke her cigarettes or stare deeply at the stars and others Leila would leave her son to his throbbing body and his thoughts.
"Eli," Leila called from the other side of Eli's closed door. "Don't forget to pack before work. We leave for Metropolis tonight, so don't be late."
Eli remained silent. He had called Mallory the previous day to rant about being forced to spend the Fourth of July at Robert's parents' place in Metropolis instead of going to Gotham City to see Mallory. While Eli was pissed that he would not be going to see his relatives down in Gotham, he was even more annoyed that he would have to spend the holiday with Robert's family.
But it was the deal he made with his mom. Family events like this were a must-show for him and he could not just avoid them.
"Elias?" Leila's voice dragged him back out of his thoughts.
"My things are at the apartment." Eli called back.
"Then go there. I will pick you up after work, so don't go to any parties Elias." Leila ordered.
"Whatever…" Eli muttered beneath his breath.
Eli figured that his mother probably did not hear him and just left as she did not wait for him to give her a louder, clearer response. This left Eli with two thoughts on his mind. The first thought was that he would have to listen to Mallory, for less of a better word, bitch about him not coming to Gotham. The second thought was that he would have to deal with Mallory after spending hours with hyper orphaned kids.
Standing up, the teen stretched while already hating his day. The kids were manageable. It was his co-worker that he had a problem with. Pete's lackluster attitude sometimes caught the kids' attention and Eli was, for whatever reason, the one that had to make it seem like Pete wanted to be around them.
And it was becoming increasingly difficult to lie to a bunch of kids who seemed way smarter than they should be.
The buzzing of his vibrating cell phone caused Eli to release another sigh of detestation as he grabbed the device off of his dresser.
"Hello?" he answered without bothering to see who it was.
"So you're not dead. Good." Jade's voice came over the receiver. "I thought for sure that last night you'd seriously pass out on the bus or something and end up in Ivy Town."
Eli let out a tired breath. "Is there a reason you're calling this early Jade?"
"You're leaving tonight, right? So I was thinking that we could do some runs after you're off." Jade said. "I, um, need to get some information on my dad and, as you've noticed, Ben has forbidden me in doing anything to the man. So I was wondering if you would get in trouble with me, again."
Eli hummed in thought. Ben has made it clear to both Jade and Eli that he did not want Jade going anywhere near her biological father. Eli assumed that it was more on Jade's part than on this mysterious man's fault but said nothing aloud about it. So Eli never really questioned why Jade hardly brought up any topic about her dad around Ben and understood completely when Jade went on her little "missions" to find out any information about the guy.
However, the last time the two had run off to find information about Jade's father- who Eli still did not know the identification of- Ben had tracked them down and stopped them. The consequence was more heavy training and a morning after filled with sore muscles and headaches. Eli had been cautious about hinting anything to do with Jade's dad around Ben in fear of the same thing happening again and Jade wholeheartedly followed suit.
"So what do you say? You in or not?" Jade asked. "Or do you have plans with Hannah?"
"No, I don't have plans with anyone yet." Eli answered. "And why are you going after your dad again? I thought Ben told you to leave the guy alone?"
Jade scoffed. "Boy scout… And for your information, Ben left earlier for some meeting. He won't be back until tomorrow which means that I have all day today to do what I want. And I want to get this information." Jade paused. "Besides, I hear a certain Russian snitch will be there. Maybe you can get some answers as well."
Her tactic was simple, even Eli noticed that. Jade was going to make Eli want to find this informant as much as she did. Sadly, it was working.
"If we do this," Eli said. "It will have to be fast. I'm leaving for Metropolis tonight with my mom. I can't be late with her or else."
"Sure. I'll grab some gear and meet you after work." Jade responded. "Just make sure that your not-girlfriend doesn't get jealous, again."
That was how the call ended, with Jade snickering before hanging up. Eli simply tossed his phone behind him onto his bed with a small sigh.
In his mind, he knew how this was going to go. Somehow, someway, Ben would find out what they did and they would have more exercises for whenever Eli returned from Metropolis. And if it was anything like the last one they did, they would come up empty-handed anyway. Or at least Jade would. Eli had an opportunity to get information before Ben appeared and sent them home.
Getting out of bed, the teen stretched his arms above his head while closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. He had to recount his steps momentarily to figure out his best line of action. He and Nick had yet to pinpoint where Bookworm was, though from the Army Ant's journal, the murderer was still within New Camford. Venice Terrace was still the focal point of their investigation but other neighborhoods were now being viewed. So now he had to figure out how to search for Bookworm without gaining attention from his mentor and his mother. And Jade. He had to do this without getting Jade involved.
Lowering his arms and opening his eyes, Eli glanced towards the blinds that attempted to shield his face from the incoming sun rays. Just from what had already occurred that morning, he knew it would be a long day ahead of him. He just hoped that it didn't end with Ben enforcing another extra hour of workouts.
Or worse, his mother finding out…
The Stagg Youth Center was stationed just outside of the Madison neighborhood, making it roughly ten minutes away from Nick's house by car, if that. The building itself was nothing grand and appeared to be a small elementary school at first glance. The front driveway was a semi-circle around the brick sign that held the institution's name as well as the three flags that flew behind said sign; the state flag, the American flag, and the City of New Camford's flag. There were two parking lots at the building. The first one was located in the front of the building, east of the driveway. The second one was gravel and located in the back of the building near the fields. That's where the Stagg Youth Center bus could be found.
The glass doors in the front of the building were as clean as they always were; a heavy contrast to the mess that the kids living here could really make. And while most of them meant no harm, Eli has come to know why some adults refer to kids as "little monsters".
Heading for the front office to pick up the day's schedule, Eli made sure to turn his phone on vibrate. While emergencies were allowed while on the job, casual calls were not and Eli would rather not allow his boss, Miss Reynolds, or- heaven forbid- Sapphire come down and see him on the phone talking to Hannah.
"Eli," The Italian American woman named Elizabeth Reynolds called to him as he stepped into the carpeted room. The "slightly plumped" woman sat at her desk with a doughnut on a folded napkin in front of her next to a mug of coffee. "How are you this morning?"
"A little tired, but I can manage." Eli answered as he walked into the large office. "Is Pete here yet? I didn't see his car."
Miss Reynolds scoffed. "No. He called and said he was running late so that means that when Darcy and Cedric leave, you'll be watching them alone."
Eli did not openly respond to the statement as he sighed quietly. The woman at her desk was always one to give him and his co-workers bad news. Worse, the five-foot woman always dared the young adults helping out in the center to fuss about the news.
"They have both clipboards?" Eli questioned.
"They do." Miss Reynolds said as she fixed her red-framed glasses. "As I told them when they came in earlier, Ms. Stagg will be hosting a fundraiser next Friday which means that you all will be in and out doing shifts all week. Will you need transportation?"
"I have a ride," responded Eli as he stared at the tanned- though not as dark as himself- woman. "Is there a schedule already printed for next week?"
"No."
Eli almost rolled his eyes at the statement. A problem with his boss was that she could procrastinate quite a bit when she felt like it and it normally meant that he had to do last minute changes to his plans because of it. Either that, or someone just had to run it by Stagg Industries that there was not a written statement of the plans for the kids and Sapphire would soon rectify that herself.
"Alright," Eli said as he retrieved his work badge from his back pocket and placed it around his neck. "I'll go ahead and get started."
Miss Reynolds's face scrunched up as she looked at the small wrist watch on her left wrist.
"You're five minutes early." she announced.
"Which means I'm on time." Eli responded as he turned to leave.
"Eli," Miss Reynolds stopped him from leaving. "I also want to tell you about another sponsor the home may be receiving. It's from Pearson and Gardiner." There was a pregnant pause. "That is your mother's firm, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Ms. Stagg wants to send her thanks." Miss Reynolds said. "Hopefully she will be the fundraiser Friday with one of her bosses."
"I'll ask later."
Eli did not stick around to hear any more. Leila had made several attempts to reconnect with her eldest son, some successful and others were not. Eli knew that if his mother had a hand in the donation to the home, then this was more than likely another attempt to bond with him and not for the kids' happiness. This is where Eli had the problem though. Bonding at home was one thing. Interfering at the other's work place was something different.
Although, what Eli has learned these few weeks have been significant in the change of view of his mother. He once thought that she was just a controlling woman who wanted more material things than his father was able to provide. Now he knew that there were other things about Leila that were important to figuring out- not only who she was- but who his father was.
Firstly, Leila had cut her hair once. That is how she snuck into Qurac, by cutting her hair and impersonating a young Quraci boy. From there, the teen would venture to Saudi Arabia where she went through several custom protocols and student examinations. Getting something akin to her GED, she would leave for Gotham City, a place where Leila had described to be the "grayest city in America", where she applied to and attended Gotham State University.
During this time she met the guy that would become Eli's father.
Eli had never heard the full story how his parents met due to him never caring to ask. But after Leila's account, he got a better image on who his parents were and who they became. Malcolm has been and always would be Leila's guardian angel, even when she did not want him to be. Miles would give Leila the "Bialyan Warrior" nickname and she would tell Miles about the town she was born in, Ahbyzin, and the city she moved to, Al-Qawiya- the capital of Bialya.
Eli snorted quietly. Leila's account of Ahbyzin (pronounced ah-biz-zeen) was quite colorful, and not in a good way. Leila admitted that she did not grow up poor- without going into detail about what her parents did to provide for her- but made it her mission to make the city appear to be hell on Earth. Leila would go on and describe how Gotham City seemed to be a more modernized version of her hometown.
She compared Al-Qawiya (Leila made a point to say it as kuh-wee-ya) to New Camford, a reason she chose to live in the city despite working in Ivy Town. Despite the fact that there was not a beach in Al-Qawiya, Leila likened the people of New Camford to those of her former city. She pointed out key things like the mixture of Bialyan, Iranian, Persian, and Kahndaq influences in Al-Qawiya was almost identical the mix of European cultures that could be found in New Camford, going as far as saying that both cities were the respective "mutts" of their states.
Yet…
Yet Leila ended several of their nightly talks whenever Eli would question about her family. Till this day, he knew that he had grandparents (who he assumed were still living), three maternal uncles (two older than Leila), and an aunt younger than his mother. Leila never gave names. She never gave facial description or how they acted. Just that they were there and then she left. Hell, he never got a good reason as to why she left. She just did. And that angered him.
That, and she had yet to tell him whatever she was going to say weeks ago. She still felt as if he was still "too angry" to know.
"Eli's here!" Eli sighed heavily at his co-worker's announcement as he stepped into the recreational room.
The orphanage was divided into two groups; the younger kids and then the teenagers. There were times when all the kids were placed together but different workers had different kids to work with. Sapphire had described it like a school. Eli had to deal with the elementary kids and there were times when they would visit the junior high or high school kids. It seemed simple on paper but there were times when Eli believes that he got the worst end of the deal.
"You're here early," the brunette who announced his arrival said to him. Her hair cut in a stylish pixie cut with a sweeping bang that drew attention to her clear blue eyes. "Hate to say that Pete isn't here yet."
"I know." Eli muttered. "This is the third time he's done this too."
Darcy, the brunette, shrugged her pale thin shoulders.
"We tried to tell you when you took the job. Just sucks that you're genuinely a nice guy." Darcy spoke quietly before eying the nine children playing with various toys in the room. "I think that he's doing it on purpose to help Fairhaven."
Eli let a smirk display on his face. "I doubt Pete's that smart to even think about that." Now Darcy grins as well. "Tell me that today is one of those days that someone's supposed to show. A magician. Ronald McDonald. Someone."
"Afraid not. Worse, Collin was late today as well so breakfast wasn't even ready when Cedric and I got here. Imagine the riot that went throughout the hallways." Darcy mused. "I tell you, these kids some days…"
Eli released a heavy breath. Darcy was currently nineteen with the oldest resident here would be sixteen in a few weeks. Despite this and the fact that Eli was just seventeen, she always spoke as if there was a major age gap between those living in the home and the teenage help that Sapphire had acquired. It was something that never bothered Eli or Darcy's partner Cedric, but Pete chose to call attention to the fact that Eli and Jack- another worker who was few months younger than Eli- were only a year older than the oldest child under Stagg's care.
"Hey man, you're here early." Cedric said as he neared the duo.
Cedric and Eli were roughly the same height, three inches taller than the short German descendant beside Eli. Cedric was one of only two African-American aids at the program (three if Eli included himself) and was noticeably darker than the rest. Yet, despite the stereotype that came with the cornrows in his head and his knack for baggy, hardly-fitting jeans, Cedric was quite smart, a nice guy, and loved working with children due to the four younger brothers and sisters he grew up with. While Darcy was currently working here and another job elsewhere (Eli never asked where), Cedric worked here during his downtime from his classes at New Camford State University; mostly referred to as Cam State.
"Had to leave early," was Eli's only response. "Darcy told me about Collin being late."
Cedric simply shook his head with a shrug, causing Eli to grin slightly. Cedric and Darcy were two completely different people with different backgrounds. Yet, the punk-rock and Pop listening girl who had a knack for the colors black and purple was quite close to the country-listening back-up quarterback for Cam State. It got to the point where they would mirror each other's actions without trying to mimic one another.
"It was chaos, I can say that." Cedric finally said. "Pete running late too?" Eli nodded. "Sucks."
"Rich guys can get away with it." Darcy quietly quips.
Cedric chuckled. "You say that in front of the guy from Mancastle?"
Eli grunted, though smile at the comment. Darcy lived somewhere in Madison with her grandparents while Cedric lived on campus in the downtown area of the city where Cam State was located. They, much like Eli, had stereotyped those who lived in the Mancastle Hills and McIntyre neighborhoods to be rich, perky, and somewhat stuck-up people. And now, regardless of how Eli felt about it, he was included in that category due to him moving in with his mom and stepdad.
"Miss Reynolds said that you two were leaving before lunch." Eli said. "Is that true?"
He hoped that it wasn't. Not that the kids that they watched were particularly bad or anything, he just felt better when he was not as outnumbered with them as he normally was with Pete. Once again, while Pete was not a bad worker, the kids really had a problem talking to him.
Darcy nodded. "Yeah. Luke wanted to have lunch with me." Eli saw Cedric subtly roll his eyes upward at the mentioning of Darcy's less-than-smart boyfriend. "Plus they're sending us up to Happy Harbor next weekend."
"Really?" Eli frowned with his statement, eyes locking onto Cedric's.
"Yeah," Cedric elaborated. "You know the fundraiser coming up?" Cedric paused and waited for Eli to nod. "Well, they wanted the kids in the program across the board to know and be there. I hear it's supposed to be in Gotham; where the Stagg Industries headquarters is at."
"Oh…" Eli muttered, drawing a frown on Darcy's face.
"You hate Gotham or something?" the girl asked.
Eli shook his head. "No. In fact, I have family in Gotham. Most of my dad's family lives in the Gotham-Bludhaven area."
"Really? You never really talk about it." Darcy said. "In fact, you never really talk about your parents."
Eli glanced at Cedric who, after reading his co-worker's uneasiness, chose to step in to aid Eli.
"Do you know where they're stationing you during next week?" Cedric asked Eli.
"Miss Reynolds didn't tell me." answered Eli, thankful to have an escape from Darcy's question. "The way she was explaining it, we were all supposed to be here."
"Apparently," Darcy said. "The home in Gotham is short of workers and so we all have to get shifted around. And there are some kids from Suicide Slum that are giving the workers down in Metropolis a problem." Darcy sighed quietly. "I hate to think it, but we may have gotten lucky covering the New Ivy Metro area."
Eli had to nod at the statement. The New Ivy Metro described the larger New Camford and the smaller Ivy Town to the north of it. It was the area that Eli was stationed to work and talk to the children Sapphire wanted him to. And while there were one or two teenagers who were angry at the world about their position, Eli had heard of the news that came from other places like Boston, New York City, Gotham, and most recently, Metropolis.
"Well," stated Darcy. "I'm going to go say bye the kids. Luke should be here soon." Again, Eli spotted Cedric's look of disapproval of Darcy's boyfriend. "See you Tuesday?"
It took Cedric a moment to answer his co-worker. "Sure Darcy." The smirk on Eli's face caught the older boy's attention. "Not cool man."
"What?" Darcy asked as she stared at Eli.
"Nothing," spoke Eli as he walked towards the closest table to him. "See you later Darcy."
While Eli was friends with Cedric, there were times when teasing the college freshman over his obvious crush on Darcy became too much fun to avoid. Normally Eli, and Pete for that matter, steered clear of announcing it or hinting it around Darcy. However, with the day going the way it was now, Eli was more than alright with having some innocent fun with a co-worker.
"Morning Eli!" a group of children called to him.
Waving back, Eli allowed his mind to wander back to his time with Nick. The man had been educating Eli on the vigilantism that had been going on in the city. Not only that, but Nick had proven to Eli that Eli was nowhere up to par to even think about running around in a cape and mask. Nick's training put as much mental strain on Eli as Ben's training did physically. Things such as throwing darts in quick succession without missing a target, sneaking around the backyard without drawing too much attention, and studying old criminal cases that the Army Ant had done were just some of the things that Nick has forced Eli to do. This did not include Nick's studies in sleight of hand and escapology that put Eli's hands in severe pain.
"Hey Eli," Eli's attention went back to Cedric, who stood near the door alone now. "I'm out. Make sure you talk to your friend."
Eli gave a nod. "I will."
Cedric eyed the child in question before leaving, Eli soon looking at the girl seated at a table alone. The girl was five-year-old Britney, her current last name unknown and her parents not talked about outside of the office. The blonde was normally alone whenever the kids were free to do arts and crafts as she was different than the others, a difference Eli saw firsthand.
Going to her table, Eli gave the hazel-eyed girl a warm smile before squatting next to hoer.
"Morning Britney." he said, seeing her smile brightly at his arrival.
"Hi!" Her voice was, in a word, childish and Eli could always hear how cheerful or downhearted she really was.
"You didn't want to color with the other kids?" Eli questioned, watching her smile slowly disappear.
"No," Britney said. "Miss Reynolds told me that that wasn't a good idea."
Eli thought about his next response. From first glance, one could see the thin frame of a child who once suffered from malnutrition. Cedric had even told Eli to make sure Britney ate from time to time as the girl would sometimes claim that she was full during snack time without eating breakfast or lunch. Britney's small nose was almost always pink and her ears were normally covered by her long sun kissed blonde hair. Her round hazel eyes were always a key indicator to what she was really feeling or what she really wanted.
Yet, one physical description that was never supposed to be talked about was the rat tail that she normally kept tucked in her pants. Unfortunately, some of the older kids had heard about this and teased the girl about it, one of the many reasons that the younger kids were usually separated from the teens. During Eli's time with the teenagers, he had to speak about tolerance towards those different than they were, though he doubts that his speech meant much. Britney was still too afraid to get close to anyone but Eli, Cedric, and Darcy.
"Well," Eli began. "When we go outside, we're going to need even teams to play kickball and we would really like it if you joined us."
Britney wiggled her nose cutely. "But what about what Miss Reynolds said?"
"Don't worry about it." Eli told her before looking down at the paper in front of her. "What were you drawing?"
"Butterflies!" was Britney's gleeful cry as she held up the picture to him. "See?"
Eli looked at the three scribbled designs that roughly resembled that of three butterflies of alternate sizes and color; a small red one, a medium sized green one, and a large center-fold blue one. He mustered his biggest shocked face at the drawing to look impressed and was rather pleased when Britney's smile seemed to brighten at his reaction.
Once again, he found himself saved by a half-ass bullshit lie. Then again, it's not like he expected any of the kids here to be some prodigious artists in the making. It was pretty good for one without any schooling outside of the home.
"That's good Britney. You should keep this one." he told her. Her smile had Eli grinning a bit as well. "You're a better artist than I am."
As Britney continued to giggle with pride and glee, Eli's eyes traveled towards the wall-mounted digital clock posted next to the door. It was three minutes till nine at the moment which meant that he would be here for another eight hours. Then he would have to hurry to wherever Jade was to find out whatever they could before leaving with his mom and stepdad later tonight. That meant that he would have to try and preserve as much energy as possible for his "run" with Jade later on in order to avoid being too tired to even leave for Metropolis.
Good thing for him that both Nick and Ben had been training him in endurance.
"But I don't wanna!" Britney complained.
Eli took in a deep breath to keep calm while the blonde refused to let go of his legs. He had gotten off five minutes ago but had stayed a few extra minutes for the girl's sake. Now he was regretting it as Jade had already called him to meet up with her on the rooftop of their apartment building and he had not even begun his walk- though by now it was more of a jog- to the bus stop.
"Britney, you have to let go or else I'll be late getting home." Eli said, now prying her off of him. "I'll be back soon."
Britney's tearful eyes pained him greatly. He was sure that some of the workers here, the adults that stayed here around the clock that is, mistreated her due to her small mutation. It was painfully obvious to him and Cedric that this happened with the blessings from Miss Reynolds. However, there was nothing he could do without costing him his job and he would rather not make an enemy out of Miss Reynolds; at least not now.
"Britney," Eli said kneeling in front of her. "I have to go to Metropolis for a while but I will be back. Besides, Cedric and Darcy will be here. Even Pete."
"B-but I want you." Britney sobbed softly, causing Eli to inwardly wince. It was so much easier being a straight up asshole to Sam than it was to face Britney some days. He fancied the thought that it was due to him being Sam's older brother and thus being mean to the little boy from time to time came with the title.
"I will be back, I promise." Eli said rubbing her head. "So go back with the others and get ready for dinner, okay?"
"O-okay." she hiccupped before hugging Eli. "Bye-bye."
"Bye Britney." Eli said seconds before she released him and walked into the recreation's room. The teen sighed heavily as he stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Finally…"
Turning around, Eli started his exit out of the building with a small bitter taste in his mouth. No, said taste did not come from leaving Britney in tears or her crying on him again. It came from his no-show co-worker. Around noon, Pete had called in "sick" and said that he would make it up sometime during the week. Miss Reynolds seemed pissed about it but the large woman did not even leave her office to deliver the message, let alone leaving her seat to do something about Pete's obvious lie.
So for eight hours, Eli dealt with the younger kids while two other helpers came for the older kids. If that was not bad enough, Eli could feel some of the staff members glaring at the blonde girl Cedric and he watched after so carefully. Lunch had been a prime example. It was apparent that Britney had gotten a smaller portion of fish sticks and macaroni and cheese than the others but she did not seem bothered by it.
Eli, however, was livid and he did not know why. He mentally questioned if he was mad about the fact that it was happening or because it was happening to Britney. He had failed to check to see if the all of the other kids got the same amount of food after Britney mostly because he was already so pissed that she did not get as much as those before her. And Collin was someone who did know about Britney's secret and had openly expressed his distaste for it.
"Tch," Eli blew out, now walking down the sidewalk in the warm New Camford evening.
This was New Camford, he figured, there was always some biased thought here or there. Gender, race, nationality, sexual orientation were just some of the reasons people based their opinions. However, for one mostly innocent little girl, it was because of a mutation she had no control over.
Maybe Sapphire should get involved?
His vibrating cell phone caught his attention and he quickly dug it out of his pocket to answer.
"Yeah."
"Hey, are you busy?" It was Hannah and she was apparently pleased about something.
"I just got off of work. What is it?" Eli replied.
"Well," his ex began. "My dad said he'd go car hunting with me tomorrow and I thought you'd help me plan ahead. You know, so I don't pick you up in a pink car with glitter seats."
Eli chuckled quietly. "Hannah, I doubt even you like glitter seats."
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." she said and he could practically hear the smile on her face. "So what do you say? Meet me at the diner in about twenty minutes and go online car shopping with me?"
"Uh," Eli began. "I can't. I have plans tonight."
"Oh…" responded Hannah. "Oh, okay. Just tell me that this does not have anything to do with George or some random party that he or his brother are throwing."
"No. Not George."
There was a pause and Eli counted down in his head until the Hispanic girl pinpointed who his plans were with.
"Is it Jade?" Eli remained quiet at her question. "It is, isn't it? I thought you said that you two weren't dating?"
"We're not. It's just… It's complicated." Eli said, mentally kicking himself for such a lame excuse. Of all the time his bullshitting brilliance failed him, it would be now.
"No, it's fine. Like I said, she's cute. I get it." Hannah told him. "So… I guess I'll see you after you return? We can catch up and talk cars or whatever."
"Hannah I-"
"Or not. I know when you're trying to be polite about blowing me off." she interrupted.
"No, that's not it. I'm just…" he paused and took in a deep breath, preparing himself for words he hardly said to anyone, anywhere, at any given time. "It's just that I'm sorry about this. This is something important and I know that your knowledge on the American automobile can be compared to George's understanding of the English language."
This invoked a laugh from Hannah, one that Eli was glad to hear.
"I'm not that hopeless Eli! Besides, my dad said he'd help me get the best one." Hannah said through giggles. "Seriously, I confuse one Camaro with a Mustang and you think I'm just hopeless, huh?"
"I'm just saying, you are kind of car-illiterate." Eli joked. "But after I return, we'll catch up, okay? Maybe somewhere outside of the Square?"
Hannah hummed in thought. "Are you asking me out on a date Elias? I'm sure your new girlfriend would not like that."
Depending on the day, she probably wouldn't, Eli thought to himself. But Hannah neither knew nor needed to know his relationship with Jade right now. Truthfully, Jade scared Eli greatly. He could only imagine what she, and definitely her godfather, would do to Hannah if Hannah jeopardized something big.
"She's not my girlfriend and I'm sure she wouldn't even care." Eli said. "So do you want to go or not?"
"Sure." Hannah answered. "And Eli, please promise me that you won't give Robert and his family a hard time. You may not want to talk about it, but I know that he isn't your dad and he could never replace him. But he is your mom's husband and you should at least be decent to the man."
Eli scoffed. "Right. I should shake hands and be friends with the man that's sleeping with my mom."
"With that logic," replied Hannah. "I shouldn't hug my dad and you shouldn't have done the same to your dad."
"You know what I meant Hannah."
"I know what you said." Hannah countered. "And yeah, I get what you're saying too. But honestly, what's the worst that can happen? You actually like living a rich life in Mancastle?"
Taking in a deep breath, Eli tried to keep himself calm at all costs. He honestly did not want to lose the comfort of his ex during these times, especially when he could get his dad's permission to head to Gotham City and spend time with his cousin.
"I will try. But I won't pretend that I like it. Any of it." Eli told Hannah. "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's all." Hannah said. "Seriously Eli, please don't do anything that George would get you to do, okay?"
"Okay. Bye." Eli replied.
"Bye Eli."
He hung up afterwards, more annoyed now than he was five minutes ago when he was leaving the center. While he knew that Hannah meant well, her being his normal voice of conscious sometimes had its moments when he seriously wanted to tell her to shut up and walk away. She would not let him party like he wanted, talk how he wanted, or do what he wanted if it meant angering some higher authority figure. It made her a great choice in girlfriend when pleasing Leila was an issue but someone really hard to be with when he needed to just let loose.
His mind then drifts to Jade. The Asian beauty had been a constant wedge between him and Hannah, not enough to fully separate the pair, but enough so that they would never be as close as they once were. Oddly enough, Eli did not believe that all of Jade's doings were intentionally. Things such as just being present when Hannah called were unintentional as there was no schedule posted that predicted or dictated when Hannah would call. Those were all by chance. But small smiles in front of Hannah were things Jade purposely did for some form of humor that Eli could do without.
Or could he?
Weeks with Jade had taught Eli that the girl was danger on two legs and yet he was somehow attracted to that. The thought of having to stay on his toes somehow correlated with the overall beauty of the Vietnamese girl, which was an unhealthy desire. Yet, Eli found himself digging into Jade's past more and more, growing somewhat excited when he thought he found a key clue or a major event, while at the same time keeping her at a safe distance. It was as if he was solving the most intriguing puzzle of his life with pieces sharp enough to cut his fingers off if mishandled. He knew he did not have a death wish but Jade was… No, Jade is…
A sigh escaped his lips.
Hannah and Jade were Heaven and Hell in his head, constantly voicing their opinions about every decision he made in the past few weeks. One of them kept him grounded, studying for tests, and tried to keep him in his mother's good graces. The other taught him had to scour throughout the city to find informants in all the wrong places, showed him how to hurt and maim men twice his size with his bare hands, and reminded him of the beauty that the nightlife- hectic or calm- could bring to him.
They weren't the only push and pull in his head. Nick and Ben were there as well. The two were both analytical and somewhat methodical but Nick's philosophy of apprehend the suspect(s) sometimes collided with Ben's belief that killing one sometimes saves millions. The two men also had a different sense of right and wrong. Nick thought that there could be a worse reaction to the original wrong, thus outweighing the initial wrong in the first place. Ben held a strong belief that all wrong was wrong and there was no universal scale that decided which wrong was justified or not. Therefore, Nick believed that circumstantial actions such as killing in self defense was justifiable whereas Ben saw it to be murder no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Rounding a corner, Eli continued his brisk walk towards the bus stop. Jade and Hannah, as well as Ben and Nick, were all trying to get Eli to side with them over their counterpart, something obvious to the teen. However, he would hate himself if he chose to ignore that they each held their strong points. In a way, they were each trying to keep him safe from his need of answers and vengeance.
A job his mother was succeeding and failing at simultaneously.
The boy made it to the stop a full minute before the bus arrived. Taking a spot in a rare empty seat, Eli took in a deep breath as the bus pulled off. He only had a few weeks left to obtain all the knowledge he could and be sent out for a test run to prove that he could be a hero in this city. More importantly, by doing this, he could keep his father's notes and find out just what these Russians were doing when they killed his dad.
Closing his eyes momentarily, Eli added another event on his agenda. Not only would he find this Bookworm, figure out what Tobias Whale and/or Sapphire have planned, and get even with the Mozgov Family, but he would make sure those bastards ignoring and mistreating Britney would pay as well.
And then he would figure out just who in the hell Jade really is.
It took him a while to get used to the workout uniforms, but Eli was adaptable when needed to be. Or at least, he thought he was. But the all black workout suit was skin tight, the top being long sleeved and the bottoms coming down to his ankles. The shoes were also something he had never experienced before. There were no laces or straps. Just slip them on or slip them off and they miraculously stayed on during the entire trip. Gloves were also worn during sparring, their hands always being taped prior the gloves coming on.
The masks, however, we something that Eli and Jade only wore whenever they went investigating. Ski masks were not a popular thing in New Camford during the summer, let alone in Cheshire Square, worn at night, by two teenagers.
The mask also did something to the two of them that neither could explain. It allowed them to leap from roof to roof without fear, scale down fire escapes by making the minimalist sounds, and sneak around the infested alleyways without being spotted. Eli was unsure if this feeling, this rush, was the same feeling his father felt but it was something that he enjoyed. And the mask that he wore allowed him to enjoy this feeling without the fear of falling or being caught.
Well, being caught by anyone besides Ben.
"Wait," Jade said quietly, holding a hand out to him as they came to a stop at the edge of a small retail store. "Listen."
The duo had traveled out of the Cheshire Square neighborhood, entering what was known as Old Camford; a historical area between Town Square and Cheshire Square. The three neighborhoods plus the Salisbury neighborhood (where Cam State was located) and Rhodes neighborhood made up of what was collectively known as Downtown New Camford and had been the area where Eli was most comfortable at. It was the heart of the city and, in Eli's opinion, the best part of the town with a blend of the corporate towers downtown and the small businesses within Cheshire Square and Old Camford.
The pair was currently in a darken spot of Old Camford, literally yards outside the Cheshire Square district line, where a lot of drug dealings had gone down. This current meeting, however, was said by Jade to be something different. Something that would help both of their cases.
Standing next to a silver Mercedes Benz, a man a few inches taller than Eli, stood with his arms crossed. From Eli's viewpoint he could see that the man was of light complexion, possibly Caucasian. Another man paced quietly in front of the first suspect, this one considerably darker and shorter, but due to the dim lit parking lot, neither Jade nor Eli could rightfully deduce the man's race.
"So let me get this straight," the pacing man said, his voice eerily reminding Eli of the parrot from Aladdin. "Some mooch comes into town and challenges us, us! And they think that they can just get away with it?"
"You're worrying about nothin'." the man leaning against the car replied, he having a thick Southern accent. "Pullman says that Whale ain't worried 'bout elections. He's a Metzy after all. All they think 'bout is themselves."
Eli frowned. The term "Metzy" was used to insult anyone from Metropolis or that area in Delaware. It was rather uncommon the farther south one goes, but in New Camford and Ivy Town it was heard quite often, especially when any college or pro team from Metropolis journeyed into the New Ivy Metro. The fact that this apparent cowboy in a suit was using that term Metzy meant that he either lived in the area or has been here long enough to pick up on the jargon.
"Metzy? What the hell is that?" the pacing man asked, now stopping to stare at the suit wearing man.
A deep chuckle radiated out of the first man. "Nothin'. Just common talk up here, that's all." Eli took in a deep breath and released it slowly. Something about the relaxed gentleman rubbed him the wrong way. "Now, 'bout this Whale fella. He's not lookin' for any real trouble. The guy just runs a business from here to Dakota City. He just needed a little… Reassurance."
"Reassurance? Reassurance for what? He knows that Mozgov Family runs most of the operations up here. Does he think the mayor will just let it happen?" The screeching man retorts angrily. "And what the hell was Pullman thinking by letting those bozos show up in the rally in Greenwich? Do you know what the polls will look like if someone spotted that large idiot? That McMahon lady wins, that's what!"
"Hey, calm down. We got what we want. Pullan'll be in the White House sooner than later. And apparently, we're getting that Stagg girl onboard."
Jade cut Eli a glance, reading his eyes- the only thing visible with the mask on. His eyes were focused on the situation ahead, a look she had seen quite a few times over the past few weeks. She knew that Eli's mind was already working on connecting the dots, dots that even she did not see, and that he was already preparing something. He was preparing to do something big, even if he did not know it now. She did. And Jade wanted to be there when he finally made his move.
"Where the hell is this guy at?" There was an uneasy silence that followed the question, the man leaning against the car checking a wrist watch.
"Pullman says he'd be here fore eight. Said the guy was some specialist from Gotham City." the second man said before lowering his watch. "Don't understand why we need 'em, honestly."
"Because back when he was just the mayor of this city," the Gilbert Gottfried sound alike replied. "Mr. Pullman had some favors done for him to keep some of those costumed freaks at bay, and he's not just one of those schmucks with muscles either. Smart guy."
Eli listened to the two men continue their conversation. His heart rate increased significantly as time went on as the two men continued to describe the third party who had yet to show. However, the more the pair talked, the more Eli got the idea that it was Bookworm that they were talking about and the hidden teen wanted nothing more than to finally meet the man to scratch off something on his father's to-do list.
And then he realized that Jade was gone.
Panic quickly washed over him and then was replaced with a quiet calamity. He looked around the area until he saw a familiar shadow creeping up next to the car, out of the two men's sights. Eli watched as Jade carefully retrieved something that was hooked on the back of her pants. Knowing better than to allow her to go into a fight without proper, Eli prepared his next move.
He was currently weaponless, though not necessarily defenseless. As Nick had so strongly proved, the element of surprise was the greatest weapon that anyone could possess. When used correctly, it allowed a knife-user to win a gun fight or, as in this case, a boy with no weapons to get the jump on two men who were probably carrying some form of firearm.
Eli released the breath he was holding as he came to one logical conclusion to this entire ordeal: Ben was going to kill him. There was no way, live or die, that the two escaped without gaining some attention and Eli could already hear Ben lecturing them on the importance of codes and rules and why they should never break his or else. But if Jade were to get severely wounded, kidnapped, or- heaven forbid- killed during this little trip of theirs, then a lecture would be the last thing Eli worried about.
The boy watched intently as he made out Jade reaching behind her, partially reaching into her pants before pulling a small item out. He had no idea what or what she planned on doing with said item, but she was apparently going to do something.
…And he was too stunned, too afraid, to do anything but watch. He was stationed on the roof, too stunned by Jade's brashness and too anxious to do something about it, with his fingers curling into fists. The two men were oblivious to the stealthy teenagers, one now preparing to strike.
In a brief, tense moment, Jade looked up at Eli's position. In three short weeks, Eli knew what that look was; it was her waiting on his signal. Normally this look came when Jade was waiting for Eli to regain enough energy to continue on with whatever training they were doing. It only took him a few seconds to realize what she was waiting for his signal for.
Thump-thump!
He had never heard his heartbeat so loud but ignored it as he watched the pacing man turn his back to the man leaning against the car, and coincidentally Jade. Eli then looked and Jade, who had yet to take her sight off of Eli, and nodded.
In that instance, Jade sprung up behind the man, left hand moving to cover his mouth before her right hand, the hand with the unknown object, moved across the guy's neck as if she was stroking a violin with a small bow. A muffled grunt followed before the man's body slumped forward.
"Wha…?" The pacing man stopped in his march as he turned to see what had happened. He stared wide-eyed at the girl while taking a small step backwards. "Wh-what do you want? Who are you?!"
"Knowing my name won't save you," Eli heard Jade hiss. "I need you to give me a name and a number. Robert Pullman has a son. Tell me who and how to reach him."
Eli frowned. What did Jade want with Pullman's son? Could he be Jade's long-lost father? Or could he know something about Eli's dad? He was too anxious to get a good grasp of this entire thing. His last logical thought was that Jade had just murdered someone right in front of him… And he helped her do it.
"H-Here," stammered the surviving man, holding his phone out towards Jade. "Here's his number."
Eli watched as Jade snatched the cell phone out of the man's hand. She stared at the device for a moment before she looked back up at the remaining man.
"What do you know about Mozgov Family?" Jade asked, Eli's heart stopping for a moment.
"They have a club in Venice Terrace! But they're having problems with the Whale guy from Metropolis! That's all I know, I swear!"
Eli absorbed the information. The Russian's and Tobias Whale were having problems. It was not quite farfetched, Eli assumed, as he did remember reading about Tobias attempting to buy out the families in the Mid-Atlantic and New England states. The Mozgov's probably did not want to sell out to Tobias and were not too keen about another guy stepping on their turf.
But, that information was clearly outshone by the fact that Eli was now an accessory to murder. In all his life, he had avoided serious crimes. With his father fighting for the country and his mother using the law on a daily basis, Eli had been quite efficient in limiting just what kind of trouble he found worth getting in to. Murder was clearly something he was not okay with doing.
Before he knew it, Eli found himself backing away and leaving the area. His heart rate had climbed to a previously unreached high and he was beginning to grow lightheaded. Did his dad kill random gangsters to keep the city safe? Eli was certain- though he never outright asked- that Malcolm had killed while stationed in Qurac, but that was different. That was there and this was here… No, that didn't make much sense. And yet, at the same time, it explained everything. Murder in war was somehow justified by the simple fact that it was war. Killing some criminal on the streets who probably deserved it was somehow wrong.
Then again, both Nick and Ben had warned Eli that eventually, the use of equal force would mean that Eli would have to have the same murderous intent as the guy Eli is pitted against. In other words, if Eli wanted to protect the city, he would have to use the necessary force, without being excessive, to do so.
This was different though. Jade had just killed someone right in front of him for information that was not necessarily needed! Eli knew that he could have gotten that information some other way. But now he had it at the ultimate price that someone else paid.
Five minutes in, Eli realized that he had easily scaled down the fire escape of the original building he was on and had escaped into the streets without being spotted by anyone without trying. He was somehow sticking to the shadows of the roads, doing everything to be unseen, all while not even paying attention.
Pausing to catch his breath in a small secluded alleyway, the teen snorted.
"Some training," he mused.
"You still have some ways to go."
"Shit!" Eli cursed as he jumped, turning to see Jade with her mask removed, a pleased smile on her face. "What the fuck Jade? How'd you even get here so fast?"
"I followed you Rookie. Did you really think that I couldn't keep up with you?" Jade replied. "You took off before I could give you more information on that Mozgov thing. They are who you said, right?"
Eli now regretted saying anything about his inner problems now. It made him at Jade's mercy at some points as she knew that he wanted to uncover the truth about his father's death more than anything.
"Or are you shaken up because of that guy?" Eli didn't answer. "Oh. I figured you'd be scared by that."
"I'm not scared of it. I'm-"
"Save the bullshit for your girlfriend. You were scared when I killed that guy and you know it." Jade said before shrugging. "Oh well. I got what we came for. You should probably get back before your mom calls and reminds you of your curfew."
Eli waved Jade off. "Whatever Jade. I'm going to go back and wait until my mom does come so I can get this stupid trip off." He paused as he saw her cross her arms. "What?"
"Aren't you gonna thank me for getting information on the Mozgov Family?" Jade asked, the smallest hint of her actual jovial intent heard in her voice.
Once more, Eli regretted telling Jade anything about his true wants and wishes. Not only did she drag him through the events like tonight and the previous nights (this being the first murder), but she always made sure that Eli at least thanked her for their troubles. Of course, Eli normally just watched as she did whatever she did to get the information, but he still was putting a lot on the line by disobeying Ben's orders and pushing his luck with his mother's patience.
However, Eli knew that Jade was trying to help in her own little way. He should show gratitude every time that she stuck her neck out to help him; even if she was getting information for her self on the side…
"Thanks," Eli told the girl. "Can we go now? I need to change."
"Fine, but," Eli grimaced beneath his mask at the girl's response. "We can't be spotted. Cops are probably looking for someone in a mask." Eli nodded at her point. "Think you can keep up Rookie?"
Despite knowing that Jade was faster, Eli grinned.
"Try me."
Leila had not arrived by the time Eli had returned to his apartment. In fact, he was unsure where his mother was. Needless to say, he didn't necessarily worry about Leila's whereabouts nor did he stay on the phone with Sam long enough to hear about where Robert was.
"So you're going to Metropolis, huh? What a blast that'll be."
While Eli was currently inside his bedroom changing back into the khaki pants and shirt (his mother's standard of what was presentable for work) he wore earlier, Jade had made herself comfortable in his kitchen. There was not much there but some snacks and soft drinks that Eli continued to stock his refrigerator and cabinets with, things he could afford that is. Jade normally replaced whatever she took but it did not help when she was throwing sarcastic comments around like she was now.
"I bet you can even see Superman!" the girl continued. "If you do, get a picture with him, okay? Oh! And punch him to see if he is made of steel!"
Fixing his collar, Eli opened his bedroom door and walked out of his room. He soon came to the kitchen to find Jade grabbing a soda from the refrigerator. She had discarded her mask and top, now in a green (which he found was her favorite color) sports bra and the black bottoms of her training suit. Further inspection, he could see the lacey black top to her underwear poking up from beneath her pants.
Quickly tearing his eyes away from the girl's lower half, Eli was met with green amused eyes.
"So? What do you think?" Jade asked.
Eli played dumb, praying to God she had not caught him leering at her.
"Think about?" he returned.
"Superman's picture. Do you think you can get one?" she restated her question.
"I don't know, maybe," Eli said as he stepped for the living room. "Not like I really want to be there. It's part of this damn deal."
Jade gave a hum as she opened the bottled Dr. Pepper that she had just received, following Eli to the couch. The girl sat on the couch with a content sigh, her green eyes studying her male companion for a moment. Most guys would have asked, or demanded, her to leave. Those were those goody-good boys that acted tough in the street and then screamed like a little bitch at the first sight of blood. Jade was done with them. And then there were those that would have pretended that seeing death was nothing, going on and on about how they killed this guy or that guy. They were always lying and Jade hated them as well.
But, once more, Eli proved to take Jade to a newer area where the guys acknowledged the death, were not afraid to voice how they felt about it, and then conceded with whatever reason she gave for killing the poor bastard. It was only ten minutes since the act and yet Eli had regained the color to his skin as well as his natural aloofness about her close proximity.
"You're not plotting to kill me too, are you?" Eli asked. He felt a bit uneasy under Jade's gaze tonight for the right reasons.
"Just thinking, that's all," Jade responded. "So, have you figured it out yet?" Eli once more gave her a confused stare. "My dad. Have you figured out who he is? And don't tell me that you haven't thought about it, because we both know you have. You think too much."
"I have," Eli admitted. "And no, I don't know. Honestly, I haven't put much thought into it. I need to fix my problems first before I move on to yours."
"Aren't you a gentleman?" replied the sardonic girl. "And you never mentioned why this was such a big deal, finishing what your dad started."
"You wouldn't understand."
It was left at that. Eli was still weary about revealing too much around Jade and he felt that she understood. So while she sipped her drink quietly, he put his shoes on and focused on ways to endure the next two days of hell in Metropolis.
Two minutes of silence followed afterwards before Jade spoke up again.
"So what about your mom's family? Do you not see them at all or…?" Jade voiced.
"Don't know about them." Eli plainly said. "I never asked because I assumed my mom never cared."
Jade gave a snort. "And you want me to believe that you, Mr. Noisy Detective, didn't do some research on your mom's family?" Eli shook his head for no. "Well shit. That's actually coldblooded."
"You keep up with your family?" questioned Eli.
"I'm trying." Her comment was said in a low, almost sadistic, manner. It easily caught Eli's attention and he found himself just staring at the girl to his left. "What?"
"You sounded like you wanted to kill someone." Eli pointed out.
"You hate your mom for leaving you. I feel the same for my bastard dad." Jade responded. "But don't worry. I'm not trying to kill the only parent I have left."
Eli did not believe her, something evidence on his face. The more he stayed around Jade, the more he realized that Ben was saving Jade's mystery dad from the girl's anguish. It was clear to Eli that Jade was angrier at her deadbeat dad than Eli was his mom. But what Eli did not know was just what Jade had planned for the man. Though, he and Ben knew that it would be nothing good.
"Will you kill them?" Eli was a little deterred by Jade's question, the girl continuing as if she said nothing completely random. "You know, once you find the Mozgov Family and all of that. If you ever do, I should say. Will you kill them?"
It had been a question Nick had constantly threw at Eli during their time together. He wanted to know Eli's resolve before allowing the kid to run around in the streets in a mask. Eli had not actually answered the question as he knew Nick probably would not be okay with the answer.
"What do you think?"
Eli's answer somewhat startled Jade. The boy had simply turned away and spoke with an edgy tone that was unlike anything that had come out of his mouth before. Jade sat and sipped her drink quietly afterwards while Eli chose to focus on his shoes. Neither said anything for all of three minutes before Jade had grown tired of the silence.
"Can you speak Arabic?" Jade questioned.
"No," Eli answered. "Can you speak Vietnamese?"
"Would you understand me if I did?" Eli studied the grinning face of the girl next to him. He was seconds from responded until someone knocked on his door. "Oh great…"
"Elias, we need to talk." Eli sighed at his mother's voice. Just his luck, the one time she didn't call before showing up was the only time Jade was walking around shirtless. "Elias."
"I'm coming." Eli called back as he stood up to open the door.
He was not going to ask for Jade to leave or to put a shirt on. He needed Leila to think that something was going on, something big enough to kill whatever conversation she originally came to have. Eli knew that the talk afterwards would be just as enduringly annoying but it was a speech he had heard before, and thus, prepared for.
Given Jade one final glance over his shoulder, Eli reached out and unlocked the front door. As always his mom looked ready to kill if needed. It made him second-guess his plan.
"Elias I…" Leila's words died once she spotted Jade casually seated on the couch. The girl was in her green sports bra and black bottoms. "Who is this?"
"Mama, that's Jade. She's the goddaughter of Mr. Turner, the guy who has been training me." Eli introduced. "We were just talking."
Eli waited for his mother's nose to flare slightly at the comment, "we were just talking." It was sad, but a teenager's life could be very cliché and, at points, said cliché could come in handy. A parent as firm as Leila was never bought the "we were just talking" bit from her son, especially when the other party was technically half-naked.
A deep rise of her chest told Eli that Leila was slowly calming herself down and that this would be something that she was going to bring up later. But for now, she was going to allow it to slide.
"Nice to meet you, Jade," Leila finally spoke, gaining a pair of raised brows from her son. "Elias, come on. I promised Robert that I wouldn't be long."
Eli moved quietly, turning to head to his room to get his two bags that he had packed earlier that day. He eyed Jade as he walked by, the green-eyed girl giving him look that clearly amused him. He wondered if she had picked up that he had, in theory, done to his mom what Jade had done to Hannah earlier. By given Leila the idea that something was going on between the two, it created an awkward silence that no one wanted to be a part of, and thus the targeted person, in this case Leila, wanted to leave. Jade had done this to Hannah twice which ended up in three texts and a phone call from the Hispanic girl. Now Eli was doing it to his mom.
"So what is this crazy karate that I heard about?" Eli heard Leila direct the question to Jade. He sighed as he threw the straps his backpack over his shoulders before grabbing the duffle bag that he had his clothes in.
"It's in some weird language. Ben just calls it 'Dragon Fist' so that's what I call it." Jade lied, drawing a smile on Eli's face as he exited his bedroom. "I've been practicing it for years. Eli's not bad."
"That's nice…" Leila said as Eli reentered the room. "Shouldn't she be leaving now?"
"Mr. Turner left earlier and said he wouldn't be back for a while. I told her she could hang out here until either he returned or I left first." Eli answered his mother, walking by Jade. "Besides, I trust her a lot more in here than George during Summer Break."
"Don't worry. I'm leaving." Jade stated as she rose to her feet, taking her drink with her. "Thanks for letting me steal another drink Eli. I owe you one." Eli gave Jade a small nod as the girl practically saunters to the door where Leila stood. "It was nice to meet you Mrs. Jackson."
"Nolan. Leila Nolan." Leila corrected.
"Nolan. Sorry, I didn't know." Jade lied before slipping by the woman and exiting the apartment.
Eli was once again silently studying his mother as she quietly tapped the doorknob with a finger. She seemed to be contemplating on what to say or do next. Either that, or she was really annoyed by Jade's presence or the girl's state of dress.
"Let's go Elias." Leila finally said. "We have to stop to get something to eat."
"Sure," Eli replied. "Are you okay Mama?"
"I'm just tired Elias. Let's just get to Metropolis." Leila told him. "Just… Tell me now that you are not having sex with her."
"I have not had sex with her Mama." Eli said.
Leila gave him a look that just screamed "Not yet" but she said nothing as the pair exited. Eli locked his doors and followed his mother down the stairs while his mind went elsewhere.
Tobias Whale. The Mozgov Family. The Pullmans. These were the thoughts that Eli had busied himself with that somehow pushed the thoughts of Jade killing a random man to the back of his mind. It was like a mantra said over and over. Whale. Mozgov. Pullman. Repeat. All of this just to avoid the inevitable that he was an accessory to murder.
Yet, once he reached his mother's silver Mercedes-Benz E-Class convertible, he was given another topic to think about.
"Does she usually walk around with her underwear showing?" Leila waited until after Eli had put his bags in her trunk and had gotten into the passenger seat before asking.
"Her shirt got sweaty from the workouts and for whatever reason she didn't want to put on another." Eli said as Leila started her car up.
"I was talking about her thong." Leila stated, cutting a glance at her son.
Eli sat back in his seat. "I hardly noticed it."
Unfortunately, now all he could think about was the vision of Jade at his refrigerator.
Author's Notes: Okay, here is the latest update to the Markings of a Hero. While I really want to just drop Eli in costume and have him running off doing his own thing, I feel as if I do it too soon, it'll open a lot of plot holes. And no one likes those. Originally I was going to do a review corner for the previous chapters, only to remember I did the larger one on Arkham Rising that included all three stories, so I'll just throw in a random hint down here just to make up for it. The main villain of this story is an OC who will, not only push Eli to the extreme, but will also reveal the "curse" behind the would-be New Camford heroes. Oh, and Black Canary will be here soon. Anyway, next chapter will have a time skip during it, showing Eli's time in Metropolis as well as well as the first look at his hero costume and some of his gadgets. Until then, hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any questions, comments, or just general thoughts that you would like to share, leave a review or PM and I'll respond during a review corner coming soon. Bye.