Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High.

Read on, oh faithful ones...

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Chapter Twenty Six

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The workers at AAA Contractors nodded to Layla as she passed them to get into the Mayor's office. They were working on installing the cameras as part of the deal with the media and journalists, and all manner of fibre optics, cords, and electricity lines were exposed.

A group of people had tried protesting and picketing over the installation of the cameras throughout town, stating that they were an act against their freedom and civil rights. Their picketing had eventuated in the Mayor giving a speech to citizens, stating exactly what the cameras were, and how they would only be used by the media in order to gain footage during a fight between supers.

Layla had written the speech herself the night before the Mayor had given it to the press, and she was fairly proud of the fact that she'd included answers to questions she thought the reporters might ask. Some of them had been asked, some hadn't, and others that she hadn't even thought of had been asked, but overall, Layla was proud of the work she'd done. Nina had hugged her in congratulations, murmuring something in her ear about asking for a pay rise since she'd done so well for her first battle with the public.

Making her way upstairs, Layla stopped in the kitchen area to put her food in the fridge. In the corner, the TV was broadcasting the Mayor's speech, the last few questions from reporters and the public, and his response.

"The last of the cameras should be installed by the end of the month, a few test trials will be done, and then we'll make sure that the press have the combinations when the time comes to use them properly. Hopefully it will be a long time between battles," the Mayor said, smiling at the cameras.

With the speech finished, Brian Anderson of Channel Five appeared on the screen once more, continuing with the regular news broadcast for the evening.

Turning the TV off, Layla left the kitchen and headed to the office where The Monster was. She'd specifically asked the Mayor to continue with The Monster's filing, not wanting someone else to ruin the work she'd done, and he'd agreed, so long as it wouldn't interfere with her job as his PA. Now that everything was up to date, it was much easier to maintain the filing system, and the tray of paperwork that had been left in the office was filed away in under ten minutes.

Going over to her desk outside of the Mayor's office, Layla looked inside the dark room briefly. Another version of The Monster was sitting inside his office, this one held under lock and key that only the Mayor himself could access. It was the worst kept secret in the Mayor's office, and everyone seemed to know that the villain's watch list was inside that filing cabinet. As the cabinet was a large four-drawer one, almost as tall as herself, Layla highly doubted that the villain's watch list was the only thing inside of the cabinet. Over the weeks, she'd asked a few questions here and there, and everyone seemed to have their own theory as to what else the cabinet held, but nothing concrete enough to speculate on properly.

The phone on her desk rang, startling her, and she picked it up on seeing the number for Dave, the security guard downstairs.

"Hi Dave," she said cheerfully.

"Hi Layla. One of the guys from AAA Contractors wants to talk to you, something about a message for the Mayor. Want me to send him up?"

"Yes, thank you, Dave."

"No problem," Dave said, hanging up the phone and giving the worker a temporary swipe card to access the top floor of the building where the offices were.

Looking over to the lift when it opened, Layla was surprised to recognise Patrick, the owner of AAA according to their website, walking out and over to her.

"Layla, right? Dave said you were expecting me," Patrick said, holding out a hand for her to shake.

"Yes. You're Patrick? From the AAA Contractors website?" she asked with a grin, shaking his hand.

He frowned slightly, and Layla realised her error in shaking a super's hand without knowing their power first, or at least protecting herself (as the Commander had done that night, thick gloves repelling anything they might try to do, despite all being freshmen at Sky High). She pulled her hand away quickly, but it seemed to be enough, Patrick's eyes almost rolled up in the back of his head, words pouring from his throat without him seeming aware of them.

"Layla Williams. Mother, deceased. Father, unknown. Only known living relative, Greta Auden. Adulterer, civilian..."

The words finished flowing there, almost as if forced to stop, and Patrick straightened up, giving a slight cough.

"Sorry, I forgot to put my gloves back on. As you can see, skin-to-skin contact becomes a bit of a problem when I meet new people," he said with a self-deprecating laugh. "If you'll allow me to shake your hand again, I can promise it won't happen now," Patrick said, holding out his hand once more.

A whisper of the vine under her skin gave Layla a sense of protection, and she knew that even if Patrick was lying, she wouldn't be quite so vulnerable this time around. Cautiously, she shook his hand and waited for a reaction. Patrick gave a grin at her expression.

"Told you. It only happens the first time around. Unless I decide otherwise," he added with a shrug.

"All right then... Dave said you had a message for the Mayor?"

"Yeah, that's what I told him. It's for you actually. I just had to make sure you were actually my customer by the same name," Patrick said, slipping his gloves on easily.

Not entirely pleased with his methods, Layla crossed her arms and waited for his message.

"I just wanted to let you know that everything's ready to be done, I just need those two forms with the Mayor's signature for the above and underground work. Also, just in case you were wondering, I am completely neutral and my services offer complete confidentiality. So long as I get my money, I don't care if you're the next Baron Battle. Once the job's finished, all of the paperwork is destroyed on my end. I suggest you do the same."

Under her skin the vine rippled, and Layla immediately knew that she could disable the internal cameras with one burst of power, a vine wrapping around his neck and squeezing, long before Dave could get to the top floor to stop her.

"Thank you for your suggestion, Patrick. I'm sure I won't need to do anything quite so drastic, but I appreciate your honesty," Layla said, carefully manoeuvring her way around the minefield of words, words that could incriminate her if taped or repeated.

He just nodded in response. "It's form SW100 and SW101, and you need to attach both proposed designs to the forms for the Mayor to look over before he signs them. Once you get those to my office, along with the initial deposit, we'll get started."

"All right. I'll try to get those forms signed and send them to you by the end of the week."

"Look forward to it. I'll email you the bank details so you can transfer the deposit."

"Thank you, Patrick."

"You're welcome. Have a good night, Miss Williams," he replied cheerfully, heading back over to the elevators.

When he was gone Layla went to The Monster, looking for the two forms she needed to get signed. She just had to think of some way to distract the Mayor so he wouldn't notice that the forms were different than the usual ones she gave him.

...

"Zachary Brighton! Get your fucking ass down here right now!"

"Coming, Dad," Zach called back.

He left his room quickly, trying to think of what he might have done wrong to make his father sound so angry. He couldn't think of anything in particular, but there was a brick-like feeling in the pit of his stomach that his father had somehow found out about Ethan.

"You called me?" he asked, stepping into the lounge room. His throat was as dry as a desert, a direct contrast to his sweaty palms, and his heart was racing so fast Zach was sure that it could be heard over the noise of the TV.

"Don't act all innocent with me, boy. I know what you've done! Did you honestly think you could fucking hide it from me?! It's all over the fucking news!" Mr. Brighton yelled, indicating to the television screen.

Somewhat glad that it wasn't about Ethan, Zach was still apprehensive as looked to the screen. Brian Anderson, the Channel Five reporter, was standing in front of the Maxville Mall. Will was standing beside him, his arm around Magenta's shoulders, and he was answering the reporter's questions about what had happened. Apparently, it was too difficult to keep from smiling at the attention he was receiving, because the grin on Will's face seemed almost as big as the screen itself.

"You blew up the lights in the mall, didn't you?" his father asked, distracting Zach's attention from the screen. "Don't fucking try to deny it!"

Zach opened his mouth to do that very thing, but saw the look in his father's eyes and realised that even if he did deny it, his father wouldn't believe him anyway. But he didn't dare get Heidi into trouble or reveal her power to their parents, so he stayed silent.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Mr. Brighton demanded.

"Nothing, sir. I did it, like you said," Zach replied.

His father's fist connected with his ribs sharply, the pain spreading as Zach clutched at his body, tears in his eyes. He didn't dare drop to the ground as he so desperately wanted to, knowing all too well that he'd be kicked. Another three punches were delivered to his ribs and stomach, and then his father turned away abruptly, a look of disgust on his face.

Still clutching his body, Zach left the lounge room and made his way upstairs to his room, closing the door behind him. He collapsed on his bed, his eyes watering and his body glowing with his pain. His bedroom door opened slowly, and Zach opened his eyes blearily to see Heidi waiting there. He sat up and managed to grin brightly, waving her over. She slipped into his room, her fists clenched and unshed tears in her eyes. On his bedside table, his lamp shook violently.

"Heids, calm down," he said, gathering her into a hug. "It'll be fine, okay? Don't worry, and try not to blow anything up," Zach said, grinning slightly.

"Not funny, Zach. Why can't I use my power?" Heidi asked. "He'll deserve to have a few lightbulbs blown up in his face!" she growled.

"If you use your power then you'll be sent away to the country. You know that our folks can't afford another tuition."

"I know, and our aunt and uncle aren't the welcoming kind to supers," Heidi said, sighing as she remembered the cold treatment Zach had been given this past summer. The lamp stopped shaking, and she hugged him back carefully. "I'll try to be more careful next time."

"You said that last time, brat," Zach said with a small chuckle.

The action made him gasp in pain and Heidi shook her head at him, indicating for him to get into bed. When he was lying down flat on his back, she covered him in a blanket and left Zach to sleep.

...

Warren frowned slightly when he saw Will walking over to their lunch table. He nudged Ethan's chair with his foot slightly, and the boy stopped talking with Layla about the student files immediately, scooping a large spoonful of pudding into his mouth.

"What do you want, Stronghold?" Warren asked, glaring at him.

"I want to talk to Zach," Will replied, turning to look at the blonde boy.

"Me? What for, man? You haven't spoken to me since you and Magenta betrayed me," Zach said, scoffing at the very idea of them talking about anything.

"You burst those lights in the mall on the weekend, didn't you? We both saw you there, so don't try to deny it!" Will said, his cheeks red at the mention of betrayal. "You could have seriously injured innocent people! All for what? To get revenge on Magenta and me?" He took a breath, continuing before Zach could say his piece. "Don't you dare try to attack her or me again, or you'll regret it!"

The cafeteria was silent, the entire student population watching them intently. A loud scraping noise sounded as Warren stood up, the chair legs harsh against the cafeteria floor.

"You threatening him, Stronghold?"

Will faltered for a moment, unsure as how to respond. "He almost hurt Magenta. In public! There were innocent citizens around!"

"Are you more concerned about Magenta or the citizens?" Ethan asked in confusion.

"I... He... It's... She..."

"Who, what, where, when, why, how... Make up your mind, Stronghold. It's not that hard! You're either threatening Zach for almost hurting Magenta or for almost hurting the citizens. No one died, and the only person who was revealed to have superpowers was yourself, so I really don't see what the problem is," Layla said, rolling her eyes. "Unless, of course, you're far more upset at the fact that your superpowers were revealed?"

Will's cheeks went bright red, and he tried to stammer out something that no one quite heard. He eventually found his voice again, and glared at the four of them. "Don't do that again, or you'll be dealing with me and my parents," Will threatened, turning to leave.

"Tell me, Will... Have you told your parents that you don't want to be part of the Stronghold Three yet?" Layla asked, smirking slightly when his entire body froze mid-step.

Will forced himself to keep walking. He made his way to Magenta, but couldn't decipher her expression as to whether she was annoyed or pleased that he'd stood up for her, and simply sat down beside her without another word. Conversations started up again, a few people glancing at Will and Magenta surreptitiously.

"You didn't have to do that, Will," Magenta said, looking down at her tray.

"Yes, I did. You're my girlfriend, and I totally had to do that," he replied certainly.

She smiled briefly, her free hand slipping into his as she returned to her lunch.

"Well, that was fun," Layla said, grinning. "You going to sit down now, Warren?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Going outside to cool off. Coming?" he asked.

"Sure. You two coming with us?" Layla asked.

Ethan blinked in surprise, but Zach nodded quickly and stood up. Realising that he was going to be left alone at the table if he didn't follow them, Ethan grabbed his bag, what was left of his lunch, and hurried after them.

"How do you cool off exactly?" Ethan asked Warren, frowning briefly.

"Without a bucket of ice, I don't," Warren said with a shrug.

"I've got a cooler temperature, if you think it'll help," Ethan offered.

"Not sure that it will, but thanks anyway, Popsicle."

"Just how cool are you?" Zach asked, taking Ethan's hand in his own. "Oh, geez, that's nice. You're like my own personal ice pack," he said with a grin.

Ethan rolled his eyes, whacking Zach's shoulder. The pained noise he made in response had them all stopping in confusion. Ethan frowned, knowing that his pitiful hit wouldn't have been the cause of such pain.

"What's wrong, Zach?" he asked immediately, stepping towards him.

"N-nothing. Just fell over on the weekend," Zach replied quickly.

"I call bullshit," Warren said. "Tell the truth, glow stick."

A vine slithered up, lifting Zach's shirt until the four large fist-shaped bruises were revealed. Zach pushed his shirt down quickly, glaring at the three of them.

"Leave me alone," he hissed, turning and leaving as quickly as he could.

"What... What the hell was that?" Ethan asked, blinking in surprise.

"Come on, let's go after him. He might fall off the edge of the school," Layla said, going after Zach before the other two could reply.

Ethan was a step behind her, and Warren followed them. The sight of the four large bruises replayed over in his mind. He had seen the faint yellow outline of other bruises on Zach's chest, indicating all too clearly that this wasn't the first time he'd been hurt. Warren's fists lit up in a burst of flames, anger flowing through him in a hot white wave of power.

When they finally caught up to Zach, they were as close to the edge of the school grounds as they dared to go. Ethan gulped slightly as the wind pushed at them fiercely. Zach didn't move, but didn't look at them either. As they waited in the silence, Layla grew an arnica plant, a bunch of yellow daisy-like flowers blooming in front of her.

"Ground these down and put them on the bruises. They'll help," she promised quietly, handing him the flowers.

Zach took them without a word, but he leaned his head against Layla's shoulder, his hand slipping into Ethan's gently.

...

"Mr. Mayor? There's some paperwork that needs your signature, please," Layla said, offering the large stack to him before he could leave for the day.

"Some paperwork?" he echoed, staring.

"Sorry, Mr. Mayor. It's all last minute financial requests for election signage, advertising, TV spots, etc. If you'd like, you can leave it for later in the week?" Layla offered.

The Mayor frowned slightly, but sat down at his desk once more. "It's best to get it done now. Quickly now," he added, waving her forward.

"Yes, sir. I've also scheduled you in for three interviews over the next fortnight. One is with Brian Anderson of Channel Five news - I've asked him for an overview of the questions he'll ask you to ensure there's no surprises. Another interview is with a local newspaper: Maxville Metro News; and the final one is with Maxville's Max radio station. They're going to play the interview twice in one day so they can reach a wider scope of listeners," Layla added, watching as he signed document after document without reading their contents.

"Excellent news about the radio station. If my interview with them goes well, get them to play it again in the fortnight leading up to the election, and I'll get the Commander and Jetstream in for an exclusive interview," the Mayor said, the last of the documents signed with a flourish.

"Yes, Mr. Mayor. If you'd like, I can also get Channel Five to put your interview online as well, so it can be seen by people who might miss it on TV?"

"Good, good. Is that all, Layla? I have an important dinner to attend to with my financial backers," he asked, looking at her as he stood up impatiently.

"That's all, thank you, Mr. Mayor," Layla said, gathering the stack of paperwork and leaving quickly.

The Mayor left his office mere seconds later, and within minutes of his departure, Layla was alone in the building. Sorting out her stack of paperwork, she went around to various desks to place the signed forms on her colleagues desks. Included in the papers were not only her forms required for her Secret Sanctum, but also a raise for Ms. Peace. Layla slipped that one in Nina's desk drawer, just in case.

...

"Caesar the Corruptible was known for: a) only wearing purple, b) being stabbed by his sidekick, c) his psychic ability, or d) all of the above?" Zach read out, frowning slightly. "Well, I'm fairly sure he wasn't psychic, so that rules out options c and d."

"In Julius Caesar's time, the colour purple was meant to signify that a person was of a higher ranking, or royal blood. Caesar the Corruptible didn't only wear purple though, despite taking his name from Julius Caesar," Ethan mused.

"So... He was stabbed by his sidekick?" Zach asked, his pen poised above his notebook.

"It was a fatal stabbing, so technically, it should say that he was killed by his sidekick. Or at least stabbed and killed," Ethan pointed out.

"Why did his sidekick stab him in the first place?" Layla asked curiously, looking up from her own work across the table.

"Apparently he made one too many sexist jokes. Lustful really didn't appreciate them, which is understandable. She went on to become a villain, and she made a fairly good name for herself - or bad, depending on your perspective. Her last fight was with the Commander, but then Lustful escaped imprisonment, completely disappeared, and no one's seen or heard from her since."

"Lustful?" Layla said, reminded of her thought about the Commander, Lustful, and Jetstream the week before. "She was Caesar's sidekick? How'd she get to be a sidekick with that sort of power?"

"According to various sources, Lustful wasn't able to control her power properly. She couldn't turn it off, and therefore it constantly drained her. She once collapsed in the middle of a heist because she overexerted herself on another robbery the day before," Ethan said, shaking his head. "Of course, it's utterly stupid to pull off two heists a day after each other. Not only are people more wary when a robbery's just been committed, but the villains are more likely to make a mistake that might have been avoided with more planning... Unless the plan was to rob more than one bank. But there are so many external factors that can't be accounted for in the second heist, even if the first one was pulled off successfully."

"How do you mean?" Layla asked, curious to know the answer, even as the vine under her skin whispered that Ethan was almost ready.

"Well, the first one's over and done with, so that's fine. The second one, even if it's less than 24 hours later, means that banks would have tightened their security; people would be far more reluctant to go into the bank after one had just been robbed, which means less hostages and less money being deposited back into the bank; then there's also the fact that police would have already been investigating the first robbery and putting together a profile of the robbers and their M.O., which could result in a longer prison time if the thieves were caught."

Ethan's words were cut off as Zach kissed him, both of their lips curving into a grin. The front door slammed open, and Zach pulled away, looking at his work determinedly. Feeling slightly dazed, Ethan licked his lips and grinned a little foolishly at Layla, who looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"What's M.O. stand for anyway?" Heidi asked from where she was sitting on the floor watching TV.

"Modus operandi. It's Latin, meaning 'way of operating'," Ethan replied.

"Zach, you didn't tell me that you were having friends over," his mother said, looking at the small group with a thin smile.

"We're just studying, and it's not for the night," Zach explained quickly.

"We'll be gone before dinner, Mrs. Brighton," Layla added with a smile. "Mrs. Damsale has offered to drive me home after dropping Warren off at work. In fact, I think she'll be here soon, so we should start packing up," she said, looking to the mess of paper and textbooks that covered the table.

Warren, who had been silent ever since arriving to Zach's house, stood up and smiled at Mrs. Brighton charmingly. "Did Mr. Brighton come home with you, Mrs. Brighton? I wanted to thank him."

"What for?" she asked in surprise; Warren had barely met her husband the last time Zach had organised this study group thing, and she doubted that there was anything he could be thanked for.

His response was cut off by a knock at the door. Zach ran to answer it quickly, almost sighing in relief when he saw that it was Mrs. Damsale.

"Hello, Zach. Are they ready to get going, or do I have time to come in and meet your parents?" Anita asked with a smile.

"Uhh..."

"Excellent," she said, stepping inside and past him fluidly. "Ah, you must be Zach's mother. I'm Ethan's mother, Anita. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Mrs. Brighton looked a little stunned at her intensity, and was still reeling from the idea of Warren needing to thank her husband for something. "Yeah, I'm Zach's mum. Why's it such a pleasure?" she asked, frowning.

Anita saw a young blonde girl in the lounge room, her eyes wide as she did a cutting motion under her neck, and she realised that Zach hadn't told his mother about his relationship with Ethan. Apparently, it seemed that the relationship wouldn't be approved of even if he did tell her.

"Oh, it's just that our sons are such great friends, and I've been looking forward to meeting the woman who raised such a wonderful young man," Anita said, keeping her smile firmly in place. "In fact, I would like to invite Zach to spend this weekend at my house, along with his sister, if that's all right with you? I can bring them back on Sunday afternoon, so you have the whole weekend to yourself."

It was more than obvious that Mrs. Brighton was suspicious and wary of Anita's intentions, but the idea of having a child-free weekend seemed too good to pass up, and she found herself nodding in response.

"Lovely. Zach, why don't you go pack a few spare clothes? Help your sister, and don't forget to bring your homework," Anita said, basically pushing Zach towards the stairs.

Heidi hurried after her brother quickly, unsure how to react.

"Are you really all right with having two extra kids running around?" Mrs. Brighton asked, seeming to gain some of her senses again. "They can be kind of a handful."

"Then all the more reason for you to have some time off. My husband and I only have Ethan, so I wouldn't mind a bit of noise to fill the place up," Anita said with a quick grin.

"Ready!" Heidi said from the top of the stairs, weighed down by two large bags.

Zach shook his head and took the bags from her. "I told you I could carry my own bag, Heids. You don't want to lug around big and bulky textbooks until you have to," he added with a grin.

When he was at the foot of the stairs, Warren reached over and grabbed both bags from him, ignoring Zach's cry of protest.

"Bye, Mrs. Brighton. I look forward to thanking your husband soon," Warren called over his shoulder, leaving to Anita's car without another word.

Heidi stood on her toes, kissed her mother's cheek, and hurried out. Zach kissed his mother too, giving her a brief smile before he said goodbye and left after his sister. Ethan and Layla, finally finished packing up, thanked Mrs. Brighton for letting them study there, before going to the car too.

"Lovely to meet you; I'll see you on Sunday afternoon," Anita said with a final pleasant smile, turning and leaving.

By the time Anita reached her car, the front door had slammed closed behind her.

...

End of the twenty-sixth chapter.

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it.