Chapter 2.
"There are some more veggie burgers if anyone wants seconds," Layla volunteered brightly.
I had a hard time not laughing. Glancing at Will, I wondered if he'd gone full on vegetarian as well or if he snuck a drive-thru burger once and a while. My thoughts were interrupted as water splashed onto my lap. I looked over at the little girl with an expression that would intimidate most. Gasping slightly at her daughter's mistake, Layla rushed to get a hand towel.
The two-year old stared back at me with an unimpressed gaze. Apparently, Laura Stronghold was not one to be cowed by a simple glare. Finding my face too boring after a moment, the toddler began banging on the tray of her hi-chair.
"Sorry Warren," Layla volunteered as she dabbed at the water.
I took the towel from her and dried what I could. "Don't worry about it," I said, trying to sound convincing as Layla retook her seat. When I looked up, Zach was staring at the scar on my face.
"Giant rat," I said seriously, "Got to me while I was sleeping."
"No rodent jokes," Magenta butted in wryly and nudged her on and off boyfriend. From what I could tell they were on again, at the moment.
"Like I'd believe that," Zach replied finally, evidently getting the hint. His blond head bobbed slightly as he went back to finishing his food.
I smirked. Even five years later there was so much that was the same.
"You…talk to Lydia?" Magenta asked.
And so much that was different.
"I figured," Magenta began when I didn't answer, "That now you're out of jail you'd bring the divorce to court since she never signed the papers." She sounded bitter.
My hand clenched around the fork it held. If not for the power-deducting injection I knew that I would have accidentally lit up the table cloth by now.
"Maj," Zach said quietly, his eyes fixed on my face.
"It's alright," I volunteered with a tight smile. I'd show them I wasn't the hot-headed villain they expected me to be. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. But-" I paused, "I don't really think it's any of your business."
Magenta grumbled a bit, but dropped the topic for the rest of the night. Later on, when dinner was over and they were finally leaving, she handed me a piece of paper.
"It's Lydia's phone number," she looked back as Zach retrieved their coats. "It may not be any of my business like you say- but you have a lot to answer for."
She left it at that and went with Zach without another word. The piece of paper crumpled in my clenching fist. I couldn't look at it at the moment. Layla showed me to the spare room and then left to put Laura to bed. Apparently the Strongholds had turned into early-resters. I, however, could not sleep for hours. I didn't bother to take my shoes off as I lay across the bed, staring up at the blank ceiling.
Around midnight my brain shut down and my body took over. I rose from the bed and left the house, lungs welcoming the cool night air. The neighborhood was typical suburbia and absolutely still at this time of night. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I let my feet carry me out of the neighborhood and down the main road. A few cars passed here, their lights blinding me temporarily. Soon I found myself in a different neighborhood. Things were starting to look familiar but I couldn't tell why until I stopped in front of a row of duplexes.
I stared at the dark windows of the one I stood in front of. I didn't even know how or why I'd ended up here, looking at the place that Lydia and I had moved into after we'd married. My hand moved to touch the blooming honeysuckle as the sweet scent registered.
Who knew if she even lived here still…
Did I want her to? Did I want to see her?
"I don't ever want to see you again," I had stated plainly. I watched her face, waiting for the expected anger. But it never came.
"This is the first time you've agreed to see me and that's all you have to say?" Lydia asked, her voice breaking at the end.
"You don't get it? We're done."
"How? Why? I've been waiting for you Warren. I told you that I'd wait for you no matter what happened. If this is your way of protecting me then forget it. I'm not going down that road again. I'm going to keep coming," she concluded firmly, her features set in resolution even as her eyes looked to be misty with tears.
"I can't stand looking at you."
"You're lying," she said, absolutely sure of the words.
"I hate you."
"You're lying," she whispered with a little less belief.
I stood up and gathered air into my lungs feeling as if I might not be able to bring myself to shatter the fragile hold on hope that she was clinging to.
"I hate you!" I yelled gruffly, drawing the attention of the other inmates who sat on this side of the glass. The guards behind me tensed. "Don't ever come here again. I don't want to see you ever again!"
I walked with the guards to the door and didn't look back. Even so, I knew what she'd look like as she wiped away any tears quickly and left, trying to maintain her dignity as she left her heart behind.
When they brought me back to the cell, my cellmate looked up. With the face of my father-in-law he smiled.
"Have a nice visit with Lydia?" he asked once the guards had left.
"I told you, we're not together anymore. You said all that was in an alternate dimension anyway-" I answered drawing my knees to my chest and eyeing the man who had once been called Secondhand by his villain counterparts.
"You may not remember meeting me," the man answered finally, "But I remember you. You think this little act of yours is going to protect her? I may be in here for life, but I can get my revenge through other means."
I leaned my head against the wall, "I still don't know what you're talking about, but maybe you'll believe me once I send the divorce papers off next week."
I could feel him eyeing me cautiously, trying to size up whether I was lying or not. Fortunately, I'd always had a wonderful poker face.
There was a dog barking somewhere nearby. The sound brought me back to the present, suddenly tired and not nearly as eager to see Lydia walk out the front door. I knew she wouldn't anyway at this time of night, but sometimes I wished things would work out like they did in the movies.
I don't want to see her, I told myself and began walking back towards the Stronghold's house. I hoped that I would be able to find my way.
What I really want is a cigarette, I concluded and decided to stop at a gas station. Paying money for a lighter seemed like the perfect way to end this first day of freedom. This freedom that I felt would suffocate me by the end of the week.
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The end of the week came and I wasn't suffocated. I was, however, getting sick of being towed around by Layla who was bound and determined to find me a job. She was not going to allow me to move out unless I had steady work. I could have gone against the decree, but she did have a point. However, with my record there was little chance of finding anything in either the civilian or hero world.
"So…why do we need to take Will's car?" I asked, looking out the window as Layla drove down the highway. Laura gurgled something intelligible from the cramped backseat. It had been a huge job just to get her carseat situated back there.
"Well we can't exactly take jet packs with Laura," she answered simply.
"Jetpacks?" I asked as she pulled off on an exit that looked to be under construction. My question was answered as the car went flying off the edge of an uncompleted road.
"We're going to Sky High," Layla volunteered after the jet engine kicked in.
I nodded, not able to speak for a moment. The feeling of plummeting to my death was not something I missed from my high school days.
"What are they hiring for there?" I managed after a minute.
"Oh, you'll see when we get there," she answered vaguely and I sensed it was probably a job that I wouldn't agree to. Of course at this point it wasn't like I could refuse.
We landed smoothly and pulled around to park next to the buses. There weren't any students around to gawk since it was during class time. I was grateful for this. I'd learned in the past couple days that my face attracted a lot of attention among the super-powered. Apparently, my reputation had only grown larger during my absence.
"Come on Warren," Layla called as she adjusted Laura on her hip. She led the way towards the front doors and I followed closely behind, making faces at Laura until we went into the building at which point I had to keep up the façade of sullen ex-convict.
The school didn't look any different from six years ago. There were minor changes, new names above the doors, a new mural in the hallway and a dozen other things that I didn't have time to notice. The office was in the same place and except for a few new pieces of furniture it was the same as well. I noticed Principal Powers had a new haircut, but she still looked me up and down in the same fashion.
"So you've come to see about the janitorial position," she said and motioned us to her office. Some teachers I didn't know stared at me as we passed.
"Janitorial?" I said and looked over at Layla.
"We need a new janitor and Layla called us up about you taking on the job," Principal Powers explained as she sat down.
I took a seat, feeling an astounding sense of déjà vu as I splayed my legs out. "What would I be doing?"
"Mopping up messes, emptying trash cans, cleaning windows…you might have to help dispose of some of Mr. Medulla's experiments once and a while, but that won't be too often. So, are you interested?"
I looked over at Layla who was acting busy wiping Laura's nose.
"Yeah, I'll do it," I answered finally and leaned forward to take the paperwork that Principal Powers handed to me.
After I finished up, Principal Powers saw us out of the office. I was going to start official work as a janitor on Monday. It seemed so surreal to realize that there were only a couple days separating me from the start of a new life. Becoming a janitor might have been too much for my pride before, but now, after losing my powers and everything else that was important to me, it was just another way to survive.
A familiar laugh startled me from my walking reverie. Layla and I both stopped our journey to the front doors and stared at the two people who'd just come into view. Laura squealed out something that sounded vaguely like: "Di-di," while waving both chubby fists in the direction of the newcomers.
The baby squeal was enough for the two to look up as they came closer. The woman stopped, words dying on her lips, smile disappearing.
I tried not to wonder what the man had been saying to make her laugh like that.
"Hey Lydia," Layla said, her usually cheerful voice sounding a bit uncertain.