Chapter 3:

Dannie-Lynn and Warren were walking down that street towards the bookstore having just left the Baxter Building. "So you're a talkative person when you want to be?" Dannie-Lynn asked.

Warren shrugged. "It depends on the person and I much rather prefer silence." He said.

Before Dannie-Lynn could respond someone came up behind and rested their chin on her shoulder and walked with her. Dannie-Lynn turned and glared at the person. "Beat it Jimmy." She growled. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Jimmy jogged around in front of her and walked backwards so he could eyeball her obviously. He was about Warren's height and a young African American teenage boy. His head was shave bald and it made his deep brown eyes stand out. "Actually I got out of it do to emotional trauma. Matchstick." He goaded.

"Go away Jimmy before I feel that high approaching need to shove you into a trash can." Dannie-Lynn bit out.

"Oh come on chica you know you love me."

"You know what I'd love is for you to fall off the face of the earth and live eternally in an oblivion without your blow up doll to fuck and no women to speak of." Dannie-Lynn snarled.

Jimmy just grinned like an idiot walking backwards not caring who he bumped into. "You wound me with your words babe."

"I am not your babe, so please just go."

"Come on." Jimmy walked closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders stopping her from continuing on.

"Get your hands off." Dannie-Lynn snapped.

"Hey man back off." Warren grabbed Jimmy's bicep to pull him away and he succeeded but Jimmy didn't like him interrupting.

"Mind your business punk ass white boy." Jimmy bit at him angrily. (AN: Not trying to offend anyone…I knew a guy that use to say that jokingly and I always thought it was kinda funny.) He took a swing at Warren but he ducked grabbing his collar slamming him into the nearest wall face first and holding him there.

"Stop guys." Dannie-Lynn saw the cop car pull up and she was trying to pull Warren off.

"I said back off." Warren snarled before being pulled back, but it wasn't Dannie-Lynn and he felt the cold metal encircle his wrists.

"No officer wait." Dannie-Lynn said stepping in before he could be hauled off. "Wait he was just defending me. Please don't." She said looking at the cop sincerely.

"Aren't you Johnny Storms daughter?" The cop asked with a genuine smile.

Dannie-Lynn praised the lord for the family reputation. "Yeah that's me. Please my friend didn't do anything wrong. If you want to arrest someone arrest Jimmy, he's been sexually harassing me for months."

"Alright. No more fighting young man." The cop said. "Do you want to press charges?"

Dannie-Lynn looked over her shoulder where the other cop was speaking with Jimmy. "Nah it's not important anyways. I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can. You two can go on." Dannie-Lynn gave a polite thank you to the officer and her and Warren went to the bookstore, the rest of their time together was spent silent.

That Night:

They had returned from the bookstore a while ago and were now in their separate rooms. Dannie-Lynn was once again on her myspace chatting with her friend Vanessa or Nessa for short.

Warren was alone in his room again. He had been reading for the better part of a few hours when he felt bored and decided to get on and see what the fuss was about with the myspace thing. He hadn't really bothered to look at anything besides Layla, Will's, Magenta, Ethan, and Zack's pages. He scrolled through some things and found the picture of him and Sandra, immediately deleting it.

He clicked on the link to Dannie-Lynn's page and saw the bright flames and black background and it seemed to draw him in. I'm akin to the flame that burns bright within my soul. Warren thought about her quote. It was perfect for her. Her display name was 'Mini Torch.'

Warren snooped looking at her page finding that she liked action movies and severely disliked chick flicks for the main purpose that it always seemed like a perfect ending and nothing was perfect. Her favorite music was mostly rock and her hero was her father.

In her bio was something interesting. "I play with fire and yet I don't get burned, but this does not make me impervious to pain. I feel, I have a soul, but people don't seem to care." Warren muttered to himself.

He clicked on her picture links and lots of pictures popped up. There were plenty of TJ, Sydney and Dannie-Lynn together. Many of Dannie-Lynn holding some sort of beverage at what looked like a party the arms of some guy wrapped around her waist and she was grinning. The one that caught Warren's eye mostly though was a shot of Dannie-Lynn standing alone facing the camera she was about seventeen or sixteen in the picture.

She wore a red-cropped zip up hoodie and faded jeans. Her abdomen was exposed and she held the belt loops of her unfastened jeans down a bit showing off a bit more of her tattoo. The rest dipped under the tops of her panties that could be seen. Warren was transfixed on the sexy smile that plagued her lips in the picture and yet her eyes didn't say the same. Shy seduction was hidden deep within them and the caption read 'Wouldn't you like to see the rest?' It was meant to tease and it did just that.

Damn her and that damn tattoo. Warren thought. He wanted desperately to see the whole damn thing, and he didn't know why. He got out of her pictures and clicked on her blog. Several entries pulled up and he scrolled to the bottom of the page.

January 15

My dad did it again. He brought home that good for nothing Susie homemaker. I don't know why he's torturing himself. I mean it definitely isn't for me; no one could replace my mother. I guess he may not want to end up alone, but what he's looking for I doubt if he'll ever find again. She's buried in the cemetery looking out on the beautiful pond that she loved so much.

I went to see her today. I was upset and I went for comfort. I found it for a moment as I stood next to her grave and looked out on the small pond, but when I walked away the calm was gone like it had never been there in the first place.

January 17

Have you ever felt so alone in a crowd and out of place? I went to that college yesterday for the tour. Early on there was a breakfast for the visitors and Sydney had left me. I felt so out of place that it wasn't even funny. People kept glancing at me and I knew what they were whispering or snickering to their friends.

They think they know me because of what the papers have made me out to be. I'm some juvenile delinquent, hipped up on drugs that parties and gets in trouble to damn much.

But that's not me. That's never been me. Sure I like to have fun, let loose but I'm to smart to do drugs. I'll cop to the small amount of drinking I do. And I am not stupid about it, I pour my own drinks and if I leave it somewhere it stays there. I'm to smart to end up the victim of some date rape, but back to whatever I was saying before.

A half an hour into the breakfast I had to leave. Those girls kept scrutinizing me and their boyfriends kept smirking at me giving me the willies (Geeky college guys). Personally I don't think college is for me. But I don't want to disappoint my dad. Although it's not hard to do when I'm sneaking out late at night to meet friends and have just a microscopic bit of fun.

But he never cares, it's like he let's me get away with shit cause he's afraid of losing me like he lost my mother. Every time he starts having a serious heart to heart with me about whatever I've done wrong he ends with 'you know what sweetie have fun just don't get in to much trouble.' Sometimes I wish he'd yell at me for some of the shit I pull.

He's too afraid something bad will happen to me and he will have said the wrong thing the one last time he got to speak to me. How morbid is that? Nothing's going to happen to me. I wont let it. My dad needs me, and whether or not they want me my family and Ben are stuck with me.

February 21

I got my tattoo today finally! I'm so excited. I couldn't contain my excitement while I waited for the guy to start. It was amusing watching him place his hands in just the right place so he wasn't being to 'nosy' and all up in my business. He asked me more than once what a young girl like me was doing getting a tattoo that close to…well you get the point.

My mom had a pair of angel wings in the same spot. I remember seeing them one day when she was getting dressed. I was seven and I asked what they were, pictures had always fascinated me, and she told me that they were angel wings and they were in memory of her grandfather who had passed several years before of cancer.

She told me if I was to ever get a tattoo that it should mean something to me and be close to my heart. Thus flames. Fire consumes me and swallows me whole in every sense. It's my shield, my protection from harm and helps me help others. What a better way to celebrate than having it tattooed on me permanently?

Warren hit the home link and found himself on his own page with new messages. He clicked and clicked again on the link from Dannie-Lynn.

-Your on I see you. I thought you didn't actually like myspace? – D.L.

Warren hit the reply button with a smirk on his face.

-Myspace not so much, your space however is quite interesting. – W.P.

He sent the message and waited a few moments before clicking the refresh button to see she had replied.

-Jealous? Come down the hall with your laptop and I'll make your page interesting for you. – D.L.

-What's in it for me? – W.P.

-Besides a decked out page? – D.L.

-Yea! – W.P.

-My company. No bitchy retorts or snappy behavior? – D.L.

-Fine. –W.P.

Warren got up from the reclined position he was sitting in leaning back against the headboard of the bed. He opened the bedroom door and noticed the hall was dark. Wow must've spaced on the time. No one was downstairs so that meant everyone had gone to bed. As he passed Will's room he could swear he heard giggling, but shrugged it off and kept on till he reached Dannie-Lynn's door and just walked in.

"You know a knock would've been polite." Dannie-Lynn said glancing up from her laptop screen and smiling at him. She was wearing glasses and it stunned Warren how stunning yet smart she looked. Her hair was pulled back in two french braids down either side of her skull and she looked so casual sitting reclined on her bed.

"Sorry." Warren said sarcastically. He closed her door but not before glancing at her lightly tanned and toned slender legs that were stretched out in front of her the right resting atop the left casually.

Dannie-Lynn patted the bed beside herself but kept her eyes focused on the screen. Warren sat much like she was on her bed in long reg baggy flannel pajama bottoms and an old beat up faded black Rolling Stone t-shirt. "Didn't take you for the flannels type." Dannie-Lynn said amused.

Warren rolled his eyes. "You gonna show me how to do this or not?" He asked gesturing to his laptop.

Dannie-Lynn switched laptops with him. "You can peruse while I work on your page."

"What can I peruse?" He asked teasingly.

"Any file I don't want scene is password protected, but everything else is fair game." Dannie-Lynn grabbed the camera from her bed stand and turned towards Warren holding it up. "Hey?" Warren looked up at her and saw the camera.

"No pictures." He quickly turned his face away.

Dannie-Lynn grinned. "Come on just one."

"Fine."

"Smile."

"Not a chance." He said looking at her blankly. When she held the camera up he cocked an eyebrow. Damn he's sexy when he does that. Dannie-Lynn mentally slapped herself. Stop it. She snapped the shot and grinned.

"Perfect." She loaded it up onto the computer and then his page and set it as his default before changing his background to something similar to hers.

"So what don't you want seen?" Warren asked scrolling through her laptop, perusing like she had said to do.

Dannie-Lynn looked over at him and smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Very much so yes?" He said intrigue playing across his face in a devious smirk.

"Mostly my journal and some pictures. Everything else is free for viewing though. Although if you can crack my password I'll let you read and/or see whatever you want." Dannie-Lynn said. "Be forewarned several have tried and failed."

Warren chuckled softly and just ignored the locked files. If she didn't want them to be private she wouldn't set them as such and they were her business. "I'm not that big of a snoop. Everyone has things they keep private." He said opening one of her picture folders and began perusing. There's a lot more to her than anyone sees. Warren thought as he looked at the pictures.

They were of her relaxing on the couch reading or sitting in a park feeding ducks in the pond. "Sydney took those. She said she was trying to catch my softer side." Dannie-Lynn said after glancing over to see what he was doing.

"You're a totally different person."

"No. I'm one whole person." Dannie-Lynn replied without hesitation.

Warren opened another picture folder and went through them, some were old she was about twelve maybe thirteen years old and she seemed be dancing. Ballet even. She wore black short shorts and a white sports bra, with black laced up ballet slippers in the lobby of the Baxter Building posing.

"It's called attitude." Dannie-Lynn said.

"You dance?" Warren asked.

Dannie-Lynn looked over at the picture sighed and back at Warren's laptop. "I use to. Technically I still do, but I traded in my ballet slippers for converse chucks."

"So what do you dance now?" Warren asked. Dannie-Lynn reached over and hit enter and another picture popped up on the screen of her Dannie-Lynn in front of a class of students in more laid back clothing and they all seemed to be in a rag doll position. Arms up, but dangling loosely in the air and one foot turned in with the knees bent.

"Mostly hip-hop." She said looking at the picture and then back at the laptop before her.

"Why'd you switch?" Warren asked closing the folder and the laptop setting it on the bed in front of him.

"Ballet was my mom's thing I tried it for a few years. I was good, but I wasn't great. Ballet was to slow for me. I needed something different, so one day when I was leaving class and the hip-hop student came in I decided to stick around and watch. Next thing I know two days later I've dropped ballet." Dannie-Lynn explained. She handed Warren back his laptop leaving hers at his feet on the end of her bed.

Warren closed his laptop setting it on standby and set it next to Dannie-Lynn's. "What did your dad say?" Warren asked.

"He was fine with it. He knew ballet wasn't my thing. I hate the color pink and tutu's don't even get me started." She said trying to lighten up the conversation. "So I'm sharing, what do I get in exchange?" Dannie-Lynn grinned.

Warren shrugged. "What do you want?"

"I dunno favorite band or something no one else knows maybe." Dannie-Lynn said non-chalantly.

"I can play guitar and I'm a decent artist." Warren said.

Dannie-Lynn grinned. "I can snowboard."

"I can't." Warren said.

"I love dirt bikes and motorcycles."

"I agree."

"Favorite book?"

Warren shrugged. "I try not to have a favorite honestly. But if I had to chose I'd say Firestarter."

"Cheesy." Dannie-Lynn laughed. "I prefer Emily Dickinson poems."

Dannie-Lynn thought of something else for a moment and then continued on. She didn't know why she was drawn to share with Warren, but he was nice enough and he didn't treat her like she was a fragile vase that was bound to break if it was touched.

At about two a.m. Dannie-Lynn glanced at her clocked on the wall above her dresser. "Shit you should go to bed. Training starts early tomorrow." Dannie-Lynn said.

"Promise not to shove me off any buildings?" Warren asked teasingly.

Dannie-Lynn tensed and looked up at him. "I wont be training with you anymore so you don't have to worry." She said.

"Oh come on I was just kidding." Warren said.

Dannie-Lynn shook her head. "No. Unlike my father my powers evolve, as I get older I can't risk it. You're safer training with my father." She said certainty in her voice.

Warren stood up and grabbed his laptop from the end of the bed and headed for the door. "Night." Warren said.

"Night."

Days later:

The first week went by rather fast. The kids from sky high had bonded to each of the three 'fantastic kids.' Layla, and Magenta really hit it off with Sydney her being slightly more girly than Dannie-Lynn, Ethan and Zach though older hit it off with TJ and Will usually could be found wherever Layla was most of the time.

Warren and Dannie-Lynn had hit it off. They would talk some nights over myspace for a while. Usually about stupid stuff that had no real importance. Dannie-Lynn still didn't know Warren well enough to share everything with him and Warren felt the same, but he felt like he could tell her just about anything that was on his mind and she wouldn't judge him. In a weird sense they understood each other.

Training had proceeded as agreed upon by the adults, they had a set rotation for Monday threw Friday and the weekends the kids got to relax. There were small dealings in town occasionally that the 4 would have to take care of and the kids would watch and learn. They also watched footage from old news reports of previous battles the 4 had faced.

It was Friday evening and the adults had decided to take everyone out to dinner. They got a private dinning area at a very elegant restaurant in the city. Dannie-Lynn was probably the only girl that wasn't dressed nicely, opting to where her faded low rise skinny leg jeans with her flat skull canvas slip on shoes and a black halter vest no shirt underneath just a black bra. The pockets on the vest had tiny skull and cross bones patches and the small portion on the back read "Hellion."

Sydney wore a nice black pencil skirt that reached her knees simple ballerina slip on shoes and a light blue silk button up top. Layla wore a green summer dress with nice sandals, and Magenta wore a black and purple pinstripe tube top dress with an empire waist and her nicer boots.

The boys were wearing nice black slacks and decent shirts, wear as Warren was wearing faded black jeans and a black button up with the sleeves rolled up to just to his elbows.

"Are we going to tell them?" Reed asked Sue. She nodded.

"Tell us what?" Dannie-Lynn asked skeptically.

Johnny gave her a comforting grin one she returned knowing now that it was nothing too serious. "The mayor is having a party of sorts in our name tomorrow night. It's going to be a very nice party lots of important people will be there and we would like for you all to attend." Sue explained.

It went silent for a moment and then the clatter of a fork dropping onto a plate rang out and everyone looked and where Dannie-Lynn was posed like she was going to take a bit of food, but there was no fork in her hand and her eyes were wide in shock.

"Breath." Sydney teased.

Dannie-Lynn looked up and glared at her and then at her aunt. "Do we have to attend?" She asked.

"It would be nice if…" Sue started only to be cut off.

"Dannie you will attend." Johnny informed her.

Dannie-Lynn knew not to argue with him cause for once he was being assertive towards her and not telling her she didn't need to do something. "Fine." She said softly. "But I don't own any appropriate clothing." She grumbled picking up her fork and picking at her food.

"Yeah I didn't bring anything for that either." Warren said.

The boys all pretty much agreed that besides that slacks they were wearing they had nothing better with them having not expected it. "That's alright I'll take you boys tomorrow and we'll get suits." Johnny said smirking.

"And I will take you girls shopping tomorrow morning." Sue said. She looked at Dannie-Lynn and saw the sullen look on her face. "I'll only give my opinion, but you can get what you want." She said.

Dannie-Lynn looked at her aunt Sue and smiled and they new the events from a week prier were long since forgotten. They had a tendency to do things like that. Dannie-Lynn would do something wrong and Sue would try to be a mother like figure, Dannie-Lynn would rebel against the idea and Sue wouldn't speak to her properly for a few days and then they'd throw each other a bone and the fight would be forgotten.

"Dad, Uncle Reed, Aunt Sue, Ben can I ask a favor?" Dannie-Lynn asked. They all gave a slight nod at the young girl. "Since we're going to be attending something that could potentially bring us to the edge of insanity is it alright if I take them out on Sunday evening?"

"That depends?" Sue said after swallowing her bite of salad.

"It's a dance club my friend Nessa's father is opening. He said I could get in free with some friends opening night. It's meant for teens to twenties." Dannie-Lynn explained.

"I dunno." Reed said and looked to the others for anything to say.

"I don't see why not." Johnny said. "There kids they need to go out and have some fun. They've worked hard this week."

Dannie-Lynn loved her father's attitude sometimes. "Alright." Sue said. "But curfew will be midnight." She said.

The table started getting rowdy with talk of Saturday and Sunday but Dannie-Lynn tuned everything out as she finished her food. "I think I'm gonna head off." Dannie-Lynn stood from the table grabbing her leather biker jacket and slipping it on from the back of her chair.

"Where are you going?" Johnny asked.

"Bookstore and then to Nessa's to drop of her cd and then home." Dannie-Lynn told him.

"Take Warren with you." Johnny said. "It's late and…"

"Dad…" Dannie-Lynn said in a warning tone. She knew he meant well, but she could take care of herself.

"No it's fine I'll go. If that's alright with you?" He asked standing from his chair as well. Dannie-Lynn sighed and nodded.

"Fine come on." Dannie-Lynn grabbed her bag and they left the restaurant.

"So how are we getting to where we're going?" Warren asked.

"Like ever other new Yorker. Taxi!" She whistled waving her hand out into the street to hail a cab. A taxi pulled up and Dannie-Lynn climbed in then Warren. Dannie-Lynn gave the cab driver her destination and then things went silent.

As they arrive at a nice building just down from the street the Baxter was on Warren looked up to see Dannie-Lynn going up some steps and ringing the doorbell. He waited on the sidewalk.

"Dannie-Lynn oh sweetie it's so good to see you!" The woman who answered the door shrieked. "Wont you come in?"

"Actually Mrs. Brisco I just came to drop off Nessa's cd. She leave's for Italy tomorrow and no flight would be perfect without Panic at The Disco and the Plain White T's. So is she here I want to tell her goodbye?"

"Oh yes one moment." Dannie-Lynn came back down the steps and stood with Warren as they waited for her friend.

"Dannie!" Dannie-Lynn barely had time to turn around as the girl launched herself grabbing her in a bear hug. Warren refrained greatly from chuckling at the childish act.

"Get off!" Dannie-Lynn spluttered out in bits of laughter. The girl let loose and Dannie-Lynn turned to face her Warren at her side. "God what are you trying to do you cow squish me?" She asked jokingly. Warren never understood what girl talk was all about, cause that girl was anything but fat. She was much like Dannie-Lynn herself and probably weighed less, being a little bit shorter than the brunette.

Nessa had long honey blonde hair with dark black streaks through it and her skin was a light olive. Her eyes were a gray tinge and her clothes where all black. She wore black skinny leg jeans, with a black tank and a black studded belt and a silver chain hanging from one belt loop in front to one in the back along her thigh.

"Shut up you Elephant!" Nessa teased smacking her arm and then her eyes averted to Warren. "Who's this?"

"Oh Nessa this is Warren he's one of the kids staying with us this summer." Dannie-Lynn said. "Warren this is my Best Friend Vanessa but we all call her Nessa."

Warren gave a quick nod as the girl seemed to look him over in his dark pants, shirt and worn leather jacket. "Right."

"So here's your cd. I'd hate for you to be on the plane without a little PATD an PWT." Dannie-Lynn handed her the cd case from her bag.

Nessa smiled and took it. "Thanks. I can't believe I'm gonna be gone the whole summer?" She said softly.

Dannie-Lynn smiled. "Awe you gonna miss me?" She teased her wiping away a fake tear from her cheek.

"Hell ya." Nessa said seriously.

Dannie-Lynn smiled. "Buck up I can fly remember?" She said jokingly.

Nessa smirked at her. "True. But it's against the rules."

"I've been known to break a few." Dannie-Lynn joked.

Nessa gave her a small smile. "I'm gonna miss you Dan."

"And I'm gonna miss you Van. I'll try not to roast Jimmy while you're gone but I can't guarantee anything." She said mockingly. Nessa stepped forwardly and engulfed Dannie-Lynn in another hug practically squeezing the life from her lungs. "Sex, drugs and rock n roll…"

"Speed, weed, and birth control…" Nessa said breaking away grinning.

"Life's a bitch until we die, so fuck this world let's get high." They said together. Girls are really odd. Warren thought amusedly to himself. The girls burst into a fit of laughter and gave each other one last hug.

"Take care of you…" Nessa said breaking the hug.

"Take care of you too." Dannie-Lynn let her hands go and motioned for her and Warren to start walking down the sidewalk.

"You both act as if your never going to see each other again." Warren commented.

"A friend of ours Austin went to England for summer vacation last year and neither of us got a chance to see him before he left and he died in a plane crash on the flight home." Dannie-Lynn told him softly looking dead ahead. "Ever since no matter what or where we are going, if there's gonna be distance we see each other. And we never say goodbye."

Warren looked at her and she seemed emotion ridden. "Sorry."

"It's fine you didn't know." Dannie-Lynn said. "Last year was really hard. His parents had to bury an empty coffin cause a lot of the bodies were never found. And starting school was even worse. People who didn't even know him or care that he existed were lighting candles by his old locker and in front of the school.

They had grief counselors for students who want to 'talk about it'." She said in mock disgust. "I went in to see my counselor and there were people in there who didn't even know him. I lost it. I started going off on random students. The principle called my father to come and get me and he did."

"Wow." Warren said softly. "That's um…"

"No offense I know I volunteered the information but can we not talk about this?" She asked softly.

Warren nodded and they continued on. "So why aren't you going away this summer?"

"I was invited to go to Italy with Nessa but my dad wants me here."

"So it's our fault?" Warren asked casually not accusingly though.

Dannie-Lynn shook her head. "No, not really. I mean partially but my dad hasn't ever really been comfortable with the idea of me going to a foreign country alone with no real adult supervision. And he'd go with but this whole hero gig is too demanding."

"That sucks." Warren said.

"Yeah. I mean in a way, but he promised that one-day in the not to distant future that we would tour the world in three days. See all we want in three days. Italy, England, Cambodia, India, Japan, Australia…we will someday."

"Must be nice being able to fly." Warren chuckled softly.

Dannie-Lynn shrugged. "I guess. When I first started I had a slight phobia of heights, but that passed and it just became another thing I could do." They reached the bookstore and went inside. Dannie-Lynn found what she was interested in and Warren even found another book he could read.

He had a feeling he'd be leaving with a lot more books before heading home. After they finished at the bookstore Dannie-Lynn and Warren headed back to the Baxter Building and went to their separate rooms having noticed that everyone was already home and in bed.