"The city of Townsville… has lost a hero."Yes, that's what the disembodied voice had said on that day. Like everyone else, I couldn't understand it's existence. Sometimes I would wonder why it was so fond of Townsville, but I always shrugged it off in the end. Everyone seemed to like him. He was always quick to point out the good in life. Sometimes he'd retell the adventures my sisters and I had to other people. He could get a little annoying sometimes but he always meant well. Then - Then he said that, and my heart broke into little pieces.

For the first four months after it happened the three of us barely left the house. Professor to get groceries so that we wouldn't starve, and Bubbles and I left to go to school only to fly home as quickly as possible. Even then it took us a month just to be able to stay there for a whole day.

During that time Bubbles and I slept in Professor's room. We needed our dad more than ever. It was the tenth on the fifth month when Professor asked us if we wanted to start sleeping in our own room again. Both Bubbles and I were quiet for a moment, but then she giggled and nodded. Professor took that as an answer from both of us and when our curfew came we both entered the room we had neglected for so long. It isn't like there was dust everywhere. Maybe a little here and some more there but it didn't blanket the room like I had expected it to. Bubbles was able to fall asleep right away, I didn't. For the first couple of weeks back in our bedroom I couldn't seem to bring myself so much as an hour of sleep. It just felt wrong not having a third person there.

During the sixth month I remembered that we were superheroes in the past. When I asked Professor who had been watching over Townsville he had told us that members of the Justice Friends would take time from their own cities to help out when our home was in trouble. I felt content with this answer, Bubbles felt no such thing. The next day she was out stopping one of Femme Fatale's bank robberies, alone. When she came back victorious but with burnt clothing the Professor almost had a heart attack.

With fear clear in his voice he had yelled, "What do you think you were doing, don't you realize how dangerous that was?!"

"My job." She said bluntly. Confused he let out a simple, "Huh?" In a monotonous voice she said, "I'm a superhero.", then she glanced over at me, "I was doing my job." The next three weeks had been shaky between me and her after that. I'm still not sure what had caused that tension but it was there and it was obvious and it was horrible. Then that day happened.

"So..." Bubbles started sounding unsure of what she was about to ask. "Are you going to go on patrol tonight?" I gave her a hard look for a moment before saying, "No, and neither should you. You're falling behind on your assignments." I then turned back to the homework I had been working on.

"What assignments?" She asked curiously.

With a scoff I said, "It makes sense you wouldn't know, wasting your school days away with "patrols" when you should just wait for the hotline to ring. Even then, there isn't a point, right?"

Her face scrunched up, "What do mean "there isn't a point", huh?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." I said as bluntly and jaded as possible. Bubbles' was quiet for a moment before she said - no commanded, "Come on patrol tonight. The Living Bullet is coming tonight and he's bringing his kids, they're super cute. Plus, being around actual Speedsters has taught me a lot. Like... how to figure out how many miles per hour I'm running while in action. What speeds I just shouldn't allow myself to go. I can also read the terrain a lot better. " I gave her another hard look before shaking my head to say that, no I was not going to go.

"Then what about tomorrow. Miss Spell is coming over, her magic is amazing. She's really tough too. Oh, she's also really, really nice. I think you'd like her! I do, actually I sorta look up to her. White Tiger is really cool too. Last Saturday he-"

Before she could finish what she was saying I gave the bluntest, "No.", ever uttered by mankind. We sat silently at the dinner table for a moment until she asked, "Why not?", genuinely confused.

"I don't want to learn anything they have to "offer." I'm perfectly content with what I'm learning in school." I said disdainfully before pausing. When I continued I shot her my best scowl, "Besides, if you're so eager to learn you should actually attend more that two days of school a week. Seriously, how do you plan on passing?"

Now wearing her own scowl Bubbles' said, "Townsville needs someone to protect it! I'm that someone. Besides I already talked to Professor about getting home schooled."

"What?"

"Huh? What, didn't you hear? That Townsville needs u-"

"No!", I growled as nearly snapped my pencil in half before I said, "That last part."

"I'm being home schooled starting next week."

"... You're… No! You're going to school tomorrow!" I shouted angrily. Looking back on it I have absolutely no idea why I was so upset. But I was and made it obvious. She only sunk back in her chair. "No."

"Why not?!" I practically screamed. With cold eyes she said, "Because I'm a Superhero." My own eyes narrowed, "No you're not. We're just kids!"

As she shouted he hit the table, "Yes, I am! It's our job to sacrifice for the greater good, and I'm fine with that. Now tell me, why won't you come on patrol with me!?"

Leaning back in my own chair I said, "I've decided to never do those these again." As soon as those words left my mouth her eyes widened, "Why not?", she asked. I didn't answer which only served to make her angry, "I said why not?!" Deciding to continue my refusal of answering I got up and started walking towards by the living room… only to be caught by her grip. "Answer me!" She pleaded desperately.

Turning towards her I snapped, "Because I'm a human!" pulling my hand from her grasp a started making my ways up the stairs. Standing at the bottom of the stairs she started to yell at me, "No we're not! A-and even if we are we're still different! We have gifts so we should use them!"

Not even turning to her as I spoke I said, "Well maybe I've chosen to not use those gifts."

"What is wrong with you? You don't act like yourself anymore!"

I turned towards her and screamed, "Shut up, you don't what it's been like for me!" Gawking she sputtered, "Don't know? Don't know! I've been going through the exact same thing!"

"Just leave me alone!" I cried out but instead she flew in front of me, her face just as red as mine.

"No! Why are you acting like this? Why'd you shut me out? Why have you been shutting everyone out?!" The only reply I gave her was a small shove to get past her.

Even angrier that before she shouted, "What are you so afraid of!?"

Turning to her as tears welled up in my eyes I shouted back, "Stop it! Why can't you just leave me alone? All I want is to be alone!"

Then… then she opened her mouth and at the top of her lungs shouted the one thing I never, ever wanted here, "Do you really think Buttercup would want you to live like this?!", and that's when it happened. The one thing I never imagined that I'd do. The most horrible unforgiving thing I would ever do. It happened within a few seconds while I was blinded by anger. I slapped her... clean across the face and given the fact that she was floating and my own strength she slammed straight into, and through, the wall into the upstairs bathroom. When my anger subsided, and my breathing returned to normal I looked at what I had done with wide eyes. Given our durability she was fine. She had even gotten up and started to brush the porcelain off her clothes, but that knowledge didn't stop me from taking a sharp intake of breath. Then another… and another, and another, and another until I was reduced into a hyperventilating mess.

With her large blue eyes showing concern she began to speak, "B-Blossom?"

"I-I-I didn't-" I stuttered as I shook my head back and forth as clasped my hands together and moved them in front of my mouth as my eyes widened more, "I shouldn't have- I didn't mean to!"

Slowly she walked towards me with her hands in front of her. Her mouth was moving but I couldn't hear her over my loud and wild breathing. What ever she was trying to do or say to comfort me, it was having the exact opposite effect. When she reached her hand out to try and touched my shoulder I flinched away and…

I flew. Out of the house. Past Town Hall. Through the park. Above our old elementary school.

Away from Townsville, far, far away.

I only stopped when I looked into the sky and noticed the light twinkle of the stars as they started to awake for the coming night. Floating I turned around to see if anyone was behind me. There wasn't. Frantically I looked to my right and my left, down and up, North and South, East and West. As I looked at where I was in all these different directions I realized I was lost, and very much alone. Before I could think about it for much longer that other thing started to happen. Waves of energy started to blanket the sky as they originated from nowhere yet somehow everywhere at once. Slowly, very slowly, with each passing wave the once blue sky started changing into a sickly, unpleasant shade of green.

Meanwhile on the ground the landscape started to change in the most bizarre ways possible. Everything, or at least most things, such as the forest below became a series of overlapping images. In other places the trees disappeared completely only to appear in a previously treeless place. Colors in some part of the forest were getting jumbled up as well. The leaves in the trees turned brown, and their trunks turned blue while nearby bodies of water turned green. These areas constantly changed back and forth to the point that I had to close my eyes and rub my head to eliminate the dizziness. Upon opening my eyes it only took seconds until the entire landscape was enveloped in a bright light, temporarily blinding me. When my senses returned from the shock the light had caused them I took another good look below me. Everything, minus the still green sky, seemed normal.

Then I heard screaming from a bit away, and out of instinct that I thought I had lost… I went to help someone in need of a hero.