Hey there wonderful readers, it's that time of week again where I post the next chapter of this ongoing tale. I'm hoping you've been enjoying this tale so far - maybe even as much as I've enjoyed writing this new story of mine.

As always, I own only original characters and plotlines, all else belongs to Marvel.

Enjoy

The perils of a night out

The explosion outside the café was easily the most interesting thing that had happened that month for Astraea's fellow college students. She and Madison were constantly bombarded with questions about how it felt to be so close, and if they saw anything that caused it. After an alien invasion in 2012; Iron Man troubles in 2013; and assassins and not-so-dead evil organisations in 2014, everybody was always quick to suspect something from the world of superheroes. So far, the event had seemingly been caused by gas pipes. Perfectly ordinary. Still, people liked to believe in conspiracy theory and, soon enough, enough ideas were flying around to write a book.

Soon enough though, everything returned to normal. Well – as normal as it gets for New York. There were still multiple features on the news on vigilante heroes, and whether the Avengers should be classed as such. Debates on the matter could be heard just about anywhere on campus, and Madison often joined. She had very strong opinions on the matter. Namely that if the law wasn't going to step up, then others should.

When she returned to a newly refurbished café, two weeks after the incident caused it to temporarily close, Astraea saw the young boy she and the customer had helped. He'd brought flowers and a picture for 'the nice lady who helped me'. A giggling Madison had taken a photo of Astraea and the boy (whose name, she discovered, was Nathan). Astraea had found it utterly adorable, and given Nathan a hug, praising his artwork and making him promise to stay out of trouble. His mother thanked Astraea for her help, shaking the young adult's hand.

The picture was pinned to the board on the back wall, covered in children's artwork, photos, and various gifts from customers and their kids. It used to be just a small cork board full but had soon progressed to fill a whole wall. Madison often joked that they'd need to open another café, just for all the pictures. Melody (her boss) had to keep changing the board around, trying to find space for the ever-growing collection. It was sweet and made Astraea smile every time she headed into work.

Things were going as smoothly as Astraea could have hoped. But, as always, things never seemed to stay that way.

She and Madison were going out for the night. They didn't go often – Astraea usually stayed home for various reasons, and they both had to study. But tonight, the girls were both free. Madison had always been good at convincing Astraea to go and have fun. So, they exchanged sneakers for high heels and loose trousers for skinny jeans. Madison gave them both vivid red lips, and Astraea made their hair is flowing manes. The duo was ready to party, and forget any troubles, if only for an evening.

The club they headed to was already thumping with music as they stepped through the doors. Astraea had to shout just to be heard by her friend standing right beside her. Still, it was magnetic. The atmosphere drew them straight to the dance floor. Tightly packed bodies moved in the semi-darkness. Voices chanted lyrics together. The floor shook as everyone jumped at the same time. Giddy smiles on their faces, Astraea and Madison threw their arms and danced, getting lost in the beat.

They had been partying for a few hours, and Madison had disappeared off with a pixie-looking teen. Astraea was at the bar, regretfully only ordering a glass of orange juice and lemonade. At 18 years old, she'd have able to drink in her home country of England. But she'd headed to America in September and lost that ability. Still, her birthday was in March – only ten days away. Then she'd only have two years to go.

Drink in hand, Astraea sipped at the sparkling liquid as she watched the dancefloor. Dancers were shouting out requests, cheering when their favourite songs come on. The whole place seemed electric; alive with energy and power and laughter. People contorted their bodies into strange shapes as they moved, trying to emulate the songs into movements. It was even more special to Astraea when she only came on the odd occasion. This was life. The crazy unpredictability of it expressed in movement, but also the fun.

Someone slid up the bar to her, and Astraea instinctively covered her drink and grabbed her clutch. It had always been ingrained in her – don't let anyone near your drink, and never leave your things unguarded. It shouldn't have been something that needed to happen. People shouldn't have to fear rapists and thieves, but that was the world they lived in. It needed to change.

"Hello? Earth to Rhea?" A dark hand was waved in her face, and Astraea suddenly recognised the voice. It was Alexander, a boy from her writing class. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Why? Because I have no social life?" She quipped, taking a sip of her drink. "Like yourself."

"Touché," Alex chuckled, waving a hand for the bartender. "I decided to get out for a bit, you?"

"Madison."

Alex gave her a confused look, and Astraea rolled her eyes. "You know how she is. Bundle of energy. She wanted to check out this club, so here we are. Well, Maddie isn't right here, but y'know what I mean."

"And here I was thinking you'd come out just to see me."

Astraea felt her cheeks flush, hot and angry. Why did boys have to make every conversation about them?

"Sweetie, I wouldn't go out to see you if you were the last person on earth. I'd have a more intelligent conversation talking to some bacteria – the only culture you have. If you'll excuse me, I've got things to do." With that, she drained her glass and set it on the bar. Astraea hurried into the crowd, disappearing upon the tangle of limbs.

After a few moments hiding from Alex, she headed towards the bathroom. It was where she had intended to go, but she hadn't wanted Alex to follow her. Astraea was often paranoid like that.

Once inside, she slipped around the girls struggling towards the toilets to throw up. As she reached the far end, Astraea spotted Madison touching up her make-up and covering up red eyes. Stepping closer, she placed a hand lightly on the smaller girl's shoulder.

"Hey there, Maddie. What's wrong?" Astraea had sure to keep her voice low and gentle.

"H-h-hey there, Rhea. Nice to … nice to see you. Can we … can we go now?" Madison sounded small and vulnerable, completely the opposite of Astraea's usually fierce and bubbly friend.

"Sure thing, Mads. We can later if you want. And eat ice cream whilst watching Netflix and wrap ourselves us in fluffy blankets." Madison nodded, and Astraea swiftly led her from the room. She didn't bother to question why her best friend, who had wanted them to go out in the first place, suddenly developed a need to leave. One look at the tears on Madison's face and Astraea was ready to comfort her bestie and bring hell on those who had put the tears there.

Hand in hand, the girls struggled through the crowd, dodging flailing limbs and collapsed drunks. Music was still thumping through the air. Glasses littered the bar. When they finally clambered out the door, the cool air made them start and gasp. It was refreshing, after spending several hours inside the crowded club. Astraea had no idea how long they'd been in there; time always seemed distorted when you partied. The sky, however, looked inky black, so she summarised it had to be night time. Somewhere around midnight, or maybe even the early hours of the next morning.

This particular club was only a few blocks from their housing, so the duo walked back, heels clicking on the pavement. Lights from high-rise buildings glowed in the sky, blotting out the stars Astraea used to see at home. That was one of the biggest things she missed about her home village. Back there, you had only look out the window on a clear night to see a sky full of stars. In a city, that wasn't possible. Not so much.

Muddled in her thoughts, Astraea didn't notice the hands grasping her and Madison, trying them into a dark alley. Their screams were muffled by rough hands covering their mouths. Madison, still affected by whatever happened in the club, collapsed against a brick wall, sinking down onto the dirty floor. Four men, faces covered by masks, stood around them. None of them seemed armed. Astraea levelled a glare at them. One reached out a gloved hand to seize her by the chin, dragging her closer.

"Hey now, enough of that. Just be good and you won't get hurt." The man's voice was muffled by the cloth covering his lower face.

Astraea spat at him. "Go to hell you bastards. Let us go, and then you won't get hurt."

Behind her, Madison grabbed her ankle, pulling Nemesis down. "Don't annoy them. You'll make it worse. We just have to play along and hope they don't kill us. I don't know about you, but I really don't want to become one of the girls from those stories about staying safe at night. Please, Rhea. Just don't." She gave a wry grin, flicking a grin into the dark alley. "Maybe a hero will save us."

Astraea just shook her head, standing on her feet again. She slipped her feet out of the heeled shoes she wore. The men chuckled at her like she was cute for trying to defend herself. Then she launched a shoe at the nearest man, hard enough to knock him to the ground. The others stared for a moment, and Astraea exploded on them. She threw the other shoe. It whacked one in the groin, leaving him bent over against the wall. A fist powered towards her. She blocked the blow. Astraea kicked one into the wall. He slumped down, bleeding from the back of his head. The final man turned to run. Astraea picked up one of her shoes and nailed him in the head. He joined the others in the ground.

Collecting her fallen shoes, Astraea offered a hand to a dumbstruck Madison. They stumbled out the alley and raced home as quickly as possible.

Once inside, Madison and Astraea sunk into the sofa, chests heaving. They lay that way for a few minutes, yellow light spilling from under the door. Madison stuck a hand up, fumbled for the light switch, and turned on their living room light. The girls blinked in the sudden brightness. The wall clock ticked on.

Finally, Madison pushed herself into a sitting position, staring at Astraea. "When the hell did you learn to fight like that? How the hell did you take on four fully grown men when you're a skinnier-than-average teen? I need answers, Astraea. And I need them right now." She fixed Astraea with a steely glare. "Start talking."

Astraea gulped and sat up. Her browns flicked between Madison's face and the floor. Nervous. She licked her lips, struggling for a beginning. "This is going to sound like utter nonsense. I'm going to have to start pretty far back. It's a … well – it's a long story.

"You remember that I told you about … about that experimental medicine my mum took. Yeah. Well, that's kinda the, uh, reason behind everything. My mum was deaf. She had memory loss issues, weak muscles, damaged vocal cords, and a bunch of other issues. This … this medicine was completely new. They said it would fix all her problems." Astraea looks down at her hands, nibbling on her bottom lip as she remembered her father telling the story. "It worked. The problems reduced, faded, and then disappeared. It was like a miracle."

She looks up at Madison, tears pricking in her eyes. "But miracles don't last. There was only so much of the medicine, and after 3 years it ran out – " Her voice caught, and Astraea wiped a few tears from her cheeks, "her symptoms came back within months. It was like … it was as though they just wanted to see if it worked, so they could sell it to the rich. Normal medicine couldn't help with all the extra problems. Five years later, my mum died. She was 35."

Madison shifts on the seat, a pregnant pause hanging in the air. "But what – it's horrible what happened to your mom, but I gotta ask, how does this … does this, er, medicine fit in with everything else?"

"I was getting there. You see, mum was pregnant when she began talking the medicine. With me. This drug healed my mum, and it got into my bloodstream. It didn't see any problems but seemed to know what was wrong with my mother. So, it took action, as though I was also ill. It enhanced my hearing, muscles, vocal cords, and my healing ability to some degree. I don't tend to get ill, and my bones and muscles are denser than normal people's. I can hear things at least three the range of normal people and five times the distance. My whole body seems to be able to move faster, as well as be more agile and flexible than average.

"The drug fixed the 'problems' that my body had as a foetus. It thought it was mending me, but really it was making me different. Because it happened while I was developing, it seems like the drug was absorbed into my system, and became linked to my genetic code. Like … kinda like when people drink to excess or take drugs, when pregnant. It can affect the child, as well as the parent."

Astraea faded into silence, staring at her hands as though they would explain all the answers. She'd just unloaded a massive amount of information on her best friend that would take some time to process. In fact, she wasn't even sure she understood it herself. It was a complicated tale that seemed a little too much like a sci-fi novel for Astraea's liking. Still, in a world that had recently unveiled superheroes, Norse gods, and aliens, it no longer seemed quite so unrealistic. In fact, it looked a lot more normal.

"So … you're … and you've got … but that's …" Madison's words came in fits and starts, half-finished thoughts breaking into speech. She seemed to go to a realisation and pointed a long finger at Astraea. "That new vigilante person. The one that's been around seen late September last year – about the same time you arrived – was that you? I mean, is that you? Are you the one I'm hearing on the radio and championing? Because if you are …" Her cheeks flushed pink. "That means I've been saying how great you are, whilst talking to you. Shit, that' so embarrassing."

Astraea giggled, shaking her wavy black hair out of her face. That sounded a lot more like her friend. "Um … yeah. I'm Nemesis. But you can't tell anyone about any of this. They'll cart me off to a lab for experiments and then arrest me for taking criminals off the streets without going through the law. Please don't. I … I quite like going to college and having you as my best friend, Mads. Please don't let it get thrown away. I'm sorry about lying … I really am. But – I didn't want you to get in trouble. I thought I was protecting you by not saying anything. At least, that's how it looked for me." She paused for a moment before speaking again, her voice sounding incredibly small and meek. "Please don't hate me."

Silence returned. Astraea hung her head and made as though to leave, her shoulders slumped. Madison pushed her back onto the sofa, staring at her with a curious look in her green eyes. "Why would I hate you? I've got a kickass best friend who's secretly a vigilante. That's awesome. If you lied to me about something really important to me, then yeah, I'd be mad. But this was your secret to tell."

"Are … are you sure? I lied to you! About who I am. Doesn't that matter?"

"It's not as though you're secretly a serial killer or anything. Rhea, you're allowed to lie. Everyone does. It's part of life, no matter how much it may sometimes be better to tell the truth. You're answering these questions honestly when I ask you. I hadn't asked before; you haven't lied to me because I never asked. You just never told me."

"So … we're good, then? It's okay that I run around at night and stop crimes. Sometimes with a kid who shoots webs." Astraea wiped at her eyes, sniffing quietly.

"Sure thing, you idiot. It's all good. Just sign me an autograph so I can show everyone, yeah?"

"Ok, daft-y. Anything for my damsel in distress."

"Hey, if anything, you're the damsel. Who's the one getting all the comfort, huh?" Madison enveloped Astraea in a warm hug. The girls cuddled together for a long moment, strengthening their bond of friendship.

Eventually, Astraea pushed back and stood up. "Right, I promised ice cream, Netflix, and blankets. Stay there, and I'll deliver on that." She disappeared into the kitchen, opening up the freezer.

"Aww … my hero," Madison snarked, batting her eyes in Astraea's general direction.

Astraea returned clutching two tubs of Ben & Jerry's and a stack of fluffy blankets in an array of colours. Tossing a spoon, carton of ice cream, and half a dozen blankets to Madison, Astraea settled down on the sofa, curling her feet up underneath her. Madison seized the TV remote and booted up Netflix.

She turned to Astraea with an infectious grin, "Right then, what shall we binge watch today then?"

And, thus, ends this chapter. New revelations from this one, although I suspect some of you already made the connection between Nemesis and Astraea. On that thought track, I've noticed that all of Astraea's names are some sort of greek goddess:

-Rhea - Mother of Zeus, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, etc...

-Astraea - Goddess of innocence, with a name meaning 'star-maiden'

-Nemesis - Goddess of revenge, and balance to some extent

Little interesting connection there, though entirely unintentional.

It'd be nice to found out how you guys are finding this story so far.

As of today, it's 17 days until Christmas!

Look-for-the-miracles