Storm clouds blocked out the usually bright yellow sun. It slowly began to drizzle over the town of Bellwood; one of those autumn showers where the rain is as cold as the air. Fall began earlier than usual, bringing in the brisk low temperature; signaling that summer days had come to an wetness cluttered the fallen leaves together in messy puddles, and the already changing trees had their pretty leaves ripped away from them by the ravenous wind. The dying grass soaked up the tears of the heavens above. It was an inherently miserable day. A perfect day for a funeral.
Hope sits at her desk mirror and applies her usual makeup. She wiggled uncomfortably in the black dress Gwen had purchased for this exact moment. Everyone was dreading today. Leaders, Gwen included, pushed this event further and further into the future. People wanted to forget that tragic day, and doing this would only bring up haunting memories. But they had to do it; they had to honor the dead, or their deaths would be in vain. A worldwide event where everything stopped and everyone mourned the loved ones they had lost. Every country was taking part in this memorial, even nearby planets had received the news and were participating. This was a day to grieve, mourn, and bury the dead.
Hope hated funerals. She hated feeling the emotions that came with it. The witch thought it made her weak. She cried so much during her younger years; Hope had no more tears to give up. She was forced to think of Grace and her untimely death. No proper burial, no memorial. Just painful memories. Hope puckers her lips to apply her dark red lipstick, before standing from her chair. Ugh. She looks at her dolled-up self through her mirror. It was the first time in a while she braided her hair; the tail of her argent hair sat on her shoulder. The woman wasn't used to wearing dresses either. The soft fabric clung to her body in a simple design. Hope did not want to attend, but she promised Gwen. I've been giving out a lot of promises lately.
She glances at her clock; it showed 7:32 AM. The event started at eight. The witch was sure that news crews were already live at the scene. Hope squeezes her feet into the black high heels and grabs her clutch purse, before exiting her room. She prayed that Ben was still sleeping. The woman peeks at the closed door and sighs in relief. Hope hurried into her living room, making sure everything was in order. Once she was satisfied, she left her home and got into her car.
It was an old pickup truck that she purchased from a farmer that was desperate for money. She didn't even know the brand or model, just that it was an old piece of junk that barely started. Hope shoved the key in the ignition, turning it several times, before the vehicle finally roared to life. The only reason she had this thing was because of Gwen. That woman hounded her to get a car for weeks; she claimed it was part of her integration into society. Apparently no one teleported or casted portals for travel normally. Hope remembers seeing her school friends getting licenses and their own cars when they were teenagers. And how much she begged Hex to teach her how to drive. He said such technology was the work of the magicless dogs that controlled the world. Safe to say that was the end of that discussion.
Long story short, Gwen was the one to teach her how to drive a car. Something that the witch will forever appreciate considering how much was on her plate. And somehow the redhead still found the time to help her. Hope reached the edge of the forest and soon she was seeing houses. The neighborhoods, thankfully, did not have much damage to them. It was the inner city that was destroyed by the conflict. The event was being held in the rebuilt town square.
Hope saw parades of people marching along the sidewalks; some held posters with pictures of their lost loved ones, and others had T-shirts that depicted those who passed away. Houses had picket signs of phrases like "We'll Miss You" and "I love you" planted in the front yards. Hope could sympathize with them; losing a loved one was a life-changing event. There were men, women, and children walking the streets with what family they have left. This was a day when neighbors, fans of rival sports teams, people of different religions, and enemies came together.
The witch witnessed citizens hugging and greeting each other, some brought food as a sign of peace. She saw husbands mowing the grass for elderly widows, and mothers sharing love with kids that have none. Hope almost scoffed at the sight; she never thought people could cooperate like this. It only took a world-ending event for people to get their priorities in order. Hope shakes her head; this wasn't the day to be spiteful. She must push her judgemental thoughts aside.
Hope turns onto Main Street, she was supposed to be meeting Gwen at the townhall. The witch was in awe; everything down to the last streetlamp was decorated for this special day. People had even prepared a parade as a final send off for their loved ones. She was expecting them to be black or solemn colors, but they were painted with bright colors and showered with personal items. Hope glances at a particularly larger parade float than the rest. It was a multitude of bright colors that reminded the woman of a rainbow. The float was covered in toys, candy, and clothing. Hope notices the hundreds of pictures of smiling children stapled to a billboard attached to the float. If only there was a different reason for it being there.
The witch is able to snag the last spot in the municipal parking lot. She steps out of her shoddy vehicle and scans the area. There were waves of people all over the place. But no sign of Gwen. Hope figured that she must be already inside. She made her way to the front of the building, and saw a familiar blonde standing by the door.
"Carly?" she says, stepping closer to her.
Carly turns around and smiles at the sorceress, slipping her phone back in her pocket.
"In the flesh," she laughs, greeting the friend with a quick hug.
"How have you been? You look good."
"Oh please I must look like shit right now. I haven't been sleeping much the past couple weeks. Gwen coaxed me into going to therapy; she thinks I'm dealing with trauma."
"That's to be expected with everything that happened during the summer," Hope assured.
"Whatever helps me sleep at night," Carly jokes. "Have you seen Gwen yet?"
"No, I was just looking for her."
"She's inside, come on," the blonde leads Hope through the doors.
"I'm digging the suit," Hope compliments.
Carly laughs, "Thank you! Me too. The suit pants make my butt look good."
The duo share a laugh as they enter the lobby. Hope spots Gwen descending the stairs with an unfamiliar man. She shoots the woman a wave and Gwen smiles at the sorceress.
"That's the mayor," Carly introduces to Hope. "He has been a big help in allocating Gwen the resources she needs."
The mayor and Gwen approach the duo.
"Well thank you again, Mayor Fitch," Gwen says joyfully.
"Please. It has been a pleasure, Gwendolyn. And if you need anything just let me know."
The mayor smiles at Gwen before leaving the building. The two guards standing by the doors follow the man. Gwen turns to her friends with a big smile, giving Hope an even bigger hug.
"Oh you look happy," Hope laughs as she hugs her friend back.
"Things are looking up," Gwen reveals.
"About time," Carly snorts, rolling her eyes.
Gwen turns to the blonde and also gives out a back-breaking hug.
"Thank you for being here,"
"Wow girly, settle down. Nothing is set in stone. Aslo, I take my payments in whiskey," Carly groans.
"What are we even celebrating?" Hope inquires.
"I'll tell you later. We need to go find the others," Gwen says, pulling the witch's hand.
"Others?"
**PAGE BREAK**
The festivities were well into starting: live music, food trucks, and even a game center for the kiddies. No one would think this was a day of mourning. The living spent the day celebrating good times and memories of those who were once living. Hope and Carly followed Gwen through the crowds of people; it was like a little kid dragging their parents through an amusement park. Carly asked what they were both thinking.
"Where are you taking us?" she laughed.
"It's a surprise!" Gwen replies happily.
Hope rolls her eyes at the repetitive answer; Gwen has been saying that since they left the town hall. Finally they arrived at Tennyson park, a place named after Max Tennyson. Gwen dragged them into an open field where people laid out blankets for picnics and BBQs. A playground stood nearby packed with laughing children. It stopped raining thank god. Hope looks up at the cloudy skies. Not that it was bothering anybody; the citizens weren't going to let a little rain ruin their day.
Gwen points at a spot underneath a large tree, where four figures stood chatting amongst themselves. It wasn't hard to see who they were. Tetrax's big head definitely gave it away. Hope smiles faintly. She hasn't seen them since the start of this new "age", and it has been a few witch wondered what they had been up to.
Cooper turns when he notices them approaching, shooting them a goofy grin and wave. Lucy yelled out and waved dramatically. Tetrax gave them a smile and thumbs up. Elena was waving too. The gang's all here. And everyone looked to be put together. But someone was missing. A particular man with a watch and messy hair.
Gwen practically jumped into Cooper and Elena's arms, smothering them with a hug. Carly greeted Lucy and Tetrax happily. Hope stops in front of Ben; she looks into his bright green eyes. His smile could cheer anyone up.
"Hey," he greets softly.
Hope walks through the Ben she imagined, and it vanishes into a puff of smoke, over to Tetrax and Lucy. Maybe one day.
"Okay guys I have to make a speech at 10 but afterwards I suggest we go to this food truck that my Grandpa Max introduced me to when I was younger," Gwen announces to her friends.
Cooper glances at his watch, "Good I'm starving," he groans.
"When are you not hungry?" Elena comments with an eye roll.
Cooper shrugs, "I'm a growing boy."
Elena leans in with a smirk, "Yes you are," planting a kiss on his now blushing cheek.
The group giggles at the blonde's embarrassment, who is frantically trying to hide his tomato-colored cheeks. Then things turned serious for a moment.
"You guys heard from Ben?" Coop asks, attempting to change the subject.
Everyone lowered their head at the mention of their missing friend.
"No, I have Hope searching for him," Gwen answers meekly.
Cooper turns to the witch, "And?" he inquires.
"Nothing," Hope says, shaking her head.
"I've been asking around the galaxy; nobody has seen him," Tetrax chimes in.
Gwen shakes her head, "No I know he's still on Earth," she concludes.
"Then what's stopping you from finding him?" Cooper questions.
"I've always had a problem tracking Ben if I didn't catch his 'scent' quick enough."
"Okay and what about you? You don't have a tracking spell in all those spellbooks you have?" Cooper turns to Hope again.
Hope was quiet, she didn't know how to get out of this one. Gwen had the excuse of being radically busy, but Hope was put in charge of finding him. Having such a powerful witch on the case? Theoretically, Hope should have found Ben weeks ago. She hasn't told Gwen about her multiple meetings with Ben, only that she's been on his trail. Hope didn't want to worry her or get her hopes up that Ben might be returning. So she figured she'd bring the man back before saying anything.
Cooper raised an eyebrow at Hope's silence. Something wasn't right. He thought it impossible for a non-magical being like Ben to hide his presence from two top-notch sorceresses for so long. And yet again it seemed that he was correct in saying so. Gwen stares at Hope with a concerned face, she didn't know why Hope wasn't answering. At least, she wanted to not know.
"Hope?" she says softly.
"I-I," the witch stutters.
Cooper interjected, "Forget I said anything."
Hope sighs. She didn't want to hide the truth anymore. Gwen deserves to know.
"Gwen, the truth is that I found Ben months ago," Hope admits solemnly.
The group gasps at the revelation, but Gwen stays silent.
"I found him mindlessly wandering around Australia and several other countries. I tried to convince him to come back but he refused every time."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Gwen asks.
"Because he didn't want to come home and I didn't want to worry you."
"That is NOT your call to make!" Gwen scolds harshly.
"I did it to protect you!"
"Protect me? I AGONIZE every night over him! I didn't know if I'd ever see him again!"
"He doesn't deserve your concern! He walked out on us, remember? Ben wasn't the only one suffering. All of us were. But he's the only one who left."
"I asked you…" Gwen begins. "And you looked me in my face and lied to me."
"Ben doesn't care about you," Hope blurts out, but immediately regrets her decision once she saw Gwen's hurt expression. "About any of us for that matter. If he did then…" Hope trails off. Then he wouldn't be hiding in my house. "Then he would be here right now," she finishes softly.
Gwen shakes her head not wanting the tears to fail. The redhead was failing miserably. The stress of the world around her had finally rattled her proud self. She glances at Hope one more time. That was a mistake; the tears were beginning to fall. Gwen Tennyson did the first thing that came to mind; she strided off in a huff.
"Gwen, wait!" Hope calls out as she chases the woman.
A heavy silence choked the group; everyone was awkwardly avoiding each other's gaze. It was clear that Ben was still a tender spot for Gwen. Though she never mentioned organizing a search party for her cousin, much more it being the silver haired witch. They could've found him within a week if all of them were working together. But it seems that Gwen is a bit of a hypocrite by not bringing up the attempt to find Ben. Cooper felt the worst for even mentioning the subject. Elena tried her best to comfort the blonde.
Lucy attempted to bring the mood back from the graveyard by telling some good ole fashioned space stories. The kind that makes you wanna curl up by the fire with a blanket to listen to. Of course the two scientists were more than eager to learn about anything space-related. Carly didn't care much for the planets, but she still tried to listen like a good friend. That is till something catches her eye; a lurking figure watching them from a tree up the hill.
**PAGE BREAK**
Earlier this morning Ben laid awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Like he did on most days. Hope had told him not to leave the cabin and to definitely not leave the woods. She said she could only do so much to protect the secret of his return. Ben had no choice but to follow her rules. That didn't keep the man from sneaking around to explore the witch's home. Sheer boredom has turned him into a Nosy Nancy.
The man shuffled through books looking for something that piqued his interest; most of the works were simple literature like Tom Sawyer. Ben occasionally came across the average spellbook. He would flip through it out of curiosity, but the contents were way too complicated for him to understand. He always wanted to learn a thing or two about magic. It would be cool to see how the things Hope and Gwen do work. An adventure for another day I suppose.
Ben sat on the couch and turned the television on. It was tuned to local news.
"Ugh, I'll pass," he groans, about to change the channel.
"This is a day that the world will never forget!" the news anchor said.
Ben's ears perked up.
"Today we mourn the lives lost in the Plumber conflict during the summer."
Ben placed the remote back on the table and listened intently.
"It feels like just yesterday that tragedy occured," the news reporter said to her partner.
"The last few months have been tough for Earth and its inhabitants," the partner news anchor said.
"Today is a day of acknowledgement for all those emotions, and across the world people gather with friends, family, and neighbors to celebrate the lives of the ones that once were."
"I couldn't agree more. For those of you watching at home, you will be able to witness the festivities as we stream it live. Now to Natasha, who is currently in Bellwood, ground zero of the conflict, reporting on the memorial parade."
The TV flashes to the Bellwood town hall, a young woman is standing with a man dressed in a suit. Ben widens his eyes in shock, standing right next to the man is Gwen.
"Gwen…" he mutters.
"Hello everyone, I am live in front of the town hall with Mayor Fitch and Gwen Tennyson, leader of the Earth's peace corps. Up until a couple months ago this place was rubble along with the rest of the town square. These two have been spearheading the fight to restore Bellwood to its former glory. And Gwen is taking it a step further by working with world leaders to rebuild the cities around the world that were affected by the Plumber's actions. Mr. Mayor, do you have anything to say about the efforts as of late?"
Mayor Fitch smiles, "Yes!" he starts. "In fact I do. I want to start by thanking every single person on this planet for their resiliency in the past months. You are the reason why I'm able to get up every morning to do my job. And now I'd like to thank all those who have been working day in and day out to rebuild this town, this country, and this world. It has been a tough couple weeks with the slow down on resources but I assure you that every place that was broken will be restored to its previous state. But none of this would ever be possible without Miss Tennyson and the help of her peace corps."
The camera's focus turns to Gwen.
"Ah yes, Gwen Tennyson, anything to add?" the reporter asks.
"I will be giving a speech today in Tennyson Park that will cover all of my thoughts, so I invite everyone to come and listen. I appreciate the kind words of the mayor and I truly am grateful for everyone's patience and cooperation over the past couple months."
"Well you heard it here first, folks," the reporter says. "You are welcome to join us as we cover the rest of this special day-"
Click. The TV screen cuts to black, cutting off the broadcast midway. Ben throws the remote aside and leans back against the couch with a sigh. Seeing Gwen again soured his mood. He missed her so much. But he wasn't joking when he said he wanted to walk away from the hero gig. And now she was even more involved with everything than before he left. Why couldn't she let the government take over after the conflict. Their job was done. They saved the planet. Couldn't she see how destructive this lifestyle was? Slaving away to the needs of others, the requests will never stop.
How would she ever know? Without me there to guide her. Ben knew how hard it was being in the spotlight. How much pressure was put on him when he was younger. The stress of having countless people rely on you was too much for one person to handle; kid or adult. She needed to know the truth. The parade popped into his head and he decided to leave the safety of the house and head there to speak to Gwen.
**PAGE BREAK**
Carly brushes past the playing kids towards the tree. Something felt off about the figure she saw. As soon as they made eye contact, they ducked back behind the tree. It was suspicious to say the least, and most times people would leave it alone. But she wasn't "most people" and followed promptly. Halfway up the hill, she lost sight of the mysterious person. Whoever they were, they were good at disappearing.
At the top of the hill, there were laughing children, parents sitting on picnic blankets, and drones that sped through the air piloted by teenagers. Nothing at all suspicious. She scratched the back of her head as she scanned the area. Nothing. Carly sighs and turns around to go back down the hill. When a soccer ball rolls to a halt near her feet. She looks down at the ball and back up at the approaching kids who kicked it. Carly lightly taps it in the direction of the players, shooting them a smile.
She didn't know why she did it but the blonde glances behind her. And she spots her target speed-walking towards the food booths and trucks. The blonde quickly tails the suspect without a second thought. Carly steps off the curb into the lot of food trucks; the delicious scent of various food filled her nose. Her stomach was rumbling, but the woman ignored it as she looked around.
There were even more people over here. Carly pushes through the slow moving crowds. She still had her eye on the unknown person, and she didn't intend to lose it. This was probably all for nothing; it was most likely some random dude who was leaving the event. But she had to make sure. Carly chases them through the sea of people onto the sidewalk on Tenth street; they were a couple blocks away from the town square.
Carly was 20 feet behind them when they turned into an alleyway. The blonde rushes to the corner to catch up, but the alley is empty. Whoever it was disappeared into thin air. Figures. A metallic sound makes her ears perk up; she enters the alley to investigate further. Carly anxiously grips her pistol handle from within the holster, and creeps up to the small dumpster.
"Hey, can you come out for me?" the woman announces clearly.
Carly's grip on her weapon tightened when no one answered. She didn't want this to blow out of proportion.
"You're not in trouble. I just wanna know why you were spying on us?"
Carly peeks around the dumpster to see a rat nibbling on some old orange peels. The blonde sighs in relief and chuckles at her paranoia. She was about to turn around when a familiar click echoed in the alley.
"Don't move. Don't turn around."
"You're pointing that at the wrong person-"
"Shut the fuck up! Put your hands up!" the male voice croaked.
The cold metal that was jammed against her head confirms her question of a weapon being involved. Carly complies quickly.
"Your-your gun!" he stutters. "Throw it away."
"How am I supposed to do that with my hands in the air?"
"Don't get sassy, bitch! Just do what I say!"
Carly slowly moves her right arm down to her holster, where she unlatches her service weapon and raises her hand back up.
The man snarls, "Didn't you hear me? I said, 'Throw it!'" As he reaches to grab the weapon away from the woman.
Carly feels the weight of another hand on her barrel, and she takes the opportunity to elbow the attacker in the gut as hard as she could. The man hunches over her and she grabs his arm, before throwing him over her shoulder. The blonde regains positive control of her weapon and points it at the assailant.
"Stay on the ground!" she orders.
Carly was able to get a good look at the assaulter. He was wearing an old worn brown leather jacket and jeans. A black bandana covered his nose and mouth. He was a white college age male with brown hair and eyes. The look in his eyes convinced Carly that he wasn't a normal dude though. A feral look like that of a wounded predator.
"Who are you?"
The man narrowed his eyes, but kept quiet.
"Look kid, you pulled a gun on me; the least you could do is tell me who you are."
The man snaps, "I am the one who will kill Gwen Tennyson!"
Carly's eyes widened at the revelation.
Gwen found herself walking alongside the pond within the park. The water surface had a flock of geese enjoying the cool water, and feasting on the aquatic organisms swimming under the surface. People leaned against the railing watching the animals and chatting amongst themselves. They looked happy. Good for them.
She couldn't believe Hope was lying to her face about Ben. She knew that Ben was supposed to be put on the backburner, but Ben would always be a worry of hers no matter how far back in her mind he was. Things were hard enough without him on the fritz. Now she finds out that Hope has been in contact with him for weeks. Why not just tell her? If she thought about this rationally then she could only presume Ben told Hope not to. Gwen rubs her temples. This wasn't the revelation she wanted before her big speech.
"Gwen, wait up!" Hope shouts as she catches up to the redhead. "I get it. You're pissed."
Gwen's eyes flare up and she balls her fist up. The witch always knew what buttons to push on her.
"Pissed doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling right now. But yes, you can say I'm pissed at you."
"I wasn't trying to undermine you or anything…"
"I don't care about that! You lied to me! Why?"
"Well Ben-" Hope starts.
"Ben, of course, how did I know? My idiot cousin is always doing what he wants and expects everyone to follow along."
Hope was in a stupor; she didn't know what to say.
"I thought we agreed to put Ben on the backburner and focus on the things happening here? All this time you were meeting with Ben instead of collecting information on Darkstar?"
The witch found a sudden interest in the sidewalk.
"Hope, answer me!"
"I-I don't know what you want me to say," Hope admits.
"That you weren't lying to me for the past four months!"
"Well you obviously know the answer to that, Gwen!" Hope snaps.
People were giving the arguing duo glances as they passed by.
Gwen sighs, "Anything else you need to tell me?"
Hope hesitates for a second before sighing,"Ben is-"
"Gwen! I've been looking everywhere for you! Come on, you're supposed to be giving your speech right now!" the mayor interrupts.
Gwen checks her watch and mutters a curse underneath her breath. She shoots Hope a look of disappointment before following the mayor to the center stage. Hope is left standing by herself watching the redhead disappear over the hill.
"-Is back," she finishes with a sigh.
"I hope you're prepared for this. A lot of world leaders will be watching," the mayor informs briefly as they near the platform.
"Yeah, I've been working on this for a while."
The mayor pats Gwen on the shoulder and makes his way to his seat. Gwen climbed the stairs onto the stage. Hundreds of chairs filled the space in front of her; even more people crowded the park area looking in her direction. News crews were lined up along the sides with their live cameras pointed at Gwen. Millions of eyes were on her.
Gwen confidently steps up to the podium, and a roar of applause greets her. She pulls a note card from her purse and briefly glances over her talking points. This was it. The opportunity to spread her message to people around the world; maybe even the citizens of different planets too. She adjusts the mic and clears her throat. Everyone was now silent, waiting for her speech.
"Good morning everyone!" she starts.
"What the fuck do you mean, you're going to kill Gwen Tennyson?" Carly spits at the man.
"All hail Godstar."
Carly raises an eyebrow at the strange statement. The man forced a smile, foam spilling out of his mouth as he began to seize.
"Fuck!"
Carly attempts to open the man's mouth but it was too late. His eyes rolled back into his head as he breathed his final breath. The man was dead. Carly filters through his jacket pockets looking for any ID. She found not even pocket lint. The blonde spots a flash of yellow on the underside of the man's wrist; she flips his hand over to reveal a golden star tattooed.
"What the hell…"
Carly rushes out of the alley, rapidly dialing Gwen's number.
Ben absentmindedly stared at the bronze statue at the entrance of the park. It was a statue of his grandpa in his Plumber gear. Max was probably the only Plumber loved by the people at this time. Ben was currently under the guise of a hoodie and jeans Hope had gotten him. Townsfolk strolled past him without so much as a glance in his direction. He was alone. Just the way he liked it. Or was it? Ben couldn't honestly answer that question. One second he didn't want to be bothered and the next he was loving the company of Hope.
Seeing Max again brought back ugly memories. A time when he was considered the villain to most. At first Tennyson thought he was saving them, but in a split second he found himself needing to be saved. He trusted a crazy man with an even crazier idea; simply because a fraction of it sounded like paradise. Now he was looking at the aftermath of his actions. A man he loved and looked up to was dead. Along with several more friends whose lives were uprooted by his selfish measures.
He was ugly with a heart of black. Ben gazes at the sidewalk in shame. Why did he even come back? At that moment, a child brushed past the man being chased by his companions.
"Sorry mister!" the kid apologizes as he takes off.
Ben peers up at the running younglings as they make their way towards a larger group of friends. Several parents stood nearby to greet them as they approached. People covered the luscious green grass of the park. The sound of joy filled the man's ears, reminding him what home felt like. It was a happy place with happy people living their happy lives. Nothing more, nothing less. This is what Gwen was fighting for. This was what Max fought for. And he'd be damned if he didn't do the same because no matter how treacherous a hero's life may be. It was all worth it to see a smile on that innocent kid's face.
"Thanks grandpa. I hope you can forgive me," Ben utters softly.
The screech of a car coming to a halt pierced Tennyson's ears. A beat up SUV comes into view and out jumps four individuals dressed in black, and armed with rifles. They all had their faces hidden by some type of covering or mask. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was about to happen. There was always one that couldn't get along, that hated the idea of peace.
Ben made a split second decision as he reached for his watch. A bright flash of green appeared and XLR8 rocketed out. It didn't take a second for Ben to round up all the weapons and lay the perpetrators out in one fell swoop. He immediately reverted back to human so as to not draw too much attention to himself. It was already too late. The attackers had gotten shots off; two bodies laid on the streets. The crowds are already dispersing in every direction; screams and shouts filled the air.
Ben laid his eyes on a terrifying scene unfolding before him, and within the chaos he spotted one of the casualties. Unmoving, their blank eyes staring right into his soul. In the midst of everything he froze. He was unsure of what to do now. So he ran, like a coward.
A secret service agent whispers into the mayor's ear, much to his dismay. He didn't want to be distrubed at such an important event. But what he was informed of was a million times more relevant. A shooting in the park. Unknown who and where. The agent yanks the mayor out of his seat and pulls him toward the parked sedan. By now the audience was able to hear the screaming and were confused as to what was happening. Once safely in the car, mayor Fitch decides to make a call.
He reaches for his phone when he notices a black rubber object on the seat. It looked like a ball. Fitch picks up the ball in curiosity; upon studying it, he recognizes it to be a black costume nose like what clowns wore. The man chuckles, not knowing where this item came from, before squeezing the clown nose. A squeak rang out in the car and the agent glanced back to see what made the noise.
"Is this supposed to be some sort of joke-"
Gwen continues to speak as she watches the mayor be escorted away into his car. She notices the crowd of rushing people and distant screams. The redhead was easily able to put two and two together. Something was very wrong.
"Excuse me, everyone, it seems that there is an emergency-"
The mayor's car explodes into an inferno, sending shrapnel in every direction. It was too late. The chaos had reached them. The audience rushes out of their seats to the side of the park not engulfed in flames. Gwen senses footsteps rapidly approaching her and she spins around to see a frantic Carly.
"Gwen!"
"Carly? What's happening?"
The blonde tackles the woman to the ground. Gwen peers up to see the podium, where she just was standing behind, is riddled with bullet holes. What the hell is going on? She asks herself. This is an absolute nightmare. The thought of an attack today made a lump grow in her throat. Gwen was pulled out of her trance when she felt the sensation of a liquid on her hand. The redhead's eyes widened at the blood covering her palm; she glanced up at Carly who smiled weakly at her.
"Carly? Carly, you're bleeding!"
Gwen immediately searches for a wound, finding an entry hole on her stomach. She utters a healing spell and watches the injury slowly close. Carly winces from the pain of being shot but reorientated herself. She pulls out her side arm and takes aim from the cover of the podium. No sign of an enemy, so Carly takes the opportunity to pull Gwen up and usher her towards the vehicles. Gwen's ears were still ringing from the explosion but her eyes confirmed the hellscape around her. Flames ran rampant through the park, eating all of the luscious green. Parents carried away their little ones from the danger. As they neared the vehicles, Gwen saw burning bodies of the poor souls caught in the blast. No… Her eyes counted as much as ten corpses.
Carly pulls open the door of a random car, most likely belonging to one of the government officials here today, and she pushes the redhead into the backseat. Gwen fought back against the blonde; she didn't want to leave.
"Stop, Gwen!" Carly shouts as she pins the woman down.
"I am NOT going to run away while people are dying!" Gwen snaps. "I am going to stay and fight."
"That's exactly what they want you to do!" Carly argues frantically.
Gwen was confused on who "they" was and Carly wasn't helping by being vague.
"They aren't targeting people; they're after you!" the blonde adds.
Gwen snarls, "Tell that to the corpses out there!"
She had enough of the bickering. People were dying while they went back and forth. Gwen's eyes glow bright pink as she mutters a spell under her breath. A pink aura spawns around Carly, and she begins to levitate. Gwen steps out of the car and drops Carly in her place. The door slammed shut with a thud. Carly rushes for the door handle but is thrown firmly against the seat. Seatbelts slither across her body, wrapping around every limb tightly; they strap her to the seat and restrict her movement.
Gwen waves her hand and the car turns on, but instead of driving, it flies off into the sky in the direction of a building rooftop. Gwen allows the car to land on the roof. Carly was completely stranded.
"Gwen!" she screams out in frustration.
The car doors lock in response.
Hope completely incinerates the gunman in front of her. His screams of agony being the last thing this world hears of him. The other two gunmen turn their attention towards the witch. They unload the clip on her with no hesitation. Charmcaster snaps her fingers and both of their rifles turn into balls of snakes. Hope strides past the screaming men that were being repeatedly bitten by dozens of venomous snakes. She didn't know who these men were, and she didn't care. All she knew was that they showed up soon after Gwen stormed off. Senseless violence Hope tells herself as she freezes another attacker into a block of solid ice. She planned on killing them all.
The witch casted spell after spell sending the unprepared attackers to a painful death. Hope sucked her teeth; these people were weak nobodies, but on account of how they're moving. It didn't take a genius to realize this is an orchestrated attack. Hope sensed a large intake of mana nearby. Gwen was pissed. She didn't blame her; today is supposed to be her special day. Plus involving innocent people was a mistake. One thing Charmcaster noticed about the sorceress was that she was able to think rationally and talk things out with anybody; but once someone involved an innocent citizen she showed them no mercy.
Bullets rain around the witch, but none touch her. They can't even get close with the mana shield she has up. It disassembles everything non-magical. She hasn't stopped training since the conflict. The witch had an arsenal of new spells and abilities to show off, when the time comes of course. For now she'll throw out simple attack spells for this fodder. When she was done, there was nothing but a graveyard of corpses littered around her.
Sparks flew as the bullets ricochet off the hardened armor. Cooper shoots a small rocket at the group of firing men. He turns to the next threat as an explosion goes off behind him. The blonde was slightly annoyed that his day with his friends was ruined by the usual scum. He peeked over at Elena, who was in a suit of her own, firing at the gunmen. No need to worry about her. Coop turns back to his targets; the suit scans multiple hostile lifeforms approaching, so he fires out a cluster of small explosives.
"Doesn't this remind you of our anniversary?" Cooper speaks through the in-suit comms.
"You mean when you turned our romantic getaway into an action movie?" Elena chirps back.
The couple was now back to back, tearing through the attackers in their own symphony of bullets.
"Oh come on! They were hijackers! Did you expect me to turn a blind eye?"
"I wanted you to but I knew you wouldn't," Elena chuckles.
"Aw, you know me so well."
"That's the fun part."
In another section of the park Gwen was chopping through gunmen, they seemed to be never ending. She saved 15 people and counting from a painful death. Although nothing is going to save these murderers. Mana whipped around her like a magical ballerina in her own dance of death. Anyone stupid enough to stand in her way was cut down swiftly. The flames were starting to eat through the park. A scowl grew across Gwen's face at the sight of her grandpa's memorial park being destroyed. But she couldn't engage the problem on account of stopping the gunmen from killing more people.
No, she could. She will. She must. Gwen would need a large amount of water to put out this inferno. Her eyes glanced at the pond nearby. The redhead concentrates on the mana residing within the water molecules, within the swimming fish, within the plants that covered the bottom. The water began to rise from its containment like a large snake coming out of its nest. This was a new technique of mana control she practiced, but hadn't put into use. Now was the time to test her abilities.
A gang of gunmen took aim at a cornered family. The father pushed his children and wife behind him; he won't allow them to take his family away from him. The son stared at his dad in shock and awe, the same dad who he thought was lame for wearing socks and sandals to his little league game. The attacker slowly squeezed the trigger. The dad sucked his teeth. In the end he couldn't do anything to protect them. Bang.
A mana bubble formed around the family, ricocheting the bullet into the shooter's face. Gwen was nearby focusing on the life forces of close innocents; she collectively created a mana shield around all of them. She won't allow any more innocent people to die. The redhead was able to differentiate the hostiles and conjure the bubble inside of their bodies, allowing it to rapidly expand. The ending result was extreme bloating following an explosion of body parts and guts.
Gwen releases the water on top of the flames, smothering it efficiently. Steam rose into the air from the blanketed fire. It was cut back to a reasonable size for a quick response from the fire department. Police and other emergency services arrive on scene to engage the shooters and tend to the wounded. Gwen let out a large sigh. Today was ruined.
A small chuckle filled the woman's ears. She spun around with her fist cocked back. Noone was there. Only a black rubber ball rolling towards her feet. Gwen picked the odd object up and saw that it had a hole in the back. She gave it a squeeze and it released a small squeak. Another laugh echoed behind her, more audible now. Her eyes widened in shock at the familiar giggle. How? Is he responsible for this attack?
"Where are you hiding, Zombozo?" Gwen whispers to herself.
"You were always the smartest of the duo, ya know? That Ben idiot could never figure it out."
Gwen was face to face with the resident clown-freak, Zombozo. She narrowed her eyes at the evil monster. The redhead won't let him get away. Not this time. Gwen's hand clenched into a fist at her side, with powerful mana swirling around it.
"Oh? Looks like our resident good gal has a mean streak. Come on then, take your best shot."
Gwen was about to take him up on that offer when several policemen rushed past her and tackled the villain to the ground. They placed him in handcuffs and walked him away. The officers thanked Gwen for her help as they passed by. Zombozo shot her a smirk before being stuffed into an armored police van.
"Gwen?" a voice called from behind her.
The woman turned to a concerned Hope staring at her.
"You good?" the witch adds.
"Yeah," she admits quickly. "Come on, we're going to the police station."
AUTHOR's NOTE: Hey everyone, I wanted to say that this action does lead to more drama between the group and mostly just foreshadowing for later events in a different book. So don't worry about the action, this will quickly turn back into a drama fic. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Let me know what you think of the story so far.