《The Glass Knight》


 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 1 - Pip

    The sound of shouting and battle was like music to Pip¡¯s ears.


    Her phone vibrated furiously in her pocket as she approached the warehouse, barely keeping herself from sprinting. She was late, very late, but it wasn¡¯t her fault that it took so much time to get all the trackers off her clothes. She wasn¡¯t going to get caught like last time.


    A figure darted out of the shadows of the warehouse. Pip tensed for a moment, gripping the figment of a knife in her hand before she recognized them and released her power.


    ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± Izzy shouted, throwing up his hands and all efforts at being subtle.


    ¡°A hero is never late,¡± Pip fired back, met with a deadpan stare from the blue haired boy.


    ¡°Heroes also don¡¯t get caught by their mommy after sneaking out the back door.¡±


    Ouch.


    Pip brushed the comment aside. ¡°They won¡¯t catch me this time,¡± she said, smoothing down the front of her jacket, a smug grin on her face. ¡°I double checked everything. No trackers.¡±


    Izzy clearly wasn¡¯t impressed. ¡°I definitely trust you,¡± he said drily. ¡°Now get inside there! The good fights are almost over and I bet so much money on you. You don¡¯t want to rob a poor guy of his income, now do you?¡±


    It was Pip¡¯s turn to look unimpressed. ¡°You¡¯re not poor,¡± she said. ¡°You go to an exclusive private school. You have money.¡±


    ¡°Wrong. My parents have money,¡± Izzy said. ¡°Not me. I gotta make some cash somehow.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Pip said. She shoved her hands into her pockets, setting her sights on the warehouse, noise picking up from inside. She shifted from foot to foot, heartbeat quickening. She was missing a fight. ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡±


    ¡°Thank god!¡± Izzy threw his hands up in the air in praise, but Pip was already gone.


    She sprinted to the front door, adjusting the hood of her jacket over her head before throwing the door open. It wasn¡¯t so much a disguise as it was a part of her costume, orange and painted with pastels that matched the rest of her athletic gear. The only thing that really set her apart from her normal, school self was a smearing of paint across her cheeks around her eyes.


    It stung a bit, where the paint touched the corner of her eye. She needed to be more careful.


    But she looked badass.


    Noise and heat surrounded her, growing more intense the further into the warehouse she went. She found her way only by the lights of the open room up ahead, flashing and multicolored, originating with the noise, heat, and a scream of metal against metal. Someone shoved past her, bumping into her shoulder and making her stumble. She grumbled and moved faster, elbowing her way into the room until she broke through the crowd of bodies and sucked in a breath of cooler, albeit stale, air.


    The Summoner¡¯s Ring.


    A low metal fence, no taller than Pip¡¯s knees, ringed the center of the room. Two people sat outside on either side, facing each other on a pair of wooden chairs that looked like they¡¯d seen better days. Inside the ring, creatures fought.


    Not living creatures, at least not in the usual sense. Summoned creations, battling against each other in a fight of will and skill. A blobby, pink rabbit looking creature like the Energizer Bunny with radiation poisoning stood on two legs and fought with the other two, claws as sharp as razor blades. It danced around a blocky electronic creation, whirring angrily as it tried to keep up with the summoned rabbit. It chirped loudly, letting out a sort of metallic frustration, and charged.


    The rabbit leapt up into the air, pouncing onto the robot from above. Just before it hit, the rabbit kicked out with both feet. They struck the robot dead center and metal went flying. People cried out as nuts and bolts shot across the room, pieces of metal curling up from the machine.


    The man in the chair closest to Pip slumped, barely catching himself against the edge before sliding off and hitting the floor. He took a moment to breathe, body shuddering, before rising to unsteady feet and wobbling off.


    Pip darted for the chair the moment it was empty. She wasn¡¯t the only one. People scrambled for the seat, eager to be the next one in the ring and fight while there were still good summoners to fight.


    Someone stepped down on the back of Pip¡¯s shoe. Unwilling to give up her shot, she threw herself forward, slamming into the chair with her whole chest. The air whooshed out of her lungs as her arms wrapped around the seat, nails digging into the wood before anyone could grab her and drag her off.


    There was a scuffle around her before one of the moderators forced the others to back off. With a bit of space, Pip sucked in a breath, ribs aching, and pulled herself onto the seat. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Sweat mixed with paint to drip down her face, running into her mouth. She spat it out, tasting chemicals. Yuck.


    The moderator looked at her sharply, nose wrinkling as he took her in. ¡°What are you, twelve?¡±


    Pip scoffed in disgust. ¡°I¡¯m seventeen!¡±


    The man raised an eyebrow like he didn¡¯t believe her, but stepped back as a lady who was not wearing a lot of clothes stepped into the middle of the ring. Pip wondered for a moment what a bikini had to do with the rules, only to realize she¡¯d completely missed the beginning of the woman¡¯s explanation staring at her, well¡­


    Pip coughed and pulled her eyes away from the woman, ignoring the warmth in her cheeks. She¡¯d missed the rules, but she¡¯d been here before so she definitely had it all memorized. Don¡¯t target the summoners, only fight with the summons, blah, blah, blah.


    ¡°Summoners!¡± The announcer¡¯s voice boomed out of a speaker nearby, vibrating against the floor. The room quieted for a moment, waiting for the call to go. ¡°Fight!¡±


    Noise exploded in the room at the word, but it was as if Pip slipped into a calm. She sucked in a breath through her nose, and contacted the power that lived inside her.


    It was as easy as breathing, as natural as every other process of her body. Glass summoned out of nothing, piecing together until a tiny soldier stood before her, holding a blade as long as its forearm.


    It wasn¡¯t truly from nothing. Hers wasn¡¯t a proper summon, but that wasn¡¯t relevant. She crafted it with her own special made glass, presumably made from the dust and sand and little particles of atoms or whatever. She was failing physics, so she wasn¡¯t entirely certain, but who needed physics anyway when half the people in the world could just defy all the rules?


    The summoner across from her crafted her pink bunny again. Pip felt a bit bad about having to kill a bunny, but considering it looked like it was made out of jello, she didn¡¯t feel too bad. Jello was gross anyway.


    The bunny hopped once, slashing its claws through the air. Pip¡¯s soldier lifted his sword, snapping into position. Glass joints scraped against each other, the sound reaching Pip¡¯s ears even through the noise, and she winced. Apparently she still didn¡¯t have joints down exactly. Oh well.


    ¡°What is that?¡± She looked up in surprise as the summoner across from her spoke. ¡°Glass?¡± She laughed. ¡°You really have no clue what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Pip exclaimed. She searched frantically for a quick response, something sharp and smart, but instead she stuttered out: ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing!¡±


    The woman struck before Pip could drag her attention back to the fight they were supposed to be having.


    The rabbit sprinted across the ring, slashing its claws at Pip¡¯s soldier (his name was Fredrick, in case you wanted to know) in a one-two rapid attack. Rabbit attack. Ha.


    The claws screamed against glass as they scraped lines down the soldier¡¯s front, causing several people to clap their hands over their ears. Used to the unfortunate sounds glass made, Pip was ready for it, and the soldier struck back.


    Fredrick struck as fluidly as Pip¡¯s mother, slicing up and across the rabbit¡¯s stomach. Pink ooze seeped out of its stomach as it leapt back, too late, its summoner crying out.


    He advanced, not moving forward fast enough. Pip strained to get him to move faster, a vein popping out in her forehead as she put pressure on his joints, trying to smooth them out on the fly.


    She let it go as the rabbit bounced again, bearing its teeth as it circled around Fredrick. It bounced on its feet like a boxer, shifting from foot to foot in a bit of fancy movement. It was too much, and Pip struck between steps. At her cue, Fredrick struck down at the rabbit¡¯s feet while it shifted. The sword caught against the rabbit¡¯s toe and it stumbled, backpedaling as the glass knight continued to advance.


    Yes!¡± Pip cheered under her breath. ¡°Good job, Fredrick!¡±


    The summoner across from her let out a growl, rising halfway out of her seat before a moderator stepped in. She sunk back into the seat, hands balling into fists as she focused on the rabbit in front of her. Was she angry? Well, she¡¯d never lost, so it made sense she might be angry.


    The rabbit moved forward in a burst of energy, running as if to bodyslam Fredrick only to leap directly into the air last minute. That seemed to be this summon¡¯s ending move. Too bad it wouldn¡¯t work.


    Pip had watched too many of these matches. She knew exactly what this summoner would do, even if no one else seemed to ever prepare for it. Everyone always expected people to do something new, but why would they, if what they did always worked?


    Fredrick brought his sword straight up, flush to his chest like he was laying down to die. Instead, as the bunny came down, it drove itself straight into Fredrick¡¯s glass blade.


    It let out a horrendous, gut wrenching squeal as it kebabbed itself on the sword, pink ooze dripping down the tip as it extended from the rabbit¡¯s bright pink skull.


    Pip let out a whoop, leaping up in excitement as the crowd around her went wild.


    It wasn¡¯t until she¡¯d reached down to grab Fredrick that she realized the cries weren¡¯t from excitement, but from terror.


    ¡°Heroes!¡± The MC¡¯s voice boomed around the room, laced with fear. ¡°The heroes are coming.¡±


    Pip froze, leaning halfway over the railing as she reached for Fredrick to give him a hug.


    ¡°Ah, fuck.¡±


    Pip debated briefly if she should run with the rest of these people, streaming and screaming out of the packed warehouse, stumbling over each other in a frantic need to escape. But she had a sneaking suspicion the hero was here for her, so she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get away anyhow.


    Had they managed to get a tracker on her again?


    The summoner¡¯s pink rabbit disappeared along with the summoner, though it left a film of pink goo behind. It stuck to Pip¡¯s hands as she lifted Fredrick up, hugging him to his chest like a doll.


    The hero stepped into the room, eyes locking immediately on the small girl crouched in the center of the summoner¡¯s ring, ignoring everyone else escaping the room.


    She towered nearly seven feet tall, carrying a spear that brushed the roof of the warehouse. She looked as if she¡¯d stepped out of history, or off a LARPing event, wearing Roman-style leather armor and a centurion helmet over her head.


    ¡°Phillipa Carter!¡± Her voice boomed, shaking the earth as if she used her power to make a point. ¡°You are grounded.¡±

 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 2 - Pip

    Athena, Hero of Earth, stared at Pip with a mother¡¯s unapproving glare, which made sense, considering she was in fact Pip¡¯s mother. But it absolutely was not fair, considering the things Grandma Thalia had told her about Athena¡¯s childhood.


    ¡°But Mom,¡± Pip moaned.


    ¡°No.¡± The spear vanished, leaving nothing but a few grains of sand behind. ¡°You¡¯re grounded. We made the consequences clear to you well before tonight.¡± She reached out a hand to Pip, one larger than Pip¡¯s entire head. At 5¡¯2, Pip barely looked like she could be Athena¡¯s daughter, and she didn¡¯t expect she¡¯d suddenly hit a growth spurt and grow two whole feet over the school year. No, she¡¯d be going to the hero program this height, which was a tiny bit depressing. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home.¡±


    With a sigh, Pip reached up and took her mother¡¯s hand, letting the hero haul her to her feet.


    They walked through the empty warehouse, accompanied by only the scuff of Athena¡¯s sandals and the quiet padding of Pip¡¯s lucky shoes. Pip continued to clutch the glass soldier to her chest, saving it to add to her trophy shelf.


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Pip looked up at her mother, unable to see her face in the dark.


    ¡°How did the fight go?¡± Athena asked. ¡°You were in the summoning ring. I¡¯m assuming you fought.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, it went well,¡± Pip said, a smile breaking out across her face. Her mom would be proud, even if she didn¡¯t approve. ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard, really.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Athena said, the words coming out as a low rumble. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°No. I would have hoped it was at least a challenge for you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Pip¡¯s nose wrinkled as she tried to think about it. Wasn¡¯t it good that it was easy? It meant that Pip was good at what she did.


    ¡°Because if it was hard, at least you would have learned something.¡±


    They walked the rest of the way in silence, making their way out into the dimly lit gravel parking lot surrounding the warehouse which had previously been filled with cars. The only car there now was the family minivan, sitting with the side door open and waiting for her. Not even the passenger door, which meant Pip had to sit in the back. Like a child.


    She slid into the back seat, slamming the door shut as she slumped in beside a car seat, refusing to do her seatbelt. In the passenger seat, Athena¡¯s hero partner Odysseus looked back at her with an apologetic look.


    ¡°Sorry, kid,¡± he said.


    ¡°Where was it this time?¡± Pip asked. She¡¯d looked everywhere before leaving the house. There shouldn¡¯t have been a tracker on her.


    ¡°Your aglet,¡± Odysseus said.


    ¡°Damn, there¡¯s even a whole song about not forgetting your aglet and I still missed it.¡±


    Athena squeezed herself into the driver¡¯s seat and they took off, rattling down the gravel road in silence.


    The car clunked and rattled. The engine whirred. Odysseus let out a long breath through his nose, sinking into the passenger seat. Pip shifted, waiting until they hit the actual road before the itch got to her and she clicked on her seatbelt.


    At the click of the seatbelt, Athena opened her mouth as if to say something, then shut it again. Great, that meant she was waiting to give Pip the lecture until they got home, which meant Mum would be involved too. Just absolutely perfect.


    Ten minutes later, they pulled down the long driveway up to the house, driveway gate closing behind them. Athena stopped in front of the near-mansion, cutting the engine and staring at the windshield for a few moments before turning to Odysseus.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Do you want someone to drive you home?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m good, thank you.¡± He opened the door to the car and then vanished, popping into existence somewhere miles away. Most likely his apartment. Which left Pip alone with Athena.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get inside,¡± Athena said.


    Pip slid open the door to the minivan, stepping out into the dark and staring up at the front door. Lights shone through the windows; Mai was obviously still awake. Pip was screwed.


    ¡°You think you could just¡­ ground me now and we skip the lecture?¡± Pip asked, looking up at her mom hopefully.


    ¡°You¡¯re already grounded, and no, your mother has¡­ a lot to say.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair,¡± Pip complained, following her mom toward the door. Athena¡¯s steps left little aftershocks behind, like mini earthquakes, a side effect of the sheer strength of her ability. ¡°It¡¯s not even like I did anything that bad.¡±


    ¡°You went to an illegal fighting ring to compete against dangerous supers and win dirty money, snuck out of the house on a school night, and missed your mother¡¯s tea party.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Pip sucked on her teeth. That explained why Mai was so upset. ¡°That was tonight.¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Athena said. She opened up the door and stepped to the side, motioning Pip through. There was absolutely no escaping.


    Pip stepped into the large entryway, music playing softly from the other room. She slipped off her shoes, leaving them on a mat by the door, and tucked Fredrick onto a shelf to keep him safe until after Mai¡¯s lecture. It wasn¡¯t a good idea to remind Mum what she¡¯d been up to tonight.


    Taking a deep breath, Pip readied herself for a lecture and walked through the entryway, entering into a large kitchen and dining area and spotting her mother immediately. A traditional Chinese tea set sat on the counter, untouched. As cluttered as the house could be with people, Mai never left anything out that could be put away, which meant it sat out just to drive the point home to Pip.


    ¡°Sorry, Mum,¡± Pip said, hanging her head and staring down at her painted toenails. ¡°I forgot.¡±


    ¡°About the rules? About your grandparents coming? About your curfew?¡± Mai crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for a response. Athena may have been a modern giant and a world renown superhero, but Mai was the more intimidating one. She may have been shorter than Pip but she had a presence like that of one of the most important people in the world. And she had to, considering she was a normal human in a world of supers, with six super children.


    ¡°All of it,¡± Pip muttered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°And the worst of it all?¡± Mai demanded. ¡°You don¡¯t even realize how dangerous what you did is?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Pip bit her lip before deciding to say it. She was already grounded, it couldn¡¯t really get worse. ¡°It¡¯s not that dangerous. I can defend myself perfectly fine, Mum¡±


    ¡°You know how to fight with swords and knives¡­¡± And bows and spears and more, Pip added mentally. ¡°But you are still just a child. You¡¯re a seventeen year old girl who decided to sneak out and go fight in a warehouse for fuck¡¯s sake. Can you not understand how that might end badly?¡±


    Pip opened her mouth to protest. She¡¯d been trained on how to defend herself since she was small, plus she¡¯d really adapted to armed combat. It was their family¡¯s specialty, and Pip would be able to hold her own amongst them soon. Especially with all the work she¡¯d put into developing her core and her power.


    Athena spoke before she could.


    ¡°Your mother is right,¡± Athena said. ¡°Just because you have powers doesn¡¯t mean you can put yourself in dangerous situations like that. Especially illegal situations. You realize how that could hinder your chances at the hero program, right?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t the one betting on the fights!¡± Pip wasn¡¯t stupid. She¡¯d done her research¡ªa quick internet search¡ªand determined that competing in a Summoners fight wasn¡¯t illegal. The only illegal part was if you put down a bet.


    ¡°But the winners get a prize pulled from that pot, don¡¯t they?¡± Athena asked. ¡°And that¡¯s beside the point. You snuck out and did something illegal, just because you could. That¡¯s not the way supers should act, especially not ones who want to become heroes.¡±


    ¡°I have to practice somewhere!¡± Pip threw up her hands, glad now she wasn¡¯t holding Fredrick anymore. They just didn¡¯t get it. Pip had to train somewhere, train in more than just weapons. She was good with weapons, she was good with hand to hand. What she needed was more practical than that. She needed to know what it felt like to fight. To pit her willpower against another super. To use her brains to win a fight, not just a practice spar. To challenge herself.


    ¡°And if you weren¡¯t failing half your classes, then you¡¯d still have that privilege,¡± Mai said pointedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like these classes even matter!¡± If she was old enough now, she¡¯d already have dropped out, no matter what her parents wanted. Because highschool didn¡¯t matter, not to her. She wasn¡¯t going to go to college and become a doctor, or a lawyer, or anything like that. She would become a hero, like everyone else in her family. It wasn¡¯t like Mai had needed a degree either, since she was an artist. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a hero, who gives a fuck if I can do calculus?¡±


    Athena laid a broad hand on Mai¡¯s shoulder as the small woman wound up for her retort, stepping into the argument. ¡°There are a number of heroes who use math or science to their own gain, and plenty of villains as well, but I understand where you¡¯re coming from. I do, believe me. But we want you to have options. Being a hero isn¡¯t for everyone.¡±


    ¡°But I want to be one!¡± Pip¡¯s voice rose, desperation coming through. This was all she¡¯d ever wanted to do, why would they ask her to do anything different? They knew this. They¡¯d always known this.


    ¡°And I¡¯m not saying you can¡¯t be or shouldn¡¯t be,¡± Athena said, continuing to speak before anyone else could. ¡°But there is more to life than being a hero. Not to mention, being a hero isn¡¯t forever. People get hurt. People step down. It¡¯s good to have something to fall back on.¡±


    Pip scoffed and shook her head. They were just making the arguments out of principle. Nobody in their family had died or retired or stepped down, at least not until they were at retirement age and ready to relax and play. And even then, they stayed involved with the hero world, going into administration or teaching. She was going to be a hero; there wasn¡¯t reason to think about anything else.


    ¡°But,¡± Athena began again, catching Pip¡¯s attention and hope once more. ¡°In the interest of fairness, how about this? You fix your grades enough to graduate highschool, and I will get you supers to fight. Not just sparring and training. You want to be a hero, and I¡¯ll help you. But you have to stop all this.¡±


    Pip bit her lip to stop herself from shouting in excitement and waking up her siblings and simply nodded. She could do that, and she hated breaking the rules like that anyway. All she¡¯d wanted was a good fight. ¡°I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Athena nodded once, and gave Pip a soft smile. Pip couldn¡¯t help but grin back, the excitement too much to contain.


    ¡°When do we start?¡± Pip asked.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Mai said. ¡°You¡¯re still grounded.¡±


    ¡°Mai is right,¡± Athena said, growing stern once more. ¡°You¡¯re still grounded for the stunt you pulled tonight. You¡¯re going to get caught up with all your homework, ask your teachers what you can do to fix your grades, and make it up to your grandparents for missing their visit.¡±


    ¡°And then I get to train?¡± Pip asked, leaning forward on her toes as she waited for the answer.


    ¡°And then you get to train,¡± Athena confirmed.


    This time, Pip couldn¡¯t help herself, even if it did make her moms angry. She let out a whoop of joy and pumped a fist in the air. She¡¯d make a hell of a hero yet.


    She just had to make it through highschool first.

 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 3 - Vivainne

    A clock ticked steadily against Vivainne¡¯s wrist, reminding her with every beat of the deadline in place, and how fast she needed to move to beat it.


    She was ahead of schedule, but that was her mother¡¯s schedule, and Vivainne had another goal in mind. If she moved fast enough, she would have a bit of time to spare, time enough to get caught.


    Shadows hugged to her, her body dissolving into them. Fully meshed with the dark, Vivainne pressed through the wall in front of her and moved into the space between them. She couldn¡¯t explain how what she did worked, considering by all known laws of the universe, she shouldn¡¯t have been able to breathe right now even despite her powers. But the laws of physics hadn¡¯t really affected the world in the past seventy years, so there was no looking to them for explanation.


    She also should not have been able to see, but once again, fuck science, because Vivainne could see perfectly fine.


    Perhaps seeing wasn¡¯t quite the right way to put it. She could sense the space around her, not by a huge margin, but it was as if her shadows snuck out and whatever they touched imputed straight into her brain. That, combined with the map she¡¯d studiously memorized, let her know exactly where she was.


    She was meant to continue along the inside of the wall around the room to squeeze into the vault hidden behind the fireplace. However, Vivainne didn¡¯t actually intend to steal any of the artifacts hidden inside the vault.


    That may be what her mother sent her here for, but Vivainne had set her sights on the hero who lived here.


    She melded her shadows with the door and let a piece of herself return to normal. Her power protected her from immediately severing pieces from her body by materializing in the middle of a wall, allowing her to open her eyes and look around the room.


    A fire burned from the large fireplace at the end of the room, protecting the vault Vivainne was supposed to rob. The rest of the room was furnished in a warm, cozy manner resembling a classic farmhouse despite being built in California. A table set with a chess board, pieces laid out mid game sat in front of the fireplace. A small wooden bar and glass shelf against the wall neared Viv, an open bottle on the tabletop. And facing the fireplace, a large cushion chair, the leg rest kicked up, and a man lounging in the seat.


    Vivainne glanced down the open doorway, confirming it was empty, forced a deep breath into her lungs, and stepped out of the wall. Her body solidified once more, shaping out of ribbons of shadow.


    God, she hoped he wouldn¡¯t just blast her on the spot.


    She steeled her nerves and cleared her throat, suddenly certain she¡¯d be dead in a minute. How am I supposed to get a hero to listen to me?


    The room went deathly still.


    The man froze in his chair. Vivainne found herself rooted to the floor, unable to breathe, waiting for the older super to react. Even while the rest of her turned to stone, her heart raced, threatening to come bursting out of her chest.


    ¡°I take it you¡¯re not here to kill me, considering you¡¯ve announced yourself?¡± The man¡¯s voice was steady, no indication of fear or uncertainty. It was, in a way, calming.


    He pushed slowly down on the leg rest, folding it up before placing a near empty glass on the table beside him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Then again,¡± he continued as he rose to his feet, continuing to face away from her. ¡°I¡¯ve made enough enemies through the years, there¡¯s sure to be a few who really want to torture me before they kill me.¡±


    Vivainne opened her mouth to speak, finding it so dry she could hardly piece words together. ¡°I¡¯m not here to kill you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± the man said. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to kill anyone tonight. Or any night, really.¡±


    Viv¡¯s heart hitched, stopping for a breath as the super turned around. His eyes landed on her, confusion flitting across it in the next moment. She forced herself to breathe, all too aware she was wasting time and if she took too long, she¡¯d get caught. And getting caught by her mother was so much worse than purposefully getting herself captured by a hero.


    ¡°You¡¯re just a kid,¡± Recompense, Hero of State, said.


    Viv nodded. She¡¯d turned eighteen in the spring, but she¡¯d realized the truth a long time ago. She was still a child, and she needed help. ¡°I need help.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of places you could have gone for help that don¡¯t involve breaking into a hero¡¯s house,¡± Recompense said. He didn¡¯t look as old as Vivainne would have expected, considering how long he¡¯d been a hero. That didn¡¯t say much, considering how supers aged, but it unnerved her to be staring into a thirty year old face when he had the experience of a fifty year old.


    ¡°I had to break into your house anyway,¡± Vivainne said, then winced. This explanation wasn¡¯t coming out the best. ¡°My mother, she made me. She thinks I¡¯m breaking into your vault.¡±


    ¡°Good thing you didn¡¯t,¡± Recompense said, a hint of amusement in his voice. ¡°I can assure you, whatever your power, you would have been eviscerated.¡±


    Vivainne blanched, the blood running from her face as a cold washed through her body. What had she gotten herself into?


    ¡°Oh, calm down,¡± Recompense said. ¡°I told you it was a good thing. Come here, and explain to me why you felt the need to break into my house to talk to me specifically, and why your mother is making you break into heroes¡¯ houses.¡± He sat back down at his chair, motioning for her to follow.


    Vivainne jerked her head in a nod. Part of her hadn¡¯t expected to get this far. She moved toward the chair, glancing down at her watch. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    Recompense raised an eyebrow. His brown hair was mused, whatever he¡¯d used to style it worn out. ¡°You have somewhere to be?¡±


    ¡°My mother is waiting,¡± Viv said. This was taking too long. She decided to dive straight into the meat of the matter, and started talking. ¡°She¡¯s a villain. She has been for as long as I can remember, and she¡¯s made me work with her since I graduated high school and decided to take a gap year. She¡­¡± Viv balled a hand into her fist, skipping over that subject for now. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a criminal.¡±


    ¡°You want me to get you away?¡± Recompense asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Viv shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to do anything for me. But I want you to stop her. Lock her up.¡±


    Recompense looked at her, his head tilted to the side as he considered her words. ¡°And why not just go to your local law enforcement, or the Unity of Heroes tower?¡±


    ¡°My mother is Vora Monet.¡±


    Finally, she¡¯d said something that took Recompense by surprise. ¡°Of Monet Institute and Integrated Tech?¡±


    Vivainne nodded.


    ¡°Well, that is interesting.¡± He pushed himself to his feet once more and walked over to the bar, pouring himself a glass. ¡°We have a lot to discuss.¡±


    Viv touched her watch. ¡°I have to get going.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you do,¡± Recompense said. Before Vivainne had a moment to question, alarms began to blare, and the entire room locked down. Massive steel doors locked in place over any possible entryway, lasers bursting into being around the edges of the room. Even the fireplace ticked up in intensity, as if someone had tried to escape via that route before.


    Vivainne leapt to her feet. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Sit back down,¡± Recompense said. He motioned at the stool she¡¯d been sitting on as we walked back to his lounge chair, unbothered by the noise. ¡°Now you don¡¯t have to go back to your mother.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Were you going to go back empty handed? Or did you expect me to hand something over for you to appease her?¡±


    Rather than respond, she lowered herself slowly back onto the stool.


    ¡°Good. Now we have time to talk this through and figure out exactly what we¡¯re going to do for you.¡±


    Vivianne licked her lips before speaking. ¡°Am I¡­ going to jail?¡±


    Recompense let out a loud burst of laughter. ¡°Tempting, but no. We heroes do try to help people before throwing them behind bars. What you have ahead of you is going to be a bit more difficult than jail.¡±

 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 4 - Vivainne

    Vivainne sat in the back of a cop car, ears ringing from the alarms that had blessedly stopped a few minutes ago. Her hands twisted around each other as she waited, unsure what was going to happen or where she was going. She¡¯d explained as much to Recompense as she could, then been escorted out of his house and to the authorities who¡¯d responded to the security alert he¡¯d set off.


    Multiple heroes milled about outside, checking the perimeter. If they thought they¡¯d be able to catch her mother, they¡¯d be sorely disappointed. Her mother always had someone else do the dirty work, at least the type that was likely to get noticed.


    The police car door swung open, and Recompense poked his head in, now wearing his signature brown and red cowl mask. ¡°Hold on tight, kid. I promise you¡¯re not going to jail.¡± He then slammed the door closed and walked away as an officer ignited the engine and the sirens once more. With a lurch, the car began moving.


    Vivainne slumped back into her seat, wishing she could ask the cop to turn on the A/C and wondering how she¡¯d ended up here. This wasn¡¯t how she¡¯d expected the night to go.


    Her mother wouldn¡¯t like this. She¡¯d punish her for it.


    Recompense could be lying, she thought, then tried to ignore the concern. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t believe heroes couldn¡¯t be liars. Rather, it didn¡¯t matter whether or not he was telling the truth, she¡¯d placed herself in this boat either way.


    Would her mother try to rescue her? That was the bigger question, and one she couldn¡¯t answer. If her mother thought Vivainne would give up information, she might come after her, but simply out of affection?


    Highly unlikely.


    The ride across the city took far too long, and Vivainne couldn¡¯t help but be thankful that she wasn¡¯t handcuffed. If she¡¯d been handcuffed, this would be far more uncomfortable. As it was, the stifling, still air left Viv feeling as if she was driving to her own grave, prepared to be buried alive.


    Viv shifted upright when they drove past the police department, leaving it quickly behind. Recompense had been telling the truth, she wasn¡¯t being detained. But if she wasn¡¯t being taken to the police department, where were they bringing her?


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to find out. She grew incredibly still as the police car turned into a wide, sparsely populated parking lot, eyes locked on the tower standing tall above the rest of the buildings around.


    White and glass and shining faintly with light even in the dark, the tower looked fragile, though it was anything but. Villains had tried to attack the tower before, here and all across the country, but none had managed to take out a Unity of Heroes tower. The futuristic, super made building stood in defiance of evil and cruelty and built itself up as a bastion for justice and safety.


    That was what the guide on Vivainne¡¯s 6th grade field trip to the Museum of Heroes had said, anyway.


    That was the one and only time she¡¯d come to the Tower, aside from today.


    She sucked in a breath, forcing herself to exhale. This wasn¡¯t a turn she couldn¡¯t manage. She needed the help of heroes anyway. What better place to get that help than the Unity of Heroes?


    Despite how logical she could make the situation sound in her head, it didn¡¯t help the intimidating feeling of facing down the heroes inside.


    Vivainne closed her eyes, pressing a hand to her chest. As she cycled the breath through her lungs, she connected with her core. The power residing there leaked through the edges, turning the corners of her vision dark. She carefully sealed it back up, protecting herself as best as she could, covering over the broken edges. If a hero decided to seriously hurt her, it was doubtful she¡¯d be able to resist, but she would try nonetheless.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°No one will hurt me,¡± she said, mouthing the words more than voicing them. She¡¯d come to the heroes because her mother had hurt her, and their whole job was to help people.


    The police car parked in front of the tower. An officer walked around, opening up the door for Viv to step out.


    He escorted her to the front door as Vivainne craned her head back, trying to see to the top of the tower.


    The officer cleared his throat. Vivainne jumped and sprinted over to the door, smiling apologetically at the man before ducking through the doorway and inside the Unity Tower.


    She expected the man to follow her, but by the time she passed through a second set of sliding doors, she was all alone.


    Her steps slowed. The room around her resembled a hospital reception area, a desk at the far end with elevators behind it, a hero sitting at the curved desk. A few vending machines along the walls. A doorway to the right led into a large, open room, and taking a guess based on the plaque by the wall and her memories from sixth grade, it was a museum.


    She couldn¡¯t remember exactly. Sixth grade was a long time ago.


    Moving slowly through the dimly lit room, Vivainne approached the desk.


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Vivainne Monet,¡± she answered, glancing around. Where was Recompense?


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± They tapped at the keyboard in front of them. ¡°Recompense¡¯s invite.¡±


    So he¡¯d communicated with the Tower, but he wasn¡¯t here to greet her. What was she supposed to do here?


    Something behind the desk whirred, and the hero pulled out a small, plastic keycard. They attached it to a metal clip and handed it over, tapping the keycard pinned to their own chest to indicate what she was meant to do with it. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    They rose, moving toward the elevator and opening it with the card. Vivainne slipped around the desk and joined them in the elevator, pressing herself against the back wall. Worst came to worst, she would turn into shadows and escape via the walls. Depending on how high they moved. She wasn¡¯t entirely certain how gravity affected her shadows yet.


    The elevator moved upward so smoothly she barely noticed, startled when a bell dinged and the doors slid open once more. Refusing to let her anxiety get the best of her, Vivainne stepped out of the elevator and drew herself up tall, waiting on the hero escorting her.


    They led her through a large open room, entering a corridor and leading her to an open room. Voices drifted quietly out from the door.


    Steps as silent as the shadows she controlled, Vivainne stepped into the room as directed and looked upon the heroes within. She vaguely recognized the two as two supers who¡¯d responded to Recompense¡¯s house; she had no inkling of what their hero names were. And the hero she¡¯d expected to find wasn¡¯t here.


    The female hero, wearing a sparkly gold unitard suit and thigh high matching boots, glanced at her and rolled her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s late.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­what?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± The voice came from behind her, and she turned to see Recompense booking it down the hallway with a drink carrier full of cups in one hand.


    He moved past her into the room, placing the carried on a table. ¡°Welcome in, Vivainne. Meet my colleagues, The Path and Stardust.¡± He motioned in turn at the pair of younger heroes.


    ¡°You stopped for coffee,¡± Viv deadpanned.


    ¡°I got some for you,¡± Recompense said, as if that explained everything.


    ¡°You send me away in a cop car and you stop for coffee.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you picked a prickly one,¡± said the female hero, indicated to be Stardust.


    ¡°And this is new, why?¡± asked The Path, not giving Viv a second glance. The names tickled somewhere in the back of her mind, but she hadn¡¯t seriously followed the hero world in some time, long enough she¡¯d missed the newcomers.


    She needed to get the conversation back under control. There was only so much time.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Her shout rang through the room, Vivainne remaining frozen in its wake. That hadn¡¯t been what she expected to leave her mouth. She had to roll with it now. ¡°What about me?¡±


    Stardust cocked her head to the side. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°You expect us to make all the choices for you?¡± The Path said. ¡°Because neither of us signed up for that,¡± he motioned between himself and Stardust, ¡°and Recompense doesn¡¯t do that sort of thing.¡±


    Vivainne stared at them, a vein in her forehead beginning to throb. Why were these two heroes here? ¡°What do you mean? Why did you bring me here if you didn¡¯t want to help me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we want to help you,¡± Recompense said, shooting the two a look. ¡°So ignore them. Sit. Drink some coffee. Let¡¯s talk. We have some decisions to make. Do you want to give over all the evidence you have and go into witness protection?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The word came out firm. When she¡¯d decided to go to the heroes, she had decided she wouldn¡¯t run. She could have, the moment she turned eighteen, but that meant leaving her mother to do what she had been for years, and she couldn¡¯t do that. ¡°I don¡¯t want to run. I want to put my mother behind bars. And I¡­¡± She swallowed down the fear. She¡¯d voice what she wanted, and if it wasn¡¯t possible, she¡¯d deal with it like she had with everything else. ¡°I want to be a hero.¡±


    The heroes stared at her, and the younger two exchanged a look. Then The Path groaned.


    ¡°God, Recompense, you found another one.¡±

 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 5 - Pip

    An early morning ruckus could only mean one thing in the Carter household: one of Pip¡¯s moms had made breakfast, and judging by the general lack of smoke filling the kitchen, it wasn¡¯t Athena.


    Pip dragged herself out of bed, eyes heavy from the late night, but stomach rumbling and too dedicated to the idea of eating to go back to sleep. If she slept in too long, she¡¯d be stuck with Poptarts or leftovers for breakfast. That was not the breakfast of heroes.


    Still wearing her hoodie from the night before, Pip barely had to dress in order to be acceptable in public, and stumbled down the stairs. She¡¯d managed to wash the makeup off her face, but at that point had climbed into bed and passed out, despite her excitement over the deal with her mothers.


    In the light of day, however, the deal didn¡¯t look so appealing. She had to get her grades up in order to get anything for herself, and the prospects were not good. Pulling up her grades on her phone as she made her way toward the dining room, she reaffirmed what she¡¯d thought. She had Ds across the board. Not good. Why couldn¡¯t she just be done?


    The shouting of voices assaulted Pip as she walked into the dining room, a large space lit from overhead skylights protected by an invisible forcefield. A custom wooden table filled the middle of the room, filled with people. While there were far more seats than there were people, the open spaces didn¡¯t leave it feeling empty. Rather, the personalities seated therein swelled to fit the space.


    Also, a dog took up one of the empty seats. She sat politely, eating from a plate with her name on it, the clay marked with the imprint of little hands. Pip had made the plate in some art class in elementary school, back when her parents were trying to figure out if her power extended to multiple natural substances, or just glass.


    Just glass, as of ten years later.


    Pip slid into a seat, pocketing her phone and focusing on the food in front of her. There was a lot of it, with absolutely no theme. Lots of fruits and yogurt and some fresh veggies. Eggs, pastries, and a few breakfast meats. Some still steaming rice. A couple waffle quarters.


    Deciding against decisions, Pip took a bit of all of it, loading up her plate and diving in. She¡¯d never felt bad about eating as much as she did. She was an athlete, and she needed fuel. Also, food was tasty. How could you not eat a lot of it?


    ¡°Where were you last night?¡± Amalia asked, lowering the book away from her face to ask the question. Much like Pip, she resembled Mai a fair bit more than she did Athena, though the Carter features shown through in places. Unlike Pip, she had the Carter family height, already taller than Pip at fourteen.


    Pip shrugged, choosing not to answer around the berries in her mouth.


    ¡°Mum sent us to bed early,¡± Emelios added. His dark hair curled around his ears, emphasizing a set of round cheeks. ¡°But grandma and grandpa sounded pretty upset.¡±


    ¡°You got caught, didn¡¯t you?¡± Galen asked casually. He, along with his twin brother Theo, were the only two Athena had given birth to herself, and it showed. They were huge, not quite the seven feet tall Athena was, but they were certainly getting up there, and still growing. It wasn¡¯t fair that boys got to keep growing after sixteen.


    ¡°What? No!¡± Pip protested around a mouthful of yogurt covered in honey and walnuts.


    ¡°You did,¡± Theo said without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re a terrible liar.¡±


    ¡°You really should work on that, honey,¡± Mai said, piping up from the end of the table. She sat together with Athena, the two sitting side by side and feeding each other pastries like they were newlyweds still in love. It was disgusting.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you discourage your children from lying?¡±


    Mai shrugged. ¡°I may not be a super, but I know enough about the hero world to know you lie often enough. Plus, if you know how to lie, you¡¯ll know how to see through them. I¡¯m looking out for you.¡±


    Pip scowled, something hard to do with a strawberry in her mouth. Agemenon, the family dog, attempted to sneak a piece of bacon from her plate. ¡°I can lie,¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo snorted.


    ¡°What line of work?¡± Galen asked, looking between Pip and Mai. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still on about becoming a hero?¡±


    ¡°Not with your grades,¡± Amalia said.


    ¡°Or height,¡± Theo added in.


    ¡°Height has nothing to do with skill, drive, or power,¡± Athena said, soothing the table before a scuffle or a food fight could break out. ¡°Pip is getting her grades in order, and the dedication to training has never been an issue. You are not going to be discouraging over a goal you all hold.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Galen said before stuffing another bite full of rice in his mouth.


    ¡°I can always tutor you, if you want,¡± Amalia said, sickly sweet.


    ¡°No thank you,¡± Pip said, making a face at Amalia. ¡°I have a plan.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what does this mean for our nightly training session?¡± Theo asked, looking over at their mothers.


    ¡°Pip will not be participating,¡± Mai said. ¡°Not until she¡¯s ungrounded.¡±


    Theo frowned, slumping down into his seat in disappointment. ¡°That¡¯s not fair to the rest of us,¡± he mumbled.


    She finished the rest of her meal in silence, glaring at her siblings who dared not believe in her. Just because she¡¯d had terrible grades until now didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t be able to fix it. She just needed to talk to her teachers. And actually study for tests. And figure out what she could do for extra credit.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Fuck, that was a lot of things to do. But if it meant she¡¯d be able to train seriously for the hero program and get to compete against other supers, she¡¯d do anything.


    As it was, she thought she¡¯d get in. She wasn¡¯t the strongest, but she¡¯d been training in weapons and martial arts since she could walk. Plus, she¡¯d been working with her core for years and her control was excellent. But she wanted to be the best. She didn¡¯t just want to be good, she wanted to be the best. She needed to uphold the Carter legacy.


    The Carters had been a massive part of the super world for the past seventy years, starting with her grandmother Thalia. Then her mother, aunts, and uncles. Then cousins. And now her.


    She did her best to carry that conviction all the way to school, making her way to talk to the first teacher on her roster. Mrs. Hanes, calculus teacher.


    Despite the subject she taught, she wasn¡¯t Pip¡¯s least favorite teacher. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she tortured teenagers with math problems, she¡¯d actually be a cool person.


    ¡°Heyyy,¡± Pip drew out the word, leaning up against Mrs. Hanes¡¯s desk as students filtered into the room.


    Mrs. Hanes looked up, a soft smile coming to her lips. ¡°What do you need, Phillipa?¡±


    Despite the fact that Pip rarely used her birth name, it didn¡¯t sound unnatural coming from Mrs. Hanes. Not the way it did coming from other teachers, or her moms, who almost always called her Pip unless she was in trouble.


    ¡°I need to know what I can do to get my grades up,¡± she said, holding her breath for the response. Maybe it¡¯d be something easy? Like staying after class and helping clean up.


    No luck, no dice.


    Mrs. Hanes eyes went wide, a sound escaping her mouth. She quickly covered her mouth and turned it into a cough, but Pip had a terrible suspicion she¡¯d laughed. ¡°Well,¡± she cleared her throat and looked down at her desk, neatly put together, with a stack of homework in the corner waiting to be handed out. ¡°You could bring in all the homework you¡¯ve forgotten to turn in so far this year.¡±


    Pip stared at her teacher, wishing she could shape her words and make them into anything else. Wasn¡¯t there another super out there with that power? ¡°Homework?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mrs. Hanes said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. ¡°Homework. I¡¯ll even give you half credit for every piece of homework you bring in. Completed, of course.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Pip hummed, turning away from the teacher and plodding away toward her desk. In a daze, she pulled out a notebook and a broken pencil, wracking her brain for where all that homework could possibly be. In her backpack? Her locker? Maybe it was on her desk at home, if she¡¯d gotten it out with the intention of completing it. Or if she¡¯d dumped out her backpack because it had gotten too full.


    What was the point of homework anyway? If she could understand what was being taught in class, why did she need to continue to prove it with extra work?


    Staring up at the chalkboard as Mrs. Hanes began to write out an equation, Pip realized she had no idea what they were supposed to be doing.


    A thump sounded through the room. Eyes whipped around to find Pip with her head buried in the textbook in front of her, letting out a muffled groan.


    *****


    By the time Pip got home, she was in despair. There was nothing she could do to get her grades up, at least not quickly. And the longer it took for her to get her grades up, the longer it would take for her to start preparing for her application to super school.


    She got an extra credit assignment from her history teacher, the only class she actually did well in, and only then because this semester¡¯s class was on the History of Supers. Luckily, that went well with her own family history, so the project would be easy enough.


    Other teachers weren¡¯t as helpful and receptive, and as much as she was bitter, she also understood. She¡¯d just have to start actually trying in class, though calculus today had proved she had no idea what was currently going on in school.


    Pip threw her backpack on the bed and looked around. Maybe getting her grades up was possible?


    First step, getting her calculus homework together.


    Digging through her backpack, she found a crushed granola bar, some sparkly pens and highlighters, and a broken piece of pottery from the physical art elective she was taking. A few pieces of homework, wrinkled and stained, but not nearly enough. She stacked it by subject on her bed then slid off, making her way over to the desk.


    She couldn¡¯t remember the last time she¡¯d used her desk. Being a flat surface, it had become just another shelf in her bedroom. A few of her earlier summons sat on the shelf above her desk, along with Fredrick, who still needed to be moved to the success shelf on the far wall near the window, where the light could hit them and turn them into living stained glass art.


    She dumped a pile of laundry off the chair and sat down, leafing through papers. The more she found, the deeper her despair grew. There was just so much, and even if she could finish it all and turn it in, how much would it fix her grades?


    Homework successfully sorted, Pip took a step back, placing her hands on her hips as she considered it. She could do this. Heroes dealt with much more challenging work. This was, in a way, another form of training for her.


    But heroes also had to know when something was beyond them.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Pip¡¯s voice carried out of her room and through the massive Carter household. Voices piped up, telling her to be quiet, but she ignored them. ¡°Mum!¡±


    Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, reading the first message on screen.


    Mum: we¡¯re in the greenhouse, stop shouting


    She pocketed her phone and broke into a sprint, leaping down the last three stairs of the winding staircase and running through the dining room. She dodged Agemenon and Dyiona chasing each other through the large room, leaping over her younger sibling to reach the back door.


    It sat propped open, leading into the plant filled greenhouse attached to the backside of their house. Neither mother had particularly a green thumb, but the garden wasn¡¯t doing terribly at the moment.


    Athena and Mai sat at a glass table that matched the glass walls of the greenhouse, two plates of food in front of them. Had Pip missed dinner, or was it a fend for yourself sort of night?


    Pip shook her head, ignoring the smell of food, and marched over to stand in front of her mothers.


    ¡°Having trouble?¡± Athena asked, setting down her chopsticks for a moment. How she managed to use the utensils so dexterously with her large hands, Pip had no idea.


    ¡°I want to renegotiate our deal,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Mai raised her eyebrows, sitting back in her seat in order to cross her arms over her chest. ¡°Can¡¯t uphold your end?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Pip went to cross her own arms, then shifted to placing them on her hips. She needed to stay confident. ¡°I can do it. But¡­ I think it might take a while.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And is there anything else I can do to start training sooner?¡± Pip begged.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Mai asked, raising her eyebrows.


    ¡°Anything,¡± Pip said. She would do anything to be able to start training sooner. It was only when Mai¡¯s eyes lit up that Pip realized she might have made a mistake. Once again.


    ¡°In that case, there is the after school club for supers¡­¡±


    Pip groaned. ¡°No, please.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Mai asked, playing innocent. ¡°You wanted to interact with other supers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯re¡­ losers.¡± She did try not to be mean, but the super club at Laymont wasn¡¯t exactly known for having the best supers around. If it was, Pip would be a part of it. Not to mention, they were literally losers. They had it on T-shirts!


    ¡°They¡¯re not losers,¡± Mai said, Athena coughing in response. Mai glared at her before turning back to Pip with a smile. ¡°And thank you for volunteering to sign up and help out. They¡¯ll really appreciate a more experienced peer joining their group.¡±


    Pip shut her mouth before any more protests could come out and walked away. She really should have stuck with just doing her homework.

 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 6 - Vivainne

    Of all the outcomes anticipated from going to the heroes for help, this was not one of them.


    Vivainne found herself seated on a couch, a cup of coffee in hand, staring at a coffee table full of stray pastries while the experienced heroes around her sat and chatted about the latest episode of a reality TV show about the super dating scene.


    ¡°It¡¯s just not realistic,¡± Stardust, also known as Darcy, said. ¡°I mean, that many hot, powerful supers in the same place?¡±


    ¡°But consider, we are hot,¡± said The Path. Out of costume, he was a black guy of average height named Jordan, who wore his own merch as pajamas. Apparently.


    ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re exceptions,¡± Darcy said. She¡¯d tied her blonde hair up in a messy bun, and wore a set of silk pajamas that matched the ones she¡¯d ended up lending to Vivainne. Ones Vivainne still wasn¡¯t sure why she¡¯d put on. ¡°And you¡¯d think if those supers were as powerful as the show says, we¡¯d know who they are.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just upset you haven¡¯t met any of them,¡± Jordan said.


    ¡°I doubt they¡¯re real,¡± Recompense said. Vivainne had a hard time thinking of the man by his civilian name, despite the fact that he¡¯d said it was okay to use. In and out of uniform, he was Recompense, the world renown hero. ¡°Purely because if they were that powerful, they¡¯d have been recruited, or they wouldn¡¯t be open about it. If you¡¯re that powerful, and not working for Unity or another organization, you don¡¯t want to be known. Going on TV goes against all of that.¡±


    ¡°What about the evidence?¡± Jordan asked. ¡°We see them using powers on the show.¡±


    For the first time that morning, Vivainne spoke up. ¡°Minor illusionist power, or CGI. It¡¯s not hard to fake things like that behind a camera.¡±


    Jordan spun to her, holding up a finger. ¡°Okay, recruit, you don¡¯t want to go picking sides right now. You¡¯re new to this household and you don¡¯t want to throw yourself in with the wrong people.¡±


    Viv raised her eyebrows, staring at the man before taking a cool sip of her coffee. Without saying a word, she turned her attention away and back to the food in front of them.


    It was odd how quickly she¡¯d been accepted into this little group. She couldn¡¯t decide how she felt about it, because she certainly hadn¡¯t intended to get taken in as a stray, as they put it. It didn¡¯t feel bad, though. Just strange.


    Her original deadline with her mother was long passed, faded away into the night as they¡¯d discussed Vivainne¡¯s situation and eventually made their way back to Recompense¡¯s home, where the two younger heroes also lived.


    ¡°We do need to decide what to do with the new stray,¡± Darcy said, turning and looking at Recompense.


    Charles. His name was Charles and she needed to be able to refer to him as such.


    ¡°Is she staying, or what?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to her,¡± Charles said around a bite of a muffin. ¡°Vivainne, would you like to stay?¡±


    She hesitated, and took another sip of coffee to quell the fear building inside her. It wasn¡¯t a useless feeling, but it was one that interfered with her plans. ¡°You need someone to help you catch my mother.¡±


    Charles placed his mug on the table with a clink, his eyes steady on Vivainne, a weight settling onto her under his gaze. It was as if he could see through her every movement, every shift of her body or blink of an eye. He had a way to read her that she had not experienced before in a very long time.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go back,¡± he said. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to put you at risk in order to put your mother behind bars. And I can¡¯t promise you we¡¯ll be able to do even that. I don¡¯t want to risk sending you back into a dangerous situation if we¡¯re unable to put your mother behind bars.¡±


    Vivainne¡¯s body tightened, every muscle in her body growing tense. ¡°What do you mean? I thought you said you were going to help me.¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Recompense said. ¡°But Vora is a massive player. Her tech has helped millions. And with an organization like that, it¡¯s hard to always get the proof you need, because if they get that big, they¡¯re good at hiding it.¡±


    That decided it. ¡°I¡¯m going back in,¡± Vivainne said, her resolve hardening. She¡¯d lived with her mother for eighteen years. She could survive a few more if it meant stopping her. ¡°I¡¯ll get you the proof you need.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t get to keep this stray,¡± Darcy said, looking up at Charles. ¡°She¡¯s got balls.¡±


    ¡°We can get a spy,¡± Charles said. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go back.¡±


    A spy could be good. But it would take time. Her mother was not the trusting type; the only reason she trusted Vivainne was because she was family, and that trust was tenuous. How long would it take for a spy to work their way in? How many people would her mother hurt in the meantime?


    ¡°I can go,¡± she said, clenching her fists. It wasn¡¯t as if she should have expected to get out of jail free card, so to speak. If she wanted to get away, join the heroes, she needed to prove it. ¡°Can¡­ Can I come back if I need to?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Charles said immediately. ¡°As I said, you don¡¯t need to go. But if you do, we¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re as safe as you can be. And if you need a way out, I¡¯ll come and help. We want to stop her, but not at the cost of your own safety.¡±


    ¡°And I can get you the evidence you need,¡± Vivainne said, more certain now that she¡¯d made the decision. She knew where her mother hid things, where she did her research. She could lead the heroes directly to them, and her mother wouldn¡¯t be any the wiser. ¡°I¡¯ll go back. You¡¯re going to need to make it look like you arrested me, however.¡±


    ¡°Done,¡± Recompense said. ¡°And I can get you fitted with surveillance tech. You¡¯re going to get all the evidence we need as quickly as possible, and get you out of there.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is she doing anyway?¡± Jordan demanded, throwing himself back against the couch. ¡°Like, most huge rich organizations are doing bad shit. What¡¯s new?¡±


    A pain in Vivainne¡¯s chest twinged. She reached up, touching a hand to her sternum, eyes locked far past the table in front of her, somewhere in the past. ¡°My mother¡­ She has learned how to shatter cores.¡±


    Silence hung over the room. Three sets of eyes stared at her. Three heroes didn¡¯t believe her.


    They wouldn¡¯t believe her. She¡¯d have to go back to her mother and they wouldn¡¯t believe her.


    ¡°That¡­ shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Recompense said, speaking slowly. He turned that soul searching gaze onto Vivainne once more. ¡°How are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Because she did it to me,¡± she said, meeting his eyes so there was no question about the truth of her words.


    ¡°She shattered your core?¡± Darcy leaned forward, as if she could see Vivainne¡¯s core through her chest. ¡°I thought you said you wanted to be a hero? I thought you¡¯d used your powers to get into the house.¡± Darcy turned to Charles for confirmation.


    Charles nodded, eyes never leaving Vivainne. ¡°She did.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t shatter mine,¡± Vivainne said. ¡°She fractured it. And I know you¡¯re not supposed to use your power if you have a fractured core, but I¡¯ve done a lot of research on it. I¡¯ve been careful, and have mostly managed to put mine back together. I can use it. I just have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re certain she did it, and you didn¡¯t accidentally break your own core?¡± Jordan asked.


    A bitter laugh burst from her mouth. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m certain,¡± she said. ¡°And it¡¯s taken every bit of the past ten years to fix it to the point it''s useable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Charles said, and it was the most genuine apology she¡¯d heard in years. ¡°It is entirely possible for us to stop her without you needing to go back into that environment.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Vivainne shook her head again, refusing to let her resolve waver. She wanted her mother locked away before she ever became a hero. ¡°It would take too long.¡±


    ¡°Do you really intend to be a hero?¡± Darcy asked. She watched Vivainne like a particularly interesting piece of television. ¡°With your fractured core, it¡¯s more risky that not.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my impression that that¡¯s the reality of every hero.¡± She began picking at a croissant, pulling pieces of and littering her plate with them. She ought to eat, but she couldn¡¯t convince her brain she¡¯d be able to stomach anything. ¡°And I¡¯m willing to risk it.¡±


    Charles flashed Vivainne a smile. ¡°That¡¯s quite brave of you.¡±


    ¡°Seems practical, more than anything else,¡± Vivainne said with a shrug. Having a fractured core was a bit like living with an aneurism. Any breath you breathed had the potential to be your last, or at least your last with a living, functioning power. Or a normal life, not that she had any concept of what that would mean. One day her power could fracture and she¡¯d be back to infant level control. She could sit on her ass and wait for that day. Or, she could do what she could with her powers until her core broke, and do some good before losing the only thing that had ever made her special.


    It would also set her apart from her mother, prove she was more than a villain¡¯s daughter.


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t entirely practical. But there was no reason to admit to anything else.


    Charles finished the dregs of his coffee and placed the mug down. ¡°Well, let¡¯s head over to the tower and get you fitted with some tech,¡± he said, motioning for Vivainne to rise. She placed her plate down, along with the torn apart, uneaten croissant, and stood. ¡°We can even stop for coffee along the way.¡±


    Vivainne¡¯s nose wrinkled. ¡°You just had coffee.¡± Not to mention, it made light of the situation, and put her at risk of being discovered.


    ¡°Seriously, Charles,¡± Darcy said. ¡°You know the doctor said you need to watch your caffeine intake. Your blood pressure¡­¡±


    ¡°Has more to do with my choice of career than the substances I consume,¡± Charles said dismissively. ¡°Besides, maybe we¡¯ll find something this one will actually eat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± she said reflexively.


    ¡°And you weren¡¯t hungry last night either,¡± he said. ¡°At some point, you do need to eat. So let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Stop at Ms. Anne¡¯s!¡± Jordan piped up. ¡°She makes the best breakfast wraps.¡±


    Charles snapped his fingers. ¡°Yes, great plan. We¡¯ll head over there before going to the tower.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s probably not a good idea for me to go out anywhere,¡± Vivainne said. ¡°I¡¯m supposedly in jail right now, remember.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Charles said, and the voice melded back into that of Recompense. ¡°I already have tech on it.¡±

 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 7 - Vivainne

    She found herself sitting in a car with Recompense that looked surprisingly normal, wearing the same clothes from the night before, anticipating how she would go back to her mother and what sort of lies she would use. If she rehearsed them enough beforehand, she¡¯d almost be able to believe them herself.


    ¡°Nervous?¡±


    So caught up in her own mind, she barely registered the word. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I asked if you were nervous,¡± Charles said. They¡¯d stopped to pick up breakfast, so he could grab another coffee and she could pick something that at least looked appetizing. The bowl of egg whites, greens, and veggies sat on her lap, halfway eaten. She did have to admit, it was good.


    She shrugged. She wasn¡¯t nervous, exactly, but her stomach continued to knot around the little bit she¡¯d managed to stomach, so it wasn¡¯t exactly normal.


    ¡°Nervous is normal,¡± Charles said, as if reading her mind. ¡°Even experienced heroes get nervous.¡±


    ¡°Is this your way of saying you¡¯re nervous?¡± Vivainne asked, eyeing the older hero. He¡¯d been on the scene for all of Vivainne¡¯s childhood, a figure children and adults alike looked to for salvation. Despite his ranking, he¡¯d helped in saving the world more than once.


    ¡°Would it make you feel better if I was?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nervous.¡±


    Vivainne found herself smiling. She had chosen this hero for a reason. She could have gone to anyone, run up to a hero on the street and begged for help, and they would have helped her. But for her entire childhood, Recompense had been the best, the most reliable, the smartest. She didn¡¯t need brute force, or earth shaking power. She needed someone with brains, like her. And more importantly, her mother. If Vivainne wasn¡¯t smart enough to outsmart her mother, she needed someone else who was.


    Someone who believed in justice, in compensating villains for the pain they caused. Recompense, more than anyone else, was known for putting villains away. Not just stopping them, preventing them, or salvaging what was left behind. Rather, taking them down, locking them away, and ensuring their victims got the help they needed in return.


    ¡°I know you want us to put you in jail,¡± Recompense said. ¡°Do you expect your mother to come bail you out?¡±


    ¡°No, I plan on escaping,¡± Vivainne said. She¡¯d been thinking about this, and it was the only way to avoid suspicion. She didn¡¯t have her ID on her, and she could tell her mother she refused to talk to the cops before being able to escape. ¡°So preferably, I¡¯d like it if you would avoid turning on your evisceration ray, or whatever you have set up.¡±


    ¡°That can be done,¡± Charles said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯d like to set up weekly check ins, at the very least.¡±


    Viv shook her head. ¡°Not sure I¡¯ll be able to do that. My mother is really controlling. And paranoid, at times.¡±


    ¡°About you?¡±


    ¡°About everything.¡± Vora was, above all else, a careful woman. There were times that, despite all she¡¯d done, Vivainne admired her. Building a tech company from scratch, to the point of its widely acknowledged acceptance, was no small thing, and the work she did with it wasn¡¯t the issue. It was the fact that she used it as a front to do invasive and dangerous research and experiments on supers that was the problem, and her knowledge could break a society that had finally settled into a sort of piece after decades of unrest. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Will she be suspicious of you?¡±


    ¡°Not as much as others,¡± Vivainne said. Vivainne had never argued with her mother, never opposed her. By the time she was old enough to realize how messed up it was that Vora had experimented on her, she was old enough to know how to keep her mouth shut. And until she graduated highschool, Vora had mostly ignored her. ¡°I am her¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it. Not her prodigy, but her legacy, I suppose.¡±


    Charles nodded, keeping his eyes on the road, the Tower coming into view down the street. ¡°You¡¯ll have to play into that,¡± he said. ¡°Make her think you¡¯re playing along, working with her. Make her feel like you¡¯re invested. Get her to show you everything she''s working on. We need to see proof of her crimes, and her threat level.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, see?¡± Viv asked. ¡°You can¡¯t put a camera on me.¡±


    The look Charles gave her made her squirm. ¡°Not on you, no.¡±


    ****


    Vivainne stared down at the miniscule items, unimpressed. ¡°You want me to wear contacts?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re cameras,¡± the tech said, a young man with pride radiating off him. ¡°Uninvasive, undetectable. Perfect for spy work!¡±


    ¡°And what about when I need to go to the bathroom? Or shower?¡±


    The tech paused, mouth half opened, and shot a look at Recompense. ¡°Close your eyes?¡±


    Charles sighed and stepped over to the table, an electronic tabletop that could project holographically above it. He closed the case, lid snapping shut. ¡°If you take them out, they¡¯ll turn off. They¡¯re powered by your body heat, and they immediately transmit to our servers here. Everything you see, we¡¯ll see.¡±


    Vivainne nodded, then looked up at Recompense. He¡¯s donned a lighter version of his iconic red and brown uniform, a domino mask and a suit in the same colors. Many of the people in the tower seemed to do the same, simple obfuscations of their identity, even for the support and techs, like the one in front of them. ¡°Is that it? No magical bulletproof vest? No transportation focus?¡±


    Eyebrows raised, Recompense stared at her with a mix of amusement and exasperation. ¡°Do you need any of those things?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± Plus, it would be nice to have some level of protection or insurance.


    ¡°We have audio recording,¡± Charles said, picking up another small box. He pulled this one forward, opening it to reveal a small, unassuming black hair tie. Frowning, Viv picked it up and turned it over in her hands. It looked just like any other elastic hairband, a small seam in the middle, no other imperfections.


    ¡°This really records audio?¡± She looked between the tech and Recompense, eyebrows raised. She¡¯d been raised around some of the top tech in the world, but still failed to believe they could fit any sort of microphone into something so small and flexible.


    Recompense pointed at the tech, who pressed a button on the tabletop. Vivainne¡¯s jaw dropped as her voice played again through hidden speakers, clear as if recorded by a proper microphone.


    ¡°Now that is impressive,¡± Viv managed after pulling her jaw off the floor. She¡¯d known Recompense¡¯s tech was good, but had never imagined it was this unnoticeable. She took the band and exchanged it for the one already in her hair, refixing the ponytail she had containing her long hair. A few pieces of black hair clung to the normal hair band, which she tossed in the nearby trash can.


    She looked up at Recompense, not ready to say what she knew she needed to say. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°Everything is ready when you are.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to put me in jail, then.¡±


    Recompense delivered her to the jail hours after he should have, without the watch she always used to keep track of time. Without it, she had no idea how long it had been or what sort of time she was making with her escape, but it would have been suspicious if she still had it.


    She sat alone in the cell, fingers digging into the seam of her black skinny jeans as she waited for the guard to walk away like planned. They would give her an opening for escape, Charles had said. She just had to take it.


    Vivainne pushed off the bench, a sticky residue clinging to the surface. She didn¡¯t want to sit on that anyway.


    Walking up to the edge of the cell, she peered out into the hallway, watching as the police officer walked away from the holding cells. This was her shot.


    She turned away, reaching into her core as she sprinted to the darkest corner of the cell. The darker it was, the easier it would be for her to use her power.


    Squeezing herself into the dim shadow, Vivainne activated her core, and her whole body went fuzzy as it turned into darkness and pressed into the metal cell wall.

 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 8 - Pip

    By the time Saturday rolled around, Pip had still not managed to think her way out of attending the after school club for supers. If she¡¯d had more time, she may have been able to, but considering she had less than twenty four hours from Mai¡¯s declaration on Friday to the meeting on Saturday, and she¡¯d slept for eight of that, she hadn¡¯t had much time.


    ¡°I thought I was still grounded,¡± Pip said, sliding into the passenger seat of the family minivan. They could be driving something nicer, but Mai insisted on driving the same practical minivan they¡¯d been driving since Pip was a toddler, washable marker stains and all.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make an exception,¡± Mai said, shooting her a glare. They were alone in the car, her other siblings either at lessons, after school clubs of their own, or at the daycare center over at the local tower. Of course, none of her highschool aged siblings went to the club, because the club was for losers. Literally.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m meant to get out of this,¡± Pip grumbled. She opened the backpack at her feet as they began to drive, pulling out a clipboard with a piece of half finished homework on it. She¡¯d done her best to get some work done throughout the morning, and would at least pretend to make progress as they drove.


    ¡°Just because they¡¯re not as skilled as you doesn¡¯t mean you won¡¯t learn something,¡± Mai said. ¡°I¡¯m not a super, and your mom learned plenty from me.¡±


    ¡°Eww.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, not like that,¡± Mai said, scoffing at her daughter. ¡°Just because someone isn¡¯t the same as you, doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t learn from them. In fact, sometimes you¡¯ll learn more from people you are nothing alike.¡±


    Biting down on her tongue, Pip refrained from commenting that joining the club would ruin her reputation. There was a reason none of the Carter children were involved with the club, despite having powers. It wasn¡¯t the kind of club you joined if you knew what you were doing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the issue is, Pip,¡± Mai said, speaking into the silence. ¡°You want to spend time with other supers, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Pip began, not sure how to explain this to the only person in the family who didn¡¯t have powers. ¡°But I want people who will challenge me. These supers¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you ever considered they might challenge you in other ways, not just your strength? Your compassion, your patience, maybe even your knowledge. Keep an open mind, Pip. These kids are good kids!¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you brought so many snacks?¡± Pip asked, twisting around to look at the back seat. Mai had filled it with food, some more traditional chinese dishes steaming inside aluminum pans, others typical after school snacks. Some fresh fruits and veggies, and of course chips, cookies, and drinks that were more sugar and color than anything else.


    ¡°I happen to be intimately familiar with how much hungry teenage supers eat,¡± Mai said with a teasing jab at Pip.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Pip protested. ¡°I¡¯m not as bad as Galen or Theo!¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Actually, I swear Amalia is worst of all.¡±


    Pip laughed, though in her head, it did make the most sense. Her power, out of any of theirs, was the most energy intensive. It wasn¡¯t as straightforward as most of the family powers. An outlier, in terms of Carter powers, but that happened on occasion.


    It wasn¡¯t that unusual, considering powers weren¡¯t actually genetic. Rather, they could be influenced by your lineage or your past, and they could also be influenced by personality or interests. Considering how prickly and angry Amalia was all the time, the fact that she could become a living whirlwind made perfect sense to Pip.


    She chose not to explain that to her mother, however. It didn¡¯t really matter, and Mai never really cared about the specifics around powers.


    And to be fair, a lot of people didn¡¯t agree on where powers originated, whether they were genetic or personality based or if they were predestined. Predestination was Pip¡¯s least favorite theory, but it remained nonetheless.


    Personally, Pip figured it was influenced by a mix of genetics and lineage, and her family was one of the most famous examples for that theory. Most of the people in her family could track their powers down a common throughline, though occasionally there were odd ducks.


    Like Amalia.


    And if you really wanted her opinion, Pip thought she was most akin to her mother, in terms of power-legacy. Yes, Theo and Galen had earth based powers, but not like Athena. Theo became a stone golem strongman type, and Galen had increased strength so long as his feet touched earth, but Pip was a summoner and a manipulator like her mother. Her glasswork would one day be as impressive as Athena¡¯s work with sand. She¡¯d be the one to continue her mother¡¯s legacy one day, a master of weapons and close combat.


    She just needed to figure out how to make up for the fact that she was barely 120 pounds on a good day, and didn¡¯t have the height or strength Athena did.


    Mai pulled the van into a parking spot, with Pip having made zero progress on her calculus homework. Well, she didn¡¯t exactly expect to pass that class anyway, so it was fine. She¡¯d work on it later.


    She hopped out of the car, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and hoping to escape into the gym without being noticed.


    Mai clucked her tongue, freezing Pip in her steps. She knew better than to run off, especially when she was already in trouble. ¡°Help me carry this in.¡±


    Pip muttered a prayer to the heavens that she would somehow manage to maintain her reputation with her mother around, then spun around and grabbed a warm pan from her mum. She flashed Mai a smile then took another bag, marching toward the door of the gym.


    It was just the school gym, not one of the specialized gyms for supers that had popped up all around the world since the emergence of supers. It wasn¡¯t the best for training, but as she walked through the glass doors, she realized none of these people really intended to train.


    A dozen people milled around the gym. Two stood by the bathrooms, looking like they were ready to tear the clothes off each other. Ew. One sat on their phone, head hidden deep in the hoodie. A few tossed a ball around, switching between kicking it and throwing it. One looked as if they were actually trying to train, though very very poorly.


    As Pip neared a set of tables near the entryway, the ball veered off course and shot through the air directly at her. Before she could react and dodge out of the way, a hand shot out and grabbed it.


    Just the arm. The rest of the super had remained behind on the gym floor, arm stretching out nearly fifteen feet to grab the ball and zoom it back to them like an elastic band.


    ¡°Woah,¡± Pip said, her eyes wide. She¡¯d never seen a power like that before. ¡°That was cool!¡±


    Movement in the gym came to a grinding halt, tennis shoes squeaking against the waxed wooden floor. Everyone stopped to stare at Pip, standing with an armful of steaming Chinese food in a colorful set of athleisure.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± A loud, nasal voice demanded.


    ¡°Pip,¡± she answered.


    Mai, without Pip noticing, had walked in behind her. ¡°This is my daughter, Phillipa,¡± she said, laying a hand on Pip¡¯s shoulder and giving her a gentle nudge forward. ¡°She¡¯s your latest member!¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the L.O.S.E.R.S. club, loser.¡±

 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 9 - Pip

    Years of work, carefully cultivating a specific reputation as a cool and powerful super. A Carter. A legacy. Someone who everyone knew would become a hero. Ruined by her mother, and the Laymont Official Super Exercise and Refined Studies.


    Or, the L.O.S.E.R.S club.


    The club was a joke.


    The acronym was everywhere. On the banner strung up for them. On the flyers on the table. On their goddamn t-shirts. Who made t-shirts for an after school club?


    Fortunately, it was her senior year, so it wasn¡¯t as if she¡¯d be stuck with these people for years. Only a few more months. Then she¡¯d be able to escape her ruined reputation.


    She finished helping Mai setting up the food, people gathering close at the smell and crackle of chip bags, then quickly tried to escape. Mai, all seeing mother as she was, caught Pip by the arm and called the group together before Pip could wiggle free.


    ¡°Come on, Pip,¡± she said, holding onto the sleeve of Pip¡¯s cropped hoodie as she squirmed. Why did she have to do this? ¡°Don¡¯t you want to learn who your club-mates are?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Pip said, doing her best to avoid sounding defeated. I¡¯m doing this for my future, she reminded herself. So I can train against talented supers. I just have to deal with these people first.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you start?¡± Mai said, suggesting it as if Pip had any choice but to answer. The look her mother gave said exactly what she expected Pip to do, and she wasn¡¯t getting out of it without getting in trouble.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Pip said, waving a hand at the group surrounding the table. Most of the faces were unfamiliar, freshmen she passed in the hall but never interacted with. There was only one she did recognize, a senior she had English class with. Khione was a super? Now, that was interesting. She¡¯d never given any hint that she was a super. ¡°You can call me Pip. My power is glasskinesis.¡±


    Khione, goddess of English class, scoffed. ¡°Tell us something we don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your power?¡± Pip asked, curious now. She¡¯d paid attention to Khione before, of course. It was impossible not to. She was tall and gorgeous, with an awesome body and striking white hair that she¡¯d always assumed was dyed. Was it actually a super feature?.


    ¡°Ice princess,¡± one of the teens piped up, the one with the weirdly long arm.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Khione said, glaring at them. ¡°It¡¯s ice creation and manipulation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? You¡¯re a summoner and manipulator like me!¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound so excited?¡±


    Pip cleared her throat, forcing the excitement down as she felt her mother swell with satisfaction beside her. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    The rest of the group introduced themselves and their powers. Like Pip had suspected, they were all freshmen, making Khione and Pip the only two seniors in the bunch. Anyone with any sort of talent had either joined a gym or one of the superpowered sports teams by the time they hit senior year.


    Pip had never understood why so many supers would choose to do nothing when the Unity of Heroes offered resources to any super who asked for help.


    ¡°Sounds like you are all set,¡± Mai said, stepping back. ¡°I¡¯ll be over there reading if you need anything from me.¡± She walked off, shouldering her bag and settling onto the bleachers, where she pulled out a pair of headphones and a book and settled in to read. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Ah, so that was why Mai had volunteered to supervise this club, despite none of her children being in it. Peace and quiet she never had at home.


    After watching her mother check out of the situation, Pip turned back to the group of teens in front of her and flashed a smile. ¡°So. What now, guys? Do you have a training agenda?¡±


    Khione rolled her eyes and walked away, sprinting across the gym to escape. It took Pip a moment to realize that following her would make her look like a dumbass, and another moment to decide she already looked like a dumbass so she might as well. She didn¡¯t have much to lose.


    Her sneakers squeaked against the wooden floor as she followed Khione, passing underneath a hanging basketball hoop. Khione twisted to look over her shoulder, frowning at her. ¡°Why are you following me?¡±


    Pip shrugged, trying to be nonchalant despite how fast she walked to follow Khione. ¡°You¡¯re the only one in here I know?¡±


    Khione stopped in her tracks, planting hands on her hips with an exasperated sigh. Pip had never seen her out of her school uniform, and now she wore a pair of ripped jeans and an oversized T-shirt printed with art across the front. It looked vintage. ¡°We¡¯ve never spoken before.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in my English class?¡±


    She rolled her eyes, icy blue behind all the sarcasm. They had to be a super feature. Of course she¡¯d known black people with lighter eyes, but they were so unnaturally blue they had to be caused by her power. Pip had always wanted a super feature like that; maybe her grandmother¡¯s purple eyes. She¡¯d always wanted purple eyes. ¡°Yes, you are indeed the class clown in our English class.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m actually taking school seriously now,¡± Pip protested, falling short as she realized that wasn¡¯t as good a defense as she thought. She brushed past it was Khione tried to speak again. ¡°And anyway, I want to know what you are doing here.¡± She motioned around at the gym. A few of the club members had dived into the food Mai brought, while others returned to their apathy or general uncoordinated fun.


    Khione shrugged. ¡°Not everyone has the privilege of being able to go to a fancy gym like you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t go to a gym,¡± Pip said, failing to mention the fact that her backyard had a full training arena, and due to Athena they could access Tower resources. It was different, however. That was because of her family, not any riches of her own.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Khione said. Her eyes swept up and down Pip¡¯s body, the judgment clear in her gaze. A shiver swept down Pip¡¯s spine at the look, and she did her best to ignore the sensation.


    ¡°Well.¡± Her mouth hung open, searching for words but unable to find any good retort. ¡°It¡¯s not like any of you are actually training your powers.¡±


    ¡°We are.¡±


    It took a lot to keep from frowning, but she couldn¡¯t help her eyebrows from creasing together. She¡¯d seen a lot of different training types, but this didn¡¯t look like any of them. Nobody actually appeared to be using their powers, aside from the kid with the long arm, and Pip had absolutely no clue what was going on there.


    Even her youngest siblings trained harder than this, and Dyiona had only had awakened core the past year. She doubted this group knew a single thing about training their core, strengthening it, or using it healthily. They could be at risk for straining their cores, if they used them wrong, or tried too hard without the proper knowledge, it could hurt them.


    It didn¡¯t matter. This wasn¡¯t her problem. She was just here to get her parents off her back and start training sooner.


    And yet it bothered her. Watching perfectly good supers¡ªor maybe just decently okay supers¡ªsquander their powers made her wince. She couldn¡¯t stand to see so much potential wasted.


    The percentage of supers to normal humans was relatively small, and the number of them who became heroes was even smaller. Heroes were constantly spread thin, concentrated in the Unity Towers in major cities but also trying to service every small town and out of the way stop in the United States and across the world. Competing against metafauna and villains and out of control supers and criminals and stray supertech, and countries that still didn¡¯t want to accept supers as normal citizens.


    Pip couldn¡¯t understand how anyone could know all that and sit back and do nothing.


    Someone shouted from across the gym, tossing an apple through the air. Another kid hovered off the ground, managing to catch the apple before slamming to the ground, hard enough to knock all the air from their lungs.


    He groaned, clutching his chest as he curled in on himself. Pip winced, watching him gasp for air. He couldn¡¯t even hover using his flight power.


    ¡°Aw, fuck,¡± Pip muttered, massaging her forehead. She couldn¡¯t believe she was going to do this, and that Mai had almost certainly seen it coming. Why did her mum always have to be right? ¡°Everyone, listen up. We¡¯re going to train your powers.¡±

 The Glass Knight: Senioritis - Chapter 10 - Vivainne

    Jail was easier to break out of than Vivainne had anticipated. It had something to do with the fact that they¡¯d undone most of their security protocols, but she also believed her power was particularly suited to this sort of work. Sneaking, evading, remaining invisible.


    She phased through the walls of the prison, senses allowing her to feel her way out while her eyes could not see. Tendrils of shadow responded to her cue like her own limbs, limbs that had transformed to become the shadows that swam through solid space. They felt their way along, sensing light when they neared an open corridor, vibrating at the sound of voices. Sights, sounds, and sensations came to Vivainne a bit as if she was sensing them underwater, removed from the information coming at her.


    Light and warm wind reached her senses. She pushed in that direction, stopping midway through the wall and staring out at the gated parking lot surrounding the police department. Where to go from here?


    She could steal a police car, though that was a fair bit more flashy than she wanted to be. Her mother might be impressed, but that wasn¡¯t the sort of attention she wanted to bring to her mother at the moment. And that might be pushing the leniency the heroes had extended toward her.


    No, she would have to make her way across town on her own. She could use the bus, but she didn¡¯t have her phone, her wallet, an ID. Could she sneak onto the bus?


    She pushed out of the wall, landing in a puddle on the ground before slinking from shadow to shadow to maintain her cover. It was the biggest limiter of her power that she knew of. Under direct sunlight, she couldn¡¯t maintain her shadow form, core quivering under the weight of it. And the longer she maintained it, the more unstable it grew.


    The strain set it as she escaped onto the street. At first, a mild tension where her temple would be. Then, a shakiness that set in as she pushed further, a fluttering in her power core like an old car shaking on the highway. She could only push herself for so far and for so long before the fractures in her core started to pull open and threaten the structure of her power.


    She managed to reach a dark alley before her shadow form fell apart completely, dropping to her knees as her chest heaved. Something wet coated her hands, the entire alley covered in slime. Trash littered the space, spilling over from an overly full dumpster.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Vivainne said, pushing herself to her knees. A line of drool slipped out of the corner of her mouth, and she brushed it off with the back of her hand, grimacing at the grime across her palms. That was possibly the longest she¡¯d ever pushed herself with her power before, at least in full transformation. Especially during the day.


    Legs shaking like she¡¯d just run a marathon, Vivainne managed to stand. With her power out of commission, at least for the moment while it recovered, she needed to find a new way to get home.


    The bus it was.


    It took a little bit of navigating for Vivainne to find a bus that would be headed in the right direction, a bit longer to figure out a way to pay for it. She hadn¡¯t had anything on her when going into Recompense¡¯s house except for her watch, which meant she had no money and very few opportunities.


    She would have to talk to people.


    A few conversations later, she had enough money to get on the bus and head home. Sitting at the back of the bus, sweat beading on her neck, Vivainne finally had a chance to think about what she was going to say to her mother and how she would explain away her situation.


    She touched the hair tie holding up her ponytail, ensuring herself it was still there. There was no way for the heroes to contact her, not until she got her phone back and entered the number she¡¯d memorized, but it was a relief that they were listening.


    Could they listen while she was in shadow form?


    She would need to ask Recompense that question, whenever she saw him next.


    When would she see them next?


    The heroes had wanted to set up regular meetups, check-ins to make sure Vivainne was okay, but she needed to be sure her mother wasn¡¯t suspicious first. The last thing she needed was someone following her to meet up with a forty year old man at a coffee shop somewhere. Either they¡¯d think she¡¯d been groomed, or was in contact with the law. Either assumption was a bad one.


    The bus let her off a few blocks away from her home. The bus wasn¡¯t exactly needed where she lived, at least not normally, not when everyone had multiple cars and maybe even a helicopter or plane somewhere. While her mother tended to keep a more low profile existence, at least at their residence, she also had multiple cars. One was Viv¡¯s, technically, though she rarely drove it. Not much of a point, since she¡¯d finished school a few months ago and rarely left the house unless on a task.


    Walking down the street toward their house, Vivainne couldn¡¯t help but feel woefully exposed. Her back to the open street, and blazing sunlight, and a series of gated properties in various styles on either side of the two lane road. The sidewalk was unshaded and lined with ornamental bushes, greener and healthier than any other plant life in the scorched city. Rich people were the worst.


    Vivainne¡¯s own home was a modern monstrosity, cold compared to Recompense¡¯s farmhouse home. It looked like what a child would make if handed a box of glass, metal, and plastic scraps. No rounded edges or sloped surfaces, only sharp angles from the perfectly square, blocky home. It perfectly matched the look Vora was known for, and her work in the tech industry. The garish statue of a robotic hand in the front yard was just tachy, though.


    The tech was a good thing, however, considering the gate was able to simply scan Vivainne¡¯s eyes and let her through, otherwise she¡¯d be stuck outside without a key. Her core was still too weak to activate. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    She trudged up to the house, a pit of dread in her stomach. She ignored it, along with her still fluttering core and its raw, fractured edges, and made her way to the front door. If her mother chose not to believe her, there was absolutely nothing she could do. So she had to bet on her own deception skills, or throw in the towel now and let it be done.


    And for all that Vivainne was, she was not a quitter.


    Vivainne stopped on the front step, sucked in a deep breath, and reached for the doorknob.


    The door swung open before she could touch it, her mother appearing from the cool interior.


    Vora was nearly identical to Vivainne in many ways, to the point Vivainne suspected that was why her mother invested so much in her. Black hair, straight as a pin, pulled back from a face as narrow and pale as Vivainne¡¯s own. A mole sat beneath her right eye, one difference between the two of them, and she was a bit heavier and curvier than Vivainne. But that difference was more a matter of childbirth than anything else. In pictures from before giving birth to Vivainne, she could have been Viv¡¯s twin.


    Vora¡¯s eyes went wide at the sight before her, Vivainne in scuffed up, stained clothes, dirt on her hands and a weary expression on her face she didn¡¯t have to fake. She hadn¡¯t slept since the day before, and no amount of caffeine could help it.


    ¡°Vivainne?¡±


    ¡°I got out,¡± Viv said, jumping ahead. The words came out tired, as exhausted as she felt. The past day and a half had been exhausting, and she needed a break. Needed to get inside and sleep in her own bed, and figure out the rest of it later.


    Vora reached out, taking her daughter by the arm and pulling her inside and into a one armed hug. She should have felt disgusted. Her mother was a monster, one who had done unspeakable crimes and had abused Vivainne in the process. But she was, at the end of the day, her mother, and children were supposed to be safe with their mothers. And even though she¡¯d never been, she longed for that comfort.


    She melted into the hug, despite a lingering anxiety deep inside, waiting for it to be over and wishing at the same time the situation was different.


    Vora pulled back, taking Vivainne by the face and lifting up her chin, too firmly to be comfortable. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The security system was better than we anticipated,¡± Viv said, pulling from the truth as much as possible. ¡°I set it off before I could reach the vault.¡±


    ¡°You were captured?¡± Vora¡¯s eyes, a stormy gray rather than the dark, near black pupils Vivainne had, narrowed.


    Vivainne nodded once, unable to pull away from eye contact with her mother. ¡°Yes. But I got out.¡±


    ¡°What did you tell them?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Vora¡¯s jaw went tight.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to interrogate shadows,¡± Vivainne elaborated. Against her better judgment, she reached into her core and forced it together long enough to form a ribbon of shadow around her hand.


    ¡°You remained shadow the entire time?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t let them identify me,¡± Vivainne said, doing her best to remain confident. She didn¡¯t let her gaze waver, waiting for her mother to accept her statement as the truth.


    A smile crept across her mother¡¯s face, slowly taking place of disbelief. ¡°Good. You did good.¡± She released her hold on Vivainne, allowing her to take a step back. ¡°Did you manage to find anything?¡±


    ¡°Not anything I can identify,¡± Vivainne said honestly. Recompense¡¯s tech was far beyond her ability to understand, considering how bizarre super-designed tech often was. Defying the laws of what should have been possible, and often unable to be dissected. She didn¡¯t know what her mother expected to do with the supertech. She was a genius, but that didn¡¯t mean she could stand on the same ground as a supergenius.


    ¡°Well.¡± Vora turned, leaving the entryway behind and leading the way to the kitchen. Unable to do much else, Vivainne followed her. ¡°Not ideal, but we¡¯ll try again once they¡¯ve given up their search for you.¡±


    ¡°They never saw my face,¡± Vivainne lied. Easier to do, without her mother watching.


    ¡°Considering no heroes came knocking on my door, I assumed as much,¡± Vora said. ¡°You need to be more careful next time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°We will need to try again,¡± Vora said.


    ¡°We will?¡± That wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d expected. It would make her meetings with Recompense easy, but her mother would expect her to bring tech back with her, and she doubted the hero would allow that.


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re close to a breakthrough, and I need more sources to study.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s another tech super easier to access?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what my supplier asked for.¡±


    Vivainne shook her head. What was her mother talking about? Since when did she have a supplier, someone who would ask for tech in exchange for¡­ what? Wasn¡¯t Vora studying the tech herself?


    ¡°Supplier?¡± Vivainne asked, trying to phrase it as nonchalantly as possible. The heroes had said she needed to get involved, but she didn¡¯t want to make her mother suspicious.


    ¡°Someone I did a favor for,¡± Vora said, brushing it aside. ¡°He owes me, but has goals of his own. We have a deal, to get us both what we need. But perhaps it¡¯s time for me to study that brain and power of his instead.¡±


    A chill washed across Vivainne, leaving her teeth chattering. She hadn¡¯t intended to give Vora any ideas.


    Vora poured herself a drink, golden liquid into a small glass, bubbling lightly. ¡°How do you feel after getting caught?¡±


    ¡°A bit shaken up,¡± Viv murmured, casting her eyes down to the table. She still needed to wash her hands, alley slime covering her palms. ¡°I thought I¡¯d be able to slip past the defense system.¡±


    ¡°What caught you?¡±


    She hesitated, trying to remember what Recompense had said about his security system. ¡°I realized there was something in the walls around the safe,¡± she said. ¡°Nearly invisible, yet my shadows touched it. I tried to get around it, and, well¡­¡±


    Vora nodded, humming to the words. ¡°I see. Did it hurt you?¡±


    ¡°No, I avoided it. But I couldn¡¯t get through it. He has a way of containing people, even when phased.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Vora said. ¡°Yes, we definitely need a tech super. I need to understand how their powers work.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Maybe if she could get her mother to voice the reason, it would be enough for the heroes to launch a full investigation.


    ¡°You know why,¡± Vora said, laughing and batting at her.


    ¡°Well, yeah, I just am still kind of confused about all of it,¡± Viv said, trying to find a reason to get more involved. ¡°I know you have to study a power to understand its structure, but what do you do once you figure it out?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all pieces in the system,¡± Vora said. ¡°Every super I study gets me a step closer to understanding how power cores are structured, and what to do about it. The way the brain interacts with the core. The neural differences between humans and metas.¡±


    Vivainne hummed in acknowledgement, not sure what to do with the information. It pieced into what she knew about her mother, but didn¡¯t fully explain it. Her mother¡¯s power interacted with power cores in a way others couldn¡¯t, and her studies were mainly focused on the brain and neuroscience. How did the two work together?


    ¡°What can I do to help?¡± She needed to get involved. She needed her mother to show her more.


    Vora raised an eyebrow appraisingly. ¡°You want to help?¡±


    ¡°I failed at getting you the tech,¡± Vivainne said, lacing her voice with emotion as she stared down at her hands. If she could make herself tear up, that would be incredible, but she didn¡¯t want to mess with the video-contacts she was wearing. ¡°I want to do better.¡±


    A hand landing on Vivainne¡¯s shoulder, forcing her to control a shudder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, baby. You¡¯ll have your chance again soon.¡±