Reagan stared at herself in the locker room mirror. Behind her, Lauren clamped her hands over her mouth. Reagan twisted her neck, showing a large mark on the side rapidly growing redder.

  “You gave me a HICKEY?!”

  “SHH!” Lauren couldn’t help but look to the door on the other side of the room. The assembly was still going on across the hall. They were lucky Reagan’s squeal when Lauren had clamped down on her hadn’t seemed to draw any attention so far.

  It was truly an accident. It was all Lauren could do to stop her teeth from lengthening and piercing Reagan’s neck. The parasite still engaged her muscles to suck, though. The embrace lasted for a few seconds, until Reagan was able to break away.

  “Are you smiling?” Reagan accused to Lauren’s reflection. She still had her hands over her mouth, but Reagan must have been able to see the humor in her eyes.

  “No,” Lauren lied. Now that the potential threat was over, it was objectively a little funny Reagan had a mark of their illicit kissing.

  Reagan wheeled on her, wet hair swishing. “You think this is funny? How am I going to cover this up? It’s huge!”

  “I don’t know, a turtleneck?”

  Reagan grumbled, putting her hair over the mark. She seemed less mad about it than she could have been. She turned and inspected her coverup in the mirror.

  “You’re ridiculous.”

  Lauren approached her. Standing behind Reagan, Lauren rubbed her upper butt and nuzzled her nose through Reagan’s freshly washed hair. She was starting to become addicted to whatever Reagan was putting off. And when her mouth was occupied by other things than insulting and belittling Lauren, she was surprisingly kind of cute, in a sharp, dour way. Maybe this could be their thing. Meeting up for the stated purpose of arguing with each other, then switching to other activities. It didn’t have to mean anything.

  Reagan pushed her away from behind. Lauren stepped back, blinking.

  “No more of this,” Reagan said firmly. She twisted to face her.

  “No more of what?” Lauren asked, eyebrows furrowing.

  Reagan crossed her arms. “No more wishy-washy, fighty-kissy crap. I’m not going to be your ‘side-piece’ or whatever it’s called. I don’t fool around. You have a date you’re going on. So you go on it, and then you decide what you want. No more cornering me to do this until you do.”

  Lauren thought that through. “So if I don’t keep seeing Anika, we keep doing this? That’s what you’re saying? Or would… you and me be girlfriends?”

  Now there was a confusing thought.

  Reagan jutted her chin out. Her eyes searched through thoughts Lauren wasn’t privy to. For a moment, the only sound was the echo of the dripping faucet.

  “I don’t know. I find you infuriating. Sometimes. Obviously, I feel an attraction to you I can’t really explain. It doesn’t sound like you’re the one who’s attracted to me.”

  Reagan held herself as she talked, bare foot twisting on the tile. This wasn’t her usual aggressive, dominant persona she put out around others. Lauren caught a glimpse of the girl under the shell. She was uncertain, lonely even. Made sense, given she wasn’t great at making friends. And now Lauren was using her.

  Lauren honestly couldn’t say if she would see anything in Reagan at all if she wasn’t emitting one of the strongest scents. She felt at a loss. Reagan was right, this wasn’t a fair thing to do.

  Lauren lost the moment to refute Reagan’s words. The other girl moved around her to collect her bag. She slipped on her shoes.

  “You don’t have to say anything,” Reagan said. Her voice sounded normal, calm, which itself was strange. She sounded like a regular teen for once. “I’ll see you around.”

  “Reagan, wait.”

  She stopped, her expression weary. “What?”

  “…One more?”

  Reagan sighed. Lauren thought she’d say no again. But her bag dropped from her shoulder, and she came to Lauren again.

  Their kiss was long and deep. Lauren savored it. Her hand came up, and her thumb stroked Reagan’s jaw. That must have been a good move, because one long kiss turned into five.

  Reagan finally found the will to pull away. Lauren looked into her eyes, and felt like she was seeing the other girl for the first time.

  “Don’t keep exploiting my weakness for that,” Reagan said.

  Lauren nodded.

  They parted in the hallway. Reagan left for outside. Walking into the gym together, one of them with a massive hickey not able to be hidden by her current apparel would be mortifying for both of them.

  Lauren watched her leave. She wasn’t actually considering picking her over Anika, was she? The two of them hadn’t had a single truly pleasant interaction since the first day of class. Lauren hadn’t even wanted to be friends with her. But when they kissed, it was electric. Lauren had wanted to take her right then and there, and might’ve if they were in a less public space.

  She burned with shame as she wished she had been bold enough to pull off Reagan’s clothes before Reagan had a chance to come to her senses and assert her dignity. Just one time, that was all Lauren needed to get Reagan out of her system. And if it had been before her date, it wouldn’t’ve technically been cheating.

  Fuck. Now Lauren had to pick.

  She huffed and went for the gym doors.

  . . .

  Lauren became something like a mannequin in the hours after the assembly. Everyone wanted try something for her. Lauren’s date preparations were to be a social event, apparently.

  Thalia and Mary came over from Dorm 5. Thalia was looking a bit better, her eyes still red and puffy, but she wore a hopeful smile as she came in, Mary slinking in behind her. Grace took charge as the resident beauty queen.

  Becoming date ready, it turned out, was much like medical testing. Lauren was dressed and undressed as the choir of helpers tried finding her the perfect fit, each giving their own opinion.

  “Ooh, she’s pretty in that!”

  “But she looks uncomfortable! Lauren isn’t a dress girl.”

  “Too cold anyways. It’s a first date! Let’s be casual.”

  For the dozenth time, Lauren came out of her room to strut around, this time in a nice pair of jeans and a slightly tighter and brighter top than she usually wore. The judges all nodded together. Then came the makeup and hair chair.

  It was almost like a kind of surgery. The light above was bright, consuming the details of each of the faces crowding around her. Tweezers plucked and brushes tickled. Lauren gritted and tried not to see Dr. Smythe when she blinked. She kept her hands tight on the armrests. She dispersed any pressure threatening to build out of her nose. She kept her focus on the trilling voices of her friends. They were doing their best to help.

  Finally, a mirror was stuck in front of Lauren’s face. She was caught off guard as she looked at the girl in the reflection. Girl.

  Lauren was a girl, of course, but she had never before been a girl. A girl with done hair and a light blush and a touch of color on her lips. Eyelashes dark and visible. Blemishes buried under foundation. Wow. Dare she think of herself almost pretty? She touched her cheek as if she needed proof that was really her, and not some doppelganger. She moved her face, and the pretty face in the mirror responded.

  “Yes!” Grace twirled and clapped her hands beside her face. “I’m a miracle worker! You’re so ready.”

  Lucy grinned and gave a thumbs up.

  “Thank you,” Lauren said to each of them. She felt a confidence about going out she couldn’t have imagined before. She checked the time. 5:30. Anika wouldn’t be long.

  Lauren did her best not to move her face too much or smudge anything or get any sudden stains on her clothes while she waited with the girls. When the knock on the door finally came, she nearly jumped. It was time. Her first real date. She wiped her hands on her pants before getting up to open the door.

  Anika was outside, looking just as alluring as ever. She had done her own touches, lips freshly black to match the heavy dark around her eyes that went so well with her hair. Her face was smooth and spotless, her eyes bright. She split into a charming smile as she beheld Lauren.

  “Did you do all this for me?” Anika purred.

  Lauren’s heart thumped. Fulfilling her base desires with Reagan was easy. The prospect of having to be interesting and entertaining and attractive to a girl like this for the next few hours was quite daunting in comparison. Lauren looked back at her pit crew in the living room. They each waved and gestured her forward encouragingly.

  “…Yeah,” Lauren said, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Let’s,” Anika said, and took her arm.

  They rode the Rosewell Express into the city, the ride’s only two passengers. Miles of bare rock rumbled past in the darkness. Lauren and Anika sat in two seats across from each other. Anika, ever confident, was very forward about staring approvingly. Lauren was much more shy. She laced her hands together and slumped forward and occasionally managed a glance up with a nervous smile. She tried not to think about Reagan, or her powers, or anything more complicated than the present moment.

  The downtown stop was approaching. Lauren realized they hadn’t really discussed any concrete plans.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” Lauren asked. “Or, was I supposed to come up with that? Sorry…”

  Anika’s confident look didn’t waver. “No, don’t worry about it. I know a general area we can walk to. I don’t like making super detailed plans. I hope that’s okay.”

  “That’s totally okay,” Lauren said. She was just relieved it wasn’t on her. Wandering around the city seemed good. She had been gone a while, not that she knew Pacific City the best before. It would be good to see how things were at ground level, as a civilian.

  It was dark already as they exited the building that served as the fa?ade for the students’ exit. The streetlights were on. Some traffic, though not many pedestrians. The smell of the river wasn’t as refreshing as it once was, ever since Lauren had gotten a good dose of it right up her nose.

  “Metro?” Lauren asked.

  Anika nodded her head down the street. “C’mon, we can walk it. It isn’t far.”

  They strolled together away from the cluster of buildings that made up downtown.

  “So, you have my powers, huh?” Anika asked.

  “I guess so,” Lauren said. “I haven’t tried using them very much. A little practice with Lucy’s. I just killed a plant, though.”

  “Try it.”

  “What, yours?”

  Anika nodded. “Yeah. Give me a dose. I want to know what it’s like.”

  “Um, okay.” Lauren tried to concentrate as kept up their pace. She felt the nodes inside her. Each one was like a mystery box, with only the vaguest hint of what was inside. At least she knew which one was Benedict’s powers, and Lucy’s. Which one felt like emotion control?

  Her gut twisted. She grunted. Did she have it now? It was hard to tell.

  “How do you use your power?” Lauren asked.

  Anika shrugged. “I usually just picture it radiating out of my skin. I don’t have to think about it very hard these days.”

  Lauren tried to picture waves of emotion coming off her skin. Anika could only do negative emotions. Maybe that meant Lauren could only do those too. She didn’t want to make her date sad or angry. It was hard to feel if she was doing it right.

  “Do you feel anything?”

  “Not really,” Anika said. “But that’s okay. It took me years to even understand I had powers. Mine were pre-puberty. When I had tantrums, everyone around me felt it. Took me years more to control it consciously. And even now, I can still only project it in a vague area around me.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Let’s go this way.” Anika turned them down another street. Up ahead, lights were strung in a zig-zag overhead, giving the block a cozy glow. The shops here looked unique without being ritzy, and there were some cafes and restaurants, plus what looked like a park in the distance where the street became a T.

  “I found this place tucked away a few weeks ago,” Anika said. “Thought I might take a cute girl here.”

  Lauren grinned and blushed. Anika reached over into her pocket and brought Lauren’s hand out, lacing it in her warm grip. “Let’s explore.”

  They did so. For the next hour they drifted from store to store on the block. Anika took them into a music store first. The place was filled with records, and some merch hanging on racks. A long-haired dude sat behind the counter. Anika thumbed through stacks of records and told Lauren about her favorite genre, grunge, its history and how it related to other kinds of music. She showed her album covers with mean-mugging rockers and naked babies and strange, splotchy colors. It was all very interesting.

  “What’s your favorite kind of music?” Anika asked as they were halfway down a row.

  “Oh, I’m not sure,” Lauren said. She was flattered to be asked, and a bit embarrassed she didn’t have any distinct musical taste. “I kinda just listen to whatever, I guess.”

  Anika nodded, considering. “That’s fine. That just means you’re open to be influenced.”

  Lauren smiled. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. I’m gonna make you a playlist.”

  A playlist. Wow. That got her giddy. A girl was going to make her a playlist. What a night.

  They continued meandering. They talked more about interests and stuff they enjoyed. Lauren felt light years behind compared to Anika’s easy knowledge of pop culture and other things Lauren should have been able to relate to. Even before her stint in the lab, Lauren’s connection to the outside world was a thick tv with poor reception. And that was mostly overtaken by dad’s sports and mom’s daytime shows.

  Mostly, Lauren was happy to be led and listen to her pretty date. It felt like a friend hangout in the best way, with the added spice of romance, but not with so much expectation it felt stifling. Whenever Anika looked at her she had a gleam in her eye that made Lauren feel wanted. They bumped shoulders as they walked and leaned towards each other, and it all felt so easy.

  Internally, Lauren stifled the withdrawals of Reagan’s scent and taste. That wasn’t her.

  As they exited a clothing store, Lauren noticed a flyer stapled to a pole they passed. She rubbernecked to look at it, then backed up. Anika was mid-story when she noticed and backtracked with her.

  “A free park concert?” Anika asked, looking at the flyer. “Laserwing… sweet. Doesn’t look like the kind of music I’m usually into, but free doesn’t hurt. That’s that park right there. Let’s go check it out.”

  Lauren was scowling. The flyer advertised a teen girl with gray hair, a tiara of gold spikes crowning her. She wore a pink bodysuit with silvery armor over it. She was pretty in a haughty sort of way.

  “What’s wrong?” Anika asked.

  Lauren pointed at the girl. “She’s a New Lord. She was at the museum fight, before you showed up. She almost killed Adam.”

  Mischief alighted in Anika’s expression.

  “Are we gonna go fuck with her?” Lauren asked, hopeful. She couldn’t think of anyone else at school who would be willing to engage suddenly like this, but Anika seemed the type who would be down.

  Anika nodded. “No one fucks with one of us. Let’s go see how much she likes her attention…”

  They walked together to the park. They could hear the music starting from a block away. They crossed the street and passed under skeletal tree branches. Already, they could see the stage at the center of the block-sized park. A decent-sized crowd huddled in front of an elevated stage. Large speakers echoed the music and singing on each side. The crowd was comprised of mostly teens, by the looks of it. They sung along and cheered, holding up their phones to the tall and thin figure strutting across the stage. Pink neon wings shed light from her back. Laserwing, in full regalia. Her singing sounded over tuned to Lauren.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Oooh, bring your heart to me

  I’ll keep it here for free

  I’ve always wanted yours too

  In my heart filled zoo!

  She finished the song with a fresh surge of applause and cheering. She waved and blew kisses to her fans off sharp, perfectly manicured nails. Lauren and Anika joined the back of the crowd, just another two perfectly anonymous teens.

  Two other girls nearest them chatted quickly and excitedly as the next song was prepared.

  “It’s so cool she’s doing this for free!” one said. “She has so many followers on Uptik. She’s like, a hometown star for Pacific City!”

  “I know, right?” The other said. “We gotta get signatures before she really blows up.”

  Anika put herself near the two girls like it was the most casual thing in the world. Lauren felt her heart quicken unnaturally fast. She breathed calmly as best she could.

  “Did you see what she did on her socials today?” Anika asked.

  The two girls looked at the newcomer between them, confusion on their faces.

  “What?”

  “She liked a really bad problematic take today. Y’know, about the conflict overseas? It’s still up. I like Laserwing, I just hope this doesn’t affect her…”

  Anika’s powers crept in insidiously. If Lauren didn’t know what she was capable of, she probably wouldn’t have noticed an outside influence. The girls closed together and muttered.

  Anika left them, moving on to rove the outside of the crowd. She started up more conversations, dropping little bombs in each that were probably vague enough to sound believable when coated in Anika’s enhanced emotions. Lauren caught snippets of a few.

  “She’s on a new boyfriend before dumping the last one…”

  “A lot of her early stuff is AI…”

  “She was supposed to show up at the children’s hospital…”

  On stage, Laserwing was well into her next song. Judging by the repetition of the lyrics, it was probably called Glossy Little Lies. Anika made her way into the center of the crowd. Lauren could feel her influence still at the back edge. Her jaw tightened. She wanted to hit something. All of this seemed so stupid. What was she doing, pretending she was someone who could slack off and go on dates? What was wrong with her?

  The crowd was similarly growing agitated. A few groups stomped away, pushing past others. Those that remained started getting rowdy. They shoved into each other. Cheers went silent, and a few voices started mocking Laserwing. Someone threw a drink onstage. It skidded by her heeled feet, causing her to stumble. She mumbled a few lyrics, the tuned voiced obviously continuing without her. The singer glanced at some handlers offstage, looking for what to do.

  The crowd smelled weakness, and that was the last thing you wanted to show in front of a crowd of teens. Boos now overpowered any other call. Cameras were now focused on those calling out Laserwing in harsh tones. She stopped singing altogether. She went wide-eyed, frightened and looking like she was about to cry.

  Wild how quickly a crowd could turn, Lauren thought. Riot Girl really could start a riot. Her projected emotions were a powerful thing, in the right situation. She almost felt bad for the floundering New Lord. Almost.

  The music cut, and Laserwing abandoned her stage. The teens were merciless in filming her retreat. A few black-shirted security kept the crowd from pressing in. Anika emerged out the back, grinning. The effect of her powers had cut.

  “You’re so bad!” Lauren said. They giggled and laughed together as they made their retreat.

  “I know, I’m terrible. Did you see she was about to cry? What a little bitch! She’s totally gonna go have a meltdown in her suite! I wish I could watch that part.”

  Lauren laughed again. If Lilith’s faction wanted to do battle in the public eye, Rosewell could hit back too. Ms. Almstead and probably most everyone else at the school would frown at the use of powers of innocent civilians. But it was harmless once Anika ended it. No one had to know.

  Anika rubbed her stomach underneath her dark jacket. “I’m hungry. You hungry? Let’s eat.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  They found a retro-styled diner on the corner of one of the city blocks. Anika picked them out a corner booth. The place was mostly empty, the few other patrons hunched and keeping to themselves. A few waitresses walked the checkered floors in prim blouses and patterned skirts. Where there wasn’t red vinyl, there were shiny chrome surfaces. A jukebox was ready to play at the end of the bar, not far from where they sat.

  A kind waitress with bright red lips handed them menus. Anika thanked her, and shamelessly watched her behind as she walked away. That got Lauren to look over her shoulder. Her rear did fill her skirt rather well. She made eye contact with her date and they snickered together for no real reason. It was just fun to be young and stupid.

  “Everyone around here looks so depressed,” Lauren said as she perused the food options. “Laserwing’s concert was like the one little bright spot, and even that was fake.”

  She felt a hint of something like regret. Did they ruin everyone’s fun for stupid payback? Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to involve all those people in it.

  Anika flipped a page on her menu. “Yeah, well, things aren’t great in the city right now. First the destruction, now crime on the rise. Gangs, villains… people don’t feel safe.”

  Right. Normal people going about their lives. All this craziness, Lauren had almost forgotten what it was like to be one of them. It was hard to imagine being here without a way to defend herself.

  “I wish there was more to do,” Lauren said. “It doesn’t feel like we’re making much progress.”

  “We’re working on it,” Anika said. She looked up, appreciating her date. “We’re getting back on our feet. The bust at the docks was good. Got some good arrests out of it. Taught those New Lord assholes we’re back in business. Whatever source we got that from, we gotta use that more.”

  Killer Crow. That gave Lauren an idea.

  “And you care about all this, huh?” Lauren asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  Lauren shrugged. She didn’t want to offend her date, but she wasn’t quite sure she understood Anika well yet either.

  “When you showed up to school, it seemed like you didn’t care which side you were on. You just wanted excitement, right?”

  If that was true, Lauren could relate to it on some level. She was just maybe more goal-oriented when she had first shown up.

  Anika seemed embarrassed to be reminded of that. She rubbed her neck.

  “Ah, that was just me talking. I wasn’t ever really going to go join the bad guys. I hate people who hurt people who can’t defend themselves. But, I also hate when people can stand up for themselves and choose not to. Y’know? My family was kind of like that, back home.”

  “Where are you from?” Lauren thought to ask.

  “Mm, a small village in India,” Anika half-mumbled.

  “Really? You don’t, uh…”

  “Sound like it? I know,” Anika said. To be fair, pretty much Lauren’s only exposure to India was the representation she saw on The Simpsons. “I adjusted pretty young. I hated the way I sounded here. I grew up on these American bands and shows. I grew up wanting all of this. It’s why we moved here. Because of me. My powers… they gave us a special track to become citizens.”

  She was hesitant to say more, Lauren could tell. The waitress came back and took their orders. Lauren got a cheeseburger, Anika a fried porkchop.

  When she left again, Lauren thought not to continue what seemed like a touchy subject. Anika was the one to bring it up again.

  “I never really felt like I fit at home, you know? It was all too much, the expectations of my family. They were never good at understanding who I am. I wanted to come here, be a punk and my own woman. I wanted to find my own way. And use my powers to fuck up the system.”

  Lauren thought about that. She had her own problems with the system, but a reason for staying with it. It took her a moment to find out how to articulate a thought trying to come together in her brain.

  “Isn’t… the government kind of the system punks rebel against? And you’re kind of part of it if you’re going to a school made by the government?”

  Anika shook her head quickly. “No. The system is the bad guys. The criminals. You can work for the government and still be a punk.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  They sat in silence for a moment after that. The energy between them didn’t feel as easy, suddenly. There was a tenseness to them both not knowing how to continue.

  “Have you thought about what you’re going to do after you graduate?” Anika asked.

  “Uh, no,” Lauren said. She supposed she had that offer from Weiss. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if she was even making it to graduation one way or another. What even was graduation? How long was she expected to be at the school for? Until she was 18? That seemed so impossibly distant.

  Anika came around the booth until her knees were touching Lauren’s. She pulled out her phone, preparing to show her something. Lauren drew her elbows and shoulders in, conscious of how little space they were sharing.

  “Some of us could make a new hero team when we graduate,” Anika said. “Like the Power Guard.”

  “Who?”

  Lauren asked just in time for Anika to show her on the phone screen. Six young adults in costume were posing for cameras, the lead young woman in a black and blue costume and blue mask taking questions. They looked like an eclectic bunch.

  “The Power Guard. They’re the newest hero team in Beacon City. That’s their leader in front, Harmonia. They’re a mix of legacy heroes who were in training before Invasion Day, and some recruits. They’re the ones keeping things in check over there. They’re like, the new hotness as far as super teams go.”

  “Wow,” Lauren said. She looked at Anika in a new light. “I didn’t know you were such a—”

  “Super-nerd?” Anika guessed.

  “Super-fanatic,” Lauren corrected. “You keep tabs on this sort of stuff?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I think it’s important to know what’s going on. Our country’s heroes were the hardest hit by the invasion. Other countries are doing a bit better. We’re still building back. It’s good seeing new heroes rise.”

  “That’s cool,” Lauren said. “I should be more knowledgeable, I guess. Even this stuff we get up to here seems like too much, sometimes.”

  Anika shrugged. “I know I seem a bit like I don’t care. It’s just me trying to be cool. I really like this hero stuff. I want to be a part of it. And I think here is the best place to do it. Unlike most people though, I know it’s going to be messy.”

  “I respect that,” Lauren said. “I’m glad you have my back out there. Maybe we will be on a team together someday.” Tonight she could try being hopeful about it, if everything turned out well.

  Anika smirked, her familiar expression returning. “I hope so. I think we’d work well together.”

  Their food arrived, and they tucked in.

  . . .

  It was well past midnight. Lucy had shown her how to remove all the makeup from her face. Once her date was over, it had started to feel cloying on Lauren’s skin. She kept her nicer outfit on, it being comfortable enough. The three roommates wanted to hear about how the date went as soon as Lauren stepped through the door. She gave them all the details. The one thing she wasn’t able to answer was when her and Anika were going to see each other again. They both agreed to a second date, Anika seeming like she meant it. Lauren felt a bit less sure now. Reagan was still far too on her mind.

  Everyone else was in bed by now. Lauren left her phone behind and hopped up the roof once she was sure there was no one to spot her leaving. An idea had been building at the back of her head ever since dinner. An idea involving her copied powers that had suddenly emerged. The idea only dared fully manifest once all the pieces were together. She didn’t want time to talk herself out of it.

  As much as she could tell herself she had grown in her time at Rosewell, one simple fact remained: she was here to rescue Rachel, or at least discover the truth about what had happened in that lab. Everything else was secondary. That meant the time had again come to do something stupid without telling anyone else.

  She summoned the wings forth from her back. Now that she knew which node they were, the process came easier. That didn’t mean it was entirely easy. Her back bulged, then the fabric of her nice top tore. Sorry to her fashionista friends. She wasn’t about to risk breaking out the suit for this. It could be tracked for all she knew.

  Her large, leathery wings flopped as they grew, then drew up to cover her, forming a tent of skin. She found that once they were grown, she didn’t have to maintain any extra effort to keep them out. They seemed a part of her body until she dismissed them. That was good, at least. Now, to see how well she could fly with them.

  Firstly, she engaged the active camouflage that also came with Benedict’s powerset. Her skin became wavering, indistinct black and gray to match the color of the night and the roof. Like the wings, the camouflage also seemed permanent until dismissed. Hopefully it would be enough to leave campus without being seen. If it wasn’t, she could come up with an excuse for leaving campus after curfew. Her destination would be harder to cover, if they had a way of tracking that. The hope was she could be there and back again before anyone knew anything.

  She got to her feet, wings at the ready behind her. In the dark night, her invisibility was nearly perfect. She was hard to spot even with her own perfect vision looking at herself. One thing left to try. Flying with purpose.

  No time to waste. She felt her wings, and commanded them to lift her into the sky. She jolted as the unfamiliar muscles twitched to life. They flapped, and Lauren was carried off her feet.

  She clamped her mouth over a frightened cry that wanted to escape. Once she was in the air, the process became fairly automatic. That didn’t mean she was ready for it. Her head bobbed up and down with the motion of her wings lifting. Her stomach felt like a cocktail shaker. Campus was already getting so far away, the mountain air cold. Maybe she should steal some of Grace’s blood, if it meant flying without needing these ungainly wings.

  The flight became slightly smoother as she prioritized moving forward instead of gaining altitude. The skin between the bony digits stretched taught, her wings spreading to their full span. The city was at a lower elevation, meaning most of the trip was a surprisingly easy coast downwards. She passed over blocks of lit buildings far below, all but impossible to see as a distant figure in the sky.

  Some part of her brain was adapted for this. The muscles in her wings twitched, adjusting automatically to catch updrafts and maintain an easy drift. She had to flap maybe once each minute.

  I’m flying. I’m fucking flying.

  A childlike laugh escaped her. She spread her arms and each finger, feeling the breeze caught between them. All the uncertainties and unknowns aside, Lauren was flying under her own power. Who hadn’t dreamed of doing this? It felt strange and incredible. She could spend all night up here, turning in wide circles, feeling utterly weightless and free. She realized suddenly she could leave easier than ever. With her stamina, she could fly anywhere on the continent. She could vanish.

  The thought was nice, but fleeting. It wasn’t physical constraints keeping her here in the city. It never really was. She had ties here. She wouldn’t escape Weiss or Dr. Smythe by leaving this place behind. Not before solving the mystery of her.

  She banked, turning towards the riverfront on the far side of the city. Already she could see her destination in the distance. One of the tall towers of La Blanca, the lights of the bay’s bridge blinking behind it.

  Lauren flew to the roost of the Killer Crow.

  She circled the building a few times, figuring her trajectory of landing as well as making sure she got the right balcony. Hogan had said they had ways of monitoring Dominic, and anyone visiting him. Did that include an invisible flier landing at his outside door? She had to hope not. If so, she’d try to get in and out as quick as she could. A good idea anyways. The crow gave her the creeps, and she didn’t like visiting him alone late at night. She had to remember he was powerless, and she was stronger than ever. There was realistically nothing he could do to her.

  The more or less vertical landing was hard on her knees. His balcony might have been big, but it was no landing strip. She took caution to not knock over any of her furniture or send decorations spilling down onto the street. As soon as she was steady, Lauren sent her wings receding into her back. Everything cracked back into place.

  She was faced with a sliding glass door. Here was the test. Had she come this far, only to be blocked by a pane of glass? Would it be locked, or would an alarm sound? One way to find out.

  The door whispered open easily. Almost too easily. No alarm that she could hear. Lauren stepped inside.

  All the lights were off inside the quiet, yawning interior. Only the gas fireplace, flames on low, cast inconstant red light and deep shadows over the harsh shapes of the spartan furnishings.

  What the hell was the plan now? Go find Dominic’s bedroom and shake him awake? The thought made Lauren’s skin crawl. Honestly, what was she expecting? She never thought these things out. Planning wasn’t her strong suit. Being to tough to get killed by her lack of planning was. Should she try to find a light, and hope that would wake him? But what if someone saw, took it as a signal something was wrong?

  “Lauren.”

  She nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized she wasn’t alone in the room. Dominic was already lurking there. It took her a horrible moment to locate him. He was on the far side of the room from her by the hallway next to the stairs. His form was a sturdy silhouette, only a few features catching the shifting light: the glass he held, the whites of his eyes, the flash of his teeth. His presence was somehow more and less than it should have been. It almost felt like the room was a projection of himself, and he was standing beside Lauren even though she could see he was a safe distance away.

  She swallowed dry. Blinking felt like it would give him the opportunity to cross the space without her noticing. She had to remember she was the one with powers.

  “I came here to ask you some questions,” Lauren said. She tried to make her voice hard like Hogan had.

  “Of course.”

  Dominic was wholly unperturbed by her presence, like he had been expecting her at that exact moment. That was impossible. Something in his glass clinked as he shifted it. He started moving laterally.

  “Why don’t you come inside, away from the door. I’ll tell you anything you’d like. And perhaps we could also talk about your potential. I can make you a grand thing, Lauren. I saw it from the moment I first laid eyes on you. You’re wasted in that school. A few extra lessons from me could take you so far.”

  “I’m happy where I am, thanks. Here and in school.”

  She rotated with him, Dominic disappearing further into the darkness to refill his glass. She lost track of him for a moment. He reappeared near where she expected him to, at least.

  “Suit yourself. What would you like to know, in this stolen visit?”

  “You said I could better understand myself.”

  “I did say that, didn’t I?” Dominic sat in a chair halfway in the firelight’s edge. It made him seem more tangible. Lauren relaxed slightly.

  “What did you mean?”

  Dominic took his time answering. When he remained still, he seemed to become a fixture. Somehow, despite not being able to see his other features well, Lauren could see his eyes staring hungrily. At her, at the fire, at empty space.

  “Your situation isn’t unique. You are a product of a ghost lab.”

  “A what?”

  Dominic put a thick finger over his lips, warning her not to interrupt.

  “A ghost lab is what it sounds like: off the records, off the grid, off anything traceable. There are only so many ways to gain powers in this world. A mutation at birth. A one-in-a-million accident of science. Being blessed to have the resources and ability to learn the mystic arts. Training can get you some ways. But there is always the search for true, predictable, reliable power on a mass scale.”

  He took a draught, lips smacking. “Ghost labs advance that search. They disregard any ethics that might constrain legal operations. They build weapons, distill serums, clone until they find the right sequence. Some say even our greatest heroes were the product of a ghost lab. Not that anyone would admit such a thing.”

  Lauren disregarded his warning about interrupting. She couldn’t be here all night. Someone would notice her absence. She took a step forward.

  “I get it. That’s what happened to me. Very smart of you. I assume Hogan talked to you about Dr. Smythe? Where is she?”

  Dominic rolled his neck, tendons popping.

  “In my heyday, I had a vast network. I kept tabs on so many, even those I had no immediate use for. There was a doctor, roving at the edge of my perception. A brain without a lab, at least to my knowledge. She was a corpse-taker. Liked them fresh, right from the battlefield where heroes and villains fell. Not uncommon. Some style themselves modern-day Frankensteins. But her? She was different, I think. She wanted what was inside them.”

  “Dr. Smythe?”

  Dominic came forward in his seat. The firelight caught on the highlights of his skull. His eyes were black, dead. Like Redmaw’s, Lauren realized. She backed away, closer to the door. His attention felt evil. Lauren remembered Weiss telling her he had killed a hero without ever meeting him.

  “I do not know the name of your doctor, or her location. I do know what happened to the doctor in my tale, if you’d like to hear the end of it.”

  Lauren nodded. The fire sputtered in its housing, which seemed unlikely given it was gas-fed. In the brief moment of darkness, Dominic disappeared from his seat.

  Heart quickening, Lauren set to looking for him again. She panicked irrationally, treading backwards until her back hit the cool glass of the door. Every shape seemed like it could be him, was him. What could he even do? He was normal. She’d break his face if he tried touching her. That didn’t do much to soothe her nerves.

  A dry chuckle bounced through the room. Lauren looked upwards. Dominic was now on the upper level, having reached it in less time than should have been possible. He was barely even a shape in the darkness at that distance.

  “The doctor I once kept tabs on was swallowed by a beast you’re well-familiar with. BASTION. I never heard from her again. But that particular beast does not release things without digesting them thoroughly.”

  “…You’re saying BASTION has records on Dr. Smythe? How? They’d tell me.”

  Hand on the railing, Dominic half turned away.

  “Perhaps you should consider your own position within the beast’s digestive tract. Do you know how many people you killed that night, Lauren? You are a weapon. You are a product. They will not let you go and they certainly have no interest in solving you. It’s all lip service. You must take it from them. And you won’t be in a position to do so unless they think you’re collared.”

  Lauren shook her head. She fumbled for the handle behind her. This place was too much. It was a mistake coming here. The Killer Crow was filling her head with poison. She could feel his malicious stare as she threw open the door and stumbled back into the night.

  “Come by again Lauren! Next time, we’re discussing the things I can teach you! Wonderful things!”

  She threw herself off the balcony before her wings grew, not able to stand another moment in his presence. She let them catch her fall halfway down. She climbed upwards towards the mountain in a rocking rhythm, leaving the dark roost behind with every beat of her wings.

  I am not just a weapon.

  Weiss. Dominic. Anyone who thought that was wrong.

  She landed on the grass of campus. Her wings retracted. The Crow’s words ate at her. BASTION having records on Smythe, and not telling her? No. Hogan wouldn’t. Would Weiss? Maybe it was above Hogan’s head. Would it hurt to ask them? What if they shut it down, destroyed the records if she was onto them?

  If they existed, she needed those records.

  She disengaged her camouflage as she walked to the lights of the dorm. It was well into the darkest part of the night. A single figure stood outside on the first floor. They looked up as Lauren stepped out of the darkness.

  It was Reagan. She started. It probably seemed like Lauren had come from nowhere.

  Reagan wore pajama shorts and a loose t shirt. Even in the dim light, the blotch on her neck was visible. She wasn’t attempting to hide it.

  “Where did you come from?”

  Lauren didn’t answer her. She marched up to the other girl and took her wrist. She brought Reagan’s hand up to her face. She nuzzled into it.

  “Are you okay?” Reagan asked.

  Lauren didn’t answer with words. She wasn’t sure what would come out of her if she tried. Instead, she turned towards the stairs with Reagan’s wrist still in her grip. Towards her room.

  Reagan hesitated for only a moment before she let herself be led.