Isabella Garcia sprinted down the sidewalk outside RavenHall High, her watch beeping faster and more urgently with every stride. Midday sunlight glinted off passing cars and the dusty storefront windows.
She ducked sharply around the corner of the old brick building, out of sight. Swinging her bag off her shoulder, she dropped to one knee and yanked it open. Black wig, a mask and a leather jacket.
『You’ve got this, Izzy. 』
In seconds she stripped off her light blue glasses, fitted the sleek black mask over her eyes, and tugged the dark wig into place over her silver curls. She shrugged the leather jacket on over her school clothes, zipped it up, and stood. By the time she stepped back onto the sunlit street, she was someone else entirely.
"Kids these days are obsessed with heroes," an elderly man on the opposite sidewalk chuckled, shaking his head as he watched her.
She vanished before he could finish the sentence.
A small burst of white, sparkling mist exploded around her, and she reappeared five meters down the block in a soft puff of cloud. Micro-teleports. She’d awakened the ability at ten years old, but her family had refused to register her with the Hero Body. So she trained it in secret, using it to handle the small crimes in South Mayvel that the real heroes never bothered to answer.
Her watch beeped louder, more insistent.
She dissolved again and reappeared on a nearby rooftop, the city stretching out below her in a haze of concrete and lit displays.
『Okay. That one was insane. 』
She’d surprised herself, that jump was well beyond her normal range. From her vantage point, she spotted them immediately: three masked men crossing the wide street in broad daylight, struggling with a heavy cardboard box between them. No one else seemed to care.
『Ugh, I wish an agent was watching this while I kick their asses.
『That’s not me any more. I save because I have to. 』
Izzy dropped straight down from the roof like a falling shadow and landed in the middle of the group. Her fist connected hard with the first man’s jaw. He dropped instantly.
"What the f—"
The second man didn’t finish. She blinked in front of him in a flash of white mist and drove her knee up hard between his legs. He folded with a choked groan, the heavy box crashing to the pavement and splitting open.
The third man grabbed her from behind, arms wrapping around her torso. Before he could tighten his grip, she dissolved into smoke again, reappearing behind him. He stumbled forward into empty air.
An ice-silver Bentley Flying Spur rolled silently to a stop in the middle of the road. Tinted windows. Glossy black rims. Izzy barely noticed it.
The two men she’d dropped scrambled to their feet and limped away desperately.
Their companion stayed behind, wheezing as he reached into his jacket. He pulled a pistol and pointed it at her with shaking hands.
"Take one more step and I’ll put a bullet in you, bitch."
Izzy dissolved into white smoke once more, reappeared behind him, and dropped him with a sharp strike to the back of the neck. The gun clattered across the asphalt, plastic and fake.
The man collapsed.
His two companions were already running. A second later, the last man dragged himself up and stumbled after them.
Izzy didn’t bother chasing.
She crouched beside the spilled box. Action figures lay scattered across the street, colorful and glossy in the sunlight: Storm Girl, Elena Mars, Lady Vega, Solenne, and dozens more. A whole plastic army of heroes.
She picked up the Lady Vega figure, turning it slowly in her fingers.
『One day I’m going to be like you. 』
She set it down gently. That was when she noticed the Bentley had moved closer, parked right beside her without a sound. The rear window slid down smoothly.
She tensed, ready to teleport.
"Wait." A calm, unhurried voice came from inside the shadowed backseat. "Would you be interested in building a real hero career?"
Marvin Bliss leaned slightly forward into the light, his glasses catching a glint.
***
Ren sat slumped in the back row. His mind was miles away from Astronomy. He’d only picked the elective because Izzy was in it. And now Izzy wasn’t here.
"Mr. Moore." Ms. Pearce’s voice cut through the quiet room with gentle authority. In a small class like this, there was no hiding.
Ren didn’t move.
『This isn’t normal. Something’s wrong. Or... maybe she’s avoiding me because of what I asked her last night. Is this really how she’s dealing with it? Just disappearing? 』
"Ren," Ms. Pearce said again, patient but firm. "Are you still with us?"
"Yeah. Sorry." He blinked and sat up straighter. "Sorry."
Ms. Pearce stood at the front in a flowing white dress that caught the light, her black hair looking faintly damp like she’d just stepped out of the shower.
She was the kind of beautiful that made teenage boys quietly ruin their GPAs. Ren and Bishop used to be hopeless about her. Bishop had kept a photo of her as his lock screen for all of junior year, brightness turned so low it was basically invisible.
The system notification suddenly appeared in the corner of his vision.
[Mission Complete]
[Next mission available in 36 hours. Keep engaging your audience.]
[Views: 290,000]
[Followers: 150,653]
『What the hell? 』
A slow grin spread across Ren’s face. He was already reaching for his phone under the desk, desperate to see the numbers for himself.
"Ren." Ms. Pearce’s voice had gone flat with practiced patience.
He looked up. The entire class had turned to stare at him. And there, in the middle row, sat a girl he recognized instantly.
Electric-red hair cropped short and sharp against her face. Silver nose ring. Oversized shirt, shorts, chunky boots. The exact same girl from Jake’s store, the one who had dropped to her knees without fear and then smirked through the whole robbery like it was entertainment.
Her eyes were already locked on him. The second their gazes met, she looked away.
『No way. That’s definitely her. 』
Ren’s stomach tightened.