He was gone before I could get a word out—vanished into the shadows.
2
THE VILLAIN
I’d forgottenwhat it was like to be warm. I couldn’t remember what the heat of the sun felt like on my skin. I hadn’t experienced the feeling of a warm summer breeze, or the sensation of a hot shower, or the warmth of another human being in five and a half years. Ever sincethe incidentgave me my powers and I became Avalanche.
Then she came out of nowhere.Violet—a beautiful name for an equally as beautiful woman. A woman that tracked medown, stalked me forthreeweeks, and managed not to alert my shadows. My nosy, good-for-nothing, second power that wassupposedto warn me about potential threats.
She could have been dangerous, she could have been trying to kill me.
Now she was dangerous. She discovered my secret, one I’d killed to keep from everyone but my best friend—a woman I considered a sister. Violet had known what I really looked like for three weeks but she’d done nothing with that information. She hadn’t even threatened to use it against me if I didn’t do what she asked.
If I had any sense, I would have killed her right there. But my sense tossed itself out the fucking window the moment my body pinned hers because, for the first time in five years, five months, three weeks, and three days, I was warm.
I thought creating distance would help me get my head on straight, then I got a good look at her and she was absolutely stunning. Night-black hair, ocean-blue eyes, short and curvy. It was like the universe was testing me or something, because I’d stepped back to find my dream girl. I was dazed, confused, and amused as I watched her stutter out gibberish for a minute.
I hadn’t meant to tease her, hadn’t meant to enjoy the conversation, hadn’t meant to stay as long as I did. But she figured out who I was and didn’t run in fear. She was a little nervous, as one should be in my presence, but not afraid. She didn’t look at me like I was a killer. A monster. A villain.
She was the first person to look at me—at Avalanche—like I was just another human being. And that made me curious. What kind of person volunteers to track down a murderous supervillain? Gives that same supervillain attitude?
I had to know.
Which meant I had to go meet this kid.
Four days later,I was making my way through the hospital.
I was engulfed in my shadows, hiding in every dark space I could find. (That wasn’t an entirely accurate description. I could actually morph into the shadows and travel through them like I didn’t have a body.)
It felt weird. I’d never used this side of myself in my current attire, the costume I wore as Avalanche. I wished I had, because being able to use my shadows and my cold would have been extremely helpful in my mission to destroy anyone and everyone involved inthe incident. But alas, the universe thought being able to use both at the same time was too much power and cursed me to only use one at a time. I couldn’t complain, though,the incidentkilled over 85,000 people, I was one of 14,000 who lived and got powers out of it.
The hospital was mostly vacant. Only a few nurses and one doctor. They cycled once per hour, unless one of the kids sounded an alert. By 11 p.m. they’d stopped cycling and stayed at the nurses’ station unless someone called.
Easy enough.
Almost too easy.
I waited over five hours; it was just after 1 a.m. when I slipped into room 408. A little girl, no older than eight, was hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor machine. She wore a cap over her bald head and slept deeply.
Seriously? 1 a.m.? You’re an idiot.
I turned to leave. It clearly wasn’t a trap; I could come back at a more decent hour. I shouldn’t be waking this girl in the middle of the night.
“You came? Miss Violet said she would try but everyone else said you would never come.” A weak and shaky voice filled the empty space.
I faced the bed again. The little girl had a wide smile on her small face and her thumb on one of the buttons controlling her bed so she could sit up more.
“I… She… Um… You…” I took a deep breath. Good lord I was no better than that stuttering volunteer. She had come off as adorable; I just sounded like an idiot. “Yes, she said you wanted to meet me.”
“Miss Violet is the best. She always sneaks me an extra jelly when she visits.” The little girl was absolutely beaming.
“I… Well, I’m new to this so I’m not exactly sure what to do,” I said rubbing the back of my neck.
What the hell was I doing here? She should be meeting someone good, not me. Not a murderer. Not a monster. Not a villain. I shouldn’t have come.
“That’s okay! I can help you. We start with pictures!”
I hadno business having as much fun as I did. Scarlett was the most adorable kid I’d ever met. She was so strong and fearless. Spending nearly six hours hanging out with her was the best time I’d had in…well, in five and a half years.
