The bell chimes and it is a whirl of paper crumpling and zipping backpacks as I sling my bag onto my shoulder and hustle to the parking lot, I don't want to make him wait. Aidan is standing there, leaned against the hood of his car in a tight black t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. I giddily race over and he hoists me up in a big hug, placing me gently on the hood of his car. Standing so close to me, I can smell his body wash, and I lean into the welcome scent. His hand cups my chin and I am enveloped in a kiss that blooms, his tongue pressing against my lips, begging entrance. I grunt a 'no' and he doesn't push, but his other hand migrates to my thigh, pushing to the edge of my shorts. This causes me to open my eyes, remembering we are in the middle of the parking lot and people can see.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswrSpEaXxz
I push him back gently, and while he looks disappointed, he slips my bag off my shoulder and sets it in the back seat. I hop in the passenger seat and as he starts the car, I play with the dials on the radio. Just when I think there's nothing good, “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga plays, and I hum along to the song, dancing in my seat. Aidan appreciates me as I belt the chorus, a smile tugging at his cheeks. I lean into his shoulder, returning the smile. I'm grateful that he isn't too upset about earlier. The moment feels so sweet, I feel I need a literal sweet to satisfy my sweet tooth. I reach behind me into my bag and pull out a package of sour candies.
"Want some?" I ask. I pull out a green apple sour straw and look at him with my eyebrows raised.
He looks over at me with an unreadable expression before his face relaxes, "Sure." I feed him a piece while he keeps his eyes on the road, "You know too much sugar is gonna rot your soul."
The saying is one he's made before, but for some reason, it unnerves me today. I'm feeling defensive given the current plans, "Let's hope it does for the sake of our afternoon." I say, the piece I just ate was a stinging blue raspberry and it interrupts the anxious thoughts that threaten to send me into a panic attack. Unfortunately, my leg still bounces uncontrollably. So, I pull out a modded laptop given to me by Jason as a reward for the soda, and once again check the local police databases and carefully follow the instructions he left me on how to erase all developing notes from yesterday’s crime.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVjAhJWy23
It will make the police suspicious, but also give us an idea of what evidence they have on us, which isn't much right now. But the strand of my hair is damning and I have yet to tell Aidan. If he knew, then he wouldn't do this today. I then clear my cache and restart the computer before someone can read my IP. I flip my computer over once more to revise Jason's mods before I slip it back into my bag.
We stop briefly at his apartment to revise the plan; as soon as it's all set, we head up to a local convenience store in our "to-burn" attire. I haven't taken my wig off, but when we pull up, I do. I take a deep breath and try to smile assuringly at Aidan. My clothes for after are in a plastic bag that I hid in the bathroom ventilation earlier this morning.
We enter from the back, disarming the door and I sneak into the office/breakroom where there are the monitors displaying the security footage. There's no one back here to stop me and I wonder if this is a set-up. After all, picking the lock was almost too easy. I take out the USB Jason gave Aidan for future assistance, I plug it into the work computer and hit the keys that give Jason remote access to the device. In a matter of seconds, windows open up and close before the right one, which contains the security detail, is opened and programming is being rapidly rewritten to delete the footage from the cameras outside that would give up our car's information and us entering. Then he cuts the store feed, for extra fun a message pops up on the screen telling me to flip a set of breakers.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYoaPkVkf1
I turn to the fuse box and flip the ones specified in the message box. I hear a panicked shout from the front and know that when Zandor steals the money from the store, it will go unnoticed. In the meantime, I find the scissors in the office and cut the wire connecting the phone to the wall and its power. On the screen, I can see Jason wiring the money from the business account to a private one. As this processes, another message pops up telling me the passcode to the lock box sitting below the monitor.
I get to work opening up the box in time for Aidan to stumble in, he has the cashier's drawer full of cash and a backpack. I start taking the stacks and putting them in the backpack as he dumps the cash and change in there. I notice three boxes of cigarettes in the bag and shake my head.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKstGPLK56
"Did you get his cell phone?" I whisper. He pulls out a crushed hunk of metal and glass that was in his pocket. I shake my head once more, "I still need to get the chip out of it, that's the important part." We switch places, him unloading the safe, me taking apart the phone until I have the microchip extricated from the mess that was that guy's phone. I toss the chip in the bag with the cash and leave the lump on the counter. A message pops up: 5 more minutes.
I push Aidan aside and relock the safe with the passcode and quickly strip down to my underwear and socks, putting the clothes into the backpack, shoes, gloves, face cover, and all. Aidan stares for a moment at my figure, almost naked before him. I take the wig from the bag, looking worse for wear. "Police coming," is all I say before he snaps back into the moment. He zips the bag up and heads out the way we entered. This unfortunately sets off an alarm and I groan angrily. I dash back to the computer, taking out the USB with the damage already hidden on the monitor and place it in my bra.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnKNJ5Bqrs
I race to the bathroom in the darkness and change into the set of clothes hidden in the vents, tucking the socks into the padding of my bra, pushing my boobs up slightly. The flip-flops I wear are uncomfortable, but necessary to not leave any trace. I'd imagine that Aidan is putting the car in drive and is hiding the evidence back at his apartment. I'm adjusting my wig when the power comes back on, I am brushing it out and trying to smooth the wisps, when a police officer enters.
"Are you alright, ma'am?" he asks, eyeing me.
I nod my head and breathe as normally as possible as I ask, "Why, what happened?"601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIsYA0FZBl
I am led out of the bathroom by the officer to a store in chaos. Oh Aidan... What have you done? There are products slewn across the floor and bags of chips that were popped and crushed on the linoleum. The cashier is slumped on the counter with a few spots that flush red from some kind of impact. There is, in the back corner, a woman similarly slumped against the soda cases. Beer is obviously missing from the cases next to it.
The cashier awakens, looking frazzled and looks me in the eye. He can't place me because he never saw me, which makes me a suspicious person, but he also likely has a concussion. "Are you alright?" I ask, the concern comes out more genuine than I expected.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMbaMBYIhl
"Umm... Well-uh no... I... I don't know..." His eyes have a sadness and terror to them that guilts me deep. He starts to cry and I am stuck, not knowing how to comfort this man whom we just traumatized for a couple of thousand dollars.
The officer comes up behind me, "We called an ambulance for these two, but I am going to have to ask you a few questions." I nod my head, shoving down the terror. The store manager shows up and begins to talk with a second officer. They head to the office in a hurry, and I think to myself, You won't find a thing.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKjnEfFTxg
The officer asks me where I was, what I heard from the bathroom. He is kind enough to try not to ask what I was doing in there for fifteen minutes. However, I know that that alone is suspicious, so I spin a story that I went into the bathroom because my lunch didn't settle right and that I was getting sick in there. I heard some noises, but was preoccupied with the sounds of my retching to where I barely heard the sounds aside from the screams. This seems to satisfy the officer and I feel like throwing up for real by the time the questioning ends.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsHAhmGodU
A new clerk comes in, and the manager fills the register with what money was left in the safe box. Despite coming into a scene with police officers, he actually looks kinda bored with it all. I want to laugh at the fact that there was a robbery here and this guy just doesn't even care. 601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUZCJlrMHU
Aidan returns as the police are leaving and he pulls me into an embrace, "I got your text, babe, I'm so sorry!" He kisses me and pulls me to the back of the store. With his face on my neck, he whispers, "Well, that was fantastic! You know what? I know your villain alias now."601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdr7Tad9p1
He pins me against the cooler and nuzzles his face into my neck. A boy walks by, grabbing a soda, and I blush ferociously. He dips his head and rushes to the counter with it. Aidan playfully growls and I giggle.
"You'll have to tell me," I chortle.
"Don't you already know, my little candy caper?" he slips a chocolate bar into my back pocket. We exit the store together and drive away. At Aidan's apartment, I take the cigarettes to sell to Nevada (a girl at my high school), and Aidan puts the money in a safe in his apartment that can only be opened with his thumbprints. I wonder what he’ll do with the money...
As I grab my school bag, I notice the packs of beer stacked by his couch and a cold sensation grips my stomach. I remember 'the incident' and I shake my head. No, that won't happen again, he promised.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjukXDnwm0D
I eat dinner with my family tonight as we watch the 7:00 news. The story is about the convenience store robbery. The clerk didn't remember much and is confirmed to have a concussion, but the damage to the cell phone leads police to believe that it is Zandor. They mention pink hairs being found in the office and I curse myself again for my weak follicles. I try to feign obliviousness to the story on the television, but the glares I get from my parents incriminate me. When I match their gazes, there’s no hiding the apprehension in their eyes. So I calmly stand from the table, before sprinting upstairs in panic, hoping to escape their wrath. They know I was there! 601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXq6Sv7vBRQ
It’s not hard to put together, in all actuality: I have been gone in the afternoons, my grades are slipping, and my wig is as fake as the vegan label on Claire Confection gummies. Dad can't walk, so his reprimanding isn’t as immediate; I can hear the chair whirring as it glides to the edge of the stairs. Mother, however, storms up the stairs, feet pounding her fury into the marble staircase as she rides my tail to my second-floor bedroom on a mission, "Luna Asu D'Claire! Open this door! I want an explanation, right now!"601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspCcyPRXBD
"I'm sorry, mother. I'm sorry!" I sob out. I look to the window, contemplating whether to climb out or use the secret passage in my closet. It takes too long to decide, and she enters my room with a somber look upon her face. All the anger I expect is hidden, making her all the more scary. I sit down on the bed, knowing there is no escaping a mother on a mission.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jhWjUyBj3
"I ought to call the police on you this instant," I prepare for the talk of a lifetime and perhaps being dragged from here in cuffs, "but I’d be a hypocrite to do so." I stare at her in disbelief. "So, how easy was it to rob?"
What did she just say? I stare at her face to see if she's kidding, but she seems sincere. I consider lying, and yet her tone surprises me so much that all I can utter is, "Um... What?"
"You heard me. How easy was it to rob the store?" She looks genuinely curious, and yet the repetition of the phrase does nothing to help the oddity of this conversation. My father, in his manual wheelchair, is at the door with a pleasant smile on his face. He rolls in, mother closing the door behind him. Both stare at me eagerly and I wonder if lying is even worth it at this point,"It wasn't too hard. I had help hijacking their security footage and Zandor gave the cashier and one witness a concussion while I pilfered the safe and cut the power." I look away because their expressions are scaring me.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0Hsh145Dr
"And what else did 'Zandor' do?" She asked. From the look on her face, I can tell she already knows Aidan is Zandor, but how? Then it hits me. Who am I kidding? Aidan couldn’t do anything he’s done if Jason and I hadn’t helped him cover it up. And my dad can see all activity on devices in the house, not to mention any new ones... He’s not stupid. But knowing that, why didn’t they bust me sooner?!601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWaqH4aoW8
"Well, he crushed the guy's cell phone and took off with the evidence," I nod along as I try to detail what happened as vaguely as possible. The look on my dad’s face is no longer pleasant and he looks upset. I stiffen, ready for them to yell about how irresponsible I am or to set me straight.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwlAPLZlo0
"Without you?!" my mother shrieks. What? That’s what they’re mad about. Him leaving with the goods, and not taking me with?601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyee1eawhu
I look at the ceiling, embarrassed, "To keep the guy from actually suspecting me, I changed back into this and talked to the police. He never suspected a thing," I say, “Besides, the police found me in the bathroom, so I had an alias. They both look at each other once again with smiles.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gdZBHwNjf
“I told ya, she’s smart. Who came up with that plan?” Dad asks. He looks at me with pride on his face and I pinch myself in the leg to make sure I'm not having some really strange nightmare. It's real...
“I came up with the plan,” I look at my hands. "At least the second part of it..."
"How do you plan to explain this to anyone else who suspects you?" Mother looks me hard in the eye. For the first time in this conversation, she looks at me very seriously. Depending on my answer, there will be a punishment.
"I'll lie," the words slip from my mouth as the rest of my answers have, and I can’t explain how or why, but I come to realize that all of my answers have been somewhat involuntary. I can’t help but chalk it up to the fact that it’s my mother, and I would never wish to lie to her.
"Good idea. Want to try your lie to me?" She asks, I consider trying it, then think why didn't I lie in the first place?! And how can she possibly not be skinning me alive?!
"Woah, woah, wait a minute! Why are you okay with this?! You should be mad at me!" I feel like some kind of daze has been broken and I can’t prevent the fear that invades my body. I know parents are supposed to be understanding, but this goes a little too far.
"That's not a very good lie," she chuckles. I think I'm losing it..."Look, when I first discovered my potential, I befriended people, kind of like how you “befriended” Aidan. Except, it was more than just your father and me; we also had Divad and Tina. We did full-on operations where we freed stray dogs from kennels, spray-painted glass buildings downtown, and basically caused chaos. After a couple of... disagreements, we disbanded and we stopped the sprees."601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vQv8WX6pF
"Well, most of us did that is," my father chimes in.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYq0aUplQH
"However, your father and I were brought together by our mutual hatred for the way things are; we don’t do that stuff anymore, but we can’t blame you for having a little rebellion in your heart as well." She rubs my shoulder reassuringly and the daze settles in again, and I feel my heart rate slow in a pleasant way.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOTW27FKlJ
"Tina as in... Aunt Tina?" I ask. “But she’s the sweetest person I have ever met!” I think of the rotund woman who visits every Christmas; she has more than a few suitors at every party and yet is as independent as the sun.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZARxgeZP4
"Yes, she is. She had a knack for distractions." She chuckles, "It was always in her interest to figure out how to keep us under the radar. She even went as far as to set three fire stations on fire to prevent us from getting caught. I suppose it's time we explain that your brother wasn't necessarily excluded from this behavior either... " At the mention of my brother, Brody, the pain is reopened. He did this kinda stuff too? How would he have reacted to today's events?601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodBoawUeGP
"How did the factory explode?" I blurt. “I know it wasn’t a gas leak.” I want a true explanation, one that makes sense, not the one officials used as a cover-up.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRUSmiBwuk
"What? Oh... we believe an IWAA attacked the factory. I think it had something to do with Divad," her eyes get stormy. I know she's thinking about Brody, too. Dad places a hand on her shoulder, his silent support holding a million sweet words. If it weren't for the explosion, daddy would still be able to walk, "But I don't like pointing fingers. I know you miss your brother, but whatever crime you commit, think about the consequences. Are they worth it?"601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UxQWRFOAm
“Maybe,” At the thought of an IWAA hurting my brother, my body shakes with anger. Mother grabs daddy’s wheelchair and together they head out of the room.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIyUmIIBvf
“Oh, and honey,” Mother turns to me at the door, “next time, don’t let the news surprise us. We want to be alerted so that we can help you properly cover everything up. You’ve done a splendid job, but make sure to involve the adults so you don’t end up with a life sentence, ‘night.” With that, she leaves, and the hushed voices of my parents can be heard as they go down the hall.
Are they worth it? Her words echo in my ears. I haven’t done anything meaningful. I robbed a convenience store and a soda truck. Those people did nothing, except not take precautions. While that upsets me, it doesn’t enrage me. I want to get back at whoever helped to kill my brother. The police are useless now that IWAAs have taken to the streets in the shadows. An IWAA is way more powerful than their puny laws and guns will ever be, so the most they can do is cover up the damage and destruction. If my mother's suspicions are right, Divad may actually be an IWAA.601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtw6WaIv89q
It wasn’t a gas leak; it had to be one of those overpowered rats. Those monsters have unnatural abilities and I feel more resolved. To rid the world of any IWAAs who could do harm to innocent people? Sounds pretty worth it to me. I shoot a quick text to Aidan to make some plans and I start to gather a pack of clothes. Those IWAAs better watch out...
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