Chapter Six

Mom draped a fuzzy plaid blanket over my shoulders. She was whispering the same mantra a thousand times, saying everything would be okay; everything would be okay.

Would everything be okay?

I wanted to believe her.

With a soft sob she stepped into the kitchen. I didn't know how long I sat there, sitting on the couch staring out the living room window. Time didn't seem to matter all that much. With some difficulty I pieced everything together, playing the morning over and over again in my head. Pressing the replay button. The first time was the hardest; my breathing hiked up the second my mind conjured the startling image of a Happy Clown mask. After thinking it over about twenty times, my hands started to ease to a small shake, my face un-pinched from a worried scowl, and my foot stopped tapping on the floor. It was over. The Clowns were caught. I was safe. All of the madness would be gone, filed into the last cabinet of my memory bank.

Including Ghost as well.

Was he really going to just disappear? Flash away, out of my life for good? It was difficult to comprehend, to believe he wouldn't be around anymore. Ghost, in the little time that I had known him, reminded me of a tick - he latched on to something, sucked that something for all of its worth, then dropped away when he had received his fill.

So what had he extracted from me? Well, maybe he didn't exactly drink away anything; maybe I just grew a little too attached to the feller. Like naming a pestering wart.

No more snarky comments, or mind-reading. No more reprimands or scolding. No silly name-calling.

Actually, it didn't sound too bad after all.

The more I turned over Ghost's last note in my head, the more complicated it seemed to become. Was this for better or for worse? Was it what he wanted or what he needed to do? Why was I obsessing over a criminal?

A small part of me wanted Ghost, no matter how many times my conscious said that he was a complete stranger, a lunatic, a madman. I just wanted him around a little longer. It sounded awfully selfish but after hearing his last words, the strange, comfortable tone that brought me to trust him, something inside me changed. As if a curtain was drawn up to reveal a human on the stage, under the added 'Super human' that also came with his person.

His note was clutched between my fingers, a reminder that knowing him had been real. As the piece of paper gently crinkled in the silence, it finally registered in my thoughts; he was gone.

"Angel?" Mom's voice sounded directly beside my head as if she were leaning against the couch. "I'm going to go take a quick shower upstairs. Will you be alright?"

I nodded, eager to be alone. She placed a quick kiss on the top of my head and quietly went up the stairs. The footsteps thudded softly against the carpet for a good nine steps, then it was quiet again. As soon as the familiar sound of running water drifted from up the stairs, I reached for the remote that controlled the television. The screen sparked to life with a quick click of a button.

The news channel was already up and in the middle of a report, and I blanched at the scene.

"-there were four men arrested for the attempted robbery at Paramount Bank this morning at 9:25. Each man was equipped with a gun and a mask to hide their identity. They claimed to have been following orders of someone else, another Superhuman who calls himself 'Ghost'. The men also said he was the one who robbed the jewelry store. Four hostages were being held in the building during the incident, one woman found dead once the police arrived. I would have to say Paramount City is lucky to have Vigilante on our side because without his help the crime may have taken an unfortunate turn of events. Law Enforcement is taking extra precaution with the word of a new Superhuman in the city, let alone one who causes destruction—"

A soft knock sounded at the front door. I jumped at least a foot off of the couch. Fright knocked into my thoughts like a bowling ball striking pins. Who the hell could it be? My eyes widened with a sense of uncertainty. What if one of the clowns got away, followed me home, and waited for Mom to disappear all this time?

No way, the report stated that all four of the clowns had been arrested. It couldn't be one of them. But Ghost?

Maybe he couldn't stay away.

The notion brought me to my toes with a sudden thrill pushing my feet toward the door.

With a deep breath I closed my eyes, remembering the mantra.

"Wh-who is it?"

I wanted to slap myself for the amount of trepidation that swelled my words to make me seem like a terrified kitten. Nobody respected a scared kitten, only offered pity to console the tiny thing. Ghost might not have had any respect for me since the minute we met but for some reason I wanted his respect more than anything.

"Local hero, at your service."

Vigilante's deep, appeasing voice sounded from behind the door and my thoughts of Ghost plummeted to the pit of my conscious with a low whistle, landing with a small poof of dust. Why did the villain have to grow on me so much?

With a violent twist of the cold knob, I yanked the door open. Directly in the middle of my front porch stood the hero in white. The sun was shining at a slight angle to give the white material of his suit a shiny glint. As soon as I looked up to his mask the feeling of security and trust swept over my worries and fears like a calm breeze. It was so relaxing, so joyful that a smile even tugged at the corners of my lips.

Vigilante smiled back but after a moment it fell to a small frown. He shifted his weight a little, coming just a small step closer to me, pushing that feeling of hope on me more strongly with the dissipating distance.

"I'm terribly sorry what happened to you this morning. I can't begin to imagine what you were feeling."

I blinked. "How did you know I was there?"

Had Ghost been wrong? Did the hostages escape from the police, shouting about a girl who had gotten away, who had been momentarily possessed by ScarJo? Oh, God, why wouldn't they? Security tapes could reveal everything too. The thought of going into the precinct for a good cop slash bad cop questioning made my stomach flip. What if the clowns were there as well?

Vigilante held out his hand palm up, and in it contained a cell phone. "And I'm also sorry for looking through your phone. I just wanted to figure out who the device belonged to."

Relief never hit me as hard as it did in that moment. And not for him finding the cell, either. Through all of the chaos I hadn't even missed the little cellular phone. It was the last thing on my mind. I sighed and picked the phone out of his palm as quick as I could, saving him from seeing the trembling of my own hands.

"Thank you so much."

He gently cleared his throat after I took the phone. "One question, though. Why didn't I. . .see you there?"

I wasn't sure if it was okay to tell Vigilante of Ghost. Would it be considered a betrayal? After all, just talking to Vigilante then may have caused him to be angry. If he even knew that the white-caped hero was there. Although after the note he left, it didn't seem anyone would be seeing much of him, and that's the moment I utterly and truly realized I didn't want Ghost to leave. So yes, it made me more than happy to piss him off.

"Ghost helped me."

Vigilante went still, almost to the point he may not have been breathing. In fact, I don't think he was. He let out a long breath of air after a minute before grabbing both of my shoulders. My brows drew together, asking him what he was doing even though I didn't say it.

"Angel, you need to stay away from him. How long has he had contact with you?"

The graveness of his voice prompted an immediate response, and I almost spilled the entire narrative of my time with Ghost. But those were my memories, our memories. I didn't want to share them with Vigilante so I gave him reassurance that he wouldn't be around anymore.

"Not long. He'll be gone for good now," I replied softly, still taken aback at Vigilante's actions.

"Good," he breathed out, releasing the tight grip on my shoulders. A small ache throbbed in both of them only for a moment. He sure had a strong hold.

"If he ever comes by again, all you have to do is think my name and I'll be there."

My lips pressed in disappointment. "You mean you can read my mind?"

Vigilante smiled and shrugged slightly. "Sort of. Like right now you're thinking of touching my suit."

One Super with mind tricks was more than enough. I scowled and looked at the floor, a little embarrassed to keep eye contact with him.

"I'm glad you're okay, Angel. And don't worry, none of the other hostages remember who you are so you are safe." Vigilante took another step closer, only a good five inches between us now, at least, causing my breath to hitch.

"What about security footage?"

"The cameras were somehow blocked off earlier today so there's no need to panic."

A slight wink was added at the end, implying something else that was unable to process in my mind at the moment.

"Thanks," I said lamely, earning another nod from the Superhuman.

He turned partly away before spinning back around. "Oh, and I like your phone case." He gestured to the upside-down Spider-man hanging from a web. "Is there any Superhero you don't like?"

My lips curled into a weak, playful smile. "I could think of one."

Vigilante laughed, a deep melancholy sound and cocked his head to the side. "I like you, Angel. You've got a certain flare about you."

My heart faltered at the words, obviously stunned it came from such an icon. "Thank you. For everything."

"Angel? Are you talking to someone?" Mom's shifty voice drifted down the stairs.

My eyes bugged at Vigilante, who only smiled again.

"No, just the t.v!"

I turned around to make sure she wasn't already coming down the stairs. When the coast looked clear enough, I turned back to the outdoors but Vigilante was no longer standing on the threshold.

_________________________________________________________________________________

An entire week went by, and Ghost still hadn't given any indication he was in the city, let alone alive. There wasn't any special news reports about the blackguard, which brought the idea to mind that he retired before even making a dent.

News of the bank drifted in and out of the school faster than you could snap your fingers. Not a single person even knew I was there and it was relieving. No prying questions, no lengthy stares. Thank heavens that the clowns were smart enough to block off a few cameras. Thank the heavens again they were dumb enough to get caught.

After Mom had told Dad of the event, he promised to buy locks on every door in the house. It wasn't much, but it gave me an extra sense of safety. He even got me a small can of pepper spray. For drastic situations, he had said. Honestly, I threw the thing under my bed. What could spray do against a masked man? But I didn't want to hurt his feelings so I graciously accepted the gift with a hug and endless thanks you's.

Unknowingly, I even alienated everyone at school, besides Shannon. On occasion. It was just an instinct now, to put a distance between anyone and everyone that I wasn't entirely comfortable around. I really believed I was over the incident after having spoken to Vigilante as he seemed to put an ease to my stresses when he stopped by.

Yet every now and then I caught myself doing an over-the-shoulder glance, or checking bathroom stalls that weren't locked, hoping to the ends of the earth that there were no clowns hiding behind those gray walls. Once in a while my vision would play and somewhere in the crowd a clown mask would appear. I had a bad case of paranoia and Shannon determinedly tried to break it.

"Angel, we've barely talked all week. What the heck is up with you?" Worry lines creased her forehead, but her words were lost as I peeked over my shoulder.

"Hey!" Shannon called out, flicking my forehead as I turned back around.

I flinched slightly. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked, rubbing a finger over the now-sensitive area.

Shannon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked troubled beyond belief, as if she was going to push a big red button that clearly said, "Do Not Press".

"Okay, I didn't want to do this but let's go on a double date."

I did a triple-take at the word 'double' before shaking and mouthing 'No-way-in-heck' vehemently. Shannon nodded against my shaking, eyes growing into big brown acorns.

"Shannon, no, I will not have you set me up."

She rolled her eyes. I knew her ways of setting people up on blind dates. Once, she had set up the head cheerleader, Courtney Matthews, with a 'nobody' as the cheerleader so kindly put it. Courtney had been blinded with none other than Dean Sommers, and when that failed, Shannon sent him my way. Of course, Dean was in-between goth chick at that time, so he was nagging Shannon to go out with him, and Shannon just needed help. I willingly obliged, not foreseeing the shit I had gotten myself into, and since I had experienced it, I didn't want it to happen again.

"Don't worry it's your choice," She said, a little hurt, but it turned my thoughts right around, "just find someone and come hang out with Gage and me."

"As long as I don't get blinded," I grunted dryly.

"That's my girl! Now go find a boy and meet us in the parking lot." Shannon smiled sweetly then spun on her heel.

"Now?" Who would just find time out of thin air to go on a double date?

She turned around, walking backwards. "Doesn't get any more Friday than, well, today. Besides, we can cancel the sleepover for this. Get a move on before everyone leaves!" She called out encouragingly, disappearing in the crowd.

My shoulders slumped, already accepting defeat. The sleepover was completely forgotten, but sounded better than a. . .double date.

Cringe.

"Hey, Angel. What are you so down in the dumps for?" Hunter drifted out of the crowd, looking handsome as always. Green eyes twinkled at me in the light, giving him an amused look.

I sighed. "My friend just—" Suddenly a thought struck, prolonging my silence, causing Hunter's brows to draw together.

"Everything okay?"

"Say, Hunter, want to go on a double date with me?"

His brows shot up, and I immediately rambled out the meaning behind it all: "It doesn't have to mean anything I just need to bring someone and I trust you after the project and—"

Hunter pressed a finger to my mouth with a smile. I got a brief whiff of his heady cologne and my eyelids dropped a little.

"I would, but my other friend asked me on a double date, and I was going to ask you."

The twinkling green eyes bored into mine, my heart floating upward with an unexpected joy. "Really?"

"Yeah," he breathed, but the smile soon faltered. "What should we do?"

My face screwed up in thought. "Triple?"

It was supposed to be a joke but he didn't seem to catch on. Hunter shrugged, bringing a new focus to his wide shoulders. "Okay."

His easy-going reply quirked my brow upward. It was simpler than I originally thought, and Shannon always said, 'The more, the merrier!'.

"Look who it is!" Hunter called out, looking at someone behind me. I turned just as a blonde beach bum boy appeared from the loitering students that still remained in the school.

"Angel, this is Ryder." Hunter's friend sauntered up to us and clapped a hand on Hunter's shoulder.

As much as I wanted to deny, Ryder was very attractive. He had the whole surfer guy look. Long sandy blonde hair that curled around his ears and hung in tufts over his forehead, deep green eyes and tan skin. Ryder was a few inches taller than Hunter, and Ryder had a larger muscular build where Hunter was lean.

"Hi, Ryder," I said with a smile, wondering how this creature escaped Shannon's keen boy-detecting sight.

Ryder stared at me for a few seconds before breaking into a grin. "Hello, Angel."

"Hey, Angel thought we should triple up tonight." Hunter got right to the point and Ryder nodded, as if the idea wasn't as crazy as I originally thought it was.

"Yeah, sure, who else?"

Hunter looked at me, and it took me a moment to realize they were waiting for an answer. I usually got tongue-tied when extremely good-looking guys stared at me.

"Oh, my friend Shannon and her friend Gage."

Ryder nodded again. "Cool. I'll go get Jenn and meet up with you in a few." He waved at us before turning down the hall.

Hunter and I began walking toward the main doors slowly. His steps matched mine in that sweet way where the guy takes his time for the benefit of the girl. If we matched his pace, I'm completely sure that I would be half-jogging to keep up with him.

Hunter brought a sense of normality to my life when it came to boys; my thoughts were safe, he was nice, and he wasn't a conundrum like someone else. I could get used to Hunter. I would have to get used to Hunter if a certain someone else wasn't around, anyway.

"This will be fun," he encouraged, nudging my shoulder with his own.

Instead of agreeing I elected a smile, grateful once again that he couldn't read my thoughts, and at the same time hoping for the sake of my sanity he was right about that.