“Ow,” she mewled the word, and she hated the sound. A sixteen-year-old shouldn’t sound that young and small, she knew. Moisture welled in her eyes, and she tried to blink it away. She hadn’t cried three years ago. She wasn’t supposed to start now.

One hand gently holding the injured one, she limped away from the scene.

There was, at least, a grim satisfaction to it.

She’d told Blasto to keep it out of Deathchester, and it was her territory until she left it.

This would have to do, for the leaving end of things.

Eclipse x.8

She could see the group of kids at their usual hangout spot. It was her habit to go out in the late evening, when the rest of the town was asleep, and to keep out of the way the rest of the time, but her cupboards had been bare and she’d felt her sanity fraying even more around the edges.

She held a spike of twisted, condensed metal, which was hooked through the straps of bags. The length of the spike rested across her shoulders. It was heavy and painful, but it beat destroying the stuff she’d grabbed.

She left the bags by the corner of a building, and she approached the group of kids. Some of the younger teenagers stood up and backed away. The oldest of them didn’t budge. What was he called? Fappy?

“Heya, Damsel,” Fappy said.

“Corrupting the youngest generation?” she asked.

“That’s my nephew, Connor, he’s only six years younger than me, though,” Fappy said. “And that’s his stepsister Holly. They’re staying with my parents because of family stuff. Connor, Holly, this is Damsel of Distress. Our local supervillain.”

At least they looked scared of her.

“I’m moving away to find work,” Fappy said. “Retail stuff in a camera store. Holly is going to get my room.”

“Work, huh?” Ashley asked.

“My parents lost patience with me and gave me thirty days to move out,” Fappy said, to her. “I guess I’m taking Stan’s cue.”

“What did Stan do?”

“Oh, you don’t know? I guess we haven’t seen you around.”

“I went to Mirelles, another town. I caught something. I was thinking about going to Brockton Bay, after Leviathan, decided to rest instead.”

“Aw, that sucks,” Fappy said. “You okay now?”

“Yeah. I’m tough,” she said.