"Stella? What are you doing here?" Jake asked his sister, whom he hadn't seen in over a year, with tears welling up in his eyes.
"I'm here to see you, silly." she said as she hugged Jake tightly, and they both began crying.
Of the few people who really cared about Jake, Stella was the one who had stuck with him through thick and thin. However, he was still slightly jealous of her.
"No, I mean, what are you doing in Empire City? I thought you worked in Stickville." Jake asked.
"Oh, I moved here a month ago! I needed a big break in my career, and working in our hometown wasn't gonna get it for me. I needed to move up, and Empire News was as up as it gets. Plus, all the big-time journalists have worked there, so I decided to throw my hat in."
"I thought you were a news anchor?"
"Yeah, I am, but that's not my passion. I've been trying to get into investigative journalism since that's where all the action is. Sadly, it seems my pretty face didn't get me where I wanted to go... But enough about me! How've you been?"
"I'm good. Life's uh... normal... I guess," Jake replied.
"Normal? You are the owner of this store of convenience, my friend Jake. I believe life is, as you say, in tip-top shape, right?" Stacya said, wearing her human disguise along with the store's apron and hat.
"Oh, and who is this? A friend of yours, Jake?" Stella asked.
"Uh... yeah... more like my employee... uh, Stacy... uh, just Stacy. I think she was just leaving," Jake said nervously as he tried to push Stacya away while she quietly resisted.
"Wait, did I hear that right? Employee? You own this place? I knew you worked here, but you own it? Nice job, big bro! Life really is in tip-top shape for you."
"Yeah, I guess. It's... uh... nice owning my own store, but you know... it's... uh..." Jake kept on stammering, returning to his old self.
He could keep his confidence in front of Hawk Knight and even psychopaths like Meat, but he was a nervous wreck in front of his sister.
How could he keep his confidence in front of the girl who had made him look like a loser all his life? Whether it was intentional or not, Stella was always the talented one. While Jake fumbled in every field, Stella excelled. She was good at sports and athletics; she was smart as a whip and learned faster than anyone Jake knew. She was also packed full of charisma and made friends effortlessly.
While Jake had always struggled to hold conversations, well, not anymore thanks to his new found confidence, but the habit remained whenever he met certain people.
Stella was one of them.
But now Jake was different. He had powers. He was a hero. That would be really useful if he could actually tell her about it. Sadly, thanks to her job and ambitions, she was the worst person to tell such a secret.
The worst part was that he didn't even hold any resentment toward her. She was always nice to him and stood up for him, even against their parents. She truly was the perfect sister. But was he the perfect brother? He didn't even believe it himself.
"It is very hard. Managing the needs of customers and all that. But friend Jake is very reliable! Isn't that right, friend Jake?" Stacya chimed in right on time.
"Uhh... Yeah, it's hard... But I always pull through... yeah... I uh..." Jake was stammering again. He needed something to change the subject, and fast.
"Hey! Who is that outside?" Stacya asked, pointing to someone having a hard time cleaning bird droppings off Stella's car, repeatedly dropping the rag and cursing loudly.
"Oh yeah..HEY, IVY! GET IN HERE!" Stella shouted in an authoritarian tone that nearly gave Jake a heart attack.
The girl ran in as quick as she could. She was a thin, nervous-looking girl with black hair and a single green strand covering her eyes, which were behind a pair of unremarkable red glasses. She wore a white shirt and a black skirt, suggesting she worked in an office, but her demeanor made it obvious she was an assistant, the type to get you coffee.
She reminded Jake so much of himself in the past. But that name... Jake knew only one girl with that name.
"Ivy! You remember Jake, right? My big brother from high school?" Stella asked.
"P...p...pleasure to meet you once a...again," Ivy stammered, looking down and extending her hand for a shake.
That's when it clicked.
Jake responded with extreme surprise. How could he not be? This was the richest and most popular girl in his school.
"Uh... h...hey Ivy. You look... uh... different," Jake said as he shook her hand, which made her blush and cover her face with her other hand.
"Oh, come on, you two. You haven't met since high school. A simple handshake is not even close to enough." Stella said as she brought them both in for a big hug, with herself in the middle while Jake and Ivy got so close their noses were touching.
Ivy jumped back and hid behind her hands nervously. Jake would have done the same a few weeks ago, but not now. The old Jake needed to be removed, bit by bit.
"Well, you guys have a lot in common, I guess. If only there was a way to catch up... wait... what are these?" Stella said as she removed some pieces of red paper from her pocket.
"Reservations to that new fancy restaurant, Red Lobster? Oh my gosh, that's great. But wait, it's only two reservations. Oh well, guess you two will have to go without me!"
Jake knew what Stella was doing. She had done it tons of times before; she was trying to hook them up on a date. However, Jake knew how it usually went. They would start the date, it would get awkward for both of them, and he wasn't willing to risk it.
"Aww, actually I... uh... have to run the store... I own it... after all." Jake said, trying to dodge it.
Which would have worked, if not for Stacya.
"Do not worry, friend Jake! I shall watch over the store until you return.You go on this date. Then you can tell me the month and year it occurred."
"I'm loving this employee of yours. Now you two go and have fun! Okay, Ivy?" Stella added.
Ivy merely nodded profusely while looking away. Suddenly, Stella's phone rang. She quickly answered it and, after a short conversation, turned back to them.
"Sorry guys, I've got a meeting to attend. How about I drop you both off at the restaurant? It's on the way to my office," Stella said enthusiastically.
Jake could have said no and saved himself the embarrassment, but now he was on his way to a date with the most popular girl from school, or at least, that was how he remembered her. This girl seemed like an entirely new person to him.
I wonder how this disaster's gonna turn out, Jake thought as the car drove off, watching Stacya wave excitedly at him. Then another thought crossed his mind: What's Zack up to?
"This is insane, Zack!" Paulina said as she pointed to the TV in her apartment, which showed a news report of new supers stopping a robbery.
"As these new supers escaped before police could catch them, one thing is certain: a new wave of vigilantism is on the way..." Stella said on the news.
"Hey... I've seen her before. That's Jake's sister, Stella." Zack noted.
"Who cares? You're on the news, baby. Do you know what this means?"
"I know! I'm a super now! You know, I'm the one who gave them that story, my sweet little gem."
"No! It means you're in great danger."
"Uh... I thought you'd be excited."
"Excited?! How can I be excited when the man I love is gonna be hunted by the police for vigilantism?" Paulina cried.
"Come on, babe. This isn't that bad."
"It's one thing that you continue your training with Captain Rocket, who is dead, by the way, but it's another to actually head out there and get yourself in trouble in the eyes of the law."
"Getting in trouble? I believe it's called heroism, babe."
"No, I believe it's called vigilantism, baby. You have to stop! I can't have you thrown in jail!"
"I won't get thrown in jail, sweet gem. I'll be careful. And besides, you should be proud. I'm following in your footsteps."
"My footsteps? I'd be dead if I was still in this hero business. Just like the rest of my team."
"I know, but you're not because you were careful." Zack insisted.
"No, because I was lucky. I think it's time you knew..."
"Knew what? Wait, you mean what happened to your team? I thought you never wanted to talk about it."
"Yeah... I didn't. And I love that you never brought it up, but I see now that you need to know what happened to my team. My friends. The Danger Squad..."
RING! RING!
"Ah! That's my phone," Zack said as he quickly answered. "Uh-huh... okay... I'll be there in a jiffy. It's work, dear. I gotta go. Mr. Print has got something to tell me. Maybe it's about my story. We'll talk about this later, okay?" Zack said as he pulled her in close for a kiss and bolted out of the apartment.
"Oh... uh, you know what? It's fine... Take your time," Paulina said to herself once Zack was long gone. She gave a sigh of relief that she didn't need to relive that day.
Blood and guts spilled everywhere. Her friends' body parts splattered all over the walls and floor of their old base on Danger Island... thanks to their oldest and closest friend and teammate, Ace.
She would have been dead if her failsafe hadn't kicked in and healed her in time. But that was a story for another day.
To be continued...