Chapter 13

I am not sane, I decided. That much was apparent when Heathen interrupted a conversation I was having with him, by walking into the room. Or did he? He disappeared so quickly, maybe he was never there. So I'm not fully there, I thought, but I'm mostly there. As if her mind was listening and wanted to prove her wrong, she started randomly babbling, startling Mime who was sitting in the corner of the room.

"Jeez," she said, putting her head in her hands looking bored. "It was fun for a bit but now you're just boring. You don't banter anymore. You just sit there, talking to yourself. I bet you can't even hear me, huh?" She stood up and walked over to me, sticking her face in mine, making weird expressions, trying to get a reaction.

Quick as lightning, I drew my head back and smashed in into Mime's as hard as I could. I needed to knock her out, and I have healing powers. I can survive this.

She crumpled to the ground, and not a minute later the door opened and in rushed Heathen and Peculiar. I laughed like a crazy woman, and they faltered.

"Is he still wack?" Heathen muttered to Peculiar.

She frowned, "I think."

"What do you mean, you think?" Heathen rounded on his companion. "Can't you feel this or something?"

Peculiar rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "It doesn't work like that. I just kiss them and they go crazy. "

I laughed again and they looked at me, seemingly satisfied with my answer. It was then I noticed something. I could feel my shapeshifting powers. The door being open lifted the dampener. I grinned, and shifted into a small snake. Hiss hiss.

Peculiar glanced back at me and let out a scream, jumping as far back as possible. Ha ha! I slithered down the chair, ignoring the burns in weird parts of my new body due to the ropes. I practically flew at the door, my freedom in sight. Until a boot came down, narrowly missing my head. Whoopsie.

"I don't think so," Heathen growled. Well too bad, because I say so.

I shifted again, my body becoming taller and thicker, muscles straining against my suit, pushing the limit of the fabric. I was now Dwayne the Rock Johnson. He intimidated everyone, there was no denying it. Heathen took a step backwards, and I smirked.

I bowled him over and dashed for the door, coming out into a hallway.

A hallway I knew.

There was no way, I had to be seeing things.

There's no way.

. . .

The Seniors were gone again.

Cole and Legion came back to a quiet cave, finding Rellik, Aerglo, Mayhem, Nova, Phoenix and Mazus sitting together in the lounge. They had the news on, and it wasn't good. On the screen, Waya and the other Seniors were walking across the clearing in the park, and on the other side was Aella, Genocide and Mime, standing behind dozens of hired hands.

Totally not fair.

"What's going on?" Cole asked.

"Waya got a message an hour ago, from Aella, saying that they wanted to meet. They want to trade Chameleon for something, he didn't say." Mazus answered, eyes glued to the screen.

"For power," a voice said. They all turned to look and lo and behold, is was Nessa, standing in the doorway.

What the hell.

. . .

I knew this hallway. It was the one that led from outside to the entrance behind the fridge in the kitchen. I saw this hallway almost every day, it was the closest to the orphanage. How long have I been right under their noses? I followed the path until I got to the gap behind the fridge. While in there, I noticed how hungry I was, and grabbed some food. Munching on a Clif bar, I hurried through the halls looking for people. I finally found them, eyes glued to the TV in the living room.

Kids these days.

"Waya got a message an hour ago, from Aella, saying that they wanted to meet. They want to trade Chameleon for something, he didn't say." Mazus was saying. Hey, Chameleon, that's me. Nova, Phoenix, Rellik, Aerglo and Mayhem were sitting on the couch, and Legion was standing next to me.

Someone was wearing my body. I hope it's Cole and the villains didn't find a way to replace me. Unless I am the replacement. Huh. My mind was still a little messed up. I was speaking before I fully registered everything, saying, "For power."

They all turned to look at me, and a few jaws dropped. I wiggled my fingers at them, taking another bite. "We don't have time to be mushy, we've got a big problem.

I got hugs anyway. Aw, nice to know they care.

"Okay, so that was very much a distraction, because I know where the villains lair is. Yes, I'm going with lair, probably because my mind is still broken." Legion snapped his head up to look at me. "Peculiar," I waved him off. He only frowned. I looked back down at my food, my stomach rumbling. Stupid powers being based off how much I eat.

"Nessa," Cole said softly. "You've been gone three months.

I froze. All you could hear was the sizzling of my burger. "Three months." I asked. Was I still talking to myself?

"Three months," Jay confirmed.

"Jesus," it slipped out. I sighed, shaking my head. "No wonder,"

"No wonder what," Rellik asked.

"No wonder they got careless with me." I scoffed. I didn't have the words to explain how I was feeling right now. Anger? Sadness? Apathy? Was I even feeling anything, was I even really here? "Not only was I insane, they had had me for three months without you guys finding them."

"We tried," Rellik said quietly. "We really tried Cammie but there's so much we can't do, you know this. And the Director wasn't even helping."

Splash!

The Director.

My mind felt like something in it had snapped again, and I bent over clutching it. I didn't realise I had let out a shout, but Nova, who was closest to me, reached out and held me up. I was practically putting all my weight on her. I gasped, the sensation of cold water dripping down the inside of my head, down my spine. It wasn't on the outside, it was on the inside. How is that possible? And then everything sharpened.

"The Director." I murmured. I stood up straight, my food abandoned. I took off down the hall and too one of the exits, remembering that he had been on the TV across from Waya. Their meeting. He was planning something.

"Come on," I shouted over my shoulder. "They'll need our help."

. . .

We got to the park not five minutes later, pulling up on the far side of the grass. I rushed out of the van, sprouting wings and flying over as fast as I could. My energy was already low, I couldn't afford to keep them. "Genocide!" I screamed, the familiar red washing over me. My body felt like it was charged with electricity, but the electricity felt temporary. I ignored it, focusing on the words coming back to me.

Genocide is the Director.

Why did Aella tell me that? Why did she go with them in the first place? I had so many questions and a strong feeling next to none of them would be answered.

Go figure.

"You!" I screamed, practically falling on Genocide and punching him directly in the face. "You lying evil little cockroach!"

He stumbled backwards, waving his arms wildly to regain his balance, nearly tripping over his own feet. He stabilised, and looked right at me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Aella shaking her head wildly, but I was too far gone. My rage had consumed me.

"You sit there, high in your comfy seat, while people die for you and you pull this?" I was screaming. Everything was silent. You could head my laboured breathing. Somewhere in the distance I heard footsteps, and assumed it was my backup. Or it could be the hired hands. Either way I'm going to get to punch someone. Good.

He said nothing, just staring at me. "Ahhhhh!" I screamed in his face. I got rid of my wings and launched myself at him, leading with my fist.

The fight didn't last long. He had never been good at defending himself, and my second home was the Training Pit. The others just watched as I beat him, doing nothing. They knew who is he. They understood.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Cammie," Legion said softly. "Enough."

"Never," I whispered harshly. "It'll never be enough. Not for all the pain he's caused."

"You're acting like you know something we don't," came the reply.

"That's because I do," I turned to face him. "Kev, he's not who we thought he was. Or maybe he's exactly who we thought he was going to be." I turned back to the man knelt on the ground at my feet, and ripped off his mask, revealing Ryan K. Thomas.

Murmurs from the crowd of surrounded heroes broke out. "How could he," I heard somewhere off to the back. "He deserves a longer beating," Rellik spat angrily. He was there, he was there the whole time. He was right underneath our noses. He killed so many of my friends, and for what. To have control? I didn't want to know.

"Matt, Tina, Keegan," I said heavily. You killed three of my close friends, and countless others. Does the K stand for Killer?" And it clicked. Jacks said beware killer. That's what he meant.

He started laughing, laughing slow and quiet and then fast and loud. And he wouldn't stop. Before I could process he leapt up,

grabbed my shoulder,

and thrust his arm forward.

But nothing ever came. No fire, no ice. No nothing. Because Legion was standing right in front of me, with the tip of a knife sticking out of his stomach, right above his belly button.

Splash! No more buddy.

My heart beat loud and slow in my ears, and almost in slow motion Genocide ripped his arm backwards, pulling the blade from my dearest friend's body.

"NNOOOOO!!" I screamed.

His body crumpled and I caught him, falling to the ground together. I heard screams of rage behind me and bodies hitting bodies. I glanced around quickly, seeing Nova blast two men at once, Rellik manipulating another man holding a wicked looking knife coming right for me, Waya yelled Flight! somewhere in the distance, and he appeared in the sky, carrying Aerglo. Mazus and Cole stood on either side of me, defending us from those who would wish us harm.

I am eternally grateful for my friends. One of which was dying in my arms.

I was sobbing, I knew Geronimo wouldn't be able to heal this.

"Hes...tia..." I heard. I leaned down and pressed my forehead to his.

"You're gonna be okay," I said thickly. "I'm going to fix you."

I pushed gently, moving my magic through my arms into his shoulders, feeling it travel down to his abdomen. The wound was surrounded in blackness, and it took me a while to realise the blade had been poisoned. No, no no no this couldn't be happening. Not him. Stop taking my best friends from me.

I pushed harder, feeling him slip away from me. This couldn't be happening.

And then he was gone.

I screamed and screamed and screamed,

and my body answered back with it's own scream.

Something exploded inside of me, and waves of energy poured off of me. I opened my eyes, barely able to see, almost unable to believe what I was seeing. Lightning was arcing off of me, the exact shade as the lightning that hit me. I didn't understand what was happening. I looked down at my hands, and they were glowing. A faint blue light was emanating from underneath them. I held them up to my face in wonder, and then as if possessed by someone else, lightly placed them on top of Kev's chest.

And pushed.

Clear!

He gasped, back arching upwards. He breathed heavily, staring up at the sky. "Ohhhh that wasn't fun."