Winter (Hero Society Book 5)

by Jessica Florence

  Since my death a year ago, I’d been trying not to deny what my heart desired.

  Something about this woman captured me, dragon and all.

  She looked like an ice queen, casually jogging about in the park. She was a tiny woman, but something about her screamed she could handle her own.

  Her form had disappeared beyond my sight in the trail, but the damage was done.

  She was a muse to my artist’s soul, and our future was a blank canvas waiting for color to make a spectacular scene.

  “Dragon girl, your heart is mine,” I whispered to the wind and started calculating my plan.

  Chapter Three

  Gwendolyn

  “There, that wasn’t so hard,” I huffed, feeling winded from exerting my powers as much as I did. I should really practice more than my daily use of power at work.

  I’d just moved three cars that were hanging partially over the side of the bridge.

  Pops was standing on my shoulder, holding lightly onto my neck so he wouldn’t fall off.

  “Being a hero isn’t so bad now, is it?” he murmured, and I fought a smile. Maybe I could do this whole saving-the-day thing.

  “Thank you so much!” A woman from the car I had just set down rushed up to me, and I instinctively drew back. I understood it was gratitude, but I wasn’t fond of being touched by strangers, or anyone, really.

  She looked at me, clearly expecting me to say something.

  “Say you’re welcome,” Pops whispered in my ear, and I uttered the words to the woman. Duh. I knew I was supposed to do that. When someone says thank you, you say, you’re welcome. Simple enough. Or at least it should be, but my body and mind were on a high from what I just did.

  The cops and ambulance arrived, and I was able to make an escape when everyone’s heads were turned.

  “Remind me to make some adjustments to this outfit for a quick getaway.”

  I’d been driving my car when the accident happened, and I hoped no one noticed as I got back into the driver seat of my pearl-colored Prius and slowly crept away from the scene.

  I removed the black mask from my eyes, grateful that no one would know that I was the hero that saved the people on the bridge just now. I did not want to be in the limelight. I could deal with my new hero persona for a few seconds, I think, but as Gwendolyn there was no way in hell.

  “Good thing good ol’ Phillip CEO sent you that outfit this morning. It looked good.” Pops was sitting in the passenger seat booster that I made for him so he could look out the window. I woke up this morning and went through my normal routine, but when I came back from my run there was a man waiting with a large package for me to sign for. Phillip had told me his powers were seeing all the possibilities of the future. The concept was hard for me to understand, so I didn’t try. I would end up obsessed, and I had no more room for new obsessions. Just work, and now helping the Hero Society so I could push my work in the right direction. I had enough, and I was happy.

  The outfit was pretty nice, though: white tights, heeled white boots, and a white, long-sleeved dress. Since I wasn’t the biggest fan of color and chaos, the outfit was simple. Of course, I probably looked like a skinny snowwoman in it, with my pale skin and white hair. But that was okay. I liked the way I looked. I was always different, and used to be teased about my looks, too, but never let it bother me.

  “Need to tinker around with some updates. Maybe some for you, too, Pops.” I looked at him with a smile. He’d been asking for some upgrades to his body…maybe it was time. That way he could help more. Cora, too.

  I still couldn’t believe that I’d driven upon to the scene of a major incident that needed my help. One car had popped a tire in which the driver had lost control, swerving into the driver across the yellow lines. A truck had slammed on the breaks behind them and the load behind him came fishtailing over. Cars were trying to avoid being hit but a few of them got knocked into the railing, and were hanging off the side like leaves about to fall off a limb in the fall. I was already wearing my outfit, trying to get used to the feel of it so I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable and just leaped into action.

  There was an uptick of a smile on my face as we got further away from the bridge.

  The traffic wasn’t so bad heading back into the city, unlike the other side of the road that was at a standstill from the accident. I parked my car at the Hero Society’s downtown headquarters so I could look around and change. Although no one paid me any mind at my apartment complex, I think they would notice the outfit I was wearing, which would only bring up questions I didn’t want asked.

  Phillip had left instructions on where everything was in the building, along with a key card to get in.

  The Italian restaurant was on the ground level, and then there were apartments above it that housed people with powers that needed a place to live for a while. A safe place.

  Then there were the levels below the ground. The ones for the heroes.

  The underground area was large, with a computer command room that was run by a brother and sister team, a large kitchen, a holding room for bad guys, and a living room of sorts where people could hang out. Underneath that was the training facility. I should probably learn the basics for self-defense, although I hoped I never needed it. Technically I could pull out all the iron in people’s blood with a snap of my fingers, but that was another thing I hoped I never needed to do. The thought of hurting someone made my skin crawl.

  I wanted to help people.

  There was a girl with black hair and glasses standing in the hall, talking to a teenaged boy in rocker gear, when the doors to the elevator opened to the training floor, where the bathrooms were.

  “Oh, I love it! You look amazing!” The girl grinned and moved toward me. Instantly my body tensed. The boy saw at me and grinned. He was staring at me, and I could see his eyes were studying the outfit.

  “Awesome,” he commented.

  “I’m Josie. You must be the new girl, Gwendolyn. Welcome to the Hero Society.” The girl waved, and I am pretty sure I let out a sigh of relief that she didn’t try to hug me. Her energy was calm despite her exuberant greeting. I hope that meant she was just excited to see me. Most people were indifferent to me, so excited would be cool.

  “I think you’re scaring her.” The boy walked over to Josie and lightly put his arm around her, moving her back a bit. Great, I’ve already messed up this whole first impression.

  “Hi.”

  I spoke softly, and that was it. I didn’t know what else to say, feeling awkward as can be. Pops had been hanging out in my backpack with my clothes, but decided now was a great time to make his entrance. I hope they were kind to him, too.

  “Hi, I’m Pops, Gwendolyn’s sidekick. We are happy to be here with you guys.” He was so articulate, and of course after their wide eyes disappeared they swooned and asked me a bunch of questions about Pops.

  The boy, who introduced himself as A.J., noticed I was getting fidgety and looked ready to go. So, he said he needed to go back to the computer room and Josie should come with. They were nice, and I was grateful he read my emotions so clearly. I was trying to be polite—I knew it would have been rude to leave, but I wanted to.

  I moved quickly to the bathroom and changed into my normal set of clothes—skinny jeans and a sweater—so I could head home and relax. I’d put the white boots back on until I could figure out a way to make them more compact. They would take up a lot of room in my pack.

  There was still no one in the training room as I peeked out of the bathroom. I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d had enough excitement and emotions today; I didn’t want to ruin any more first impressions today. Maybe another day I would try to talk to everyone.

  But tonight, I just wanted to go home, shower, play with Cora, and then draw up some plans for my hero outfit.

  Easy. Simple.

  Then tomorrow, I’d wake up, go for my run, and start the routine all over again.

  Chapter Four

  Arthur


  I hoped like hell that this girl was a routine girl and ran every day. I’d been stretching out here in the cold all morning waiting for her to come running around the bend with her still slightly frightening dragon.

  I’d spent all day yesterday trying to come up with a plan. Should I run next to her and try to start a conversation? Do something crazy to get her attention? Not say anything at all and just watch her run by like last time?

  For fuck’s sake. I used to look at a woman with a sexy smirk, and eyes that said I would make her forget her own name, and that was it. After my revival, I put on my glasses and lost my swagger, giving up the asshole life.

  Keeping my head off of the change in me and what I would do when I saw my new muse, I got to work in my warehouse.

  Before I knew it, I had been welding a scrap metal sculpture all day and into the night. It reminded me of her. It was only three feet tall, but it made me think of her, comprised of all-recycled metal I’d found while cruising through the city dump. I liked taking trash and turning it into something beautiful. I loved painting and many other types of art mediums, but upcycling was my favorite. I figured I was helping the environment while at it, too.

  Lugging the sculpture out to the park wasn’t too hard, in fact it got my muscles all warmed up for a jog.

  I watched as the snow fell on the twisting metal that looked like a swirling tornado but hinting at the curves of a woman with blue eyes.

  The girl was nowhere in sight, and neither was anyone else for now.

  “Time to practice,” I said aloud to no one but the trees and myself. I tried to learn more about my powers when I could. Snow was a form of water, and I was able to manipulate water. Move it, shape it, wielding it completely. Water was inside me, and I felt the water around me like an extension of my own body. It pulsed and moved, with every molecule vibrating.

  I took my glove off, even though it was cold, and felt the snow beneath my fingers.

  Lifting my fingers, the little flakes followed them up like a reverse snow fall. I’d been untrained when I fought with the Hero Society, and that didn’t end well for me.

  I thought about what I wanted the snow to do, and a solid snowflake of ice formed above my palm. It had sharp edges, with a flawless pattern. Tossing it up in the air, suspending it without touching my skin. Then with a quick flick of my wrist, the fused snowflake spun like a ninja star toward the park bench that was near. Sharp corners embedded into the cold wood.

  Fighting was not something I wanted to do, but if there was a repeat of the past, I would not be so helpless. I had the power of water on my side, one of the most dangerous weapons in nature. I may be an artsy, mild hoarder of a man with geeky glasses, but I could fuck someone up if provoked.

  My thoughts started turning dark, as they had constantly since that evening when I woke up in a conference room after.

  Movement from the corner of my eye snapped me out of following the dark rabbit down the hole.

  There she was.

  She was real.

  And she was just as perfect as I remembered her to be: White hair swishing around her faces as she ran, clothed in tight leggings, a thick wind jacket, boots, gloves, and a knitted hat on her head.

  Those blue eyes of hers were staring at the trail ahead, oblivious to the art she was approaching.

  Would she like it? Would it make her stop to observe it more?

  That dragon of hers noticed it and ran ahead of her to sniff it, then climbed over it with sharp-looking claws.

  The woman just kept on running, not even a glance at her companion that quickly jumped off the statue and caught up to its master.

  I’m not sure what I was expecting by making this art and bringing it here.

  Obviously, it was my stupid way to break the ice with this woman.

  I should have just talked to her.

  Next time.

  After looking around to see if anyone else was watching, I fused the snow beneath the statue and lifted it up.

  By the time I made it back to the warehouse using the ice to carry the sculpture, a light coating of sweat had coated my skin. I sat on the floor as soon as I closed the door and carefully settled the sculpture to the floor. The ice underneath was starting to melt in the heated space, so I moved my fingers, and it followed the movement into my sink.

  I needed more practice. Using my power tired me quickly; my stamina needed some work.

  At least an hour passed while I relaxed on the floor, thinking about my powers, the mystery woman, and my next move.

  Feeling my strength start to return, I got up and walked swiftly over to my phone.

  Staring down at the number I’d searched for, I hesitated to push the call button. I’d had this number since the year restarted and never called it. Too many memories and—dare I say—fear was associated with this person. But I knew what he was capable of, and though I was probably reading too much into my feelings, I was willing to do anything to find out about my mystery muse.

  A year ago, I would have said love at first sight was for losers.

  But I’ve seen the light. My eyes are open, and all I see is her.

  Decision made. I was making a deal with destiny.

  “Perfect timing.”

  Phillip Griffin answered the phone on the first ring. He knew any and all futures, so of course he saw this coming. Which was perfect, because he knew why I was calling, too.

  “Who is she?”

  Chapter Five

  Gwendolyn

  “Here’s the ice.” Pops handed me the ice pack while I sat on the floor wincing at the pain radiating from my leg.

  Updates to my superhero suit had been going okay until testing phase started. Of course, there were going to be kinks in my plans. First, I hit pen to paper and drew up my ideas, then I started tinkering with the parts, working on a way to get away from a superhero scene quickly.

  I tried everything I could think of to fly, hurting myself in the application trials. So aside from strapping rocket boosters to my feet, it was impossible. My power was metal manipulation, which was great if I wanted to create and shape metal, but that was it.

  Now, if I had magnetic powers, I could have used that to repel against the earth’s magnetic field. That would have been cool.

  “Back to the drawing board.” I took the ice off my knee and stood.

  Pops didn’t question me, even though we both knew I needed a break from working on this project. It was a hard task for me when I was in the zone. Some people would call it an advantage to obsess on things with absolute focus, but sometimes it sucked when you haven’t eaten anything in over a day and needed sleep. Once I found something that had the highest percentage to work, I would finally rest.

  Turns out that break came two hours and twelve minutes later.

  I had the plans for a getaway motorcycle that would form from a backpack that would attach to my suit.

  The use of my power and magnets made the creation of this instant motorcycle possible. It would run off the constant attracting and repelling of the magnets, with my power giving it a speed boost. Every calculation in my head pointed to this being the perfect solution to my getaway problem. It would be quick and quiet. Perfect for me, who liked to avoid attention.

  Magnetic engines were becoming an accepted theory for cars for the future; why not create the future now?

  “All right, let’s go home.” Pops, who was sitting on the desk drawing a more muscular and taller version of himself, looked up and stood to latch onto me, so we could leave.

  “You should probably stop and get something to eat before arriving at the apartment. You’ll be too tired to cook anything and shouldn’t pass out on an empty stomach.”

  He was right. It was eight in the morning, so breakfast sounded good, and I’m sure he did a body scan after touching me and could read that I was hungry.

  “Pancakes sound good.”

  Thankfully there was a small diner by my home. The people who worked there were nice and did
n’t try to push me too much by over socializing with me. It was a place I felt comfortable in, and no one looked at me like how they did elsewhere…like I was a freak.

  “There’s my girl. Been working hard all night again, haven’t you?” Ruby, one of two waitresses on staff right now smiled at me as I walked through the door. She was my favorite waitress.

  “Yeah.” I looked down the black-and-white checkerboard tiles on the floor and counted the squares as I walked to my favorite booth. It was empty, as it always was at this time of day. The early morning rush had come and gone. There wouldn’t be many people in here for another thirty minutes. The diner at its best could only fit maybe thirty people in it anyway. Which was fine for me.

  Ruby came by to ask what I wanted from the menu, curious if I would switch up my routine, but I never did. Hot chocolate, with a small glass of water on the side, and blueberry pancakes. With two slices of crispy bacon.

  She smiled big, and it made me feel warm inside.

  Ruby had once told me her life story when I was here, and she’d had a bad day. Single mom of one teenaged girl, she was working to the bone to make sure her baby could go to any college she wanted. Her daughter would sit at the retro bar where they made the food to do her homework sometimes when I was here. Ruby had no one but herself and her daughter, but she was a happy woman. I admired her positive attitude, even though I didn’t understand her jokes.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  My body tensed, knowing that the male voice I heard was talking to me.

  I looked to the man standing next to the booth, who then nodded his head toward the empty seat in front of me.

  Did he have a nervous tick?

  Maybe he was stretching his neck?

  “He wants to sit with you,” Pops whispered into my ear from the opposite side the man was standing.

  “Why do you wanna sit with me?”

  No one ever wanted to sit with me. Well, besides Ruby, and sometimes their weird busboy Jet, who I’m pretty sure wanted me sexually.