by Chara, Mina
“I’ll be okay,” I told him. He picked up his phone to call a teacher, but as we sped up in the elevator I saw Jake’s fiery trail in the sky. It was too late, he was gone. “We have to tell the captain,” I choked, “we have to tell everyone. Jake is The Figure In The Flames.”
A couple of days later, I was standing in the middle of the school gym, last class of the day, as Coach Flat gave me after school classes on how to fight. No one but Lisa had spoken to me about Jake, no one else really knew him. I had reached for my phone once or twice, planning to text him, but then I’d remember. I shook my head and tried to focus on Coach Flat.
“It’s important to know how to take it, because you can’t always dodge an attack,” he told me. My clothes were covered with sweat, and my hands were wrapped for safety. Coach Flat insisted on boxing as a form of exercise. I wasn’t very good, he always told me there was too much emotion behind my blows, and not nearly enough precision. The punching bag was big, but I still managed to miss it from time to time. My stomach was starting to feel really empty. “Take a break, you’re making me sad,” said Coach Flat.
I nodded and snatched the water bottle from him, drinking as much as I could.
“Knock knock,” said Veronica as she strode in, clipboard in hand.
“That’s all for today, “ said the coach, “eat something, and take a shower, you smell terrible, like really bad, like, I haven’t wiped my ass in days bad.”
“Thanks, Coach,” I said and he gave a thumbs up in response to my sarcasm.
Veronica turned to me, checking her watch. “We need you in a couple hours.”
“What for?” I asked, pulling the water bottle from my mouth. I set it down next to my book bag before collapsing onto the floor.
“A charity event at the opera house,” said Veronica, “they want some of the new kids there.”
“Why me?” I asked her, “there are lots of others.”
“One of the teams pulled out, Aya’s busy filming, and Ashley just refused.”
“Aya’s filming? For what?”
“A drama or something,” Veronica replied, “I don’t know, I didn’t read the script. I haven’t got time for that.”
“Okay,” I said standing up, “so It’s David and me?”
“Just this once.”
I unwound the gauze between my fingers as Veronica looked down at her clipboard.
“Aya said a designer called-”
“D’fwan?” I suggested, hoping I was right, “yeah, I met him.”
“Good,” she said with a brief, efficient nod, “you’ll need a long, formal dress this time, and hurry it up because it starts at seven.”
I picked up my book bag, and grumbled internally as Veronica and I rode the elevator.
“What’s the event for?” I asked, hoping there would be food, at least.
“Early cancer screening.”
“Cool, cool.”
“Very,” she drawled and lifted her jacket to protect me from the rain as we passed through the doors to the street and another of the show’s huge city busses. This one looked different from the others, it didn’t have a giant ad on the side, just a sign saying ‘Staff Vehicle’.
“In there,” she said, opening the door to a well equipped bathroom complete with shower. Inside, a woman handed me a towel and a selection of pre-approved hair products. “Friday?”
I turned, “Yes, Veronica?” I asked as sweetly as I could, she was beginning to get on my nerves.
“Don’t screw this up, you’ve got two strikes already.”
“With all due respect Ma’am,” I told her, “you can dress me up however you like, but you can’t change my personality.”
Veronica ground her teeth, her eyes willing me to catch fire. “Let’s make something clear, kid.” Her hand wrapped around the front of my shirt, carefully pulling me closer. Anyone looking from a distance would think she was simply holding my shoulder. “Remember who you’re doing this for and enjoy the pretty dresses, or your sister gets to skip school altogether.”
She loosened her grip and puffed out a breath of air. She really had read my file. She looked like a drill sergeant trying to break one of her new recruits, and of course, that’s exactly who she was and what she was doing. I tried not to snap back or grunt, I just closed the bathroom door behind me. At least I wouldn’t be there alone. David was always reliable, he was good at talking to people, I could even hide behind him if I wanted.
I cleaned myself as quickly as I could and held onto my clothes in case someone tried to do me a favor and throw them away. I was especially attached to my sneakers. I stepped out to a parade of people all lined up and ready to receive me. Veronica was already on her way out the door.
“They’ll take care of you and get you where you need to go, until then I have other people I need to see to because believe it or not, my job doesn’t revolve around the freshman gold team.” She waved goodbye facing the other way, like a lady would to a servant, and the people on the bus flooded me with questions.
“Hold up! Give the girl some air,” said D’fwan stepping forwards, with Carol right beside him. “These are the gowns we had for Aya.”
I looked at the dresses each person held out and realized none of them would suit me. Every single one was designed for a darker skin tone: salmon pink, and delicate blue were perfect colors on Aya. The place was littered with neons and pastels, shades that didn’t favor me at all, but the biggest problem was size. I sighed. “I hope you’re not too disappointed that Aya couldn’t make it.”
“Not at all, girl. Don’t worry,” D’fwan turned round and frantically waved all the dresses away like a fly was buzzing round his head. “Sit down child,” he said and motioned me to a seat. I plonked my kicks onto my lap with me. “I think I have something. Carol, what about”
“The plum one?” she suggested.
“Exactly.” Carol snuck down the aisles of wardrobe, and came running back with a dress in a pink plastic cover. She hung it up high and unzipped it. The color was a rich sangria and the skirt was fluffy like the plumes and petals of a flower, all mixing together in a dark stormy sea. “Get me…”
“The ties?”
“Nailed it!” said D’fwan, “you and I are just so in sync today!”
“I know!” said Carol as she ran off once again searching through the racks, bringing back the item he asked for.
“Stand up child.” I did as I was asked, and he looked me up and down with a careful eye. D’fwan held out his hand, and Carol placed thick velvet ribbon in his hand. “Take off your jacket.” I did, and he wrapped the velvet around my waist. “Perfect.”
He pulled it away, and handed me the dress. Carol held up a towel for me to stand behind and change as D’fwan waved everyone out of the bus. I pulled on the dress as quickly as I could and Carol did up the fastenings. D’fwan then started winding the velvet ribbon around my waist crisscrossing just under my chest before he ran the last two pieces under my bust in a straight line, and tied it at the back.
I didn’t have a chance to see what I looked like in the mirror, I decided I didn’t want to in case I wasn’t good enough for what he’d put on me. They curled my hair, not that it needed much help, brushed it out, and pinned a strand behind my ear. As the clock in the bus hit six thirty, everyone started scrambling.
The bus started moving at speed down winding roads, and soon came to a sharp stop. I looked out of the window, my stomach turning and jumping. I didn’t want to do this, I just wanted to go home. I was going to be sick, really really sick! The door opened and David stepped on board in a tux. I had to resist the urge to run over and hide behind him, or cling to his arm like a remora to a shark. He wandered up to me, hands in pockets, and already I felt calmer.
“Hey, Friday.”
“Hey David, sorry about Aya not making it.” I told him.
“I don’t mind,” he said as the bus sped off once again, “we spend enough time together already. You look nice.”
I tried not to laugh at how much I didn’t believe him. I bit my tongue, and reminded myself what most people do when complimented. Say thank you, and then return it. “Thank you, you look great, too,” my voice sounded like a robot trying to imitate human customs. I hated compliments, I always felt like saying thank you was stuck up. “Well this is awkward,” I finally got out.
“It is,” David agreed.
“There’s not gonna be a lot for us to do is there?”
“Nope.”
“I hope there’s food,” I said absent mindedly.
“Me too, I’m starving,” he said, laughing. “Hey, if there isn’t anything there, you want to get some something from Family Fries on the way back?”
“Definitely.” I told him. “I want a nice big greasy burger,” just the thought of it made me smile.
Once again, the bus came to a stop and I slipped on my high tops while no one was looking. The skirt of the dress was so long and thick no one would be able to tell.
The bus pulled up a block from the venue and Veronica ushered us into a limo. When we arrived, David opened the door, and I was blinded by the constant flash of cameras as we approached the red carpet. The opera house was breathtakingly enormous from the outside. David took my arm, and stepped out first. He could tell just how nervous I was about the whole thing, so he smiled and we stepped out to a warm reception from photographers who seemed eager to take pictures of us together. A few people shouted, asking where Aya was and all the photographers asked David if he was cheating on her just to annoy him. He held onto me tighter as they took pictures, and I tried my best to smile. He ground his teeth, and they shouted Aya’s name again.
“It’s okay,” I said, “just ignore them.”
He nodded, and sucked in a breath through his nose.
“At least this one’s got bigger tits!” someone shouted from the crowd. My arm pulled back out of sheer surprise, and David lunged forward, I held him back with all the force I could, but I stumbled. A hand caught my shoulder as the cameras snapped furiously, and one of Veronica’s P.A’s caught David, and started pulling him back.
“Ms. Fitz, are you all right?” Captain Fantastic’s voice was harsh and sharp as he gazed out into the crowd of photographers, as though he was warning them.
“I’m fine,” I replied.
“Why don’t you come with me,” he suggested, “and leave David to them.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
The captain led me away from the cameras walking slowly as though he’d had a lot of practice in situations like this. The inside of the building was huge, even the chandeliers were several stories high. I couldn’t see the color of the floor for all the people. Servers walked around with miniature food that no one seemed to eat. The only thing anyone picked off the silver plates was booze.
The room was nearly seven stories high. People in leotards hung from curtains and for a moment, I thought someone was falling, until I realized it was part of the evening’s entertainment, and they were actually dancing all the way up there.
“This is a charity event, right?” I asked. “Do I have to donate something? I didn’t bring any money.”
A huge smile burst onto the captain’s face as he looked down at me with his faux dad glasses a stylist had clearly told him to wear. “We already made a donation on behalf of the show. You don’t need your wallet.” For a moment it was almost as though he wanted to reach up and ruffle my hair, but held back once he realized he might ruin it. He gave me another bright smile as David came back, and then he left, moving off into the crowd.
David wrapped his hand in mine, and pulled me over to a sculpture in the middle of the room. “This is an original, “ he told me, “made by an artist from the thirties.” It was a shiny, almost cartoon-like interpretation of the superhero Stronghold. “You know his real name was Thomas February? Apparently he recruited all the members of the first super group.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “They were formed during the war, led by the captain’s mother I think.”
“What did they-”
A scream cut through the room. There was a crash, a boom, and more cries. I put my arms in front of David as though I was pushing him behind me, and he did exactly the same. On top of the balcony was a short masked man. The crowd gasped. I looked at Captain Fantastic. He’d pulled out his phone and started dialing.
“Listen up!” The short man yelled and the crowd of guests grew closer, being squashed into one another as men advanced from all sides, rounding us up with guns. “We’re here for the Captain!”
Was this a trick? Was this another game the show had decided on? Was this a test? No. It couldn’t be. I looked for the captain, but he was gone. Where was he? The only other person I could see was Veronica, furiously filming the whole thing on her cell phone.
“Give yourself up, Captain, or I kill the first person I see,” the short man said, pointing into the crowd. A woman screamed. One of his lackeys stomped down the stairs, gripped her by the hair, and dragged her back up with him.
“Captain! You’ve got until she gets up here.”
The crowd gasped, and David gripped my hand, as though to make sure I was still there. I held the bodice of my dress as my chest heaved, where was the Captain?
“Stop! I’m here.” Captain Fantastic stood at the base of the stairs, dressed in full, and ready to fight. The air returned to my lungs in a rush. “Let these people go, and you can have me.”
The short man seemed to consider his proposition. “I think I’ll keep one for insurance, ” he said and threw the crying woman back to his henchman before leaning over the railing once again. His finger pointed into the crowd not too far from me, and he whispered something to one of his men who nodded. David’s chest was heaving just like mine, what were we supposed to do? Were we supposed to do anything? We were heroes in training, was it better to stay out of this or not? What if the Captain needed our help? I was so caught up in my thoughts I didn’t notice the large greasy man grabbing my arm until it had happened.
“Let her go!” demanded David and a taser shot him through with a bolt of electricity. He fell to the floor, writhing in pain.
“You bastards!” I yelled. “David!” I tried to reach out for him, but the lackey hauled me off.
“Come on girly.”
I fought against him, not because I thought I could get away, but on principle. Everyone pulled away from me as they dragged me up the stairs and threw me up the last step and onto the balcony two stories up. The short man in the mask gripped the hair on the back of my head the same way my grandmother had when telling me off. His gaudy golden gun traced my forehead as he forced me onto my knees. It wasn’t just any man, it was Short Fuse, and he’d ditched his power for a gun. The real problem though? This time he didn’t have an ear bud.
I didn’t scream, I was more pissed that scared. The dress I was wearing was expensive, if he ruined it, it wasn’t coming out of my pocket.
“Who’s this?” Short Fuse asked, “she fought me once before. Your daughter maybe?”
“Let her go,” the captain replied, “she has nothing to do with this.”
“What’s her name then, eh?”
“None of your business.” The Captain’s voice was as angry as I’d ever heard it. No. Not angry, panicked.
“Come and get her,” said Short Fuse.
“Fine, but let everyone else go!”
Short Fuse gestured into the crowd with his gun, and the men started pushing everyone else out the door. Short Fuse’s gun returned to my head and he chuckled. “Not much of a screamer is she? That’s a shame.”
“What do you want from me?” asked the Captain.
“I’m sick of being beaten up for a job! I want your head on a stake,” Short Fuse replied, “see, I know your little secret.”
The captain jolted back, and then straightened again, as though he were correcting an improper fighting stance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
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“Oh please!” Short Fuse pushed the barrel of the gun closer to my temple and I tried to stay as calm as possible. “I know you don’t have powers anymore! You can try to hide with fancy gadgets, but you’re way past your prime, Captain so-called Fantastic!” he spat the name as though it was curse word. What was he talking about? The Captain didn’t have powers anymore? “So tell me, how much is this girl worth? How about a fair fight between you and me for once eh?”
“Like you have any chance,” I said, without thinking and my eyes bulged in horror as Short Fuse’s hand tightened around my hair.
“Did you just say something to me, you little shit?” he asked.
“No! Maybe! Force of habit, I’m sorry!” I gabbled.
“Oh you’ll be sorry.” He pushed the gun against me even harder, and Captain Fantastic flew up a few steps before Short Fuse was forced to point the gun at him instead. The captain stopped in his tracks.
“Why won’t this girl scream?” Short Fuse asked as he pushed me away, and one of his henchmen grabbed me, acting as the replacement gun to my head.
“You not scared to die, girlie?” the henchman asked. “Answer me!”
“No! At least, not right now. Think about it,” I said, “if I die now, I die in a couture gown looking basically as good as I ever will! Now, is kind of an ideal moment to die if anything!”
Short Fuse burst out into terrifying laughter, and the captain rose to the last step.
“Calm down, Friday!” he ordered.
“I am calm! Mostly,” I replied.
“Look-” A gigantic ball of fire hurtled towards Short Fuse interrupting whatever the captain had planned to say. The glass of the huge window behind him shattered and Short Fuse was blasted right over the balcony like the ball from a cannon.
Captain Fantastic ran for me, not caring what had just taken Short Fuse away. The man holding a gun to my head, stumbled backward and the captain socked him right in the face. Another man came up behind him, I stood up, glad I’d worn my sneakers, and head butted the man full on, without thinking.