The spring sun shines down on me, and I'm glad that Vera and I have the chance to get out of the house together. It's a beautiful day out, one that I don't want to waste stuck inside my house with my two sisters and my parents and my niece. The stroller handle is warm in my hands as I push it through the Swellview Park. Vera is probably fast asleep in the stroller, so I peek down at her to see her passed out, her head resting on her shoulder. Honestly, I don't know how babies are able to sleep everywhere and anywhere, but they do. Vera always falls asleep in the weirdest positions, too. I guess it works for them.

A sweet breeze blows through the park, ruffling the cotton skirt of my dress and the green trees around me. Fiona the Freakazoid, my younger sister, questioned me on my attire for taking Vera out for a walk, but I told her that wearing this dress was my decision and that she shouldn't question me about it. She muttered something to me as she walked away, but knowing the Freakazoid, she didn't really care that much about my choice is clothing. She only cared about getting on my nerves.

Fiona was the one who called herself that nickname a few years ago when she first learned how to read. Molly and I questioned her on it many times, but she said that she's finally embracing who she is, which is a freak. Her words, not mine. I kind of feel bad when I call her the Freakazoid, but if it doesn't bother her, then it shouldn't bother me. Besides, that's definitely how she acts about anything, like the time when she made everyone evacuate the house just because of a spider.

An older looking couple passes by Vera and me, shooting me a dirty look after they look inside the stroller. I give them one back, picking up my speed so that I can get away from these nosy people. Things like that have been happening to me ever since I decided to be a babysitter for my older sister, Molly, six months ago, when she had Vera. But the unnecessary bad looks I get every time I'm out with Vera? Very uncalled for. She's not even my child, but it is very common for people to judge young moms. I hate it with every fiber of my being.

Maybe it's time for us to leave the park. More people have started coming out of the holes they live in to experience a nice day outside. My skin starts to crawl with the feeling of eyes on my back. I glance over my shoulder but don't see anyone very close to me. It's probably my mind making it up, but I do know that Vera and I should leave. It feels like we're not welcome here anymore. I've felt that way before, and I don't want Vera growing up thinking she isn't wanted.

The bright sun slowly wanes away as a cloud floats lazily through the sky, and a bird chirps loudly somewhere in the trees. The blue is overshadowed by the oncoming storm that's supposed to be coming in the next few days. This is probably the last good day before the spring showers come, which is the main reason why I wanted to take Vera out for a walk in the park. Unfortunately for us, it was ruined by annoying people. Most everything is ruined by annoying people.

Walking in a circle, I start heading back to the car. On our way back, we pass a couple sitting in the grass. The boyfriend is quietly talking to his girlfriend, and she is crying very hard, so I hurry past them. I so do not want to hear him breaking up with the girl because it'll bring back some terrible memories. Besides, I also don't want them to wake Vera up. Other than that, the walk to my car is short, so I quickly unstrap Vera from the stroller once I make it there. Swinging the car door open, I try not to wake Vera up as I jostle her into the car seat right next to her baby bag. She sleeps through the entire thing, and I thank God that she does. She's not the best person to be around right after she wakes up. 

The stroller folds up perfectly for once, so I shove it into the trunk. As quietly as I can, I shut the trunk and head up to the front seat, sliding in. I start the car, turning the music down so that it won't wake Vera up from her nap. Before I start heading home, I twist in my seat to get a good look at Vera. The car seat is facing the back of the backseat, but I can still see the back of her head. Her dark hair is starting to curl at the ends, just like her mother. I smile at her sleeping form and then face forward again, putting the car in reverse. 

Driving is one of my many pleasures in life. Most of the time, I don't remember the drives I go on, which is a great time for me to just sit back and relax. Sure, it may be a little dangerous for me to zone out like that, but it's one of the only times I am able to relax. Having Molly and Vera at home with my parents, Fiona, and me is great, but there's many times that I wish I could have a quiet house where I'm able to relax. Plus, I hardly ever get the car since Molly and I share it, and she needs it to go to her classes at Swellview Community College.

The city of Swellview rises out from the ground as Vera and I crest the main hill before coming up to town. The sun comes out from behind the clouds, casting a golden glow all over my hometown. In all my seventeen years here, I've never really thought it was quite pretty or much of anything, but right now, I have to admit that Swellview is a gorgeous city with all the natural flora and fauna. There are some crazy people here (actually, I think all Swellviewians have a tad bit of crazy in them), but Swellview has its perks, like the Swellview park and the desert surrounding the city and Captain Man and Kid Danger. Sometimes.

I've traveled to other cities before, but no other city has superheroes like Swellview does. It's like the criminals heard about Captain Man and Kid Danger and wanted to come here to fight them for the rest of eternity. They don't really care that there are families living here, trying to survive and have a peaceful life, that could get hurt because of their criminal shenanigans. I worry about Vera and her safety here, but my family isn't going to move because of my bad feelings about the criminal activity here. My opinions and feelings don't really matter that much to my family compared to everyone else in my house.

Captain Man and Kid Danger have done a great job at protecting this city, though. Even though Captain Man is very sexist and cocky, and Kid Danger is young and possibly Henry Hart, they do everything in their power to keep this city safe. There have been a couple of times that their plans to save Swellview have nearly destroyed the city, but they have saved it more than they have nearly destroyed it, and for that, I'm glad that they are here. Kind of. I don't know. My feelings for them differ from day to day, I guess.

I slow the car down as we near a red light. Vera sighs in her sleep, so I glance at the back of her head. Surprisingly, she's still asleep, though I'm sure it's nearly time for her to wake up and have her diaper changed. We're not that close to home since the park was on the other side of town, so she'll have to wait a bit if she did soil her diaper. Besides, I need to prepare myself for the gift she'll leave behind in her diaper that will probably make me gag.

A car behind me honks loudly, and my head snaps back to the road in front of me. The light is green, and looking through the rearview mirror, I see a car behind me, the girl behind the wheel angrily motioning to me. She looks way too young to be driving, but I don't bother paying attention to that since I have to start driving again. Pressing down on the gas pedal, the car starts moving forward again, but then something catches the corner of my eye.

If I hadn't heard of Junk N' Stuff before, I would have totally missed it. Erika talked about the store last night when I took her out to make up for stealing Kid Danger away from her at the museum, complaining about how Henry Hart works there. Honestly, I don't know what her problem is with Henry, but I'm glad she did end up telling me where he works. This gives me a chance to have a little chat about his little secret.

I look in the rearview mirror again, grimacing when I see the little angry girl still there. She looks oddly familiar, but my rearview mirror moves too much as I drive down the road so I can't really tell if she's familiar or not. Turning my turn signal on, I start slowing down. There's a road coming up where I can do a legal U-turn, and then I'll be back on this road in no time, heading back to Junk N' Stuff. 

But then the car behind me blares their horn as they pass me. My heart literally stops in my chest, and I nearly slam on the breaks, but I manage to keep the car going, heading into my turn without rolling the car onto its side. I don't have time to look at the girl who was riding me this whole way. I keep my eyes on the road, veering widely as I turn. Fortunately, there's no other cars on this road, so Vera and I are safe.

I pull into a random driveway, stopping for a second to catch my breath. Looking over my shoulder, I see Vera's head moving from side to side, which means she's awake now. I count my lucky stars that she didn't get hurt and that she isn't crying yet. Being in the car with a crying baby is quite literally the worst. 

Soon enough, I'm back on the main road, heading toward Junk N' Stuff. I didn't go very far down the road, so once I see the store, I turn into the parking lot shared by many little stores on this side of town. I slide into a parking spot and then put the car in park. The front of Junk N' Stuff looks normal enough, though I'm not sure what the whole premise of this store is. It's obviously called Junk N' Stuff for a reason, but are their junk and stuff antique or random things that people get rid of? I guess I'll find out.

Stepping out of the car, I peer inside the main window. It looks like the whole store is packed full of . . . well, junk and stuff. I shut the car door and walk to the back when Vera's screams hit my ears. I quickly open her car door to see her little hands in fists and her face beet red. That's not good. I unbuckle her from her car seat and sling her into my arms, bouncing her up and down on my hip as I shut the door. I lock the car, saying to her, "Vera, what's wrong?"

Her screams travel all along the road as she continues to cry in my arms. I don't want to go into Junk N' Stuff with a crying baby, but I'm not sure if she'll stop any time soon. I pat her back as she grabs fistfuls of my hair, throwing her head back and letting out the loudest scream I've ever heard come out of her. I stare at the baby in my arms, my mouth wide open as my ears start ringing. "Alrighty, little lady, that's enough crying and screaming for right now. Auntie Laurel has a job to do."

Hugging her tightly to my chest, I plant a kiss on her head. She sniffles against my shirt, most likely getting snot and spit all over me, but I don't care. Vera is my niece; I'd do anything for her. That's why I agreed to be her babysitter in the first place. Well, that and my sister really needed the extra help. I couldn't let her drop out of school just because she made a bad decision. 

I'm not sure how long we stay outside of Junk N' Stuff, me holding tightly to Vera while she calms down, but she finally calms down enough for us to go inside without her screaming. She probably needs a diaper change, so I'm hoping that they have a bathroom in the store. Before I head inside, I sling my purse onto my shoulder. It has an extra diaper in there, just in case I'm able to change her. 

There's someone just leaving the store, and surprisingly, they hold the door open for me. I say a quick thank you as I pass by them, walking down the steps and into the store. It's darker in here than what I originally thought, with tables full of junk and stuff everywhere. Behind the main table in front of me is the front desk, and I realize that Jasper and Henry are standing behind it, giving me a weird look. 

Okay, I have to admit that me showing up to their place of work is weird, but there's a reason why I have to do this. I met Kid Danger and thought he was cute and recognized him as Henry Hart; what else am I supposed to do other than figure out if it's the truth? I can't get Kid Danger / Henry Hart out of my head right now.

Also, I didn't know Jasper, Henry's weird friend, works here, too. I'm sure Charlotte does as well because I almost never see her at her house, which means that they most likely know his secret. It makes sense because they're his friends. 

"Henry? Jasper?" I ask, feigning my best innocent look as I step closer toward the front desk. I shift Vera slightly as she tries to grab onto something on one of the many tables around me. "I didn't know you two work here! What a small world!"

"Yeah, what a small world," Jasper says, nodding his head in agreement. He has a silly grin on his face as he looks between me and Vera. I know exactly what he's thinking, that Vera is my child. I can't believe that my own classmate would think that I had a baby when I have rarely ever missed a day of school. "What are you doing here?"

I force a laugh out of my mouth as Henry eyes me and the baby. "I wanted to buy something for Vera here, so I thought I'd try my hand at this particular store." I flash both of them a smile as Vera squeals. I look at her to see her looking at something on the table behind us, so I turn us around so she can get a better look at the thing. "While I'm here," I call over my shoulder, "I was wondering if I could talk to Henry."

Vera giggles when she picks up a stuffed giraffe that sparkles in the slight sunlight coming in from the windows. It doesn't look ratty or anything like that, so I allow her to rub her face all over it. Hopefully there's no bugs on it. Turning back around, I point to her and ask, "How much is this stuffed giraffe?"

"For you, five bucks," Henry says, shoving Jasper out of the way of the cash register. Jasper gapes at Henry as I set Vera down on the glass case. She happily hugs the giraffe to her chest, her hazel eyes tightly shut. Keeping one hand on Vera, I dig through my purse, trying to find my wallet. I pull the wallet out and unsnap the front, pulling a five dollar bill out of it. I hand it to Henry, purposefully brushing his hand with mine just so I can try to get him alone so we can chat. "So, what do you want to talk about, Laurel?"

His eyes search mine as I grin sheepishly at him. I motion to Jasper, saying, "I wanted to talk to you alone."

"Ooh," Jasper says, nudging Henry. He shoots him a glare, but Jasper doesn't get the hint. "Is this your secret love child, Hen?"

"What?" Henry and I say at the same time. Henry hits Jasper's shoulder, hard enough for me to hear it. Thankfully, Vera is too busy with her new giraffe to notice the violence. "No, no, no, no. Jasper, why would you even say that?"

"Well, she said that she wants to talk to you alone." Jasper shrugs, pointing at Vera. I pick her back up, glaring at Jasper. He doesn't seem to notice the look of fury on my face. "Plus, she's been giving you googly eyes, so I figured that child is yours."

"First of all," I say, holding a hand up, "Vera is my niece. Second of all, if she were my daughter, wouldn't you have noticed me gone from school? Women just don't bounce back after having children. Third of all, me wanting to talk to Henry alone isn't about Vera. It's about something else."

Jasper stares between me and Vera and Henry. He shrugs again but doesn't move from his spot beside Henry. "You don't have to be rude about it."

"Alright," Henry says before I'm able to retort something back. He walks out from behind the front desk and points to the front door. Looking at me, he says, "We'll talk outside. Don't want to be watched by him or the others."

"What others?"

I follow Henry up the stairs and outside, flinching when the dinosaur head on the wall releases a bout of barely controlled fire. Surprisingly, Vera doesn't get scared by it. Instead, she happily giggles. Maybe she's like Fiona in that way. He waits until the door closes behind him before turning back to me and Vera. "There's cameras in there and the others would have listened in on our conversation."

"Where are these others?" Henry looks panicked for a second, his brown eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. I should let him speak first to see how long his lie can go on, but I don't. I have a lot of questions that need to be answered. "And are these others Captain Man and Charlotte Page?"

"Hmm?" 

"Are these others Captain Man and Charlotte Page?"

Henry blinks at me. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you do, Henry Hart, or should I say, Kid Danger?" That's when Henry springs into action, jumping toward me and slapping a hand over my mouth. Vera struggles in my arms, so I shake him off, ready to go off on him when he looks around and places his hands on my shoulders, leaning in close. "You can't say that so loud."

"Why not?" I whisper, staring up into the same eyes I did a few days ago. They are the exact same shade of dark brown as Kid Danger. "I know you're Kid Danger, Henry."

He sighs, closing his eyes for a couple of seconds. Vera takes those few seconds to drop the giraffe to the ground and grab onto Henry's shirt since he's standing so close to us. Her pacifier is now in her mouth as she stares up at him from over her shoulder. His eyes flash open when she pulls on one of the buttons of his blue flannel. "What is she doing?"

"Vera's a baby. She'll touch anything."

Henry drops his arms to his sides and backs away from us. He fidgets with the top of his shirt, trying to button it again. His next words surprise me. "How did you figure it out?" 

"So, you're admitting to me that you're . . ." I trail off when his eyes widen. ". . . him."

Henry nods once. A small thrill runs through my body. I can't believe I figured his secret out and that he actually admitted it to me. "How'd you figure it out?" he asks again.

"I recognized you. It was easy, honestly. You're the same height as him, have the same hair color, blah blah blah. I could go on and on about how physically similar you two are." He narrows his eyes at me, so I shrug at him like it's nothing. "The thing that confirmed my suspicions was your use of 'feels good' when I was talking to you. I knew that Henry did that, and honestly, who else would?"

"You and Charlotte would be great friends," he mutters, shaking his head. He pointedly looks at me, scaring me a little bit. "You cannot tell anyone you know about my secret."

"I know."

"Promise me, Laurel."

"I promise I'll never, ever tell another soul besides Vera."

Henry finally cracks a smile, bending down to pick up Vera's giraffe. He gently hands it to her, and she shyly grabs it, gazing up at him with wide eyes. A smile spreads across her face as she stares at him. She lets out a giggle, rubbing the giraffe across her face, and I smile at her. It seems like she has a little crush on Henry. I guess that sometimes happens with us Love girls.

My eyes flicker back to Henry to see him already looking at me, which is weird. A small bout of nervousness runs through