I've been in...a funky state of mind ever since then.

Dash did cheer me up; I haven't cried since the day he hugged me, but I haven't been in a sunshiney mood either. The knowledge that my folks could have abandoned me, after all of these years of me assuming they loved me despite the things they've done, hit harder than I could've ever imagined it would.

I felt lethargic, sad, and overall just...not interested in anything. I haven't been talking much to Dash, Auntie, or Minerva. My appetite's fallen again too, but I still kept eating the food I was given anyway, since it was kind of required of me.

Dash fortunately hasn't been subjected to my behavior much, since school takes so much time out of the day, and his visits with me have been getting cut short. Something about "family business", he says. Auntie hasn't been coming by all that much either, but I don't blame her for it. I think she's been working with the police regarding my parents and custody of me, with she having a job on top of it all. I'm glad she hasn't been here as much as Dash, since I know she has more important things to do.

But, I've started to believe that me being cooped up in this hospital for as long as I have is what's largely contributing to my bad state. So when Minerva and another doctor came to tell me that I'm being released today, I couldn't help but smile.

Finally, freedom.

~~~

"My my...I haven't been in this neighborhood in some time."

'Same.' I thought as I watched the houses pass by through the passenger window. Even though I've lived here for all of my life, the time I spent away from it all made everything feel...foreign.

But I was happy that I was out of the hospital, and out of that hospital gown. I was wearing the clothes I came to the hospital in last week, them thankfully being cleaned, but I couldn't wait to have an actual shower and wear something else.

Dash was in class right now, but I wanted to share me being released with him, so I sent him a text.

> "i got released from the hospital!"

A minute passed before he responded.

Dash: "that's awesome! your aunt taking you to her place now?"

> "yeah. we're going to my house now, so i can pack some clothes and stuff to take over there."

I sent another message as an afterthought.

> "i'm gonna pick up that letter too"

Dash: "nice. after you read it, can you tell me what it says?"

Hmm...I have an idea. Before I could speak, Auntie just so happened to talk first.

"Who are you texting?"

"Dash." I answered, and she chuckled.

"I thought so."

I bit my lip as I mulled over whether I should ask this now or later. She just met him...but maybe she'd be ok with it?

"Auntie? Could Dash come over later to see me?"

"Of course."

She immediately answered, smiling. Well...nevermind, that was easy. I went back to my phone.

> "do you want to come over afterschool, so we can read it together?"

... ... ...

Dash: "sure! is your aunt cool with that?"

> "yea. i'll send you the address"

Dash: "nice. i'll be over asap"

The timing of us pulling up to my house was perfect, and I slid my phone into my pocket after I sent Dash one last text of my aunt's address.

Seeing the house that I've lived in since my birth now, brought a sense of eeriness more than anything else. As Auntie and I got out of the car, my body tensed up. For a second, I wondered how we were going to get in, but then I remembered my aunt has my key from the hospital staff giving it to her.

We stepped over the old and cracked concrete up to the porch, and Auntie stuck the key in the lock. There was tension building up in my gut, like I was expecting something was going to jump out at us as soon as she opened the door. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

The living room looked the same as ever. My eyes flicked about as we walked inside, me closing the door afterwards.

"Well my dear...I'll leave you to pack whatever you want to take with us. Just remember the essentials, ok?" (A/N) said, looking around the living room.

"Ok." I responded to her, before I turned to walk down the hallway to my bedroom, struck by a feeling of déjà vu. I assume Auntie was going to check the house out in the meantime, which I didn't have a problem with at all, but that meant...the letter.

I needed to grab it first. So I made a beeline for my parents room, quickly and quietly opening their door. The sight I was greeted with shocked me.

Their room was a mess.

Their closet had been opened, along with all of the drawers of their dressers, with many items scattered around the room. It looked like someone went into a frenzy searching for something.

Shivers went down my spine, as I frowned, putting my arms around myself. This was creepy. Did Mom or Dad, or both of them, come back here? Why would they make such a huge mess?

Their bed was disheveled, the pillows were on the floor, but I did see a rectangular white thing poking out from the mound of blanket. I went over and pulled it out, seeing it was a letter. Flipping it over revealed it was the letter addressed to Dad.

At least this was still here. Which...did strike me as odd, but I left it alone. Knowing I couldn't exactly let Auntie catch me here with this, I rushed to leave, closing the door as quietly as I could behind me. I could hear her moving about from afar, so I breathed a sigh of relief and walked to my room.

My throat clenched as I opened my door, but surprisingly, my room was fine. The only thing you could say was out of place was my unmade bed, but I doubt I made it when I last got up for that day of school...which ended in me going to the hospital.

I opened my closet, and saw the large wheeled suitcase I kept in there tucked into a corner. I think that was big enough to house the clothes I wanted to bring. I didn't have all that much to begin with.

First things first, I put the letter inside it. Then, I started packing, covering the vital thing with some shirts and undergarments.

Minutes later I heard footsteps, and Auntie appeared in my doorway.

"It's hard to believe you were raised in this house Y/N. It feels so...empty." She said with a discontented expression.

"Empty? How?" I asked, folding a pair of pants to put it inside the suitcase.

"There's just...a cold feeling abundant here. The atmosphere is hollow." She shook her head.

"And I don't think that's because nobody has been in it for some time."

I honestly didn't understand what she meant, so I only hummed in response. Auntie left my door, and I heard her step towards something. I knew that something was my parent's room.

As expected, I heard her open the door, and gasp. I had to feign ignorance here.

I trotted out of my room and to where Auntie was, peeking inside to stare at the pigsty.

"What's wrong?" I tried to force some concern into my voice. It seemed to work.

"Look at this Y/N. It seems like a tornado went through here." She entered the room, and I followed her. This was still creepy...

"What in the world...?" She quietly asked, moving her feet precisely around the clothes on the floor so she wouldn't step on them.

"This is strange. I don't see why your mother and father would cause this. But, I hope no one broke in..."

That hit me like a lightning bolt. I don't know why it didn't come to mind earlier, but someone could have broken in! But why this house? In my opinion, there wasn't anything worth stealing here. Yet, then again, I doubt that mattered to a robber. The prospect of something valuable being in a place was typically enough incentive to make someone who wanted money to infiltrate it.

"I didn't notice any broken windows, and none of the doors look damaged. I don't think anyone did." Auntie glanced back at me, noting my silence.

"Someone did break in or your mother or father returned and didn't notify anyone. Either way, I'm more glad you're coming to stay with me Y/N."

I...felt the same. This house didn't feel safe at the moment, not in the slightest.

"I'm going to report this to the police. But first, let's get your packing finished. The sooner we're out of this place, the better."

~~~

I couldn't remember what Auntie's house looked like. Have I ever been in it?

...No, don't think so. The neighborhood we were in didn't look familiar at all either. It was nice though.

We soon pulled up to a...very pretty house. I gaped as Auntie parked in the driveway, and took her keys out of the ignition.

"We're here!" She chirped, before getting out of the driver's seat. As she went to the front door, I slipped from the car, pausing to get my suitcase from the backseat, before following her into the house.

"I have 2 rooms that you can choose from Y/N." Auntie said, as I trailed after her, passing through what looked like the living room. We went down short hallway, walking past a bathroom, and stopped in front of two doors on opposite sides of the hall facing each other. Auntie opened both of them.

"Pick whatever one you like most. In the meantime, I need to make a phone call."

I nodded, and she turned to walk back down the hall. I carefully examined both rooms for a few minutes, before I settled for the one that was more towards the back of the house. There was a window to the left of the bed that had a great view of the outside, and since Auntie's house was on a small hill, I could see some distance further into the neighborhood.

I could get lost, staring out it...I liked that. So I got to work in unpacking, placing my already-folded clothes into the dresser close to my bed. I made sure to put the teddy bear Dash gave me on my new bed, letting it rest against my pillows.

I was done before long. The only thing left was this letter...I wanted to open it right now, but I had to wait for Dash. Speaking of him...I wonder what he was up to right now? It's about 2:40, so I imagine he's in science. Probably bored out his mind.

For the moment, I slipped the letter under my pillows. Then I just sat on my bed, taking in the room. It was very plain, there was nothing decorative in it except for a vase holding fake flowers on the sill of the window...maybe I'll be able to add my own flair to it soon.

I remembered the bathroom Auntie and I passed by in the hall, and I was suddenly overcome with the excitement at being able to properly bathe. I quickly went to my dresser and got out clothes to change into after I shower, and headed to the bathroom. I peeked behind its curtain to see there was no soap in it, so I left my folded clothes on the sink and went to find Auntie.

She was in the kitchen, pulling something out of the fridge with her other hand pressing her phone to her ear. I only managed to hear the very end of the conversation she was having with whoever was on the other end.

"...Ok, I'll talk to you soon. Take care."

She hung up, and placed what she was holding on the counter. It was a bundle of some green vegetable...was she getting ready to make something?

Either way, since she was done I chose to announce myself.

"Auntie?"

"Oh! Yes, Y/N?" She spun around with a slight jump, putting a hand on her chest. I must've startled her, but since she was smiling, I guess she wasn't mad.

"Do you have any soap or body wash I can use? I wanted to shower..."

"Of course. Here, I have some bottles under my sink."

Auntie led me to them, and let me pick out whatever I wanted. I wasn't picky, so I just chose the first one I saw. Auntie told me where I could grab a washcloth and towel to use as well. Before long, I was turning on the shower and waiting for the water to warm up.

I stripped down, and made sure to put a waterproof patch I was given at the hospital over the dressing on my stitches so they wouldn't get doused. When I stepped into the warm water, I felt my body instantly relax.

I didn't start washing myself right away. I just stood there, listening to the water, and inevitably my mind begun to wander.

It seems like it's been too long since I've had a shower. I know it's only been about two weeks, but it's still a little surreal. Having this stab wound has been an...experience. I've been dealing with it for so long now, that it's like I've had it for longer than two weeks. Feels like a year.

I'm glad it's ok now. Auntie has to take me back to the hospital next week to get the stitches removed, and after that, this saga will be over. I know I'll have a very visible scar there for the rest of my life, but I'll be fine with that. It could be like my own little battle scar, even though I didn't exactly get it in a battle. My eyes went up to look at the showerhead. More specifically, the water coming out of it.

I raised my right hand, and the water that fully left the metal fixture stopped in the air, gathering in a mass around my body. I soon merely let it all fall to the shower floor at once, resulting in a large splash.

Come to think of it, outside of this moment I haven't used my power since the day I got stabbed. Looking back on it, I now realized what I did was...pretty foolish. Auntie and Dash have excused me for just wanting to help someone, but in reality, it was more than that. I want...or wanted, to be a superhero, so I deliberately went into that situation knowing full well that it'd be dangerous. I wasn't as prepared as I should've been, and I paid for it.

I still don't know if I want to be superhero anymore. Part of me is saying I do, but the other...is doubtful. What if I get injured again like this? What if it's worse? What if it'll be due to my inexperience with actual fighting? I'm not a skilled super by any means. Sure, I think I know how to use my power well, but out there on the field...I don't know what I'm doing.

The only logical answer is to keep going out there so I can get more experience, but maybe doing it when I have no support is a bad idea. I could tell Auntie I'm a super, but I haven't a clue how she would react to it. It seemed too risky.

...Dash came to mind. The idea of telling him my identity made me less anxious, but still anxious nonetheless. He does like superheroes, so...maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I told him. Being able to confide in and count on someone for a change would be very nice.

But even if I really wanted to go back out, my suit was damaged, and I didn't know how to repair it. That big tear in it from the knife going through it made the whole thing impractical to wear, if not useless entirely. There was no way I could get a new suit from somewhere, nor did I feel like making one, so I'm out of luck there...

...I've been in here for a while already. I should start actually showering, before my skin started looking like the pruniest of prunes.

~~~

I opened the bathroom door, wearing my simple outfit of a baby blue t-shirt with a cartoon kitten on it, and black tennis shorts to match. I carried my old clothes under my arm as I went to my room across the hall-

!!!

I gasped, freezing in place. What, or rather who, I was looking at sheepishly smiled at me.

"Hey, Y/N. Sorry for spooking ya...your aunt said I could wait for you to get out of the shower in here before she left."

"I-It's ok...wait, she left?"

"Yeah. Said she had to make a quick trip to the grocery store."

Ok then...that was fine and dandy, but I was NOT expecting Dash to be in my room. When did he get here? I didn't hear the doorbell ring...I must've been really zoning out.

The blond stood next to my bed, in a red raglan shirt and blue jeans. A blush was oh-so visible on his face, as his eyes continually flicked to me and away whilst he rubbed his neck. I saw that there was a laundry hamper next to my door, so I put my dirty clothes into it, figuring Auntie put it there while I was showering.

"That shirt's cute, by the way." I heard Dash mutter. The redness on his face deepened. "It suits you."

My shirt? I glanced down at the kitten on it, that was depicted curled up in a ball with its eyes happily closed, and its paws around a stuffed animal. It was cute, and one of my favorite shirts in fact. But what did he mean by 'it suits you'...?

I just chose to take the compliment. "Thanks..." I started heating up. I'm glad I'm wearing shorts, they could help keep me cool. I don't want to get all sweaty and start stinking again. Anyway, I guess it's time we got down to business.

"So...I got the letter." I went over to my bed, and pulled it out from under my pillows. I sat down, and Dash came closer to look at it. I peeked up at him, and patted part of the mattress next to me to urge him to sit down.

He got the message, though his face turned even more red as he sat down. The bed dipped with his weight and I felt myself slide closer to him with our shoulders now touching as a result, but I didn't mind it. I think he tensed up though...what was up with him?

I'm now starting to sense it; there's something...different, about Dash. He appeared more on edge for whatever reason. I started to open the letter, but I caught Dash sneaking looks at me in the corner of my eye. I couldn't identify the emotion in his eyes, but it was making me feel even warmer.

I opened the lid of the envelope and looked inside, at first seeing a folded paper...but also, something unusual. I gently took it out.

It was some...card. It was grey and blue, and sort of looked like a credit card, with the black stripe on its back. The only type of marking on it, was a red symbol right on its front. It was a stylized, red 'X'.

Next to me, Dash squinted his eyes. "What is that?"

"I don't know..." Since I already looked over it, I offered it to Dash so he could get a closer look. As he did, I pulled out the paper.

Setting the empty envelope aside, I unfolded the sheet, seeing that it was indeed a letter. A typed one, there was no handwriting. I habitually started to read it, but then realized I had company.

"Do...you want me to read this out loud?" I asked Dash.

"...Yeah." He answered me, still staring at the card's front, eyes narrowed.

Hit with a burst of sudden shyness, I cleared my throat and started from the beginning, internally willing my voice to stay steady.

"We thank you for your contribution to our project, Mr. (Y/L/N). With your assistance, we believe that the probability of our goals becoming a reality has increased."

I paused. It already didn't sound good. 'Contribution to our project'...?

"If you wish, perhaps you can be a prominent figure in our new world. We could use an intelligent, head-strong man like yourself. Please, give it some consideration.

Come to our last meeting place, alone, to receive your benefits at any time. I hope to see you there."

My fingertips dug into the paper, crinkling it, before I released it with a heavy sigh. Bile rose into my throat, as my stomach uncomfortably churned.

"...This just proves my dad is involved with...something."

"Something not good. This talk of a 'project' and 'new world'...it's gives me the creeps." Dash stated, normally light-hearted tone hardened.

"Yeah...it sounds like some cult."

I said that without thinking, and it made