The Juniors - The Villains of Valley View

EIGHT / "Thicc as Thieves"

CYBER // JOSIE

"THIS?" I asked, my lip curling in disgust. I squinted through the dimly-lit room. "Where are the lights?"

My hand was behind me, holding the door open for the two girls. Both walked in.

"Isn't it disgusting?" Amy whispered in passing to me. I was so happy she understood my hatred for superheroes. I think she got that all superheroes were really just fun-killers.

"This is the showroom," Hartley announced with a wide smile.

I caught Amy's eye and quickly mouthed, 'The showroom.' I saw her mouth tilt up slightly before she was back by Hartley's side.

"Really? Where's the mask?" she asked in disbelief. Then she looked around until her eyes settled on something in the far back. "And what superhero owned a stackable washer-dryer?"

Then some guy in a hoodie, looking like my good villain friend Duffel, came in out of nowhere. "Greetings, prospective buyers."

I was already in tears at his word choice. What a joke. I could take this guy down using my little finger.

"Welcome to my menagerie of memorabilia."

I stared blankly at the darkened figure in the black hoodie. I don't know what the point of his voice changer was, but it only made him sound like Candace in that one episode of Phineas and Ferb.

"Wait a minute," Amy exhaled boredly. When I realized what she was about to do, my eyes widened, and I reached for her arm, but I was too late.

Just because he didn't look like a threat -- and I'm usually pretty good at accessing threats -- I didn't want her to just go near him. I mean, he has the lights off and is using a voice changer. That's someone who wants to keep their identities hidden. There's a reason all supers wear masks. Villain or hero.

She ripped the hood off his face. I swear I know this kid from somewhere.

"I knew it! Locker-blocker."

My head tilted in confusion. That was an extremely random thing for her to say.

Then he said something in a very annoying voice that I chose to ignore. Instead I looked around more at the disgusting, PTSD-inducing room.

Hartley went up to him as well, but I honestly didn't care for anything he had to say. The lights suddenly came on, causing me to look up before seeing everything else the 'showroom' had to offer.

I turned to the other teenagers in the room upon hearing Hartley's voice. "Woah. How did you get Flame Fatale's whip?" Hartley was one of those people who was overly-obsessed with super heroes. She was worse than Jaxon when it came to Order.

The kid with the round glasses named... I don't know, judging by his hoodie -- Milo went on to answer her. "Let's just say my dad is pretty influential in the superhero world," he said proudly.

I tilted my head and sent him a smile. Interesting. Very interesting.

"Is he one of the Masters of the Realm?" Amy asked, asking the question that was in the back of my mind as well. For different reasons obviously. I was beginning to worry if Hartley was rubbing off on her.

I couldn't help but take a step closer as I waited for his response. The Masters of the Realm was an elite group of superheroes. Saying the name alone was enough to send chills down any super villains back. Even the really good ones like Surge and Slither. Maybe even Onyx if all of the Masters were together.

There was something about the way Amy said it too. Like she experienced that same chilling feeling I had. It was almost getting hard for me to ignore it, but I know it was just my paranoia. I just have to let it go.