Finding Mr. Superhero

Chapter Twenty-Two

I never thought bad guys had a conscience. I also never thought they had social lives or downtime or lives to focus on.

But these guys must have, because they left me alone over Christmas.

I'd ended up telling Chloe about the call, but I'd kept it a secret from Colton and Alexi. I knew that if they found out about the call, they'd pull me back to protect me. And I was sick of being protected. I wanted to deal with this on my own, find out who they were, and become one of the good guys. Alexi and Colton worked so hard, and it was time I shouldered some of the burdens—even if it meant lying to my friends and family.

As school finished up for the Christmas break and the New Year drew closer, I tried to push any worries out of my mind. Constantly thinking about them wasn't going to make it go away, and worrying about it wasn't going to fix the problem. I just had to move on with my life, put up a happy act for Colton and my family, and try to live life as normally as I could.

Despite the anonymous threats from the phone call, I didn't stop trying to find them. Chloe thought the idea of continuing after them was ludicrous, but I wasn't going to stop just because of a petty threat. There was more at stake, and I had to fight for the good of the people.

Christmas was a festive time, and soon my anxiety was quenched by Christmas lights and the idea of presents and eggnog. Christmas was my favorite time of the year, and no super-villain was going to get between me and my Mrs. Claus outfit.

I woke up early on Christmas morning, and a peek out of the window awarded me the sight I wanted to see: a gunmetal-gray sky and a blanket of snow covering the town I knew and loved. I cranked open my window and stepped into the brisk morning air, hugging my arms to my chest and watching snowflakes dance towards the ground. I felt a smile overtake my face. In the distance I could smell the smoke of a chimney, and I could hear little kids squealing in delight somewhere down the street.

"You're up early."

I jumped and turned to see a rumpled Colton stepping out of his window. He wore a pair of plaid pajama pants and a long-sleeved navy shirt. His hair was mussed and his eyes tired, but I could tell the snow was exciting him, too.

"I could say the same to you," I teased, breaking into a smile.

He shrugged and started towards me, and I noticed a pair of untied sneakers on his feet. A little more sophisticated than my bunny slippers. "I thought I could get a few saves in before Christmas breakfast. Did you know Christmas is the most accident-prone time of the year?"

"Do you ever slow down?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and pulling him close. It was hard to feel cold when you had something so warm and real pressed against you.

"Why bother when you have super-speed?" he replied, twining his muscular arms around my waist.

"Why don't you leave the saving to the paramedics for a little while and just enjoy some pancakes and eggnog?" I asked him. "I think New York can survive an hour without you, superhero."

"My parents aren't up yet," he replied. "I'll just check the gas stations for any heists and make sure no one's falling off ladders attaching Christmas lights—"

I pressed my lips to his, cutting off the rest of his sentence. "Just slow down," I whispered. "At least stick around for a little while and let me give you your present."

"You got me a present?" Colton replied, and his blue eyes lit up like a child. It was achingly adorable.

I nodded and stepped back into my room, making sure not to leave any snowy tracks on the beige carpet. "Uh-huh."