Reality Check

The Chains

Heroes (by David Bowie)

"Though nothing will drive them away. We can be heroes just for one day. We can be us just for one day . . ."

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The wind whipped through Bethany's hair as she soared through the air. First her feet, followed by her legs, then her waist were consumed by the pages of the book, transforming into words at a pace faster than Bethany could see. Suddenly, something latched onto her arm, and she was knocked off balance. There was a loud buzz in her ears as she fell the rest of the way and landed hard on her stomach.

Bethany heard a groan from her left. She lifted her hand, wincing, and a sudden realization struck her. Owen was laying on the ground next to her. He had been the one to grab her! She pushed herself into a sitting position, anger coursing through her. "Owen! I told you not to come!"

"I'm not leaving," he said. "You need help. You can't do this on your own."

"Yes, I can," she said. She leapt up from the ground and grabbed his arm, pulling him up. "I'm jumping us out of here, and then I'm leaving you in the nonfictional world."

"No!" Owen pulled out of her grasp. When she tried to grab him again, he stepped away, keeping a short distance away from her. He held his hand up. "I'm not leaving."

"Please," she pleaded, glancing around at the room they'd landed in. Owen couldn't be here. He would only get hurt, and she needed to take responsibility for this. "Please! You have to."

He frowned, shaking his head. "No I don't. You can't do this on your own. You need someone to help you! I'm not going to let you get split in half again."

She sighed, relenting. Owen had won, she had to accept that. She knew there wasn't anything she could do to make him leave. Even if she did, he'd probably grab her again when she jumped back in. It didn't matter. She didn't have time to waste. "Alright. Fine! Fine, you can help."

"Great," he said, not looking much happier than her. He warily walked over to her, but he still looked mad. She knew she deserved it, but she hoped he'd just forget about it and move on. She felt guilty enough as it was. "So, what's this great plan of yours? Where are the chains, or whatever they are?"

Bethany wanted to smile, but since she was still a bit angry and since he was obviously upset, she didn't. "Mason said they're on this island called the Island of Darkness. Not entirely sure where that is, but it's in a lake near Jupiter City."

"Okay." Owen looked away from her, scanning the area around them. They'd landed in the Lawful Legion headquarters, and there were voices in the distance, probably in the main hall. A rush of excitement filled her at the thought of seeing her father again. Would he be here? She didn't know, but she also didn't want him finding out about this.

Bethany silently cursed herself for not looking first before she jumped into the book. She usually always looked. Depending on which page they jumped into, they could've landed in the middle of a crime scene. At least it was nighttime, so it was easier to sneak around without getting noticed.

"Where are we?" Owen asked, turning in circles as he looked around the room. Bethany realized he'd never seen it before.

"This is the Lawful Legion headquarters," Bethany said, feeling a bit prideful as she looked around at the place she'd come to a few times when she was fictional. She'd only come here for her father's meetings, but it was cool to talk to the superheroes as well. They always gave good pointers on fighting.

"It's where the superheroes meet up. The Lawful Legion is basically a group of superheroes from Jupiter City. They're kind of a big deal here." She looked around wistfully, standing still for a moment to gaze at the room. She knew that she didn't have time to lose, but being here again made her miss her fictional life even more.