New York Nights - Rosénali

06 | The Carr's

Weeks had passed, and Denali felt more at ease. She hadn't encountered any other members of the group, mostly fighting off petty criminals with the occasional villain. Nothing particularly challenging for her, which was a relief as her college courses had begun to get more complex. She sat on the couch, her laptop on the coffee table in front of her, with her textbook open to the side. She groaned, rubbing her temples as Jackie entered the room. "Are you doing alright?" Jackie hummed, grabbing her scarf from the hook. "Yeah," she groaned, "this lesson is just kicking my ass right now." 

"Aw, I'm sorry! Maybe you'd want to join Jan and me for lunch? Jan has been dying to see you, you know." Jackie patted her shoulder, giving Denali pleading eyes. "Okay, maybe a break will help." Denali smiled at Jackie, and when Denali had gathered her items, the two set off from their apartment.

Jackie led Denali down the familiar busy streets of New York, she waved to the local vendors she recognized, and she even caught a glimpse of Joey leaving the rink. Soon, the familiar streets morphed into unfamiliar ones, and she stuck closer to Jackie. The buildings became taller and more polished. 

"Okay, this is it! I just have to text Jan!" Jackie stopped them in front of a building identical to those around it. It was a giant skyscraper, "Holy shit," Denali exhaled, "are they rich or something?" Jackie nodded, "Yup. Just wait until you see the apartment."

Seconds later, they heard a squeal as Jan popped out of the building. "Jackie! Denali!" She hugged Denali first and kissed Jackie. "Come up, I'm so excited that you're here!" Jan opened the door for them, leading them inside. The lobby was white and pristine, expensive paintings hung all over, and men in suits walked past the three as they made their way towards the elevators.

"It's so nice to see you again, Denali! We've all been dying to see you!" Jan gushed, "Well, I missed you guys too. I'm excited to see Lagoona again- is she here?" Denali saw Jan grimace a little bit, before recovering. "She is, but she said she was feeling a bit under the weather. You should be able to see her at some point, though!" Jan returned to her cheery demeanor.

With a ding, they had reached the 15th floor. The doors opened to reveal two doors on opposite walls. Jan took the lead and led them to the left side, taking out a bright purple keychain and unlocking the door. "Here we are!" Jan cheered.

Denali stepped into the room, and her jaw dropped. The place was so large and spacious, incredibly different from her and Jackie's own cramped apartment. "Right? That's how I reacted, too." Jackie whispered. "Rosie is...well, I'm not sure, but she's here somewhere! I'm gonna go check on 'Goona, be back in a second!" Jan explained to the girls, before making her way down a hallway, disappearing around a corner.

"It's so...big." Denali exhaled, running her fingers along the long dining table. "Oh, don't you know? They come from a big superhero family. Their mom is Kizha Carr." Jackie piped up.

"Are you serious? Kizha Carr? Like...Kizha Carr aka Supersonic who sliced crime in half? My childhood hero? That Kizha Carr?"

"Yeah, the same one!"

Denali could not drop her jaw anymore if she tried. "Holy shit." She gasped. She had loved Kizha as a kid, in fact, she still loved her just as much. Back in Alaska, Denali would often rewatch videos of interviews featuring or about Kizha. She was one of the country's top superheroes, and crime in New York hit an all-time low when she was there. Denali always dreamed she would get to meet her, but she retired once she had her first child, who she now knew, ironically.

Looking around the room, she saw a picture of Kizha and her three daughters- obviously taken some time ago, as it showed the three daughters as teens. "Damn Jackie...I can't believe you matched with one of Kizha's kids on tinder. Aren't you a lucky duck?" Denali laughed.