~Broken Family~

Hmm, I Swear I've Seen You Before...

April thirtieth. The last week of school.

Finally.

Gwen was tired of being a sophomore. It was in the middle, it was boring. She was ready for something different.

The last year had flown by so quickly. She tried not to think about how long it had been since she'd hugged her mom or hung out with Peter.

She was still staying with the Roberts, along with most of the kids. Some had been sent off to other homes, and one--Kylie--had even ran away. Gwen hoped she was doing alright in these hard times. Peter had always talked about how hard it had been to live on the streets back then, she couldn't even imagine the struggle it would be now.

But Billy was still there. He had grown nearly a head taller, no longer wanted to wear dinosaur shirts, and when he vocalized some words his voice would crack and get deeper.

He was a teenager now.

Gwen was glad that so far his freckles and curls were still sticking around, otherwise she wouldn't have even recognized him. He had just had a birthday, and now that he was thirteen, he wanted to go off and do anything and everything he wanted, as long as Gwen didn't have to babysit him.

He would be attending a high school for the Deaf this fall, and he was very excited to "ditch his interpreter and hang out with cool kids."

STOP STARING, Billy signed with one hand in aggravation, his other gripping his spoon. Cheerios dropped off of it.

YOU GROW UP, Gwen signed, feigning tears. FAST. Billy rolled his eyes and groaned.

NO SCHOOL, he signed happily, switching the subject as he dumped his bowl into the sink. SUMMER!

NOT YET, Gwen signed, shaking her head. ONE WEEK. Billy groaned again, leaning down to grab his backpack from the ground. It was starting to fray, and looked a few sizes too small for him.

NEED NEW BACKPACK? she asked.

LATER, he signed over his shoulder as he darted out the door.

"Hey!" Gwen shouted, dropping her half-eaten waffle and shooting a strand of webs to grab up her backpack. She knew all the other kids were still asleep---she and Billy always left the house extra-early so she could get some Ghost-Spidering in and he could work on his paintings in the art room at school.

SUBWAY? Gwen asked as they walked. Billy shook his head.

WALK.

O-K.

They walked in silence for a little while, then once they got to the end of the second block they parted ways.

SEE YOU LATER, Gwen signed with a wave. Billy's face broke into a grin.

GO SAVE PEOPLE.

GO PAINT AND LISTEN TO SEAN FORBES! She pointed to his Deaf and Loud t-shirt with the singer on it.

FINE! he signed happily, walking backwards towards the school and pulling out his headphones.

Gwen spun around on her heel and continued down the street, humming a happy tune as her sneakers danced across the sidewalk, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. She ducked behind a garbage bin behind a store and slipped her sweatshirt and pants off to reveal her suit underneath, and with a quick, fluid motion, she pulled her mask down. With a light grunt, she launched herself into the air.

I'm alive. I'm free.

***

There hadn't been that much crime that morning. Just a man trying to break into a car (which had turned out to be his own), a guy stealing a lady's purse, and a fight with two drivers who had crashed into each other. It'd gotten pretty violent pretty quick.