Misadventures in Paradise ↠ Peter Parker [2]

05 | Solar

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MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
v. SOLAR

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   THERE WAS A SAYING Riley could never quite remember about how, even in broad daylight, it is so easy to lose sight of what stands in front of you. You could climb mountains and still fail to realize what it cost to reach the top. Perhaps it wasn't much of a saying, but rather, the summation of the lives the bravest souls she knew led. A simple tagline for a story without any of the nuance — the push and pull between giving and taking, or chasing and fleeing — that made those stories so impactful.

   The moral of the story may not make sense now, but it goes something like this.

   If you believe the whole world is blind, how can you be so sure that you didn't lose your sight along the way, too?

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   The sunlight must've been playing tricks on Riley's eyes.

   But the sun had claimed to be her friend since it first touched her soul. This was no trick, no optical illusion, no blinding. This was a reflection. Her reflection.  

   They were nearly identical, from the slope of her nose, the curve of her smirk, the playfulness in her tone, to how she walked, moving as if gravity was incapable of anchoring her. The vigilante seemed young at first glance, younger than Riley. She lacked the battle scars and the stony look in her gaze that made Riley seem older. Yet the sunlight glittering in the palm of her hand was bright, and the way she recklessly wielded it made Riley realize the vigilante was older, just less experienced.

   That didn't make her any less of a threat.

   Warily, Riley asked, "Who are you?"

   "I'm Riley O'Dair. But I prefer Solar." Solar stalked toward her with the prowess of a starved bear. Eager, impatient, yet guarded and protective of something Valor couldn't place. Valor smoothly pivoted, and they began to walk in circles, studying one another. "Something unusual's happened to me again, hasn't it?"

   "Are you... real?"

   At least Solar's laugh seemed to be different. It was dry and insincere.

   "Judging your question, I imagine the unusual tends to follow you, too." Solar tapped her chin, and Riley noticed the first proper physical difference between them. Her fingertips were gray and desaturated — as if the melanin had been erased from her skin. The grayness traveled up her forearms, fraying as it reached her elbows. The only color that remained came from her deep purple veins. "How is this possible? Where did you come from?"