Seek {Superhero AU} - Ending 1

31: My Mother Told Me

Lou Ellen's eyes are narrowed at the light drifting out of Will's gloved hands. She says nothing, patiently waiting for an explanation.

My mother is silent. Normally, she would be offering to make dinner, but I think she's still suspicious of the burns that were on my face. To be fair, it was Sunburst's powers that burned me, so I can't blame her for holding a grudge against Will, although hopefully she believes us when we explain what happened.

When Will finishes healing Cecil and Lou's injuries, he moves on to his own. He shifts his jacket aside a little, revealing the burn on his neck. My mother's eyebrows raise as he heals it. Well, that should be plenty of evidence that Will wasn't the source of the burns.

When he's done, he glances at me, and my stomach roils. He wants me to start—I'm the one who's in more danger, so he's giving me the opportunity to lie if I want to. I could tell them I'm not the Ghost King. I could...

I swallow, and I stand up to address them. "So, um. Hello."

Lou Ellen does not look impressed.

"Basically, I'm the Ghost King," I blurt, and then I immediately tense, waiting for them to pull out their phones and call the police.

Cecil looks surprised, but Lou Ellen just rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I figured that out, idiot. That doesn't explain almost anything. Who was the crazy person with the cloak? Why did Sunburst have a creepy robot voice, and why—"

"Hold up!" Cecil protests. "Are we just going to brush over this? Nico is the Ghost King! Like, the criminal! A whole supervillain!"

"He's not a supervillain," Will said. "It's all a misunderstanding, really."

"That reporter—what's her name?" Cecil snaps his fingers, trying to remember.

"Aphrodite Lookgoode," supplies Will.

Cecil points at Will. "Yes! Aphrodite Lookgoode said he's evil!"

"Aphrodite Lookgoode is an asshole," I mutter. "I'm pretty sure I'm not evil. I break into people's houses, sure, but like...I don't hurt anyone. For the most part, at least; Luke was an outlier."

"Luke? What does Luke have to do with any of this?" Lou Ellen asks.

"Who cares!" Cecil shouts. "Should I be running for my life right now? You're the Ghost King! The police are probably after you as we speak. Am I going to go to jail for helping you? Why are you called the Ghost King anyway? You didn't even use any powers today—why didn't you use your powers if you're really him? And—"

"Slow down," I tell him. "I'll answer all of your questions. You're not in any immediate danger, but I probably am; a woman called the Viper is after me. She has something against my father. She kidnapped my sister when I was young, so the reason I've been breaking into houses is so that I could try to get my sister back."

"You promised me you'd be safe with this," my mother murmurs. I look away from her, guilty.

"The Viper," Lou Ellen repeats. "Is she the cloaked person from the dance? If so, why did she call off the attack?"

"We don't know that yet," Will says. "Any ideas, Nico?"

I clench my jaw. I actually do have an idea about why the Viper called off my capture, but Will is going to hate it. For a second, I debate whether I should even say it. But then, we're never going to get anywhere if we're afraid to face the truth.

"I think the Viper met me. The real me—Nico di Angelo, not just the Ghost King. I think she realized I have a closer connection to her life than she first thought," I say slowly, my gaze boring into Will.