SUPERWORLD

Mary I

"Well, you've got family, don't you? Your grandmother and your brother."

"Sure. Granny is the best, but she's like, seventy-something, she just doesn't get it. And I don't ever really see my brother."

"Why not?"

Mary sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. She chewed on the corner of her lip  and fiddled with her jade bangle before speaking.

"He's embarrassed to be seen with me. He won't admit it, he'll tell anyone who asks that it's all because of his mom, but that's not true. I mean, a lot of the reason is because of his mom, but still."

"Then...why is he really embarrassed?"

"Because I'm a hapa. He and I have different moms, mine was white. We have the same dad, but he was already married to Xiao's mom. That bitch hates me, and the feeling is mutual. But, because I'm proof that our dear old dad was fuckin' around, and because I'm what the idiots call a 'half-breed', Xiao takes a lot of shit about me. I can't really blame him for not wanting me to be around." The room was silent for a few minutes, and Mary was thankful for that, she didn't want his pity, she just wanted to complain.

Whining about her problems never solved them, but it helped her.

"So what?" Adi finally said.

"The fuck did you just say?" Mary asked, she wasn't angry, but that was the last thing she expected him to say.

"I said 'so what?'. Your brother is embarrassed by you and Eric lied to you, so what? That's their loss, they're not friends with a badass anymore. You didn't lose anything, you're still you, and like you said, you already have more friends."

"Thanks, Adi. I get what ya mean." Mary snickered. She felt a bit better, still hurt, but he took the edge off.

"No problem, friends look out for each other. Besides, aliens exist!" His eyes went wide and she knew he was bursting with excitement. She laughed again.

"Yeah, guess I forgot to be excited about that." Mary realized.

"I know, I thought you'd gone mad. Aliens and Superhumans, what a world!" Aditya exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's pretty fucked up!" Mary laughed. "You know what's even worse? Doc and I watched documentaries on aliens and he told me there was no way they ever came here."

"And you didn't think 'that's exactly what an alien would say'?"

"I didn't! I just let him get away with it, he must've used his powers on me or something!" They both laughed then, and Mary felt herself calm down, the anger and hurt that had been burning in her heart subsided.

"So, what did Kamy say we're going to do next?" Mary asked when the laughter died down.

"Well," Aditya shifted awkwardly in his seat on the bed, "he says the only way to change anything is to kill every member of the Majestic Twelve. He says they're too deeply rooted for the police to do anything, even with all the evidence on Jae's dad's hard drive. This evening, he says we're going to storm Rossi Tower." He finished.

Mary sat stunned, mouth frowning and agape, eyes fixed on Aditya.

"No shit," Mary broke her paralysis, "think we'll win?"

"I don't know," Aditya shook his head. "We've gotten into buildings we weren't supposed to be in before, but these Majestic fellows, who knows what they have up their sleeve?"

"Oh, don't be such a pussy, Adi! We got Kamy the soldier. Jae, Speedy McStabby himself. You, well, you can throw shit at 'em with your fucking mind. Oh, and me: one tough bitch with one big gun. We'll be fine." Mary jokingly shrugged.