Asylum

Co-Captains of the Benchwarmers

Dramatically, I crack my knuckles. "Now we need a co-captain. I elect Kya."

Immediately, Kya cringes. "No way. I can't do that. I think it should be Ren."

Wait WHAAAAAT? There's something I never expected to hear – especially from Kya. I mean, even the Dragon himself is surprised. "Huh?" he sounds.

"Look," Kya says to the disproving group. "I know Ren can seem..." she looks at his glaring eyes. "A bit rough around the edges...but when it comes to it, I don't think he can abandon us like you assume about Elektra." The energy around Ren becomes cloudy. The emotion I read from him is shame – he must think that he would abandon us in a heartbeat. I don't know what Kya thinks she's talking about.

I speak up. "I find that super-duper-ultra-pooper hard to believe...no offense, Ren. Please don't beat me up."

"I know," Kya assures. "But think about it. When Leo was helping Sarah run in the courtyard, who carried his sack for him? When Cerberus took my energy away, who carried me to safety? When Elektra and Cerberus were battling, who came back to help her? When I was dangerously close to death – and we all know Ren probably loved it – who used their own energy to help me? And when the dogs came after us, it was Ren who stayed back to hold them off, and it was Ren who helped slay the dogs. Elektra and Ren have been the leaders since the beginning, we just never acknowledged it."

Sighing, I feel myself pout. She has a good point. "I hate that you're right," I admit. But why did she do such a good job of lifting Ren up? She either has a fear of leading people for some reason, or she owes Ren for something. "My vote is for Ren."

"Mine, too," Sarah says, raising a hand.

"Yeah. I guess he'll do," Elektra shrugs, cranky as always.

"Alright! Zeus and the Dragon: at first, sworn enemies. Now, co-captains of the benchwarmers," I joke. "Now which one of you is going for food? Because that's who I'm going with."

"I'll go for clothes!" Sarah predictably pitches in.

"I'll go wherever," Kya shrugs.

"Girls will go for clothes," Elektra instructs. "Guys will go for food. Try to find a map or a newspaper or something, too."

I can't freaking believe it. After all that time pent up in Asylum, we're finally here. Sure, this place looks like some rundown ghetto, but it's totally an upgrade from the structured life of Facility That Shall Not Be Named. I'll be able to interact with people, see things I haven't seen in ages, and eat food that hasn't been bouncing around a cargo bus for days.

"Isn't this awesome?" I ask Ren, who reads store signs to try and find what we need. Naturally, he's grimacing.

"Sure."

"Why are you so grumpy? You get to go home! That's more than a lot of us have," I glumly sigh. Something in the air makes my nose do a double-sniff. I smell something spicy...something cheesy...something delicious. My mouth waters and my stomach rumbles. Oh, man, I've got to find what this is. "Dude, there's something cooking."

"What are you, a dog?" Ren scowls.

"If by dog you mean loyal companion, then yes...now come on, it's coming from over there," I direct, crossing the street and rounding a corner.

As we stroll down the sidewalk, a group of girls walk this way. Just for funsies, I read their minds. It's been ages since I've had this many available minds – now I know how Sarah felt when she finally had someone new to paint back in Asylum.