"So where exactly are we meant to be meeting him?" Fawn asked as they turned onto 4th Street, tugging absentmindedly at her locket.
Aura adjusted her white superhero mask for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Well, he said in the message to come between these two buildings here," she stopped and looked about, "But there doesn't seem to be anyone here."
"Let's just go in." Fawn started to go in, but Aura took her hand.
"I'll go first." She took a few cautious steps into the alleyway and briefly surveyed the space. She raised an eyebrow at Fawn, who shrugged. "Hello?" she called.
Out of nowhere, lights caused Aura to jump back a bit. Sean came into focus at the back of the alley. Fawn's smile faded, and Aura took a subtle step between her and the villain.
"Care to explain this seemingly spontaneous visit?" he giggled with a glint in his eye.
"You called us here to negotiate the terms for the return of Hero HQ," Fawn ventured.
"Ladies, the only thing we're negotiating is your capture! Come on out, boys!" Anger swelled up inside Aura as six men in crisp black suits stepped out of the shadows. She could feel the electricity building up inside her, begging to unleash all fury on this grinning idiot. The men got closer. The urge got stronger. Closer. Stronger. Closer. Stronger. And she exploded in rage.
A bolt of lightning struck the asphalt inches away from Sean. Sparks crackled in the air as she furiously fought off four men. She was vaguely aware of Fawn blasting two more with jets of water. Aura backed up slowly until she was against the wall and nodded at her partner. The men saw this as a chance to grab her, but before they could Fawn's wave crashed into them from behind. Aura pivoted off the wall in a backflip, landing next to Fawn.
"Let's go!" Fawn shouted, running towards the exit.
"No!" Aura was running in the other direction, scooped something up then was running back toward her, "You dropped your locket!" She held it out, and Fawn was just about to take it when Aura was yanked back into the alleyway. Thorned vines held her against the wall, and Sean held a gleaming knife across her throat.
Fawn's breath caught, and time seemed to freeze as Aura's green eyes met hers.
'Go,' she mouthed, silence turning into a scream as the men began to advance, "RUN!"
"I'll come back for you!" she sobbed, "I'll get you for this, Sean!" And she ran.
Meanwhile, Aura was being hauled back to Hero HQ. Sean walked backwards and studied her. "Have you decided on your villain name? Sparko? Thundera? Death Machine?"
"I'm not changing my name. I'm Electra, not some minion of yours. Tsunami will come for me," she growled.
"Ooh, even better! Going rogue!" He whipped back around and glanced over his shoulder a final time before going inside, "You'll love this business, trust me."
Later that day, Fawn stopped in the middle of the square to collect herself. She was painfully aware of the televisions flashing in perfect unison around her. "This morning, CCTV cameras around Hero HQ showed Sean 'Thornesto' Riley dragging the hero 'Electra' inside the building." A clip of this was like a dagger in Fawn's heart. "It seems that Thornesto was correct. After just one heist, Electra seems to be cooperating with him." The scene shifted, and Fawn could only watch in shock as Aura struck down security guards left and right. It would be an understatement to say that Fawn had nightmares. Aura didn't sleep. She was too full of energy- and hatred. Pure lightning had replaced her blood when Sean had tucked the black daisy behind her ear. She couldn't believe Fawn had kept her from him. She relished the power and resented her old partner.
Needless to say, Aura was not entirely pleased when Fawn appeared at the top of the tower in the morning. She reached the top of the stair just as Sean began to advance on Tsunami. Her face twisted into a forced smile as Fawn recognized her.
Fawn watched in relief as Aura drew a pistol. Relief turned to horror as she pointed it at her. Her heart pounded, and she locked eyes with Aura. But they weren't Aura's eyes. These were pure black eyes. "Aura...?" she trailed off, suddenly terrified for her life.
She pulled the trigger. Tsunami crumpled, her face white at the blood seeping from her side. Aura started down the stairs as something fell out of her pocket. She turned to scoop it up.
It was Fawn's locket. Aura stared at it in horror for a moment before looking up to see Fawn on the floor with glassy eyes. The daisy fell, the cloud cleared from her mind, and what she'd done was like her own bullet wound. She rushed to her side and stroked her cheek. Sean had vanished, but she couldn't care less. She shed tears for the first time in years. Suddenly, black flowers blossomed from Fawn's chest where sorrow vanquished death. The blood morphed into black petals. Her wound healed, the bullet as insignificant as the black daisy. And she rose.
They embraced, weeping into each other's shoulders. They escorted Sean and his troop out of Hero HQ. Fawn sent a blast of water hurtling after them for good measure. Aura smiled and took her hand. They kissed. And all was well in Ash City.
YOU ARE READING
Black Daisies
Short StoryWhat happens when flowers take over your soul? Superheroes Aura and Fawn are, unfortunately, about to find out. ♡ I wrote this for my English class with a three-page limit, so I apologise for the short length.
