Superhuman: Dawn of Power

When We Were Merry

"A... threat?" Clarence glanced at her metal arm. "Do you mean you'll just... punch me again?"

"No-! I'll... um... look, it's easier if I show you..." Luella said as she stood up. She glanced around, eventually settling on a plant.

Clarence watched as Luella positioned her hands in an odd gesture. To his surprise, the plant started to float upwards near the ceiling.

"Y-You're a... superhuman, aren't you...?!" He jumped up in excitement and grabbed Luella's hand.

"D-Don't you dare tell anyone-!" Luella managed to spit out as her face flushed a furious red. "Oh, I shouldn't get worked up... I don't have full control of my limbs yet..."

Clarence smirked to himself. He focused as he projected his thoughts into hers. "Don't worry, I'm a Superhuman like you, as well."

Luella fell backwards in shock. "How... how did you... you were in my head...!"

"C-Calm down-! It's not like I look around in there or anything...!" He soothed her and carefully sat her back down.

"That's a scary power... o-oh, I really am getting worked up-!" She looked at Clarence with tearful eyes. "I-I'm sorry-! I might hurt you again...!"

"I might be able to help you, Luella." Clarence said sternly as he held her hands tight. "But you'll have to agree to it... I don't want to do it without your permission."

"O-Okay... okay..." Luella whimpered to herself. "... What are you going to do...?"

Clarence gave her a warm smile and placed his hands on the side of her head. He closed his eyes, and flooded Luella's minds with the most happiest memories he could remember.

She gasped, but soon got used to it. Her robotic arm relaxed as she fell into Clarence's arms. He blushed as soon as she did so, but pulled her into a hug.

"Clarence, I... thank you..." Luella whispered to him. Unknown to him, her face was as red as his. "... I want to stay like this... for a little longer..."

"I'll stay like this for as long as you want, Luella." Clarence told her. "I'll be here for you from now on, always. I promise."

Luella let out a giggle. Her heart had never pounded this much around a person before. And neither had Clarence's.

———

Felice couldn't remember much of when she first met the Professor. Most of what she knew came from her stepfather. She began to recite what her stepfather told her about that day.

She used to live in a mountainous region with her stepfather, mother and twin sister. Her stepfather was the groundskeeper there to some fancy house - a job that paid well enough to warrant them staying there.

A few months before she encountered the Professor, her mother fell into an abandoned mine. She didn't remember much about it. Her stepfather insisted that it was an accident, but she knew that he wasn't telling the truth.

The police didn't find a body - from what areas they could search. The search was called off quickly, her mother presumed dead.

On the day she met the Professor, her stepfather had told her and her twin sister, Jess, the truth behind the incident. It upset Jess more than it upset her.