I'm sorry I haven't updated as much, my usual updating schedule will change to once a week and not everyday. I'm really sorry, due to me being busy — but I hope you enjoy this chapter.
By the way... we won another award! azulsea Thank you to everyone who supported this book, without your countless votes and contribution towards this book, that I wouldn't have expected to won a few awards has gotten good recognition.
I'm very thankful to all my readers and my friends. Thank you so much! Enjoy the chapter!
*
"Your family aren't under hostage by Destroy anymore, Hyde. We had found them in a dungeon in the southern part of Empire State City. They're safe now." Daxton Chase smiled as Hyde felt complete relief wash over him.
"Thank you, sir." He sighed as he shook a smiling Daxton's hand.
Hyde was standing next to someone, with a hood covering their identity as Daxton revealed his family. His eyes softened at the sight of them. His eye became weary as he saw their sight. Grime on them and cuts. He collapsed on his knees as his children and wife ran up to him.
The other person standing next to Hyde turned the other way when someone pulled their hood down. Daxton was looking at his son, Daniel Chase.
Daniel stared at his father. "Your twin intuitions never change." He shook his head lightly chuckling. "If you're out, then you tell her to fill in for you, or she's out she tells you to fill in for her." He shook his head as Daniel shrugged knowing it were true.
"Come here, son." Daxton engulfed his son in his arms as Daniel was taken aback by this.
He slowly wrapped his arms around his father sighing in content. Almost as if a massive boulder had been pushed off his shoulders.
*
Chase was watching some TV when Xavier and Hunter entered the room. Evan had went with the boys home to do something.
"There's my favourite girl." Xavier pointed as Dianna cracked a smile.
"There's my favourite nincompoop." She returned as Xavier rolled his eyes and Hunter chuckled lightly.
"Hey, Hunter."
"Hi, Dianna." Hunter flashed a smile which caused Chase's heart to skip a beat.
She dismissed the action before Xavier placed food down on to Dianna's desk where she looked at it.
"Food. Hospital food is the worst." Xavier shrugged as he plopped himself down on the couch next to the bed and paid attention to the TV.
Chase opened the bag as her eyes gleamed in surprise. She looked up at Xavier and Hunter with a happy and giddy look causing the two boys to laugh.
"You got me, SFC?"
"Superhero Fried Chicken is always a winner. No brainer." Hunter nodded.
"At least it's one of the perks of superheroes. They save the day and work at Empire State City's most infamous fast food store." Xavier shrugged as the two nodded their heads.
Chase began to open up her box meal and eat as the boys were chattering about what had been happening lately.
"I'm coming back from the bathroom." Xavier quickly excused himself.
"So you're being dispatched out of the hospital in a few days, right?" Hunter asked.
"Yep. I miss my bed." She nodded as she took another bite from her burger to only have mayonnaise smeared near the side of her lip.
"Uh. You got a little something." Chase's eyes flickered up at Hunter as she moved her finger near her mouth to only make it worse.
Hunter lightly let out a small smile before helping Chase. "Here, lemme uh, help you." He scooted a little closer to her side as his thumb touched the side of her lips, Dianna's eyes fell onto the corner of her mouth before moving up to face Hunter who was moving away the sauce.
His thumb caressed the corner as his thumb picked up the mayonnaise as the two glanced at it. Chase and Hunter had a close proximity between them as she licked her lips. His eyes fell onto Chase's as she did the same.
Chase looked up at Hunter as they slowly moved back from each other, a small smile creeping onto her lips.
"Never knew you had a crush on me." Hunter let loose a small chuckle.
"It's not mean to be evident, but I really thought you were." He scratched his eyebrow. "Cool."
"Cool? Haha. I was more like a scorpion that bit back, but okay?" She shrugged freely as the doctor came in.
"Ah, Dianna. You're awake. Good news, you can be discharged tomorrow. However, you will be needing to take a lot of medication." Chase internally groaned but nodded in response as Dr Hyly left.
"Well, at least you're gonna be home and not in the hospital anymore." Hunter looked through the good side as Chase nodded her head,
"Not to mention the partying you and I are gonna do." Xavier entered with a smirk on his lips as Chase shook her head, letting one of her own release at Xavier's jest.
The three friends continued chattering before they all left to go home. Chase was lying in bed when she felt a sharp pain to her side.
She gripped onto her side as she snapped her eyes shut in pain. Dianna fell to the ground as she clutched onto her side almost holding onto it for her life.
She got up with all her effort and moved towards the bathroom door as she pulled the door open and entered. Her hand was placed on the marble wall for support as she caught her reflection in the mirror.
She hissed in pain as she pulled up her gown, shakily. She stared at the purple bruises and cursed silently, clenching her fists in a sign of irritation.
Her fingers slowly grazed the area it was aching the most as she yelped in pain.
"Ugh, stupid injury." She gritted her teeth together in annoyance.
Having to work with what was around her, she grabbed a dry cloth and placed it under the cold water faucet and squeezed the water out before placing it on the area where it hurt the most, slightly hissing.
She made her way back to the room and sat back in the bed with the cloth still aiding her side. Breathing out, Dianna felt the door open to reveal a beautiful yet gorgeous blonde haired girl.
Dianna furrowed her brows at the person as the light entered the room she sat in.
"You're awake." The figure spoke with relief. "I visited you the other day but everyone was here and thought it was a bad timing." She took a seat beside Chase.
"How are you?" She smiled softly.
Chase stared at this figurine in an apathetic way before focussing her attention on the TV.
"I'm okay. How are you?" She answered back.
"I'm good too. Just a little stressed over superhero work, that's all." They fake giggled and Chase picked up on it.
"What're you really doing here, Jingle?" Chase returned her eyes to the figurine known as Jingle.
"I'm here to make amends with you, Dianna." She remembered that beautiful yet soft voice that used to say her name like that when she was six years old.
"And why is that? I have no reason to hold any hatred on you." She shrugged as Jingle looked up at her.
"I kissed Sam." Dianna was listening to Jingle stutter on her words as she looked at her apathetically.
"Yeah, so? I gave up on that three years ago. Maybe you should too."
"It wasn't my will." She tried.
"I had to do it. Sure Sam is good looking and the top superhero, but I would never take him away from anyone, especially being you." There was sincerity laced in her words but Chase was too tired — no numb to this, especially if her side was aching and the cloth was becoming warm.
"Like I said, Jingle. I'm not interested." She got up from the bed as Jingle followed behind her.
Dianna entered the bathroom and placed the cloth under the tap once again as Jingle continued again.
"Listen to me, Dianna. I know you hate me and all, but I would never do that intentionally."
"So, why'd you still do it then?" She asked confidently back. "You're telling me you were forced and all, but who told you and what was the reason?" She squeezed the contents out as her eyes were on Jingle.
Jingle breathed out for a second as she stared at Dianna with a firm gaze. "If I didn't do it, the you would've gotten hurt." Chase looked at Jingle with an uninterested look and moved her gaze back to the towel.
"I'm actually getting tired of this charade, people going to hurt me. Pfft, yeah. Tell me something I don't know." She rolled her eyes placing the towel on her side once again.
"It's true! It was Destroy-." Dianna's eyes flashed a dark colour upon hearing that psycho's name. Jingle looked at Chase's bruises and looked up at Dianna.
"You know what that disgusting parasite did to me? You see the masterpiece that he placed on my body with other fellow villains. He was the one that placed me in the hospital. The hospital from everything, not in a jail but the hospital. For what? Revenge? Being a sadistic non-mortal? It's pathetic to be honest." Dianna shook her head as she placed the cloth on her side again and headed back to the bed again.
"I just want you to know, that I'm sorry. I never wanted to do this. But you are-were my best friend back then and I didn't want you to be in danger because of me." Jingle breathed out.
"I wouldn't have hurt you like this intentionally. I'm really sorry, Dianna. I don't know if you can forgive me, but I just wanted you to hear the truth." She paused. "He said he was going to hurt you, Sam, Goodie and even me if I didn't do this."
Chase rolled her eyes, not at Jingle but at Destroy's pathetic ways of trying to hurt a superhero. Wacko.
"What you did that day, Jingle, crushed me. Like a marble, it crushed me into so many pieces. You, one of my best friends did that to me with my own boyfriend." She paused. "Did you know my rank was lowered and I was on probation and had to do extreme activities. How does a sixteen year old deal with that?"
"If I could I would turn back time and give Destroy a piece of my mind and maybe I got a chance to do that a week ago, but still, what he did was wrong. But you couldn't even tell me is what upset me the most. Everyday I saw you make out with Sam, right in front of me." She shook her head.
"That killed me, I may sound corny, but when I needed someone for me, Xavier or Sam were always there for me. And when he wasn't there and instead sucking faces with you," she scoffed a laugh, "yeah well that pretty much ruined me right there."
"I-I don't know what I could do to make it better, but I told Sam about it and he kept telling me how disappointed he was and how you'd feel." Chase's stomach did flips.
"Sam does still care and he does regret everything — because even if it's not his fault, I may have jeopardised your relationship with him and I'm sorry."
"I know it wasn't Sam's fault. He kept telling me that." Jingle's eyes lifted up. "You know what angered me even more, is the fact that when no one was there for me, not even my family, besides Daniel, the villains had turned to me when I needed someone the most." Dianna's voice raised a little.
Her wrists were now surging with red electricity as the anger kicked in. "I never wanted to be neglected and I don't think anyone ever wanted to be. Everyone thought I was perfect because I was Daxton and Daniella Chase's daughter. I wasn't perfect and I never will be. But I'll tell you what I am. I'm not someone that backs down from a challenge or curls up in the corner and cries. I try to do something." Dianna's eyes were more cloudy as Jingle listened to her little rant.
"I never wanted any enmity with you, Jingle." She maintained composure as she swallowed.
"I lost a lot and no will see it from my point of view, until they experience it themselves. So I forgive you, because everyone some way or the other has been Destroy's pawn and it needs to be stopped." Jingle's eyes lit up in happiness as she heard the sincerity in Dianna's voice.
"Wow, I-I'm at a loss for words. Th-thank you. I hope we can be friends one day." She looked down at the last part.
"I never stopped being friends with you, Reindeer." Dianna rolled her eyes as Jingle chuckled looking up at Dianna.
"I missed you too, candy cane." Dianna's sides cracked a smile.