Samantha Brooks (Original poster) (Verified PRT employee) (Spokesperson PRT ENE)

  Posted on 2nd October, 2011:

  It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing Amaranth’s departure from the Brockton Bay Wards team.

  On the first of the month, Amaranth made the decision to leave the Wards. In her official statement, Amaranth said that she “no longer felt she could do her best in the role she way playing on the team”. She also said that she “holds no hard feelings towards her fellow Wards or heroes and hopes they can remain friends”.

  Amaranth served only a short time on the Brockton Bay team, joining on June Fourth only weeks after Leviathan’s attack. She fought to protect the city during its darkest hour against the Slaughterhouse Nine, and later against another A-class threat unleashed by the villain Coil. She saved countless people from a terrorist attack at the mayoral debate and joined her fellows when they went across the world to kill Behemoth. Despite her relatively brief time as a Ward, Amaranth’s record stands strong among the team.

  Amaranth has said she wants to continue her work as a hero independently. Director Llewellyn Higgins of the PRT said he “is sad to see Amaranth go but wishes her nothing but the best” and that he “is hopeful for her future as a hero”.

  ? Copperhead (Certified gamer)

  Replied on 2nd October, 2011:

  SHE’S GONE ALREADY?!?!?!? What’s gonna happen to her cards?!

  ? TrojanPony (Pony)

  Replied on 2nd October, 2011:

  Wow, this really sucks. BB always had such a crazy het team comp, I was so happy to finally see some lesbian rep! Hope she keeps kicking ass anyway

  ? BlackoutMagic

  Replied on 2nd October, 2011:

  Ten bucks says it’s a week before she joins the Undersiders or something

  ? Kid Win (Verified cape) (Wards ENE)

  Replied on 2nd October, 2011:

  I’m really sad to see her go. Amaranth was a really cool girl, and a friend. She was a little rough around the edges but a good hero. I’m going to miss her a lot.

  @BlackoutMagic Come on man, she said she wants to be a hero.

  ? LakesideLesbian (Brockton Bay Refugee)

  Replied on 2nd October, 2011:

  @TrojanPony For real!!

  Well who knows, maybe Vista will come out next.

  ? BlackoutMagic

  Replied on 2nd October, 2011:

  @Kid Win It’s the perfect cover.

  User received an infraction for this post: do not harass capes.

  ? Vista (Verified cape) (Wards ENE)

  Replied on 2nd October, 2011:

  I’m not happy she decided to leave without telling any of us, but I guess it was hard for her too. She was my friend, I’m going to miss her a lot.

  Amaranth, if you’re reading this, you’d better call or I won’t forgive you.

  @LakesideLesbian No.

  ? GlassEater (Brockton Bay Refugee)

  Replied on 2nd October, 2011:

  Sad to see her go. Amaranth was my personal hero. I lost a few people to Shatterbird’s song, so her avenging them really meant a lot to me. I hope she makes good on her promise, I’ll support her whether she’s a Ward or not!

  @Vista harsh but fair

  I stared at the screen, blinking at the sandy feeling in my eyes. I’d been reading the thread all day, the various comments being supportive or shitty or weird. I flinched as my phone buzzed in the corner of the couch and shut my eyes. That had been going on all day too. I drew my knees up to my chest and pressed my eyes against them.

  I was a rotten bitch, leaving like I had. Not a word to anyone, Clockblocker was the only person on the team who’d known until...this. But I couldn’t have done it differently. Leaving meant becoming a security risk, which meant getting out as soon as I’d finished the paperwork, turned in my costume, and packed my shit. No chance to stick around and say goodbye, not how I’d done it.

  They’d be furious. Maybe not Clock, or Crucible, or Autumn; they either knew and were already pissed but over it or didn’t know me well enough to care. But Chris liked me enough to make me that handheld TV, now languishing in one of my bags beside the tablet Missy had bought. I should unpack, but even thinking about them hurt…

  My own fault, like all of this had been. Could have handled it better, not been so hasty in deciding I was out. I was an idiot though, so yeah right I’d make a good decision. My thumb found its way to my mouth and I gnawed bitterly at the already shredded nail. All I did was hurt people, probably better that they just have the one big one then never have to worry about me again.

  Like Amy should have. I bit the inside of my cheeks as my thoughts took a darker turn. If she’d just cut ties with me when I quit, or hell when she found out I was going out, I wouldn’t be a burden on her. She’d loaned me her laptop to mess around on and all I’d done was stare at the screen making myself miserable. I was a waste of space to have around, a—

  “Jesus!” I started at the exclamation behind me, shoving the laptop onto the couch and leaping off it with my fists raised. Amy stood in the doorway, clutching her heart and holding out a hand. “Easy, just me. I...forgot.” Forgot I was an intruder in her home.

  “Sorry,” I apologized, dropping my hands.

  “What’s up?” she asked, striding inside and glancing at the discarded laptop. She studied the screen briefly before looking at me with a small frown. “Have you seriously been moping all day?”

  “Sorry,” I repeated myself.

  “I gave you my laptop so you could, I don’t know, have fun or something.” She leaned over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I don’t want you beating yourself up.”

  “Why not?” I said glumly. “It was an idiotic decision that I made because I’d backed myself into a corner. The PRT gave me enough rope to hang half the city and I used it all on me. I had a good thing going and fucked it up like usual.”

  “I mean, some of that’s true,” Amy hedged. “But you don’t fuck everything up.”

  “Give it a minute,” I muttered, making her sigh. “Sorry.”

  “Well, I was going to ask you if you thought dinner was a good idea,” she said, pulling away. “But now I’m telling you: we’re going to dinner at my Aunt Sarah’s. It’s in a couple hours, so we should figure out what we’re wearing and— What’s with that look?”

  “I...why do you want me to come?” I asked. “I’ll probably just make things weird and awkward like last time. I’m not even a hero anymore, so it would probably better if you just went alone, I won’t fit in.”

  “Look, Lia,” Amy said, taking my shoulders. A moment later one of her fingers touched my chin and pushed it up so I was forced to meet her eyes. “I don’t care if they don’t want you there, I do. If you really don’t want to go...I guess I’ll tell them we won’t be there. But I think getting out would do you some good.” I slumped against her, resting my head on her chest.

  “Okay,” I said softly. “I...will it be long?”

  “A couple hours probably,” she replied, hand coming up and gently rubbing the back of my head. I sighed as her fingers dug into my scalp. “It’s going to be a barbeque, a whole family thing. We’ll all be hanging out in the backyard or kitchen. Trust me, I don’t want to stay any longer than I have to, but I think we should go.”

  “I already said okay,” I mumbled, making her snort.

  “Yeah but it wasn’t an ‘okay’ okay was it?”

  “Shut up.” I smiled despite myself. I pulled away from her with a huff, grinning up at her. “Okay so...what’re we wearing?”

  “Not what you usually do,” Amy said firmly, taking my hand and pulling me towards her room. “Come on, we’re playing dress-up.”

  “I look stupid,” I complained as we walked up the street towards Amy’s aunt’s place.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “No, you look dapper.” Amy glanced down and made a face. “Well, mostly. Did you really need to wear cargo shorts?”

  “I don’t have any others,” I said. “And no way I’m wearing pants, it’s still eighty degrees. The shirt’s stuffy enough.”

  “Stuffy? It’s the lightest one I had, at least that fit you okay.” She rolled her eyes. “You’ve got the sleeves rolled up and you’re two buttons down from the collar. You’ll be fine, it’s just…”

  “Yeah I’m gonna make a shit impression,” I sighed.

  “No, it’ll be fine,” Amy said. “Mom might make a comment or something, but Dad won’t care and Aunt Sarah…” She paused, pursing her lips. “She wouldn’t do anything to make them look bad.”

  With that iffy assessment, I tried to stop worrying about my outfit. Amy said I looked fine, and I thought I had when I looked in the mirror. A plain, white collared shirt, tucked in, and with a nice belt to pull it together. Other than that it was just my shorts and sneakers, too warm for my jacket today. Probably why they were having a barbeque come to think of it.

  Had to think it would be fine, had to trust Amy that it was a better choice than staying home because otherwise I’d turn the fuck around. I clung to her hand with a deathgrip that, if I squeezed any harder, could break her hand. Amy’s thumb ran over the back of my hand, making a shiver run up my back.

  I could smell their place before I could see it, the scent of cooking meat wafting up the lane. Glancing over, I saw a small smile on Amy’s face, though she looked a bit nervous too. Well, it would be her first time seeing the rest of her family I guess. Made sense to be nervous with everything that happened. I wasn’t much better off, considering the shitshow I’d made of the last dinner I’d gone too. Hopefully I could just keep my mouth shut and not blurt out something stupid like about how I remembered Amy turning Victoria into—

  “Hey,” Amy said sharply, snapping in my face. I took a deep breath blinking rapidly. “Hey, look at me Lia.” I did. A worried frown dug deep lines into her features. Her dark brown eyes studied me carefully. My hammering heart gradually slowed, and after a moment she gave a nod. “Okay, didn’t have to do anything. You want to tell me why you almost had a panic attack when that mess in your brain was lighting up?”

  “Bad memories,” I squeaked. Her eyes widened slightly.

  “About my family or about...me?” I swallowed and my gaze fell to the sidewalk. “Ah.”

  “Sorry,” I managed, stomach churning.

  “It’s not your fault, it’s mine,” she said firmly. “I don’t...I thought it was gone, or not real or…” She trailed off and sighed. “We don’t have time for this. Are you okay to go to dinner?”

  “Uhh, yeah.” I took a deep breath and held it til my lungs ached a little, then slowly let it out. “Yeah I’ll be fine.” Just had to not look at or think about Victoria for the rest of the evening. Easy…

  “Good because we’re here.”

  I looked up at a fairly plain house really. It was fine, with a nicely stained wood fence around the front of it. It blended in well with the others around it, a two-storey place with a garage and a modest yard. Amy brought us around the side to a gate and let go of my hand, taking a deep breath before knocking loudly on the planks. The conversation I could hear faintly on the other side of the fence quieted down, and a moment later the latch rattled.

  “Amy!” I flinched as Victoria greeted her sister excitedly. Amy looked stunned too. “Good to see you, feels like it’s been forever.”

  “Hey...Crystal,” Amy said tensely. Right, she had a cousin. “How are you?”

  “Fine fine,” she said, looking at me and smiling. “And hello to you. I’m guessing...Lia, right? Amy’s told me about you.” I forced a smile.

  “All good things I hope?” We shared a chuckle, mine a little more tense than hers. “Nice to meet you Crystal.”

  “C’mon, kebabs are just about done.”

  She turned and led us into a fairly wide backyard. I saw a flash of blonde hair and heard the patio door slam shut, and Amy tensed. I gave her hand a brief squeeze and kept the rictus I was wearing on my face as we headed to the patio. The three adults of New Wave were staring at us with a mixture of expressions. Mark looked like he was actually happy to see us there, and a woman who must have been Sarah did too; must have been because Carol Dallon, though wearing a smile, didn’t look pleased at all.

  “Hi Aunt Sarah,” Amy said quietly as we stepped up onto the patio.

  “Amy, it’s been far too long,” Sarah said, her smile widening a fraction. “You’ve grown.”

  “People do that,” Crystal bantered.

  “And you must be Lia?” Her gaze turned to me and I swallowed, offering a nod.

  “Amelia D’souza,” I said in what I hoped was a respectful tone.

  “Wait, you two have the same name,” Crystal said, whirling on us, eyes wide. “No way.”

  “Way,” Amy muttered.

  “Just call me Lia,” I said in a breath.

  “Because if you call her ‘Amy’ it’ll get confusing,” Mark said with a dry chuckle. I looked at him, annoyed, trying to keep the smile locked in place.

  “Exactly,” I said. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you Mrs… Pelham.” That was her last name right?

  “Please, just call me Sarah,” she said, stepping forward and extending a hand.

  “Sarah then,” I said, pulling my hand away from Amy’s and giving hers a quick shake. “Um, thanks for inviting us.”

  “Wouldn’t be a family barbeque without the whole family,” Sarah said. She sounded a little...melancholic. "Come on, food should be ready in a minute. Ever had laser-seared kebabs, Lia?” I shook my head and got a chuckle from Crystal.

  “You’d better get ready to have the dish ruined,” Crystal warned, sing-song. “No one makes it like us because no one can.”

  “No points for guessing the secret ingredient?” I tried, getting wry giggle.

  We were led over to a wicker couch, one of several surrounding a small firepit. Once we’d sat down, Crystal joined her mother by the grill where I could see a faint glow. Mark came over and greeted us, chatting about nothing topics like school and work. He only asked Amy about work though. Well, word was out now, I couldn’t really expect to be brought into chats about capeshit until I got over myself and got back out there.

  He left a minute later as Victoria returned, shooting a glare towards Amy and I before grabbing a plate by the grill and retreating to a corner of the patio with her food. Crystal followed a moment later and the two chatted quietly as they ate. Amy’s gaze was fixed on the concrete of the patio, and I slipped an arm around her back, giving her a tight squeeze. I offered Mark a smile as he came back over, balancing a trio of plates.

  “Oookay you two,” he said, setting two of the plates in front of us. Each had half a dozen steaming skewers with a variety of meat and vegetables impaled on them. “One order of the family special each. Hope you’re ready for something amazing, Lia.” I grabbed my plate and inhaled the rich, spicy scent.

  “I’m sure it’ll be great,” I said, setting my plate on my lap and waiting. I wasn’t stupid enough to make the same mistake twice, usually. The other adults sat on the neighbouring chairs a minute later with plates of their own.

  “Hello again Lia,” Carol greeted me, a little stilted but polite. “I’m glad you could make it.”

  “Sure thing Mrs. Dallon,” I replied with a nod. Sarah arched a brow.

  “’Mrs. Dallon’? How formal,” Sarah said with a note of humour.

  “Her and my mom have the same first name,” I explained. “And trust me, it’s better I don’t associate them.” Her smile faltered and she nodded.

  “I see,” she said. “I wasn’t given all the details out of respect for your privacy, but I understand she was...on the wrong side of things.”

  “A Nazi,” I said flatly. “So yeah, probably not something Mrs. Dallon wants to be thought of alongside.”

  “I appreciate the thought,” Carol said with a small nod.

  “Yes well.” Sarah cleared her throat and gestured to the food. “Shall we?”

  From the first bite, I knew Crystal was right about this ruining the dish. I’d never had shish-kebabs before, and I wasn’t sure if I ever would unless I came to more Dallon-Pelham barbeques. Even though I was a bit wary of some of the veggies on the skewer, but they complimented the beef perfectly. And god the meat was incredible, seared to perfection, juicy, and with some spice blend that made my taste buds feel like they’d been lit up.

  I made it through two of them before I had to get up and run to the cooler for a drink, to Amy’s amusement who didn’t seem even a little bothered by the spicy dish. I returned after draining half a can of lemonade and continued eating, sipping on my drink after every couple bites. Mark got up when he was finished and headed over to Crystal and Victoria. A couple minutes later, just after I’d finished, he returned with them in tow.

  “So Amy, it’s been a while,” Sarah spoke up, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. “How have you been since July?”

  “Okay,” Amy replied with a shrug. “Just...keeping going.”

  “You mean with your healing?” she asked.

  “Sure,” Amy said with a nod. “I um, I’m contracted with the PRT, for work. I still volunteer at the hospitals a couple days a week though, still...making sure to do that.”

  “I’m happy to hear, Brockton Bay needs a woman like you,” Sarah said, smiling. “Where are you living now? Carol mentioned your own place?”

  “Yeah, down on Lord and Wellington,” she replied, leaning against me. Her shoulders relaxed a little. “Just a little apartment, but it’s fine for just me and Lia.”

  “You’re living together?” I winced at the note of surprise in Carol’s voice; and the note of disapproval.

  “It’s new,” I interjected quickly. “And um, it might not be forever. I just...I needed a place to stay since I, um…”

  “Ah right, I guess you can’t stay with the PRT anymore,” Mark said as lightly as he could. “Well I’m glad Amy was there to help, and I’m proud of you for offering it sweetheart.”

  “Thanks Dad,” Amy mumbled. “Like she said, it’s probably not forever. Just until she can find a place of her own, or gets her mom’s or whatever.”

  “I suppose that’s alright,” Carol said, though she still didn’t seem pleased.

  “How are you doing, Lia?” Sarah asked, turning to me. “I heard the announcement, that’s a difficult choice to make.”

  “I’m fine,” I said. “Just...got to figure things out, you know?”

  “What made you leave?” I turned my head and looked at Victoria, eyes wide with surprise. “I read the announcement, leaves a lot out. So, what was it?”

  “Victoria that’s—”

  “It’s fine,” I cut Carol off, probably earning no points, but Vicky was willingly talking to me. For whatever reason, this was important to her. I was surprised she hadn’t figured it out considering our...meeting, but maybe she just wanted to hear how much I’d actually say. “I got taken off the patrol roster for responding to a call in an area I technically wasn’t allowed to go in. South End Baptist, did you hear about it?” I got a nod.

  “Adamant was two minutes behind us. Five people died in the time it took me and Vista to get there, and they decided that only five people dying instead of more was enough to cut me out.” I took a breath and shut my eyes. I let it go a moment later and opened them, meeting Victoria’s. “So I kept going out, targeting gangsters. Saved some people, a few people actually. Helped with arresting Hannibal too, even if the Undersiders will never admit it.” I glanced around and noticed how stiff the adults were, then sighed. “So yeah, I’m… I want to be a hero, it’s why I got in trouble and it’s why I left. I won’t apologize for that because it doesn’t deserve one.”

  “Dang,” Crystal said after a brief silence. “Should have called you ‘Firebrand’ with that attitude. Wait, I think he's a cape in Florida…”

  “That’s fair,” Victoria said flatly, leaning back in her seat. Whatever test that was, I guess I passed.

  “On a bit of a lighter topic,” Sarah said, a little strained. “I’ve got to ask about your hair. A statement?” I snorted running my fingers over it.

  “A statement that my hair sucked and I wanted to get rid of it,” I said flatly.

  “It was kind of bad, no offense,” Amy said, bumping her shoulder against mine. “Miss ‘never washes it’.”

  “I have well earned hydrophobia,” I muttered, shutting my eyes and holding my breath. It took a moment before I felt like I wasn’t drowning again and again and again. “So...yeah, I guess it was pretty bad.”

  “Right, you fought Leviathan,” Sarah said. “I airlifted you to the hospital. You were...a little out of it.”

  “Well, thanks,” I said with a shrug. “Um, yeah, that’s actually how me and Amy met kind of.”

  “Or at least in costume,” Amy corrected, and I nodded.

  “That’s a hell of a way to meet,” Crystal commented.

  “Could be worse,” I replied. “Could have met after we both got nominated.” I winced as Amy elbowed my side. “But it wasn’t that bad really, she just healed me up and then we had an awkward moment of “oh hey didn’t we have lunch at school yesterday’. And...that’s how I unmasked.”

  “It was kind of weird,” Amy said. “Then you freaked me out by calling yourself a Master.”

  “Yeah…” I sighed. “I mean, that’s how my power works but yeah, sorry. Kind of an idiot.”

  “Kind of,” she agreed, kissing my cheek. She lowered her voice until only I could hear. “My idiot.” My cheeks burned as a smile wormed its way onto my face.

  “Thank you for sharing,” Sarah said, offering a warm smile tinged with a modicum of sadness. “You know, that’s not dissimilar to how me and Neil met.”

  “Oh god Sarah,” Carol groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

  The barbeque continued, and I was happy to find that Amy had been right.

  “It was nice of your family to give us leftovers,” I grunted, balancing the precarious stack of tupperware in my arms. “But I don’t think we can eat all this before it goes bad.”

  “Sure we can,” Amy said, shrugging as she unlocked the door to her building. “Just...hope you’re ready for nothing but kebabs for a couple days.” Well that wasn’t the worst thing in the world…

  The rest of the evening had been honestly pretty pleasant. I had made things awkward a couple times, blurting out something that made the adults balk, but always managed to recover enough to not spoil things. Sarah had been pretty nice, to the point I was pretty sure the idea that Carol and her were siblings was bullshit. Crystal too, actively trying to pull me into lighthearted conversations. For everything I’d heard, which admittedly about Amy’s extended family wasn’t much, I was expecting a repeat of the first dinner but even worse.

  I was more than happy to be wrong, especially since I actually felt a little better. We headed into Amy’s apartment and I made a beeline for the kitchen, half-filling Amy’s fridge just with the containers of food. I heard the sound of the TV and, once I was done, joined Amy on the couch for whatever it was. A soap opera, as it turned out. My phone buzzed from the corner of the couch and I started, jolting against Amy.

  “Fuck,” I swore. I’d forgotten.

  “Your phone?” Amy asked. “Getting blown up by media asking for comments?”

  “No,” I groaned. “PRT took my work phone so no way they’d have the number. It’s just...it’s my friends.”

  “Oh.” There was a beat of silence. “You should talk to them.”

  “I know,” I said glumly. “It’s just...they’re going to hate me, you know? I know it.”

  “You don’t really,” she said, cocking her head. “I mean, my family doesn’t hate me and I did...you know? Talk to them, it’ll make things better.” I grabbed my phone and winced; over a hundred missed messages and calls. I threw it back on the cushion.

  “Tomorrow,” I said quietly, curling up against Amy. Her arm wrapped around my back a moment later, drawing a sigh.

  “Tomorrow,” she agreed.