“Hey Amy, how’s it going?” Esther asked, sitting at the table across from her. “Christmas go okay? Or...no you’re not Jewish right?”

  “What?” Amy gave the girl a look. “No? And it was...fine.” She didn’t really want to talk about it, just thinking about it was making her stomach turn.

  “Yeah? See your family?” she asked, taking a bite of pizza.

  “Um, actually I did,” Amy nodded. Well this was a safe topic at least. “Had dinner on Christmas Eve, then went over in the afternoon for lunch.”

  “No presents?”

  “No,” she scoffed. “I uh, no, wasn’t planning for it honestly. But it went okay. Hung out with my cousin for a while, she’s pretty cool. Invited me to a thing at the end of the month.”

  “A thing?” Esther perked up.

  “Don’t get too excited, it’s a lesbian luncheon,” Amy mumbled, shoveling a bite of salad into her mouth as Esther grinned.

  “Sounds fun,” she said. “You uh, mm, um.”

  “Just ask,” Amy sighed.

  “And there’s my answer,” Esther let out a short huff. “Okay, lay the dirt on me.”

  “What?”

  “C’mon, you’re moping,” she said, poking Amy’s forearm. “Saw it from a mile away, and since Lia’s not here, you get first dibs on spilling it.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” She’d already whined too much to Crystal.

  “Come on,” Esther groaned. “All I’ve seen is you two being sappy and now I hear Arcadia’s big power couple is no more? You can’t leave me with nothing.” She offered an earnest grin. “Besides, we’re friends right?” Amy blinked. Were they? Well she didn’t exactly hang out with other people…

  “We weren’t a power couple,” she grumbled.

  “Well duh,” Esther replied, earning a glare. “Sorry.” She mimed zipping her lips.

  “Okay, well….”

  Amy explained, having to leave out a lot of details that would make it make more sense, but also out both of them as capes. Even though it all happened almost a month ago, it was as painful as if it happened yesterday. She managed to get through it all without breaking down at least, though she could feel her throat tightening by the end of it. The whole time Esther stared silently, nodding when it was appropriate, but otherwise staying quieter than she ever had been before.

  “God damn,” Esther said when Amy had finished, letting out a long breath. “What a fucking bitch.”

  “Hey don’t—”

  “Nope, sorry Amy, but she is,” the girl cut her off with a sharp shake of her head. “Walking out on you in the middle of the night? That’s pretty messed up.” It was worse than she knew…

  “I...I guess,” Amy hedged.

  “So this whole thing was what, over a girl?” Esther asked.

  “I...kind of,” Amy said, shrugging. “I really don’t want to get into it, it’s...it hurts.” Esther offered a sympathetic look and reached out, giving Amy’s forearm a gentle squeeze.

  “Okay,” she said. “But hey, you need someone to talk to, I’m around alright?”

  “I thought you were Lia’s friend.”

  “Til I heard all that crap,” Esther scoffed. “Like it’s pretty messed up, and I don’t see her jumping in to defend herself. Lia might have helped me out sure, but that doesn’t make her a good person.”

  “I...thanks.” Amy bit her lip, poking at her salad. “I’m not either, don’t get me wrong.”

  “Nobody is, we can just do good things,” she replied, shrugging. “That’s what my rabbi says anyway. But honestly, you’re probably cooler than Lia at least. Once you got over being jealous at least.” Amy’s cheeks flushed and she looked away. “Hey don’t sweat it, I’d be the same way with a guy I was really into.”

  “Sorry,” Amy apologized anyway. “But thanks, I guess.”

  “Welcome,” Esther said with a grin. “Hey, you hear about what’s happening to the Nazis?”

  “I heard Purity was killed,” she said evenly. She even knew who did it…

  “Yeah, exactly!” her friend said excitedly. “I mean, maybe that’s wrong, but I’m just happy someone’s finally taking the fight to them. It’s blowing up everywhere too, PHO had to make a guideline about posting cape content to try and stop all the edits.” So Lia was getting famous for killing people. That sure didn’t make Amy feel better about how much she missed her.

  “That’s kind of messed up, someone died.”

  “Yeah, a Nazi with a price on her head who was blowing up buildings last year,” Esther said, shrugging. “Something like ten people killed and over a hundred injured. Come on, you can’t be that broken up about it.”

  “I just don’t think heroes should be doing the same thing villains are,” Amy replied. “Look can we just talk about something else, please?”

  “Alright, alright.” Esther rubbed her chin for a moment, then snapped her fingers. “You know, there’s a girl in my class you might be into…”

  Amy sighed and continued picking at her salad, ignoring the sales pitch that she really didn’t want.

  “Hello?” Amy answered the intercom as it buzzed.

  “Hey Amy, it’s Crystal,” a voice came through, cheery and crackling. “Can I come up?”

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Uhh, sure.” She cast a glance over her shoulder and grimaced at the sight of her messy apartment. “I’ll buzz you in.”

  While her cousin came up, Amy did her best to tidy things at least a little bit. She barely spent time here, between school and working at the hospitals and PRT. Usually Lia would have kept things cleaner but… She shook her head as a knock came at the door, sighing and putting the armful of clothes down on the back of the couch again.

  “Hey Crystal,” Amy greeted her cousin as she let her in. “What’s up?”

  “Oh not much, was just in the neighbourhood,” Crystal replied, offering an easy smile. She unzipped her jacket and showed her costume underneath. “Don’t worry, I’m all done.” Amy let out a small sigh and smiled.

  “It’s good to see you,” she said. “Um, come in. Can I get you anything, tea, coffee?”

  “Tea probably, this time of night,” Crystal said, following her into the kitchen. “Cream and sugar okay?”

  “Yeah, no problem.” Amy set the kettle boiling and put teabags into a pair of mugs, then joined Crystal at the table.

  “So how have things been since Christmas?” Crystal asked with a grin. “School going okay for you?”

  “I mean, it’s school,” she said, shrugging. “I um, I have a pretty okay friend too.”

  “Yeah? Tell me about them.”

  Amy slowly explained the weirdness that was Esther and their friendship. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the girl, it was actually pretty easy to get along with her. Instead of fighting to talk about one uncomfortable subject, Esther simply seemed happy to talk; and Amy found herself enjoying the distraction. As she explained, Crystal’s smile grew wider and wider.

  “Sounds like you like this girl,” her cousin said once she was done.

  “Oh please,” Amy said, rolling her eyes. “Just because we get along doesn’t mean I have to like her. Besides, she’s straight so it would never work out.”

  “I mean, I was straight too, until I wasn’t.”

  “You—” Amy choked on her own words, hacking and coughing as Crystal’s tinkling laughter filled the apartment.

  “Like girls? Yup,” Crystal said with a nod. “And guys, no reason to restrict myself.”

  “I...okay,” she said, clearing her throat as she slowly recovered. “You uh, you never talked about it.”

  “I really didn’t want to become New Wave’s gay icon,” her cousin replied with a grimace. “So I get why you never said anything, okay?”

  “Except I didn’t say anything because…”

  “Right, right,” Crystal sighed. “That’s fair enough, can’t blame you for never saying anything. Anyway, any girls catch your eye, if not Esther?”

  “Not really looking,” Amy mumbled. “I just...I should really focus on other stuff, important stuff.”

  “Or,” Crystal said, grabbing one of Amy’s hands. “You could come to the all-ages night at Franklin’s Firkin next week.”

  “To what?” she scoffed.

  “Franklin’s Firkin,” Crystal repeated. “It’s a gay bar, probably the nicest one in the city.”

  “I don’t know if that’s for me,” Amy said, glancing away.

  “Want to find out?”

  A shy smile touched her lips and she gave her answer.

  “I really don’t know if this is for me,” Amy muttered, plucking at the hem of the skirt Crystal loaned her, far too short for comfort. Ahead, a small line stretched into the doorway of Frank’s, and thumping music came back.

  “The skirt or the club?” Crystal asked.

  “Both,” she replied, getting a snort of laughter.

  “You look great,” Crystal said, elbowing her gently. “And hey, one of the bands playing tonight is from Arcadia. Maybe you’ll know someone in the lineup.”

  “I’m not exactly popular, Crystal,” Amy sighed, shoulders slumping in her sweater. “It’s fine, they’re probably good.”

  “The guys playing here usually are,” she said, still upbeat. “And hey, maybe you’ll find someone to distract you from the music anyway.”

  Amy blushed and looked away as Crystal giggled quietly. She wasn’t sure why her cousin had taken a sudden interest in hanging out. They hadn’t been overly close before, maybe she just wanted someone to go to gay bars with. That was understandable, even if Amy definitely wasn’t planning a repeat of tonight.

  But hopefully, tonight would be fun at least. Despite her nerves, Amy could feel a flutter of excitement. Sure she was still a freak, feeling how she did about her sister, but it wasn’t just her sister at least. Even though it had been a failure, her relationship with Lia proved that much. There was no guarantee she could like women besides those two, but there was at least a small chance. It was a chance she had to take, if she ever wanted a semblance of a normal life again.

  Not that Amy deserved that, she reflected as she and Crystal walked into the club. But even if she didn’t deserve it...it would be nice at least. The music playing over a huge speaker bank pounded against her chest, and her heart beat faster, almost in sync. She looked around the floor in front of the stage, eyes widening.

  “See someone you like?” Crystal asked, raising her voice to be heard.

  “No just…” Amy swallowed. “I don’t see anyone normal.”

  Dyed hair, piercings, and torn clothes seemed to be the order of the night. She saw maybe one or two people who looked her age, but everyone else seemed to be more around Crystal’s. Most had pretty heavy makeup too, while she’d barely put on more than eyeliner and mascara. She flinched as Crystal pulled her into a quick side hug.

  “Don’t be nervous,” her cousin said. “You look good, you’re here to have a good time, and so are they. Don’t make it more complicated.”

  Amy swallowed and nodded slowly, then stifled a yelp as Crystal dragged her onto the dance floor. Things were going pretty slow, mostly people were standing around the edges, chatting with each other while the staff set things up on stage.

  Crystal stopped by a group of people with buzz cuts and patchy dye-jobs, chatting animatedly with someone who she must go to school with. Amy looked around quietly as she waited for her cousin to finish socializing, wanting nothing more than to hide in a corner. A frown touched her lips as she did a double-take, then sighed with relief. For a second she could have sworn that—

  “Hey,” a scratchy voice that sounded almost like Lia’s said, making her flinch. “How’s it going? I like your skirt.”

  “Uh, um,” Amy stammered, glancing up at the girl who’d approached her. Short, auburn hair, a heavy leather jacket, and a pockmarked face; she was just a couple inches too tall to be Amy’s ex.

  “Amy, come on, say hi,” Crystal came to her rescue, spinning around. “Sorry, her first night out.”

  “Oh, that’s cool,” the girl said with an easy smile, eyes sparkling as they met Amy’s. “Mine too, if I’m honest. You said Amy was your name?”

  “I’ll be right back,” Amy blurted, dashing away from the floor.

  Her heart was pounding and her throat tightening as she practically ran to the bathroom. It was a terrible first impression to make on anyone, worse when that person seemed to be interested in Amy of all people. But she couldn’t help it, it was just too close, too soon.

  She gasped for breath as she slammed a stall door shut behind her, sitting on the toilet, face in her hands. Amy could feel tears leaking from her eyes, and she tried to just focus on calming herself down. She didn’t want to freak out and ruin everyone’s night because they were worried about her, just had to calm down and—

  Her phone buzzed against her chest and Amy let out a quiet groan. Never a moment to herself. She yanked it from her bra and checked the call display, sighing when she saw the PRT’s number come up. It was probably just work, an excuse to get out of here that couldn’t be beat. Practically a relief.

  “Hello?” Amy answered, keeping her voice down.

  “Pandora, this is Miss Militia,” a voice filled with fear came back quickly, shakily. “We need you down at headquarters now.”

  “Okay,” Amy said simply. Couldn’t be worse than—

  “There’s a new Endbringer.”

  Her phone dropped to the tiles with a clatter. With how things had been falling apart, she’d completely forgotten Amaranth’s warning from months ago. She numbly picked her device back up, hands beginning to shake as her mouth dried instantly.

  “Pandora, are you alright?” Miss Militia asked, worried.

  “Fine, just dropped my phone,” Amy replied, trying to keep the nerves from her voice. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” The door to the bathroom squeaked as she hung up.

  “Amy?” Crystal called. “Did you—”

  “I heard,” she said, exiting the stall and looking over at her cousin. “Can you take me to the PRT building?”

  “Yeah, we’re all meeting there anyway, come on.” She grabbed Amy’s hand and offered her a tight smile. “Sorry, I’ll bring you to the next one of these, okay?”

  “Sure,” Amy said with a shrug.

  She just hoped they’d both be around for it.