“You look wiped,” Esther said as Amy sat down. “Sleeping okay?”

  “Couldn’t last night.” She couldn’t say why of course, but the escalating gang violence had her in the hospital more than she wanted to be; less than she needed to be though. “I’m fine though, got coffee.” She raised her thermos and shook it, getting a nod.

  “Yeah I get it,” Esther replied. “Was the same for me during exams last semester. Was up all night doing an essay, then had an exam in the morning.” She smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it down.”

  “Thanks.”

  Amy had been pleasantly surprised, hanging out with Esther more. Far from the annoying, potential temptation to her ex she’d appeared as, she was a lot more down to earth. She seemingly enjoyed listening to Amy prattle about whatever project she was working on, whether for class or on her sewing machine at home.

  Esther of course did the same, chatting about music or whatever. It wasn’t bad though, she didn’t expect Amy to engage too much, just a nod here or there kept her happy. It was...an easy friendship, and it was a friendship. She didn’t need it, but it was nice to have someone that enjoyed spending time with her without the promise of healing.

  Would Esther even care about that? She didn’t talk much about heroes, unless something particularly exciting happened; usually involving Amy’s ex, to her irritation. But it wasn’t often she talked about it, so the annoyance was a minimum. If she learned though, there was a good chance she’d ask for some kind of favour. Almost everyone did...except Lia.

  “What’s the matter?” Esther asked as Amy let out an annoyed huff.

  “Thinking about stuff,” Amy mumbled.

  “Ah, Lia.” Sometimes Amy hated how perceptive Esther was. “Forget about her, what’s on your sewing machine right now?” Amy appreciated how easily she changed the topic at least.

  They continued chatting over lunch, Amy explaining the dress she was making. It was nothing special, a plain sundress for the coming summer. Esther suggested adding embroidered sunflowers, which...it wasn’t a bad idea. Amy had an idea of a matching hat, but hadn’t had time to go out and find one yet.

  “Wanna go shopping this weekend?” Esther asked, cocking her head. “You know for as much as we hang out at school, we haven’t really done anything.” Amy opened her mouth to instantly refuse, then paused and pursed her lips. “That’s not a nooo.”

  “Sure, why not,” Amy sighed. At least if it went badly there was no chance of a repeat performance. Maybe a few awkward lunches, but if she could get that hat she wanted it might be worth it. “When do you want to do it? I’m free Saturday afternoon.”

  “Saturday’s great,” Esther agreed. “Two okay? And how about Sunnyside Mall?”

  “On the West Side? Yeah, that’s cool.” Amy had been there plenty with her sister, there were a few places she could find hats.

  “Great,” she replied, grinning. “You don’t exactly seem like a ‘mall girl’, your style is a little more...rustic.”

  “Not a fan of fast fashion,” Amy said with a shrug. “Rather have something that looks okay and lasts, you know?”

  “Love it,” Esther said. “You take commissions?” Amy snorted.

  “Like I have time for that,” she muttered, getting a light laugh. “Sorry, it just takes a while, you know?”

  “No sweat, no sweat,” Esther reassured her. “My mom was a seamstress for a while before I was born. She taught me how much work making clothes actually takes, if it’s not mass produced crap.” Amy found a smile touching her lips.

  “Yeah, but it’s fun,” Amy said. “I don’t know, maybe this summer or something.” She still had no idea what she’d be doing. School would be done for good, unless she decided university was on the cards. Probably more work with the PRT, with hospitals, clinics…

  “Well I’ve got some ideas, if you wanna hear.”

  “Sure,” Amy said, offering her friend a smile. “Lay it on me.”

  “Hey Amy!” Esther called out, waving at her.

  “Hey,” Amy greeted Esther, walking over to the entrance where she was waiting. “Sorry I’m late, couldn’t decide what to wear.” She’d settled on a pair of loose jeans and a nice sweater, just in case there was something she actually wanted to try on, and a long jacket to fight the late winter chill.

  “You look good,” her friend replied. “Seriously, damn, it’s nothing fancy but it’s pretty put together.”

  “Thanks, yours isn’t bad either.” Esther had a short jacket over a collared shirt, with a pair of skinny jeans that showed off her shapely legs. She wasn’t Amy’s type, but she wasn’t bad looking either, with a puckish sort of charm; except she was straight, idiot. “Sorry, you want to head in?”

  “Let’s,” Esther agreed.

  The mall wasn’t too crowded, a pleasant surprise for the weekend. It let them chat and actually hear each other, or let Esther chat and Amy listen. Apparently Esther hadn’t been to the mall since before Leviathan attacked. God that was...almost a year ago at this point. It felt like so, so much longer to Amy.

  At least that meant Amy got to choose where they went first. She wandered slowly around the promenade, looking into storefronts as she went. She paused when they came to an area under construction, and looking up Amy saw a hole peeking around the edge of huge tarps. She realized with a start, this was the mall the Siberian had chased her and Lia into, and subsequently dropped a building on their heads.

  The only evidence left was the massive, exposed support beams and the wing of the mall undergoing repairs; along with her and Lia’s shortened fingers. She’d never had the chance to fix that for Lia, never enough biomass to spare. Despite how things had been left off, Amy felt a little bad, leaving her like that.

  “Damn, what happened there?” Esther asked as they passed.

  “No idea,” Amy replied flatly. “Could be anything, considering last summer.”

  “Yeah,” she sighed.

  The conversation withered after that, neither of them wanting to talk about it. Esther had probably gone through a rough time, but Amy knew it just couldn’t compare to what happened… She wished she could talk about it with Esther, but they really weren’t that close. Maybe Vicky...no, definitely not, but maybe Crystal… Probably shouldn’t bother her either.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Fuck she was lonely. It had been getting worse and worse as time wore on. Of course she couldn’t go back to her family, that was right out. Amy had her doubts that would help either, considering the unstable footing she was on there. The Wards wouldn’t be her friends, not with how she’d sided with Lia when they were on the outs.

  It sucked because...well Amy had done it to herself. She couldn’t blame her family for their distance, or the Wards for being wary. But she was doing good, keeping herself on the straight and narrow, as much as it hurt. Esther...maybe Esther could be that close one day. Not like Lia obviously, but maybe...something.

  “Hey, we gonna do another lap?”

  “Huh?” Amy looked up, startled, and realized they were back by the hole in the wall. “God dammit, sorry, I got distracted.”

  “It’s all good,” Esther replied, chuckling. She offered a warm smile. “Wanna talk about it?” Amy, stupidly, opened her mouth. She shut it so quick her teeth clicked, wincing and shaking her head.

  “I...sort of,” Amy said after a moment. “But no offense, we’re not...sorry.”

  “It’s cool,” she said, wrapping an arm around Amy’s shoulders and offering a brief squeeze before pulling away. “Didn’t get off to the best start and we haven’t known each other long. If you ever do want to talk though, I can listen; more importantly, I know how to keep my mouth shut.” Esther offered her a wry grin that made her heart skip a beat.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled, tugging at a stray curl of hair. She really had a thing for girls who weren’t fucking into her. “Okay, let’s get shopping for real.”

  The second lap was at least a little more productive. Amy browsed a couple stores, picking out a hat that was near perfect for the sundress she was making. It still needed something else, but she hadn’t decided what yet. Oh well, she’d figure it out before summer.

  After that, Esther led them into a fairly nondescript clothing store, nestled between two big chain stores. She spent some time going through the racks, picking out one or two things that looked alright, then headed back to the changing room. Amy waited outside, tapping her foot. At least this time there was no question of whether or not this was a date…

  Ugh, she really couldn’t get her mind off Lia. It was mostly that girl’s fault, considering how much her name was in the news, or the mouths of heroes. Nearly every day, there was a new headline about gangland killings in the South End, and only one group was claiming responsibility. The Terriers, as they were calling themselves, had put out an open statement to Werwolf through the local media: leave the city or die.

  Amy couldn’t believe Lia was able to do that but...clearly she was a lot worse than Amy had ever given her credit for. How long ago had she said that Lia was like her, bad deep down? Long enough she’d nearly forgotten, but she was right on the money; it just took longer to play out. But Amy hadn’t fallen, not again. More importantly, Esther wasn’t like that.

  “How do I look?” Esther asked, breaking Amy out of her train of thought.

  She looked up and narrowed her eyes, looking up and down. Esther had changed into a light blue blouse, decorated with flowers embroidered in white. She wore a pair of loose, high-waisted white slacks, matching the shirt well enough. It didn’t look quite right though, but Esther seemed happy enough so…

  “It’s fine,” Amy replied, shrugging.

  “Mm.” Esther narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “That’s it huh?”

  “What do you want me to say?” she asked.

  “What you think.” Amy gave her a look. “Go on, give me your worst.”

  “Okay.” Amy took a deep breath. “The top looks good, but it’s not made for someone like you; you’re too skinny. If you grew an extra cup size, maybe, but right now you look like a crossdressing guy in a bad wig. And it really doesn’t help you didn’t tuck it in, you have no waist, you’re like a rectangle.” Esther’s eyes widened and Amy winced. She’d gone too far, she sounded like Tattletale. “I’m so—”

  “God damn,” Esther cut her off, cackling and shaking her head. “You really know how to hurt a girl.” She held up a hand, stopping Amy’s forthcoming apology. “Relax, I literally asked for it. Still, christ alive. So, you’ve clearly got an opinion, what should I wear?”

  “I don’t know,” Amy replied. “What do you want to wear?”

  “Something that makes me look hot,” she said. “Not mean girl hot, but something that shows off what I got. Something a guy would be into.” She offered an impish smirk. “Maybe you can’t help with that last one.”

  “Ha ha,” Amy said, rolling her eyes. “Okay I...I guess I can help. Just tell me if I’m being too shitty.” She already had been, and given the chance she would be again.

  “Don’t sweat it, seriously,” Esther reassured her, giving her shoulder a firm pat. “Been called worse than a crossdresser. Come on, I’ll pick out a few more things to try. Gimme notes as I go.”

  They wandered into the racks of clothing, and Amy found a smile touching her face.

  “So what happened?” Rose, a nurse at Brockton Memorial Hospital, asked.

  She’d been out here when Amy, or Pandora right now, came out for a break. She was one of few nurses that Pandora got along with, mostly because she wasn’t terribly pushy. She was one of the few night shift nurses that had been here when she had been Panacea; and she accepted the new mask without question. After she mentioned going to the mall yesterday, Rose had asked what happened and...she had found she actually wanted to talk about it.

  “We spent another hour shopping, then got dinner at the food court and headed home,” Pandora replied, taking the last bite of her sandwich. The bread was just...fine. “I got the hat I needed, so I wasn’t shooting for anything else.”

  “Sounds like a nice date,” Rose said, smiling.

  “It wasn’t like that,” she said quickly. “She’s straight.”

  “Ah well, can’t win ‘em all.” She exhaled a cloud of smoke, shaking her head. “Good time anyway?”

  “It was, yeah,” Pandora nodded, swallowing as she remembered the hole in the building. “Some bad memories though.”

  “Ah, I won’t ask,” Rose said knowingly, taking out her pack of cigarettes and offering one to Pandora. “I’ve got enough.” She eyed the cigarette, then sighed and took it. She lifted her mask and put it in her mouth. Rose lit it for her and she took a puff, then coughed violently.

  “Oh god,” Pandora said with a grimace.

  “It gets easier,” Rose said with a chuckle, taking a draw of her own. Pandora tried again and managed to avoid coughing her lungs out. “Surprised you didn’t pick it up before.”

  “I legally can’t,” she groused.

  “C’mon, anyone here’d be happy to share,” Rose said, elbowing her gently. “So how—”

  “Pandora!” a shout made her drop the cigarette in shock, and scramble to fix her mask, coughing hard. “We need you downstairs in the ER now! Multiple serious injuries, gunshot wounds.” She sighed, feeling a little guilty she didn’t feel more urgent.

  “Duty calls,” Rose drawled, patting her shoulder.

  Pandora raced off with the orderly who’d called for her, running to the service elevator she’d come up to the rooftop terrace in. He briefed her on the grisly details as they descended. A huge firefight at a warehouse in the South End, a massive fire, and dozens of casualties. He didn’t say what gang they belonged to, he didn’t really need to. There was only one major gang war going on right now.

  She just hated that she felt partly responsible.

  “She woke you up at two just to come over?” Esther boggled, shaking her head. “Shit girl, you must have the patience of two rabbis, sticking with her as long as you did.”

  “Yeah,” Amy huffed. Against her better judgment, she’d griped about Lia over lunch on Monday. Esther was happy to lend an ear, and seemed to be on her side. It was...nice. “It usually wasn’t that bad but...it happened a few times.” She couldn’t get into the details of why but...frankly that didn’t make it much better.

  “If my hypothetical boyfriend ever did that I’d kick him to the curb,” she said. “God, I really misread her.”

  “She’s really not all that bad,” Amy said quickly. She wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to defend that little twit but…

  “She beats up assholes and that’s about all there is to like,” Esther replied with a firm nod. “You, meanwhile, seem to have some kind of life at least.” She found herself smiling.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Anyway, you had any luck making your hypothetical boyfriend theoretical?” Esther looked at her blankly and she sighed. “Come on, we were shopping for like an hour, you must have—” Amy paused, looking Esther over. “You’re not even wearing your new stuff.”

  “I’m working on it,” Esther hissed. “It’s just...I don’t have guys throwing themselves at me like girls do for you.” Amy let out a sharp bark of laughter.

  “Throwing themselves, what are you talking about?” Amy snickered. “I’m average looking on a good day.” And she didn’t have many of those anymore…

  “What do you mean? You look great.” Esther arched a brow. “Come on, you’re adorable. Seriously, the freckles, the curly hair, and your legs? You’ve got a lot going for you, all I’ve got is a cup size on you, and only barely.”

  “You’re good at flattering at least,” Amy sighed. “Your boyfriend will like that.”

  “I mean it.” Esther reached across the table and put a hand on Amy’s. She realized, in a flash, her friend was telling the truth. “You’re gonna find a great girl, and if this one messes with you I’ll slap her.”

  “Thanks,” she replied, pulling away. Her cheeks warmed and she smiled, hiding it quickly behind her pizza.

  “No sweat,” Esther said kindly. “Hey there’s a new legal drama showing Friday, Hanged Jury. Dunno if that’s your thing, but if so, wanna go?”

  Amy was happy for the change of subject, happier for the invitation. Maybe a good day was coming soon.