It was clear that his offer was the last thing Summer had expected. “If this is about Ned, you don’t have to tell me. I won’t ever ask him about it,” she explained quickly, her words practically tumbling over each other.

  "I won't deny that he has something to do with my decision," Ashton admitted, "but it is not because I feel threatened. When I saw those messages I realized that I want you to know, Summer. If you are not ready to learn, that is fine. You have already learned plenty of my secrets today."

  There were a few moments of silence as Summer waffled back and forth. When she finally came to her decision, her expression was firm with determination. Ashton had always been envious of her ability to go all in on her decisions without hesitation.

  "I want to know," she decided, "I need to know. I keep concocting these ideas in my head that I am sure are worse than the truth."

  Ashton had known she would say yes, but the pressure of actually having to tell her right in this moment weighed heavier than he had expected it to. How could he even begin to explain what he had done? How could he make it seem like he wasn’t a murderous monster?

  “You know how everyone awakens their powers at a different time, right?” he asked. There was already a tremble in his voice, and his deep intake of breath was just as shaky. Summer had to stop herself from telling Ashton maybe she didn’t need to hear this story after all. “My powers manifested while I was very young. Too young to know anything about how powers work or what might happen if I get too upset. Too young to understand the sparkly little lights at my fingertips were dangerous.”

  His voice was trembling. Breathing was suddenly an insurmountable task. Since when had nerves hit him like this? Would he even be able to continue? Ashton felt a sudden warmth envelope his hand as Summer took it into her own. Her eyes were full of concern, and even guilt, when she spoke to him.

  “You don’t have to finish,” she told him, “I don’t need to know.”

  “No, I need to finish,” Ashton rejected immediately, “I need to face my past, just like you did with Maskz.” If he stopped now, he might never be able to continue. He would never leave the fire or the facilities.

  “Alright,” Summer gave in immediately, “Just take your time, then. I’m not in a rush.”

  He squeezed her hand slightly and closed his eyes, soaking in the comfort of having someone by his side who supported him. “I was too young, so I don’t actually remember,” he admitted, “but I saw the reports. There were so many stories going over the risk of babies and toddlers manifesting powers with pictures of the aftermath. All I dare to use now is a cute little shock, but back then I must have been upset, or maybe even excited. Something flammable must have been nearby, and things escalated from there. I don’t have any idea how I survived since I should have been in the heart of the fire where it was the hottest. I don’t even have any burns.”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “Not a single burn?” Summer asked, surprised, “Are you sure some kind of miracle healer didn’t save you?”

  “I’m not,” Ashton admitted, “That’s the problem. The incident has everything to do with my past and my life, and I am not even allowed to see the case file. Everything I know is from old news articles filled with wild speculation painting me as some kind of demon child. I can’t really blame them. I killed my entire family in that fire, and it spread to the neighbors as well before it was put out.”

  “Do you think…” Summer stopped before she could finish her sentence and Ashton saw the guilt and frustration flash over her face as she shot a glare towards her phone.

  “No. Even if he has the answers, we cannot ask him,” he growled, “Whatever his price is, neither of us can afford it.”

  Something about the all too perfect timing of all of this put Ashton on edge. It was no wonder that Summer was so terrified earlier. Ashton felt ever more irritated with his earlier self for underestimating him.

  “You’re right,” Summer agreed instantly, “I am going to block his contact and delete the conversation. We don’t need that temptation hanging over us.”

  Ashton pulled Summer into a hug, and they stayed like that for a while until both of them calmed down and were ready to face the world. Well, maybe facing the world was an exaggeration, but they were at least ready to face the rest of their team. That was enough, for now. They were still just training, after all.

  Until they weren’t. The comfort and safety of training went by all too quickly, especially since everyone seemed to be making greater progress now that they had a goal in mind. Whatever had happened between Summer and Kayla had made the two almost inseparable, and they worked together seamlessly. Kayla’s power was practically part of Summer’s now and vice versa.

  Then there were the twins. They had tested to see if their power worked on mental abilities as well, and it had gone well. They couldn’t do anything with intelligence, but they could change their emotional affinity and mental fortitude. Being unable to feel emotion could be a big help if someone like Queen Heart appeared, and those with stronger mental fortitude were unable to be hypnotised.

  As for Ashton, he had improved more than he had expected as well. He hated to admit it, but perhaps he had grown to hate his powers just a little bit less than before. Besides, Summer had raised a question he had never thought to ask. What if they were hiding something from him about the incident? What if he wasn’t as much of a monster as he thought he was? Then again, he might also be more of one.

  Regardless, Ashton had no time to think about those things with their first mission upon them. They would be meeting with a teenage girl who was both a witness and a suspected mental ability. The main thing that was odd was that she was the first and only one to report that something was strange about the new hero agency she had been about to join. She had even noticed something was off before she signed the contract.

  “You will need to move quickly and with caution,” Harper warned, “This wasn’t the kind of case I would usually assign a new team, but if she keeps raising a fuss, she might be in grave danger.”

  “We will do our best,” Ashton promised, glad that Jared would be joining them this time.