Jargon took care of Kayla? Summer clenched her fist to try to fight back the equally strong thrill of terror and rush of anger. “What did you do to Kayla?!” Summer demanded.

  Ned put a finger to his lips and hugged the startled Mason. “Let’s discuss this calmly. We don’t want to scare the child,” he told her, “More importantly, you seem to have forgotten your mission already. Ashton must be in the building by now. What will we do if Jargon catches sight of him?”

  Summer gritted her teeth. “I’ll make sure he won’t be able to see him,” she promised, “but please let me send Mason downstairs. You don’t want anyone else to hear what we have to say either, right?”

  Ned considered for a moment. “Alright. Prove you can blind Jargon’s sight from here and I will send the kid downstairs,” he agreed.

  From here? Summer’s heart sank. “I’ve never succeeded at controlling light without seeing it before,” she mumbled. What should she do?

  “All you need to do is see it?” Maskz mused, “How about we try this, then?” He beckoned Summer to come over as he pulled out his phone.

  Summer reluctantly approached and looked at the screen of the phone he casually offered her. Displayed on the screen was a camera view from above, showing a table and a man that looked worse for wear. Was this supposed to be Jargon, or a test. She could feel Ned’s eyes carefully observing her every move.

  With nothing to lose, she focused on the eyes of the man displayed through the screen. As soon as she did so, Maskz snatched the phone back, grinning at the display like an excited child.

  “Incredible! I know I was going easy on you, but I didn’t expect you to actually succeed!” he exclaimed, “You win the bet. The kid is free to go. Ah, but you still need to stay.”

  She hadn’t even considered the possibility that she would be able to walk away before he said his piece so Summer wasn’t surprised. Considering how badly their last meeting went, she wouldn’t even be surprised if he tried to kill her once Mason was out of sight.

  “Mason, come here,” Summer called, opening her arms to give him a hug. He had already begun to look nervous. No matter how young he was, he could probably sense the tension between them, “Do you want to see some really cool heroes? They aren’t dressed up right now, but some cool heroes I know are just outside this building.”

  “Heroes like you?” Mason asked, his face brightening.

  “That’s right, but just like me you have to keep their identities a secret, okay?” Summer told him.

  Mason slipped off of Ned’s lap and gave her a quick hug. “Why can’t you come?”

  “I will be there soon,” Summer promised, though she wasn’t entirely confident she could keep that promise.

  “Okay,” he agreed and slipped through the doorway leading to the stairs. If he stayed in the stairwell, he shouldn’t get lost right?

  Ned stood and walked past Summer to close the door behind him. She heard the distinctive click of a lock. “Now that the distractions are out of the way, we can chat freely,” he said, “This brings back old memories. I had no idea when I met you that day what an incredible stroke of luck it was. And to think I almost had you eliminated. I admit I was a bit shortsighted.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Had he called her here to have a little walk down memory lane? Surely there had to be some other reason. Maybe if she just stayed quiet he would continue his monologue and it would just slip out. Ned stopped talking and locked eyes with her. It seemed he wanted her to say something.

  “If I wasn’t important why did you meet me?” Summer asked.

  “Curiosity? I thought I might be able to use you, as well. Nothing big, just another disposable pawn,” Ned replied. It was strange to have him answer her questions so honestly and easily. “Your powers were pathetic, and you clearly had no connection with Shadow Phoenix since you sought me out to find him. However, before I knew it, you shattered all my expectations. You charmed his real identity and even grew your powers into something useful. Honestly, without your help it would be difficult for me to get to Ashton at all.”

  A sudden realization hit Summer at his words. This wasn’t just a casual meeting to talk about old memories. He was holding her hostage and stalling for time so he could meet Ashton face to face. He had broken her earpiece so she could neither warn the others, or hear what was going on. She was completely isolated and he knew it.

  “Ashton isn’t Shadow Phoenix anymore,” Summer told him, desperate to find anything to throw him off his game, “Why are you still so obsessed with him?”

  “Shadow Phoenix may be why I was initially interested in Ashton,” Maskz admitted, “However, he has proved to me time and time again, that even as the ordinary Ashton he is exactly what I have been looking for. Whether he becomes the greatest hero or the most perfect villain, he is exactly the person I need to create my perfect world.”

  Summer remembered discussing Ned’s world with Kayla once before. It had sounded like the kind of terrifying world she did not want to be part of. If it was a world he dreamed of, it could never be allowed to become reality.

  “You don’t like the idea,” Maskz noted, “Well, it isn’t up to you. Your new light tricks are certainly more impressive than they were before, but you are little better than a background character in this story. Ashton is the lead, the one who bends the world to his will. At the story’s end you will just be one of the many who once stood by his side.”

  “I tend to believe everyone is the author of their own story,” Summer retorted. Now she was just stalling too, afraid of what might happen if he grew tired of waiting for Ashton to arrive on his own.

  Ned scoffed. “Well, sure. You might write your own story, but who would read it? The only reason your story has any intrigue at all is because of me. Without me, you would only have the dull and dry tale of a silly little girl who never figured out that her boyfriend was once her nemesis.”

  “I figured that out without your help,” Summer argued, “I met Ashton without your help as well. Besides, I am not writing my story so that people will read it. I don’t live to entertain them.”

  “You don’t?” Ned asked with a smirk, “Have you forgotten the fake hero, Golden Reign? You were so crushed once you found out the truth.”

  Summer wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t. Ned had come closer. Uncomfortably close. The door to the roof rattled as someone tried to come out, but it was locked. She was scared. How long could she stand here and argue with a madman before he snapped and attacked her? Would there be enough time for whoever it was to break down the door?

  “Do you want to know the real difference between you and I?” Maskz whispered in her ear, “One of us is a coward, and one of us is willing to take the fall for the most important person.”

  Before Summer could react, Maskz pulled back and stepped over to the roof’s railing. What was he doing?! Was he so desperate for Ashton’s attention that he would die for it? No, he had to have some other plan. The elusive MysteriousMaskz wouldn’t just jump from a ten story building.

  The door to the roof burst off its hinges with a boom and an ominous resounding crackle. As it did, Ned met the eyes of the person beyond it with a smile and leaned back, falling backwards over the railing.