I laid on the couch. Ben was at work, I had the day off, and Lydia didn’t seem to want me around. So I was home alone. I stared at my phone, and the stream of texts from Zach after our last meeting. I didn’t know how to respond.
Back on Terra, only a couple years after my creation, I was accompanying Master out to Strongholt. It was my first time to the large town, but Master had told people about me. I still drew a lot of strange looks, even with that preparation. I remembered that day, so long ago…
We had stayed at the inn the night before, but on our way out, we were stopped by a pair of angry-looking locals. “Ho there, Mage! What do you think you’re doing, bringing that monster into our town?” one of them called out.
“What, Flopsy? She’s no monster, she’s a Construct. The same as a golem, just more advanced.” Master had a note of pride in his voice. I gave a polite smile and raised a paw, but stayed silent.
“Construct or not, Strongholt is no place for creatures like that. Or mages parading them about. We keep ourselves safe from things like you.” The lead man was crossing his arms, the one in back copying with a self-important nod.
Master scowled slightly. “Neither of us pose any danger, I don’t know what you mean by ‘keeping yourselves safe’. Your manner is making me question whether I need to keep myself safe from you, however.”
I watched, uneasy. The men hadn’t drawn weapons yet, but their manner was highly aggressive. The one in front got even more so, his voice raising as if for the benefit of some audience. “All I’m saying is we won’t tolerate monsters, or those who bring them here!”
Master’s scowl deepened. His voice was cold and low. “Flopsy. Would you do me a favor, and lift that cart? Perhaps we can show these men how useful you can be.”
I looked at the cart Master specified, a simple wagon with a couple crates loaded on it, the animal that normally would pull it having been unhitched and given rest. I didn’t like the situation, but I was given an order, so… The wooden cart was light enough for me to raise into the air and balance on a single paw. “Like this, Master?” It couldn’t have weighed more than five hundred pounds.
The two men were clearly given pause, watching with a wary posture. Master smirked at them. “As you can see, Flopsy follows my commands, and is very capable. I would suggest you go find another person to harass.”
The man in back finally spoke up. “I don’t think that’s a trick… Maybe we should go.”
The front man nodded, taking a step back. “Okay, yeah, but we’ll keep an eye out for you. You start any actual trouble, and… and we’ll… make sure the guard can find you, yeah?”
The two scurried off, though they didn’t take their eye off me for a while. A few bystanders had stopped what they were doing to watch the exchange. I was feeling even more self-conscious. “Master…”
He let out a sigh, letting loose tension he was holding. “You can set it down now.”
I carefully set the cart back down where it was, looking around but unable to bring myself to make eye contact with the people around. Most were moving off, now that there was nothing going on. I didn’t have words to put to the feelings I had.
With that, we began to head back home, leaving the city behind us. After some walking, I finally spoke up. “I… didn’t like that, Master.”
“Oh? I thought it went pretty well. We avoided a fight entirely.”
A few more steps passed in silence as I struggled to order my thoughts. “I don’t like the way we did it. We scared them. I scared them. I scared everyone. …I don’t want to be a big scary monster.”
Master gave a reassuring chuckle. “Oh, Flopsy, don’t worry. Nobody who actually knows you thinks you’re a ‘big scary monster’.”
It didn’t feel reassuring. “…You just did.”
He stopped in his tracks, looking back at me with a concerned expression. “What?”
My gaze was at the ground, and I rubbed my arm with a paw. “You thought of me like that. You were in that situation, and you decided, ‘I have a big scary monster, I’ll threaten them with her.’ You used me the way you’d brandish a sword or a crossbow.”
Expressions played across his face, but they settled on remorse. “You’re right, I did. I’m sorry, Flopsy. That wasn’t fair to you. It’s just… When people get to know you, they like you. Your personality is, is wonderful! Amazing! When I look at you, I don’t think ‘big scary monster’, I think of you as my crowning achievement, my Living Construct. But more than that, you’re Flopsy, my friend, my assistant, a kind and wonderful…” He struggled for a word and came up empty. “If you were human, I’d say person. Sometimes, you really do feel like you’re as much a person as any human. I even think of you like one, a lot of the time. Just… a person who can lift a wagon as easily as I can lift an empty box. Even easier, possibly.”
I let out a heavy sigh and resumed walking. “But how are they going to be able to get to know me, if I’m scaring them by lifting wagons on the street?”
Master walked by my side, thinking. “Hm… Well, I do have one idea. What if I imbued your collar with a disguise? Then you could be seen as a human for long enough for people to get to know who you really are.”
I was shocked, a paw raised to my collar. My steps slowed, so I had to hurry to catch up. “Wait, really? But… won’t it be a problem? I mean, a Living Construct is one thing, but one that’s pretending to be human?”
“Well, there’s certainly no rule against it. It’s like… training. Teaching people that you’re kind, so they don’t get scared when they see you. Plus, it would allow us to travel further, to new towns. You liked Strongholt until the end, after all.”
Of course there were no rules against it, I was something so unique that there were hardly any applicable. The rules on Constructs were based around unthinking slabs of stone and other material, after all. The more I thought about it, the more exciting it felt, getting to talk to humans on their level. “I… I think I’d like that. Can you really do that?”
“I’ll begin the preparations as soon as we’re home.”
Back in the present, I stared at the phone held in a paw. Finally, I pulled out the stylus and started to type. [Can we talk? Basketball court again?]
I sat on the bleachers once again, watching the students spill forth from their classrooms and head outwards. Most towards the buses, some just leaving the grounds because they lived close enough to walk. Zach had replied between classes that he was eager to talk, but I was still nervous and dreading this. Either way, the only way out was through, so I waited. I didn’t have to wait much longer.
Zach was out of breath from running. “Flopsy!” He climbed up and sat down, his backpack nearly forgotten next to him. “You… I thought for sure you’d never talk to me again.”
I grimaced slightly, pulling myself away from him just a little. “I don’t even know if this is a good idea, but… it didn’t feel right to not say anything. You’re a friend, even if we only met a little bit ago. I never… really had friends before.”
He nodded, watching me, clearly debating what to say. Finally, taking a deep breath to prepare himself, he came out with the question that’d been on his mind. “So, am I right? Are you actually the Superbunny?”
I winced, looking up, but then looking away. “I’m just Flopsy, it’s other people that decided to call me that. It’s… an embarrassing name. I don’t like it.”
“But it really is you! I mean… When we first met, you were saying weird stuff, and then yesterday when you left… You don’t just ‘know’ her, you are her! That’s so cool!”
I hunched myself tighter, hugging my knees to my chest. “Nnh, not really. Humans… don’t usually like me, once they know. They get scared, or they get angry, or they just want me gone. Or dead.”
Zach leaned in, trying to put his face into my view. “No way! You’re… You’re a hero! Everyone loves you! There’s even someone selling little stuffed Superbunnies online!”
I looked up. “What?”
He was pulling up a site on his phone, and finally showed it to me. “Yeah, see? You can preorder one, and when enough people order it, they get made and shipped. Most of them are being bought by people in town, but a few are just all over the country.”
I took the offered phone to look it over in more detail. I didn’t know what to say, the entire concept was just… so strange. Finally I handed it back. “The spots are all wrong. At least they got my ears right, though.”
Zach took his phone back, chuckling a little. “Well, there’s hardly any pictures of you to work with. Just a few people trying to describe you.”
I couldn’t help but start to laugh as well. “Seems like everyone has their thoughts about me. I wish they’d just… I dunno, not make such a fuss.”
“Are you nuts? A real life space alien is living here on Earth, and you want us to ‘not make such a fuss’?” There was such excitement on his face. “I mean, how’d you even get here? Can I see your ship?”
My laughing stopped and I grimaced. Hugging my knees again, I sighed. “I’m not from ‘space’. I’m still having trouble with the whole ‘other planets’ thing, really. I’m still getting my head wrapped around Earth being a whole second world itself, you know?”
He continued to look at me expectantly. “Huh? What do you mean, then?”
Sighing, I looked up at the sky. Was it really all that different from the sky of Terra? “Look, I… I shouldn’t even be telling you any of this, but… You really, really can’t tell anyone, okay? I’ve already got one Hunter trying to kill me just for being created by magic, I don’t want more. Or want him coming after anyone who knows about me.”
His eyes were wide at the mention of magic. Maybe that was a mistake, he seemed to completely miss my mention of the Hunter. “I promise, not a single soul!”
I frowned, but I couldn’t just change my mind now. He was in too deep. So, I told him my story, about being from Terra and trying to live here on Earth. It felt nice to talk to someone other than Ben, but I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that I was making a huge mistake.
Finally, it was starting to get late. The sun was low but not yet setting. I looked up at the sky and spoke. “Oh, sorry to spend so long on this. Should I walk you home?”
“Nah, I’m fine. I’ll still get home before my parents. What about you?”
I shrugged. “Well, my friend Ben can call me if he wants to know where I am. I might check on Lydia, see how she’s doing. She doesn’t seem to remember being kidnapped, but I’m still worried about the Hunter.”
He paled a little, but nodded. “Yeah, that’s… I hope that works out okay. If there’s ever anything I can do to help, let me know, yeah? I don’t know how I can help an actual superhero, but I want to help.”
Giving him a warm smile, I nodded. “Thanks. And… sorry about calling you a ‘stupid human’ yesterday.”
I left, heading towards the mall, a spring in my step as my hooves clopped along the ground lightly.
When Zach reached his house, there was a figure wearing a long coat waiting for him, leaned against his door. He didn’t like the look of it, so he went to resume walking as if he hadn’t started up the walkway, continuing down the block. Maybe he could stay at a friend’s place and call the police about the stranger.
That stranger, however, wasn’t fooled. Starting down the walkway, he called out. “Zach, is it? I just want to talk to you for a minute. I’m Lieutenant Falk, with the Lapine Falls Police Department.” The man fished a badge from a coat pocket and flashed it.
Zach stopped, wary. He looked at the badge, and at the somewhat disheveled man. “You’re… really with the police?”
“Got a badge, don’t I? Anyway, I just want to talk a bit, is that okay? Geez, what are you doing getting home so late, anyway? Didn’t school let out over an hour ago?” Falk put away the badge once Zach was done inspecting it. “Oh, don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.”
“What do you want with me, then?” He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, a bit nervous, but… police were people to be trusted, right?
“Well, you see, it’s about your friend, actually. Flopsy, I mean. Boy, she’s a pretty weird one, isn’t she? Why don’t we go back to your place, we could sit down, beats standing here out in the heat.” The Lieutenant gestured back to Zach’s house with a hand.
Zach looked back, still pretty uneasy, but finally relented. It was late summer, not quite fall, so the Colorado heat and the river’s humidity were not the most pleasant of things to stand around in. Finally, he nodded. “All right… But I don’t know why you want to talk to me.”
Once inside, Falk pulled out a notebook and a pencil. “I’m real grateful you’re taking the time to talk, I know you don’t gotta, and a kid your age is probably eager to get on the computer or the games or whatever.”
Rolling his eyes, Zach settled down in a chair. “Look, just… What’s this about? Is Flopsy in trouble?”
At that, Falk feigned a look of shock. “Trouble? Oh no, no, not at all! It’s just… Well, there’s some loose ends I gotta look into. If anything, it’s to help her out. There’s been a lot of strange things in town lately, you know? And somehow, she keeps turning up as involved. Like that nasty business at the mall, you heard about that, yeah?”
Zach narrowed his eyes. “She told me you guys arrested her when she was the one who got attacked.”
“Aw, gee, I mean, I guess we did, but not for being attacked, no. See, she’d gotten into a fight with another kid, and…” A look crossed his mind, like he just put something together. “Say, you were there, weren’t you? In the food court?”
Something about the casual manner was putting Zach more at ease, even though he felt wary. But if he already knew, it would be fine to say so, right? “Yeah, Jim stole my debit card, and Flopsy got it back from him. It wasn’t really a fight, she just pushed him once and he ran off.”
Falk nodded, like Zach had imparted some sage wisdom. “Yes, that was the impression I got. Oh, don’t worry, she’s already been cleared of all charges on that, it’s just, you know, good to hear it from someone who was really there, yeah?” His pencil scribbled onto the notepad.
Zach relaxed a little more, hearing that Flopsy wasn’t in trouble. He had worried a little that this might be the “Hunter”, but if he was asking about police stuff, then the badge was probably real. “Yeah, she’s nice, and she stood up for me.” Come to think of it, she’d stood up again, on the basketball court. He’d accused her of “sending the Superbunny to clean up her mess”, but in reality, she was taking responsibility herself, wasn’t she?
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“Nice girl, nice girl, yeah. I got that impression when I spoke with her. Got a pretty strong stubborn streak to her, though. But anyway, I was hoping maybe you could tell me something more, like, where she came from? She don’t talk much about that, at least not with me. Granted, it was, eh, not the best of circumstances, when we talked, you know? My wife, she always tells me: context is everything. Gotta catch people at a good time, but when you’re an officer, it’s never a good time.”
“I guess I understand what you mean…” Zach shifted a little in his seat. “Uh, but I don’t really know anything. We’ve only met a couple of times. She doesn’t talk about her past much.”
Falk nodded like he expected to hear that. Flipping to a new page in his notebook, he readied his pencil. “Well, what do you two talk about? Anything you can tell me at all would really help me out a lot.”
Zach had expected the man to be more upset, but he seemed so nice and understanding. “Oh, I don’t know… She works at the mall, at some kind of crystal shop. She said she’d probably go there to make sure her boss is okay.”
Falk had written a few words down, raising his eyebrows and looking over the top of the notepad. “Make sure her boss is okay? Why wouldn’t she be okay?”
“W-well, like you said, there was the attack. That hunter with the shotgun attacked their store. What if he comes back?” Zach felt really defensive, like he’d made some kind of mistake, but he couldn’t figure out what. Flopsy was out in public, there’d be plenty of people seeing her, why did it matter if he said where she went? She might not even be there, in which case it didn’t matter at all!
“Oh, oh riiight.” Falk nodded, as if the idea had completely not occurred to him. “That’s a good point, excellent thinking. You know, we still don’t know anything about that guy? We got fingerprints from the shotgun he dropped, but…” He smacked his lips, giving a shrug. “Nothin’. And the gun wasn’t even legal, it was one of those black market types, serial number filed off and everything. Real dangerous guy, that. Say, uh, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about him, heard any rumors at school, anything like that? There were a lot of people around, but we didn’t get a chance to get statements from ‘em, so if you’ve got anything like a description from someone who saw it go down, that’d be great. If we could catch him, Flopsy and her boss would be able to rest easy, knowing they’re safe.”
Had Flopsy said anything about what he looked like? There was something… “I think I heard he had… some kind of marking, on his forehead? Like a scar? Maybe a tattoo. Something really unique, but I don’t… I don’t know what it looks like, no…” It wasn’t telling someone about Flopsy’s past, and if it helped the police catch this guy, it couldn’t hurt, right?
“Marking… on… forehead. Scar. Unique.” Falk muttered as he scribbled words down. “Hey, that’s good, that’s real good. Something like that will help us a lot, maybe we can catch him on CCTVs or something, know where to look. Thanks a lot, I really mean that.”
Zach felt good at the praise, this man was just so likeable that he couldn’t help it. “Sorry I don’t know any more. Maybe you could ask Flopsy? She probably got a better look than I did.”
Falk nodded. “I can try. She can be hard to get a hold of, though. Well, you’ve been great, I’ll get out of your hair, okay? You have a good day, kid. And thanks again.” Standing up to leave, Falk let Zach escort him to the front door.
Once outside, the Lieutenant walked to his car, getting in and looking over his notepad. In it, he circled the word “Hunter”, and made a few more notes. “Zach - Knows forehead marking, no witnesses mentioned it - How?” After spending some time thinking, he drove off.
Lydia nearly jumped when I walked in the door. I saw her hurriedly pocket something, but I didn’t get to see what it was, so I didn’t pay it much mind. Maybe it was another piece of technology, like the phones. “H-hey, Flopsy! What are you doing here?”
I smiled happily, moving to lean against the wall where the broken display case had been removed. It was a bit of an unpleasant reminder, but Lydia said something called “insurance” would take care of it and we’d get a new one. In the mean time, it was a convenient spot to lean. “Oh, nothing much. Ben’s at work and I’m bored, so I figured instead of sitting at home alone doing nothing, I’d come here and spend time with you.”
Lydia didn’t seem very calm, though. Like a prey animal who’d just escaped a predator. I guess it made sense, it was only the night before last when she was abducted and drugged. Maybe she was still tense, even if she didn’t remember why. “Oh, yeah, sure. That makes sense.”
I didn’t want to worry her, so I didn’t admit the real reason for my visit. After all, if she didn’t remember that night, so much the better. “Anything interesting happen here at the store?”
She looked around, the place still mostly empty. Foot traffic in the mall itself was picking up, now that most people were finishing work. “Nnnnope. So, uh… What’s your take on… aliens?” She was looking at me with a strange intensity.
“Aliens?” I blinked, looking upwards. “I’ve been hearing a lot of people talk about them lately, it seems. You had that paper that claims Superbunny is one. But Ben says it’s pretty unlikely that other planets have actual life on them, at least any near here. From what he told me of Venus…” I shuddered a little bit, remembering that description. “I don’t see how it’s possible.
She seemed to be watching me close. It made me feel a little strange. “But if they came from a far-off planet, it’d mean they’d have all sorts of technology, right? To be able to cross that sort of distance?”
I shrugged, not sure what she was getting at. “Or magic, I suppose.”
At that, she almost glared. “Be serious. I’m talking about stuff that actually exists.”
Huh? “I thought Ben said aliens aren’t real? Or at least, aliens here aren’t?”
Lydia opened her mouth, like she was going to say something, but then stopped. “Ben says, huh?”
I wasn’t sure I liked the tone she was using, it made me feel uneasy. “Well, he’s the one telling me a lot of stuff. I’m pretty new around here, after all. I never heard of other planets or anything, up in the mountains. We had work to do, we didn’t really get to do more than just wonder about the stars and such. We didn’t have stuff like telescopes and… and Hubbles?”
She narrowed her eyes, clearly thinking things through, but whatever she was working out, she wasn’t telling me. It was an odd feeling, and I felt somewhat excluded. Had I offended her? I was feeling good after saving my friendship with Zach, but had I somehow messed things up with Lydia? I wished Ben were here, so I could follow his cue.
I didn’t know what to say, so I just stood awkwardly against the wall for now. “Look, what’s all this about, anyway? And… what would it even mean, for aliens to be here?”
“Nothing, nothing. And I don’t know. Just… If there are aliens, we should be trying to figure out what they’re after. Them coming here and just… not doing anything, that doesn’t make any sense, does it?” She looked at me again, holding my eyes for a tense moment, before looking away.
I shrugged. “Honestly, so little has made sense since I got here that I’ve just sorta… stopped paying attention to it. Just roll with whatever’s going on, and hope it’ll make sense eventually. I’m just glad I have friends I can trust to help, like you and Ben and Zach.”
“Friends you can trust?” She didn’t look at me, just at the counter. “You’re… pretty trusting, aren’t you? Like that ‘Master’ of yours, you trusted him?” Now she looked at me, a bit of a glare present.
“What? Of course I did! With anything!” The implication that I wouldn’t stung.
“He told you he created you, remember? He lied to you in order to keep you… obedient! Enslaved!” The last couple words came out almost as a snarl.
I stopped, cheeks turning red. “Okay, well… that’s… I mean, that’s… different! He was still kind to me, loving… He was like a father! I’d trust him with my life! If… if I could have, I’d have taken the Hunter’s blade instead, if it’d save his life!”
She banged her hand down on the desk. “How is that different? You know he lied!”
“He… I… It’s not… It doesn’t matter! He… he had to, to keep the others f-from hating me, I think… He did it to help! I won’t hear any more of this, okay? You keep saying awful things about him, b-but you didn’t even know him!” My body was tense, and I wished I had something I could squeeze or kick or something.
Lydia stared, as if trying to make sense of my reaction. “I just… I don’t understand how you can keep defending a man who… treated you like property. You’re like a starving, abused dog, but because he pet you once in a while, you still act so loyal to him. Even when I try to point it out, you just make excuses! You could’ve had a proper education, a proper childhood, a proper LIFE! He took all that from you, and you still worship the ground he walked on!”
“That’s ENOUGH!” I slammed a fist against the wall for emphasis, and the contents of the cases nearby wobbled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, all right? So shut up! One more bad word about Master, and… and…! I’ll break six bones!”
Lydia seemed to finally realize she’d crossed a line, staring at me with wide eyes. “Six bones?”
“I haven’t decided which ones yet, so… so don’t make me, okay? Just don’t.” Out of frustration, I walked out of the store. “I’m leaving, I need to go calm down.” I didn’t stay to listen if she had any kind of retort.
Lydia, left confused by the exchange, waited for a while to make sure Flopsy really left. The echoing hoofsteps didn’t lie, though, so she went back to what she was doing before. Pulling the metal shrapnel out of her pocket, she set it down and started taking pictures of it with her phone. [Sorry about the delay. The Alien showed up. It looks like there were some markings on this fragment, but I can’t make them out.]
[This is good stuff, I’ll try to get a friend with lab access to agree to analyze it. Could be some kind of alien alloy!] Lydia had met this person online, trying to find information about alien abductions and missing time. There was a surprising number of people, even local ones in Colorado.
She couldn’t trust Flopsy and Ben, they were in on whatever happened. She was still pretty sure there was something strange with Flopsy, but why would Ben act so weird too? What if Ben was really an alien this whole time, and Flopsy was really an innocent girl caught up in this mess, with an alien taking advantage of her cluelessness? An alien would see most of our world’s stuff as laughably primitive, right? But Flopsy was always amazed by the simplest things. Then again, there was always this feeling that there was something just below the surface with her…
She was glad to find people online that took her seriously, and she could talk to about all this. With their help, perhaps she’d get answers after all.
With the sun setting while I was in the shop, it was easier to get around without my disguise. I perched on rooftops, jumping between buildings, but things were pretty quiet. I moved across the town, sometimes the sounds would cause someone to look up, but by the time they did, I was already long gone.
It was the sounds of harsh words and metal tools that caught my attention. Coming closer, I got a view from the rooftop, watching as a group of men gathered by the back door of a store I’d seen that sold custom jewelry. One had a prybar and was trying to get it into the door, the others having similar lengths of metal. All of them wore masks and bulky jackets.
“C’mon, what’s taking so long?” one hissed.
“I gotta get a good purchase, once that alarm goes off, we won’t have much time. So I don’t wanna set it off early.”
I grinned. A fight was exactly what I was hoping for. I jumped down, landing heavily in the alleyway, trapping them in place. “Hey now, you boys shouldn’t be doing this kind of thing at all, should you?”
“What the hell?” came one shout.
“Where’d you come from?” came another.
“Ah, who cares! Just cream the freak!” Two advanced on me, brandishing their crowbars menacingly. I simply stood up and stretched.
One stayed behind at first, guarding the one working the door. “Hey, I’ve heard of that Superbunny weirdo, haven’t you? Heh, if we could unmask her, wouldn’t that be something?”
I grinned wider. “Oh yes, it would. Please, do try. I could really use a real fight.”
My eager demeanor made the pair facing me down pause for a moment, but one stepped forward and swung his bar. I caught it, stopping it in its tracks. Unable to free it, the man’s hand slipped off and he stumbled backwards. I looked at the length of metal in my hands.
“Shit, she’s got a weapon now!” one of them said.
I smirked. “Piff, this thing?” Gripping each end, I casually bent the bar into a U-shape, before tossing it to the ground. “There, now I don’t. Not that I’d really call that a weapon in the first place.”
The men looked at each other, and apparently decided their best chance lay in numbers. Or maybe they were just desperate, since I was blocking off their only escape. Either way, I easily dodged the swinging metal bars, kicking the first in the chest. It was more like a shove than a strike, but it was enough to lift him off his feet and send him backwards, the momentary lift making him stumble and fall until he crashed into metal trash cans.
The second, I ducked below his swing and used an elbow to strike him in the gut. Stepping to the side, I picked him up and threw him, making him tumble across the ground before hitting the back alley wall.
The third saw how easily I dispatched the first two, and dropped his bar, letting it clatter to the ground. Instead, he pulled out a gun. That motion cost him time, and that was time I spent stepping in, breaking his arm in two places before throwing him over my shoulder to the ground. The gun fell from his grip and I kicked it aside.
The fourth, the one who’d been working the door, had just gotten it open while the third man fell. He apparently abandoned his plans, as he instead scrambled on top of the dumpster and tried to climb the wall to escape. The alarm blared, as I jumped to the wall, kicking off it to tackle him with a right punch before he could get over the wall. He fell to the ground and rolled, and I let the momentum carry me all the way to the wall of the opposite building, the traction magic of my horseshoes letting me stick for a moment before sliding down.
Surveying my handiwork, I watched the men groan for a moment, satisfied they wouldn’t be a threat. “Ah well, maybe the next group of thieves can be better.” Reaching behind my neck, I pulled the “burner phone” out of my Nowhere, and dialed 911 like I’d been told about. It was a much simpler version, having a tiny screen that only showed numbers, and plastic buttons instead of a touch-screen. No stylus needed, I could push the buttons with my clawtips.
The voice answered immediately. “911, what’s the emergency?”
I knelt down, picking up the dropped gun. “Four men were trying to break into the jewelry shop on Prospect Street. One of them now has a broken arm, and the others are only a little better. You might want to send people to arrest them before they get up and leave. Oh, and I’m dropping their gun into the dumpster.”
“What? What are you talking about? What’s happening?”
Lifting the lid of the dumpster with the paw holding the phone, I tossed the gun inside before letting it slam down. “I’m talking about a crime. Isn’t this how I report crimes? You can hear the alarm going off right now, can’t you? Look, I already defeated the thieves, you should send someone to apprehend them quickly.”
“You what? What’s your name?” The voice seemed confused, but still trying to keep things professional.
“Oh, well, everyone’s been calling me Superbunny. So I guess just call me that.”
“Really?” There was a pause. “I mean, o-okay! Just stay right there, we’ll have someone there soon!”
Already, I was hearing a siren from some blocks away. “No thanks. I don’t think police like me much, and I’m not sure I like them, either. They’ve said some pretty mean things about me, after I stopped that bully at the high school. Bye!” With that, I hung up, stashing the phone back into my Nowhere, before jumping off the walls to get to the higher roofs in this area. I didn’t even stick around to make sure the police arrived in time, I just wanted distance.
If I was going to have to be a Big Scary Monster, at least I’d direct it at those who deserved it, I guess. Better than snapping at Lydia like that. But to be honest, I really didn’t feel any better about everything. It seemed like no matter what I did, it was the wrong thing.
I sat glumly on the couch, watching the television. Ben had gotten home just a bit ago, after I returned from my outing. When he asked about my day, though, I only gave a non-committal grunt.
“Oh, that good, huh?” He sat down next to me on the couch, holding a plate of food. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”
I flipped through channels idly. I had no idea how anyone was expected to find shows to watch on these things. “Eh. Lydia hates me. I kinda lost my temper with her.”
Ben looked up from his food. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
I shrugged. “She kept saying bad stuff about Master. So I… told her I’d break six of her bones. But then I remembered that you don’t have healing magic here, so I stormed out before she made me answer any questions about it.”
He eyed me for a while in silence. “Okay, that sounds more like you. Yeah, breaking bones is a lot more of a threat when you can’t just have it fixed in a few minutes.”
“Mmh.” I flipped more channels. When I passed by the news, though, there was a drawing of me on the screen, side by side with a talking woman, so I stopped.
“--talked like it was the most simple thing! I didn’t know what to make of it!” The woman speaking sounded like the 911 person I talked to.
“Do you think it was really her?” a voice offscreen asked.
“I mean, maybe? Police don’t really tell us much, they just say it’s ‘an ongoing investigation’, but she was telling the truth about the thieves, so… maybe? Who would lie about it, and just vanish?”
Ben raised an eyebrow at me, while the news cut to reporters sitting at a desk trading guesses. “Care to explain?”
I rolled my eyes. “After Lydia, I kinda… wanted to cool off, so I looked for a fight. I found some guys breaking into a jewelry store, and stopped a crime. And then I remembered that burner phone, so I called 911 and reported it. I guess that was a bigger deal than I thought.”
Ben frowned, that face he made whenever he wanted to complain about something I did, but didn’t really have a specific rule in mind that I broke. “Well, it’s probably for the best that you reported it. How badly did they get hurt?”
“I only broke the arm of one of them. He had a gun, so I had to make sure he couldn’t use it.” I smiled, proud of my restraint. “The rest were only bruised.”
Rolling his eyes, he nodded. “Just make sure you’re okay. I still don’t like you fighting people with guns, but I guess it’s better than that Hunter with the shotgun and everything. Just remember, even incompetent crooks can get lucky.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I pouted a little at the lecture, watching the news.
Now it was an older man talking. “I’m just glad my store was saved. If it was the Superbunny, then I say thank God she’s around, you know? She saved my niece, too, a couple weeks ago. I’m glad we have someone like her to help out when needed. She’s a hero!”
Ben noticed my lack of smile. “What’s the matter?”
I turned the TV off. “I don’t feel like a hero. I feel like a big scary monster, and the best I can hope for is just… to be useful by accident. While I’m bumbling about and messing things up.”
Reaching over, he put a hand on my knee. “Hey, bumbling about and messing things up is something humans do a lot, too. Not knowing what to do is just… part of being a person. And no saying you’re not. C’mon, let’s get you some dinner too.”