“I’d tease you about being lovestruck but, based on today, you’d have to be really messed up to be.” I smiled slightly at Birgit’s voice, turning my head to see her sit down next to me with a small frown on her face.

“Well, I am messed up. Don’t worry though, that’s not part of it,” I said to her in Greek.

It was something that we’d been doing on a semi-regular basis, talking in different languages that we knew the other person would understand, mainly English–which was Birgit’s second language from what I knew–and Greek, to make the conversation more convenient for the both of us.

I also silently debated whether or not I should ask her about her relationship with Lady Flame, to find out what they were to each other, fiddling with the seams of my gloves as I did so. I knew realistically that she had to have parents that were a big deal–most elemental powered people were–but Lady Flame was almost too much.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Don’t worry, I’m just tired, but I’m fine,” I said to her. Considering what I was getting ready to ask her, piling on more things didn’t feel like the best idea in the world. “Listen, about Lady Flame-”

“She said she’s off somewhere to cool off, probably will come running when the cameras are here,” said Birgit, the bitterness evident in her voice, identical to whenever she talked about her parents, only less reserved.

“Actu-Actually,” I said, practically tearing my glove off once more with all my fiddling. “I wanted to ask about your relationship with her. Is she-”

“She’s my mother,” said Birgit roughly. “But don’t-”

“Don’t let that change anything?” I said. She huffed and turned away from me, and I allowed myself a small smirk at that. “Not the first time you’ve told me something similar, although I now understand why. I am a certified fanboy, which means I will pester the hell out of you about this, but it won’t change anything. Promise.”

“You’re not the first person to say something like that,” she said without turning to me.

We sat there in silence for a few moments after that, with me fiddling with my gloves and Birgit looking back at the empty street. Sirens were heard in the distance, and I saw the Cretan Heroes, who were talking among themselves tense up at the sound.

“Training took a wild turn, didn’t it?”

Birgit didn’t respond.

“Listen, I-”

“Shut up, idiot.” Birgit stood up.“The day after tomorrow, same place and time. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” I sighed and closed my eyes as I lay my head back once more.

Birgit cleared her throat, prompting me to look at her once more. She turned toward me, running a hand through her hair, looking like she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to.

“Birgit?”

“And please,” she said in a smaller voice than I’d ever heard in the admittedly short time I knew her. “Please keep your promise.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I didn’t have enough energy in me to actually respond to her. Today was-It was just too much. On top of it being the second villain attack I’d been a part of in the past three weeks, third in my life overall, it was also the most dangerous one yet.

Not to mention I had a fucking cardiac arrest and all but died for a few moments. And saw the weirdest…thing I have ever seen in my life.

Heh. I didn’t usually swear, not even in my mind, but this seemed as good a time as any to do so. Still, I couldn’t let anything show. Birgit clearly had too much going on in her own life, and I had to focus on making up with Iraklis and entering Atlantis. Everything else-Everything else would have to wait until I was done with those things or failed miserably at them

And, truth be told, every day, I believed that I would make it–that I deserved to make it–less and less. But I couldn’t give up. Not now. I would give it my best shot.

I wouldn’t give up. I refused to give up.

I’d had to reaffirm that belief much more than I’d like to in the past weeks. I clenched my hands together once more. It was almost funny. If I was acting like this now, how would I act like when I was actually in Atlantis?

The best of the best would be waiting for me there. Well, not actually waiting, but they’d be there. They’d either have grand powers, mastery over weaker ones or, if they had no powers at all, they’d be among the top of humanity, mentally and physically. Especially if they all had the resources that Birgit apparently had and the talent and mind to use them.

I looked down at my gloved hands, clenching them.

“Alex?”

Birgit’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked at her, her posture closed off and guarded, but she wasn’t looking at me. She was looking down, and I was certain that the whole area’s temperature would have dropped down to near freezing levels if she hadn’t just gone ham with her powers a couple minutes ago.

“I will,” I said simply. “Although I’ll probably never make it to the school, so I don’t know how much good that’ll do you,” I said, forcing my voice to be light.

“Don’t be stupid. Jensen wouldn’t train someone he didn’t see potential in,” she said with a small laugh.

He had probably made a mistake then. I didn’t tell her that of course, simply mumbling a ‘we’ll see’ and leaving it at that. Although I supposed I could talk to Jensen as well. Try and figure out why he decided to train me. I never questioned it before seeing as I was too caught up in my fear and excitement to do so.

Police, ambulances, and reporters all flooded in in the next few moments. The heroes luckily took care of the latter, and they also assured us that our identities would be kept private. Lady Flame in particular seemed to want to enforce that, and I could understand why.

I was kept in the hospital for the entire night. My parents came in almost the exact moment I was cleared for visitors, hugging, yelling, crying out of both relief and fear, the whole package.

Mom was especially concerned about the cardiac arrest part of the day, and I could tell that Dad was also more than a little worried about that as well. I told them what I’d told Birgit, that I was fine. Mainly just shocked and tired, nothing else.

It was a lie of course. In reality, I flashed back to that scene, with Paragon and the me that wasn’t me, at the mention of that. My stomach did a backflip at those thoughts, and the idea of death, alongside the cold, sinking feeling that it brought with it wasn’t something I felt like sharing–even with my parents.

Instead, I focused on getting it out of my brain. And I succeeded. It was perhaps unusual, but I always had a great relationship with my parents even through my teenage years. My mom was sweet and kind, even if I did sometimes act annoyed at her, and my dad was my best friend, beating out even Iraklis.

We had a great dynamic together, and that was what I chose to focus on during that night. My laughter wasn’t forced, and it–alongside my earlier time with Birgit–was enough to somewhat salvage this horrible day.

Eventually I had to sleep and they had to leave. They didn’t go home of course, but they did leave me alone in my room, which I appreciated. Because it was at that time that I truly allowed myself to let out my emotions.

Tomorrow would be a new day. And hopefully it would be better than this one. I wasn’t sure I could handle anything else.