Laena kept watching her friend pacing up and down the sidewalk. She had every mind to join her friend.

“We’ve been ditched!” Safora voiced her outrage, not for the first time.

They both checked the clock over at the school district’s gate. It was now closing in on ten o’clock, and Laena understood her friend’s tenseness. “Maybe something happened, and he had to cancel.”

“That’s three weeks in a row.” Safora vented her frustration.

“For you.” Laena shrugged. “We met last week.”

Her friend threw her a whither look of contempt for rubbing salt in her wound. “Oh, that doesn’t count because Ramiel came in with gum on his shoe.”

Laena rolled her eyes at Safora and decided to argue with her friend to kill some time. “We still got to learn stuff.”

Safora made a face. “Yes, sure, but learning how to build stairs or a railing isn’t exactly what I need right now. Laena, I am bursting with energy. I need to do something cool, too. It’s killing me that I missed out on the action.”

She looked at her friend with some sympathy. “We could just fly over and check on him.”

Her friend was instantly in. “We should, right? I mean, what if he needs our help? Let’s check up on him.”

Laena stopped her friend from just jumping into the air where she was. “Let’s go back to the dorm. We start from the roof, okay?”

Safora looked at her, a little confused. “Oh, right. Yes, that’s better.” She looked at the buildings around her and nodded. The windows were all staring down at them. “No, need to be all hasty.”

They returned to their dorm and got onto the roof. Laena got more nervous now that they stood all the way up here. “Before we do this, uhm, how exactly do you plan on carrying me?”

The pause between them as they thought about it stretched for an uncomfortably long time.

“I think holding you by the hand is a bad idea,” Safora said, and Laena nodded along, agreeing wholeheartedly.

“Not that I don’t trust in your strength or mine, but it simply doesn’t seem smart,” Laena added.

Safora thought for a second, then shrugged. “Piggyback ride seems to be the best solution. Come hop on.”

Laena couldn’t find a flaw with that idea. “But no wild maneuvers, you hear me?”

Her friend laughed and, with Laena on her back, shot straight into the air rapidly. The high-pitched scream from Laena got swept away by the bristling wind. Laena held on for dear life as they gained altitude. Safora really had been waiting to stretch her legs because they were going ever faster, and it was at that moment that Laena realized something. She didn’t envy Safora’s ability to fly at all. Laena held on even tighter. If her friend made any acrobatic maneuvers, she wouldn’t forgive her.

The flight to Ramiel’s farm didn’t take too long after they oriented themself along the road they usually drove along. It was, in a sense, way easier than getting picked up every morning.

They landed in the small forest inside Ramiel’s property, and Laena jumped off her friend’s back in a hurry. Her legs felt wobbly while walking on the ground. She had never had a problem with height before flying. It felt too unnatural. Through long, deep breaths, she regained her composure.

“Laena, are you okay? You look a bit pale.” Safora asked, worrying.

Laena waved it off. “I, uh, just realized I’m not much of a flyer or good with tremendous heights.”

Safora patted Laena on the back. “Don’t say that. You’ll get used to it in time. It is so much fun once you get used to it.”

It wasn’t the first time Laena saw her friend's excitement over her ability to fly, but now she no longer understood the excitement and wasn’t jealous of her friend’s ability. “Never mind that. Let’s go find Ramiel.” She switched the topic after taking a few more deep breaths.

“Oh, right. What do you think he’s doing? Come on, we’re going to find him and give him a piece of our mind. Nobody’s ditching us! Follow me!” Safora turned and walked off.

Laena watched her walk a few meters before she was certain then called to her friend. “Safora, you know the house is the other way, right?”

Her friend stumbled, and Laena chuckled and, in a flustered voice, said. “Of course, I…I just wanted to take a small stroll through the forest.” Safora turned back around. “But if you don’t want to, I understand.”

They came out of the small forest behind Ramiel’s house. Walking over the open grass field, they spotted his car parked in its usual spot.

“You think he slept in?” Safora asked.

Laena considered it for a moment before denying it. “Not a chance, no, it’s something else. Maybe he’s working on the house and forgot the time?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Safora tilted her head the way she always did when she mulled over an idea. “No, the generator isn’t out and running.”

“You’re right.” Laena agreed. “So, where is he?”

They approached the house, and Laena noticed something from the corner of her eye. She turned her attention to the barn and spotted Ramiel’s boots sticking from the doorframe. A shiver ran down her spine as she pulled Safora around at the shoulder to look towards the barn.

“Look!” Laena whispered, fearing the worst.

Safora reacted instantly and rushed over with flight. “Ramiel!”

Laena studied the expression of her friend as if she were in a trance. There was no reaction visible from Safora’s face yet. In an instant, she went down a dark tunnel again. She was sitting near a tree of her father’s crashed car, with no idea how or why she was okay and her parents weren’t getting out of the vehicle. The tears and pain as the neighbors arrived, and the police and ambulance. She was wrapped in a blanket and being led away, sitting in the Sherrif’s office in the big chair, feeling hollow. Memories of Sheriff Thorn driving her to Ma Stone’s house welled up in her. Ma Stone hugging her, the hot, wet tears on her grandmother’s cheeks. Suddenly, she was that little girl again, feeling as though the world was about to pull the rug from under her.

Safora's face came into view, and she felt her cheeks squish. “Hey, Earth to Laena. Snap out of it. You’re standing here like a zombie. Come and look talk to Ramiel. He acts like nothing happened, but he looks like hell.”

Laena refocused on her friend. “Sfhop sfuifhing my fafhe.”

Safora let go of her face and pulled her toward the barn. “Come on, let’s go.”

They rounded the corner, and Laena came into full view of Ramiel sprawled on the floor. He looked like hell. “Ramiel?”

“Oh, Laena, you came too? Didn’t expect both of you to show up. How are you doing?” He asked as if they had interrupted him during breakfast.

“What do you mean: ‘How am I?’? What the hell happened to you? You look like you got hit by a truck!” Laena crouched down beside him. “Why are you lying on the floor? Come on, get up.”

Ramiel laughed. “Oh, nothing happened to me I just ran into a bit of trouble yesterday, and now I suffer the rewards of my overexertion.”

Laena spotted the dark purple hematoma on the back of Ramiel’s skull. “My god, that looks like you did get hit by a truck. What happened? Can you move?”

_________________________________________________________

Ravela was in a pickle. While she was very pleased with having predicted the girls' arrival on their own, she didn’t really come up with a good cover story.

‘Maybe I’ll throw myself under the bus here. Sorry, Michael, but you’ll be the bad guy again.’

“I had a run-in with Michael Menace. It didn’t go exactly as I planned, but not to worry. I am okay; I'm just suffering some drawbacks from using my power too much. Thought I could catch the man after he had his big fight, but he hit me with something unexpected and got away from me.” Ravela lied.

“You went after him?!” Laena yelled more than she asked.

“And by the looks of it, you lost that fight,” Safora added, rubbing salt in her wounded pride.

“I would have gone after the Bomber, but a recent event made Michael a bit more of a priority, seeing as he noticed you, Laena,” Ravela stated, futilely trying to get back up. “He could still hit harder than expected for someone who had just taken such a beating. But don’t worry, he’s most definitely suffering just as I am. I don’t believe we will hear from him any time soon.”

She slumped back to the floor after a bit of trying and failing to get up. This time, she managed to set her head back down softly, which spared her the pulsating flash of pain and left her with just a mild sting.

Safora and Laena looked at her with concern, and Safora finally asked. “How long have you been lying on the floor like this?”

“Oh, who’s counting? Anyway, sorry for missing the pick-up time. I say feel free to exercise, but don’t expect me to be any help today for obvious reasons.” Ravela tried to change the subject.

“Oh, no. Nonono.” Laena and Safora said with one voice, then looked at each other, deciding amongst themselves who’d say their piece. Laena chose herself. “We gonna sit right here, and you have to tell us all about what happened last night. Did you go after him with your armor? Is he that strong? How did he get you this bad? What fight was he in, and how did you intercept him after that? Come on, Ramiel, tell us.”

Ravela rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed while she came up with a fitting tale of her jumping herself, when she left the fight with Agent Buster and the Bomber. “Okay, okay. Alright then, fine. But I’m telling you now, it isn’t all that impressive.”

She told them about observing the fight between the Bomber, Agent Buster, and Michael from a distance and how she had the choice to either go after the Bomber or Michael and choose Michael. She spun a tale of a short, intense fight where she got hit in the head, and Michael managed to get away just barely.

“Any more questions?” Ravela wrapped up her story.

Laena jumped in instantly. “Why didn’t you use your armor?”

Ravela nodded slightly. “Yes, in hindsight, that would have changed the fight. Wouldn’t have overused my powers, wouldn’t have taken the hit against my head with a lot of difficulty. But I don’t really want to use it unless it is an emergency.”

The teenagers got suspicious. “Why?”

She didn’t have a good answer. “I don’t know what baggage the armor may have and whom I may alert to my continued existence by wearing it in a city full of people. I’d hate to attract an old enemy unnecessarily. If I had them, it would be a twofold downside for me because I would be unaware that they are my enemy, and they could get close to me because they know I am here. If possible, I would like to avoid inviting an unseen danger into my back. Does that make sense, or do I sound paranoid now?”

The girls looked at each other, and Laena mumbled. “No, no, it makes sense when you put it like that, but still fighting without the armor seems extremely dangerous.”

Ravela smiled. “And that’s why I want to make new different protection for myself and you. That’s why I told you two to steer clear of danger. I am an adult. I know the risks I take. You two shouldn’t dip your toes in anything like that without proper equipment and someone who guides you. I know I sound tiresome and all adult bothersome boring, but as you can see, I have a good reason for my concerns and warnings.”

She switched the focus from the armor to the girls and their safety. Ravela hoped that by making a bit of a lecture of it, the teenagers would go for a topic change on their own, and by the looks Laena and Safora exchanged that gamble was going to pay off instantly.

Safora had an idea for a shift first and went for it. “Speaking of armor for us, I think this might be a good time to talk about what you mean by that. Unless you got somewhere else to be?”

Ravela grinned. “You wanted the pink one, right?”

Safora scoffed. “Stop saying that. Nobody wants a pink suit! Come on, just tell us what you are planning for us. I sure hope you are not thinking something like some medieval knight armor. You got to have something cool you can build, right? You built Laena that wicked bracelet that, as she said, works as an emergency signal. So, tell us the plan.”

Ravela pursed her lips. “I will make a compound weave that is both durable and elastic for you, Safora. It will be more compressed around the legs since flying puts strong forces on your cardiovascular system, and the last thing we’d want is for you to pass out mid-flight. For the headgear, I’ll give you something to seal the suit against the winds that will build up against your flying speed. It is so you can keep breathing while flying at the speed you’re undoubtedly capable of.” Ending her explanation, Ravela studied Safora for a reaction.

The girl looked excited and confused at the same time. Laena jumped in and asked a question. “What do you mean by compound material?”

“It will be an artificially created thread that will be constituted of different elements granting it different properties and qualities you wouldn’t be able to achieve through using just a single material. For your suit, I plan to make up for some of the lack of strength you have compared to Safora by adding a bit more protection, arm guards, sturdy boots, and leg protection up to the knee. It would grant you more resistance for blocking strong blows and dealing stronger punches and kicks yourself. I was also thinking about a versatile headgear allowing your abilities to do the maximum for you.” She used the explanation of the materials to talk a little bit about her ideas for Laena’s suit. “We already talked about the suit a bit, Laena. I just figured Safora would like to know, too. Laena asked for a coloring scheme that was a bit surprising. Black and yellow works well with the design for the special layer of protection I plan to add on top of what Safora will get.”

Safora frowned. “Why does Laena need extra protection?”

Ravela looked at her for a moment. “She gets extra protection because she is not as durable as you or I, and she can’t fly away from her problems once she is in a fight. As for why you don’t get the extra layer, the answer is very simple.”

Laena was the more curious one. “And what is the reason?”

Ravela laughed. “The way I planned her suit, putting on extra plating would ruin her aerodynamics.”

“Aerodynamics?” They said in perfect unison.