“Earlier today, Avalon Industries found itself turned into a battle zone when the terrorist group known as Zoo arrived. At the moment, the damages are still being discovered, but the worst was prevented when Victorian arrived on the scene, causing the members of Zoo to-”

Hope didn’t get to hear whatever the newswoman would have said as the video on her phone was suddenly paused when someone yanked the cord to her headphones out.

“Hey! I was watching that!” She grumbled.

“Well, excuse me for trying to help.” Her friend Armin stood to the side, his arm stopping her from walking any further. “You were about to miss the turn.” Her shrug made him sigh and roll his eyes, giving her a half-grin. “What were you watching anyway, Hope?”

She pocketed her phone as they turned down the street and continued on their way to school. “The Victorian.” That was all she needed to say.

“Another disaster.” Armin groaned.

“Yeah. A bunch of bad guys tried to pull off a heist. Thankfully, she was there to stop it.”

The boy snorted, nodding his head. “Well, I could have told you that. She always saves the day.”

She had to agree with her friend, though she used that word loosely. Armin was more like a brother to her. He was a kid that her mother used to babysit for extra cash. The two of them had taken up banding together and walking to school; this day was no different.

He was a nice enough boy, if a little bit odd. Armin had that typical nerdy look. Curly brown hair and a face full of freckles. His bright eyes came off as childish due to the oversized round glasses he wore, and he was all skin and bones, but he still managed to have a bit of a chubby belly somehow.

Though she wasn’t in a position to make fun of him, her own body wasn’t much better. She was awkwardly tall and almost too skinny, not having any muscle, and her chest was flatter than a board. Her black hair was a tangled mess, falling just past her shoulders, and her blue eyes were so childlike behind broken and crooked glasses that nearly dropped off her face.

She looked almost nothing like her mother, something she was reminded of every time she looked into a mirror.

“So, you ever get that new Victorian game?” Armin’s question halted her thoughts.

“Nah. You know money has been tight.”

“That’s a shame. I hear it's a good one.” They finally arrived at school and began to push through the crowd of other kids. “So, my parents are heading out of town sometime this week, and I was thinking of throwing a party. You in?” Armin asked as they stopped at her locker.

She folded her arms and scoffed. “By party, you mean just me and you, right? 'Cause you know no one else is going to show up.”

“Hey, you don’t know that. I could turn up the charm and get a couple of cheerleaders or the football team. At the very least, a few of those theater kids.” Armin tried to give her what he might have thought was a seductive look, but it only caused her to shudder.

“You and Charm don’t go together.” Armin gasped and grabbed at his chest as if faking a wound, making her chuckle.

“You wound me so. You in, though?” He asked, folding his arms and giving her one of his weird stares.

“Yeah, I can hang out this week. What movie are we going to be watching? I can’t think of any new ones releasing off the top of my head.”

Armin never got a chance to respond, as a loud yell cut through the crowd around them, causing everyone to suddenly stop what they were doing.

“I said let me go, Kev!”

“Tell me who you cheated on me with!”

Oleander Bay was a typical high school. It had things like a band and a football team, as well as a cheerleading squad, and like all schools, it had its fair share of bullies.

Kevin Buckle was a tall eighteen-year-old attending his final semester of high school. If you were to think of the image of a jock, he would likely come to mind. He was tall and buff, and he was one of the best quarterbacks their school had seen. He was also handsome, with slick blonde hair and green eyes; most girls pined after him.

Currently, he had ‘his’ girl pressed against a locker. Ashley Numen, head of the cheerleaders, was sometimes called the Queen Bee. Tall, with long blonde hair, she had seemingly pissed Kevin off.

Hope gripped her hands into a fist, but she sighed when she felt Armin’s hand on her shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid.” Her friend hissed. “He’s the last guy you want to get on the bad side of.”

“Yeah, I know...” She felt bad as she turned away from the scene and did her best to ignore it. She couldn’t help but listen in, though.

“I know you’re seeing people behind my back. I saw you making out with that kid at Trev’s party last week!” Kevin growled. “Tell me which punk it is! I’ll kill him!” Not a single soul seemed like they would step up and help Ashley. Everyone pretended not to notice, fearing what he would do to them if this was the way he treated someone he had claimed to ‘love.’

“I’m not seeing anyone else, you psycho.” Ashley sharply whispered at him, though she was stuck, unable to push past him, the locker digging into her back. “Besides, what does it matter even if I was? We broke up, jerk-”

“We were still together at that party.” Kevin stated.

Ashley glared back at him, her jaw clenching. “You’re just jealous, knowing he was better than you.”

Kevin looked as if he was about to murder the girl, raising his arm up. He never got a chance to, though, as a backpack suddenly nailed him in the back of the head.

It wasn’t often that a hallway full of teenagers would be silent, but this was one of those rare times. Kevin turned slowly, his eyes settling on the small, at least compared to him, raven-haired fifteen-year-old girl who had just forfeited her life. “She asked you to leave her alone, jerk.” Hope prayed that her gulp wasn’t heard.

Kevin, despite being roughly the size of a small gorilla, was shockingly fast. He had reached her before she could even attempt to get her arms up for a punch. She let out a yelp as he literally picked her up by the jacket and smashed her into the locker, causing her to hiss out in pain.

“Stay in your lane, Lauren.” Kevin instructed, growling in Hope's face. Her nose wrinkled, and she felt tears in her eyes. His breath was terrible. “This doesn’t concern someone like you.”

“Dude, what did you eat?”

The football player let out a roar and pulled his arm back. She quickly prayed to God, wanting to be reborn as a stunning supermodel in her next life. Thankfully, the big man up stairs seemed to answer her prayers, as before Kevin could throw the punch, a loud bell tolled through the building, and the doors to many of the classrooms began to open, with teachers no doubt stepping out.

Kevin’s eyes locked onto the coach of his team, who wasn’t close enough to see what was going on just yet.

The jock froze for a second before he gritted his teeth. “Next time I see you, Lauren, you’re dead.”

Her landing was hard as he dropped her to the floor and turned, stumbling past everyone, followed by his flunkies. No one bothered to help her, not even Armin, which hurt a little. He did, however, get her backpack, handing it over.

“Was that a bad idea?” She asked sheepishly.

“You might want to chill out. At this rate, I’ll have to pick what flowers to bring to your funeral.” Armin sighed.

“I had it all under control.” She said defensively.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I kept track of the time. I knew the bell was going to ring. I just needed to stall him for a bit.”

“Right.”

“Hey, it’s the truth!”

Armin just gave her a grin, helping her up. “We should get to class.”

***

The school day soon came to an end, just like any other, as the bell rang. She slowly walked down the stone steps and out onto the sidewalk, feeling the cool air blow through her hair.

“Flyers!” A man on the sidewalk yelled. He was a dirty man with a heavily stained trench coat and foul odors coming off of him. It seemed to creep all the kids out as he waved at them, and already the security around the school was trying to drag him off. “Take yer flyers! The end of the world is coming! I’m telling y’all! The government is hiding it. Birds are cameras!” The man waved at the kids as they came out, throwing flyers at them.

“That’s like the ninth time I’ve seen that guy. Think he’s onto something?” Armin snorted.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Fully.” Hope joked. She waved at the birds just in case they were cameras.

"So, do you want to hit the comic shop?”

“Sorry, I can’t. I’m riding with Mom to go see Dad.” She explained.

“Ah.” Armin nodded. “Mind if I come? It’s been a while since I last saw Mr. Lauren.”

“As long as Mom doesn’t care, then sure.”

Armin and her were only fifteen, soon to be sixteen, so neither of them owned a car and usually would either take the bus home or walk if they were feeling adventurous. Oleander wasn’t too dangerous in the daytime, after all.

Today, though, her mother was waiting for her in the school parking lot. She found the woman standing next to a very old and worn-down car that had been around since before she had even been born. Her mother smiled when she saw her. Jane Lauren was strict yet kind, and she was still very beautiful. Despite that, though, age and stress had worn on her, leaving her with dozens of grays in her hair and heavy black bags of exhaustion beneath her eyes.

“Hey, Mom!” Hope greeted, waving. “Armin wanted to come. Is that okay?”

“Of course. How have you been, Mr. Moore?” Her mother smiled, shaking his hand. “You’ve gotten bigger since I last saw you. Have you been working out?”

“I’ve been fine.” Armin shrugged. “School’s been hard, though. I ain’t a freaking nerd like your daughter. And yeah, I’ve been hitting the weights!” He tried to pose and flex his ‘guns’. He failed.

She piled into the backseat next to Armin. “So, we’re going straight to see Dad?”

“I needed to stop by the bank first; you two are welcome to stay in the car. It shouldn’t take too long.” Her mother said as they pulled out of the parking lot.

She frowned for a second. “Is it about the loan?” The way her mom’s lip twitched downward at the mention confirmed her answer. “I’ll wait in the bank with you. I don’t mind.”

“Me either,” Armin said, trying to sound supportive, but he was already playing games on his phone, only half paying attention to the world around him.

The ride to the bank was mostly a boring one. Armin was too engrossed in some dating sim game, and her mother was too worried to talk to her. She owned a phone, but it wasn’t a very good one, and most of her data was used up, so she made do by staring out the window and watching the clouds and the other faint colors that danced through the sky. Sometimes, she wondered what it would be like to fly up there.

Soon enough, though, they arrived at the bank of Oleander. It was imposing and carved from white marble. Like something you’d see in a show or movie, it was one of the oldest buildings left over from the city’s early days.

The sight of it reminded her of an anthill. There was a constant stream of people that flowed in and out, all dressed in suits. Her mother was well dressed like the others, but she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed at the fact she and Armin were still in scruffy clothes. She was wearing a t-shirt and jacket with shorts. She felt a bit childish in that moment.

Despite that, though, she still entered with her mother. She wanted to support her mom anyway that she could.

The inside of the bank was large, with lines of people waiting to have their turn at the counter. They found the shortest line and waited silently.

And they waited.

And they waited.

And-

“Man, am I an adult yet?” Armin asked quietly, causing her to snort and get several nasty looks from the ‘fancy’ men in suits.

“I’m sorry.” Her mother said, wincing a little. “I didn’t expect the crowds to be quite this big.”

Armin waved the woman off, giving a grin. “A little boredom never hurt anyone.”

“Speak for yourself.” She muttered. She couldn’t stop fidgeting, and the need to do anything was growing stronger. “At this point, I think I’ll be dead before we get to the end of this line.”

As soon as the words left her lips, it happened. As if some force out there wanted to make what she said come true, the bank began to shake. It was a deep rumble, one that caused several people to slip and fall as the walls shook.

“I think you jinxed us, Hope!” Armin yelled.

Her mother nearly tripped, but Hope managed to catch the older woman. “What’s going on?” She tried to hide the tremble in her voice but failed. She could feel her arms shaking, and even Armin looked queasy.

Her mother gripped her tightly. “I don't know. Stay next to me.”

The building shook more, and she gripped her mother’s hand, staring around nervously. They weren’t the only ones. The lights in the building had shut off, leaving them all in total darkness.

Then it happened.

The entire wall of the bank exploded inward, making everyone yell as they were thrown back. Suddenly, every piece of metal in the room began to slowly twitch and rise off the ground, making more people freak out. Bits of debris from the wall, or expensive belts and rings, all lifted up by an unseen force.

All of them looked up as the ones responsible for this incident strolled into the room very casually. There were five of them in total, all dressed in what you might see a villain in a comic book wearing.

Two security guards made for their weapons, but in a flash, one of the figures appeared behind them. The two men were suddenly smashed into the ground, the figure not even seeming to make any moves. Metal flew through the air, forming chains that began to wrap around all the men and Armin, who was gasping for air as the chains found their way around his throat and downed him. The women, however, didn’t have that happen to them. Instead, metal shards took shape in the form of large knives that positioned themselves over their hearts, floating just inches away, keeping them all in place.

She felt her face go pale. It hadn’t stabbed her, nor her mother, or anyone for that matter, but it was close enough that if she made one wrong move, it would. The thing had already gotten through her jacket and shirt, and she could feel it brush her flesh. She regretted how much her legs were shaking, her mind filled with the fear of falling forward and impaling herself.

“Stay calm.” Her mother’s voice snapped her out of it, and she felt the woman’s hand grip on hers. Her mom smiled faintly despite everything as she tried to comfort her daughter. “It’ll be okay, Hope.”

“I’m fine.” She said quietly. She took a calming breath. “I’ll be fine, Mom. Worry about yourself.” That was when ‘he’ entered.

The ringleader stepped forward, his hand waving as the metal followed it. He was dressed almost like a knight. The kind you’d see in a storybook, with deep black armor and a helmet that covered his head. “Please, everyone, just stay calm. As soon as we have the money, we’ll leave, and no one has to get hurt. However,” he turned, staring past the bulletproof glass and into the eyes of one of the bank workers who were behind it. “In the event that you don’t start bagging up the money for us, we will be forced to kill one person every minute.”

“Minute!”

“That minute has started.” The man in the armor bluntly stated. “Go.”

“Hey guys, do what he says. He’s serious, and this bulletproof glass won’t keep him out if he really wants to get through. Go, get the money.” One of the workers, possibly the manager, instructed the rest of the crew.

“Oh, and of course, this goes without saying. Remove any traps that may or may not be within the cash.” The knight said in a cool tone.

“Yes, sir. Please be patient.”

Loud sirens blared in the distance. “Deal with them, Demonica.” The man in the armor commanded in a powerful and blunt tone.

The one who had knocked out the guards appeared to be a woman. She had the figure of one, at least. She was dressed in a skintight black outfit that covered every inch of her from head to toe, the top of which oozed purple flames. In a flash, the woman vanished, reappearing at the doorsteps of the bank just in time to see dozens of cop cars pull up.

One of the cops had time to see her. His eyes filled with horror as he went for his radio. “Oh God, a member of Bad Timers! They’re the ones that are here! Quick, someone call for the Enforcers-”

In a flash, all the weapons the cops had were ripped from their hands, and the radios on their belts shattered. They found themselves in the handcuffs they carried, stuck around the door handles of their police cars.

“I’m back, Polaron...” Demonica hissed as she walked back into the bank. These weren’t the only two, either. The man in the armor, apparently called Polaron, and the woman in black led a small group of three other freaks. One was completely covered in radios, even on his face, and the sound of a phone ringing constantly came out. The other one wore a pure white skin-tight suit, not showing a mouth or any facial features as he silently stood, unmoving.

The last member, though... The last of the three goons could only be described as a monster. His skin was pure red, and he was taller than any man should have been. “I’m up next.” The red beast growled. Razor-sharp claws stabbed from his fingers. “They’re taking too long. I’m going to eat one of them. Is that okay with you, Polaron?”

“Do as you wish, Mars King.” The man in the armor shrugged. “Leave the men alive. They have value I could use later.”

The red monster grinned and walked to the trapped hostages, who began to scream and cry. His eyes roamed over everyone. She felt as if her heart stopped then and there as the eyes settled on her. Thankfully, it moved on and landed on someone else. A little girl in the back with her father. “She looks good.”

“No!” The father tried to break out of the chains that were wrapped around him, but he couldn’t move. More blades formed around the young girl, keeping her pinned in place as the monster reached for her.

The red-skinned monster stopped when a backpack smacked him in the back of his head. Everyone stared in shock, even some of the villains, as Hope stood there with her arms outstretched. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”

The beast stared at her, and she nearly tripped backwards. Her pale face caused the smirk on the creature to go wider, and it licked its lips, making her shiver. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to eat that one.” He stepped away from the little girl and began making his way right toward her.

“No!” Her mother yelled, but the beast ignored her and, with one hand, smacked the woman, throwing her out of the way.

“Mom!” She screamed in horror, watching as her mother crashed helplessly into a wall headfirst and collapsed; no one even attempted to help her. Armin was on the ground, trying to stand or maybe get some air, his fingers turning pale as he fought against the chains, but they kept dragging him back down.

“H- Hope. Run.” Her friend managed to gasp, but it was too late.

She had time to see that monster’s giant hand get ready to wrap around her entire head.

The building once again shook; however, this time, it caught the bad guys off guard. “...Damn it.” Polaron sighed, dejected. “It looks like we weren’t fast enough. ‘She’s’ here.”

The roof was blown apart as someone came crashing into the building with a powerful force. Everyone stared in shock, even Hope, her fear slowly fading away and being replaced with something else entirely.

The woman stood tall, with golden hair. Dressed in a red and black outfit, a red cape flowed behind the hero. Sunlight formed in the palm of the woman’s hand. “When will you villains learn?” The woman quipped, her voice booming off the walls. Her eyes had a fire in them, literally as if they were stars.

“It’s the Victorian!” Someone yelled. At this point, fear was gone, and the entire building was filled with a sense of safety. “We’re saved.”

Everyone knew who the Victorian was. The strongest human in the world and leader of the Enforcers, the greatest superhero team.

Hope stared up at the golden woman with wide eyes, watching as the woman helped her downed mother. With a wave of the woman’s hand, her mother was gasping and sitting back up, fully healed. Hope’s eyes were wide as she watched, and the hero seemed to meet her gaze, and for a moment, the woman smiled. “It’s all going to be okay.”

The villains stared at the women, none daring to move. That proved to cost them, as seconds later, the hole in the roof expanded, and more people landed in the bank, all in colorful costumes. The bad guys were surrounded by the greatest superhero team in only a few moments.

The Enforcers. A group made up of the ten strongest superheroes.

The Victorian brought her hand up, and a burst of light so strong it blinded everyone in the room flashed from her palm. When it died down, the woman now held a sword forged from gold, bigger than even a car.

The greatest superhero in the world. Light bent to her will. “So, who’s first?” The Victorian asked, tilting her head and giving them a sly smile. And with that, she got ready to repeat the same dance she had done every day—the dance of heroes and villains.

And for just a second, Hope finally understood the meaning of her name.