“What in the— where the fuck did that come from?”
Mia Coleman sat in a small cafe on the corner of a street several blocks from where those words were spoken, yet she heard them as though they were right next to her. Mia felt a sense of unease looking out the window at a shoe shop across the street. Her focus, however, wasn’t on the shop but on where the statue was.
“I don’t remember stealing from an art gallery.”
“That’s not from a fuckin’ art gallery, you moron. Did you idiots rip it out of the ground somewhere?”
“Look’s pretty pricey. Is that solid gold? We could probably scam some bougie collector.”
“Miss?”
Mia turned away and looked to see a smiling waiter standing at her table with a tray in hand.
“Large caramel latte?”
“Yes, thank you,” Mia thanked him with a weak smile.
The waiter placed it in front of her before heading to a new table. The moment his back turned, the weak smile melted off her face, and Mia stared down at the hot beverage in front of her. Her hands gently wrapped around the ceramic mug, and not too long after, she began tapping the side of it with a fingernail. Uncertainty plagued her thoughts as her gaze drifted back out the window.
The collapse of The Cains overnight set a wheel of events in motion. The stark shift in Bayside’s atmosphere was mostly due to The ECU’s excessive patrolling to ensure order and stability. Without powers, Mia would’ve assumed they were doing a phenomenal job. Businesses were reopening and people were out in droves helping with the cleanup effort. Citizens were coming together to repair the damage Grim had caused, but there was a much uglier side that Mia was now privy to.
Her power let her see what happened when the cameras weren’t rolling and when the people weren’t looking.
It let her hear what was happening behind closed doors.
Mia wanted to claw her eyes out of their sockets and rip out her eardrums.
“Could probably go for eight hundred, maybe nine— wait, did it just fucking move?”
“Its hand moved!”
“Oh shit! Oh FUCK!”
Mia sipped her latte as bullets began flying.
Every impact felt like a phantom itch on her skin. It was easy to ignore, but sometimes Mia felt the urge to rub her arm or massage her hip when someone stumbled across one of her statues and touched them. Some only stopped to take the occasional photograph or admire the work of art. It didn’t particularly bother her as people tended to ignore the statues most of the time.
It made moving around exceptionally easy since people weren’t on the lookout for her. Sam claimed that wouldn’t last long, so her anonymity was her biggest strength. Unfortunately, The ECU had already figured it out. They somehow built a profile on her if Madhouse’s newest sponsor was correct. Cyberspace kept a close eye on them, and Mia found The ECU had given her a name: Vigil.
Mia had to admit, it was better than anything she had come up with.
She never quite understood the culture that developed around naming Evohumans, but she knew the roots traced back to when humanity worshiped those with unexplainable powers. It all started with religion and mythologies. Now, the culture has shifted towards something like heroes and villains from comics and cartoons. The only part Mia understood was Evohumans using these alternative names to conceal their identities so they could live two separate lives.
Some – like Grim – didn’t bother.
Their powers became their entire lives. It consumed them until they self-destructed, leaving everyone else to clean up the mess.
The gunsmoke obscured the gangster's vision of her statue, allowing her to move. Her gold copy moved too fast for the naked eye to catch. Knocking out the three criminals was easy, and Mia shuddered at how efficient she was starting to get. Her targets crumpled to the floor, their weapons clattering against the wooden floorboards as Mia calmly retrieved her phone. She opened her contact list and sent a single message.
V - ‘22 Archers Street, basement floor. Two men, one woman. All dealt with.’
The reply only came seconds later.
F - ‘Clean up is en route. You have six more locations of interest.’
Mia already had her statues moving into position.
She wanted to pretend she didn’t know why Cyberspace had asked her to perform this task instead of Sam or Max, but the reasoning was obvious. There was no discernible limitation to the range of her powers, and she could control up to fifteen statues at once. That wasn’t even accounting for their durability and speed. Max fired one of his shoulder-mounted grenades at one of her statues so Sam’s ‘Gold’ power could get a read on her statue’s durability. All that managed to do was leave an ugly scorch mark.
Once Mia had cleaned out the last six locations, a text informed her that she expunged the last Cain remnants from their new ‘territory.’
She wanted to laugh at the absurdity.
Bayside was an entire city filled with people. The surrounding towns pushed their population over a million, and here she was listening to her ‘teammates’ and the people working for Cyberspace describe territory as if claiming a slice of Bayside was some kind of game.
It wasn’t a game.
This city was home to thousands of people.
It was home for her.
The thought of home sent twinges of pain through her chest.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Mia had kept one of her statues to watch over her house. It was a luxury lifestyle home, three stories, and on the fringes north of Bayside. Mia always hesitated to call herself ‘rich,’ but many of her friends saw it that way. Her parents were never short on money, and she always had everything she wanted growing up. It had been a comfortable life. Then, her parents' work got in the way, and Mia’s friends were all ripped away. It had been a painful move, but ultimately one her parents forced upon her.
Mia found the abrupt move back to New Elpis to be jarring. Arguments between her parents became increasingly frequent until their aggression toward each other boiled over. Mia felt like a stranger in her home, and her parents sometimes treated her like one. The dysfunction eroded the cushy life she had come to love and replaced it with something ugly. She never could figure out why, but she had been close to an answer when The Cains had abducted her.
Now, even the scraps of her old life were gone.
She finished her latte, paid, and left the cafe without a word.
Mia could still smell the ash in the air three days after Grim’s rampage. The ECU still had Bayside in lockdown, but businesses opened only two days later. People still needed to eat and earn money. It startled her just how normal it felt. Even walking down the street felt like any other day. Even the lingering ash and stench of smoke in the air didn’t seem out of place.
Mia let her mind wander, directing her focus to the statue standing in her parent's garden, blending in with the surroundings. Her mother and father walked by it countless times and hadn’t even batted an eye at its appearance. Mia thought at least her mother would’ve noticed, but no. The woman cut weeds, watered flowers, and even trimmed a few vines that had grown around the statue’s feet.
Mia’s statues might as well be invisible.
“Laura,” Mia’s father called out. The woman, Laura – Mia’s mother – turned and watched him stroll down the front steps of their house. She was sat in a chair under an umbrella, with her attention fixated on Bayside. Their home was situated on a hill, so the view covered the northern area of Bayside – the area firmly controlled by The ECU and The Queen’s Court. “You shouldn’t be out here.”
“I am hardly in any danger,” Laura replied resentfully. “I thought you were talking with the representative handling our case.”
“I’ve called multiple times today. The ECU are understandably busy—”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“I don’t care if they’re busy,” Laura sneered, the grip around her drink tightening. Mia was afraid she’d break the glass and injure herself, but thankfully, it withstood her mother’s strength. “Our daughter is still out there somewhere in the city, galavanting around doing God only knows what. I want her back here safely, is that so much to ask!?”
“She was kidnapped—”
“Mia escaped,” Laura corrected. “And instead of coming home to her family, where she belongs, she opted to call to let us know that she was all sunshine and rainbows,” she growled, taking another sip of her drink. Mia’s father moved to take the drink away from her, but Laura smacked his hand away. “It’s cranberry juice, not wine. I’m not stupid enough to drink while pregnant, Tobias.”
Mia froze halfway across a pedestrian crossing. It took her a few seconds to compose herself enough to finish crossing, but once she had, Mia took a moment to process what she just heard.
“Just making sure,” Tobias sighed. “I can never be certain with you.”
“Look who's talking,” Laura replied dully. “Why have you come out here to bother me? I have enough to deal with, without your nagging.”
“I’ve been talking to a private investigator. With all the issues The ECU are dealing with, I don’t see them prioritizing our case no matter how much money we throw at them. I figured this would be the better option,” Tobias explained. “I’ve verified his credentials and I think he’s the right guy for the job.”
“Then put him to work, what are you talking to me for?” Laura asked.
“It’s what he told me. He’s done cases like this before. He said that there’s a possibility Mia might’ve developed powers,” Tobias said with an edge to his tone. “Apparently, it’s common for children to strike out on their own when they go through their, uh, Awakening. There’s a chance that—”
“Mia is nineteen. She is not a child, and she should know better,” Laura dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hand. “If she’s an Evohuman, all the more reason for her to be home with us. She can keep us safe. Whatever she’s doing now cannot be more important than her family.”
Mia swallowed an ugly lump in her throat.
She was protecting them. Mia felt even more inclined to do that now that she had a sibling on the way. Her mother might be the one having the child, but Mia knew whatever life her sibling would have, it wouldn’t be a healthy one without her around. Her mother and father changed over the years for the worse. Things never used to be like this. Mia remembered her childhood when her parents were happier.
“Just keeping you informed,” Tobias muttered, turning away. “And for the record, that baby might be your family, but it certainly isn’t mine.”
Mia felt her world flip upside down as Laura spat out curses.
“I did what I needed to do to keep our family SAFE!”
When Tobias didn’t reply, Laura hurled the glass at him. Thankfully, it missed by a wide margin.
Mia wrenched her attention away and blocked out the visual and audio sensations she received from the statue. Finding the nearest wall, she leaned against it to steady her breathing, fighting the urge to vomit. Her mind was a whirlwind. What did her mother mean by that? Had she cheated and gotten pregnant with someone else's child to keep them safe somehow? That didn’t make sense! When had this happened, and why had it been kept from her?
Mia’s thoughts came to a screeching halt when she noticed Sam tapping the statue she had left back at their new hideout. It was an impatient tapping against the statue's cheek, and Sam would’ve known it would catch her attention instantly.
“Sorry to interrupt your little walkabout, but I need a really big favor from you. It’s important, and you’re the only person with the power to pull something like this off,” Sam said. “So if you could just switch places so I can have an actual conversation with you, that would be great. Talking to a statue kinda makes me feel weird, even if it is you.”
Mia groaned and rested her head against the side of a building, catching the attention of a couple of concerned citizens.
“You okay?” An older woman asked. “Bit early to be drunk, no?”
“Ah, no,” Mia laughed tiredly. “It’s not that. I’m—”
“Knock knock! I really need to talk, so can you mosey on over here?” Sam said impatiently. “Please. Pretty please. Sugar and sprinkles on top. Marshmallows and chocolate. Come oooooooon, I’m running out of nice things to say!”
“—Sorry,” Mia said. “I have to uh, go.”
She scuttled away awkwardly and found an alley to duck into. The statue Mia placed in Madhouse’s new hideout sat in the corner of her room. There wasn’t much to it yet, but Sam kept her word and was refurbishing the upstairs. It looked like she was busy with Mia’s room but stopped to take a break to wipe off the paint smudges and brush the sawdust out of her hair.
“Are you ignoring me? No, you’re not the type, which means you’re trying to— Oh, hey! You’re here,” Sam clapped happily. “Glad you could make it. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important. I guess you were out to get some fresh air aaaaaand, never mind,” she paused when Mia scowled. “I guess I did interrupt something. Ooh, no. Family stuff? That can’t be good. If you ever wanna—”
“Stop. Now.” Mia’s cold demeanor had Sam’s lips sealed with only two words. “I understand that your powers give you insight into people’s lives, but the least you could do – when it comes to the people you are supposed to be friends with – is lock that information away.”
“Aha…” Sam’s awkward laugh only made Mia’s eyes narrow. “Right, sorry. I’m still getting used to censoring myself. Max and Liam know, but up until recently, I’ve been a solo act. I moved around on my own, only looking out for myself.”
“Make a better effort to look out for what you say,” Mia grumbled. “Yes, I just discovered something troubling about my family. I don’t imagine it’ll be difficult for you to figure out, but I would appreciate it if you kept that information to yourself.”
“Yeah, sure,” Sam’s grin melted away to a more sincere expression. “I get you. My lips are sealed. If you ever want someone to talk to, just know I’m around. Not sure if my advice can be helpful, but I haven’t led anyone astray yet.”
Mia was starting to get where Liam was coming from about Mentalists. Even though Sam seemed sincere, Mia couldn’t bring herself to completely trust her. How Max put so much faith in her was beyond Mia. He seemed like a good guy, and maybe Sam was too, but something about her rubbed Mia the wrong way.
“I’ll let you know,” Mia said. “Anyway, what was so urgent you needed to talk right now? You said a favor?”
“Yes! A favor,” Sam rocked from side to side with an uncertain glint in her eyes. “Something’s been nagging me for a while now, and I’ve put it to the side because I wasn’t sure what to do. With you, I might be able to get to the bottom of it.”
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”
“Because you’re not,” Sam admitted sheepishly. “This is a delicate matter, and my curiosity is starting to get the better of me.”
“You know what people say about curiosity.”
“Yeah-yeah, but this might actually be really important,” Sam explained. “I don’t need that much from you, just some very discreet spying.”
Mia considered her request for a moment. Sam wouldn’t call this a favor if it conflicted with her morals. That meant she was going to ask Mia to spy on someone they knew, and between her and Sam, that could only be one of two people. She couldn’t fathom what Sam wanted to know about Liam when it seemed clear all his dirty laundry was already out for everyone to see.
That left only one person.
“Sam—”
“Just hear me out.”
“You can’t seriously be asking me to—”
“Mia please, just… hear me out.”
Mia’s nostrils flared. “Just what the hell could you want to know about him? You’ve known him for so long that you probably know almost everything about him. Let him have whatever privacy he can get from you.”
“It’s his family, not him,” Sam ran a hand through her hair, her exasperation visible. “Something’s up with them. Did you know he’s never met his sister? She’s supposedly in her thirties and studying art in France. Now, don’t get me wrong, studying abroad isn’t totally unusual. My interest only got piqued when that thirty-something-year-old art student conveniently had connections to resourceful Supers and just so happened to have the information we needed.”
Mia wanted to contest, but the way Sam put it did raise some red flags.
“So… his sister is a little bit shifty? That’s still not a reason for me to invade his privacy. This is all assuming I can even get my statues to France.”
Sam snorted.
“Oh, nonono. I just want you to spy on his mom. She talks to Max’s sister all the time. A statue nearby to listen in on what they talk about when Max isn’t there is what I wanna know,” Sam said. “I did a little bit of digging with Gold, but I haven’t had much exposure to his mom to really figure anything out. I’ve had more exposure to Alex, but there’s only so much I can get through a computer screen.”
Sam was right. Mia didn’t like the sound of this favor.
“I still don’t see—”
“Let me put it this way,” Sam clapped. “His mom is crippled, confined to a wheelchair because of an incident with the ECU and she refuses treatment for whatever reason. My first impression was that she’s bitter about it, but Gold suspects there’s something deeper there. Not only that, but he has a sister he’s never met, who conveniently has connections to Supers. Come on, Mia, get that noggin’ joggin’. Tell me you see where this is going.”
Curiosity began to eat away at her. She saw where Sam was coming from, but it didn’t make spying on Max’s family more appealing.
“He never really questions it either. Just keeps trucking along, forging ahead. Definitely headstrong, and admirable. He wants to fix his mom, which has led him to telling her about what he’s been up to – about all of us,” Sam explained with a longing look. “Really, it’s sweet. I like that, and it’s why I wanna do this. If you ask me, I don’t think his ‘family’ are who they say they are. I need you to help me prove that or prove me wrong.”
If there was a single moment Mia could point to for an explanation as to why she detested having powers, it was this.
“Fine,” Mia muttered after moments of contemplation. “But if this blows up in our faces, you’re the one that’s going to have to face the music.”