The smell of cigarettes wasn’t a comfortable one for anyone that didn’t smoke. It was the same for Isabella —she never fancied them and the smoke was pungent. Being in close proximity to someone that smoked recently made her nauseous, and that was exactly what being near Jessie meant.

“I can just touch you once and I’d have that body,” remarked Jessie, almost glaring at her.

“Yes, but do you like your odds of getting away? I’m not very athletic but that body, on the other hand-” said Isabella and trailed off, “Let’s just say you won’t make it far.”

That’d never happen, though.

If she was touched, she’d just loop back to some point in time and she could keep trying again. It’d be like she was charming, able to convince people without fail or at least run away from them all the time.

Like she was never wrong.

“O-okay, let’s just get this straight. Are you a Super or not?” asked Jessie and flicked her cigarette at a nearby garbage bin. It didn’t make it into the hole, instead of plopping off to the side. Then she turned to Isabella, “Why should I be afraid of you?”

“You shouldn’t be,” said Isabella, “I’m just here to offer… advice. And a nice job opportunity.”

“Job? Work? Why the hell would I do that?” asked Jessie.

“Because whatever you’re doing now isn’t working. Snatching bodies in a casino? With Supers as guards? That’s a bad move,” said Isabella and shook her head slowly.

“They couldn’t possibly catch me,” said Jessie and gave her a scoff, “There’s a crowd of people in there 24/7. Looking for me in there is like looking for a needle in a haystack, not to mention what I can do to people.”

“Freaky Friday them and leave, messing up their life at your whim. It’s a nice power,” said Isabella and then softly sighed, “Too bad that you aren’t using it to its full potential.”

“And why would I do that?” asked Jessie, “The feds would be out for my ass.”

“Yes, but you just said it, didn’t you? That even Supers are afraid of you. So why wouldn’t the feds be?” asked Isabella and promptly turned around, “We’ll talk in the car.”

“What?” she growled.

Isabella didn’t stop.

She could loop back and fix it if that was the wrong approach.

“Hey,” shouted Jessie, but Isabella didn’t stop.

Before long, she heard the sound of high-heels clicking behind her —that was good. It meant that Jessie was following her.

“You aren’t even rich, are you?” asked Jessie, panting by the time they were at the old car.

Isabella thought that Jessie’s body was better than hers, but it seemed to belong to a chain-smoker, and their stamina was as low as could be. It was debatable that Isabella could catch up to Jessie if she took her own body, but that wasn’t an option —it’d never happen.

Still, that meant her words weren’t perfect.

Isabella had the urge to reset but didn’t.

“I’m not, but you’d have missed out on a car because the remote locks don’t work,” said Isabella and hopped into the driver’s seat but kept the door open.

“Nuh-uh, I’m not going in there,” said Jessie.

“Think about it. You’re a Super that can steal my body with a mere touch. I wouldn’t want to lose my body,” said Isabella and pat the seat next to her, “Sit.”

“And you are some Super that’s confident in killing me before I do touch you,” said Jessie, “I know your kind. You act all vulnerable, downplay yourself and then pull out a UNO reverse card at the last second, acting all sassy.”

“Then all the more reason for you to listen to me,” said Isabella.

“I- Hey, listen here. I just wanna live my boring life, wasting away in bars, okay? Don’t bother me,” said Jessie, “Going big isn’t something everyone does. Or wants!”

“Skip town,” said Isabella.

“What?” asked Jessie and her left eyes twitched.

“If you’re in Florida and a madwoman shouts about losing her body, no one would believe her. Here, one in ten people will,” said Isabella and shook her head.

“No way I’m doing that,” countered Jessie.

This wasn’t looking good.

Maybe crashing her car for another try was better. Before her checkpoint reset, that is.

“So what will you do, then? Hang around here until someone figures out how to counter your ability or snipes you from a mile away? You have to touch someone to change bodies, no? What happens if they shoot you,” asked Isabella, a small smirk on her face —it was always present on her face whenever she took her chances.

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“They won’t,” said Jessie.

“The moment your power is registered into the database, the feds will be after you. Think about it. You could end the world if you wanted to,” said Isabella, “It’s so easy… Well, you’ll be long dead before you accomplish it but the feds don’t care. They care about possibilities. They care about the threats you pose. They don’t care about what you think or what your goals are. They’ll be afraid of you.”

“How?” she asked and her nose scrunched up a little, and then she furrowed her brows.

“Sit, and we’ll talk,” said Isabella.

Begrudgingly, Jessie dragged her feet and took a seat next to Isabella. She slipped off her heels while she was at it, clearly uncomfortable in them.

“Happy now?” asked Jessie and sat there with crossed arms, “Now, tell me how I can end the world.”

“You can become the president,” said Isabella and revved up the engine, “Find a logical cause and you can launch nukes. Other countries with nukes mightn’t stay their hand and just by being alive or not in government custody, you endanger the world, Jessie. If you keep using your powers, you’ll be found out eventually. Then they’ll kill you or turn you into a lab rat, or both.”

“I won’t do that,” said Jessie and looked around as the car started moving, “Hey, I didn’t agree to this. Stop the car.”

“I can’t. Unless you want to answer to a bunch of Supers,” said Isabella, “I said a friend of mine was a security guard at the casino, didn’t I? He told me he was looking for a body snatcher, and they know your face. How do you think I found you?”

It was a blatant lie on both fronts, but she was good at lying.

Having overprotective parents and having a social life were mutually exclusive if you were a good child —Isabella wasn’t. Lying was second nature for her.

“You were… looking for me?” asked Jessie and sunk back to the seat. She rubbed her forehead and frowned.

“Yes, and the excuse was for the guards in case you got caught. The cover story is that I know whoever that body belonged to from college and I didn’t know you were someone else in her body. That way, I can help you out without incriminating myself,” said Isabella.

“You’ll drop me off… right?” asked Jessie after they drove for a few minutes.

“No, I’ll crash into this building right here and commit double suicide because I’m secretly on a vendetta against you for stealing the body of my friend,” said Isabella, and there was a slight tension before she added, “Just kidding. I’ll drop you off somewhere if you don’t want my deal.”

“What is it?” asked Jessie after some silence.

That was good.

She was going along for now.

“There’s a crime lord in my city. I want to take him-,” started Isabella.

“I’m out,” said Jessie before she even finished her sentence.

It was irritating to be cut off during an explanation, but it wasn’t some elaborately planned monologue or lecture this time.

That wasn’t good.

“That’s suicide,” she added, “Going against a crime lord? Are you crazy?”

“No, no, no,” said Isabella and pulled over to the side of the road, now a good ways away from the casino —she needed to not be driving for the next part, “I’m not crazy, Jessie. I only pick fights I can win. The moment I decide to do something, it’s a success. Doesn’t matter what it is. It will happen. I’ve already won. Because I said so.”

“I’m leaving,” said Jessie as she put her high heels back on.

“You’ll be rich, you know?” said Isabella and locked the passenger-side door from the driver’s side, “You can lay low for the rest of your life with that kind of money. Hide from the feds, evading death or a life sentence in the worst place imaginable. I’ll give you a twenty percent cut.”

“And I’d be risking my life,” she growled, “I’d rather live my dream for a few more months before I get shot or something.”

“Oh,” said Isabella and she opened her mouth. After a slight chuckle, she added, “So you’re afraid of dying.”

“That’s how it works, in case you didn’t realize,” said Jessie and flipped the unlock switch, “You’re not a Super. You’re just suicidal. I should’ve seen it coming a mile away when you did that.”

“My point is… you won’t die,” said Isabella and locked the door before Jessie opened it, “As long as you do what I say.”

“Is that a threat?” Jessie asked and turned to her, “I can put up a fight, you know?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m always right. If you do what I say, you’ll live —prosper. Even if the feds are after you. Even if you have a hundred guns aimed at you, you’ll survive,” said Isabella.

She could see the doubt in Jessie’s eyes.

“Look at me. Do you think I’m lying?” she asked.

“You wouldn’t need to lie if you’re delusional enough to believe that,” said Jessie and turned around.

“Back at the casino. I won four times in a row,” said Isabella just as the door opened, “How do you think I did it?”

Jessie closed the door and looked back at Isabella.

“Well then, impress me,” said Jessie.

“I calculated it. How the ball would move as it spins around the wheel. In which pocket it’d land. And that’s all long before the game even begins, Jessie. I knew how long the dealer would take to manage the chips. I knew when he’d do it, down to the last second,” said Isabella, “I knew you’d be waiting for me outside the hotel long before our conversation. I knew you’d follow me into the car. I knew we’d be sitting here, and I knew you’d close that door after hearing my words.”

“Then what happens now?” asked Jessie after a tiny bit of hesitation, “Do you know that? Did you calculate it?”

“There’s no need to. You’ll join me. The pros far outweigh the cons,” said Isabella, “And you’ll drive.”

A stifling silence rested in the car for a few seconds as Jessie thought before she finally opened her mouth.

“Wait, I’m driving?” she asked as if she finally realized something.

“If you value your life, that is. I’m bad at driving at night,” Isabella said.

That was the sole truth that Isabella told Jessie tonight.

She hadn’t even looped back once and she… succeeded.

Was this how the Badass Normals in comics felt?

Acting as if their plans were already completed long before they started it, brimming with confidence that bordered on plain arrogance. And it was exhilarating —trying to get someone to agree to something just by convincing them, knowing that no failure would bite her back in the end and that she could try again, or at worst walk away unharmed.

The Piper had to go down if she were to live in peace.

And maybe, just maybe, she wanted to do a lot more convincing. It made Isabella feel a kind of authority that she’d never felt before. Almost like she was the one dictating the lives of others —it was far beyond what little authority she had in a classroom.

Threatening to fail students was one thing but convincing someone to fight a crime lord with nothing but words?

That was fun.

“Wait… we’re leaving now?” asked Jessie.

“Well, there are some Supers out for you in this town. But it’s your choice, really. I don’t care either way,” said Isabella.

“Fine, fine, fine. I kinda like this body, I guess,” said Jessie, “It’s not like I can’t just replace it.”

“Oh, a question. Are you a man?” asked Isabella, out of nowhere, “Or rather, were you a man?”

“Umm, no?” she said, more a question than anything else, “I can be, though. Is there a problem with that?”