Whispers of a broken promise

It was a normal Monday of fighting monsters and protecting others. The two girls, Marlie and Makenzie, were always together. They had been best friends, always doing missions together. They had promised each other they would always work as a team and become the strongest heroes when they grew up.

One day, they were given a special mission. It involved protecting an important person for two weeks until she was finally safe. Their teacher, Mr. Desmond said, “This mission is critical. Protect Diana at all costs.” Marlie and Makenzie both nodded. They received a folder with Diana’s description, which stated that she was a descendant of a royal family that had perished centuries ago. An unknown person had placed a target on her head, offering a $10,000 reward for her death. Determined to protect Diana, Marlie and Makenzie accepted the mission.

Marlie and Makenzie had planned to take Diana to a safe underground location where neither monsters nor unauthorized people could enter. Only they, as Diana’s protectors, could access the place. They intended to hide Diana there until the danger passed. After some careful planning, they set off. However, others were also heading toward the same destination, hoping to claim the bounty on her.

As the two heroes walked, they were suddenly attacked by a man wielding a katana. He looked like a ninja and was trying to capture Diana. Marlie engaged him in battle and quickly defeated him, while Makenzie continued toward their destination.

After some time, both Makenzie and Marlie arrived at the destination together. Instead of entering the building normally, Makenzie had used her leaping ability to reach the balcony, while Marlie, whose power was flying, floated up. Once inside, they found Diana waiting, surprised by their unusual entrance, as her apartment was ten stories up. Still, she felt reassured by their presence and knew they were there to protect her.

The three of them headed toward the gate to their next destination. It had been a long day, and they were exhausted, so they decided to rest for the night and resume their journey in the morning.

On Tuesday, they continued to the safe location. Before saying their final goodbyes, they decided to have some fun, taking Diana to the beach and other places, knowing she would be confined for a long time. Diana had felt like a younger sister to Makenzie, and she grew fond of her. Once they were done, they made their way to the underground hideout. The coast was clear, and there were no signs of attackers.

However, just as they dropped Diana off at the location, a loud crack echoed—the sound of a gunshot. Diana gasped, clutching her torso as blood quickly stained her clothes. Marlie and Makenzie froze, too shocked to react. They stared in silence, their minds racing but their bodies paralyzed. For what felt like an eternity, neither moved. They couldn’t speak; they couldn’t process what had just happened. Then, as Diana collapsed, their instincts kicked in. They snapped their heads toward the attacker—a man with a gun pointed at Diana.

But by then, it was too late.

Before anyone else got hurt, the two heroes attacked the man, but he countered their moves with skill. It was a tough, drawn-out battle two against one. The man was strong, but eventually, after a long and brutal fight, Marlie and Makenzie defeated him, though they were severely injured.

Marlie, known to be stronger than Makenzie, had most people thinking she had done most of the fighting. When they returned to headquarters and reported the incident to Mr. Desmond, he was furious that the mission had failed. However, he acknowledged that they had taken down a wanted criminal and a dangerous monster, so they received some credit for that. Most of the recognition went to Marlie, as everyone believed she had done most of the work. Makenzie wasn’t too happy about people only recognizing Marlie, despite their teamwork.

Marlie approached Makenzie after the meeting, noticing her upset expression. “They’re talking about us, not just me,” she said.

“You’re the one they’re talking about. Not us,” Makenzie replied.

“What? We did it together,” Marlie responded, but as Makenzie began to walk off, she added, “That’s not what they think...”

With that, she walked out of the room. Marlie felt unsettled but didn’t dwell on it and eventually left.

Diana’s death had a deep impact on both Marlie and Makenzie, particularly Makenzie, who had thought of Diana as a little sister. Makenzie was also troubled by Marlie receiving most of the credit, despite their teamwork. Depressed, she began taking missions independently, distancing herself from Marlie. Though Marlie noticed the change, she never brought it up and instead went on missions with others or alone.

The next day, Makenzie boarded a train with dark circles under her eyes, a clear sign of exhaustion. She was headed to a meeting to discuss an important matter. After arriving, she was escorted to the meeting room with two people. Throughout the meeting, Makenzie sat disinterested, her mind elsewhere. As she left, she overheard people gossiping about how tired she looked which made her feel sick with anger. She wanted to snap at them but restrained herself.

This gossip became a persistent problem for her, and she started hearing it everywhere. She met up with Marlie, who hadn’t yet noticed her struggles. Makenzie didn’t want Marlie involved in her problems, so she kept quiet and retained her distance.

The next day, the gossip got worse, and people no longer bothered to hide their comments. The stress overwhelmed Makenzie, she stayed in her room for two days. As the situation deteriorated, Marlie finally noticed and went to Makenzie’s house to check on her. She knocked on the door.

“Makenzie, it’s me. We need to talk,” she called, but there was no answer. It was completely silent. “Come on. Don’t shut me out,” Marlie said again but got no response, so she left. For three more days, Marlie returned, but there was still no answer. “Makenzie, please open the door. I want to talk. Come on, we can fix this. We’ve always figured things out together,” Marlie pleaded, but again, no response came. She grew increasingly worried when she realized Makenzie had stopped going on missions altogether.

By the time Marlie realized the gravity of the situation, it was too late. Makenzie had withdrawn completely, leaving the hero organization and her best friend behind. As the sun set on the city, Makenzie stood outside the hero headquarters, a heavyweight in her chest. She glanced back one last time, memories of laughter and camaraderie flooding her mind. But now, those moments felt distant and hollow. Just as she turned to leave, she heard Marlie’s voice behind her.

“Makenzie, wait!”

Makenzie paused, her heart racing, but she didn’t turn around.

“We can work this out. Don’t go,” Marlie pleaded.

But with a deep breath, Makenzie pressed on, knowing she could no longer be part of a world that had seemed to forget her struggles. The doors swung shut behind her, sealing off a chapter of her life, and she stepped into the unknown, seeking solace far from the heroes she had once called friends.