Hero Huntress

I sat in the kitchen area of my apartment, eating cereal for breakfast. My dad walked in with his usual sigh as he poured a bowl of cereal for himself.

"Hey, I'm going to go out," he said. My dad was always out. This was perfect. I had time to go out and attempt my first take down. I ran to my room, reached under my bed, and grabbed my black leather backpack that contains my Hero Huntress materials, including the suit, inside.

"Umm, what's all this?" My dad was at the door with a coat on and keys in his hand. I bit my lip. Maybe I should have waited until I was sure that he had left.

"Nothing... Exam books... going to a friend's house to study."

"Who?"

"Why do you care?" I asked. He never cares. What suddenly changed in him. I rolled my eyes. "Its nothing. Exams are coming up and I'm going to Ellie's house to study with her. Nothing big. So stop pretending you care." I grabbed my black leather coat and my house key.

My dad sighed. I actually began to feel bad for the way I spoke to him. "Look. I'll be back around five. I'm just studying."

"Fine," my dad said, "But no later than five-thirty. You hear?" Oh look at that! He actually looked like he cared about my safety. How annoying. Usually he would turn a blind eye and be fine with not knowing what I'm up to. He left the apartment and I waited two minutes before leaving after him. I locked up the apartment and began to walk through the hallway.

I heard the shouting of the young couple who lived right next to us, the playing of little kids--probably siblings--singing and laughing together in the next room over. I smirked, remembering how I would always play with my mom when I was younger. She would throw me into the air and I would land in her arms. I smiled warmly to myself as I reached the front door to the apartment building. The lobby was full of people. An old couple playing chess, a twelve year old playing a Nintendo DS with his friend watching, an eight year old girl playing barbies with her older sister, and a woman trying to read what seemed to be a romance novel. I looked around at the minnie community. Everybody happy. No trace of any superheroes or the messes they make while trying to "help" the helpless mortals. It was perfect. That's what I wanted for the whole world.

Whether people like to admit it not, superheroes cause more problems than they solve. I saw that when I was only eleven years old, and my friend, Ellie Miller, sees that too. That's why she was my partner in taking down superheroes. That's why I planned on going to her house that day (See? I don't lie to my dad about everything)

I walked down the dirty streets of Manhattan, New York that I called home. I knew everybody. I knew Phil, the local baker; Natasha, the owner of a gas station that I pass on the way to school during the week; Joe, who makes and sells balloon animals for extra cash on weekends; Wanda, who is homeless but earns money by playing the violin, a gift from her mom, on the streets every day; and Stuart, a struggling actor who mops the floors at Cindy's candy store. These people aren't perfect, but they are like family to me.

"Hey Cassie!" Wanda said to me that morning. She was getting her violin and her bow out.

"Hey Wanda! Whatcha planning to play today?"

"No clue... I was thinking about playing movie theme songs... but we'll see!"

"Hey, play that Harry Potter theme for me," I said reaching for my wallet. I placed fifteen dollars in her violin case. She smiled and began to play the Harry Potter theme song from the movies. I grinned as I continued walking.

I reached Ellie's apartment building and entered. I went up the escalator and reached her floor. I knocked on her door and she answered with a smile.

"Hey," I told her, putting my coat on her coat rack, "I have until five-thirty,"

"Cool, perfect amount of time to catch a hero." She grinned at me. Since she is twenty now and has her own apartment, she doesn't have to worry about parents bombarding her with questions anymore. Lucky.

She closed and locked her apartment door and we both sat down at her table. I put my bag on the table next to me and we automatically began to plan things for today.

"So," I asked, "Who do you think our target should be today?"

"Well, I've been researching the superhero known as Wattia... She's been in this area recently." She said.

"Are you kidding? Wattia generates electricity. I can't compete with that!"

"Yeah, but If you take her out first, it would show superheroes that Hero Huntress is someone to fear." She said. I went queasy. Ellie did have a point, but I was no match for a superhero with the ability to blast electricity at me. I didn't even have powers. I did have gadgets that Ellie created for me though.

"Okay, but how do you think I'm going to beat her? It's not like I have any powers."

"I don't know... I have an electric repellent suit." She pondered.

"You made an electric repellent suit? When did you think to do that?"

"I had a lot of free time and decided to..."

"Make an electric repellent suit?" I laughed. She smiled.

"Well, I also made a fire repellent suit... and a water repellent suit..."

"Wow. Just wow." I laughed at her, "You are very strange, you know."

"Well, anyway, I was thinking that we could set up a diversion to attract her and you could... you know..." I knew what she was gonna say. And I knew why it made her feel uncomfortable. We did not like to think of our plans as murder, even though it technically was. We liked to think of it as helping...

"Sounds like a plan..." I said solemnly, "Where's that electric repellent suit?"

She got the suit and I had tried it on. Though it felt kind of uncomfortable, it felt pretty safe and strong.

I still felt queasy thinking about fighting Wattia. How was I supposed to take down a superhero with electric powers.

"Are you sure there's no other superhero we could, you know..." I fearfully asked Ellie.

"I didn't do any further research..."

"Well, we can research now." I said, hoping to get out of fighting Wattia.

"Look," she said, smirking a little, "I know that you're scared of fighting her, but you've got this! We'll arm you with your deadliest weapons and your suit will block out-" Both of our heads turned in the direction of the door when we heard the knock. "It's probably Al," Ellie stood and walked towards the door. She opened it to find our other friend Al.

Albert Wilson. He's been my friend since the first grade. I always had him to talk to. And he was also on our side about the termination of superheroes. I smiled as I watched my friend walk through the door.

"Hey, I see that you two began planning without me," He said while walking to the seat across from me.

"Guess who I get to fight?" I said with sarcastic happiness.

"Who?" He asked "Wait! No! let me guess! Is it..." He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Dragon Man?"

"There is no way I am fighting somebody who breathes fire! Are you crazy?" I laughed at him. "Plus, his hero name is too stupid for me anyway."

"Well," He said through a smile, "All hero names are stupid! 'Dragon Man', 'Illusionater', 'Invisiboy', 'Night Stalker', 'Wattia', Heroes couldn't create a decent name if their lives depended on it."

"Ain't that the truth," Ellie said, laughing. "I mean... There's one named 'Violet Justice'! Where do people come up with this stuff!"

I laughed with my friends, but the laughter died away and things became a little more serious.

"So," Al said, walking to the fridge to get a drink, "Who are we planning to fight?"

"Wattia." I said, only loud enough for him and Ellie to hear.

"Wattia? Do you have a death wish?" He practically shouted.

"Ellie picked it."

"Okay guys," Ellie cut into the conversation, "We're leaving in one hour." She put a wig on her head, most likely for a disguise.

"Are you trying to kill Cassie?" Al said to her.

"Obviously not! We're just trying to make our first victim a big one." Ellie answered.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because we can show the other superheroes that Hero Huntress is a name to be feared!" Ellie said as if it were obvious. Al looked at me with a rueful look on his face.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Am I sure? No. Am I doing it anyway? Absolutely."

"You see," He smiled, opening a soda can, "this is why you're the one hunting heroes and not me."