miss any details. I stare at her, trying to glean what’s going on, but she keeps her face locked in a permanent state of distress. “I’ll be right there.” She hangs up.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, stepping toward her. She’s visibly shaking, running her fingers across her scalp.
“It’s Matt. He’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“Kidnapped, they think. Or, actually, they don’t know for sure. He hasn’t checked in in over twenty-four hours, which is against protocol. But…” She shakes her head, breath quickening. “They think it’s connected to the siege.”
A Warrior, kidnapped? No. No! My heart shoots off in its own private hundred-yard dash. “WHAT! How?”
“I don’t know…. They’ve been increasing their threats against the Warriors…. I just didn’t think…” She wipes her face. “Sorry. I just…Earthquake and Aqua Maiden are already out there. I have to help. Shit. Shit! I need to change.” She rummages through her purse, pulling out a corner of her light blue spandex suit. “Can you help me?”
“Here?”
She rolls her eyes, clearly unable to filter herself in her panic. “No, like…in a restroom. Please, I need you. C’mon.” We run back into the restaurant, much to the delight of the clientele. Locking the bathroom door behind us, Joy quickly strips down to her underwear, a lacy bra and a pair of boy shorts. My face flushes at seeing her undressed for the first time, but we don’t have a second to spare.
She steps into the formfitting bodysuit, and I do my best to pull the high-tech fabric up over her curves. It’s not easy, especially in a cramped bathroom stall, and together we perform a strange, interpretive dance of squats, bends, and twisting limbs. Her foot lands in the toilet once; I almost tangle her hair in the back zipper. It’s like the world’s most complicated wetsuit, full of secret weapons, communications systems, and technology, requiring her to ensure every seam and zipper hits her shape in the exact right spot. A state-of-the-art health sensor must line up correctly against her spine; her wrist comm must lie on top of her radial artery. We always see heroes come bursting onto the scene, colors and capes blazing, but holy hell, their wardrobe is so complicated. It takes the two of us to twist and secure every last inch, both of us breathing heavy under pressure.
Once her suit is secure, she pulls on her boots and face mask, fully transforming herself into Girl Power. My heart can barely take it. Where is she running off to? Will she come back safe? I reach for her as she touches my cheeks with her extreme-grip gloves. Webbed fabric brushes my skin as she whispers, “Thank you. I gotta go.”
I nod, fighting back tears. She’s about to disappear into danger. What should I tell her? What do I say?
“Good luck” is all I can manage. She kisses me, soft and quick, before running out the door, leaving her bag and clothes behind. I hear a roar of applause in the restaurant as she blazes through, but I stay behind, giving myself a few minutes to collect my emotions. I pick up her things, stuffing her top and jeans into her bag. Her phone lights up with a stream of urgent messages, illuminating her wallpaper: a picture of the two of us from the charity night, just before that toxic gas was released. We’re all dressed up, smiling and cute, pressed cheek to cheek.
A tear rolls down my face. I should have asked her to be my girlfriend then, or a million times since. My head was fighting it, trying to tell me to do the smart, logical thing when I should have just followed my heart and asked.
Will I ever get the chance?
In a Channel 5 exclusive, we have learned that all four Warrior Nation heroes are currently missing, reportedly captured by the villains responsible for countless attacks during the recent siege. Never before in our city’s history has an entire chapter been out of commission, and Warrior Nation is refusing to comment at this time.
Stay tuned for the most up-to-date Warrior coverage.
“BRIDGETTE. BRIDGETTE. BRIDGETTE!”
I hide my head under the covers, trying to hold on to a few more precious moments of sleep despite my sister shaking me. She hardly ever gets up before nine a.m., so I don’t understand where this burst of energy is coming from.
Undeterred, Becca jumps onto the couch where I’m sleeping and starts bouncing up and down, shaking all the cushions. “WAKE! UP!”