posted if you hear anything, okay? You can always count on me if you need anything.”
“Thank you.”
“You hang in there.” He walks off, just as Claire throws her hands up in the air, cursing under her breath.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“I just…I don’t understand why Millie is not calling the other chapters for help,” she steams. “That’s what they do; it’s what they’ve always done.” She opens her journal to what looks like a list of comic book titles and synopses. “See? Look. In Blue Streak #52, the Chicago and Boston chapters work together to defeat Madame Mayhem. And again in #103—Blue Streak assembles heroes from both coasts for a mission against an underground army of assassins.”
“Do you always carry this with you?” I ask, flipping through a few pages myself. Even after just a few seconds, I can already tell it’s the most detailed account of Warrior Nation I’ve ever seen.
“Oh, my grail diary?” She blushes, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “Yes.”
“It’s amazing.” I find a section on Matt, listing all his professional victories over the course of his hero career. I’ve never seen them all spelled out like this…. There are so many of them, it’s overwhelming. I touch my fingers to her handwritten “Vaporizer” headline, wishing I could connect with more than his name right now.
“Thanks.”
“And I agree, I don’t get why they’re holding back,” I say. “Matt’s worked with heroes like Kitty Vicious and Webby on way less dangerous problems than this.”
“Yes! I remember that!” she exclaims, getting all red in the face. “The whole point of a national organization is that they’re supposed to work together. The individual heroes work on a buddy system, and the chapters do too. Chicago’s buddy is Boston. Never cease, never cower—hello? This feels a lot like cowering to me.”
She’s right, and I don’t understand what’s going on. Millie says they have a strategy, but why do I get the sense she’s just stalling?
And when someone you love is in danger, every single second counts.
Warrior Nation Boston Chapter @OfficialBostonWarriors
Stay strong, Chicago heroes! Never cease, never cower!
#WeStandWithChicago
Storm Chaser @MakeItRainStormChaser
We believe in you! This siege will end! #WeStandWithChicago
Webby @theRealWebbyHero
You are in our hearts! Don’t disappear on us, Vaporizer! #WeStandWithChicago
Warrior Nation NYC Chapter @NYCHeroesOfficial
Ready to fight by your side, Chicago! #WeStandWithChicago
WHAT IF JOY CAN’T BE SAVED? What if she dies? What if I never see her again?
A combo of worry and anger churns inside me, bubbling up over and over before I can stop it. I’m going to lose it if I let these thoughts rule my head. I need to do something. We need to do something. If belonging to every single club at school has taught me anything, it’s that standing idly by is the best way to get eaten alive, so we need to keep ourselves busy. Proactive.
Because this thing between me and Joy has only just begun; she can’t be taken away from me yet. Not before I get to kiss her under the stars or take her to the prom. I don’t even know her favorite color or go-to karaoke song. I can’t let anything happen to her.
I can’t.
“Claire, I’d like you to meet Houston and Anna,” Bridgette says, kindly trying to redirect some of my frantic energy. “Houston is dating Aqua Maiden, and Anna—”
“Yes, I recognize you both,” I admit, having seen their faces splashed on countless WarNat sites. “Hi.”
“OMG, Claire?” Anna latches onto me, tightly wrapping her hands around my wrists. “Are you dating Joy? How have I not met you yet? Did you just get together? You must be so scared! I know I am. I mean, when Ryan didn’t come home I just worried and worried and worried and—”
Bridgette lightly taps her shoulder, breaking her rampant thoughts. “Take a breath,” she reminds her, and Anna quickly breathes in through her nose, blowing it out with a high-pitched “Ooooo.”
“I didn’t know Joy was paired up either,” Houston says, giving me a tight-lipped smile. Looking at him now, I realize I’ve never actually seen his whole face, thanks to his girlfriend usually hogging all the camera angles. It’s disorienting seeing Houston and Anna in person. While neither has garnered the kind of attention or trolling that Bridgette receives, their names do pop up from time to time, usually by WarNats complaining about how significant others get “in the way” of real hero work by getting themselves kidnapped and sticking their noses where they don’t belong. I myself was once part of an epic thread