Phoenix
REQUESTED. HOPE YOU LIKE IT ANON.
Warning: Assault Mentioned (Proceed with caution I do not want to trigger anyone)
Staring in the mirror, you were far from the super-suit you had begun in two years prior. Your hair longer and filled in with extensions that were far from your natural hair color but complimented your skin nicely, though—the makeup on your face covering your acne scars from your adolescent years. You had dreamed of who you wanted to be—who Phoenix was supposed to be, and yet here you were. Not a single thing natural and looking far from the average person.
Queen Maeve stood in the mirror to the right of you, paying you no mind; she stayed to herself just as you always had. In between, you both was a free sink and mirror; to your left, a few steps back, you knew Translucent was there. The only noise you could all hear is the sound of the newbie throwing up. When she first arrived, the girl was so starstruck, rambling nervously about you being her favorite, the girl had no clue what she was in for. At first, you thought maybe she was just nervous, but the sound of her sobs covered you in a cold blanket of an awful memory. Taking a deep inhale, you closed your eyes before breathing slowly and letting your shoulders fall in an exhausted defeat. Watching Starlight leave her stall to the mirror, the mascara scattered under her eyes made you look down, wiping away at your hands as nothing was on them. Staring forward as Starlight occupied the sink next to you on the other side of Starlight, Queen Maeve watched her without care as she washed her hands.
“Oh, for Chrissakes. Clean yourself up,” Maeve said without remorse; her face was stern as she looked at Starlight with an uninterested look. Holding out paper towels as Starlight took them, Maeve continued, “Never let them see you like this. Translucent, you’re a goddamn pervert.”
Watching Maeve storm out, the click of her heels was loud as Translucent revealed himself. Rolling your eyes, you watched as Starlight turned away, “Oh, uh…”
“Translucent, get the hell out!” You yelled, grimacing at the sight of the bare body as he awkwardly walked off; you rolled your eyes once more. Leaning on the counter, you returned your attention to the distressed blonde in front of you.
“Maeve said the same thing to me. It seems harsh, but it’s the best advice you’re going to get around here; shockingly, the kindest advice,” You said, chuckling to yourself as you shook your head. Getting no response had it been earlier, the girl would have been ecstatic about your attention, but instead, she stared forward in disbelief. Looking at her narrowing your eyes, her lips were looked slightly swelled, and her face kept contorting into a grimace. At first, you did not want to think into it too far, and yet it was adding it up; you never understood deja-vu until this very moment.
“Let me guess he sold you on that he’s number two bullshit,” You said, turning toward you immediately; her eyes widened. Shaking your head, your face fell as her reaction confirmed the worst. Looking at her, you grabbed a paper towel, saying nothing; as you wet the paper towel, you could feel her watching you. The poor thing looked lost as you turned to her and lightly dabbed her scattered mascara, “You’re not alone, not at all. I thought I would be saving people. I thought I was going to be a goddamn hero, but not here, Starlight. Here you look like a hero, receive a check, and try to sleep at night with all you know.”
Getting most of the mascara off her right cheek, Starlight only stared at you with the same glossy look. Starting on her left cheek, you became rigid as she suddenly pulled you into a hug. Her body shaking as she sobbed, she held you tightly. Bringing your arms around her, you gently rubbed her back as she cried into your collarbone.
“You know, my Mom actually came up with my hero name. I loved superhero movies growing up. I was more of a Wonder Woman fan, but my mom loved Jean Grey. When we discovered my powers, she wanted me to be called Marvel Girl, but my Dad thought it was stupid. We all agreed on Phoenix, and my life dream was to join the Six and make it the Seven. Now you’re here, and it’s Eight,” Pausing for a second, you continued to rub Annie’s back; your story calmed her sobbing. The glossy look that was in her eyes was now in your own, “After it happened, I locked myself up in my room. I wasn’t answering phone calls or attending meetings for several days. Ashley called up and told me that I had no choice. They would force me into my suit if they had to and make me read a script if that’s what it needed to be, but the public had to see me.”
“What’d you do?” Annie’s voice was so low—practically a whisper as her voice cracked. An awful feeling settled in your stomach, a mixture of cramping and nausea. Swallowing down the lump in your throat, the texture resembled sandpaper as it scratched your throat. Pulling back from you, Annie looked up at you with puffy eyes, waiting for a story of triumph that you would not be able to give her.
“A couple hours after Ashley left, I flew home. They have trackers in us, so they knew, but I didn’t care. I was in a tank top and shorts flying in the middle of pouring rain—a storm—an eighteen-year-old girl not even allowed to have a drink yet with the whole world on her shoulders. When I got home, or at least the new home I had bought them with the first check, I stood outside the window. They had our weekly game night. The first game night I had ever missed,” Pausing for a second, your eyes were stinging with tears. The feeling of your clothes sticking to you and the goosebumps on your skin, it was all so vivid in your memory, “I stood there holding myself watching them in the window. I felt foolish, wanting nothing more than to go home, and there I was, just watching them from the window. It was a long time before I realized I wasn’t foolish. Had I gone in there, I would have been making a choice to leave Vought and to let him win. Had I fought, maybe I would have been proud of my choice, but I didn’t. I came back. I collected every check, and I read every line they told me to. My family will never worry about money again, but that was my choice. Look at where I am here; I’m above that piece of shit. I made peace with myself, but my choices don’t have to be your own. Say you make the choices I did, you need to ask yourself right now will you be able to sleep at night knowing you let him get away with what he did?”
Looking down at the floor, Annie was at a loss for words. Wiping away your own stray tears, you pulled yourself together in seconds as you watched the young girl in front of you.
“I didn’t think I could look up to you any more than I did, but I do,” Annie said, breaking the silence before pulling you into another hug. Muttering a thank you, she left you standing there. Taking a moment, you realized what you had just done; she was the first person you ever told that story to. Exiting the bathroom, you felt proud of yourself, but with it came a deep shame. Annie was a prime example that when it came to The Deep, there would always be another girl. Walking down the hall as the familiar green suit came into view, anger built in your chest.
“Hey Phoenix—” Deep began to mock; he always loved to act like the two of you were friends. Lifting your head, you watched as his body raised up off the ground, “What the hell!”
Hearing him gasp as you focused the energy around his neck to slowly start constricting, he struggled to breathe. Watching him struggle further and further until his face began to turn blue, you then released him. Hitting the floor with a thud, you watched as he choked in between his labored breaths.
“Take another girl’s choice away, and I promise I’ll kill you myself,” You said, kicking him onto his back; he was panting heavily.
“Homelander would never allow it,” He choked, but you offered a laugh at his rebuttal. Your fame rose much faster than most of the seven; your powers were nothing less of an A list superhero.
“Whether he wants to admit it or not, we all know who would win that fight.” You whispered as you crouched down, looking at him; your eyes glowed like hot lava. Constricted every cell in his body, you watched as he seized up, keeping your gaze on him the fear in his eyes brought you no solace. Releasing him, you stood back up.
“Stay the hell away from Starlight.”
