When Lightning Strikes

Chapter 2 -- The mastermind

"So he just called you out? How did he see you? So much for secret identity."

Ashlynn is definitely the girl who asks way too many questions. She usually had a point, though. She was asking all the right questions today.

I plopped on my bean bag chair while she swiveled around in my desk chair. She was designing my outfit as we talked about my encounter with Red Raven earlier. The eraser kept moving across the paper, and her long, black hair was filled with pencil shavings. She kept drumming her fingers against the desk, which usually meant she was stumped on something. The action rarely occurred, given her outstanding intelligence. Honestly I'm worried this will go nowhere if Ash is drawing a blank. Literally.

"I don't know, Ash. One second, he's thrown off guard and the next it's like he knows my deepest, darkest secrets! I don't even have secrets!"

Ash looks up at me, about to point out the obvious.

"Well, I mean, except for the powers thing. He knew me." Chills raced up and down my spine at the thought. Goosebumps appear on my fair skin.

"Maybe it's someone we know who has powers. Do you know of anyone at our school-"

"If I knew any other supers do you really think I'd be beating my head against a wall trying to figure out his identity?" Her sentence was abruptly cut off as I rudely interjected. I have never been in such an impatient mood. This guy is messing with my life, and I'm sure, with his brain's ability, he knew those words would have this effect on me.

"Jonas can read minds, right? We can just have him do his thing and see who our mastermind is. Oh wow. Why isn't Red Raven called Mastermind?" She taps her pencil against her chin in thought.

Again with the questions, Ash. I roll my eyes, but I know she's onto something. Jonas confided in me several years ago with his secret abilities. When I got my powers, Jonas was waiting for the moment we would become a dynamic duo. Ash was waiting for the day Jonas and I would become a couple.

My fingers press against my temples, trying to relieve some of the pain. Suddenly my headache gets a lot worse and I look up at the window to find my suspicion is correct. Jonas squats in the windowsill, his black Vans carefully placed as he waits for his invitation to officially come in.

"Can you manage to not give me a migraine every time you come in the room?" I ask aloud, making him chuckle in the slightest.

His dark hair brushes against the window frame as he clumsily topples in the room. Ash stands up and laughs as she walks past me out the door. She leans down to whisper in my ear as Jonas struggles to gain his composure.

"Love hurts, huh?" I roll my eyes. I do not love Jonas. I can't believe she pulled that card on me all the time. She claimed she must've saw something we didn't. I claimed I had a boyfriend.

Don't get me wrong, Jonas Coleman was an amazing guy. He was a good student, an athlete, and an outstanding friend. For the longest time I had to tell myself not to like him. Now that I had a boyfriend of five months, I didn't even look at Jonas that way.

"Do you think she'll come back with food? I'm starving." Jonas falls into the desk chair Ash was just sitting in. He knew it would tick her off when she saw him in her designated seat, but that's why he did it.

"She doesn't leave my room unless her mom tells her to come home or she's helping herself in the kitchen. I'm sure she'll be back with food. Honestly, Jonas, it's nine o'clock why haven't you had supper yet?"

He twiddles his thumbs without looking at me, "I have," Looking up with a jerk of his neck, he adds, "I'm a growing boy!"

Ash comes back in the room with goldfish snacks and I find myself gradually becoming more annoyed with their nonchalant attitude.

"Ooh! Pass me the bag!" Jonas holds out his hand.

"No way, get out of my seat!" Ash demands.

"I don't see your name written on it."

"Move or I'll tell-"

"No! I-I'll move." He quickly jumps to my other bean bag chair.

As curious as I am to know what just happened, I let my anger get the best of me.

"Guys! Seriously? Some evil super villain knows me by name and threatened to end my career before it's even begun. Can we focus?"

They both look up with goldfish crackers in their mouth.

Nodding their heads slowly, they start to grab notebooks and pencils from my old, wooden desk to plot and get answers.

"Well we know it's not Mason. He wouldn't threaten his own sister even if he had powers." Jonas crosses something out on his paper. I stare at Ash for her input.

She points in Jonas' direction, "All this bafoon can do is give us headaches and occasionally read our minds." She pointed at Jonas who feigned to be hurt by her remark. She raised her eyebrows and marked something on her own paper.

"What about Mickey?" Jonas shot up from his seat in realization.

That's what people call my boyfriend. His name is actually Nick Michaels, but even I call him Mickey. My boyfriend has nothing to do with supers. I glare at Jonas for even suggesting that as a joke. This was no laughing matter.

"Del, you need to calm down." Jonas comments.

My eyes grow wider and that's when he decides to head home. Carefully but quickly he climbs out of the window and hits the ground with a loud "Oww!"

Ash folds her hands together, "Now that the royal jester has exited, do you want me to show you my design?"

Finally, something I could get excited about. I rush over to see a well crafted masterpiece on my desk. A deep blue, one piece, spandex suit with a gold lightning bolt down the lower part of my stomach to my upper right leg. A golden cape flows behind the suit. If this is what I would show up in to fight crime, I'd never want to take it off.

"When can you have it done? I love it!" I practically squeal in eagerness.

"Well-" She starts, but is cut off for a second time tonight.

He slowly creeps into my room, as eerily as possible. Red Raven's red and black suit covers every inch of his body, while only a checkered mask hides his face. He wants people to see his sly smirk.

"Della, sweetheart, I thought I told you to stay out of my way? I don't want to see you hurt." He laughs at his last sentence then goes back to a straight face as he spots Ash.

"Hi, Ashley." He spits.

"It's... It's Ashlynn. One would think you'd know that." She threw in his face. He didn't attack her. He was the most disturbingly peaceful villain I had met.

He eyes her drawing and scoffs.

"I have no competition here. Goodnight ladies. I'll see you in school."

Ash and I watched him soar out of the window like a bird. That's new, I thought to myself.

"Well now his name makes more sense." Ash states, petrified. Her words are barely above a whisper as she stares at the window.

I rush over to close the window and lock it real tight.

"Ash... He's never been able to fly before."

A/N
How are we liking the story so far? Comment and let me know!

Ash's design is attached to the chapter! The amazing @LokidogIsUnimpressed made the fan art, which is absolutely stunning! I never would have been able to do this! Big shout out to you!

Thanks to everyone reading!
Always, Sunny