1 ~Prologue~

All I can hear is the sound of the cars whizzing past on the busy streets of New York as the cold night air nips at the exposed skin on the back of my neck. As the wind picks up, it collects stray newspaper articles reading about the latest superheroes Red Wing and Golden Fox. My light brown hair sways messily behind me as I rush home from my job at Tess Cafe. I dodge all the people who are still wandering the streets this late at night.

"Okay, it's only 9:46. I still have time to finish my calculus homework," I murmur to myself as I quickly move out of the way for a businessman with an umbrella. Wait, umbrella?

I whip my head up and scan the people around me. Everybody is pulling out their umbrella's, opening them to shield themselves from the rain. I glance up to the sky to confirm that it is indeed raining. I toss my hood up to try to cover myself from the now pouring rain, beating on the sidewalk.

"Only five more minutes till you reach home," I say as I increase my speed. I come to a sudden halt when I hear my name be called. At first I think its a figure of my imagination until it shouts again.

"Hope!" The voice hollers. I squint my eyes, trying to see the face of the unknown caller. I turn around and head to where I think the voice came from until it shouts yet again.

"Hope! Over here!" The voice repeats.

I put my hand above my eyes to see through the still pouring rain. All I can hear besides the voice is the squeaking of my shoes. I peak my head around the corner of an alleyway, scanning the scene. I spot a man or woman, can't really tell from this distance, motioning me forwards. I don't know why I did it, but I placed one foot in front of the other and entered the shadows, away from prying eyes.

"Hello? Who is it?" I decide to shout into the darkness. The figure turns its head to me, I can now slightly make out the face to realize its a man. An older man. Maybe in his late 40s early 50s. His graying beard sticks out to me the most. I instantly conclude that I have no idea who this man is and prepare myself to spin around on the balls of my feet to leave.

I take one step back and bump into a wall behind me. I immediately turn around to meet the wall to only come face to face with another man. He quickly grabs my upper arms, and pushes me up against the real wall to our left. My head makes contact with the brick, making me cry out. The guy with the grey beard quickly silences me with his hand, which I tell you stank like cigarettes.

"Give me all your money or he shoots!" The crazed man with the beard yells over the rain. I flicker my eyes to the other man, who looks a lot younger, around mid 30s aiming a gun straight to my head.

"I don't have anything!" I croak out. That's actually a lie. I just got payed today since it's Thursday. I'm carrying about $600 in my back left pocket.

"You liar! I know you have money on you cupcake. Bill, do your thing old man," I shiver as his breath fans onto my face.

The man squeezes my shoulders tighter, making his nails dig into my coat sleeve. Lighting flashes overhead letting me get a better look of the man. His grey beard is cut short. His eyes a dark brown, hiding his true ways. The scar above his left eye goes all the way down to his ear. It looks awfully fresh like it was recent. Too recent. I shudder at the thought. I look back over to the younger guy, seeing him still pointing the gun at me.

"Please don't hurt me! I don't have anything, really!" I cry out once more. Next thing I know, I feel a sharp pain in my right shoulder. I scream as I watch Bill, the man with the scar, dig a knife into my right shoulder as he smirks.

I risk a glance to the man with the gun, only to see him looking in awe. I let out a blood curling scream since Bill removed his hand from my mouth. I feel the sticky red blood start tricking down my jacket, burning in its wake. Bill then proceeds to rip the knife out of my arm, then stuffing it into his coat pocket. Both men then grabbed onto me and tossed me to the ground like a used rag. The armed man put the gun into his pocket and pulled out a similar knife to the one I was just recently stabbed with. But before he could do anything with it, he vanishes.

"Shi-" The bearded guy never got to finish his sentence. It felt like everything after this moment happened in slow motion.

All I saw in the dark was a figure fighting my almost kidnapper. I see Bill pull out the knife, the same one I was stabbed with and dig it straight into the hooded mans stomach, except it doesn't go in. It shatters like glass. The figure casually glances down at where the old man tried penetrating him then back to face the now shaking man.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Don't you know not to try stabbing a super villain?" The hooded man grabs the now terrified 50 year old Bill by the throat and tosses him at a wall, knocking him unconscious almost instantly.

The boy dressed in black spandex slowly turns around, scanning the scene before him, then spots me on the ground. The last thing I remember is him bending down, his bright emerald green eyes searching my brown ones with concern. His chiseled jaw tightens as he scans my body for any harm. His face scrunches up as his eyes flicker to my now blood soaked coat. He mutters a few curse words and reaches out to my arm and I let him. I had no fight left in me as my body finally relaxes and my eyes flutter to a close.