01

The loud slapping of feet hitting the ground as I ran through the alley could be heard.

Someone screamed somewhere and I turned my body, running in the direction of where I heard the scream come from.

When I reached the scene, I found a woman pulling her son back from running but he seemed to be in a daze.

I sighed.

Apatia's been really busy this weekend. I thought to myself.

"When did it start?" I asked the woman who was pulling with all her might so the boy didn't run off to God knew where.

"I don't know. He just started scattering everything as if he was looking for something. He then made a mad dash out the house and that's when I screamed. I'm sorry."

I frowned, something seemed off. The woman looked too young to be his mother but she talked as if he were hers. Not that it was my concern.

Then I realized something.

" Did he say what he was searching for?"

I grabbed the boy with an arm, allowing the woman to relax. He was surprisingly lightweight.

"Well, he never did but he did mention a letter." The woman shrugged. "Let me go get it!"

The woman ran in the opposite direction and into a building. A few minutes later, she returned with a piece of paper that looked awfully familiar.

I took it from her with my other arm, opened it and as I expected, there was nothing inside. The only thing different about the paper was the little floral drawing at the back.

Well that was new.

Suddenly it swirled and formed the words

"Hi, do you like the improvement?"

I nearly growled as I squeezed the paper.

I pushed it into the woman's hand.

"Tear it."

The woman frowned.

"Shouldn't we keep it for the police to-"

I growled loudly

"Tear it!"

The woman quickly tore the paper apart in shock. I'm pretty sure she was thinking that The Vero she'd seen on the news was friendly and never lost their temper and that Vero (me) must have obviously woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

As soon as the paper was in shredded little pieces and couldn't be restored ever again, the boy woke from his daze with a sharp inhale and a gasp.

"You're welcome." I said with gritted teeth as the boy looked at me in confusion. I sighed again and turned to the woman.

"Take him to police for him to confess whatever crime he's comitted if you don't want this episode to repeat itself."

With that, I left the place and went back into the alley I'd come running out from.

I bent over and took in a large breath. This was the third case today and it was only 11:54am.

With hands in my hair, I groaned.

The people were starting to think I was incapable of stopping the villain who'd named themself Apatia.

Speaking of the time, I knew I was expecting someone by 12pm and I had only six minutes left. A tick from the watch told me it was now five minutes left.

I began to run. My leather jacket making sharp flapping noises as I took a sharp turn.

I never liked wearing spandex, it was just too stereotypical. I prefed a little casual wear that didn't come in the way in case of physical combat or running like I was doing now.

I skidded to stop, narrowly avoiding the couple I'd almost hit.

"Sorry!" I called out as I started to run almost immediately, leaving the couple doubtful as to whether that was the vigilante of their city or another really convincing cosplayer who'd gotten into trouble.

I took another sharp turn as I crossed the busy road, reducing the density level of my body so I ran straight through and avoided casualties.

With the light weight of my body, I ran faster and got to the back of my apartment immediately the big hand hit twelve.

"Right on time!" I exhaled and climbed in through the window.

I landed on my bed and pulled off the mask.

I remembered the first time I'd met the police. The police had been so confused. I had dressed as a robber but had caught the robbers. In the end, when I kept appearing with the mask, they'd figured out that I wasn't going to cause any trouble.

The same people who I was helping were now starting to give me headaches all thanks to Apatia.

The doorbell was rung. Once, twice and I cursed.

I'd apparently forgotten about the visitor in all my reminiscing.

I quickly pulled off the signature leather jacket of Vero and hid the mask under the bed albeit a very obvious place to hide it.

"This would do" I whispered then yelled after the door bell was rung the fifth time.

"I'm coming!"

I pulled open the door as the person was prepared to press on the doorbell again.

"Eh hem" the person turned and squealed.

"Rio!" The lady was quite taller than I was and you could place her age to be around her late twenties.

Her hair was auburn brown and despite being tied down in a french braid, a few strands of hair violently flew out as she tackled me.

I chuckled softly and embraced the woman who was so focused on squeezing me to death.

This was my childhood friend who I'd lost contact with for a long while.

"How you doing Aelia?" I mumbled into the shoulder of the woman before lightly tapping her so she could released her vixen-like grip.

"I'm so happy to see you" Aelia squealed again and ushered herself inside, leaving me with her belongings.

Her many belongings, if I'm to emphasize.

I rolled my eyes. Aelia was still the same woman as when she was a girl.

I closed the door and followed after Aelia who was walking everywhere like a preschooler who'd just moved into a new house.

"I wasn't told you apartment was this big!" Aelia exclaimed and she plopped herself on a couch. "You sure you live here alone?"

"Yes and please stop talking to my brother." I walked in with Aelia's suitcases. I dropped them and tapped Aelia.

Oh my goodness what did she put in those bags?

"Shoes please" Aelia smiled and I could almost hear her thoughts

'Rio is still a neat freak.'

"I'm taking this to the room you'd be staying in." I informed Aelia as I walked to the spare room I always cleaned out to avoid dust.

"Okay!" Aelia's voice sounded distant.

When I popped back into the living room, Aelia wasn't there.

The first thing that came to my mind was my poorly hidden mask.

"Where'd you go?" I yelled just to confirm her position.

"Over here!" Aelia called from the kitchen.

"Why's your fridge so healthy?"

My eyes widened. Some of those weren't actual snacks.

I heard the crinkle of a snack bag as I walked into the kitchen, I began hope it wasn't what I thought Aelia was about to eat.

Aelia was stuffing something into her mouth when I walked in.

"Crackers? Really? And it's the salty ones?" Aelia said with a mouthful and I sighed.

It's not it.

"What's not what? " Aelia asked, surprised.

"Did I say that out loud? "I asked, that was unlike me.

" Yes, yes you did. Was there something I wasn't supposed to see in the fridge? " Aelia asked, swallowing the last of the crackers.

" You know what? let's go grocery shopping. " I switched the topic to distract Aelia.

With Aelia around, I was going to have to be more careful.

I couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Not anymore.