"So are you and The Black Phoenix together?"

"How do you know so much about him?"

"Are you like the Lois Lane to his Superman?"

These were just a couple of examples of the questions I was faced with the moment the newspaper hit the school's metaphorical stands. Somehow my article had made the front page, and the minute a few freshmen caught sight of it, everyone was reading it. Everywhere I turned there was someone reading it, and it made my stomach churn. It was getting a lot more attention than I'd hoped it would, just proving what The Black Phoenix had told me. I was playing a dangerous game, and the more I said about the topic, the more people were beginning to question whether or not I had an actual substantial relationship with The Black Phoenix. No matter how much I'd tried to remain objective, as if I was just a simple reporter discussing facts, people were still wondering if I knew him. It was possible I'd been stubborn and he'd been right all along. At least, just this one time.

"What am I going to do?" I asked Chloe that afternoon as I shut my locker a little louder than was needed. Around me milled hundreds of teenagers, most of which had laid eyes on the article I'd written—mostly just to keep Keeley off of my back.

"Bask in your glory?" Chloe suggested. "Look at how popular you are, Vi! Everyone is practically salivating at the chance to get some answers from you. Enjoy it!"

I rolled my eyes and started for the entrance of the school, eager to get home and sleep off my anxieties. At least then I could review things with fresh eyes. "You're no help."

She laughed and caught up with me, falling into step beside me immediately. "What's the problem? So a few teenagers read your article. This could give you the kind of entry into journalism that everyone wants! Why are you acting like it's the end of the world?"

"Because he warned me!" I hissed, sliding around the edge of the building and dragging her with me. I lowered my voice so that no one could overhear. "He told me not to write about it—that it wasn't safe. If the wrong people read it, they could target both of us. It's not safe."

"Then why'd you do it?" she replied, leaning against the wall.

"Well, Keeley kind of strong-armed me," I admitted sheepishly, looking down. "That girl can be terrifying when she wants to be."

Chloe nodded in understanding. We'd both had to deal with our editor's tenacity before. "Fair enough."

"So what do I do?" I asked, nibbling on my lip and glancing around. "The article isn't going to win a Pulitzer, but a lot of people are still reading it. Some people are beginning to think he and I are... involved."

"They do know you're dating Colton, right?" Chloe replied.

"Doesn't seem to matter," I muttered. I hadn't heard from Colton since Friday. I'd tried calling, but he hadn't picked up. Maybe he'd gotten sick.

"I don't know what to tell you, Violet," Chloe admitted.

"This coming from the girl who has an answer for everything?" I joked dubiously.

She sighed. "I'm worried, Violet. This is a dangerous game. Maybe if The Black Phoenix says you shouldn't, you shouldn't."

"It's too late for that!" I told her. "The article is out. I don't know how to contain something that's spreading like wildfire."

"If it hasn't hit social media yet, maybe we can do something about it. Print a retraction or tell people to keep it on the hush, or something."

She pulled out her phone and clicked onto an app, before reading. Her lips thinned. "Of course."

I peeked at her screen curiously. "What is it?"

She turned it around to show me a new status written by none other than our fearless editor. "Trust Keeley to be the one to tell everybody." Already it had hundreds of shares and likes, and one quick look at the comments proved that people were already questioning the origin of the story and how close our relationship was.

"I totally should've gone anonymous," I muttered, resisting the urge to face palm. This thing was spinning out of control faster than I could catch it, and I had no idea how to rectify the situation. "I could really use some Chloe Morgan advice right about now."

She locked her phone and shoved it into the pockets of her jeans. "You want my advice?" I nodded eagerly, and she continued. "My advice is that you should keep your head down, but don't worry until something bad happens. There's no use constantly looking over your shoulder. Deal with it as it comes. I'll do what I can to control it; see if Dave can delete it online and make it disappear from social media, but I don't think even his hacking skills reach that far. I'll do what I can. Just try to enjoy this blaze of glory, okay?"

I sighed and nodded. I could've done things a lot better, but there was nothing I could do now. It was out of my hands.

Just then my phone rang, and I sighed and fished it out of my pocket. "Hello?" I asked, as I began the call.

"Miss Rose? My name is Robert Cortez from the New York National, how are you today?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not interest, sorry."

"Actually, I think we have an offer you might like to consider..."

~ * ~

I tried to heed Chloe's advice, and at least enjoy the attention I was getting. There was no use worrying over things you couldn't change. I just had to ride the wave and deal with the bad things as they came.

That lasted until that night, as I came out of my bathroom toweling off my long hair and trying not to think of the article.

My window was open, and a light breeze blew through the room. I immediately felt my skin skitter with gooseflesh, and I swallowed. I knew for a fact I had closed that window before I went into the shower, and it wasn't like The Black Phoenix to hide in my room. Colton would've made himself known the minute I stepped out of the shower. It was possible the hinge had opened by itself, but it wasn't likely. I looked around the room and grabbed a heavy photo frame on my dresser to use as a weapon. Maybe this article business had gotten me paranoid, but it was better to be paranoid than dead. Especially since I was home alone right now.

I crept to my door and peeked out into the hallway, to find it dark and empty. I blew out a breath and slowly shut the door again, flicking the lock just in case. I looked under the bed to find it empty, and checked every possible hiding place. My bathroom and bedroom were safe, and the ledge was empty. I sat on the edge of my bed, listening carefully for any noises. Besides the hum of my refrigerator, it was silent. I breathed out. With everything locked and checked, I knew I was safe.

A light wind slowly trickled through the window, and I heard something rustle on my desk. I frowned and looked over, to see a piece of crisp notebook paper folded haphazardly. I stood up and walked over, lifting it with trembling fingers.

Tell your boyfriend that if he doesn't meet us, we'll settle for you instead.

My hand flew to my mouth, and I looked around, feeling exposed and bare in my room. The note dropped from my fingers, and I felt my heart beating crazily in my chest. As my eyes filled with tears, I struggled to take in deep breaths and calm myself down. All this time, he had been right. About the article, about my safety, and about my idiotic behavior. He was the savior here, and I should have trusted his judgment instead of throwing my knowledge around town. They knew I knew him, and I had landed exactly where he had tried to keep me from; the enemy's crosshairs.

I opened the window and climbed onto the ledge, holding the note tightly. I looked up into the night sky, which was sparsely dotted with stars. I sighed and raised my voice as much as I dared, hoping no neighbors overheard me.

"Mystery Man, if you're out there, I need you. SOS. Please."

I waited patiently, holding in my breath and hoping he wasn't so angry he ignored my calls. Surely he'd come, right? Could he hear the determination in my voice? Did he know how much I could really use him right now?

"You called?"

I turned around to face him. There he stood, as impassive as ever, clad in a black bodysuit and mask. I breathed out and clutched a hand to my stomach, and as I felt his eyes rake over me, I knew he could tell how close to hysteria I was.

He stepped forward. "Violet, what's wrong? Are you all right?"

I shook my head. "You were right. I should have listened to you about everything. About the article, about your enemy... I should have listened."

He stepped towards me, and his gloved hands came down gently on my shoulders. "Violet, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I was so caught up in my own ideals of how everything should be, I never listened to you. And you were right. God, I'm such an idiot!"

My voice broke. These psychopaths knew my name and where I lived! Were my friends and family in danger? Just how far would they go to capture him?

"Vi, calm down," he whispered. "Nothing's going to hurt you. Tell me what's going on."

I held up the note, and he released me in order to read the note. I saw his sculpted jaw clench, and his hand balled around the note. "They know."

I shook my head. "I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you about the article."

"They're after you now," he muttered, turning around. "Damn it! What am I going to do?"

"It's all my fault," I whispered, sitting down and burying my face in my hands. I felt more tears pricking my eyes. "I was such an idiot! Why didn't I listen to you from the beginning? You kept warning me, but all I did was keep writing those damned articles! And now you're in danger! We're both in danger..."

He knelt down beside me, and he cupped my face and forced me to meet his eyes. When he spoke, his voice had softened considerably. "It's okay. We'll get through this. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. This is my fight, and I'm not going to let you become a casualty."

"Don't you get it?" I whispered. "If I hadn't printed those articles, they wouldn't have any leads! But now they know where to start looking. Me. I put you in danger because I didn't listen to you. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he told me. "What's done is done. I'll fix this."

I shook my head and sniffled, feeling pathetic. I really needed to get a grip if I was going to be of any help. "How? What are we going to do?"

"You're not going to do anything," he told me. "I started this mess, and now I have to finish it."

I shook my head and wiped away my tears. "No, you're not. We're going to fix this. Together."

"Violet..."

"I'm already a part of this," I told him. "I'm already a target. I'm not just gonna sit back and let you clean up my mess. Let me help you. We can do this together."

"I don't even know what to do!" he told me. "They know who we are, but we don't know who they are! I don't know how to find them!"

"We'll figure something out," I told him, and somehow now it felt like I was comforting him. "You have me. But I can't help you unless you tell me who you are."

He looked up. "What?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Once again, I was wrong. I thought if I knew who you are, it would be too dangerous, right? But I was wrong. It's more dangerous if I don't know! You have to tell me who you are. Things are different now. Our lives are at stake." I reached up and traced my fingers across the crease of his mask. "Show me who you are."

"You didn't want to know last time," he reminded me. "You made me take your memory. Are you sure this is something you want?"

It was funny how in the space of a week so much can change. But things were different now. I had to know who he was. If I knew whose identity I was helping to protect, it might be easier. I was different now, and the stakes were different. I trusted him completely. And whether I liked it or not, I had to accept it. He'd done so much for me, and accepted me for all of my flaws and everything I'd done wrong. I had to do the same.

I nodded, and my fingers tugged at the hem. "I'm sure. I have to know you are."

He didn't protest or put up a fight as I pulled off the mask. We were so close our arms were touching, and I swallowed nervously as the mask came off to reveal a head of tousled brown hair and bright blue eyes.

Colton stood staring out at me from the costume, and I could see fear lining his eyes. Fear over what was going to happen now that they were getting closer to discovering us. Fear of what I'd do once I saw him.

The memories came back in a rush. I remembered ripping off the mask in the alleyway and being faced with the boy next door. I remembered running from him and locking myself in the bathroom. I remembered being terrified of who Colton Cross really was, and what he was capable of. It had been such a rush and such a shock to finally find out the boy behind the mask was the same boy I'd kissed at the Halloween dance. I'd been terrified.

But, strangely, now I wasn't. Now I was secure in knowing I was safe with Colton. Too much had brought us together for me to back out now. I'd do anything to protect Colton, whether it be from gossiping high schoolers who feared his reputation, or from unknown enemies who wanted to exploit his powers for evil purposes.

"Well, already you're taking it considerably better than last time," he muttered, watching my face intently. "Talk to me, V."

I leaned forward and kissed him, one hand tangling in his hair and the other brushing over the leather of his uniform. His lips were the same, and the way he smelled of soap and aftershave. He was my Colton, costume or no costume.

I leaned back. "I just have one question."

He tilted his head to the side, looking breathless from the kiss. "Yeah?"

"Does it get hot under that suit in summertime?"

He tipped back his head and laughed, a gorgeous and melodic sound I would never get enough of. "I don't understand. Last time you totally freaked out, but right now you're acting like I just told you I got an A on my chemistry assignment."

"Well, considering your attendance and average for that subject, it would be as much of a surprise."

He stuck out his tongue childishly, and I giggled. "You're funny, V. But I'm serious. Why are you being so casual about this?"

"Because I remember when I found out the first time," I told him. "I remember thinking I had no idea what you were capable of if you could lie to me this easily. But then I remember realizing that you really only wanted my safety, and I was afraid I'd betray you if I knew who you were, and I didn't want to slip up. So I asked you to take it away from me. Finding out right now sends me into one hell of a déjà vu, but this time I get to skip all the fear and worrying."

"What changed?" Colton asked. "The first time you were so sure you couldn't be trusted with my secret. What makes you think now will be different?"

"Because I love you," I told him simply. "And they're after both of us. If I know what I'm protecting, I know how to protect you."

"You have no idea how good it is having you finally know," Colt admitted, breathing a sigh of relief. "I've wanted this for so long."

"We're in this together," I told him, grabbing his gloved hand and holding on tightly. It was the same warm and familiar hand, and I hated that I hadn't put the pieces together earlier. "Promise me you'll remember that."

"V..."

"Please," I whispered. "We're a team, okay? Maybe you've got the powers, but I'm here for you always. Do you promise me that we'll be in this together?"

He sighed. "Fine. Do you want me to pinky promise you, too?"

"Nah, that's okay," I told him, grinning impishly. "How about we just seal it with a kiss?"

He matched my grin and dove for me, and we fell onto the roof tiles in a fit of laughter. We were just two loved-up kids enjoying romance under a vast expanse of stars.

For the first time, we actually felt normal.

~      *      ~

This chapter and the next are probably going to be absolutely terrible.

I have no idea where this book is headed to be honest. But hopefully we'll get there soon, as I'm trying to finish it up soon. I've been writing this book for two years, so I'm trying to wrap it up before February. 

Anyway, Christmas is coming up, so happy holidays to those who are close to celebrating!

Also please check out my book, The Girl Who Wrote The Dating Manual, because it just won a Watty, which is just like WHAT?!?! So, yeah, that's probably going to be better than this schimozzle I'm writing right now.

But after this is finished I'm going to rewrite without the massive hiatuses I've had and try to make this better and actually something that isn't just a disjointed mass of events being strung together through sheer willpower and determination.

Am I still talking?

Anyway, please check out my Spotify profile and my new playlist for this book, titled Finding Mr. Superhero. It has all the songs I listen to while writing this, some songs to do with this book, and just some awesome new music for you to check out.

My Spotify profile is xxforever_lovexx, and I promise you won't regret it! Spotify is a free music streaming service that has access to almost every song known to man. As long as you have Internet, you can listen to any song, anywhere! And you should start with my playlist, Finding Mr. Superhero!

Please remember to vote, fan, share and comment, as it always helps me! Also find me on twitter at itsmelaneyb (link to both my twitter and spotify on my profile).

See you lovely readers around!

xoxo