"You're here early for a Monday morning," Chloe commented as she glided through the doors of the newspaper office, coffee in one hand and a binder in the other. "It's almost like you're trying to be productive. Which is crazy, because it's you we're talking about."

I continued typing on the computer, not bothering to look up. "I wanted to avoid the crowd of people asking me about my relationship with The Black Phoenix. So I came here to work on some essays."

"Of course," she replied, sitting down in her computer chair and logging on. "Hey, have you seen Colton?"

My head whipped up too fast, flashes of leather suits and superpowers coming to mind. "Have I seen Colton do what?"

She frowned, looking at me like I was certifiably insane. "I don't know... Existing? You okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," I replied, choking out a laugh. "Why wouldn't I be okay? Everything's fine!"

She looked pointedly at the cup of coffee on my desk. "Jeez, how many cups have you had?"

I swallowed and focused on my computer. Since finding out Colt's secret, I'd managed to avoid most basic human interactions. But with Chloe there now, being her usual astute self, I hadn't been counting on how strange it would feel to know his secret. I felt like now that I knew, it would be just as easy for anyone else to find out. And I wanted so desperately not to be the reason it came to light.

"So, anyway, have you spoken to our masked man lately?" Chloe continued, making idle conversation while her prehistoric computer booted up.

"No, of course not," I replied quickly, typing with much more vigor than necessary. "Why would I?"

"I don't know... Maybe because he's totally in love with you?" Chloe continued. "Careful, Colton might begin to get jealous."

"Don't be silly, Chlo," I told her. "We're just friends."

"Figured out his identity yet?"

I'd been midway through taking a sip of coffee, and choked on the bitter liquid at her question. She snorted at my etiquette and produced a box of tissues, which I used to mop up the spilled drink. "No. I haven't."

"Well, get on it," Chloe replied, clicking on a document and beginning to type. "We've got a mystery to solve and a hero who needs unmasking."

"Why?" I replied. "Why can't we just leave him alone? He's not doing any harm by hiding behind a mask."

"Okay, Vi, what is going on with you?" Chloe turned her green eyes on me accusingly. "You're acting possessed. What's up?"

"Nothing," I told her. "I'm fine. Don't I look fine to you?"

"You're weird," she told me frankly, before turning back to her computer. Thankfully it was one of those days where she didn't launch into a full inquisition; otherwise I may have melted under the pressure of her intense stare. I sighed in relief and continued writing, glad to have a moment to collect my thoughts and calm myself.

"Hey, your boyfriend just flew by," Chloe told me, fingers barely stopping as they moved with alarming alacrity over the keyboard.

"What?" I squeaked, my voice hitching up a painful notch.

"Colton just went running by," Chloe expanded. "He looked like he was in a hurry. Off to save the world, or something."

"I've gotta go," I told her, logging off quickly and grabbing my jacket as I shoved back my chair. "It's been lovely chatting, Chlo, but, you know, places to be and people to see!"

"Uh, Vi?" Chloe asked in confusion, but I was too busy running away to pay attention to her outburst.

I ran into the hall and out into the nippy winds, pulling on my jacket and disappearing around the corner of a brick wall, sucking in a deep breath. In trying to hide his knowledge, I might just unravel it if I continued in such a hysterical way. But I hated lying to Chloe, and sometimes she could be like a dog on a bone. If she suspected something and thought I knew more than I was letting on, I'd never hear the end of it. And that was dangerous.

"I thought I saw you disappear around here!" a voice said, and I yelped in surprise at the unexpected entrance of someone else.

Alexi Tanner stood before me, raven hair curled around her pale oval face and eyes wide. She wore a lacy black dress, stockings and beat up converse, and her face was open and slightly smiling. She held up her hands in mock-surrender. "Whoa there. Sorry to scare you."

I placed a hand over my rapidly beating heart and shook my head. "No, that was my fault. I'm a little jumpy today."

"Knowing the identity of New York's superhero will do that to you," Alexi replied, leaning against the wall next to me. I turned to her with wide eyes. Had I already given it away? She laughed at my horrified expression. "Colton told me we had a new member to the secret-keeping club."

I sighed in relief. "Oh, of course. You're his sidekick, right?"

"Sidekick is so dogmatic," she replied. "I usually prefer the term best friend. But if you're asking if I also kick ass with him occasionally, then the answer is yes."

"How do you do it?" I asked her. "Keep his secret. I feel like the whole world is watching me, waiting for me to reveal his secret."

"Hey, it's normal," Alexi told me comfortingly. "I was the exact same when I first found out. But the fear goes away. Eventually you realize that people aren't watching you, waiting for you to slip up. Nobody knows that you know anything. You just have to act normal and give people no reason to suspect you."

"That's hard when you've become The Black Phoenix's official spokesperson," I said grimly.

She laughed, an oddly girlish sound for her appearance. "Yeah, well I didn't exactly face that trouble. But the fact is that Colton trusts you. And obviously he trusts you for a reason, just like he does me. We're in this together, Violet. Like it or not. Together we can keep his secret. You just have to act normal and go on with your everyday life. Even if in between classes you're listening to police scanners. No one knows but you."

I nodded. "Sounds easier said than done."

"Oh, it is," she assured me, grinning impishly. "Even now I'm still afraid one day I'm going to slip up and ruin everything. But we can't do that to Colton. This is one secret we have to keep no matter what. Even if it's only for Colton."

I nodded. When in doubt, I just had to remember how many lives were being saved and how important this whole thing was to Colton. If I loved him, I had to keep his secret no matter what. I had to make certain sacrifices in order to protect him and his identity. Even if it meant lying to everyone I loved and cared about. Even if it meant breaking trust with others. He needed us. And I knew what I had signed up for the second I begged him to reveal his identity to me.

"You're right," I told Alexi. "This is what we signed up for. And we have to protect him until the end."

"There are some things you have to know, though," Alexi told me. "Things Colton doesn't know."

She sat down on the ground, and I followed suit. She picked up a red autumn leaf and started pulling it apart piece by piece, her pale fingers moving nimbly.

"What is it?" I asked gently, knowing this was a significant conversation. I'd never spoken to Alexi Tanner before, and it was strange to think our first conversation ever was going to be filled with so much importance.

"Keeping his secret isn't easy," she told me. "It's a burden. And it will be hard. You're going to have to dedicate everything to helping him. Everything is going to become about protecting him. You have to watch everything you say and do. You have to be careful who you trust and what you tell people. You might end up losing a lot of people in your life."

"It doesn't have to be like that, though, right?" I asked, feeling my stomach knot.

"In my experience? Yeah," Alexi replied. "No one can know who Colton really is, and keeping that secret will become your number one priority. You're going to have to lie to people, and conceal the biggest part of your life. I used to have friends. But when I got closer to Colton and found out his powers, I couldn't hide the secret from them. I had to lie to them, and I lost them. My parents don't trust me anymore. I don't talk to new people, and I keep to myself. It's just the easiest way to live."

I leaned back. "I guess I didn't exactly receive the list of risks when I signed onto the job."

"Colton doesn't know," Alexi replied. "I never told him."

I frowned. I couldn't imagine them keeping anything from each other, and Alexi seemed brutally honest about all aspects. "Why not?"

She shook her head and looked down at her fingers, which were slender and so pale they looked translucent. "I can't imagine what it would do to him. He deals with so much everyday; the burdens of saving people and living with the deaths of the people he couldn't. I couldn't ever let him know what knowing his secret does. He needs people in his life; people who can cover for him and be there for him. And he's so selfless that I know if he found out what knowing his secret could do to people, he'd push us away until he had no one. And even the hero needs saving sometimes."

The bell rang overhead, and I sighed and looked up at the sky, which was a gunmetal gray streaked with silver cumulonimbus clouds. It sounded so strange that I had to head off to chemistry and sit through a boring lesson while out in the world Colton was saving people.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this," I admitted. "I wish the whole world could know who he was and just accept it. But I know how dangerous it is. We have to keep him safe."

She nodded and smiled at me. "I think saving him is a small price to pay for how many lives he saves on a daily basis."

"And you've done this for years?" I asked. "Shouldered the burden, distanced yourself, and lost everything, for him?"

She shrugged. "It gets easier. And the good outweighs the bad. We're doing something important. And Colton is someone worth sticking around for."

"You know doing all this makes you a hero as well?" I told her.

She blushed and looked down modestly. "I prefer to be the best friend behind the scenes. And you're not too far from being part of the club either, Vi."

I smiled. The club might have been a band of misfits, and it might have had strict rules and dangerous situations, but it was exclusive and it was helping people and it was doing something incredible.

And I was more than happy to be an honorary member.

~      *      ~

I am so sorry for how terrible this chapter is. Please forgive me and stick with it, because it's about to heat up again, and we're nearing the end of the story. I predict 4 more chapters. Stick with me.