Thomas and Mickey stare at me, their faces showing how confused they are. I hope they won't recognize me.

"Who are you?" Thomas is the first one to speak. Thank goodness neither of them can read minds to find out who I am.

"The name's Orage." I lean against the gray cement wall across from their cells.

Mickey smirks, "French for thunderstorm. Very nice." I guess that means his power of being a know-it-all hasn't been tamed yet. I wonder if these cells have power disablers built in.

"It's nice to see you again, Della." Mickey interjects before I can say anything else. I try to keep my face as expressionless as possible, but the fact that he has already found out my identity under this new suit has me worried for the rest of this conversation. Relax, Della, relax.

"Who's Della?" I deadpan. I find myself putting my left foot against the wall behind me. I have to play this villain card right. It's the one useful thing Drake has taught me.

Mickey rolls his eyes while Thomas smirks. I try not to let any of my fear show. How did I slip up?

"You know, the girl who goes by Rapid Glare? About your height, about your age? Has recently developed weather powers...?" He draws out that last sentence with a skeptical look.

I let out a short laugh at the statement he made. Of course he would know about my new powers, he gave them to me. Now how do I play this off?

"Oh yeah, the goodie-two-shoes that always accidentally saves the day," I bring my hand up to examine my nails, hoping to seem more relaxed about the situation. "I don't know how she got those powers, but I'm certain I had them first."

Thomas shrugs, "We gave the power to her." I blink, not expecting them to admit to such a thing so simply.

"Why would you do that?" I retort in a biting tone.

Mickey continues to wear an evil grin, "It'll lead to her own self destruct."

As much as I want to ask what he means by that, I can't seem too interested by Rapid Glare's new power. I'm not her anymore.

"Wow, that sounds like an amazing plan. You know, if you were out of your cells to watch it happen." I cock my head to the side, making them look at me curiously.

"What exactly do you want from us, Orage?" Thomas asks.

It's my turn to smirk, "Glad we're getting back to business. You see," I begin to pace back and forth between their two cells. "I know you have connections on the outside. Friends, family, whatever, there are people on your side. Tell me who your allies are."

Mickey hoots, "Why would we tell you that?" Thomas eyes me cautiously.

"Well, you want to get out of here, right? Obviously, your friends need some assistance. I'd be happy to help." I tease the two of them.

Mickey's eyebrows furrow, "What's the catch?"

"No catch. You just have to tell me who your people are on the outside. I'll need to know who I can trust." Of course I'm lying about the part where I break them out. I'm keeping them interested.

Mickey walks back to his bench on the inside of the cell. "Sorry, we don't reveal any of our secrets."

I roll my eyes, "Yes, because your secrets have gotten you so far in life. Look where you're sitting. You need help."

Thomas scoffs, "We don't even know you. We're not giving you anything."

I shrug one shoulder, "Fair enough. You don't know me. But I know you." Before I can say anything else, the door busts open and I have to quickly turn invisible. If Mickey and Thomas had any doubts about me being Rapid Glare, I'm sure I just dismissed them. I mentally groan. What else was I supposed to do?

"Alright, Roush. Solitaire for a week." The guard I had stolen the keys from enters the room. I had placed the keys on a hook beside the entrance door to this hall. I didn't expect him to be back so soon.

"I didn't start the fight, sir." The boy, who looks to be about 15, replies innocently. Well, he looks as innocent as a juvenile delinquent can possibly be. There's still light in his emerald green eyes. I can barely see his eyes because of his curly black hair covering his face.

"Get behind those bars, kid. At least you're getting out of here on Friday. Those other two will be in here for quite some time." Grant scowls at Mickey and Thomas, who smirk right back at him.

Grant pushes the boy into the cell and locks it behind him. Before he exits the room, he fully inspects the area. Grant twirls the key ring in his fingers. That's when I realize he's going to lock the door back. I'm going to be trapped.

So much for getting answers out of Mickey and Thomas.

I make a dash for the open door while I'm still invisible. But not before I use my super speed to collect a strand of hair from the top of Mickey's and Thomas' heads. That's what Drake and Owen told me to retrieve. I may be working by myself now, but I'm still going to get all of the evidence I can, no matter who gave me the advice.

Then I look at the boy who was called Roush. I'm sure it was a last name. He doesn't look familiar at all, but there's something about his features that stand out to me. How does a 15 year old boy end up in solitaire? And why does he still look hopeful?

As much as I'd like to get more information out of Mickey and Thomas, I'm certain there wasn't much more I was going to drag out of them.

I am completely alone with no hints. How am I supposed to find the woman who was following Owen and myself?

The creaking of the door brings me back to real time. I dash through the doorway past Grant, and continue running until I'm out of the building. In fact, I don't come to a screeching halt until I'm almost back at The Undergrounds. I'm not going back in there. I'm not going back to Owen, either.

But can I turn to my friends when I've made it clear I need space?

I sigh as I realize there's only one place I can sleep tonight.

***

Mason's cabin is nastier than I remember. The boarded floor is covered in dust and the walls are lined with cobwebs. Maybe he would clean it up if it weren't meant to look this way; abandoned. No one thinks anything of this place. It's kind of like the warehouse Mickey and Thomas used.

A small smile appears on my face as I uncover the couch underneath a solid white sheet. The beige colored couch isn't in perfect condition, but it'll do for tonight. I just need some place to rest my head where no one will disturb me. Maybe I need to get my own secret lair.

There's a quiet pitter patter of rain that begins to fall on the roof. Then it falls on my forehead. Are you kidding me? I huff as I get up to move the couch over from the tiny hole in the roof.

When I lie back down, my body tells me to go straight to sleep. I'm exhausted. But my brain is keeping me wide awake with questions. I wish I could turn off the questions because I don't have any answers for myself.

Why did that boy look so... familiar? I have never seen him in my life. Do I know anyone by the last name of Roush?

My eyes are wide open in a split second.

Roush is my mother's maiden name.

Is that boy related to me? In a small town like this, it's quite possible. Now I definitely can't sleep until I figure out who the kid is. A cousin? I mean, I haven't ever met him, so that seems pretty unlikely. Although, there is my mom's brother who never shows up to family events. I don't know if I've ever seen him unless I was little. Mom doesn't keep a lot of pictures of family out in the open, either. But if my uncle had a son, that would clear up why his name rang a bell.

But he didn't look anything like me. He had Mason's dark hair, but that doesn't mean anything. Mom doesn't have dark hair.

This is nonsense. I'm not supposed to be solving a mystery about a 15 year old boy in prison. My mission is to find out what the Red Ravens are up to and who's following me.

But if I know anything about Mickey's smirk, it's that he's planning something, or he knows something I don't. That smirk appeared when Roush walked in the room. Maybe it's a coincidence. Drake did say that all villains smirk to look minicing. But I'd rather not take any chances.

Tomorrow, I have to sneak home and dig through my mom's photo albums.

Tomorrow.

Even heroes have to sleep.

***

I groan as I roll off the couch and hit the floor with a thud. Well, that's one way to get a good wake up. I'm definitely alert now.

I survey my surroundings. No one is here, so I'm in the clear. After I put my mask back on, I scurry out of the cabin. There's no time to waste today.

The first stop is going home while my parents are at work. I look up at the sun hanging low in the sky. They should be leaving soon. While I wait, I'll just run to-

No, Della, you aren't working with Owen anymore.

I roll my eyes at myself. I've really burned all of my bridges.

Well I can't eat anything at my house, they'll see something's missing. Won't they? Maybe if I just pour a bowl of cereal, no one will know. I'll clean out the bowl and put it back in the cupboard. They won't think anything of it.

I run my fingers through my hair. My oily, greasy hair. Okay, so I'll be taking a quick shower and a bag of clothes as well.

Good Lord, I'm never going to make it on my own. Look at you, Della. You're hiding out in your brother's secret cabin. You're still depending on friends and family even when you said you needed them to back off.

I'm still going to go to my house to get a few things, including the photo albums. But after that, I'm done leaning on people. I have to support myself. I suppose that means I need to find somewhere else to sleep tonight. I'll grab my wallet while I'm home.

Once I speed home, I realize I can't just waltz through the door. I hesitantly peek through the window to make sure no one is in the living room or kitchen. Clear. Cracking open the door, I turn invisible and run up the stairs. My stomach growls, but I know there's not enough time for me to eat here. I grab several items of clothes and some of my basic necessities. I turn around from my closet to see my super suit from when I was Rapid Glare.

It seems like that was an eternity ago.

I grab it and shove it in my forest green duffel bag without a second thought. Maybe it will come in handy. A double identity seems like fun. Complicated, but fun.

Before I grab anything else that might weigh me down, I hear Mason's voice carry from his room. I don't know why his presence startles me. Perhaps it's because I just spent the night at his cabin. What if he knows, somehow?

I press my ear against the wall to hear what he's ranting on about at six in the morning. He's probably been up all night playing video games. Classic Mason.

"Are you serious? You've been talking to Sophia about this?"

Sophia?

"I don't care! We can't trust a word she says! I'm sure Della's still in The Undergrounds, doing who knows what. She's fine."

I would love to know who he's talking to. How does Sophia know I was in The Undergrounds?

I close my eyes, realizing how stupid I am. Of course she's a villain in The Undergrounds.

"Believe me, if she wasn't in The Undergrounds anymore, she'd come back home in the blink of an eye."

My eyes grow wide at his accusation. I grab my bag and run out of my room. Where does mom keep the photo albums? I use my super speed to dash around the house in search of the photos and I finally find them in the hall closet near the kitchen. I shove them in my bag and I'm about to leave the house when I hear Mason running down the steps. I double check to make sure I'm still invisible.

He opens the front door and looks surprised by what's on the other side. Who's here this early in the morning? I peer around the corner of the kitchen wall to get a better look.

Mason's face contorts in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

A/N
Hmmm... Who's at the door I wonder?
&
Who's that Roush kid?

There's a lot of questions to be answered in the coming chapters! Do you think Della is making it on her own pretty well?

Please comment any questions or theories and press that little star button at the bottom of this chapter!

Thanks for reading!
Always, Sunny