FEORS’ APARTMENT

Alia couldn’t help wondering what kind of clown makeup class that the landlady favored. At times she looked reptilian. Other times more like a geisha. There were sequin scales glued onto her face, accompanied by red splotches on the side of her eyes. It was quite a look.

Stu trailed behind with the ghost of a smile at Alia’s discomfort.

After she’d finished her life story with the part about dropping out of opera school, she finally as they were approaching the apartment spoke about the Feors. “I honestly didn’t think the welp had any relatives. You see they mostly kept to themselves. The problem with owning public housing is you never know what anyone is hiding or doing here. The officers earlier already searched the apartment, but go on go ahead and have a look.”

Stu and Alia ran through all the spots in the apartment. Alia pulled out her hospital issued phone and took some photos of a weird corner where there seemed to be something burned or ripped off. Stu crouched down to see what had caught Alia’s eye, then he brought it up with the landlady.

“Oh that’s just where the cord for the television was. I took it over to my place for safekeeping along with the satelite.”

“Does it belong to you?”

“After the police returned her belongings I put some of her stuff in the storage unit out back. Everything belongs to me honey.”

“Did you ever see or hear anything about Emmie’s possible boyfriends or any non-Supers who liked to hang around here.”

“Are you sure you’re talking about the right city? This is Sky City the only ones who are around these parts are the least impressive Supers. If you’re almost a non-Super have I got a room for you.”

Alia interjected. “What about Dura? Did she have friends in the complex.”

The woman cackled. “No. Dura darling was always in the playground. I don’t have any other kids here. Oh wait, I also heard a lot of boys coming up and down the stairs that night.”

Stu made a quick note saying. “You didn’t mention that in your testimony.”

“If I could remember everything do you think I’d be running a dump like this.”

=//=

SCPD

The previous night after Stu had dropped Alia off to the apartment, he’d gone back to the headquarters to have an analysis done on what the hole Alia had photographed had been used for. He’d driven back the night after to see the door of her room closed and cold dinner waiting for him on the table.

Had he upset her? Or was she just . . . tuckered out from doing so much. Alia didn’t really express her real thoughts on living with superhumans. She hadn’t exactly signed up for this. He shook his head to diffuse the thoughts as he warmed up the stir fry which had been sitting out for who knows how long.

His phone lit up with an incoming call. He groaned before picking it up.

“Elina . . . I just got home from work.”

“So you’re free then. Listen I need you to do somethings for me before tomorrow.”

“No. I’ve been working all day--”

“--at literally the most joke job ever. You work for the Council of Supers. It’s just bureaucracy and a false power. You have nothing you’re in control of. I mean other than that non-Super slave that the Council gave you out of pity.”

The stir fry warmed so Stu moved it to the table and stabbed it with a pair of chopsticks. He was hungry so he burned his tongue and yelped.

“Hello?”

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

“I think you should move out of the place you’re in.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Remember that apartment we had together when we were in Charm City. We had an unlimited budget and an unlimited--”

“I mean it was cool while it lasted. But that was six months ago Elina. I mean why are you thinking about that when we’re just friends.”

“WHAT? STEWART RANVIER WAVE---”

Stu hung up. He thought about calling her back then watched as she blew up his phone with over a hundred texts each detailing how he was not good enough for her and how he needed to work hard so he could impress her dad. He scrolled through his phone settings and hovered over block, considering it for the first time. He finally just replied with a simple text: we’re friends. not dating. not together.

His phone stopped vibrating and Stu ate the rest of his dinner silently.

On the other side of the wall, Alia sat with her ear pressed against the wall. She’d heard everything as she’d been preparing notes for a case study she was giving the following day. Alia’s heart jumped, she was happy.