The door opened, and a different hero than the one who detained me stepped into the room. I recognized this hero almost immediately. He's the one who will not stop rambling on about trying to save me. I sat up a little straighter, and the cuffs dug into my wrists when I tried to move my hands. I sighed in frustration, tugging on the chains and feeling my nerves pick up. Where was the rest of my crew at? Did they receive the alert?

I heard a whirring coming from the camera, then it shut off. Then, I felt an air of silence. "Nobody can hear us, Shadow, and we can't hear them. I'm sure you know how this works now," The Quiet Fighter explained. He slid a key over to me and nodded toward it. "It's for your handcuffs. Take them off."

I carefully took the key in my hands, uncuffing myself, slightly surprised when the key actually worked. I rubbed my sore wrists, then stopped when I realized I was being watched. "Why did you give me the keys?" I asked, still not trusting anything that he said. I glanced toward the door of the room, debating making my escape now. 

"If you try to run, they will catch you. There are over ten heroes in this building. Besides, I just want to talk to you. I don't plan on hurting you. I think there is some good in you," The Quiet Fighter said. I shuffled in my seat, looking around for a shadow or anything that I could disappear into. I could feel his eyes on me. 

"You're wrong," I responded, realizing that I would just have to wait to be rescued. There was no way out of this, and the bright lights were hurting my head. The downside of my powers was that I was a lot more sensitive to light. "I'm a villain. It's all I will ever be."

"You've never killed," He stated. I stopped moving. He was right. I could never stand to see anyone actually hurt. I just wanted to destroy the hero's cities. It was never about harming civilians for me. It was only about getting back at the heroes for never saving me. 

"That doesn't mean that I am not a villain," I responded, wishing that I still had my mask. I felt too exposed without it. The Quiet Fighter was wearing his mask, which proved to me that he did not trust me. I would not trust me either if I were him. 

"Why don't we start with an easier question. What is your name? You don't have to give me your full name. Just the first will do," He continued. 

"Why don't you take off your mask. Mine is gone. Yours should be gone," I argued. To my surprise, he reached up and removed his soft yellow mask, as well as his hood. His hair was a striking blonde, and his eyes, which were usually brown under the mask, were almost orange under this bright light. "And do something about the bright lights," I continued. 

"I'm sorry. I can't do anything about the lights. Your name," He repeated, staring at me from across the table. "Please," He added. 

"Casey," I responded. I wasn't sure why I told him, but I felt that I should. "What made you think that I wouldn't just jump over this table and attack you?" I asked, still ready for this all to be a cruel joke. 

"I can muffle sounds, but I can also amplify them. You would never be able to land a hit on me before being swarmed by heroes. I personally don't want that to happen, Casey," He answered. It felt weird to hear him say my name. I usually never tell people my real name, and the ones who do know it never use it. 

"And what is your name?" I asked, feeling that it would be more fair if he told me his as well. He gave me a crooked smile. I was also curious to know if he would tell me or not. 

"Noah," He responded. "See, we are starting to make progress," Noah smiled. His smile was contagious, but I kept my face neutral. I didn't want him to think that any part of me was enjoying this conversation. 

An explosion sounded, and I looked up to find a huge hole in the wall. A member of my crew was standing there holding a grenade. Then, I wondered how it was possible that I even heard it when Noah was muffling the sounds around us. I looked over, and Noah had minor cuts, but nothing serious. He must have been shocked to stop using his powers. His hero mask was back on his face. That should not make me as sad as it does. 

"You ready to go?" Alana asked me, throwing the grenade up and catching it in her hand. I  hesitantly nodded. Noah had intrigued me, although I would always be a villain. "Amazing, let's get going." 

"Casey, wait," Noah called. I turned back to look at him. He looked so upset, from what I could see with his mask obscuring his face. I looked away and followed after Alana. I used the shadows to travel, and Alana used her ability of flight. 

When we knew that we were safe, we finally stopped in an alleyway. Alana turned toward me, and I knew I had messed up by her face alone. "Shadow, why does that hero know your real name, and how could you be stupid enough to let yourself get caught?" She hissed. 

"He made me tell him my name. He forced me. There was nothing I could do," I lied. Alana grabbed my wrist, and I tried to pull away, but her grip tightened. I used the shadows to travel and appeared further away from her. That seemed to make her more upset with me. 

"You have no injuries, and you had no restraints. You told him willingly, and you let yourself get caught. I won't tell the boss this time, because he would kill you if he knew, but don't you dare let this happen again. Do you understand?" She asked. I nodded. "Good. I'm going back to the base. Here's your mask. Don't be caught without it again." 

I waited until I knew she was gone, then I started to head to the bar. I needed to see Jamie. They were the only person I could go to for advice. I looked down at my mask in my hands and felt a pang of sadness. I would only ever be a villain, and I needed to accept that truth before I get myself and everyone around me captured and killed. 

When I finally reached Jamie's bar, I sat at the booth in the far corner and waited for Jamie. My body was sore from getting captured earlier today, the explosion, and my escape. I rubbed at the bruises that formed on my wrists. Jamie slid into the bench across from me. 

"I got captured today," I muttered. Jamie nodded, sliding me a cocktail. I slowly started to sip on it. I wasn't much of a drinker, but I did have a bad habit of smoking. "And that stupid hero, Noah, kept lecturing me on how I could change my ways before Alana finally rescued me."

"Noah told you his real name? He talked to me about trying to help you, but I didn't think he would go that far," Jamie responded, talking more to themselves than to me. Their lavender hair, which matched their eyes, was pulled back in a loose bun today. 

"And that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that I told him my real name. Why did I tell him my real name?" I continued. "Do you have a cigarette?" 

"I don't, but one of my employees does. Those things will kill you, you know," Jamie responded. I glared at them, and they left, returning with a cigarette. "Take it outside. You can't smoke in my restaurant. Oh, and Casey, maybe you should think about what Noah said. You're getting yourself more hurt and deeper into this mess. Just think about it, okay?" 

I nodded, grabbed my drink, and walked outside. I reached into my pocket, found my lighter, and started to smoke. I have no idea why, but I can't seem to get Noah's words out of my head. Or his orange eyes. Maybe he was right about a few things. I never want to see someone hurt. But I'm always meant to be a villain, right?