amaotonovel Chapter 209 Deeply Shocked
Chapter 209 Deeply Shocked
The street was brightly lit, and Sienna and all her sisters stood to one side.
There were three Hero Response Team (HRF) vans, two regular police cars, and an ambulance. All that was missing was a fire truck, or it would have been a veritable paramedic extravaganza. The likelihood of firefighters arriving was rapidly increasing, as several HRF members and some police officers stood beside a building, shining flashlights along one side.
There's a hole there. It's shaped like a loaf of toast, though Sienna suspects most people would just think it's roughly square, especially with the cracks radiating outwards from it.
This... isn't good. She hadn't considered what would happen after the slice of toast flew past Ruttles. But obviously, it had to end up somewhere, and it ended up across the street, disappearing into the side of an insurance brokerage building.
Sienna felt that they should at least have insurance to deal with incidents related to the masked man.
In any case, she wasn't going to make a fuss about it. Let the police and HRF suspect whatever they want. In her opinion, it was all Ruttles's fault.
In any case, his abilities had already caused considerable financial losses.
“Oh, more lights!” Maple Leaf exclaimed. She was slightly awestruck by the flashing lights. There were the white and red lights of the ambulance, the red and blue lights of the police car, the green and white lights of the HRF, and now a set of yellow and white lights had joined the mix—the lights from a tow truck reversing below the road.
The tow truck was there to remove the illegally parked scooter. Sienna felt a little sorry for the owner. Not only had Trinity kicked it, but now it was being towed away.
Is this somewhat her fault? She hopes the car owner won't be too angry when they find the car missing in the morning.
“Alright,” Aleja Ikta said. He stood a little further away from the others, clearly leaving Sienna and her sisters between him and the HRF. “I think I should slip away,” he said.
"Leave now?" Charismatic Superwoman asked.
He shrugged. "My relationship with the police... is a bit tense. But I assure you, it's only been like this recently."
“Hmm,” Charm Girl responded. She didn’t seem impressed, but that didn’t seem to deter Aleia Ikta.
"Hey, if you want to hear the whole story, I'd love to share. Maybe just the two of us. How about grabbing a coffee? I remember you like that flavor of coffee. I mean, that particular flavor."
Sienna almost wanted to give him a thumbs up for his somewhat charming performance, at least before that clumsy final statement. Still, it was better than anything she could do herself.
“He was trying to flirt with her,” Teddy said.
Sienna turned to Teddy. "What does that mean? Where did you learn that?"
"From the internet?" Teddy answered tentatively.
Sienna resisted the urge to rub her nose. She couldn't let television and the internet continue to influence her sisters.
She looked at Charm Girl, who was looking at Alejandro Ikta. "I don't think I mind."
"Holy crap—damn it!" Teddy said. "It actually worked!"
Athena began to clap softly, then Trinity joined in more enthusiastically, which naturally made Aleia Ikta blush to her ears. “Okay, uh, fine. I’ll call you. Bye?” He took a few steps back and slipped into a nearby alley. Sienna felt she would see him again. Especially considering how much luck he had stolen from Lutells before.
"You...you really want to go?" Sienna asked.
Charming Superwoman shrugged. "He's not that bad. A little handsome? Pretty much? At least a six out of ten."
“I guess luck and looks aren’t the same thing,” Sienna muttered to herself.
“Speaking of being awful, can we talk about it?” Charm Girl asked. She nodded to the side and started walking over. Sienna hesitated. But most of her sisters were well-behaved, and they weren’t far away; as long as they wouldn’t all hear her, it would be fine.
She followed behind Charm Girl, who stopped under a streetlamp. "Alea is a weirdo," she commented.
Sienna nodded. Was this what Charm Woman wanted to talk about? "I think most of us are pretty weird," she replied. "But he's on our side, and that's what's important."
“Speaking of stances,” Charm Girl said, turning to Sienna. “Shall we talk about what Ruttles said? About you being a villain?”
“He’s wrong,” Sienna quickly said.
“Sienna, you know you can trust me, right?” Charm Girl began seriously. “But if you’re hiding something that could put you or the girls in danger…”
Sienna tried to meet her gaze, but couldn't. "I'm not hiding anything that could put us in danger," she lied.
Charm Girl's eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, Sienna thought she was going to press for more information. But then, Charm Girl slowly exhaled and nodded. "I want to believe you, boss. Really. You've done so many good things for this city."
The comforting words were reassuring, but Sienna still felt her secret weigh heavily on her heart. "Thank you," she said, forcing a smile. "I... did my best."
Charmgirl reached out and gently squeezed Sienna's shoulder. Then her gaze returned to the crowd. "Are you the villain, Sienna?" she asked in a low voice, making sure only the two of them could hear.
The question came so suddenly that Sienna felt as if someone had abruptly taken her breath away. "No—no, I'm not the villain," Sienna said.
Charm Girl turned and looked Sienna straight in the eye. Sienna couldn't decipher the emotion in her gaze. "I... I won't betray you," Charm Girl said. She sounded unsure of herself. "That would drag the girls into it."
“What? No, I mean. I don’t want any of them to get hurt.”
Charismatic Superwoman nodded slowly.
They both fell silent; the atmosphere was tense, but neither spoke again. The voices of the police and HRF filled the air, and a gentle breeze made Sienna shiver.
After a while, Charm Girl spoke up. "You really love them, don't you?"
Sienna nodded. “I love them. They’re my sisters. I would never want to hurt them. And…Glamour Woman, if I were the villain, I wouldn’t do these things, right? Get rid of Ruttles and do something helpful?”
“Maybe,” said Charm Girl. She turned away from Sienna and crossed her arms.
Is she... afraid?
“I’m not the villain,” Sienna said.
Charismatic Superwoman nodded.
Sienna swallowed hard. She hated this situation.
Charm Girl took a deep breath, then turned to face Sienna. "I'm sorry, Sienna. But I think I need to leave for a while. To sort things out."
"Oh—oh. I... okay."
Charming Superwoman nodded again. "Hmm. We... maybe we'll figure things out, right?"
“Yes,” Sienna said.
The glamorous Superwoman walked up and hugged her, then quickly let go.
Sienna watched her leave, a pang of unease rising in her stomach. What should she do now? A moment later, the answer came. A small hand slipped into her palm, and she looked down to find Athena beside her. "Are you alright?"
Charm Girl was walking toward the HRF team members when she was quickly stopped by a detective.
“I think Charm Girl already knows we’re not, uh, heroes,” Sienna said.
Athena shrugged. "So what? We weren't. This was bound to come out sooner or later."
“I was actually hoping it wouldn’t happen,” Sienna replied.
"Come on, lady. It's cool to be in control behind the scenes, but most of us aren't suited for it. Look how outspoken Teddy and Trinity are! They're not cut out for those sneaky, underhanded games. We'll all have to step up sooner or later."
The two women stood there, watching the police work for a while, Athena holding Sienna's hand the whole time. This offered Sienna some comfort; the warmth calmed her down a little. Of course, others soon followed, breaking the peace, but Sienna was used to the chaos they created.
"Hey, how are we going to get home?" Teddy asked.
“I don’t know,” Sienna said. Then she saw Meraton, standing with his arms crossed next to an HRF van, chatting with an officer; the van undoubtedly contained the sleeping Ruttles. “But I think I know who I can hitch a ride with,” she added.
Sienna took two little hands and led her group of sisters across the street toward the "light show" created by the emergency responders. She felt that the reason there were so many people was because they wanted to make a big splash, and it actually worked. The sidewalk was full of onlookers craning their necks to watch the spectacle; some were still in their pajamas, and most were holding their phones.
“Hello, Melaton,” Sienna said. It interrupted a conversation, but she didn’t really care at the moment.
Meraton nodded at her. "Hey, boss. Kids. Good job tonight. I think everyone'll be happy to see this bastard disappear from the streets."
Sienna laughed. "That's right. Actually, about not wandering the streets anymore... Do you have a car?"
Meraton immediately became alert. "...Someone?"
“Very good, very good,” Sienna said. “Because I feel I need to ask you for a small favor.”