-Impmon-
The edge of the skyscraper was my spot, legs dangling over a hundred stories of nothing. New York was just a smear of orange and white lights below, all blurry and sparkly like someone spilled glitter. The night air had a cool bite to it, not gonna lie, which was pretty good for clearing my head after a long day of… well, being me.
I was just kicking back, you know? Doing my thing. A little purple flame on a streetlamp here to make it flicker weird, a sudden shadow there to make some guy jump and spill his coffee. Just enough to keep things interesting. It's what I do.
But lately, my brain keeps doing this weird, annoying thing. It drifts. And where does it drift to? That pink-haired hero. Jewel.
It's ridiculous, really. She only saved my hide that one time from those agents with the shiny arm. Just once. You'd think she was some big deal or something, the way my thoughts keep circling back to her like a dumb bug.
Pfft. As if.
She's just… she's not totally boring, I guess. Which is saying a lot for a human. Most of them are about as exciting as watching data compile. But she actually flew in and punched people for me. Weird move, but okay.
It's just a little bit annoying how she sticks in my head, like some catchy, dumb jingle you can't shake. You know the kind. The one that plays in a store and ruins your whole afternoon. That's her.
I shook my head, trying to fling the thought out. Below, a taxi honked, and I grinned. Maybe a little "Bada Boom" near its tire would give the driver a story to tell.
Anything was better than thinking about a hero who was probably off somewhere being painfully earnest and helpful. So annoying.
Ugh. Annoyed. Just… annoyed.
Can't a guy enjoy his pranks without his brain bringing up pink hair and white spandex? It's like a catchy, annoying song stuck in my head. I let out a huff, and a little puff of purple smoke escapes my lips.
Fine. If I'm gonna be annoyed, I'm gonna be annoyed somewhere else. Staring at the same boring rooftop isn't helping. I push off the ledge and let myself drift, just floating along, minding my own business.
The quiet hum of the city is a nice change. No screaming, no weird feelings, just the background noise of a million humans doing their thing. That's when I see her.
Jewel. But she's not flying around, doing her usual "I'm here to help!" routine. She's just… walking. Out of a bank. With a big, heavy-looking bag.
That's… odd. Even for a human. She's got that super-strength, so the bag's no problem, but why is a hero walking out of a bank with it? Did she open an account?
I zip down, landing light as a feather right in front of her.
"Hey, Jewel! What's with the heavy lifting? Bank run for a late-night snack? Or is this some new hero thing where you just... take what you want?"
I try to make it sound teasing, like I always do. This feels like a prank. A really unheroic one, for her.
She just stares at me. Her eyes are... kinda blank. Like she's looking through me, not at me. There's no spark, no annoyance, not even a little twitch at the corner of her mouth. Just that dazed, faraway look. I've seen that look before, on those other humans, the ones acting all weird. But this is Jessica. She's not supposed to look like that.
"What, you too good for a laugh now, Jewel? Or did you finally try to pull a prank and it went sideways?"
I push a little, trying to get a reaction. Anything. But she still doesn't say anything. Just stands there, holding that bag. Her body is rigid, almost stiff. This isn't right. This isn't how she acts.
Okay, now this is starting to get on my nerves. She's ignoring me? I mean, I'm right here. I wave a red-gloved hand in front of her face.
"Hello? Earth to Jewel! Did you get hit on the head or something?"
Nothing. Her face doesn't even change. The silence stretches out, and it's not the comfortable kind. It's the kind that makes the back of my neck feel weird.
A memory pops into my head, fuzzy but there. Those other people in the city, the ones walking around like they forgot how to be people. They all had that same empty stare. And she was worried about them, wasn't she? She said people were "breaking."
Wait a minute.
"Hey," I say, and my voice doesn't sound as playful anymore. "Jewel. This isn't funny. Snap out of it."
Her head turns slowly, mechanically, to look at me. But her eyes don't focus. It's like I'm a piece of furniture. Then, without a word, she turns and starts walking away down the alley, the bag of cash still in her hand.
What the heck? She's just leaving? After I came all the way down here to say hi?
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" I hop after her, keeping pace. "You can't just walk away from me! I'm talking to you!"
She doesn't speed up or slow down. It's a steady, mindless march. My teasing evaporates, replaced by a hot, prickly feeling in my chest. This isn't a prank. This is wrong. Something is really, really wrong with her.
And if she's broken... who broke her?
I took a step closer, ready to poke her, maybe get her to snap out of it. This wasn't like her to just zone out. What the heck had gotten into her?
Before my finger could even get near her, she moved. Fast. Way too fast. Her fist connected with my face, a solid THWACK that sent me flying.
WHAM! I hit the side of the bank building, my head rattling. Stars. I definitely saw stars.
"Hey! What the heck, Jewel?! What's your problem?!"
I rubbed my jaw, trying to clear the spots from my eyes. She was already coming at me again, not even slowing down. It was like she wasn't even seeing me.
This wasn't a playful punch, not even a warning shot. This was serious. Her eyes were just… empty.
She was fast, faster than I thought a human could be. Her punches felt like mini-trucks hitting me, each one shaking me to my core. I tried to dart and weave, using my size to my advantage, but she was relentless.
Every time I thought I saw an opening, she was already there, blocking or shifting. I shot a little purple flame from my palm, just enough to distract her.
She didn't even flinch. She just batted it away like it was a fly. My best trick, and it was nothing to her.
I was just trying not to get completely flattened. This was her fight. She was setting the pace, and I was scrambling to keep up. It was humiliating.
I saw a flicker, a tiny moment where she shifted her weight to her back foot. It was my chance. I went for it, a quick kick aimed at her side to knock her off balance.
But she was already there. She pivoted, and her elbow smashed into my ribs.
CRACK!
A sharp, hot pain shot through me. I gasped, the air leaving my lungs in a rush. I folded over, clutching my side.
I was down. Just like that. She hit me good. Really good.
I looked up, gasping for air that wouldn't come. My whole side was on fire. She didn't even spare me a glance. No smirk, no triumphant look, nothing.
She just walked right past me. She picked up that stupid bag of money again, like I was just part of the scenery she'd already dealt with.
The way she moved, so sure, so… empty. Like a machine.
"Jewel… why?"
I managed to rasp the words out, watching her white and blue costume disappear out the broken bank door. It wasn't a prank. She wasn't herself.
And I didn't know what to do about it. I just lay there, holding my ribs, feeling more alone than I had in a long time.
***
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