The beautiful city of Charlotte, North Carolina shimmered in the sunlight. What could be more perfect? Anything but the argument of the century: Superhero vs. Normal Person. “LB, what are you doing!” Lilith moaned. Her soft red hair fluttered slightly, swooping over her eye, around her jawline, and back again. She was the daughter of a well-known policeman. How could she let her best friend break the law? She couldn’t, she’d have to turn her into her father. Springing onto her feet, she hoped her friend would listen to her. “You could get arrested, or worse, sentenced to death for doing this.” ‘’How many times have I told you?” Ariane replied. “This isn’t illegal. And don’t call me LB if you reveal my secret I swear I’ll snap your neck!’’ “Ok, ok, but if you’re not going to walk in, it’s technically considered lottiering,” Lilith said in a sing song sort of voice. “No, it’s not.” ‘’Yes, it is, LB.” “Ugh, fine I’ll go in,” She finally choked up, glaring at the door knob belonging to Bella and James’ Fine Dining. “But seriously, don’t call me LB! Everyone wants to know the real Lightning Bug, and that’s just way too dangerous to call me it in public!” “I swear I won’t.” Ariane tugged on the heavy door. She grunted, had they tried to test all of her ability? “Lilith, I believe there is something fishy here!” Ari yelled. “Impossible!” Lilith screamed back, With all of her strength, her super strength, she finally opened the maroon door. She wondered why it took her, the knock-out, guaranteed, absolute strongest person in the midst of the town, so much effort to open the door. She then remembered a meetup she had to attend. A meetup so spectacular only people like her could access. “Want to meet my friends next week?” She asked. “Who? Where? Why?” Lilith questioned. “Because, you’re such a superhero fanatic, you have my lightning bolt posters plastered over my room. Don’t you want to meet my team?” “Y-Your team?” She questioned. ‘’My team. You know, Metamorpha, The Masquerade, Techno Whip, Two Tone, and, of course, me!” Ariane yelled. Many residents of the cafe started to turn their heads. “Oops……” “Sure!” Lilith exclaimed. “ But, I’ve never heard of Two Tone or Techno Whip.” “They’re new.” Ariane explained. They advanced to a counter to order their meals, chittering and chattering happily along the way. A week later, Ariane had already blew through sleeping. Her eyes were practically glued open, her ears could barely hear a thing. Thankfully, she had not had any “Super alerts” in the past month. The bed bounced as she hopped off it. Dreamily glancing at her alarm clock, she jumped. “SCHOOL STARTS IN 4 MINUTES!?” Ariane slapped on a blue dress and a hat, and ran out the door. At school, she just doodled all day. She doodled herself drawing a sword at a vicious beast. She doodled The Masquerade, her fellow superhero. She doodled her meet up. By the time she was done doodling, it wasn’t school time anymore! But she hadn’t forgotten about the meet up. In fact, it had been on her mind all day! She sprinted to the nearest bathroom stall and was ready to transform. Ariane screamed, “Lightning! Go!!” and she was off. She swung her right leg up to transform. It looked just like magic. Her arms had turned yellow, only her hands were still pale and wrinkled. Her legs were as yellow as the sun, and her face was covered by a blue lightning mask. The girl she saw in the mirror wasn’t Ariane anymore. It was a new world she lived in. Her alter ego. It was Lightning Bug. Waltzing out of the powder room, many stared at her. One boy fainted. “It’s Lightning Bug!” He said. “Can you give me your autograph?” “Sure!’’ LB laughed. She loved all her fans. And they loved her back (Sometimes to the point they needed therapy). Handing the picture the boy gave her back, she flew into Lilith's English classroom. “Lilith, it’s time to go!” She said. Everyone in the class oohed and aahed. It wasn’t every day the “Nerd” in the class was friends with a superhero! ‘’Kay, LB.” Lilith told the class. Together they flocked- or- flew out of the class. “So you’ll meet us in uniform first, we have a meet and greet with the town at six.” LB said. “Then we’ll turn back when everyone’s gone and you’ll see if you know anyone besides me. My treat, you deserve it!” “Cool, can I call you LB?” Lilith asked. “Well, since I’m in “Super Form”, sure, but you know the rules,” Lightning Bug stated. “Once I turn back, nope. My secret isn’t that safe with you. Ever.” They both looked around, just a little, to make sure they were safe. From Lightning Bug’s referral, they weren’t. She swooped down near the grass, barely touching the salty sea water below them. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” Lilith yelled. “Nope,” Lightning Bug responded. “This isn’t safe!” “I’m a superhero, it’s my duty to keep everyone safe. Including you!” With a quick moment of hesitation to spare, Lightning Bug landed on a News and Record, both scraping their knee caps on the bricky roof. “We’re here!” Lightning Bug exclaimed, cheerfully. “And thank God almighty we are because if I weren’t here, I would be dead!” Lilith gasped. They both walked into News building and while Lightning Bug slid into her cushioned chair with a lovely sign dangling around her neck saying, “Lightning Bug”, Lilith sat in a comfortable chair on Techno Whip, another hero’s side, practically swooning like any teen would if she saw a male superhero. “Ummmmmm…… Can you at least tell me your name?” Lightning Bug heard Techno Whip ask Lilith a few seats away. She waltzed over to their chairs. “Lilith, this is Techno Whip. hip, Tech, this is,” She sighed slightly because of fatigue, and slightly because she recalled her earlier encounter with Lilith. “This is Lilith. She, er, likes you….” “Ok………” Techno Whip drifted off. But there was no time to drift off. They had fans to answer! “Who is your favorite superhero that isn’t on this team?” One girl asked. “Um…. Batman.” Metamorpha said. “Iron Man……………” Techno Whip ran his sentence on much longer, his voice so muffled by his mask no one could hear. “ SUPER MAN!!!” Two Tone and Masquerade screamed. “I like Catwoman.” Lightning Bug stated. “Who is your idol?” Another fan asked “JESSIE R. FORD!!!!!!!” They all said. “Who doesn’t even exist!” Metamorpha laughed. And then the worst thing in the world happened after that. “Who are you, really?” A fan boy questioned “We’re super heroes,” The Masquerade straightened her puffy purple dress. “No, the real you!” The fan reminded her. Two Tone started to sweat a river. “We’ll reveal on the 25th!” She said. Everyone else stared at her, wondering why she lied. She shrugged her shoulders. Only a few questions were asked furthermore, and Masquerade answered most of them, smiling the whole way. The group then decided to change back in a storage room, Lilith outside wondering who they were, especially Techno Whip. All she heard was little “Deforming Phrases”. “Shoom!” Ariane yelled. “We. Are. Finally. Done” “Get ready, she’s gonna take this harshly,” A somewhat familiar voice stated. Ariane followed it up with a quote from some famous hero or something along those lines. She then banged the door out, to everyone’s surprise, and revealed herself, three other girls, and one boy. And based on Lilith's reaction, she knew a bit of the people. “Aminah!!!!!!!” She squealed. “You’re a superhero?!” “Two Tone, to be exact,” She responded. “I’ve always wanted you to know, but we all swore never to tell. Speaking about that, Ariane, how does Lilith know?!” “She saw me… er….. Do my thing,” She replied. “Ay, Ariane. Hola amigo.” Aminah screamed. “Huh? Why are you saying “Hello friend”?” “I’M LEARNING SPANISH!” Aminah yelled. “Keep telling yourself that,” Ariane said in a sympathetic voice. “Now, everyone, introduce yourselves, will you?” “Sure, Mom,” The girl to the left of Ariane and Aminah sighed. They all stood in a line. “I’m GiGi, Masquerade, whatever you want to call me. The girl in the blue dress, ok?” Lilith nodded, her facial expression so blank she could paint a wall white. (She wasn’t that used to people being rude, they assumed.) “I’m the more commonly known Two Tone, or the occasional Aminah…..” Lilith's friend responded. “Tell me, who am I?” a strikingly blonde girl asked herself. “I’m Metamorpha, I’m Gemma, who am I?” “Ok,” Lilith muttered. “And I’m Porter. Or Techno Whip,” He said softly. “Good. We are free to go home!” Ariane politely gestured. “I’m interested in watching TV.” They all cheered, departing one by one, Lilith and Ariane being last, Porter and Gemma first. Once they were all gone, Ariane tried to put up some small talk. “Wanna see some TV?” She asked. “Whatever, sure.” Lilith replied. Once they got home, they did just that. “BREAKING NEWS!!!!!” A reporter yelled on screen. “Danger is lurking around the corner, a supervillain is reported to be harassing the town! Where is Lightning Bug?” They showed a image of a man with quite visible teeth, brown hair, and a green jumpsuit. “Time?’’ Lilith asked “Yep” Ariane whispered to her. She quickly dialed up Porter, Gemma, Aminah and GiGi, reporting the news. “We all saw it too,” GiGi exclaimed. “Transform, now!” “K,” Ariane rushed downstairs and yelled, “Lightning! Go!!!!” Yellow outfit and all, Lightning Bug was quickly there. Flying back upstairs, she snatched the back of Lilith’s shirt. “We’re going!” Yelled LB. Flying back downstairs, out the door, and then all the way to the heart of Charlotte. Jaws dropped and papers flew along the way, people wanted their signature, of course, but the resident evil was close, there was no time! “Show yourself, ReDo,” LB put air quotes around the anti-hero’s name. A cricket chirped. A wolf howled. But there was no sign of ReDo. “Lightning, we’ve got him already…..” Masquerade yelled, pointing at a tied up villain. With a moment of hesitation, Lilith questioned Masquerade, “Doesn’t he have flame powers?” “Oh, right! I do, so long suckers!” The masked figure cackled. But, Lightning Bug had already pulled out her secret weapon; her LightBlade. She sliced up the ropes, tangled up from the Re Do’s great escape. “What are you going to do?” Two Tone asked. “Yeah, what?!” Metamorpha exclaimed. “I’ve got a plan,” LB whispered. “But you guys have to be in. No frauds. No nothing.” “Ok,” Lilith nodded nervously. “Good,” LB ran on. “We’re gonna find out who this “ReDo” really is.” “Lighty B and I have discussed this,” Metamorpha frantically reported. “We said we’re gonna use our powers at the same time.” “All of us?!” Lilith jumped backwards. “I don’t have powers!” “I have a LightBlade.” LB calmly stated. “That will be your power for today.” “Ok,” Lilith said. “Let’s go out. NOW! Before we can’t find ReDo anymore!” They all ran out, ready to fight. Lilith holding a huge, ocean blue, stinging bee, yellow sword, which acted like a laser. It was, just as most of the heroes had known, the LightBlade. “Green suit at two ‘o'clock!” Masquerade warned the team. Lilith ran up to the figure. “Show yourself!: She yelled. The man turned around, revealing a maskless civilian. “It’s okay guys! It’s just a guy with a terrible sense of style!” Lilith screamed. They advanced to a dark alley. Green paint was splattered across the walls. Green bats flew around. And, of course, ReDo stood at the end of the alley. “Try me!” He yelled. Remembering the plan they all came up with, Metamorpha counted to three. But, ReDo was quick to think. “That’s the best you can do for a plan?” He stretched out his arm and used his powers to nail all the team onto the wall. “Help!” Lightning Bug, Techno Whip, Metamorpha, and the Masquerade belched out as loud as they could. “There’s no one to help you now!” ReDo tapped his fingers on a table. He quite obviously didn’t notice the LightBlade, let alone Lilith at all. What should I do? Lilith thought. Without anymore thinking, she swung the sword right through ReDo. “Huh? What’s goi-” He wanted to say more, but those were his last words. The team was released from the nails. “You did it!” Lightning Bug hugged her. “We should make you a superhero!” “But I don’t have a power.” Lilith told her. “You do! You killed ReDo!” She explained. “You got his powers!” “I didn’t know that was how it worked!” “Well it is!” Metamorpha and Techno Whip said in union. “Well it… was I late?” Two Tone muttered. “Yep….” Masquerade replied. “You’ll be a great hero!” Metamorpha told her. “Yeah, welcome to the team, Bekon!” Lightning Bug laughed. And the world was saved. All thanks to Lightning Bug, Metamorpha, Two Tone, The Masquerade, Techno Whip, and, of course, Lilith Green-Gardener.