grown taller and glows like lightning.
“Em, I said to go inside,” she says in a cold voice. Before I can reply, someone grabs me from behind. I blink up at Andre, who’s pulling me back from the two women.
“Spread out, get those cameras on them--keep them out of range of the electricity!” he bellows as an entire group of cameramen in super uniforms comes rushing out. “We want to keep our equipment from getting fried--it might be insulated, but Firefly’s--”
The field of crackling electricity seems to disappear, but there’s a strange, oppressive feeling in the air that replaces it. Andre lets out a curse and picks me up. “RUN!” he bellows. “SHE’S MANIPULATING THE ELECTRIC FIELDS!”
The entire group runs as fast as they can, but I’m watching over Andre’s shoulder as we get out of range. It’s glowing a light blue, smoky color that I can only see now that I’m away from it. Skystep looks confused--until she lets out a scream. Her body seems to go transparent for a second before solidifying again--
Liz is going to kill her, I realize in shock.
“NOOO! LIZ DON’T DO IT!!” I bellow at the top of my lungs, struggling to get free--I can’t. But Ditto can, I realize as she appears in front of Liz.
“Don’t!” she says, tackling our foster mom and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist--for all of a second before she literally dissolves out of existence. The haze disappears and Skystep falls to the ground with a thump. Liz is staring in horror at the space in front of her.
“Di--Ditto?” she says. “Ditto, honey, you--you’re--”
I feel the recoil--it’s not the same as being tore apart, but I can’t handle it. That’s my last thought before I go unconscious, overcome by the pain.
***
“Em--” Andre says as the girl goes limp in his arms. He pulls her forward, grabbing her head to keep it from flopping around and checks her pulse. It’s strong and steady. The girl merely fainted. “Take her to Central Hall’s ER--I need to go to Liz,” he barks, handing the girl to the nearest cape before rushing to the sobbing white haired woman in the middle of a circle of devastation.
“Why--”
“Because she’s my future daughter--and that’s my future granddaughter, so GO NOW!” he bellows as he reaches Liz’s side.
“I--I killed her--” she says, sobbing her heart out as he pulls her into his arms. “I killed my baby girl--Ditto--”
“Shhh,” he says, sitting on the ground and rocking her gently. “She’s a doppelganger--she’ll be okay.”
“I killed her,” she says again, not hearing him. He wraps his huge arms around her, feeling a bit of wonder that such a delicate frame (to him, at least) could do so much. This woman absolutely deserves the title of S-class, he thinks as he starts to stroke her hair.
“She’ll be back,” he promises as she turns into his chest and starts to bawl. He notices she doesn’t say a word about Skystep. It’s as if the “death” of the doppelganger has made her forget the woman was even there.
“Boss--about Skystep?” someone asks him.
“Take her to the ER, too,” he says, rubbing Liz’s back. “We’ll catch up with you soon.”
“Em--” Liz says, coming back to the present. “Is Em okay? She’s alive, right? I didn’t hurt her?”
“She’s unconscious,” Andre tells her. “We’re taking her to the Hall’s ER. We’re going to follow them now, okay? Put them in two separate cars!” he snaps at his workers as he stands. “I don’t want Emily near that lady, even if they are unconscious.”
“I want to ride with Em,” Liz says, pulling out of his hold and racing for the van they’re putting Emily in. Andre pulls out his phone, rather
“Em, I said to go inside,” she says in a cold voice. Before I can reply, someone grabs me from behind. I blink up at Andre, who’s pulling me back from the two women.
“Spread out, get those cameras on them--keep them out of range of the electricity!” he bellows as an entire group of cameramen in super uniforms comes rushing out. “We want to keep our equipment from getting fried--it might be insulated, but Firefly’s--”
The field of crackling electricity seems to disappear, but there’s a strange, oppressive feeling in the air that replaces it. Andre lets out a curse and picks me up. “RUN!” he bellows. “SHE’S MANIPULATING THE ELECTRIC FIELDS!”
The entire group runs as fast as they can, but I’m watching over Andre’s shoulder as we get out of range. It’s glowing a light blue, smoky color that I can only see now that I’m away from it. Skystep looks confused--until she lets out a scream. Her body seems to go transparent for a second before solidifying again--
Liz is going to kill her, I realize in shock.
“NOOO! LIZ DON’T DO IT!!” I bellow at the top of my lungs, struggling to get free--I can’t. But Ditto can, I realize as she appears in front of Liz.
“Don’t!” she says, tackling our foster mom and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist--for all of a second before she literally dissolves out of existence. The haze disappears and Skystep falls to the ground with a thump. Liz is staring in horror at the space in front of her.
“Di--Ditto?” she says. “Ditto, honey, you--you’re--”
I feel the recoil--it’s not the same as being tore apart, but I can’t handle it. That’s my last thought before I go unconscious, overcome by the pain.
***
“Em--” Andre says as the girl goes limp in his arms. He pulls her forward, grabbing her head to keep it from flopping around and checks her pulse. It’s strong and steady. The girl merely fainted. “Take her to Central Hall’s ER--I need to go to Liz,” he barks, handing the girl to the nearest cape before rushing to the sobbing white haired woman in the middle of a circle of devastation.
“Why--”
“Because she’s my future daughter--and that’s my future granddaughter, so GO NOW!” he bellows as he reaches Liz’s side.
“I--I killed her--” she says, sobbing her heart out as he pulls her into his arms. “I killed my baby girl--Ditto--”
“Shhh,” he says, sitting on the ground and rocking her gently. “She’s a doppelganger--she’ll be okay.”
“I killed her,” she says again, not hearing him. He wraps his huge arms around her, feeling a bit of wonder that such a delicate frame (to him, at least) could do so much. This woman absolutely deserves the title of S-class, he thinks as he starts to stroke her hair.
“She’ll be back,” he promises as she turns into his chest and starts to bawl. He notices she doesn’t say a word about Skystep. It’s as if the “death” of the doppelganger has made her forget the woman was even there.
“Boss--about Skystep?” someone asks him.
“Take her to the ER, too,” he says, rubbing Liz’s back. “We’ll catch up with you soon.”
“Em--” Liz says, coming back to the present. “Is Em okay? She’s alive, right? I didn’t hurt her?”
“She’s unconscious,” Andre tells her. “We’re taking her to the Hall’s ER. We’re going to follow them now, okay? Put them in two separate cars!” he snaps at his workers as he stands. “I don’t want Emily near that lady, even if they are unconscious.”
“I want to ride with Em,” Liz says, pulling out of his hold and racing for the van they’re putting Emily in. Andre pulls out his phone, rather
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