I Don't Want To Be A Hero

Chapter 15 Fearme

The dining room felt warmer than it should have, the soft glow of the chandelier reflecting off polished wood and half‑finished plates. Davina hadn't realized how much she missed this—quiet conversation, familiar voices, the easy rhythm of people who knew her better than anyone else. Two weeks away from Welson wasn't long for most, but for them, it felt like a small eternity. They weren't just her family. They were the ones who had shaped her, sharpened her, pushed her until she could stand on her own.

Theo lounged back in his chair, boots crossed at the ankle, a forkful of ham halfway to his mouth. At twenty‑four, he still carried that restless spark in his eyes—the same spark that ignited into flame whenever he used his abilities. Across from him, Lizzy sat with perfect posture, her fingers idly circling the rim of her glass. She and Theo were twins, but opposites in every way: fire and water, chaos and calm, heat and cool precision.

"Winter is finally almost here," Theo said around a mouthful of food, grinning as if the cold months were some kind of personal victory.

Davina groaned dramatically. "Don't remind me."

Lizzy snorted, lifting her drink. "I'll never understand how someone so hot‑headed enjoys the cold."

Theo shrugged. "Balance, sis. Even fire needs a little chill."

Sebastian, who had been quietly slicing into his roast, gave a soft chuckle. "Or perhaps you simply enjoy tormenting Davina."

Theo opened his mouth to retort—but that was when Davina's watch vibrated sharply against her wrist, the sound cutting through the room like a blade.

The table fell silent.

Davina's posture straightened instantly, instincts kicking in before thought. She tapped the screen, eyes narrowing as the alert flashed across it.

Lizzy leaned forward, her voice low but steady. "What is it?"

Davina's expression shifted—focused, serious, the easy warmth from moments before replaced by the familiar steel of Siren preparing to move.

Davina's eyes flicked over the alert, her jaw tightening. "Chemical incident downtown," she said, already pushing her chair back. "People collapsing in the street. Hallucinations. Dispatch thinks it's some kind of toxin."

Theo was on his feet instantly, fire sparking at his fingertips before he even realized it. "Toxin? As in chemical attack?"

Lizzy stood too, her expression sharpening. "Then we move. Now."

Sebastian didn't say a word—he didn't need to. He was already heading toward the gear room.

The four of them moved with practiced precision down the hallway. Davina pressed the nanite device to her wrist, and the suit rippled over her body in a wave of metallic black and deep green. Theo's suit ignited around him in a flare of ember‑red light, while Lizzy's shimmered into place like water forming armor.

Sebastian secured his tactical vest, checking the vials and tools he carried for support missions. "I'll keep an eye on the evac routes," he said. "You three handle the source."

Davina nodded once. "Let's go."

The moment they arrived, the chaos hit them like a wall.

Cars were abandoned in the middle of the street. People stumbled blindly, screaming at things that weren't there. A man clawed at his own arms, sobbing. A woman curled on the sidewalk, whispering apologies to someone long gone. The air carried a faint, unnatural haze—almost shimmering, like heat waves but colder.

Theo covered his mouth with his sleeve. "What the hell is this?"

Lizzy knelt beside a trembling teenager. "It's okay, you're safe," she said softly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. A thin veil of water formed around them, filtering the air long enough for the girl to breathe normally again.

Davina moved fast, guiding civilians toward evacuation points. "Theo, burn off the gas pockets—carefully. Lizzy, keep the air clean around the exits."

They worked like a machine.

Theo's flames roared upward, burning away the drifting haze without touching a single civilian. Lizzy created spiraling currents of water that pushed clean air into the street. Davina darted between them, pulling people out of danger, her voice steady and grounding.

For a moment, it felt like they were winning.

Until the laughter started.

Soft. Echoing. Wrong.

A figure stepped out from behind a toppled bus—tall, draped in a dark violet coat, her hair a wild tangle of black curls. A mask covered the lower half of her face, but her eyes… her eyes were bright with delight.

"Well, well," she purred. "The famous Siren. And friends."

Davina froze. "Who are you?"

The woman spread her arms theatrically. "Fearme. And you're ruining my fun."

Theo stepped forward, fire curling around his fists. "You did this?"

Fearme tilted her head. "Of course I did. People hide such delicious nightmares inside them. I simply let them out to play."

A thin mist began to leak from the vents on her gloves—dark, swirling, almost alive.

Lizzy reacted first. "Siren, move!"

But Fearme was faster.

She flicked her wrist, and a concentrated burst of the gas shot forward like a serpent. It wrapped around Siren before she could dodge, sinking into her lungs with icy fingers.

Davina staggered.

Theo shouted her name.

Lizzy reached for her.

But Siren's eyes went wide—too wide—as the world around her twisted, colors bleeding into shadow.

Her breath hitched.

Her knees buckled.

And then she saw it.

The one thing she feared more than anything.

The thing she never spoke about.

The thing she never let herself remember.

Fearme's voice echoed distantly, delighted. "Let's see what breaks the Siren."

Davina screamed.

"Eyes in the sky… the bird is down," Lizzy said into the coms, her voice trembling despite her attempt to stay professional.

Davina collapsed to her knees, the impact echoing faintly against the cracked pavement. Tears streamed down her face in uncontrollable waves, her breaths sharp and broken as the hallucination tore through her mind. She wasn't seeing the street anymore—she was trapped somewhere far darker, somewhere only her worst nightmares lived.

Theo swept his arms outward, flames roaring to life as he tried to burn away the lingering gas. The fire hissed uselessly, the haze twisting and curling as if mocking him. "Come on, come on—dammit!" he growled, frustration and fear bleeding into his voice.

A slow, deliberate set of footsteps approached.

Fearme emerged from the thinning smoke like a specter, her violet coat fluttering behind her. Theo instinctively stepped back, positioning himself between her and Lizzy, but Fearme barely spared him a glance. Her attention was fixed on the trembling figure on the ground.

She crouched slightly, tilting her head as if examining a broken toy. "What a disappointment," she murmured, her tone dripping with amusement. "I really thought it would be harder to kill you."

Theo's fists ignited, but Fearme only smiled behind her mask—an expression he could feel more than see. She straightened, turned her back on them, and began walking away with a casualness that made Theo's stomach twist.

Lizzy surged forward, water swirling around her hands. "Oh, no—you're not getting away with—"

Theo grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Aqua, stop!"

"She's right there!" Lizzy snapped, her voice cracking. "We can take her—"

"We can't stop her now," Theo said firmly, though his voice wavered. "Not with Siren like this. Not with that gas still in the air."

Lizzy froze, chest heaving. She looked back at Davina—Siren—curled on the ground, shaking violently, her hands clawing at the pavement as if trying to escape something only she could see. Her cries weren't words anymore, just raw, terrified sound.

Lizzy's anger melted into horror.

"…Alright," she whispered, the fight draining out of her. She knelt beside Davina, placing a gentle hand on her back. "We've got you. We're here. Just hold on."

Theo stood guard, eyes locked on the direction Fearme disappeared, jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.

The gas slowly thinned.

But Davina didn't stop screaming.

And for the first time in a long time, neither of them knew how to save her.

TO BE CONTINUED