I woke up the next day to dozens of texts from my direct reports.
Candice insisted it was safe to come back in after the lockdown, but they were all anxious and wanted my opinion.
Luckily, I had a lot of information on the lockdown.
I sat in my quiet apartment, settling back into my normal routine as I texted back, calming the team down as I got ready to head to the office.
I wandered into the kitchen.
Breakfast was so much sweeter without the looming threat of the BSH hanging over my every thought.
Finishing my last bite of eggs, I headed out the door, following my usual route to work.
As I walked, I got the nagging sense that someone was watching me.
The back of my neck prickled slightly with that sixth sense.
I turned quickly, scanning the area behind me.
But no one was there.
Narrowing my eyes, I continued to scan.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Stella had been waiting outside my apartment to follow me.
Sensing for power, I tried to find her.
Stella’s level of ki would have been like a bright flare.
I was so sure I’d feel her signature, but she wasn’t there.
I frowned, finding myself a bit disappointed.
Taking a breath, I continued towards work.
I needed to focus on the additional commercials we needed to put together for the harem project.
I hoped we’d have some polling results around the heroes that resonated best with audiences in each city from past projects at the firm.
Tapping my chin, I thought about what shortcuts we could take to speed up shooting.
I’d given Kim six weeks.
It was a tight timeline, but it was doable.
I just needed to be extra strategic in our shots.
Lost in thought, I didn’t see my favorite, pig-nosed security guard until she blocked my entrance to the building.
"Zayn." She stared down at me.
"Thanks for what you did for the city."
"Huh?"
"It’s all over the office," she clarified.
"You worked with the BSH this weekend to deal with the bactimen."
"Oh, yeah. Not a problem at all. I was just in the right place, right time, and able to help with the hero. She did all the work." I tried to downplay it, wanting to sink back into the background.
The guard grunted as she stepped aside.
"Not what was on the news this morning. That new hero said you were vital. Anyway. Thanks."
Frowning, I pulled out my phone and searched for the news.
The City’s New Favorite Hero: Demoness
I couldn’t help but smile, proud of her for changing her narrative.
I opened up the article.
Someone had gotten a few good photos of her fighting the massive bactiman and even saving the other heroes from being digested.
I hadn’t realized that she’d spoken a few words at a press conference the night before, aimed at calming panic.
No doubt those had been coached.
The end of the article talked about how excited people were about her hero testing today.
I hoped she’d do well and find a place for herself in the city.
A part of me missed the action of the previous days.
I scrolled through the extra images, smiling at how Demoness truly did look like a hero, and not one of the phony ones.
But then one of the images came up with that damned statue of Fortress, and it was everything I could do to hold my power in and not fry every electronic in the building.
I quickly exited out of the article and stuffed my phone back in my pocket.
"Zayn!" Rachel was waiting at the elevator bank and cried out when she saw me.
Everyone else waiting for the elevator looked up, and more than a few did a double take.
I grumbled to myself, not loving the new fame.
"It’s Stella." She held out her phone with a different article, but it had mostly the same information.
"Your date from the other night is Demoness? That’s so awesome! I can’t believe we met her! She really kicked butt; I watched like twenty videos."
"Videos?" I asked.
"Yeah, they are all over the internet. Some are pretty choppy, but they are all from the high rises next to the fight." Rachel’s little fox ears flopped back and forth as she raved about it.
I nodded, uncomfortable that everybody in the elevator was still staring.
"Come on," I ushered her into the elevator as it dinged.
"We need to get a meeting together with the team to hash out the additional commercials."
But Rachel wasn’t paying attention; she was texting someone.
The elevator paused twice before we finally reached our floor.
When it opened, the office was all waiting with a big ’HERO’ set of balloons behind them.
So much for getting back to normal.
"Surprise!" Ben yelled above everyone else with the biggest smile on his face.
Even Candice was out of her office, taking part.
"Thank you." I patted the air for people to calm down.
"Thanks, but it wasn’t a big deal. I helped the BSH with some hero management this weekend. That’s all."
"He’s dating Demoness," Ben told the office excitedly.
"We went on ONE date," I clarified.
"With her new popularity, who knows what will happen next."
Even as I said it, I had to shove aside the idea of her dating somebody to not roast something nearby.
I frowned, pushing forward through the crowd.
Ben sidled up next to me, elbowing me in the ribs.
"So, how was being with a superhero?" he whispered in my ear far too loudly; everyone in the office could hear it.
He also pivoted me around, keeping me in the area with all the others.
I’d thought escape might not be so easy.
"Wouldn’t know. It was just a first date," I replied to his question, rolling my eyes.