Sara Kane

polygraph-sara‌:

A hero, looking for her?  Had something happened to Angel?  Her heart raced, but then the woman continued, and her pulse kept its accelerated rhythm for a different reason.  “H-hiding something?”  There was no way this woman could have known, and yet, there was nothing else it could have been.  “I don’t-  I don’t know-” what you’re talking about, she tried to say, but the words stuck and burned in her throat because Sara did know.  This woman had somehow spotted that she had powers, and, though most of her froze in terror at the thought, some small part of her leapt with excitement.  She coughed into her elbow, an after effect of her attempted lie, before turning back to the other with wide, pleading eyes.  “Okay, just not- not here.  Please?”

“Cut the act kid, I’m not here to play games about it.” She waved off the younger’s words, fingers digging into her pockets to pull out a cigarette and a lighter. She lit it up, her gaze still planted on the other. “You could be doing something good with your abilities, and with training, you could really be a ton of help.” She blew the smoke away from the other, a light smile lighting her features when they other spoke.”Okay fine, that’s okay with me. Where do you want to go? Name your place and I’ll have us there in a heartbeat. Providing you’re okay with teleporting, of course.”

“I c-could?”  Sara couldn’t help the touch of excitement that slipped into her voice.  Helping people, helping heroes, being a hero; that’s what her father had done, and, as much as it scared, that’s what she wanted to do too.  The college student nodded, relaxing a bit when the woman smiled and acquiesced to her request.  “Wouldn’t know, I’ve never uh, never teleported,” her lips twitched up into a smile at the word, “before, but I’ll try it...a-as long as it doesn’t attract too much attention?”  The question came from the practical part of her mind, the one that sounded like her mother, that questioned just what the hell she thought she was doing.  Still, if the woman already knew what she was, a conversation couldn’t hurt.  “My dorm’s just next to Washington square park, corner of 6th and 4th if you wanna go there?  I live on the- on the fifth floor.”  She wasn’t sure how specific she needed to be.

polygraph-sara‌:

@blxtz

Sara had gone to the library in an attempts to get some work done, hoping the quiet would help her headache and ability to focus.  Unfortunately, despite that and some advil, the sunlight still seemed to wave where it hit the walls and her head only continued to ring, as if there was some unbearable but inaudible noise coming from inside her own mind.  If anything, it was getting worse.  Groaning, she shut her book and let her head fall back against the bookshelf behind her.  Only then did she notice the person standing in front of her.  “Oh, s-sorry, am I blocking you?  I can uh, move.”  She didn’t really want to and made no motion to do so just yet, instead reaching up to rub at her eyes and temples with one hand.

Joan wasn’t sure what had drawn them to the girl other than the books she was infront of. They weren’t a mean person, not when they werw by themself, or at least they tried not to be. Joan was debating asking her to move when she spoke, snapping them out of their daze. She was familiar, they couldn’t tell from where however. Joan hoped the girl didn’t recognize them as Blitz, that’s why they were wearing such dull clothing. “I was just trying to get to the shelf behind you. Sorry for staring like a a creep.” They spoke quietly, wanting to put on a nice persona for the girl.

“Ah, no uh, no worries.”  She scrambled to her feet, catching herself on the bookcase when her balance faltered.  “I d-didn’t even notice.”  Finally, it seemed, she managed to clear out of the way, dragging her backpack away from the shelf with her so she was standing next to them, leaving the books accessible.  Something about them pulled at her mind, like she ought to recognize them, but that seemed to be the mood of the day, so she let it pass.  “Are you looking for anything in- in particular?”

The voice cut through the noise in her head, loud but bearable: somehow solid and grounding and golden as it momentarily quieted the rest of of her thoughts.  For a moment, her headache ebbed, and the feeling that her skull and central nervous system had been replaced with neon lights softened as her memories attempted to correct so she was no longer lying to herself.  Sara blinked.  The world was still slightly warped and oversaturated and ringing and in general a sensory overload, but she could recognize that more clearly now and understand why.  Additionally, as she processed the knowledge, the element coming from within quieted.  She wasn’t hungover or coming down with something, she realized.  No, her powers–that’s right, she had powers–were on overdrive, trying to alert her to the- the wrongness not only of the world around her, but within her own mind.  No wonder it felt like there’d been a drumline in her head.  Still, as she stood shakily, the world still spinning and over bright, from where she’d settled on the floor, pulling the sunglasses back on, a new and frightening question came to mind.

Sara had gone to the library in an attempts to get some work done, hoping the quiet would help her headache and ability to focus.  Unfortunately, despite that and some advil, the sunlight still seemed to wave where it hit the walls and her head only continued to ring, as if there was some unbearable but inaudible noise coming from inside her own mind.  If anything, it was getting worse.  Groaning, she shut her book and let her head fall back against the bookshelf behind her.  Only then did she notice the person standing in front of her.  “Oh, s-sorry, am I blocking you?  I can uh, move.”  She didn’t really want to and made no motion to do so just yet, instead reaching up to rub at her eyes and temples with one hand.

Sara woke up with what could only be described as a hangover.  Sitting up in bed and wincing at the sunlight streaming in beneath the blinds, she was immediately struck by a wave a nausea and dizziness.  There was definitely a migraine brewing over her left eyebrow.  She stood, carefully, searching her room for her sunglasses.  Everything was too bright, too loud, and somehow just off, like someone had adjusted the saturation and reverb on reality.

Slipping on the sunglasses, she realized she couldn’t be hungover.  She hadn’t been drinking the night before, never exactly having been one for the party scene.  Coming down with something then, probably.  Even better.  She grabbed her bag and slipped out of her room and then the building, heading down the block toward the nearest CVS.  As she passed an open shop door, the piercing sound of a radio broadcast hit her, something about chaos at the museum, and seemed to rattle directly into her skull.  Instinctively, she threw her hands up to cover her ears, stumbling, distracted, into someone walking the other direction.

“Shit.  I’m- I’m so sorry!”

“Yep! The one and only!” She giggled a bit, seeing the other was so flustered, she would never understand how she could be such a well known person. “Yeah, something like that. Dark matter has it’s perks.” Signe explained, taking another sip of her drink. “What about you? You’re bound to have a special talent.”

“Oh, m-me?”  Sara went wide-eyed at the comment.  She knew the hero probably didn’t mean anything by it, was just being friendly, but it still set her on edge.  “I mean, I’ve uh– I’ve been told I make a pretty mean latte, if that counts.”  She smiled, but she could hide her nervousness completely, beginning to tap her finger tips against the counter without realizing.

Diana bit at her lip worriedly, thinking about her beverage ruining her pages of carefully crafted notes for her newest book. Why didn’t she use her computer like Eva kept telling her to? “Actually, um… Both would be great. I mean, the napkins and the cloth if you really don’t mind.” She took them gently, about to rush back to her seat, where Ruffles was licking and sniffling around. “I really don’t mean to bother you but… I kinda made a mess and maybe four hands can work better than two to fix my disaster.” She said with a sheepish smile, somehow feeling comforted that the girl wasn’t looking annoyed and seemed genuinely understanding. “I’m really sorry, again.”

“Sure thing!  Just uh, just one second.”  Sara turned, grabbing a couple of the dish towels from the shelves beneath the espresso machine and handing them to the other girl, before coming out from the behind the counter and heading towards the milk and sugar station.  She pulled open the cabinet beneath it and grabbed one of the stacks of brown napkins for refilling the dispenser.  “D-does this look like enough?”  She asked with a wry smile as she stood back up.  “And it’s really no- no bother at all.  Just p-point me to where you were sitting.”  She glanced around, looking for the spill, before turning back again.  “I’m Sara, b-by the way, and it’s really no trouble.  I promise.”

“I wish I had your muscle memory, I wouldn’t have to write everything down.” She laughed softly as she playfully teased her. “Oooh, I’ve never gotten into those though visually they look really appealing, which one would you think would be a good first novel for me to check out?” she asked, nodding. “Oh is there? They always have so much going on, I feel bad for them. Always having to save everyone.” She nodded then thought for a moment. “Oh I’ve been working in the studio, playing around with my ability but nothing too crazy. My family moved here from Los Angeles so no more spending money on take out,” she grinned as she ran down her mundane list. “I figured out to bend metal now.” she whispered, excitedly.

“Well, if- if you can stomach something seriously dark, I’d recommend Monstress.  It’s really good, b-but yeah, super dark.”  Sara listened as she swirled the components of the drink together, before carefully pouring in the foamed milk.  “You did?  That’s r-really cool, Athena!”  Sara smiled at the other girl as she set the cup onto a saucer with a teaspoon and then slid it onto the counter between them.  She was always impressed by how open Athena was about her ability.  Part of her wished she could be the same.  “What um, what have you been doing with that?  D-do you use it in your designs?”  She tilted her head, genuinely curious about her friend’s new discovery.

Sara was just leaving the café when she heard the news, Cindy Chase’s voice coming loud and clear through the speakers of a patron’s computer.  Normally, she wouldn’t have tried to listen in, but a small group had gathered and she was curious about the fuss.

Her blood ran cold when she heard the details–four, including a hero, a villain, a vigilante, and, perhaps most terrifying, a civilian.  Her heart rate picked up, as she kept listening.  She knew there’d always been some animosity towards people with powers, but this was- this was horrific.

She turned to leave, trying to control her breathing.  But then she heard, “they left each corpse with a cat mask.”  Her breath caught.  She kept walking.  She made it out of the café, down the block, around the corner, pace increasing as she went until suddenly she was sprinting.  Her hands were white knuckled around the strap of her bag, and she could feel the tears prickling her eyes.

She didn’t make it past the door of her dormroom, slamming it behind her and sinking down, back against it, knees pulled in close, as the tears started to fall.  Even though she was no longer running, her breath remained ragged and her shoulders started to shake as the crying turned to sobbing.

Seven Years Ago

“Mommy?” Sara sat up in her bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes.  Her mother was rummaging through her drawers, and there was a suitcase open on the floor, although Sara couldn’t make out what was inside it in the darkness.  The pink digital clock on her dresser read 3:04.  “Mommy, what are you doing?”

Her mother paused, turned around and then rushed to sit on the edge of Sara’s bed.  She ran a shaking hand through her daughter’s hair and then sighed.  “I’m packing us for a- for a trip sweetheart.  You should go back to sleep.  I’ll get you up when we have to go.”

When her mother woke her up again, the clock read 3:42.  She pressed Ella, the pale blue elephant that Sara slept with, into her arms and helped the eleven-year-old put her sneakers on in the dark.  Before helping her put on her backpack and taking her by the hand and leading her down the stairs into a waiting taxi.  Sara caught a brief glimpse of a pile of suitcases in the back, before Linda pulled her close and she was drifting off again.

She woke again when they got to the airport.  The clock in the taxi read 4:38.  She was mostly half-asleep as her mother guided her through check-in and security, though she’d managed to thank the lady in the line who’d complemented her on how cute her sheep pajamas were.

By the time they reached the gate though, she was fully awake.  “Our flight doesn’t board for another thirty minutes, if you wanna go back to sleep sweetheart–”  Linda was cut off by the sound of the news coming from one of the television suspended above them.

“Early this morning, the powered vigilante Veritas, now known to have been local librarian, Jeremy “Jim” Miller, was found dead.  Veritas was known as a local hero and force for good  The warrants for his arrest were even suspended on multiple occasions for him to aid the Seattle PD with certain cases.  He is survived by a wife and daughter, and he will be missed...”

The television kept going, but Sara didn’t hear, instead she turned to her mother with wide eyes as what she’d heard fully solidified in her mind.  Linda only shook her head, lips tight, as if to say “not here.”  Before Sara could ask why, someone in one of the nearby rows of seats sneered, “Good riddance.”  Linda’s gaze sharpened, and she pulled Sara a bit closer.

They sat in silence until the flight boarded, Sarah clutching Ella to her chest and trying not to cry.  Just before it was their turn, the sound of the television, which had softened to the dull tones of infomercials increased to full volume again.

“This just in: an individual in some kind of white, cat mask–possibly a tiger–is reported to have been seen leaving the area of Veritas’ murder.  If you or anyone you know has seen someone-”

“Welcome aboard, Mrs. Linda Miller and...”  Sara’s attention was pulled back to the airport as the gate attendant leaned down to smile at her.  “Miss Sara Miller.  Where are you going so early?  Someplace fun, I hope.”

“Just to visit family.”  Linda responded, flashing a tight smile before pulling Sara gently toward the jet way.