"I don't know... I feel like it should be something catchy, yknow? Something peppy, or powerful!"
"Nah... you want something that makes you sound hella scary!"
"What? No! Peppy and powerful is way more my brand. Are you sure you don't just want something hella scary, Metal?" Wren retaliated.
Metal looked at the ground.
"I mean... yeah..." he muttered, suddenly absent of confidence.
"No way. You want something that's just one word, something punchy that you can yell when you use it!" Rebound chimed in.
"What? You've literally never shouted 'Rebound' after throwing anything. You always say some dumb shit like 'yeet' or 'kobe'." Cece replied.
Rebound also looked at the ground, his confidence destroyed. Man, it was getting really judgmental in here...
"He probably just wanted something that sounded cool to use as a name! Do you just want to be some kind of superhero or something?" Wren asked, mockingly.
He totally did, but that was embarrassing, so Rebound went with;
"No way! I just did it cos BM did it, and that's way dumber than Rebound anyway!"
"To be fair... calling yourself 'Best Man' is a little... yknow." Metal added.
BM raised his hands defensively.
"Hey, it's caught on at this point. And besides, um, none of you know my real name anyway!" he responded masterfully.
Dominic was about to say something about how he did actually know BM's real name, but stopped dead in his tracks when BM shot him a glare both emotionless and terrifying. Dominic remained quiet.
"Um..." Tenson mumbled. He had been anxiously waiting his turn to interrupt.
Everyone turned to look at him, and the judgment disappeared like wisps of smoke in the wind. The group had a soft spot for Tenson. It was hard not to, he was just such a sweet guy!
"I'd call mine 'Kreuger'! Like... like Freddy Kreuger... cos of... the claws..."
"Hell yeah! That's sick!" Wren exclaimed, jumping up and high-fiving Tenson, who jumped up to receive it, matching her energy. Nobody could bring out someone's energy like Wren could!
Suddenly, Dominic felt much more confident sharing his name idea! Surely, if a horror movie icon was acceptable, something as undeniably meaningful and graceful as poetry as an inspiration will be very impressive!
"I got one too! Mine's 'Light Can Only Follow After My Dark Extensions'!" he exclaimed, power posing as if awaiting praise, before realizing that everyone was just staring at him.
"What?" he asked, his confidence following suit after Rebound and Metal's.
"Dude.. that's way too long... and what does that even mean?" Mariah asked, almost disgusted at the nerd shit she had just heard.
"Hey... you don't even have a power..." Dominic returned weakly.
"Uh huh. If I did, it'd be something real cool, like roller skates that can fly, and also kill people."
"Mariah! We don't kill people..." Tenson reprimanded.
"Dude. You have KNIVES. This guy makes guns, and she literally explodes things! You don't kill people cos you're all pussies..."
"That, is incredibly immoral... and besides, that's not how this works! You can't choose your power!"
"Maybe you can't, loser. Just you wait. Mine'll be flashy. Anyways, I'm outta here. Have fun, assholes."
Mariah got up and left. Nobody bothered to ask where she was going.
"Wait... is that why BM calls you Space Girl, Cece? I know you, BM, and Rebound were all here when this whole thing started... were you guys a superhero team or something?" Wren asked, half joking.
"Well... kind of... it's a long story..." Cece 'explained'. BM and Rebound nodded and grunted in agreement.
Wren sighed. She hated the whole 'story for another day' thing...
"Well... what about just 'Dark Extensions'?" Dominic asked. Wow, he'd really been thinking about that this whole time, huh?
"Yeah! See, that works! It sounds cool, edgy, yknow?" Rebound affirmed.
Great... that is definitely not what Dominic was going for. Whatever...
"I've got it." Metal chimed in. Everyone looked at him expectantly. He cleared his throat dramatically. "'Arms Race'!"
"Niiiice! I... don't really get it! But it's cool words!" Wren replied, giving Metal a high five too.
"What? Yknow. Arms races. Like in history?"
"Oh, she doesn't know history. There was a whole memory wipe thing, and we didn't really teach her much that she didn't already know - it was a whole big thing." BM explained. Metal pretended to get it.
"Wait. That's not scary, though." Wren said, remembering Metal's only requirement.
"They are if you know what they are, dumbass. And hey, big talk from you, little lady. You don't even have a name." Metal reflected.
Wren thought about this, and toiled through her mind for something cool, punchy, peppy, and fiery. Hmm... EUREKA! She snapped her fingers and looked up at everyone with a confident grin and a glisten in her eyes.
"'Bring The Heat!'"
YOU ARE READING
Bring The Heat
ActionWho was Wren? Where does power come from? And how will everyone manage this new responsibility thrown onto them? Maybe letting the stars guide you is the only way to move forward...
