Against all Odds

Chapter Two

The next morning, her parents were actually there when Charm got up. She padded downstairs in her pajamas, smelling the sweet, enchanting scent of coffee. Her mom might as well be a magician as well as a hero, because she made amazing coffee.

"Good morning, mom and dad!" She greeted, hugging them both. Her dad chuckled and ruffled her hair, already holding a steaming cup of coffee in his other hand. "morning, sweet pea. How'd you sleep?" Her mom asked, noticing the longing look Charm gave and poured her a cup.

Charm took it gratefully and took a sip before answering, letting the hot liquid travel down her throat. She sighed in ecstacy. The coffee was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, not too bitter, not too sweet. She had always hated extremes.

"I slept okay, how about you guys?" Charm took a seat at the small table, looking around. The place was small, but it was theirs. They made it into a very cozy home. There were various spices and stuff on the counter, as well as knives and forks. There was a cute little ceramic chicken that had a permanent place near a window sill.

Sunlight trickled in from the window. The end result in the kitchen was a very homely, lived in feel. Her parents traded guilty glances, which Charm took to mean that they didn't get very much, or any, sleep at all.

"We were up pretty late last night trying to find new leads on this villain" Her dad explained.

Another thing Charm loved about her parents. They talked openly to her about their work. "Another Villain? Already?" Charm asked, shocked. That was quick, considering they beat one yesterday. Her mom nodded, worry lines creasing her face.

"Yeah, there wasn't much of a lead, however. This villain did a great job on keeping to the shadows. People are calling him the Shadow Man." her mom replied.

"shadow Man, huh? Real original " Charm snorted, taking a big gulp of her coffee. "Do you think you'll eventually find him?"

"Oh hell yeah, we will" her dad said confidently. "Every villain eventually messed up, and this one won't be any different. We'll catch him and put him behind bars eventually."

Charm admired the confidence, but she was more hesitant to believe anything. Not all villains were the same. This one could be a lot more difficult, and as her parents were overconfident, they'd definitely make a mistake. But she couldn't say any of this, they'd only pat her head and tell her that they had everything under control and that she didn't need to worry.

She always did end up worried.

She knew that in books and movies, the Villain always ends up messing up, but in real life, nothing's like that. People are unpredictable. So maybe the Villain is smart enough to avoid detection. Not that there was anything she could do with that.

---

A few days later, they still had no new leads on the Shadow man. Charm was getting concerned, though she wouldn't show it. She refused to worry her parents. Besides, she was probably being paranoid as usual.

Charm had strange dreams that night, of a guy cloaked in shadows, stalking her as she went to school. When she tried to run, the shadow reached out and clamped his cold hand on her arm, keeping her from moving. Turning back, she saw a glimpse of a knife.

Screaming, she watched as the knife came closer to her skin. Just before the knife hit her skin, she woke up in a cold sweat, her blankets tangled in a heap around her legs and breathing hard.

She decided her subconscious wanted to scare her into believing what she was thinking, but Charm wouldn't fall that easily. Paranoia at its finest.

She got up from her bed and bounced to the bathroom, shaking off the nightmare as she undressed and turned the shower water on hot water to full blast, and stepped underneath it, the water scalding her skin.

She stood under the water as long as she could, the water so hot there was mist.  Charm wanted to wash away the remnants of the dream. But, she had school so she finally reluctantly stepped out.

Charm dressed up in her uniform, a cute pleated skirt and a long sleeved button up shirt with a tie and a jacket to go with it. She put on her socks and shoes and walked downstairs, her backpack slung over her shoulders.

She had just grabbed an orange to eat when an explosion sounded. Debris flew in the kitchen, and Charm screamed and knelt on the other side of the counter.