𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 (𝙗𝙭𝙗)

Chapter Sixteen

Cody P.O.V

Before being unlawfully grounded on poorly addressed charges, I had found solace in my room, in its darkness and silence. It had been the perfect getaway from the world during those fragile moments of weakness and head pain. I know I had said that I would be completely fine with this form of punishment, that I would thrive alone in my bedroom; however, after being stuck in the fortified room for over a week, I was slowly beginning to lose it. The barrier my father had surrounded my room in did more than trap me inside; it drained my abilities to nothing more than a trickle. A part of me wanted to be happy about this because, for the first time in my life, I almost felt like an average person, powerless and, in a way, free. However, it didn't take me long to discover that I had grown attached to the presence of my powers, to the darkness that, in its own way, was essential to me, like breathing.

I was trapped in my room without a crucial part of myself.

Once that realization kicked in, things shifted from pleasant punishment to horrific prison. With my room fortified like it was, the closest I could get to the cutoff portion of myself was in complete darkness. In the dark, I felt a step closer to that chaotic half of me, the half I never imagined I'd ever have to miss. The gut-wrenching panic that had since formed in my stomach only worsened, leaving me in jittery anticipation for the moment one or both of my parents would cave in and release me from my prison cell. Which was, unfortunately, beginning to feel like it would never happen.

While my father had forbade the usage of my cell phone, as if I didn't toss it into the river, and had practically stripped my room of all communication methods that I could have eventually attempted, he did, however, leave the television behind. This significance lies in the fact that I was able to stay up-to-date on all the city's chaos. The news might have been enjoyable to watch if it weren't for three things. One, my parents were still up to their villainous chaos. Two, the news of some of the more known heroes and villains had disappeared from the public eyes; in other actual words, vanished. And three, the oh-so-annoying voice of one misses Helene Huesmann.

I could ignore Helene's voice and the fact that my parents were still actively participating in their villainous acts; what I couldn't ignore was the news about heroes and villains disappearing. As mad as I was at my parents right now, I didn't even want to imagine either of them going missing, disappearing to never be seen again. It was hard to imagine, given how powerful both of my parents were and how careful they were when it came to separating their identities. Still, there was just something about the entire situation that made me feel uneasy. While villains disappear all the time, whether they are giving up on being a society rebel or for other reasons, it's not common for heroes to do the same thing without making some form of public announcement. Heroes in this city have made fame for themselves by teaming up with the government to prevent what could have been major-scale situations, and for numerous heroes to disappear without a word or trace meant that something, without a doubt, was wrong.

Helene didn't seem to share the same concerns as me, however, as she continued on with a special police guest who went on about how their disappearances were not a public concern and that there was nothing unusual about it.

"Our loyal heroes are allowed to have time off too!" A heavier-built man wearing a polished police uniform laughed, slapping a hand onto his knee as he did so.

"So the force isn't concerned with the numerous disappearances?" Helene questioned with a smile as if she already knew the answer that she would receive.

"Absolutely not. Superpowered heroes are people just like us. Because they hide their identities, even if we were hoping to ensure their safety, we wouldn't be able to. However, we, at the department, are rather certain that there is nothing malicious about the 'disappearances' and are simply considering the harsh reality of the position and time requirements." The man said, grinning harshly at the camera.