Of Heroes And Villains

Chapter 2- Alpha

As soon as Snakebite had left the hut, I sat down heavily on the floor beside Mermaid's cot and drew my natural leg up to my chest, resting my forehead against my knee. I could feel the tears welling up in my right eye and spilling down my cheek, and I wiped them away, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath. Beside me, Mermaid's soft voice asked, "Are you alright, Helena?"

I straightened up and wiped my tears away, stating, "My name is Alpha. And I'm fine, Mermaid."

Mermaid replied, "It's Malila, actually. Mermaid was the Hero name I was assigned, and I won't be using it anymore. And you're not a very convincing liar when you have tears streaming down your cheek."

Her green eyes locked onto me, concern evident on her face as she studied me. She slowly asked, "Your father? But he's been dead for years, hasn't he?"

I suddenly remembered that the Atlantean people had psychic powers and snapped, "I'd greatly appreciate it if you stayed out of my head, thanks."

Malila nodded, replying, "Of course. Sorry, Alpha."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, but I could feeling Malila's eyes boring into me. Finally, I sighed, "Yes, Father Doom has been dead for eleven years. He was killed when I was eight. However, I lived with him for eight years. I had a weak heart, a failing immune system, and a multitude of other faulty or missing parts. I couldn't escape him. And if you think he was bad to other people, just wait until you hear how he treated me. And that kind of abuse never truly leaves you. Hearing the name Helena... it pulled up those memories again. And then seeing what other people's families are like, seeing how screwed up my father was and how much I missed out on... it's more than I could bear."

My eye welled up with tears again and I continued, "I have done everything I possibly can to distance myself from him. I did everything he forebade, from simple stuff like cutting my hair short and dyeing it to major stuff like Cybe-Ens. I have never practiced magic, ever. I changed my name so that people don't make the connection. And I still got Selected because that monster happened to be the one to impregnate my mother. And speaking of my mother, I never even met her! He killed her when I was born!"

Malila moved to sit on the floor across from me, looking somewhat confused, and stated softly, "Alpha, you didn't have a mother."

I raised an eyebrow and she continued, "When I went through Hero training, there was a unit about the children of Villains. Our case study was you. You don't have a mother, or a father, because you were created through black magic. Father Doom had been experimenting, trying to create some sort of mindless warrior beast that could infiltrate places undetected. But instead, he created you. You were born with so many health issues because the spell went wrong and, instead of creating a living weapon that can only follow orders, he created a human girl. You share no more genetic code with him than you do with any other human. I thought you knew."

I stared at her, my mind reeling, and she gently touched my shoulder, asking, "Alpha, are you okay?"

I wiped the tears from my cheek and took a deep breath, answering, "I will be."

We lapsed back into silence and Malila began playing with the necklace hanging around her neck, an intricate silver pattern of interlocking ovals and circles with a teardrop-shaped white pearl hanging from the bottom of it. I studied her, unable to shake the feeling that I had met her before, and ran a finger along the grooves in my leg, the metal cool to the touch. Finally, Malila began to noticed my staring and she folded her hands in her lap, querying, "Is there a reason you're staring at me so intently?"