Masked In Purple

-Chapter 2-

----------

(Charlotte's POV)

BEFORE I had time to think, one man jumped up behind Lily and cuffed her mouth with his hands as she tried to scream, her eyes filled with terror. "Li!-", Just like that, hands cuffed my mouth. I grabbed back onto them, struggling to break them free. I heard two snickers, one from the ,am holding Lily, and one from the man holding me. Their voices were muffled from the bandanas, and I could hear the clanking of their chains. 

Lily and I were dragged back into an alley. Here in Paradise, alleyways were common. We were dragged all the way to the back against a brick wall signaling a dead-end, stains and graffiti decorating it solemnly. In the past, you would be beaten or whatever in the clear open where everyone can see you, since no one would even dare to assist you. But now that people in Paradise actually cared, it was no longer common to see beatings in public eye, they were now mostly done in darker, less-visible areas. Not that people were never beaten in alleys then- heck the gangs lived in the alleys, so if you were hanging around in one then, well....tough luck, kid.

"Let go of me!", I shrieked, my voice muffled from the man's hands. He only laughed, and I looked over at Lily to see her face white in fear. She only stood there with her eyes wide, letting the man be her controller. Shouldn't have come back, Lil. Should of stayed wherever it was you were before.

I looked up at the sound of what I believe to be some sort of call, almost like a man had screamed his arrival. Lily and the men attempting to to beat us did the same. There, atop a rooftop he stood, his cape of purple bandanas being carried in the wind. I formed a smile on my face, covered by the man's hands as my eyes sparkled. He seemed to always know when someone needed help. Could he detect danger?

Butterflies danced in my stomach as I stared up at him happily, honorable, while the gang members glanced up once. They bared their teeth, and grinned at each other. The butterfly's dance increased, into more of a disorganized choreography. It was never a good sign when the members would grin at each other like that. I was nervous, all fear returned to me.

"I will give you the option of letting them go and you will remain unharmed,  or you can continue holding them and cause me to hurt you.", the man atop the rooftop offered.

His voice.

It was beautiful.

Yet, somehow, I know I had heard it somewhere.

That can't be right though, this was the first time I had ever heard Bandana Man speak.

But....

My eyes widened and I could no longer think as my body was suddenly flung into the wall. I fell down to the ground and cried out in pain.

What did I do to deserve this?

My head rolled to the side, leaning back against the wall as my bangs trickled down my face. I struggled to keep my right eye open to see Bandana Man fighting with the two gang members. Lily was nowhere to be found, she must have run off. Keep running, keep running and never come back...

I groaned, yet I felt a smile crack on my face as I watched both gang members flee, defeated by Bandana Man. It was painful to smile, yet I did.

Everything about this Hero never failed to lighten me.

Was it because he had made my life better by fixing and preserving Paradise?

He had a tiny scratch on his cheek, and through a bandana on the floor. He always marked where he had rescued people, to scare and alarm the gang.

He walked towards me, and again the butterflies returned to their dance recital. Not nervous, but happy. Excited.

"Are you okay?", he asked, squatting down next to me. He wiped some blood off of my face with a bandana.