The Best Intentions

Chapter Twenty Five

*Kit Pine*

It's crazy how much you can love someone. For me, I found that I loved the members of Dark Skies more than I would have loved my own family. I never had one, to be fair, until I created the group.

I loved Sabrina and Kieran, even though they called themselves heroes. That put a sour taste in my mouth. I loved Samantha and Aubrey too, even though they didn't care about me like that. They just saw me as their boss.

I think, at the end of the day, Devin was the only one who cared and it kind of hurt.

Devin's the only one who really understands me. He'd been my partner since the chemical spill, my right-hand man. I couldn't have established Dark Skies without him, and I would have never found a more loyal friend.

When Devin and I got back from patrol, I felt my stomach drop. I didn't know what was wrong, but I could tell something was up when I saw Kieran and Sabrina sitting on the couch. I could never forget the expressions on their faces.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling sick.

Sabrina buried her face in her hands. "There was a super that we fought today...I couldn't save her...He killed her in front of everyone, and there was nothing I could do."

I froze. "Wh...What? Kieran, what happened?"

Kieran sighed and closed his eyes. "Mendoza is forcing us to step down."

Devin straightened up. "What?!"

"We have to quit." Kieran paused for a moment. "Natalia Mendoza sent someone to make a demonstration today. He was holding civilians at the subway station hostage. When we got there, he knocked me out. By the time I regained consciousness, one of the civilians was dead."

My eyes flicked over to Sabrina. "Are you alright?" Of course, she wasn't alright, I just didn't know how to comfort her. I was almost in disbelief.

Sabrina wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered, not saying another word. After a moment, she nodded. My heart broke for her.

Devin sighed. "This isn't good."

"No shit!" I hissed, elbowing him.

"The city won't have any heroes," Devin muttered, more to himself than to us.

Kieran stood up. "If you're so concerned about that, why don't you try being a hero? Natalia Mendoza is practically in love with you. I doubt she'd do anything if she somehow discovered you were Dare."

I grimaced. "Let's not test that theory." Noticing the look on Kieran's face, I knew I wouldn't be able to give him a reason to stay. His mind was made up. "I guess this is goodbye, huh?"

Kieran hesitated for a moment before approaching me. He pulled me into a quick hug. Sabrina said nothing, taking the opportunity to leave without uttering a goodbye. I didn't blame her.

Kieran started to leave, then stopped in the doorway. "Don't...Don't be a bad person, okay?"

I tilted my head. "I'll try not to be."

When Kieran finally left, I dropped down on the couch and buried my face in my hands. Devin sat beside me and put his hand on my shoulder.

I groaned. "I can't believe this is happening."

Devin shook his head when I looked up at him. "Really, Kit, how long did you expect this to last?"

I shrugged. "Longer...I just...I'm going to miss them."

"I'll miss them too," Devin muttered.

I didn't like the gloomy atmosphere. The room was quiet, the only sound I could hear being Devin's breathing. How was I going to tell Aubrey?