The Mask Effect (EDITING)

Chapter 1- Hey, She's On Fire Now

Dedicated to @earlyatdusk- who inspired me to write this-  and Nightspark! 

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Maddy's POV

If this was any other country, a girl eating icecream, stretched out on the couch like the World's Laziest Sister, wouldn't be doing anything special.

Phaonix was no exception- land of superheroes or not. Besides, it wasn't the country that was special- and it wasn't my love of icecream, either. I meant my amazing knowledge of superheroes.

Sometimes, my brother joked that I'd make a great supervillain- but if I could choose, I'd be a superhero. Lack of awesome powers and/or access to dangerous weaponry put my dreams on hold, though. I guessed my mother was smart not to arm a 14 year old, but if you asked me, it wasn't fair.

It was demeaning, living in the capital of the country of supers- and not being one.

At least we lived in Phaonix. I couldn't imagine living in Kalmera or Aldris instead. If I were Kalmeran... it was probably for the better I wasn't. Then the universe really would be doomed.

Today wasn't doomed in the slightest. No major battles or celebrity breakups. It wasn't even a Monday or a Friday or one of those convenient-for-dramatic-narration Wednesdays - Thursdays just didn't have that 'zing'.

To be fair, our neighborhood, Farmville, was quiet enough. Most times, the explosions didn't get past people's basements- even the country of superheroes had become downright predictable.

So when my older brother, Noah, crashed through the kitchen window- spandex smoking and half - unconscious, I was already there with a bucket of cold water.

I gaped at him for exactly half a second. Then I dumped it on him.

"Thanks a bunch," Noah muttered, water streaming into his eyes. Sighing in defeat, he took off his dark glasses and put them to the side. Wiping them on spandex would've been impossible, anyway.

Besides, one of the only people Noah didn't have to worry about laser-eyeing was me.

"Again?" I wasn't letting him off that easily. I swung the bucket back and forth, just to let him know there were options- though his chocolate-brown hair was soaked, along with whatever he was wearing under that monstrosity of a suit. "What happened?"

Noah groaned. Let's just say his current suit wasn't the first, and certainly not the last- especially if my older brother kept laser-eyeing himself. "Thundercloud happened. He was raining on the parade, and I... er... accidentally looked down while the lasers were... I burned my pants off, okay?"

Yes, my dear brother, the lack of pants is difficult to miss. I, being a completely concerned younger sister, began to laugh.

"It's not funny!" The corner of his mouth lifted. "Actually, Thundercloud did begin laughing. It's probably better that I was Lazero and not Noah Torrez-"

"Oh, I don't know." I batted my eyelashes at him. "Noah Torrez has burned many, many pants..." I glanced over to the kitchen window, which was in pieces on the floor. "And broken many windows."

"I was going to use the door! I just... Maddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why does my mouth taste like orange ORS?" He winced and spat out more water- which, I confess, wasn't entirely water. I may have taken the liberty of adding my brother's least favorite drink.

"I got tired of forcing you to drink it," I sighed dramatically, "and put it in the bucket. You were bound to swallow some anyway. It's like getting a three-year-old to drink cough syrup."