The Mask Effect (EDITING)

Chapter 7- The Adventures Of Madame Heinous

Dedicated to @thespacedork for what's possibly the greatest superhero + hunger-games-type book ever! BREAK THE NORMS!

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Noah's POV

Barely seconds after both Madelines left- one for icecream, the other for a walk- the back pocket of my pants began buzzing. "Hello?"

The universe had ordained it. There was no way I was ever going to get peace.

A sharp, female voice answered. "Athena here. I called to discuss the details of your suit."

"About that..." I flew upstairs, trailing a hand on the railing as I went. "I don't know a thing about-"

"Fashion," snorted Athena. "Yes, I can tell. Don't fret about it- Athena knows best."

Sounds were coming from our room, and I was torn between Athena's words and running through the possibilities of who might be inside. Other than Bailey, Brian, Mom and I- and the wind- there shouldnt've been anyone else in the house. And last time I checked, our room was empty.

"Um, okay?" I hoped I didn't just agree to something crazy.

"Now, tell me the dimensions of your suit- I do not work in-"

I swung the door open and an identical click sounded on the other end of the line.

Bailey reclined on our desk chair, the phone still held halfway to her mouth. She threw her arms up in defeat. "Never mind."

I stood in the center of Bailey's room, holding an ever-growing pile of stuff. Bailey frantically repositioned everything that wasn't anchored down to the floor or wall- which meant that cloth, glue bottles, and several textbooks found their proper places very suddenly.

Athena shoved aside a ream of fabric. "Making a suit for my best friend's older brother is weird."

"You're Maddy's best friend?" I tried to remember the faces of those girls she went out for icecream with. "Aren't the twins?"

Athena nearly turned me into a living pincushion as she shoved pins into my already full arms. "I said she's my best friend, not that I'm hers."

"Oh." I raised my arms slightly, shifting the fabrics and threads piled on top. "Do we need all this to make... you know what?"

"Yep." Bailey surveyed the piles on both of our arms with satisfaction. Hers were full of files, mine with fabrics. "This should be enough. Let's go."

To my surprise, instead of heading outside- or even climbing out of the window- she dove straight into her closet. "Please, follow me. You are about to get a guided tour of Athena's workspace."

Everything in Bailey's closet had been piled on one side, hiding the small doorway behind it. "Where does this lead? Your secret hideout?"

Bailey snorted. "No, the space between the roof and the floor - which is my secret hideout." She crawled through the doorway. "Don't look at what's in here- it's a girls only space. You wouldn't fit, anyway. We'll talk like this. I take notes, and you don't observe what's in my closet."

After a statement like that, I most certainly did not observe what was in her closet.

Bailey stuck her head out, along with half a clipboard. It was like a visit to the doctor's office, except the doctor was your fashion designer. "I have a few questions." She proceeded to rattle off more than a few questions.