By Mainecoon
Megavolt carried his cousin up the steps that led to the main room of the lighthouse. She was asleep before they had arrived, of course. Now he laid the fragile figure gently on the battered couch he used as a bed. The rusty springs squeaked even under her slight weight.
As soon as she was out of his protective arms, Mina curled up, clutching her tail tightly in her hands. A sharp pain stung the villain’s heart as he watched the lost soul sleeping among the torn threads and electrical debris that littered his home. He wondered what had brought here, and whether her parents – his aunt Lindsay and uncle Earnest – were worried about her.
Slowly, he lowered his tired body onto the rug beside her. He wondered if they missed her. He wondered if his parents had missed him when he disappeared. It was difficult to say. He could hardly remember them. Convinced as he was that he didn’t care whether his parents thought a thing of him, knowing that he didn’t care for them – nor even remember them – pierced him sharply. With a saddened heart, Megavolt curled up on the rug beside the child and fell asleep to the tune of an ominous lullaby crashing on the waves below.
Their picturesque contentment lasted but a few short hours. As the city clocks ticked the time of 3:24 in the morning, Megavolt was awakened by the sound of quiet singing and the realization that Mina was no longer near him in the strangely bright room. With the perfect silence learned from years of stealthy thievery, he crept towards the sound of the song.
He found his cousin leaning against the rail outside in the cold autumn wind. She was humming softly to herself as she gazed wistfully at the black waters of Audubon Bay. She wasn’t startled when, in his typical fashion, Megavolt tripped over the step in the doorway and tumbled onto the walkway that circled the tip of the lighthouse.
“I thought you’d come,” she murmured softly. The music had gone from her voice, which now sounded strained despite the clarity of the air. Megavolt stood shakily.
“How could you tell?” he asked, joining her at the rail.
The girl shrugged. “Feminine instinct.” Her voice laughed though her face remained mournful. Megavolt studied her in the dim light from the window. She was a small creature. The villain guessed her age to be about 12 or 13. She wore an outfit similar to his own. Her suit was a faded color not unlike an overripe banana. Her gloves and boots were blue as midnight, her fur like a storm cloud at dusk. A tuft of yellow fur sparked brightly on the tip of her tail, and more of the same gold caught the light from under the green handkerchief she tied over her head and around her ears. In her belt, a single crystal of rose quartz caught the light in its four facets.
“Style must run in the family,” he chuckled to himself. “Now, tell me, Mina, what are you doing in the city?”
“I ran away.” She gave a casual shrug. “No big deal. I just need to find…” She stopped, leaving the uncertain pause hanging in the air.
Megavolt knew that the ‘right answer’ was to tell the girl to go home, to convince her that her parents were worried about her safety… that he was worried about her safety. But he knew in his heart that she didn’t need to be told that. She knew that answer as well as he did, probably better. So instead he asked, “Do you want to bunk with me until you figure out… you know… what you’re doing?”
“Can I really?” Her eyes gleamed as she smiled at him.
“Sure. No big deal.” He returned the smile.
“And you won’t tell my parents where I am?” She asked.
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re with me now, kid.”
“All right!” Mina wrapped her arms around her cousin. “I’ve missed you, you know. It’s been years since anybody’s seen you.” Her hands recoiled suddenly and clasped each other. “We were worried about you. I was, that is. My dad said you were never any good at anything but your books anyway. And aunt Miriam…” She stopped herself, suddenly aware of what she was saying. She looked instantly back to the villain’s face, but was met with strange indifference. Awkwardly, she turned. “I’m going back inside… it’s too cold out here.”
And she was gone, leaving Megavolt to wonder what that was about. Females, he knew, were an unpredictable species. Children were even worse. Yet he felt an understanding between himself and his young cousin. He wasn’t sure he wanted to feel it. It hurt him in a way he’d never been hurt before.
He followed the child into the warm lighthouse.
