Cadell fidgeted in a pitch black living room, back in the Psycho super suit. He sniffed once on purpose just to break the silence. Minutes passed, then a thought dawned on him which made him smirk. This was exactly what Batman did while waiting for his victims, looking like a badass while cloaked in the darkness.

Thunk. A door opened.

Pit, pat, pit pat. Footsteps.

Bright lights switched on, quickly followed by a shrill scream. The high pitch surprised Cadell. Not because it was a scream, he was far used to that, but because it was the sound of a woman.

The copycat vigilante froze in shock, fists stuck in the air. Her mask pissed Cadell off. It was a blatant and unapologetic rip off of the Psycho mask with a slight deviation in colour scheme. Instead of black filling the majority of the mask, there was a dark, gory red.

Vibrant sparks of orange gradually expanded on her clothing. The moderately intense hallucination was an obvious sign of excitement.

Confusion spread across Cadell’s face. This isn’t supposed to happen. Why is she-,

“I-I’m…” the woman stuttered. “I’m...”

“Hm?

“I’m your biggest fan, Psycho! That super suit looks so cool on you. Wow, you’re not as tall as I thought you would be. Where have you been lately? The city is going to shit and it needs you! How did you find me? Did you follow me here? What’s your…” The woman finally decided to breathe. “... favourite food?”

Cadell narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. You need to stop being a vigilante.”

The woman took off the mask to reveal a pretty face with brown hair and green eyes. From her short height to her sulky, child-like facial expression, she looked like the last person you would expect beating up criminals on the street. Without the mask, she looked like an innocent civilian Psycho would need to protect at night on a regular basis.

“Why?” she asked.

“Let's say you're successful again. Let's say you go up to some guys, kick their asses and save the victim. Have you ever considered that these gangs might look for where you live and find you just like how I've found you? These are not some frat boys at some university. This is inner city stuff. Police officers will not even go into some of these neighbourhoods without calling back up.”

Cadell briefly paused to assess the woman’s reaction before continuing. There wasn’t a hint of concern or worry. Fool!

“There are no rules in a street fight. You're lucky you didn't get shanked from behind. I've seen people get knocked out, their head hits the pavement the wrong way and they never wake up again. That could have easily been you.”

The woman shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s a dangerous job, I know. What’s your point? I’m aware of the consequences.”

“Value your life,” Cadell said. He paused again in the hopes the words would fully sink in. “You're going to throw away your life for nothing? What about your family?”

“You can’t be serious.” The woman cracked a grin. “You’re the last person to be saying any of this.”

“You don’t have any superpowers and you’re a 5 ft 2 woman. I promise you, if you keep trying to play the hero, you will die within a week.”

The grin disappeared.

“Life is not a movie. This is real. One night, they’re going to catch you off guard. They’re going to stab you, they’re going to rape you, they’re going to finish you off and then they’re going to throw you in a ditch and never think of you again. I’m not trying to be dramatic, nor am I exaggerating. You don’t understand.”

The woman’s facial expression remained the same but Cadell could see the seeds of fury through red paint dripping off her black clothing.

“No, I understand. Since I'm a fragile little girl, of course I can’t last long out there, right? Good thing I have Psycho the Superhero to protect me. He’s been pretty inactive lately but I’m sure he’ll have my back.”