"Kennaaaa," Seb's voice calling to me from the living room roused me from my work.

I pulled myself up and shuffled out of my own room to see what was up, but stopped short when I realised why he'd called me.

"Ugh, not this again," I groaned.

"I can't reach it," he whined, pointing way up at the ceiling beam where his swim goggles dangled precipitously.

"Why do you keep doing this?" I complained, putting my hands on my hips. "Stop throwing them around so hard! I should make you get the ladder and fish them off yourself."

"That was a funny pun," he tried ingratiatingly. I glared. "Please Kenna, it's way easier for you, plus that wouldn't be very good ladder safety."

Ah, the guilt trip.

"Please, I've seen you fall out of trees without a scratch," I retorted. "But fine. One more time. Just stop flinging them about!"

"It helps me concentrate," he protested.

"Try meditation," I suggested dryly. Lazily, I flicked my eyes up to the goggles, lifting them up off of the beam and letting them drop onto Seb's head. I only softened their fall a little.

"Ow!" He rubbed his head gingerly.

"Nice try. You're welcome!" I sang over my shoulder as I sauntered back to my room.

"Thanks, Kenna," he muttered.

It had been a week since the incident at the museum, and life had mostly settled back into a normal rhythm. The news outlets had picked the story up - it was a bit difficult for the museum to explain away the need to retool the exhibit (read: design a new case to replace the shattered one) right after opening, without spilling the truth a little.

Luckily for us, nobody but the Supers knew anything about who was involved, so even the nosiest reporters hadn't managed to fish out any details and we'd been left entirely in peace. Ewan had been working constantly to get the exhibit back up and running, and he said that the Supers had been around a lot to keep an extra eye on things while they revamped the amulet's new home.

Rumours, of course, had started circulating in the media about what the Evil Scheme behind it all was. They were delighted to have some new, nebulous Villains to focus on; having someone to fear was almost as fun as having someone to worship in Sapphire City. At least, it was for them.

I had managed to get back on schedule with my writing, and at our weekly catch up, Grace and I had actually talked about it rather than the crazy things we'd seen that Saturday evening. Mostly. Grace loved to speculate, but I didn't want to give too much away. Today, I was working on a difficult scene; one where the main characters had important things to say to one another but I just couldn't get them to do it properly.

The biggest problem, though, was that my character, Jonas, had blue eyes, and on this day all I could see were gold eyes staring at me from inside my mind. There'd been no sign of Enigma since Saturday night, and if I was being really honest with myself, it would be nice to see him again. But this was no excuse for the way those golden orbs swirled and shimmered at me out of Jonas's face. That, I could not accept.

That was the first reason that I was actually a little grateful for Seb's interruption. The other was that I'd had a look at the clock and realised I had a meeting with Jackson downtown in a half hour. This time Grace wasn't throwing me under the bus; it was scheduled to be a catch up with him and another milestone in his shadowing experience.

I hurriedly composed myself into something resembling put together and professional and rushed out the door to make my bus.

"BYESEBGOTTAMEETINGDON'TTHROWTHOSEGOGGLESAROUND," I blurted out on the way.

"Uh, alright?" I heard as the door closed behind me.

The office was one of my favourite things about my agency, besides Grace, of course. It was a warm coloured four storey brownstone building that exuded charm, unlike some of the more soulless glass and steel skyscrapers mixed into the downtown.

Jackson was waiting for me in the lobby. His face broke into a broad smile when I walked in.

"Hi Kenna! Good to see you."

I checked my watch anxiously. "Have you been waiting long? Sorry if I'm a little late, I lost track of time."

He chuckled. "Nope, not at all. Come on up, I have my own office and everything!"

"Very roomy," I smiled once we were sat down.

"That's very polite of you," he joked. "So I've been away for the last week and haven't gotten a chance to talk to you since the museum. I hear it got broken into sometime after closing, and there were hostages like at the gallery. That's pretty crazy, huh? How is your friend doing?"

I remembered that he wouldn't know it'd been us there since the media wasn't told, but it was nice of him to think about Ewan. "He's okay, thanks. Working hard, but they've just about got everything up and running again. Thankfully those twits didn't actually manage to steal anything."

He nodded and smiled a little. "Thank goodness."

We sat and talked a little while longer before getting down to business. I talked him through where I was on my timeline, and he listened carefully and offered some suggestions, being very charming about it all.

Soon, our time was up, and we both rose, still chatting about something or other. Before I turned to go, I saw him bite his lip and take a step forward.

"Listen, Kenna," he started, "I hope this isn't too weird, but I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to grab coffee or dinner sometime?"

So I hadn't been imagining it. His amber eyes met mine, and held them for a moment intently. I was thrown into internal strife, being drawn to the idea on the one hand, but resisting on the other, for a whole host of reasons.

The latter won out, and I wrenched my gaze away. "Oh, Jackson, I don't think I can do that. With you in this trainee position, and me as your featured client, I'm not sure it would be professional or advisable for either of us. Maybe if things were different, but they aren't."

"I could quit," he joked weakly. He looked disappointed, but obviously still had a sense of humour.

I felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, Jackson. Don't think I don't like you. If you'd like to work with someone else, I'd understand. Don't quit though," I smiled back.

"No, I like a challenge," he reassured me.

As I left, I thought it might be naive to feel like there was no double meaning to that.

When I got home, I found the house peaceful and empty, and the ceiling goggle-less. A note on the counter told me that Seb had gone to the gym and then for an evening swim. Yes, Supers trained too. Even the ones with Super Strength. I preferred yoga or Pilates, since they helped me keep my mind sharp too.

Right now, though, I did the opposite and vegged out in front of the TV. A couple of hours later, I woke up with a start on the couch as an extra loud advertisement came blaring on. The evening light had started to turn golden, and Seb was still out.

Stretching, I tried to shake away the grogginess that came with an overly long nap. I eyed Seb's note on the counter and thought that maybe I'd go for a run, after all.

The day was warm, and I'd been uncomfortable in my work clothes, so I changed into a sports crop top and athletic shorts and laced up my favourite running shoes. I liked having the least amount of resistance, especially if I could really sprint when nobody was around to see.

Given the week I'd had, I might be forgiven for jumping a little when I heard my name outside the apartment building. Enigma leaned languidly against the same tree he'd been under a week ago.

"Hi Kenna," he smirked.

My eyes narrowed at him, annoyed as I was that he'd spooked me. "How long have you been there? Haven't people noticed you?"

He disappeared suddenly, but his voice still carried from the same spot. "You'd be amazed at what people don't notice. Also, camouflage, remember?" He reappeared under the shadow of the tree, still smirking.

"Okay, but seriously, have you just been waiting there in case I came out?" I put my hands on my hips, and pretended not to notice his eyes follow the movement before flicking back up to meet mine.

He was obviously in a playful mood. "Tsk, tsk, Kenna, are you always this self-involved?" he tutted at me. "I have better things to do than that. Actually, as you know, you live in the same neighbourhood as the art gallery." He lowered his voice a little, so that I had to take several steps closer to him to hear. "We've been keeping an eye on things, so I've been on afternoon patrol. I'm just finished up now, and saw you come out of your building so I thought I'd stop and see if you were busy. Looks like you might be though," his eyes ran up and down me again, more slowly this time.

There was that little flutter again. I considered, and made a decision with only minimal reservation. "I was going to run, but I don't have to. What did you have in mind?"

The playfulness faded, replaced but what I could swear was shyness, even though I could see so little of his face. "Do you want to come somewhere with me? It's better if it's a surprise, so you'll have to trust me. It's also better if we fly, though we don't have to if you really don't want to."

For the second time today, conflict warred within me. I really did have to admit that everything he could do interested me so far, and as much as I wanted to minimise my Super contact, there was something undeniably enjoyable about his company. This time, yes won out.

"Alright, Enigma, I'll let you fly me away but for god's sake, don't you dare drop me," I said mock sternly.

"I would never," he grinned.

"Should I go change?" I indicated my jogging clothes.

"No need. Come on, we're losing light!" He beckoned to me enthusiastically. "Okay, here comes the awkward part," he said. "I'm going to have to actually carry you...sort of. Sorry."

He held out his arms for me, and I realised exactly what flying with him entailed.

This is fine, I told myself, stepping into his arm circle and letting him gingerly pull me in close. This is how friends travel. I wilfully ignored the slight uptick in my pulse as I nestled in close to the soft black fabric of his costume shirt and put my own arms around his waist.

Instead, I chose to listen to his heartbeat against me, but regretted it as soon as I started wondering if it was beating a little faster than necessary, too.

What did grab my attention away, though, was noticing that the world around us suddenly seemed a little bit hazy, as though I was watching it through a shimmer.

"Do you fly in a bubble, or something?" I asked hesitantly, feeling like that would be pretty uncool, like the Good Witch Glinda or something.

I felt a chuckle rumble through him. "That would be the camouflage, so people don't wonder what the hell we're doing here. You get used to the way it looks."

I was impressed, after all. "So you can camouflage what you're holding onto too?"

"Well, I can't say I've really tested it out too much, but yeah, seems like I can basically do one other person at a time. It's a little more effort, but nothing I can't handle."

"Not bad," I smiled against his shirt.

"Am I crazy, or do you maybe like my powers? Is Kenna coming around to it all?" His voice teased from over my head.

"I think they're interesting," I allowed. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Show me the flying and then we'll talk."

"As you wish," he said, and suddenly the ground was falling away.

Admittedly, this was not my first time flying. Cobalt could fly, too, and he'd sometimes taken me out, although usually at night to keep away from prying eyes. He was a show-off, too, and had loved to see how far he could push my limits.

This was different. The sun was low, casting golden light and long shadows over the landscape below. After the initial rush where it'd felt like I'd left my stomach behind, I settled in and peered over my shoulder to watch the city shimmer as we flew over it. Despite my hair whipping about my face, and rushing around my body, the world felt serene and warm up here. I guessed that the normal rules of physics didn't apply to a flying Superhuman and his cargo.

I did have one question in particular, though. "Seriously, how does your hood stay on up here?"

I felt him laugh. "Out of everything that's happening right now, that's what doesn't make sense to you?"

"Yes, yes it is." I hadn't paid much attention to the details of Super costumes, since I abhorred the thought of ever wearing one.

His voice sounded like he was grinning. "Would you accept 'magic' as an answer?"

"No, but I'll let it slide for now."

He squeezed me gently. "Very magnanimous of you."

"I like to think that's how I live my life," I joked.

"Okay you have to close your eyes now," he instructed. We were slowing down.

Trusting him, I did as I was told.

I felt him set us down, and he put his hands on my shoulders to spin me around. "You can open them now." His voice sounded carefully neutral.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that we were at the beach, overlooking the boardwalk. This was an angle I'd never seen it from before, though, and with the sun beginning to set over the water, it was breathtaking.

"Oh wow..."I said, looking all around me. "This is genuinely amazing, Enigma." We were on the roof of one of the tallest apartment blocks that towered over the beachfront, amidst a garden like the one on top of my own building. The setting sun was framed by an arched arbour with honeysuckle and roses climbing up and over it.

Behind us, the peachy light glinted off the glass of the city's skyscrapers, making the air around us glimmer with warmth. The sky was streaked with crimson and gold fire, lavender mist etching round the edges of cloud.

"This is one of my favourite views in the city. It looked like it was going to be a good sunset so I thought you might like to see it."

"You thought right," I smiled. "It's funny because I'd just been thinking I hadn't seen you in awhile, so I must not be attracting trouble as much anymore."

He grinned back. "Nope, you're still trouble, I've just been busy."

"So are we allowed to be up here?" I looked at him mischievously.

"That depends on your interpretation of things," he smiled slyly. "Official Super Team business usually covers it."

I pretended to look outraged. "You know, I never pegged you for a bad boy."

He shrugged. "I'm full of surprises."

The peak intensity of the setting sun caught our attention again, and I found my face and body bathed in a blood orange light. A slight breeze danced around me, tugging at my hair and rustling the garden all around us.

I don't know what made me do it; maybe I was feeling a little reckless, but I mentally tugged some of the rose petals loose and pulled them out and around into the zephyr so they swirled up and around. For all intents and purposes, it looked like they'd all been picked up naturally. A few moments of companionable silence stretched by, and I took it all in.

When I glanced at Enigma, he wasn't looking at the sunset anymore but was watching me with an inscrutable expression. I felt my heart dance a couple of extra beats.

Hadn't I already learned my lesson? How had I ended up here again?

Maybe, it's because this Super is a completely different person, that little voice that everybody always ignores suggested. Also, you have no idea what he's really thinking.

I hated when it was right; I wanted to ignore it like usual.

"Thank you for showing me this," I said out loud. The last few rays began to fade, leaving the lavender to paint through the whole of the sky, weaving mauves and indigos into the twilight.

"I'm glad you liked it," he smiled. "I guess we should probably go."

"You don't want to go for a swim? I'm dressed for it," I asked cheekily.

"I think I might draw a bit of attention," he joked, gesturing to his costume. "Either that or you'll look like you're a crazy person talking to thin air."

"Good point, I can't ruin my public image like that," I agreed.

"Exactly, now you're getting it."

"Alright, Super, take me back. And yes, we can fly." I anticipated his question.

As we were flying, we were laughing and chatting, and I realised that I really had no way to get in touch with him besides him randomly showing up outside my building. And like he'd said, he had better things to do (I hoped) than wait around outside of it until I showed up.

I decided to do something that last month's Kenna would have balked at. "Okay," I began, " I'm going to tell you something but you have to promise not to be creepy about it."

"Obviously," he said dryly.

"Seb and I live in the penthouse apartment of the building. If you want to come upstairs it's the second to last door up the stairs; the top one takes you to the roof. My room is the northwest corner of the suite, okay? But you can only come directly to my room if my curtains are open. Got it? And also maybe knock on the window first. So you don't have to ambush me outside of my building any time you want to talk to me."

"I'm honoured," he answered, humour lacing his voice slightly, "though I could also just text you if you give me your number."

I dug my fingers into his back, a little embarrassed. "Why didn't you say so in the first place? I didn't think of you having a phone."

"Well yeah, I'm not a Luddite. Of course I do have a different number than my real life cell though, and I couldn't predict what you were going to say! Plus, it's rude to interrupt." He sounded a bit smug.

"Ugh, you brat," I groaned. "Well, do either but use this information for good and not for evil."

"I think I remember swearing some kind of oath along those lines ... " he mused.

"At least it's good for something," I mumbled, and he laughed.

Soon we were back outside the apartment. Night had fallen, and we touched down in a convenient sheltered alcove. I programmed my number into Enigma's phone for him.

"I like your old fashioned way, though," I could just see him grin in the shadows.

"Don't blow it, or I'll move," I threatened.

He chuckled. "Goodnight, Kenna."

"Night, Man of Mystery. Thanks for the trip."

"Anytime."

Then, he was gone. I started walking back to the apartment, feeling strangely giddy, until I heard a voice call my name for the second time that evening. Except this time, its polite tone made my hackles raise as I whirled to face him.

Standing under the same tree Enigma had chosen earlier, was Gareth, or 'Not Gareth.' He was smiling at me pleasantly.

"Hello, Kenna Jones."

Then, I felt something like dust drift into my face, and the world went black.