Home Again

Night Watch

"...and he didn't want you to be like him. He wanted you to be happy. That's why... we kept it hidden. I... think at your school, the knowledge of your father's criminal activity spread, and... that's why you were bullied. Over time, it became about your leg." Mom explained, biting her lip.

"But..." I frowned. "Did Dad intentionally... get into that car crash with Louisa's mom?"

"No," Mom replied, sighing. "But he and Louisa's mom had... a rough history. They had a big fight on Halloween, which is why your dad hates it. But it's only a coincidence they crashed into each other. Same with you."

I looked away, refusing to let tears build. I remember that day like the back of my hand. Dad and I were driving to school, and turned at a light. Then... this car came out of nowhere. There was a lot of darkness... then I woke up in hospital. I didn't want to look at myself. It was too horrible. And I didn't even realize Dad was gone... and when I did...

I don't want to remember that, either. It hurts more than my leg.

"What's this new threat?" Fierce Fox asked as we arrived on Night Watch island. "We've had all the Zeus stuff. Is it him again?"

"Athena said Zeus has been defeated, so I don't think so," I replied, shaking my head. It was evening; pink and orange splashed across the sky. There's a large mall called the Twin Palms Mall, which is a little reference to Back to the Future. I sighed. "I don't know what it is. Louisa, Zeus, and the four villains are gone. There's a few more villains coming up, like MVB and Ringmaster Raven. But who knows? Let's just... stay watch, I guess."

"Alright." Fierce Fox nodded as we arrived at a carpark. We found a former night watchman named Gus, who was fired by the mall staff. I felt a little bad for him. We talked to the owner of the Print Fax shop (and also the villain, spoilers), and then the owner of the sports shop. He wanted us to become night guards to watch over his shop. So that's what we did.

We headed over to this door on the side of the mall. The manager peeked through via an eye hole.

"Are you two here for the night watchman job?" she asked.

"Yeah." Fierce Fox replied nonchalantly.

"Hmm, not much enthusiasm," the manager sighed. "And two people. But... that can work. And this position needs to be filled. Come inside." We entered the little office. The slightly torn wallpaper holds a large screen, which shows the different shops on camera. There's also a desk, which sits under the screen. The manager faced us. "I had to let the last guy go because he was getting spooked, seeing and hearing things that weren't there. Before I can hire you two, I need to see if you're up for the job. Follow me." She walked out.

"Will this be hard?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

I pouted. "Not for you." We followed the manager to the food court of the mall. There's a water fountain in the center and a few different restaurants. It's two levels, connected by escalators. The manager made Fierce Fox and I spot the differences between two pictures. It wasn't too hard, so we passed it quickly.

"Not bad," the manager said, nodding. "Now let's see if you can handle some real-life situations." She revealed two motorized scooters. "You're going to patrol different parts of the mall." She looked at Fierce Fox. "You'll go right, and your friend will go left. I'll keep an eye on both of you. I've set up some training robots to practice with."

Fierce Fox and I climbed onto the scooters. I told my friend what to do, then we went our separate ways. Robot dummies were loitering, so I told them off. A robot was running up an escalator, so I scolded it. It was pulled down the escalator and crushed at the bottom.