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painted purple with black King City crown decals. I have a ton of those decals at home. “Aurora was the best. She retired fifty years ago after having me as her apprentice for twelve years.”
    He raises his head and meets my gaze. His eyes are solemn, no longer the excited and joyful eyes I’m so used to seeing. “She contacted me yesterday, after fifty years of retirement, and said she’s coming back.”
    “What for? She can’t take her job back, can she?”
    He shrugs. “She could if she wanted to. I don’t know why she’s returning. We haven’t spoken in years. She used to send me friendly Christmas cards but that stopped a while ago.”
    “Did you maybe do something to make her mad?”
    He shakes his head. “Never. She was my mentor. I look up to her and I’ve always shown her as much respect as I would to President Might.”
    I bend down and pet Chewy. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
    It’s amazing how quick I am to comfort others in the midst of my own emotional turmoil. Unlike Pepper, I actually have something to worry about. He’s probably freaking out about an old woman who wants to visit and have a latté. “Where does she live?”
    “Some island in the middle of nowhere. She’s always been pretty reclusive. Which is why I’m so worried I feel like my head is going to explode.” He presses his fingertips to his forehead and takes in a deep breath.
    Chewy bites my fingers and I jerk my hand away. “When will she get here?”
    He sinks into a barstool at his sewing desk and rests his chin in his hands. He stares at the wall. “Tomorrow.”
    “I find out my results tomorrow too,” I say. Maybe in his saddened state he’ll slip up and let his expressions show me my fate. I sigh and plaster a really pathetic frown on my face. “Tomorrow will probably be the worst day of my life, huh?”
    Before he can answer, the entire computer wall comes to life. News Reporter Tina Tallow appears on the screen along with the words breaking news scrolling across the bottom repeatedly in an endless marquee of bright red letters.
    “The increase of villain activity near Central grew to a horrifying level this morning as Heroes have captured an unknown villain responsible for the murder and mutilation of Sara Sommer.”
    Pepper turns to me with an open mouth. I return the gesture as we watch the broadcast.
    Tina’s brows furrow in disgust as she reads the words on the teleprompter a second before she says them aloud. “Sara Sommer worked the night shift in maintenance and was found in a trash compactor with her fingertips sliced off. Heroes believe the villain who captured her was trying to use her identity to gain access into Central but his attempts were unsuccessful when security monitors analyzed that the fingerprints did not contain live power.”
    “Oh my god,” Pepper says, his hand covering his mouth. He looks at his own fingers and protectively closes them into fists as he mutters those same three words repeatedly to himself.
    On the screen, Tina continues. “Hero Nyx Nightly captured the villain after embarking on a six-mile chase through the canyon pathways that surround Central for human tourists. Retrievers secured the perimeter and ensured the safety of all humans who were around. Thankfully no one else was hurt. President Might will hold a memorial service for Sara in the Atrium starting at seven which is open to everyone who knew Sara and would like to pay their respects. In addition, all Heroes will be in attendance.”
    The screen turns off. “All Heroes?” I ask in disbelief. “They never summon all Heroes together for anything. She must have meant most Heroes. I mean, some of them have to be on guard, ya know?” I look at Pepper for confirmation.
    “This is a tragedy.” He pulls a purple handkerchief from the inside of his jacket pocket and dabs at his eyes.
    “Did you know her?” I ask.
    “No, but that doesn’t make it any less of a tragedy.”
    “Why would a villain want to