"I'm going with you soon," he said.
"You can't fight like I can."
"I can crush minds."
"You think you can crush minds," she reminded him. "You've never tried it."
"I already bought a mask."
She smiled and then giggled. "Because that's what makes a superhero successful!"
"I seem to remember a certain sister claiming that to be the case."
Ashley laughed. "Okay. True. It does make you feel like an Avenger."
"You can be Black Widow and I'll be …" he paused, considering.
"The Hulk?"
He eyed her. "No. Thor."
"Omigod. You are so not Thor! At least I'm small and quick like Black Widow."
"And I'm what? Big and green and angry like Hulk?"
"I was thinking smart like Bruce Banner!" She laughed. Brandon was tall and lean with dark hair and the same gray-blue eyes she had.
"Whatever. I'm Thor," he said firmly. He looked down at his hand, where he'd written part of his daily to do list, along with the bus stop times. "C'mon. We're going to miss the bus." He took off at a trot towards the nearest bus stop.
Ashley followed, anxious to get back to the apartment they shared near the University. Fighting made her ravenous. Xander and Jessi had refused to let them live off campus unless they were together. Brandon had the ability to shield them from discovery by immortals and vamps with his mind skills, a feat deemed necessary given the involvement of Xander in their lives. His gift worked best in close quarters.
They boarded the bus and traveled back to the apartment building, where a huge steak and solid night of sleep awaited her.
The mewling of a cat greeted them as they entered the apartment.
"Hey, Cat," she called cheerfully and leaned down to scoop up the animal whose eyes glowed red like a vamp's. "Oh, Brandon, we can't forget to get more, uh, kitty food from Xander."
"Yeah." Brandon's tone was distracted as he plopped down on his favorite spot on the couch and opened his laptop.
"We're not going to ask your daddy where he gets your food, are we?" she purred to the cat and took it into the kitchen. Ashley set it down and withdrew its food from the fridge. The vamp-cat's blood was disguised as a bottle of wine, and she poured the thick maroon liquid into the cat's bowl.
Four years ago, before Xander entered their lives, she never would've seen herself here, pouring blood into a dish for a vampire kitty. Their lives had changed dramatically. Even so, she couldn't think of a better life to have. Her brother was her best friend, and their cousin Jessi was finally happy after years of sacrificing so much to raise them after the death of their parents.