One scream, one breath.

That's all I heard as my arms covered Penny's body. Next thing I know, I'm shrugging off what remains of the ceiling and lifting her up. She clung to me like a newborn kitten, still trembling from the aftermath.

"Are you a superhero too?" She whispered, finally able to look up at me.

"A superhero? No," I snorted, keeping the smirk off my face. "I don't think I'm qualified enough for that."

People still have their vision when I smile at them.

"But you have superpowers too! You pulled me out and protected me." I smiled at her insistence.

And I shouldn't have done that much. People who step up to help often get shamed in our society. I don't know if it's because that's the culture here in The City but shame is a great deterrent.

Since I don't have the Superhero Class, I am not allowed to even dream of saving lives. It's not like I had a choice in my class though.

"Penny, I do what I do to help people. I'm just a janitor. Plenty of people are strong, but we don't wear capes. Like cops and firefighters." Jobs that were all but obsolete in this day and age. Seems like every emergency had a caped crusader handling it.

Never cleanly-there are always casualties. Like Penny.

"Penny," I try to change the subject, "where is your mother?"

Her nose wrinkles, and she frowns. "I don't know. She went to the store right before the big monster came in and Guy started punching it and–"

"Okay! Guy saved the day, got it." I had to put a pin in her adorable play-by-play.

Carrying her through the crowd, I stopped when someone tapped my shoulder. As soon as I turned around, Penny jumped out of my arms into those of a crying woman. Same brown skin, emerald green eyes, ginger pigtails, and freckles.

And I thought my combination was unique.

"I take it this is your mom?" I say, hiding my smile behind my hand. I'm supposed to stay professional on the job, dammit.

"Mommy! This is Sapphyra; she has superpowers–"

"Shh!" I held a finger to my lips, motioning for her to stay quiet.

"Oh, sorry. Um, so she saved me." Penny quietly whispered to her carbon copy mother.

Meanwhile, the mother-also as thin as a rake-nodded towards me.

"Thank you for saving my daughter! I didn't know there would be an attack today otherwise I never would have..." she hesitates. Shaking her head, blinking the tears away she continues. "They normally happen around 3 pm on the dot so I thought...today I just thought–"

"You thought that today would be different?" I helped her along.

"Yes. How foolish of me."

"...It shouldn't be like this," I quietly whispered to myself, hands clenching into fists.

"What?" Penny curiously asked, big green eyes blinking at me in concern.

"Nothing! I'm just talking to myself. Listen, you two stay safe, alright? I have to get back to work."

It hurt to watch them hold hands. Never has my side felt more empty.

I started walking off before they could interrupt me, wading into the crowd once more. The crowd was slowly dispersing without their favorite superhero to hold them together.

"Of course Guy's gone. All the excitement is too." I grumbled, heading back to where I started the day.

A pressure formed in the back of my head as I recalled today's events. Monster attack, heroic rescue, casualty. Like clockwork...in fact it was clockwork-almost like it was all scripted. And now Penny and her mom don't have a home to go back to. They have to start over too.

Unless I did something about it.

"Keep your head down, don't interfere. Things are the way they are for a reason." My boss's mantra. Seems like he'd tell it to me everyday I noticed anything weird.

Like the fact that more people are dying than being born. Or that half the city is in ruins and no one's fixing it.

Keep your head down.

They wanted it clean though. Wanted all the debris removed; didn't care how it was done. They didn't care how many memories and mementos I vacuumed up into the void.

Don't interfere.

I saw it once-right when I started the job. A group of kids were about to get mowed down by a city bus-sized feral goat. Guy Dynamo hadn't appeared yet. I didn't know what I was doing but I kicked an old car in the path of the goat, knocking off balance. That gave them just enough time to scramble out of the way. Guy swooped in and did what he does best.

He smiled for the camera and saved the day.

Things are the way they are for a reason.

But they don't have to be-I once countered.

He docked my pay for 5 hours for that.

Something snapped. I looked down at my hand, examining the industrial mop now splintered into pieces all around me.

"Fuck! Thats the third one this year." I whimpered. It was absolutely coming out of my paycheck...again.

"Vacuum." I mumbled, sucking up the heavy metal device the same way I do all my cleanups.

A thought came to me. I had more than one ability as a Battlefield Janitor. Vacuum was just the first; it let me clean up any debris near me as long as it wasn't too big. It was stored in a void within me, sort of like a pocket dimension. But I had another ability; I just didn't use it often because it tired me out.

Recycle.

I shouldn't use it here. I know what it does to me but Penny's family will be without a home. Guy won't care, neither will the city.

"Screw it." Marching back to the rubble that is Penny's apartment, I took a deep breath and concentrated.

"Vacuum." Air pressurized. Steel bars, old carpet and splintered wood danced in a twister before entering me-landing inside my void. The ground was clear, save for the holes where plumbing would go. Inside me, I could feel each piece separating itself into a stack, something new.

My stomach itched–that was probably normal.

I was dropped to my knees by a sudden pain in my gut. My abdomen clenched like a cramp from hell as I tried to keep it down.

Had I taken too much?!

"Yuck...Recycle!" I yelled just as my void emptied itself. Instead of slightly beat up versions of everything I'd just taken in, the apartment pieces came out sharper than ever-like brand new. And not only that...

They'd assembled themselves into a brand new apartment building.

I blinked twice, watching the building turn translucent for a single heartbeat-nearly convinced I was crazy. It turned back to normal as spots danced in my vision.

I'm on the ground, drooling on the floor like I'd had one too many drinks at my local bar, Ernie's. An orange softly rolls across the ground and hits me on the head. More groceries soon after. I cursed whatever weather was happening, not realizing someone had dropped a bag of food near my head.

Looking up, I finally saw who it was. I gulped; what little was left of my stomach dropped as we made eye contact.

Flying over me was none other than Guy Dynamo with the world's most puzzled expression.

Maybe I'm overreacting. He probably didn't see me upchucking a house.

"Cleanup girl? What the hell did you just do?!"

"Fuck!"

If I just lie here and play dead–

"Cleanup girl, you're not fooling anyone. Get up." His voice was low and menacing as he stood over me. His shoes–some high end sneakers–were on either side of my head. Sighing, I opened my eyes and put on a sheepish smile.

"Hey, Guy."

His perfect brow furrowed. "Don't hey me. I saw what you did. What the hell are you doing, throwing up a house like that? Since when can Battlefield Janitors do that?"

I sit up, dusting myself off as I get to my feet. He's tall, but he still stops just shy of my breasts in height. Speaking of breasts, his gaze landed squarely on mine.

"Ahem." I quietly snap my fingers, breaking his concentration. His blush almost made my day.

"Cleanup girl, have you always been so...Amazonian?"

"That's what you wanted to say? And yeah, ever since puberty. Why? Curious about how well I could clean you up?" I lean forward, making him step back just a bit-face turning crimson. Guy normally has a flirtatious air–especially around fangirls. That said, he's probably not used to being the one looking up.

Come on, go for the bait. I need you distracted.

"I–I mean–hey stop that!" he growled. "You can't distract me with your body...no matter how nice it is." 

At least he was honest about his feelings.

"Distract you from what? I should really get back to work, lots of buildings to clean up and all-" I turned on my heel. He used his speed to get in front of me, blocking my path.

Damn.

"Listen. I'm not gonna report you to Rupert or anything like that. I'm just genuinely curious." His palms were up, fingers spread. Guy meant it...at least he was trying to mean it. I think.

"Swear to me you won't snitch." I demand, squinting at him.

"I swear on my parents' lives." Well darn. He really loves his parents in public and supposedly in private.

Scratching my head, I walk a few feet and sit down on the nearby park bench. It groans beneath my weight.

My hair sways in the wind as Guy steps to my side, floating just above the bench.

"I don't bite, ya know." I say, smirking at how uncomfortable he is.

"No. You clean. And right now it's time for you to come clean."

"That's what I've basically been doing. Cleaning–"

"And spitting up real estate? What part of the cleaning process is that?" He crosses his arms, examining me with amusement in his eyes.

I'm not the only one with a nice chest.

"That's...it normally doesn't work like that." I admitted, gently chewing on my bottom lip.

"So you've done this before then?"

"Throw up houses? No."

Guy shakes his head, a soft smile gracing his pale pink lips.

"Not that. Giving people their homes back."

I blinked slowly, unsure of what he had just said. Turning back to the apartment, I confirmed that it wasn't a dream. I really had given them a new home.

"The weight of it still hadn't hit me yet, not really. Each of the janitorial staff can use these same abilities that I can."

"But not like you can...Sapphyra." He leaned closer to me, our hands dangerously close. I hated how softly he said my name, as if he was trying to get inside my head.

And I hated how my heart responded.

I snorted and leaned back, draping my arm across the back of the bench. He didn't move an inch–didn't flinch.

 "Why does that matter to you? What, are you afraid I'll steal your thunder or something?"

"Thunder-you know this is just a job for me, right?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh...you mean your name isn't Guy?" I covered my mouth, hiding the smirk behind it. Of course, it was just a job.

He rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his short black hair. Leaning forward, he locked his fingers together and hummed softly.

"Why haven't you told anyone about this?" Guy nodded towards the house.

"You mean why haven't I exposed myself to mass ridicule and invasive experiments? Who knows?"

"Hey. You don't have to be such an ass about it."

"I'm sorry, are you allowed to curse off the clock?" I snickered at him, enjoying every moment his face turned red. It was nice seeing him not so...put together, so fake. He almost seemed real.

"I'm a grown man; I can curse when I want."

He stiffened as I leaned forward, wiggling my eyebrows. "Then do it right now."

"What? Why would I?"

"You wanna know about me? We go tit for tat then. Go on, let it rip, superhero!" Smirking, I nudged his side with my elbow.

"I...um...this is idiotic. Fucking–" He covered his mouth,eyeing the dirt for safety.

"There ya go! Look at you."

"Your turn, cotton candy dipshit." He smirked, shoulders sagging slightly.

"Hm. What can I really say? I thought about it...once. It's not just what I can do with my job, but I'm–"

"You're big and strong too." It was my turn to blush.

"What, did you really think you were hiding well every time you lifted tons of cement? My hearing's pretty good. I always knew about your..." he smirked. 

"What? Knew about my what?"

"Your incredible power of suck." He giggles as my cheeks burn.

"It's called vacuum! Not suck! If you're gonna tease me, get it right."

"Or what? Your boss is gonna sue me?"

"He probably couldn't afford to sue you since the city has you by the balls." Guy squints at me, disliking my smug comment.

"It's just a job. I mean, I like saving people but the costume and everything...I could do without."

"I'll believe it when I see it." 

"Sapphyra. If I could talk to my boss would you think about it?"

"About what?" My throat tightened, making it difficult to swallow. I already knew what he meant; I just didn't want confirmation.

"A class change. You could be a superhero with me! Think about it. You and I want the same things–to help people. Giving that little girl her house back is going to be monumental for her, but you could do so much more!" 

His eyes sparkled like a kid opening their presents on Christmas day. Not that we have christmas anymore.

Being a hero was never my dream...but it was a nice daydream–until the headaches rolled in. 

I snorted up a few drops of blood, swallowing back another memory that refused to stay clear.

It would have been easy to get lost in his words, to hope with him. But I'd seen too much of what hope looks like when it disappears.

"Why don't you do more?"

There I went again-putting my guard up.

Guy's face fell. "What? I do–"

"No. Why don't you do more than just soak up the glory and take autographs? You knew I carried a little girl-her name is Penny, by the way. You've heard me lifting heavy shit out here-cleaning up behind your mess by the way-so why haven't you done more?"

I hop off the bench, feeling the anger rise from years of standing on the sidelines.

"Sapphyra, I try my hardest to keep everyone safe-including you." He stood up, floating high in the air to rise above me-a position of safety, no doubt.

"Tell that to the people you left behind!"

Oh god. Why did I say that?

His eyes widened, mouth set in a hard line. Guys chests rose and fell faster than I could keep up with. And then it stopped, steady and silent.

"I'll keep your secret." Was all he said as he turned away.

"Wait, Guy, I didn't mean–"

He flew away, done with my bullshit. My heart sank as he vanished from my sight. 

I pinched the bridge of my nose,groaning as my work phone went off in my back pocket. As if today wasn't bad enough, it was my boss-and his calls were never casual.

"Fuck my life."

"Yes, 'Chovy?" I answered in the tiniest voice I could muster. Antonio "Anchovy" Bennet was known for two things: being a rude little shit and a slave worker. From calling me off the clock to making me miss my mother's birthday–and then not paying me for the job I did–he's the worst.

But in this economy,beggars can't be choosers.

"Don't start with me, runt." He thinks it's funny every time he calls me that.

"How was your day, boss-man?" Leave it to me to egg him on, anyway.

"It was fine until I got a message from Rupert Domingo asking to see your big ass." The phone slipped from my hand. Scrambling to catch it, I missed half of what he said next.

"I'm sorry, did you say the president wanted to see me?!"

"No, of course not. Must have been a fluke. How many other giant bitches named Sapphyra do you think I have employed?! Now stop asking stupid questions and tell me what you did to get on his bad side!" I could hear his ragged breathing from here.

"Me? I did nothing, I swear!" I didn't, not that I could think of. A thought plagued me, though I tried not to lean into it.

"I'll keep your secret."

Guy could have been lying. Rupert was his direct boss. Why wouldn't he tell him after the crappy way I talked to him? Which means I did technically do something bad.

Couldn't worry about that now, though.

"I did nothing, Chovy, and even if I did, I would have told you about it. I've been working for you for five years now; I'm not some rookie."

He scoffed and snorted what was no doubt a line of this week's designer drugs. His habit has gotten the company close to bankrupting over the years.

"Whatever kid. Don't tell me, it's not my problem. Anyway, he wants you at the Imperial tomorrow morning, 8 a.m. sharp. I don't need to tell you what happens to people who disappoint him, do I?"

That might have been as close to kind as he's ever been to me.

"And I ain't paying you just cus' the president wants ta' see ya either! Lazy bum."

He hung up on me, a tiny blessing.

As I clocked out, I headed home, left with my thoughts. My bus ride was quiet. Yesterday it was loud, but months ago the sound was deafening. That's also the last time the bus was full of people.

Sometimes when I turn my head or close my eyes, it almost feels like the people were still there. I feel a hand on my shoulder, smell something musty–but when I open my eyes there's no one there.

Every street we passed ‌was another reminder of where the lines in the city sat. Maintained neighborhoods, pristine and secluded, never had to worry about cleanups. They weren't the leftovers–the rest of us were.

Growing up, I thought I was lucky. Mom bought a house with Dad's life insurance money long ago in one of the safer districts of downtown. Safety was short-lived, unfortunately. Once I turned 18, downtown stopped being a haven the day a building collapsed from a swarm of flying monkeys.

Almost at my stop.

We flew past Ernies. I saw a waitress carrying a large pink cake covered in berries with numerous candles on top. A young woman sat at a bar with a handsome young man next to her.

The flames on the candles flickered and laughed at me as my past kidnapped me once more.

"Happy birthday Sapph!" I hate that I still hear him on that day so clearly.

As I stepped into my house, I had to bite my knuckle to stifle the memory until it passed.

"Mom, I'm home!" I toss my keys into the bowl, kick off my shoes and wander into the kitchen–ravenous.

On the table next to the bowl was an overdue bill from The City.

"Hey baby. Did you have a good day at work?"

I bent down for her, letting my tiny mom kiss my cheek. She's not just tiny because I'm huge–over the years she's shrunk because of an incurable bone disease that I can't pronounce the name of. Yet even with a walker, at 54, my mom refuses to let anything slow her down.

She's such a badass; she's a secretary for the police department.

"Mostly. I helped a little girl reunite with her mother. The roads are empty where the attack happened, too."

Two truths, let's not add a lie.

"Mm, did you run into Mr. Dynamo again? I know you love yourself some Dynamo."

Bless her heart, she still thinks I'm that little girl with the superhero crush.

"Momma, I'm older now. I've moved far beyond crushing on celebrities." Especially when I casually break their hearts. God, I'm such a horrible person.

"What's wrong baby?" I tried not to look her in the eye but it was too late.

She's giving me the mom look. The look. The one that quietly commands you to dump out the contents of your soul. Or else.

"Nothing's wrong." There's the lie.

She squints, pouring herself a cup of coffee at the same time–never missing a drop.

"Mmhm." The soft hum is my first warning to come clean. Even now at 30 years old, I still start sweating whenever I hear that.

"Mom, I'm serious."

"I'm sure you are. You're a grown woman now–no need to tell your old fuddy-duddy momma about anything going on in your life." She's so dramatic.

"I'll just waste away knowing that my dear daughter doesn't need me anymore–"

I caved. "Okay! Fine. Mom, yeah, stuff...stuff happened today. I said some things to Guy."

She sipped her piping hot coffee, one eyebrow raised.

"First name basis already?"

"Mom! Not the point."

"Carry on. What did you say to him?"

Biting my bottom lip, I exhaled slowly.

"I may have...refused his invitation to be a superhero like him." Not with him. That's the last thing my mother needs to hear.

"And he took it that bad? I always knew you were a heartbreaker honey." I rolled my eyes at the pride dripping from her voice.

"It's not just the rejection, it's how I said it. Or, rather, what I said after. I spiraled, panicked–"

"You self sabotaged again?" She already knew. I hate that this is a pattern for me.

Running my fingers through my hair, I nodded.

"I started blaming him for all the bad shit in the city. Blamed him for the people he couldn't save-"

She slowly placed the cup down, sighing. She wasn't angry or disgusted–though I wished she was. No, she was disappointed and I hated that even more. When her hands folded over mine, my breath caught in my throat. I ripped my hands away and turned my back on her, heading towards my room.

She didn't stop me. Who could blame her?

I closed the door behind me, locking it. She had a key, of course–it was her house. No, I wanted to lock it for my peace of mind.

"Please tell me you're here. I need you so bad right now." The words ripped from my throat just as my strength left me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and opened them again, coming face to face with my soulmate.

My gut finally started untangling itself as I stopped holding back tears.

"Rough day, beautiful?" The love of my life asked me.