No Time To Die • Billie E.

Once, you were friends, more then that actually. You never gave it a name, but she was everything. You had met her at the ‘Private Academy for Justice’, along with all the other children of legendary heroes. You both started to bond more deeply, beginning with playful banter over who was better and ending in an ever so deep connection. Part of the training plan was to build teams that would support your future careers. To no one’s surprise, you two were paired together - you were clearly above the rest. You both were predicted to change the world, create your own legacy, and build a new hero empire with an unmatched standard. Purely driven through the need for justice for everyone out there, as you both always paraphrased.

It was the night before the ceremony where you would take your place in the legacy, as would Ellie. You should have been asleep, but fate had decided you had another lesson yet to learn. A sharp pain - a slap across your face - woke you. You opened your eyes, but all you saw was darkness. You tried to remove the cloth over your face, only to struggle against the ropes tying you to a chair. Then, you heard a soft chuckle, one you knew all too well, one that made your blood run cold. Warm fingers glided from the bottom of your neck over your face and then removed the cover, letting you see the current head villain. Your eyes widened in complete shock. This was beyond anything you thought possible.

“I won’t bite,”
he said, his voice tinged with sarcasm as he saw your expression. The way your eyebrows raised in disbelief made him chuckle again
“Oh, I hope she can recruit you. It’d be a shame to kill someone I like.” You knew exactly who he meant by "she," but you didn’t dare turn your head toward the girl which had just placed her hands on your shoulders after removing your mask
“I’ll give you one hour,” he said, looking at the girl behind you.

“You know, that motto we always had - ‘justice for everyone out there’? You could never achieve that as a hero,”
she began after he had left the room. She moved slowly to stand in front of you, her hands dropping to her sides again. You refused to meet her gaze, refused to acknowledge what was happening or what she was saying. It was too much to bear. “Heroes… they aren’t made to give justice to anyone. They can’t even. Heroes have to follow laws and rules. They can’t give real justice or punish bad people the way they deserve. Heroes are just symbols of hope - nothing more.” She knelt in front of you, locking eyes with you, those same intense eyes you fall in love with.

The realization that you had fallen for her lie slowly settled in. You should have known. You were literally trained to recognise villains - the way they acted, how they behaved. She had always been more violent than necessary, always had that glint in her eyes. Was it obvious to everybody else? Were you stupid to fall so deeply for her? But no… this didn’t make sense. She… how could she? Of all people, how could she betray you like this? She was everything - your future, your life… “life is far away from fair,” she used to say whenever you told her. The pieces began to fall into place, painting a horrifying picture.

“You were never on my side,”
you whispered, your voice shaking as your thoughts spiraled. “Now, now, I wouldn’t say that,”
she replied. “I could fool you so well because, deep down, I am a hero, most villains are. We’re the real heroes in a world of symbols. And you, my lovely... you want to be a hero. You want to do good, I know you. You don’t want to just be a symbol.” Your eyes flickered downward as her words sank in. She wanted you to throw everything away - the career you'd been promised, everything you had ever dreamed of, everything you'd worked for. Even if you would do it, this could be another trap. She fooled you once, she could do it twice. And yet… when it came to her, you had always been reckless to help.