“I’m very grateful,” James said. He made sure to sit up straight and smile, just as he’d been taught. “Sweet Entertainment has done so much for me. All I want to is make them proud.”

The interviewer must’ve like that answer, because she smiled at him, commenting on how well he spoke for his age, especially for an Enhanced. Obviously he knew how to say big words, he’d practiced these lines for hours. And he was already six! He wasn’t like the other little kids anymore. James knew better than to question why she didn’t think Enhanced were smart.

The interview dragged on. James answered every question with a smile, making sure to not wiggle the loose tooth in his mouth. He didn’t want to seem childish to his fans. It finally concluded and he shook everyone’s hands, thanking them and letting them fawn over how polite he was. James was more excited to find you. He quickly spotted you backstage and beamed, rushing up for a hug. “Did you see me?” he asked. “I did so good, didn’t I? I didn’t mess up my words at all.”

He wanted you to tell him you were proud of him like you used to. Maybe he was being dramatic—Anne often told him he was—but he felt like you were avoiding him. James didn’t understand why. Were you still upset he said you were like his parent when that reporter asked? They’d already punished him for that, though. James had spent the weekend in the isolation chamber crying and promising to never say that again. You weren’t his parent, you were his manager. He wouldn’t spread lies again.

James had never been sent there before. Unlike the other kids, he always listened. That was why Sweet Entertainment allowed him to become a hero before he turned ten. They’d even let him pick his hero name out: Polar. He’d wanted it to be Polar Express, like that movie you’d shown him, but it had to be shortened.

He was good. He listened, he never argued or talked back, and he never tried to run away. Anne had once. James never saw her manager again, and Anne stopped talking for a long, long time after. He wouldn’t let anything happen to you. James knew he shouldn’t, but he adored you. They told him he couldn’t raise any questions about where he came from or who his parents were, and James nodded like he understood. He didn’t know his parents, though. His earliest memories were just you.

Once one of the doctors let it slip you used to be a hero for a different agency. He was too afraid to ask you about it. Was it The Crusaders or New Vision? Did you know Frostbite? Frostbite was his favorite hero even though he was retired now. James’ abilities were similar to his, too. A weaker version is what the doctor called him. All James’ ice could do was cover his body.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked in a tiny voice. James wanted to tell you the medicine he had to take made him sleepy and sick, but he didn’t. He wanted to tell you he hated visiting Deus Lab for his appointments, but he didn’t. All he wanted was for you to be happy with him again. Sometimes he thought you didn’t want to be here, like someone was forcing you to be his manager.