The next day, Ebenezer sat in the attic. He was hunched over in the corner, shrouded in darkness, looking like a child hiding from the world. It’d be an odd scene for anyone to walk in on, especially since he hadn’t changed out of his Villain clothes. He needed a quiet place to think after the fiasco that was supposed to be his first known crime. It was bad enough that all the witnesses thought he was saving the day, but he was even on the news.

  The first thing Ebenezer hears when he wakes up is his father complaining about the morning broadcasts. That wasn’t unusual, but today's topic was about the new vigilante on the scene. The daily bulletin dedicated a quick story segment about the werewolf that attacked Desmond Greens that night and the nameless “Hero” that protected everyone.

  Ebenezer could only groan in despair over what he heard. The local news stations catered to Poppytown and its small-minded views. They talked about Ethan Sun with the expected suspicion yet with an uncomfortable amount of optimism. While it shouldn’t be hard to get the small-minded townsfolk to turn on him, the fact that they seemed ready to treat Ethan like a do-gooder mortified Ebenezer.

  He set out to be a Villain in an Anti-Gifted City and somehow became a Hero. How did he mess this up so badly?!

  Of course, Ebenezer knew the answer. It’s because he was still a Nice Guy at heart. If he had been more ruthless, he could’ve attacked the bystanders, and then he’d have been seen as the Villain he wanted to be. Instead, they thought he was a good samaritan out protecting the little guy. But he wasn't a “good samaritan”, and he sure as hell wouldn't protect anyone!

  ‘I wouldn’t, right?’ Ebenezer asked himself. It was easy for the boy to claim he hated people now when he was alone and planning, but when the moment came to act on those feelings, he couldn’t do it. Ebenezer just didn’t have it in him to hurt random people.

  Worse, if Ebenezer saw someone getting attacked, he might jump in to help them on instinct alone. He wouldn’t wonder if that person was a friend or not, or if they deserved to be mauled by a monster, all he’d know was that someone was being attacked and he had the strength to save them. That’s what the Nice Guys did no matter what they were going through.

  “Am I just stuck like this?” Ebenezer wondered in horror. He looked at his hands as he pictured his awful “kindness” clinging to him like a tick. “Stuck being everyone’s slave because I can’t stop being nice?!” The last word curdled in the boy’s mouth like it was a particularly nasty slur.

  The idea that Ebenezer was trapped as a goodie-two-shoes for the rest of his life was terrifying. Being forced to take everyone’s abuse for the rest of his life. Ebenezer would rather hide away in Mount Huaguo than endure that.

  But that fate wasn’t much better in the boy’s opinion. Mount Huaguo may be a simple paradise, but for a teenager who grew up in the 21st century, it’d be like living in the stone age. But the real issue was that he’d trade one trapped existence for another. If he moved to Mount Huaguo, he’d never leave. He'd sit in the mountains and hide away from the world for the rest of his life.

  “Damned if I do, Damned if I don’t,” Ebenezer chuckled mirthlessly. The mocking laughter turned into a frustrated sob halfway through as the boy held back the urge to cry. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

  Ebenezer’s brooding was interrupted by noises downstairs. If his guess was correct, it came from the living room, specifically from the TV spitting out movie theatre-level sound. That meant his father was watching his favorite movie again. Menelaus watching Fight Club was like a religious man’s prayers. It was his sacred pastime, and anybody who interrupted without good reason was in for a world of hurt.

  Ebenezer had mixed feelings about his father’s ritual. On the one hand, it kept Menelaus quiet and happy for a couple of hours. But on the other hand, he was watching a movie that darkly resonated with him. Ebenezer was always uncomfortable with the way his Dad stared at the TV in religious awe as he watched the more violent scenes.

  The boy wasn’t sure what his father liked so much, but he doubted there was a good reason for it. After all, the main idea of the plot is that an everyman gets thrown into a world of violence and changes drastically because of it.

  “Wait!” Ebenezer hissed as realization struck him with the weight of a runaway car. “That’s it!” In the movie, the narrator became more violent and mean the more he participated in the eponymous Fight Club. Meaning the more someone was exposed to savagery, the more they got used to it. That’s what Ebenezer needed to do! He needed to work his way up and build a tolerance for violence.

  But how would he do that without freezing up again? Last night, Ethan was trying to work up the nerve to attack the bystanders who were minding their own business. He couldn’t do it because they had done nothing to him, and Ethan couldn’t hate them; that’s what went wrong. The answer was simple, Ethan will have to target people who have it coming. Maybe find a mugger or something, someone the villain could beat up without feeling guilty.

  With renewed energy, Ebenezer leaped up from his corner and readied himself to head out. Doing a quick check to ensure his gear was in place, Ebenezer stopped in his tracks when he grabbed his staff. Staring at the golden stick, Ebenezer was reminded of the ambiguous leash Uncle Sunny had put him on.

  Ebenezer still trained with the Monkey King in his sleep. While their relationship relatively the same, their was a tense atmosphere between them that put the boy on edge. They hadn’t talked about his failed crime, which the would-be Villain was thankful for. Now that Ebenezer thought about it, he doubted Uncle Sunny would’ve been happy to learn that he was trying to psyche himself up to attack civilians, that would be one of the lines not to cross. But there were more lines than that, weren’t there?

  It was scary and frustrating for Ebenezer to not know what is and isn’t acceptable in the eyes of Sun Wukong. But that was the point, wasn’t it? To force the boy to think about his actions, to second guess every move, and to be prepared to defend himself if Uncle Sunny decided he had gone too far. Would Ebenezer’s new idea be that tipping point?

  The boy shook his head. Deciding to stick with his new plan, while also making to double check his targets before attacking them. So long as Ebenezer didn’t hurt someone that was just going about their day, Uncle Sunny should be fine with that. Right?

  With a shaky breath, Ebenezer snuck out of the house again and started his search. He didn’t need to check in with his clones about work, as nothing much had changed. His father was still disappointed, and the rest of his family barely talked to him. Except for Arnold, but Ebenezer didn’t want to talk to Arnold.

  If there was anything of note, the clones would tell him, and the boy would handle it accordingly. With his new powers, he could effectively live away from his family and school while still living his “normal” life. It was a nice cover while Ebenezer wreaked havoc as Ethan. That didn’t mean Ebenezer could just disconnect from his old life, at least not yet. His clones can only do so much, and if the boy insists on fighting back in every sense of his life, he’ll have to be present when his mundane enemies push back.

  As Ebenezer flew through the early morning sky and reentered the city, he couldn’t shake off the foreboding feeling he got when thinking about Sun Wukong’s limits. Thinking about how he had almost screwed himself was terrifying. Ethan needed to be more careful going forward or else he’d be on his own again.

  Ethan flies around aimlessly, with no idea what to look for, and no idea where to go. He spent a solid hour just flying around the city and looking down for… something. He eventually got the bright idea to look in places that were becoming increasingly familiar to him, the back alleys. If there was any place to find shady characters, it would be there.

  Ethan starts flying over the cracks between building, and peering into the shaded lanes. His first few attempts held nothing but dust and litter filled paths, but Ethan didn’t relent. Poppytown was a relatively big city, there were plenty of hiding spots to look into.

  As the boy continued his search, he couldn’t help but think about the werewolf girl from last night. He hoped he wouldn’t run into her again. Not only because their meeting ended awkwardly, but if Ethan saw the cryptid struggle again, he knew he’d want to help her. That’s not something a Villain should be doing under any circumstances.

  A sudden loud crash broke Ethan out of his thoughts. He perched on a rooftop and looked into an alley where two men were having an altercation. One guy had thrown another into a group of trash cans and started punching him in the face.

  ‘Oh! This should work!’ Ethan thought excitedly. However, remembering his earlier conflict, he decided to double-check. Flying to the ground, Ethan turned into a bug and crawled closer, hoping to get a better visual of what was happening.

  “Not so high and mighty now, are you!” the man throwing the punches screamed. Ethan could see the man was scruffy, wearing worn overalls, and seemed to have dirt on him in various places. He would look like the handsome farmhand from a generic rom-com if his face wasn’t twisted in a hateful snarl. Whoever he was beating up, the farmboy really didn’t like him.

  “You think you’re better than me, huh?!” he snarled. Ethan had crawled under the dumpster and couldn’t see who the farmhand was wailing on. But from the meaty thuds and pained grunts, the attacker was going all out on the assault. “Let’s see you look down on me after I bash your fucking head in!”

  ‘Yeah, he’ll do,’ Ethan surmised. Crawling behind the large trash bin, Ethan returned to his human form. Then he casually walked out of his hiding spot and stood next to the thug. Here, Ethan could see the brute’s victim.

  The target was a middle-aged man wearing a suit. He was sprawled on the garbage bag pile, looking like a drunkard sleeping off a hangover. At least he would be if his attackers fists didn’t make him jerk and twitch with every punch. He couldn’t get a good look at his face as the blood and the brute’s fists covered it up.

  The man was gurgeling and flailing his arms around. He was either trying to move out of the way or at least cover his face but the psycho was relentless and kept swinging. The sight made Ethan’s stomach churn and felt his heartbeat quicken. He was seconds away from jumping in and trying to save the suit, but he had enough self-control to stop himself and carry out his purpose.

  “Having fun?” Ethan called out.

  “Fuck off!” the farmhand shouted, not even looking at Ethan. The villain felt a familiar nervousness being near the savage. His rage was too similar to the people Ebenezer had to deal with. Unlike with Leonora, Ethan knew this was going to get violent, and his gut grew nauseous with fear. But that anxiety fed into Ethan’s resolve, as now the mugger could represent all the people he hated, and the boy was sick of them ignoring him.

  “Well, that’s just rude,” Ethan admonished before jabbing the side of the thug’s head with his stick. The man jumped at the sudden contact and stumbled away from his punching bag. The confusion only lasted for a second as the brute regrew his hateful glare, only now it was directed at Ethan. The villain felt his body grow tense as his submissive instincts tried to take over.

  “Who the fuck are you?!” the guy practically screamed. His enraged scowl made the farmhand look more like an angry beast than a human. Ethan had to fight his urge to cower and start apologizing for his existance. He wanted to stop being weak, so he needed to do this. Making a fist, Ethan forced himself to respond.

  “Just a guy with nothing better to do,” Ethan shrugged, hoping to look nonchalant. “Kind of like you.” The little dig made the man’s tan skin turn a worrying shade of red. The angry creases on his face grew deeper as the farmboy somehow got even more worked up.

  “Mind your own fucking business!” the man roared with surprising volume. Ethan swore he saw a discarded can tremble as the thug yelled. The fact that the boy didn’t jump in terror was a minor miracle. Ethan took slow breaths to calm himself down, and luckily, the goon didn’t notice. “I’m taking a stand here! And some self-righteous asshole in a mask ain’t going to stop me!”

  “How exactly is beating someone up in an alley making a stand?” Ethan asked. “Because, to me, it looks like you're just mugging a guy.”

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you!” the thug shouted. Then he charged forward, preparing to take the masked assailant head-on. Ethan’s heart pulsed wildly as the moment for action appeared. Planting his feet, Ethan waited until the angry man was close enough, then whipped out his staff and smacked him in the face. The meathead staggered to the side but recovered quickly. With an angry snarl, the thug lunged forward and threw a wild punch at the masked boy's head.

  Before he could panic about being attacked, Ethan found himself sidestepping without thinking and countering with a stick jab to the brute’s gut. It was far too early to call Ethan a master martial artist, but compared to Sun Wukong, his opponent might as well be a toddler throwing a tantrum. That realization gave the boy some confidence as he readied for the next attack.

  The man briefly doubled over from Ethan’s counter as he clutched his stomach, and glared at the boy through the pain.

  “You pathetic bastard!” he wheezed. “Put down that stick and fight me like a man!”

  “And why should I do that?” Ethan asked, placing a hand on his hip. “If your implying that your fighting like a man, it’s not really working out for you.” The man responded with a cry of rage before charging at Ethan again. What happened next was just like the first attack, with the farmhand making a wild swing with Ethan easily dodging and countering.

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  Only the brute didn’t stop when he got jabbed; he kept going and swung his arms around more times in hopes of overwhelming Ethan and landing a hit. It didn’t work and only got the thug more wacks and jabs from the villain’s stick. This was far easier than Ethan first thought.

  But despite having the upper hand, Ethan wasn’t having fun with this fight. He was nervous, all this movement was making him sweaty, and this entire confrontation felt… wrong. This wasn’t like his fight with the werewolf girl, as that was all about survival at first. Ethan’s opponent wasn’t a monster, but a belligerent human, one that wouldn’t go away no matter how many times he got knocked back. This so-called battle was unnecessary, and it made Ethan feel like he was wasting his time.

  Sure, Ethan was the one who provoked him, but given the man’s temper, a stray glance could’ve sent him into a rage. Ethan wasn’t forcing him to fight; hell, the boy was barely fighting back. All he was doing was reacting to the raging man’s swings like he was giving him the chance to just walk away. The Nice Guy in him was getting in the way again as he forced Ethan to hold back and just defend himself against the bully.

  Ethan tried to muster the will to attack, to properly wound his opponent. But like with the customers at Desmond Greens, Ethan just couldn’t do it. But why not?! The guy was attacking him! It should be easy to fight back! Was he just not capable of hurting people?

  ‘Remember ‘Fight Club’’ Ethan told himself. ‘You gotta work your way up.’ Ethan remembered his plan and knew he had to get used to violence to be a proper Villain. But the distaste he felt right now was draining the enthusiasm he had for his schemes.

  As the pointless tussle raged on, Ethan was second guessing himself again and wondering if he was really cut out to be a villain. Was it really what he wanted or was his chosen path akin to throwing a tantrum. If he couldn’t handle a simple scuffle like this then what was the point of seeking-.

  “Dammit!” the thug suddenly screamed, derailing Ethan’s train of thought. He blinked and stared at the farmboy. The man was covered in bruises and was huffing angrily, his skin was even redder than before, making Ethan wonder if he was going to start popping blood vessels soon.

  “I’m done with this shit! I was saving this for the next Town Hall, but if it means killing you, then I’ll go all out!”

  Ethan was confused by the man’s sudden outburst, but then watched in horror as he began to shift. The man’s skin turned a deep crimson as if he dunked himself in red paint. He grew twice in size, and each of his muscles became the size of watermelons, making him look like a proper Neanderthal. Finally, horns sprouted from the top of his head, and a tusk shot out from his bottom lip. A new tail swished behind him as the Demon-Man roared in anger.

  “Oh shit…” Ethan muttered before the monster charged at him. All uncertainty disappeared as the boy found himself facing a literal fiend hellbent on killing him. The creature threw another wide swing at the villain. It was just as wild and reckless as before, but it held a lot more power, making it much more dangerous.

  Without thinking, Ethan leapt over the Demon, and found himself soaring over the beast and landing behind him with ease. Acrobatics came naturally to Ethan, it must havee been part of the monkey half of his Wukong heritage. But there was no time to ponder that as the hellbeast spun around to face Ethan.

  “Die!” he roared, raising both arms with his fists clenched, ready to slam them down. Thinking fast, Ethan ran forward and thrust his staff into the monster’s gut. Unlike the last time, the strike did nothing. His stick jabbed what felt like a brick wall, earning a derisive laugh from the Gifted brute.

  “That little stick ain’t gonna save you now!” He slammed his hands into the ground, barely missing Ethan, who scurried around behind the thug. The villain started striking the monster in his legs, back, and every other spot he could think of, making sure to put some real strength behind his attacks. But nothing worked. The Demon didn’t even budge.

  “Stay still and let me crush you!” the monster demanded. He whirled toward Ethan and threw a punch that the villain was able to dodge. Ethan started backpedaling to give himself some distance as he tried to think of a plan. The fiend followed Ethan, eager to smash him into the ground, which added to the pressure the boy felt.

  Ethan started hyperventilating. His panicked breaths puffing against his mask and sounded like air pressure being released but it did nothing to calm him down. The boy was half-tempted to run away but still had enough sense to table that idea. Ethan didn’t fully know what he was facing, for all he knew this Demon could track him by scent, or sprout wings to fly after him. The only sure option was to beat the monster somehow.

  But how was Ethan going to do that now that if his regular attacks weren’t working? The thug’s body was too tough for Ethan to hurt with his staff, so what other options did he have? He could make clones, shapeshift, or make his staff bigger. The villain doubted an army of clones would do much against the red monster. At best they could help him run away, so he’d save that as a last resort. Ethan could try to take the on Gifted bruiser as a big animal like a gorilla or a bear, but he still didn’t have a good idea of how strong the Demon-Man was.

  That left resizing his staff, Ethan could make it bigger, big enough to crush him but that was a hail mary plan if nothing else. Maybe if he tried making his staff smaller and using it to attack the brute from the inside, that would work? But how would he even-?

  “Rragh!” the creature screamed as he raised his hands for another slam attack. He’d gotten close enough to attack Ethan again, which meant the boy’s thinking time was over. Acting on instinct and the fragments of the last idea he had, Ethan ran forward, shrinking his staff down to the size of a toothpick. When he got close enough, Ethan flung the tiny stick into the brute’s screaming mouth. Then he slid between the demon’s legs and commanded his staff the grow.

  Ethan didn’t see what happened next, but he did hear the consequences of his actions. A sickening crack came from the demon behind him, along with a disturbing squelching sound, which Ethan would later realized was the sound of ripping meat. But what really got the boy’s attention was the horrific bellowing from the Gifted thug behind him.

  Ethan whirled around to see what was happening. All the villain saw was the monster’s back, but he could make out the thug’s arms grabbing his face while he screamed. Ethan still didn’t know what was going on, but when he saw what looked like mini-waterfalls of blood pouring out in front of the beast, he decided it was better not to know.

  Horrified with himself, Ethan quickly forced the staff to shrink again. Immediately, the Demon’s agonized cries became more muffled, and the creature started shrinking back into his human form. Once he reverted to his farmhand form, the bully turned and faced Ethan. His hands were clasped over his face, so Ethan couldn’t see the damage he caused, but the amount of blood flowing through the man’s fingers painted a grisly picture.

  And then there were the man’s eyes. Gone was the indignant rage the farmhand had when he started the fight. His eyes were wide, tear-stained, and terror-stricken. He looked like a deer that got clipped by a speeding car. He was looking at Ethan like he was a proper Villain, and one who just hurt him horrifically. Ethan was stunned at the sight, and his gut twisted in disgust at the pain and fear that he caused.

  The man let out muffled cries as he turned and stumbled out of the alleyway. For a split second, Ethan wanted to go after him to make sure he was okay. But he decided against it, not only that not what a supervillain should be doing, but Ethan doubted the thug wanted to be around him right now.

  Ethan glanced at the alley floor and cringed at the mess left behind. Horrific injury or not, the man didn’t look too bad. But if you only looked at the giant puddle of ichor on the ground, you’d think something far monstrous happened.

  Ethan wasn’t sure how much blood was currently staining the pavement, but knew if someone stumbled upon this scene, they’d think he had just brutally murdered someone. That’d certainly give him the villainous reputation he’s looking for, but making people think he was some kind of psychotic killer might be too much too soon.

  Ethan caught a glint of gold in the wet, soiled ground. His miniature weapon floating in the liquid gore. He was relieved he hadn’t lost his staff, but was disgusted to see it in the Demon’s vital fluid.

  With a hesitant command, Ethan enlarged his staff to its normal length. He shuddered as the sudden extension of the polearm caused the red liquid to slosh around. He’d need new shoes after this. It was as Ethan feared, his weapons were covered in jerk’s life fluid, but considering what he thought happened to his victim, he should be thankful there wasn’t anything else red and sticky on it.

  Slowly, Ethan retrieved his stick from the ground, trying to get as little of the nasty liquid on his clothes as possible. He has no idea what he has to do to properly clean the blood off his staff, but he has to figure it out fast. Ethan didn’t want to fight the urge to vomit every time he handled his weapon.

  “Is he gone…” someone slurred behind Ethan. He turned to see the suit-wearing victim staggering up to Ethan while wiping his bloody face with a cloth.

  ‘Right…’ Ethan cringed internally. ‘Forgot about him…’ The Demon Man’s victim didn’t look much better without being drenched in red ichor. His clean face showed off the bruises and lumps left behind by the thug’s beating. Ethan debated whether he should just leave the guy here, but was distracted as the man continued to talk.

  “You have my thanks, young man!” the suit wheezed. “Honestly, the nerve of these ingrates! You walk back one promise, and these animals want to tear your head off! Honestly, if I didn’t need these inbreds’ votes, I wouldn't bother talking to them! They’re nothing but bottom-feeding savages!”

  ‘“Votes?”’ Ethan repeated, confused. Then had to suppress a groan when he pieced things together. ‘Oh God, did I just save a politician?!’ Ebenezer didn’t pay attention to politics, he had enough problems in his own life, and worrying about the rest of the world seemed pointless. The only thing he knew about politicians was unflattering pop culture references, which painted them all as slimeballs just itching for a bribe. Given the elitist rant this man was going on, those caricatures have some basis in fact.

  Ethan wasn’t sure what to do here. He can’t just leave the guy while he has a positive opinion of Ethan Sun. But the villain was also too drained to think of a way to break it, and he wasn’t ready to just attack someone yet. Maybe if Ethan just left, the guy would think him rude and forget all about the rescue.

  “I need to go,” Ethan said, cutting off the suit as he started talking about budget cuts. Without waiting for a response, Ethan turned from the man and walked down the alleyway.

  “Oh! Going after that bastard? Good! Make sure to finish him off! Nobody will miss him!” His words sent a shiver up the boy's spine. The idea of murder had never crossed his mind, and he definitely wouldn’t be killing anyone any time soon. But would that change? Would Ethan Sun have to kill someone at some point?

  The villain shook his head to clear the chilling thoughts as he quickly left the politician behind. He mentally added Murder to the list of lines not to cross as he rode his staff back up to the rooftops. He tried to take his mind off the disturbing topic by looking up ways to clean blood off of metal on his phone, but he couldn’t focus.

  The fight had disturbed him. The blood sickened him. And the idea that he has to do this kind of thing again made him want to crawl under his bed and cry. Ethan swallowed down his discomfort and told himself it’d get easier if he kept at it, but he had to wonder how many more bouts of violence he had to trudge through before he was used to it and he could move on? And on that note, what was he moving on towards when he was “ready”?

  A sudden call from his clones made Ethan put his dilemma aside and answer them. Ethan blinked, and suddenly he was back home, standing in the foyer with Menelaus and a man he recognized from the school. He was holding a large brown folder, most likely Ebenezer’s daily overdose of homework. Ethan anxiously bit his lip as he assumed the worst.

  “Now what’s this about?” Menelaus asked coldly.

  “Nothing bad, Mr. Giroux, I assure you.” The man smiled with the demeanor of a used car salesman. Maybe that was why Menelaus was glaring at him? “We simply want to make sure Ebenezer is trying his best with his extracurricular activities.”

  “What does that mean?” Menelaus’ voice took on a dangerous edge that made Ebenezer shiver. He wasn’t looking at his son right now, but the second the witness was gone and couldn’t misunderstand the situation, the boy would get it. Ebenezer himself was trying to figure out what the man was talking about. According to his double, he just got the normal amount of work that he always got, which included the other student’s assignments.

  A dark calm spread in the boy’s heart as he realised what was happening. There was only one thing this man could be talking about and it filled Ebenezer with a black sense of resignation. There was only one thing this schoolman could be talking about, the extra homework. The school wanted Ebenezer to go back to slaving away for his classmates. To run himself ragged making sure every sheet had a perfect score. They had gone from turning a blind eye to the situation to quietly supporting it.

  “Given Ebenezer’s unfortunate suspension, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to give him some extra assignments to help keep his grades up while he’s away.” The teacher said without losing his friendly smile and confident attitude. Ebenezer had to wonder how many bullshit speeches he gave out if he could lie so easily. “While Ebenezer is doing good work as always, it would really help his grades if he put more effort into them.”

  Naturally, they aren’t going to say they’re making Ebenezer do all the work for his classmates. For all they knew, Menelaus would raise a fuss over the truth, and then they’d be in trouble. So instead, they had to treat it like extra credit or some other nonsense and force Ebenezer to play along.

  The schoolman finally turned to look Ebenezer in the eye. He had an imperious gaze that tried to convey the serious undertones of his little speech. But that gaze quickly faltered as Ebenezer stared back unflincingly. The boy wasn’t sure what look he was giving the older man but it clearly unnerved him.

  “Well,” the teacher said matter-of-factly, his smile now strained. “That’s all I needed to say! Have a nice day, and be sure to work hard, Ebenezer!” The man thrust the folder into the boy’s hands and quickly left, rushing out the door as if he was trying to avoid a crazy person thast was ready to snap. Menelaus didn’t notice as the second the coast was clear, he turned to glare at Ebenezer.

  “What the Hell was he talking about?!”

  “I don’t know,” Ebenezer answered honestly.

  “Don’t you lie to me!” Menelaus hissed.

  “I’m not! I just do the work that’s given to me, I don’t know what counts as extra credit!”

  “Well, your clearly not doing good enough if the teachers have to tell you to get off your ass,” Menelaus growled. “I guess doing all the chores isn’t enough to make you get your act together.” Ebenezer fell silent as he didn’t know how to respond to that. On one hand, he wants to lash out at his father and his unfair rules, but on the other hand, he knows it was pointless.

  As far as his father was concerned, he knew everything, and his son was just a stupid brat who needed to be disciplined. Any dissent would be punished until he learned to behave or else. And to Menelaus Giroux, getting blindsided by life counted as dissent.

  Ethan didn’t hear how Menelaus escalated his punishment. He cut the connection with his clone and sat on the roof, curling in on himself. He hadn’t started hyperventilating or raging against everybody, at least not yet. Ethan felt like he should, just like when he saw Pery throw away his homework. But just like that time, he didn’t see the point, just another casual cruelty thrown his way.

  It did remind Ethan of what he was fighting for. What he was trying to escape. It was undeniable now that the teachers were against him, and Menelaus proved he’d never be any help to his son. With bitter determination, Ethan pushed away his remaining disgust over the fight as his desperation to become a Villain was rekindled.

  With his doubts pushed aside and his path reset, Ethan furiously stood up, ready to hunt his next target. He made a mental note to add his teachers to his revenge list, even though he wasn’t sure what to do about them. That was a later concern once Ethan was ready for more villainous actions, or until he learned more about what happened to Ms. Albert and her car. But for now, he would continue his training, nothing would really get done until Ethan had the ruthlessness villainy required.

  As Ethan made to leave, he noticed a red splotch on his weapon; reminding him of what had happened beforehand and the disgust he had when carrying his soiled stick.

  ‘But before all that, I clean my staff.’