Crystalmushroom

My Urban Hero Academia

The fact that yin returned her smile made Alexa’s heart sing.

“I know they said high school is hard, but that a whole nother thing!” Alexa did want to have in slip away. Deep down, she felt like this girl had to be a good person, she worked so hard to keep others safe.

“You bossy? No, so don’t worry. I’m just glad we got as many people out unharmed.” Alexa said as she waved her hands defensively. “I’m still surprised i made it through the exam. I felt this strong sensation to…”

‘May I shouldn’t say anything about wanting to quit in the very beginning. Heroes don’t say things like that, Do they?’

“Your rift was amazing. How does it work? I’ve never seen a strong quik like that before.” The enthusiasm was spilling out as she got a little closer.

Sometimes her excitement could be a lot to take in. She knew that about herself, but it was hard for her to maintain sometimes. Before she could recoil and bring down her excitement, slam!

Alexa’s eyes went wide as she lost her footing. What the hell hit her?

‘What the?! So embarrassing!’

She felt her bag fly off her arm as she tried to right herself. There was no point though. She let the fall happen.

“Oof!” She was loud as she hit the ground. Her eyes were closed tight.

It took her a minute to settle down and open her eyes. She saw a red headed kid with glasses in front of her. He must have been the one to hit her. Her eyes narrowed in on him as she got up quickly. He was super apologetic which made her feel a lot better. He was familiar too, but why.

“No no, I’m fine. Don’t worry. “ Alexa said quietly, she took his hand.

‘Strong grip.’

Alexa returned his smile as she let him help her up.
‘Herito?...Why does that sound familiar.’ The wheels in her head turned. Something bothered her about that name. What was it? Finally it came to her. ‘The experimentation kid!’

Her smile remained the same as she got to her feet. When she stood up, she was ready to introduce herself to him. Then a loud beeping went off and he was gone soon after.

‘Saved by the bell.’

“Sorry about that Yin.” She said as she bent over to pick up her bag. She didn’t pay it any mind as she slipped it over her shoulder.

Once she had her bag, she listened to Yin’s question. It made her think for a sec.

“I’m going to be honest. I think I did terribly. I was hoping to take out a few robots, but I had to focus on saving people. Not that i regret doing so...I just hope they give us a break. I mean I really tried hard, but I don’t know.”

Before she could feel sorry for herself, she heard someone leaving the classroom. Alexa snapped her head when she saw the other student. She would give him a big smile.

“ We were just talking about what we thought about it. Didn’t seem too too hard.” She hadn’t seen this guy before.

‘Maybe he was in a completely different section of the physical exam.’

“Yeah practical exams don’t exactly measure up to what we were up against yesterday. No matter how hard you study. I’m Alexa by the way.” Her voice was cheerful, then she pointed toward Yin. “This is Yin.”

My Urban Hero Academia

“Thanks so much.”

Alexa’s smile got brighter as she started to sit. Thanking her meant so much than just the seat. There was a lot she wanted to say to her, but she probably should have waited to after to the exam. It really meant a lot to her the effort she put in. Also her costume was fabulous.

When she got into her seat, she heard Yin wishing her luck. Quickly, she turned to look at Yin and gave her thumbs up.

“We got this!”

Alexa whipped back around in her seat. ‘Oh god, I totally pulled a dad. I'm such a loser.’

Alexa pulled her pen out of her bag and got ready for the paper exam. The questions seemed pretty common sense to her. The only thing that worried her was the history questions. Yes, she did study superhero history, but specific heros not so much. Maybe she should have studied a little harder.

“Told you Alexa! You should always listen to your friendly neighborhood puffer.” Lita’s voice snaked into her head.

‘Stop thinking about Lita. She won’t help me here.’

Her pen worked for most of the question, but there were some that caught her off guard.

Is it considered stealing to take pens from a bank? What about extra napkins from a fast-food restaurant?

‘Ummm I-I don’t know. I never thought about it.’ Alexa’s head started to spin as she thought about the times she’s accidently took pens from the bank. ‘Can I be prosecuted for taking a pen?’

The question was waying heavy on her and she turned to the window for solace. They she spotted the bikini clad woman.

‘What the?! She goes out like that!’ Her eyes were as large as satellite dishes. ‘I would never!’

She brought her flustered face back to her test. She would come back to that question because she didn’t want to waste too much time.

After some time, she came across a question about what it meant to be a hero. It stopped her again. There were so many answers she could put. What would be the most fitting? What was the right answer? She would slump in her seat as she thought about it.

‘Making sure everyone around you is safe and thinking about yourself last?’ Another thought came to mind. ‘A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Is the official definition from the dictionary.’

Those answer didn’t exactly feel right, but they would work right.

‘A hero is a person who gives of theirself without question to the cause before them. Whether it be their fellow main or natural disaster, they try their best to help. They don’t stop till their all is given.’

That seemed to resonate with her the most out. Her dad came to mind. She had seen him do his job once when she was small. Her mother had taken her and her brother downtown to buy some clothes after a doctor’s appointment. Nothing seemed out of place that say. The trip was boring, they tried on a bunch of clothes, they hated most of them. Mom ending up forcing a pair of outfits onto each of them. When they left the store, they could a loud fire engine charging around the corner.

‘I wonder if that’s your dad’s truck.” Her mother’s face was covered with an amused smile. No speck of worry at all. “Let's go see.”

They all trotted around the corner and witnessed a large business ablaze. Their mother made sure to keep them at a safe distance, but they watched intently. Of course, Alexa’s mother was right. Their father bounced off the truck. Hank stood out a lot amongst his coworker’s, he had an expandable suit that was marked black. It was a stretchy material that allowed him to use his quirk easily.

“He’s amazing.” Her mother said quietly.

Alexa’s eyes had grew wide as he barrelled into the building before the other fighters. He didn’t hesitate as he rushed inside. After what felt like a lifetime, he returned with some people who were trapped inside. It was breathtaking, his courage and fearlessness. A piece of building unlodged itself, but her father saw it before anyone else. Without thinking, he sucked in a deep breath, sprinted in front of the other fighters and puffed his iron stomach upward. The piece bounced off him gently, although it was massive and still burning.

Alexa’s eyes twinkled when she saw this.

“That’s my dad…” She cooed.

Her day dream ended when she heard someone's chair loudly move as the got up from the desk.

‘Oh right! Better hurry.’

She finished her test with what she thought were good answers. Also made sure to answer the bank question. Once she was satisfied, she got up from her seat and handed in her test. She turned to talk to Yin, but she had already walked out.

“That sucks.” She said as she walked back over to grab her bag. She could hear a strange dude in the back of the class breathing hard.

‘I’ll leave him to that…’

After she collected her bag, she made her way out the door. SHe was surprised to see Yin hanging outside the classroom. Hesitation was a thing as Alexa crossed over to her.

“Some test huh?” She said with a laugh. “ I’d take a million more of those before fighting crazt murder robots again. Am I right?”

My Urban Hero Academia

SAHARA AKA The Slippery One

After all the commotion from yesterday, certain pro hero were placed on security detail. Sahara was placed on the left side of the inner gate for the school. Little did she know, she was standing outside the exam room window. She was just honored to be there.

Her left hand unscrewed the top of her water bottle as she looked around for suspicious characters. There was nothing, but she was there early and she didn't even see any students enter at the point.

“I really hope no one comes. These kids need to be free of distractions.” Her words were earnest as she brought the bottle to her lips and sipped. Her tanned skin shined in the sunlight like she was covered in glitter. Her red bikini, a perfect compliment to her skin. “No distractions at all.”

While she had some time, she brushed her hand across her collarbone, then threw a sticky substance onto her surfboard. Next she bent down to go inside her bag. Sahara pulled out a rag from her backpack, which contained a lot of waters. Delicately, she wiped the substance across the board.

“Can't ever let them catch me slipping.”

My Urban Hero Academia

Name: Sahara Abidi
Age: 22
Superhero Alias:The Slippery One
Superhero status: Pro-Hero
Quirk Name: Slip
Quirk Ability: Her body is covered in a slippery substance. She can throw the substance onto people, items, and anything else making them slick. She can produce it all over her whole body, but the amount of it depends on how much water is in her system.
Looks:
Brief Bio: (Any important history/personality traits) Sahara is very focused on saving the day and doing it the fastest way possible. Sometimes she appears absent minded and not observant. She wear a bikini because it allows her access to the substance she throws. She doesn't realize that is probably why her popularity is so high. Is known to surf into any crime scene, but might misplace the vessel she rides on. Have been voted hottest hero of 2016.

My Urban Hero Academia

Name: Sahara Abidi
Age: 22
Superhero Alias:The Slippery One
Superhero status: Pro-Hero
Quirk Name: Slip
Quirk Ability: Her body is covered in a slippery substance. She can throw the substance onto people, items, and anything else making them slick. She can produce it all over her whole body, but the amount of it depends on how much water is in her system.
Looks:
Brief Bio: (Any important history/personality traits) Sahara is very focused on saving the day and doing it the fastest way possible. Sometimes she appears absent minded and not observant. She wear a bikini because it allows her access to the substance she throws. She doesn't realize that is probably why her popularity is so high. Is known to surf into any crime scene, but might misplace the vessel she rides on. Have been voted hottest hero of 2016.

My Urban Hero Academia

Next day, the car was quiet on the drive. Her mother was very deep in thought. After everything that happened, It was hard to not think about it.

After the exam, Her parents were angry and scared when their daughter came out shaken and crying. She couldn't explain why she was so emotional, but she did explain that she had to protect multiple students from killer robots. It pained her that so many students were attacking each other and how that wasn't usually practice during the exam.

“Alexa….” Her mother finally spoke very slowly. “Are you sure about this?”

The sudden question surprised her. The question left her quiet as she thought about it.

“ ...Yes mom.”

“You could be in danger again.”

“I know mom…..but I could save a lot of people…. I have to try.”

The car came to a hard stop. Alexa looked around because this was too early. Luckily, there was no one behind.

“Alexa…” Her mother turned to her and stared hard. “You can walk away. Do you know that?”

Alexa felt scared by her’s stare. Why would she say something like that?

“Yeah...but why would I want to?” Alexa adjusted herself in her seat. “Mom, you and dad help people all the time. Why would I stop just because I finally felt some heat. It was scary, but it happens, right?”

They stared at each other for a moment. The words seemed to be penetrating her mother's face as seconds crept by. It was strange, Alexa never had seen her mother this concerned. The moment lasted until beep came from behind them. The piercing eyes moved from Alexa to the road. The car propelled forward again.

The car was silent again for the remainder of the ride.

Once they arrived at the school, Alexa quickly took off her seatbelt. Before she could get the door open, a hand grabbed her shoulder. She stopped and looked back.

“I want you to know I support your decision. I just wanted to make sure you wanted this…” Her other's grip tightened softly. “We came to this decision on our own and I want you to do the same. Your father and I will support you no matter what you do.”

Alexa smiled warmly.

“Thanks mom. After yesterday, I know how much I want this.”

Alexa was pulled into a tight hug and she returned the embrace. It was a good feeling. The moment lasted for a few minutes, then she was released to the school.

As Alexa climbed the steps, she tried to focus more on the test that would be happening. She felt pretty bad that she had no robot points,but maybe they would give her some points because she saved some students.

“Man, please be lenient.”

As she followed the signs for the exams, she felt a little nervous but nowhere near as scared as she was yesterday.

When she arrived in the class, she saw a few students in the room. When she looked at them, it made her think about what she was wearing. A sigh of relief bursted out. Her superhero suit was at home.

One of the girls stood out to her. She looked familiar. It finally clicked. She was the girl who asked if she was alright when she restrained the whip kid. She bounced over to and smiled big. She came over to the seat in front of her.

“Um excuse me? Is there anyone sitting there?”

My Urban Hero Academia

‘A whip?’

Her eyes traveled the course of the weapon. It’s owner, a student with another whip cracking at the bubble. No noise could be heard, but the sheer anger in his face was easily understood. It shook her, like the test had. The pounding of the second whip made her slow to get up to her feet.

‘What is going on? Why is he acting this way? I didn’t do anything to him. Why am I even here?’

Her mind raced with more questions as she fought to stand against the waves of fear. This kid outside the bubble tried so hard to pull the weapon that was already lodged in the barrier, but the bubble sealed entirely around it.

‘I want to go home! I’ll be safe there. Why is this happening to me?’ Her brain screamed as she shook staring at the crazed green clad teen.

Something shined in corner of her eye. Alexa turned to take in what it was. A robot was rolling forward. A burst came from it’s main gun and struck the side the side of the bubble. The walls of the shield held with no issue.

‘The was a strong shot. Why would they shoot something like that at students? A-are they trying to kill us?!’

After the first shot, the robot turned it’s sights to the student still whipping her shield. Of course, Alexa expected the student to see the robot’s trajectory, but it wasn’t the case. Nothing but her barrier seemed to matter to this guy.

‘H-He's gonna get blasted! Look!’ Her arms frantically pointed at the robot rolling toward the whip kid. She mouthed “look”, but it was just adding gasoline to the fire. The pounding grew exaggerated in sight.

Time slowed as the robot locked it sights on the new target. The fear clutched her heart as she watched.

“Are you really going to just sit there and watch?” A voice whispered inside her.

‘What can I do? I’ll get hurt!’

Silence rang in her ears. Here mind raced with fear and obligation pulling her in separate directions. If she didn’t act soon, who knew how bad this would be.

“You got this! You got this! You got this!”

Something in her shattered. Alexa opened her mouth to suck in a breath as she put herself in a running position. The moment the inflation of her lungs started, the barrier fell. Her legs pumped hard, propelling her forward. Everything felt slowed down as Alexa charged forward. The owner of the whip was off balance because he wasn’t expecting the sudden release of his first whip.

‘Perfect.’

Instinctively she knocked into his body. While falling, Alexa wrapped her arms under his shoulders to restrain his arms. The weight of his body on her hands against the floor hurt so bad.The vibration in the ground grew as the robot came closer to them. A small whimper slipped, but she couldn’t focus on the pain.

“Of course he didn’t forget about us.”

Alexa took a breath and got him into an arm bar.

“Don’t struggle! I’m trying to save you!” was through her teeth as she held tight. Her cheeks took a bunch of air in and she held it.

The barrier formed around the struggling pair.

‘Maybe the pain will bring back to his senses. I just hope -’

The robot fired another shot at the barrier.

‘Why me?’

My Urban Hero Academia

Alexa nervously laughed at his statement about her suit. Of course he’d notice the pastel blue suit.

“My parents did this to me, I swear..” She said as she scratched the back of her head. “I’m hoping for a better one if I get in.”

‘Thanks Gale! You could have kept that to yourself.’

She looked up at the clock and noticed how close it was to exam time. Before she had a chance start heading off, she saw Galen moving. She turned away started to to wave until she heard his question.

“Patch?! What patch?” Alexa said almost frantic. She reached up behind her to feel the harness and this “patch” he mentioned. The worry subsided. She totally forgot.

“ Oh this?! This is for anyone whose in a bubble with me. My barrier can be slick if you don’t have the right shoe wear, so they can grab onto my harness.” She said calmly as she pointed out the features.

“I want to make sure no one gets hurt while I’m trying to save them, You know?” She said as she stood in the superhero pose with her fist on her hips. (can’t say superman because he’s not in this universe lol) She erupted in giggles after that. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

She laughed for a good minute, then finally composed herself.

“Alright, I better get going. See you after the exam!” She’d wave as she headed toward the table.

When she got to the table, she grabbed the paperwork she needed to fill out. There were safety forms to review as well. She read thoroughly through the wording. With every word, she felt more fear building as she continued reading them.

“So many rules… What if I break them? What if I get hurt? I ...I-i mean my barrier isn’t that strong. Dad’s stomach is stronger than this.”

The paper felt heavy in her hands. She could fall to the floor from the pressure she felt.

‘W-What’s happening to me? I- I’m so scared.’

She looked around to see if anyone was feeling like she was. Their confident faces made her feel worse.

‘I’m not supposed to be here. I took the spot away from some stronger kid. I’m gonna let my family down. I should just leave. I’ll go now.’

Her hands slowly reached up to put her head in her hands. She pivoted to face the door, but she heard an announcement for the exam to start. Her head snapped in the direction of the doors.

“Go! Now!” Something yelled at her from inside. The voice was familiar, but she couldn’t make out whose it was inside her head. Alexa weakly change direction and joined the students entering the arena.

‘Why am I going this way? I’m going to get hurt. Maybe killed!’ The fear in her chest was going, but her body was running on automatic. Like someone was pulling her out through the doors.

The arena was huge to her. Here eyes darted about the contents of the room. Her head felt like it was spinning. It was so vast in there and the fear erupted into flame.

Before she turn to run, she could see students starting to fight each other. It didn’t make sense to her. The students were supposed to be fighting an enemy or at least trying to be more hero like.

“What in the world?!” Before Alexa could get a handle of what was going around her, a tight grip encircled her wrist and snatched her though the air. Unfortunately, she couldn’t she fight the force, but twisted her head behind her to see her destination.

‘A wall!’ Instinctively, her right hand pulled itself toward the one being pulled, they came together, and she sucked a big breath. She timed the hold just before the impact and closed her eyes. Her body hit the side of the barrier, but it wasn’t as nearly as hard as the cement wall. Instantly she slid to the bottom of the barrier and pulled her eyes open.

‘I have to find out what pulled me.’

Around her arm was a green whip encircling her wrist.

(Will be continued)

My Urban Hero Academia

(first post continued)

“Dude! I can’t believe you’re here! I thought I was the only one who got into the exam.” Alexa said excitedly as she started to look around for anyone else they went to school with. “Have you seen anyone else from school?”

Alexa took a moment to smile and feel relieved as she looked up at Gale. He seemed bigger for some reason. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Maybe just the fact he wanted to be a hero made him seem taller or something. Either way. it really calmed her down knowing that she had seen an old friend around.

The thought about her suit finally struck her and she became nervous again. The look of it was shabby compared to some people’s tracksuits or hoodies and shorts. She looked like she was working for a TV company or was going to install phone lines.

‘Dad why did you have to go overboard with the suit’

“You never know what might be thrown at you during the test. Got to be prepared!” She can hear his voice in the back of her mind.

‘Please don’t notice how bad this suit looks.’

Alexa totally forgot that her parent’s sewn a patch on her left shoulder blade. It read “Grab this!” and pointed to the safety harness. It was for people to not slip inside the barrier.

Alexa fought to cover her suit with her hands.

(will continue further)

My Urban Hero Academia

*****Next Day*****
After Alexa had completed her morning run, she tried to do her breathing exercises. Breath control and holding it was the most important thing to her and her quirk. If only she could have gotten to the pool first, but it wasn’t in the cards for her. Once done, she decided she should at least try to get some food in her system.

Alexa sat at the kitchen table. A bowl of her favorite cereal sat in front of her. Her parents insisted they make her a good breakfast today, but she was afraid the nervousness would kick in later and make her sick. Can't hold her breath on an uneasy stomach. For now, she felt good after her talk with Lita. If only she could have come with her.

Ian walked into the room, but he didn't do his usual “Is my punch faster than your shields greeting. He strode over to the fruit bowl, grabbed an apple and sat down across from her. He seemed different, less bratty.

“Big day today…”

Alexa looked over to him with watchful eyes. What was his angle? Was he actually worried for her?

“Yeah, it is.”

Ian tossed the apple between his hands. His hazel golden eyes focused on the fruit.

“No second chances…”

This thoughtful Ian bothered her. Why couldn't he just go back to punching.

“Yup...Only one.”

The fruit stopped in his hands as he looked up to her. He was nervous. It appeared that he understood the weight really well.

“Mom and Dad...They think you can really do it. You could really be a big time hero...This school is a big deal.”

Alexa fought to not hold her breath. Her parents never said those kinds of things. It was always “possibly” or “well there's a lot of ways to help people”.

‘He must have heard talking, right? When would they have said that?’ She thought quietly.

“I'll make sure they're right. Mom hates being wrong.” She tried to get him to laugh but Ian was serious.

“Alexa...You...You got this…” He said quietly and looked to his feet by the end of his sentence. “ I'm sorry for always annoying you. You are the only person I can practice with that actually got some skill.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. She felt like this was her eulogy or something. Her brother being super serious, it stopped her from completely eating. She just stared at him. Spoon in hand as she froze. Her brother met her gaze and got the hint.

“ I mean… Your bubbles are only a little better than mine. I’ll find a way to break yours soon.” His face was now a smirk as he took a bite from his apple and started out of the kitchen. ”You better get in.”

Instinctively, she nodded at her brother’s comment. That was the kid she liked better. That nervous looking kid wasn’t someone she knew and well he reminded her too much of herself. When she got her letter from UA, all she thought about were the times she’d fail.

‘Why did they send this to me? Do I really have what it takes?’

Her parents’ were more confident about her selection than she was. Of course, they were very middle of the road with their support. If you get in, great, and if you don’t, you’re just as good. But today was the day to prove it to everyone.

********

“I really should have run to UA” Alexa groaned from the backseat. The whole family was in the car, even the dog.

Eye of the Tiger was blaring through the speakers as her father pushed his lead foot against the pedal. Her mother kept trying to pump her up by looking back at her daughter as she sang along.

“You think I would miss my little girl’s big day?! You’re outta your mind. “ Hank cheered over the music. “I made sure to take the day out just for this.”

‘Just great.’

Alexa looked around for some solace, but everyone was into the song.

‘What is this playlist?’

“Did you really have to make me wear my suit there?” Alexa groaned as she looked down at it. She was really disgusted by the heavy makeshift safety harness that her dad snagged from the firehouse. “I really wish I thought this through.”

“Of course! I want your picture! I’m gonna hang it up in the dojo for all the kids.”

“Right...the kids…”Alexa groaned again. The memory of kids attacking her barrier and throwing themselves at it flashed in her mind. “How was that even training...?”

“Alexa, training can be anything, anywhere, and be taught by anyone. Remember that.” Her mother shot her an all knowing glare. The type of glare where she would saw “ you know, put your guard up” and no type of barrier could protect you from what was next.

“Absolutely!... I’m just nervous. I want to get in.” Her hands gripped the harness. She hoped the it would be enough to keep people on her if the barrier she made was airborne.

Her eyes traveled down to her hiker boots. She didn’t think they were the right type of grip in order to propel the right type movement with her barrier. They would have to do, but she hoped more than anything that she didn’t slip on her face. She did remember from the message boards that you get better quality when you become an actual student. Which made her look to her gloves next. They were an eyesore. The gloves themselves weren’t bad, but the magnetic fingertips and shabby sewing job was. Her parents bought the strongest magnets they could find on the internet because they knew her bubble wouldn’t be complete if she didn’t box her hands.

“We’re here!” Ian said as he nudged Alexa hard in the ribs. “Gotta pay attention!”

‘That much time went by!’

“Alright! Everyone out!” Her father called as he parked the car.

“Dad, Please, No.”

“Time to take that pic.” Her mother said with a smirk as climbed out and shot her the “i dare you to say no” glint in her eye.

“...Alright.” Alexa reluctantly got out.

Excitedly, her family placed themselves on the steps making sure to leave room for anyone trying to get by. They had more than enough time to register, but they still wanted to do this quick. Her mother hurried her over the middle of them. Had to make sure Alexa was ready.

“Say UA!” Her father grinned as he pulled his camera up to say the selfie.

“UA!” They shouted in unison. Alexa quickly held her breath and brought her hands together to place a small bubble around them for the pic. Making sure no one got bumped as she did so. The pic was snapped.

“That’s my girl!” Her mother put her arm around her neck and brought their heads together.

Alexa mouthed “Thanks Mom” before letting go of her breath. The barrier collapsed around them instantly.

“Ok, it’s time. Go kick some butt and we’ll be here waiting for you.” Vibrantly, her father smiled as he gave her the “All Might” thumbs up

“Will do!” Alexa laughed then returned the gesture.

“And remember.” Her mother started as she began to walk back down the steps. “ You got this.”

“Right.”

“No seriously! Only losers don’t get in here!” Ian chimed in.

Alexa smiled as she turned and made her way up the steps. She started to wave her brown glove at them.

Her family began to chant it again. “You got this! You Got this!”

‘Though they are nuts… I wouldn’t have it any other way.

***********
Alexa tried not to tug at her blue utility uniform As walked.

Inside the hall, there were students everywhere. A lot were practicing their quirks or talking to people they knew. Unfortunately, no one from her school had gotten a letter back except her. At least, that’s what she had thought. As she made her way up through the people, here grey eyes looked about the room. There were so many kids here and so many people that would either pass or fall. If only she had seen someone she knew. As she brought her eyes to the registration table, she saw a kid wearing a baggy jacket in front of her. Normally she wouldn’t pay it any mind, but the star on it seemed really familiar.

‘Wait… is that?’

“Galen!” She screamed extremely loud. She didn’t mean for it to be as loud as it was as she reached out to poke him in the back. “ Gale that has to be you!”