IT WAS a dull gray day when Alice picked me up for the doc shoot. Things were weird between us. It was like whatever magic lasso that linked us together snapped in some way over the summer once she told me about her and Johnny. I didn’t hate her, but I didn’t want to be alone with her. But we were the only ones who had something to do, a one-day internship that was way more prestigious than it should’ve been, once Freedom Boy’s doc was in town. Alice offered me a ride and I couldn’t say no. It didn’t mean that I felt super weird being in her car.

A snowflake hit the windshield and got swept up by Alice’s wiper as she drove to the shoot. A few more snowflakes hit the window and then a barrage of white poured out of the sky. By the time we got to the trailers the world was white and we couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us. It was hard seeing the movie set.

“I didn’t know it was supposed to be this bad,” Alice said.

“Me neither. They said it was headed out to sea.”

“Kind of early.”

“Nah. There’s plenty of storms in early December. They always catch us by surprise.”

We got out of the car. We were first to set, which was surprising since it was a big shoot. Just a few trailers and one pink Escalade with the CA license plate DNGRGRL.“Ah, I guess we should go meet this chick. She drives an Escalade,” Alice said, looking at the plate.

“She’s probably paying for everything, I bet,” I said. “Let’s go find her.” I was desperate to hang out with someone who wasn’t necessarily Alice. Hopefully this girl could help.

We went into the nearest trailer, hoping to find some craft services and someone to tell us where everyone was. Instead it was filled with lighting equipment. Alice and I pulled out our phones and held them up only to find there was no reception.

The set was in the woods on the north side of the Miskatonic. Central Massachussets had a lot of mid-sized towns like Doolittle Falls, and some small cities, but there were large patches of woods with nothing but lakes, trees, and mountains. Alice was on set to wrangle the wildlife, which had proven to be difficult. A family of squirrels gathering the last of their winter provisions had been ruining their shots for weeks, apparently. The director insisted that they needed rare songbirds to flutter behind Freedom Boy’s love interest, Dangerous Girl in her epic speech about fighting against the impossible and the power of love.

I was supposed to help with the weather that day. I was going to control the lighting while the team worked on the possible clouds passing over from the nor’easter that was just about to miss us. But then again, it seemed like the nor’easter didn’t really miss us.Alice and I tried to see if our phones would work outside but had no luck. It was starting to get cold and wet and Alice’s car was piling up with snow. If there was a ton of snow, we were going to be stuck, I bet. We had no shovels, just a small window scraper. My powers—whatever weather came out when I was heated—weren’t strong enough to melt this snow. It was coming down hard.

We visited more trailers, but they were all empty. No pink Escalade girl. The only trailer left was the one for the actors. I felt nervous, even though it was pretty clear Freedom Boy hadn’t gotten there yet.

“Maybe we should just head home,” I suggested.

“Why?” Alice asked. “We came all they way out here. And I don’t want to leave only to learn they docked us for not showing. I drove here, I’m getting paid.” She looked at me. “The car will live, Sarah.”

I groaned and followed her into a trailer named Lucy. The other one was labeled Desi. Inside was a medium sized room with a sleeper sofa, mirror, chair, some books, and pages from the script scattered around. Dangerous Girl sat in a large blue armchair. She had big green eyes and her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. It was hard to recognize her, at first, since she wasn’t wearing makeup—and any picture I’d seen of Dangerous Girl had her in full armor, red lips popping, eyebrows sharp, lashes so lush you could draw them from memory. She was wearing blue leggings and a top with a giant circle cut in the center, which revealed her upper abdomen and lower breasts. It was hard not to stare. I looked at the enormous plaid blanket draped over her shoulders.

“And you are?” she said, as imperious as a queen.

“Crew. Looking to see where everyone is,” Alice said.

“Oh crap. It’s weather girl and rat girl,” Dangerous Girl said. “The wonder interns. I heard about you. Freedom Boy is excited.”

I was so surprised she knew what we did that I ignored the insult. “Where is he, anyways?”

“I don’t know. Not one told me and I get no reception out here. I’ve been waiting for makeup for three hours.”

I looked out the window. The world was pure white. I couldn’t even see our cars ten feet away. Alice’s car must already be a foot deep.

“Why don’t you go back to the hotel?” Alice asked.

“I’m here to work,” she said. “And if I’m not here, everyone can show up and get angry and call me a diva for ruining a day of shooting. It’s not my style. I come to work, do my job, smile, and don’t pull any of that crap that gets you a bad rep. Why do you think I’m the first one here, always? Spectacula was cut from the film because they couldn’t insure her after missing shooting during Dreadnought 3: The Dreadening because she kept getting [air quotes] laryngitis.”

“It’s so easy for people to think you’re a diva,” Alice said, appreciatively.

“I don’t think anyone’s coming,” I said. “The snow won’t stop.”

“Fine. You’re probably right. Ugh, today. If I could get reception I’d fire my manager right now. This is just the worst.”

She got up, grabbed a large leopard-print bag, and sashayed out the door. When she opened it, a gust of wind blew in, leaving a pile of snow on the linoleum. She paid no mind, slammed the door behind her and just kept walking to her car.

“Think she’ll make it?” Alice asked.

I shrugged.

A minute later she came in, threw her bag on the ground and slumped back in the chair, caked in snow.

“I told you it was bad out there,” I said.

“Whatever, weather genius,” she snapped. A defeated look ran across her face, then suddenly a light flicked on. “Wait, weather girl. Make it stop. Can’t you stop the snow?”I took another look outside. “Not with this weather. This is a hundred mile system. Anything I do will last seconds before collapsing, and we’d still have to dig out the cars.”“Useless,” she said. “No wonder you’re an intern.”

“Don’t you have powers?” Alice asked. “Can’t you fly away or lift the car up or melt it with lasers?”

“No,” said Dangerous Girl, quickly. “I tried everything.”

“I guess we’re stuck here,” Alice said, walking over to her fridge and pulling out two cans of Diet Solar Cola and handing me one.

Dangerous Girl stood up and grabbed a Solar Cola while we sat down on a small red couch. She opened it with a quiet “Pop” and looked out the window. “I guess you’re right,” she said, then opened the door in the back which led to another smaller room lined with clothes. She emerged a couple minutes later in blue sweatpants and a baggy blue Academy West sweatshirt, rubbing a cloth across her face.

I took a closer look. She really looked different without makeup. She looked like a teenager. And less like a cartoon.

“Don’t take photos,” she said. “The paps love photos of me without my Hero drag on.”

“I didn’t even think of it,” Alice said sardonically.

“What?” Danger Girl said defensively. “Look, I don’t know who I can trust. You two seem cool, but it’s so hard and tiring,” she said, collapsing back in her chair.

“I. We. Didn’t even think of it,” I said, trying to cut some of the tension in the room. Being caught in a trailer during a snowstorm between America’s prom queen and Alice seemed like the most dangerous situation Dangerous Girl or me had ever been in.“You never know,” Dangerous Girl said. “But thanks.”

“So why do you do it?” Alice asked.

“What?” Dangerous Girl replied.

“Wear all the Hero Drag. The makeup, the tight costumes, the—excuse the expression—boob windows?”

Dangerous Girl laughed. She looked ready to spring. She and Alice had some weird chemistry. It was like they were going to fight or fall in love.

Alice apologized. “It’s not an attack. I’ve seen your films. All of them. And your crossovers like this one.”

I looked at Alice, shocked. She shifted on the red sofa. She had never admitted to liking or even hate-watching any Hero docs. I always thought that she was too cool for it. “You’re pretty damn impressive,” Alice said. Dangerous Girl smiled like a queen. “You can fly, fight, tie most villains in knots, lift a tank with a demure smile, backwards in high heels and all. I don’t get it. Why do it? Aren’t you beautiful enough without the revealing outfits and hyped-up sex stuff?”

The trailer was quiet for a moment, and then Dangerous Girl asked a question. “Have you ever heard of Princess Bellona?”

We thought for a moment and then said, “No.”

“Exactly. Bellona is a boss bitch. Real bad-ass. I once got in a scuffle with her. Just roughhousing at school, and she juked me on the chin. It was a light tap with her fist, and I flew through three walls and woke up in the school infirmary three days later. She broke every strength and speed record our school ever had, and helped us with the Harpastball cup three years running almost singlehandedly. Even knocked a freshman Freedom Boy on his ass freshman year.”

“Damn,” Alice said. “So where is she now?”

“Nowhere. Well, no, that’s not true. She’s been doing some work in the Northwest on their ShWAT teams and will probably be in the Secret Service Paladins if she wants to. Though she’s not too keen on authority figures. These days I heard she’s in Portland with her girlfriend, coaching young Heroes that don’t make it to the Academy.”

“If she’s so amazing how come I’ve never heard of her?” I asked. I did have my Hero obsession-stage. I had, at one point, the bulk of the Heroes to watch memorized. “Well, she’s not pretty, for one. And two, she won’t play the game. Won’t even try to dress the part or femme herself up,” said Dangerous Girl.

“That’s super bad-ass of her,” Alice said.

“Sure. But bad-ass doesn’t pay the bills. She can’t get sponsors. Sure, some places want to sponsor her, but not major brands. And you can’t have a career without sponsorship. She once saved Brooklyn from a nuclear strike and it got a mention on the evening news. I save a cat from a tree and Hero gossip blogs talk about it for months on end.” Dangerous Girl put on a funny voice. “What was she wearing? Did she look good? Who’s she dating? Is that a baby bump? By saving a cat, is Dangerous Girl playing a dangerous game? That stuff gets eyes, and eyes get sponsors. Saving millions of lives, on the other hand—irrelevant if you’re not playing the game. I know perfectly well that my meal ticket is a pair of double Ds while my waist is still slim. It won’t last, but if I work hard, I have fifteen years.”

“That’s you, though,” Alice said. “Other female Heroes aren’t showing off their chest like you and they do fine.”

“It was a trademark by the time I was barely out of puberty. Once you get an image and a look it’s hard to change it.”

 

THE HOURS passed while we waited in Dangerous Girl’s trailer. The vibe never got less weird. Dangerous Girl was both weirdly hostile and desperately lonely, Alice was alternately making fun of her and acting like her new best friend, in a way that alienated me, and, well, I was just there until I got a ride home. Which, if the snow had its way, wasn’t happening anytime soon. I wished I had enough power to dismantle a system of this strength, but as much as I wished for it, it wasn’t happening today. Meanwhile, Dangerous Girl was bored enough to give us loads of gossip on just what Hero life was like. It sounded exhausting.

“Wait,” I said. “So you’re saying that the Dangerous Girl persona is something you fell into. Who gave you the look?” I asked.

“My first manager, a total sketchball, and my mom put a costume together. My boobs came along right about when I got my powers. The manager promised get me into the Wonder Teens Academy West as long as I wore the boob window costume,” she said.“That’s screwed up!” I blurted.

Dangerous Girl sighed. “Way of the world, little one. And speaking of the way of the world, we should probably start talking about the elephant in the room. You and Freedom Boy.” She reclined in her chair and sipped her Solar Cola. She seemed like a cat playing with a mouse, lazily toying with us for her own amusement. “As his official girlfriend of the moment I know that, no matter what he tells you, he’s not your boyfriend and, if his million dollar sponsorship deals have anything to say, probably never will be. Now you’re the townie that he talks about all the time, and I bet your all-too-infrequent conversations follow a similar pattern. Let me guess. He keeps telling you that once something’s over or once something has happened, your love can be on again. It can be real.”

I thought about all the times Freedom Boy changed the subject immediately to all the pressures that he had on him and in his life the minute he I tried to bring up our relationship. Or when he disappeared for a summer. Or the way I didn’t feel like I could tell him anything, even though I wanted to tell him everything. My silence spoke volumes.

Dangerous Girl continued, “Sad to say, it’s not unique. They all do it. All the Hero Boys. They all have one true love, someone they can tell their secrets to and they give a promise ring to and someday, they swear, it’s all going to be real. Sometimes it’s someone they knew before they got their powers, other times it’s someone they met on set. Usually someone paid to spend time with them, like a makeup person or costumer or a young PA. It’s always true love with these girls and everything else is for show. Funny thing is that true love lasts a year, tops.”

Her know-it-all attitude was starting to get to me. “What do you know?” I asked, defensively. “We’ve been… a thing,” I said, lamely, “and it’s been for over a year now. He’s been in public with me.”

The trailer grew quiet. Dangerous Girl raised one perfectly arched eyebrow. Alice was watching our détente like it was a tennis match. Just when the silence was more than I could take, Dangerous Girl muttered, “You seem like a nice girl. But you should watch out. You’re either gunning for a broken heart and an 8x10 signed glossy or a screaming bastard in nine months.”

She was bitter. So bitter. It turned the air thin. “I would never date someone just for the sake of an 8x10,” I responded. “I would at least want a poster.”

This last sentence got lost in the air, as Alice replied, “Freedom Boy wouldn’t do that. He’s decent.”

“That’s what my mom said about SilverMan,” Dangerous Girl replied. “But look at me.”

“You’re Silver’s daughter?” I asked. SilverMan was known for his facility with the world’s coinage. He could make the US nickel bend to his will, and the results were usually torturous. There were too many nickels, for one.

“You tell anyone I’ll kill you. Though it’s a widely known secret,” Dangerous Girl said, with an air of boredom.

Alice’s jaw dropped. She was disappointed. She really had a secret thing for Dangerous Girl’s work, I guess.

“What, you believed the race of Superwomen from the planet Saphon delivered me? I’m from Pensacola, Florida. Born and raised. Saphon’s made up. It’s where all the bastard girls of Heroes come from in our mythology.”

This was shocking news. True behind-the-scenes stuff. Maybe I was naïve all of my favorite female Heroes, strong women, all of them, were from the planet Saphon. “But wait,” I asked. “If everyone knows SilverMan’s your dad, why hasn’t he been taken into account? You could get a ton of money…”

Dangerous Girl nearly got lost inside her sweatshirt. “He had good lawyers and refused any blood tests. In exchange he helped get me on the Wonder Kids and probably got me the manager with the connections to Academy West. I didn’t ask too many questions. We were poor but when things got bad my mom played some cards I didn’t know about and then things got better.”

She took a swig of her Solar and got up and walked around the room, checking her phone again for reception. “Sorry, I’m not usually so chatty. It’s just rare to be stranded in a trailer with nothing to do and no Wi-Fi. Sucks, right?”

Alice rolled her eyes in solidarity. “I had band practice,” she said. “Totally missing it.”

“Band practice,” Dangerous girl laughed. “I thought that was the case. What’s your deal, bird girl? Talking to animals, hipster, playing in some silly band.”

“You got me,” Alice said, not taking the bait. Dangerous Girl seemed like she was up for a fight.

She lit on me. “So when it comes to you, you can control the weather enough to be on set as an apprentice. Yet you’re not in the Academy.”

“Two words for you,” I replied. “Lady Oblivion.” Dangerous Girl screwed up her face, totally confused and drawing a blank. “The Bane of Innsmouth?”

Her eyes lit up and she giggled. “Dude, that was your mom? And you’re Freedom Boy’s townie? That’s amazing. Total Romeo and Juliet story right there. Freedom Man’s whole raison d’etre is to destroy your mom. Can’t wait for that doc!” She broke down in laughter. “Wow… just, wow.” When she finally stopped, she said, “But why did that keep you out of the Academy? I knew kids at Academy West whose parents were real villains and that never hurt them.”

“My powers aren’t great. I control them with my emotions and they’re not that strong.”

Really?” Dangerous Girl replied. “Weather Girl, that’s some patriarchal BS. Your emotions matter. I mean, when I act, I’m just calibrating my emotions on various levels. Maybe you’re just not a great actress, man. If you’re a better actress, then you’ll have full power.”

Alice nodded. “That’s a really good idea. Sarah should just do some acting classes.”

“Most of them aren’t that good, though,” Dangerous Girl said. “Dirty little secret is that half of what they teach is showmanship so we can be on teams and in docs. You can read books, I guess, or move to Los Angeles or New York and take a real class.”

It sounded magical. But I was stuck in stupid Doolittle Falls. “Can you teach me?” I asked.

“Really?” Dangerous Girl said. “That’s cute, but I can’t. I’m super busy, have an image to maintain, commercials, events to go to. I can’t just teach you how to act.”I was losing her. But, at the least, I had one thing in my pocket. “Look, that makes sense. But I have something I can barter your way if you want to take, like, ten minutes to tell me what books to read and how I can study real acting techniques.”

Dangerous Girl looked at me, dubious. I continued, “I can give you light.”

“Huh.”

“This is a big doc. Huge. From what I know, it’s the biggest budget film you’ve done. And you need it to succeed as much as Freedom Boy, but unlike Freedom Boy, you don’t have your own franchise. So you not only need it to do well, you need to look good doing it. So, what better way to look good then to have one of the weather people specifically focus on making sure the sunlight is properly diffused and hits you at the right angle?” I was bluffing, a bit, but it was the only thing I had.

“You can do that,” Dangerous Girl said slowly. She seemed dubious.

“I mean, I can’t stop the snow, but I can move the clouds around to make you look beatific.” I paused. “And I can get the other weather people on your side. A friend to the crew is a friend to all, right?”

She chewed on the thought for a moment. “The lessons will be short. When we finally get out I’ll suggest some books and do some exercises with you when I practice my lines.”

I thrust out my hand so we could shake on it. She grabbed it, a slippery, limp fish. “I think I got some DVDs in here,” she said. “Want to watch The New Wonder Teens?”“Yes,” Alice said, loudly. She looked bored to death, as if her spirit left her body during the second hour of snow.

As we settled in to watch the DVDs, I had absolutely no idea whether I’d ever see Dangerous Girl in person again. She was a busy young Hero, and we had a limited amount of time working on the film. To get the kind of access that we had to her life, if only for a snow day, was the result of a gigantic snow system that covered half the country, dumping a foot-plus in Doolittle Falls and requiring weeks of digging out. But sometimes the weather had a weird knack for putting the right people in your path, if you let it happen.