Sadie nodded excitedly. "Okay!" She grabbed his hand, intertwined her fingers with his, and led him through the crowd.
They found a table that was in a more isolated area, away from everyone else.
They took a seat at a table. Kane and Sadie sat across from each other. Sadie smiled.
"How have you been, Sadie?"
She leaned forward in her seat and smiled widely at him. "Good! Much better now that I can see again."
Kane was happy, but he had to ask her the important question, "So, what happened after... you know?" He asked.
She had a solemn look on her face, her lips pursed and her brows furrowed, "Well, first of all, I'm so sorry for what happened."
Kane nodded, a gentle acknowledgment of her apology, and then spoke in a measured tone. "No apologies are needed, Sadie."
She sighed, relieved that she finally got the chance to apologize, "After the... well, running. I was picked up by some guys in a fancy car, they gave me new clothes, new home, everything."
Kane nodded, "Yeah. My dad explained that to me before," He said as he pointed at Darian, who was chatting up with some other superhumans, "How does your new family treat you?" He questioned.
She sighed and her shoulders sagged, she looked down and then looked up at him with sad eyes, "Not great, they were all nice at first, but then Mr. Warren got kinda mean, he... doesn't really treat me like family, just someone to be used. It sucks," She confessed as she played with her hair.
"It's like I'm just an object to him, like he was expecting me to be useful since I was from Elysium, or something... but he just got a useless blind girl."
Kane frowned and nodded, he could tell that she was trying not to cry, "Well... it'll be okay, Sadie. Don't worry, I'll fix it, okay?"
"What? No, no, it's still way better than having no family! I can't let you ruin it, you can't tell anyone!" She begged.
Kane tried to give her a sympathetic look, but with a blindfold on it just looked funny. "Sure,"
Her expression turned into a frown, and she bit her lower lip as if she were fighting back tears, "Thank you. I'm just... really upset." She sniffed, looking up at Kane, a small, weak smile formed on her face as she stared into his blindfold,
"Can... Can you take it off for a sec?" She requested. "I want to see your face. Your eyes... I want to see them, please," she said hopefully.
He shook his head, "No, Sadie..." He began, "I don't want to scare you. Besides... I look like a monster."
She shook her head quickly. "No you don't. You're not scary. And I'm not scared of any monsters. I've even seen your eyes plenty of times before!" She laughed lightly at the memories flowing in. "So, please...just... show me."
He sighed heavily and removed the blindfold. He looked into Sadie's eyes as his swirled and expanded continuously.
"Whoa," she whispered as she stared into his eyes. She moved her face closer, and closer to Kane's face, studying his eyes intensely, as if they were fascinating. "It's been so long, can I...?" She started.
Kane nodded.
She placed her hands on either side of his head, gently running her fingers along his cheekbones. She smiled gently, leaning even closer towards him, "Your eyes... they aren't scary, can't you keep the blindfold off?" she said quietly.
She stopped after a few seconds and leaned back into her chair, grinning brightly at him, her eyes twinkling mischievously, "Well, that was fun." She laughed, "Thanks for giving me my sight back." She whispered.
He smiled and nodded his head. "Right... And I don't know about the blindfold," he admitted, looking down. "I mean... if you want me to, I guess I can...occasionally." He shrugged and kept his blindfold off again, "You honestly like my eyes?" he questioned, not quite understanding how anyone could like them, considering they're creepy black voids.
"I love them!" Sadie answered enthusiastically. She smiled again and placed a hand on his chest, her gaze fixed on Kane's eyes, "And I'm sure a lot of other girls would like to see them too,"
He frowned a bit and shook his head.
"No, I'm... I'm fine." He replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
"But, we should get something to eat and drink," He suggested.
"Ooo! I like the sound of that." She giggled before she got up from her chair and headed toward the refreshment table with Kane by her side.
Kane glanced around, trying to see if any of the superheroes he had read about were in sight. There weren't many he recognized, and he couldn't spot Bruja, he was a fan of that girl.
Sadie noticed how his face turned from excitement to disappointment as they reached the buffet table.
"Looking for someone in particular?" She asked with a knowing smile, picking up some food.
Kane nodded. "I was...but they aren't here yet, it seems. Oh well. Let's enjoy this," he replied. "You've also grown a lot, by the way," he added as he grabbed a glass of punch for himself, along with a plate of food. "It's hard to believe I last saw you almost a year ago."
She blushed and giggled as she put some food on a plate,
"You think so? Thanks…" she replied shyly.
Kane gave her a small smile. She returned the smile and grabbed some more food.
As the night raged on, the buffet was slowly emptying out, leaving only a few dishes. The atmosphere had changed too.
Kane noticed some of the more well-known superheroes had appeared, including a few he was interested in, like Bruja, Captain Patriot, and more. They all stood together, chatting away amongst themselves.
Suddenly, the crowd turned towards the center of the room. The chattering and laughter stopped, the atmosphere becoming serious.
The man they had all been waiting for had finally arrived, President Dennis Warren. He stepped onto the stage, raising a glass to the audience, and began speaking.
"Ladies and gentlemen... thank you all for coming. I'd like to welcome all of our heroes, who have fought bravely against the villains and monsters to protect us. Now, it's our turn to reward you. To celebrate all that we've accomplished together. So... Let us all raise a glass for a brighter, happier, future."
The crowd erupted with cheers and clapping. Sadie frowned as she took a sip of punch and clapped quietly as the president stepped down from the podium, and shook hands with the other guests.
She looked up at Kane, who was still focused on the man, his gaze following him wherever he went.
"Kane," Sadie whispered in his ear, "stop staring... it's not polite." She chuckled lightly.
Kane snapped back to reality and averted his gaze.
"Uhhh...yeah...sorry... I was..."
Sadie gave him an amused grin.
The president looked over at Kane and looked deep in thought.
Kane quickly turned his head away and stared at the floor instead, looking down.
The president turned his attention away from Kane, as a woman walked onto the stage. She wore a long white gown and a hood over her head.
Sadie raised her glass towards the stage, "There's Mystery Woman." Sadie said as the woman on the stage raised her hood slightly.
Kane's eyes widened at the sight of the woman. Her skin was white, as were her long eyelashes, and her eyes were blood red. Her hair was long and white too, flowing freely behind her.
The woman cleared her throat, her voice smooth, soft and clear as crystal, "Ladies and Gentlemen," She announced, her voice ringing through the air like bells, "I am glad you have all made it here, to this lovely little get-together. As you all know, I'm here to award the bravest, strongest, most fearless of our kind." She said, her gaze traveling the audience. "I'd like to ask that each and every one of you raise your glasses as I say these words, to all our heroes!"
Everyone in the crowd raised their glass and cheered loudly as they drank the contents.
"Now then, let us introduce to you, the people who will receive special honors."
The president walked onto the stage once more.
"I'll begin with a woman, a young woman, who has only recently entered our ranks. A woman whose actions saved millions, possibly hundreds of millions of lives, who risked her own life to save the life of another countless times... the kind of hero that our country couldn't survive without..." she paused for dramatic effect, her voice low, ominous.
The crowd waited with bated breath, and after what felt like an eternity, the president took a deep breath.
"I now present this medal of valor to Bruja, with pride, honor, and gratitude," the president said solemnly.
Everyone clapped and cheered.
A woman wearing a dark purple outfit, and a tight bodysuit, walked on stage and bowed her head before taking her medal.
She wore a dark mask that covered most of her face, the mask itself had purple eyes, the pupil in the center glowing. Her long brown hair hung down to her waist.
A witch hat sat on the top of her head.
"And now, it's time for my favorite. Captain Patriot!" said the president.
The man in question was a large muscular man with bright blond hair and a white mask covering his entire face.
"I am proud to be able to stand before you all once again." He began.
"However, this honor is not only mine alone." He paused for dramatic effect and then continued.
"We have been blessed to have such heroes who protect this great country of ours. And as we give our praises, we must also give recognition and thanks to those who have fallen... to our true heroes. Without them... we'd all be in a bad spot... in a worse place," His voice was deep and commanding, echoing across the hall. "To all those who gave their lives, to save ours... you have my eternal gratitude,"
Everyone began clapping and cheering once more as
Captain Patriot went backstage.
Afterwards, many heroes were recognized.
"And last, but not least, the man I personally requested, for years he healed our people... the one I owe a tremendous debt to..." His voice grew soft, "The walking miracle." He said before turning to Mystery Woman.
She nodded, before announcing in a voice that shook everyone to their core, "Pius!" She spoke in an angelic voice that boomed across the room.
"My friend..." The president whispered to Darian as he walked to the stage, his voice low so only Darian could hear him. "I need your help again. There's a lot of money involved. Please...don't make me ask twice." He said quietly.
Darian ignored him and walked past. He walked onto the stage and stood next to the woman, giving a nod towards her, before speaking into a microphone.
"Thank you," was all he said.
His voice rang through the speakers, echoing through the room. He turned towards the president and nodded walking off the stage.
The president waved at him and walked backstage
Mystery Woman stepped up to the microphone, clearing her throat, before speaking.
"Thank you." She spoke with a sweet voice. "It is my great honor to be here and to see you all gathered before me. Tonight, we honor your bravery, strength, and sacrifice... your dedication, honor, loyalty, and service... your courage and selflessness. Thank you for coming to this event tonight," she paused as a few crocodile tears ran down her face, and she wiped them away with her arm.
Everyone watched in wonder.
Now behind the stage, the president sighed in frustration as he watched the proceedings from behind the curtain, and he turned away, shaking his head in disappointment, mumbling curses under his breath.
Soon, Darian also walked backstage, behind the curtains, and stood by the president. He put his hands in his pockets.