Matthew awoke to an empty room. Again. No Phil in sight.

Only this time, he blinked awake to the disappointment of waking before his alarm. And, upon deciding that it was pointless to lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, he sat up and blinked down at himself in shock. Had he really fallen asleep fully clothed?

For a moment, he was completely numb to the events of the previous day, but the more he thought too hard about how he had woken up in this state, the more he felt the life drain from his body. His mother. Platinum. Cecilia. Phil. Matthew reached up and combed through his dirty hair, caught just how badly he smelled, and gagged at the stench. He supposed it was a blessing that he had woken up so early before his alarm. Now he had time for a shower.

He pushed himself up and off the bed, shrugged off his uniform, and stepped into the bathroom where he scrubbed every inch of himself clean. Then, he dried himself off, and gave his forgotten uniform a sniff. He made a noise akin to disgust, his face scrunching up. There was no way he could wear this thing a second day and he had already gone through his other shirts and pants that he had been given. He supposed this was what he got for being so afraid of venturing to the laundry room.

He stole a glance over at Phil's bed, then his closet, scheming. If he really needed clothes, he was sure Phil had an extra uniform. He didn't really have any other options, and despite being subconsciously terrified of the repercussions, Matthew found it hard to care after what had happened last night. Besides, it was easier to take risks when nobody was watching.

That was something he had always been good at.

So Matthew turned and slowly opened Phil's closet. Inside hung sports t-shirts, jean jackets, hoodies, and there...tucked in the far left were his TAFAH polos. Matthew swallowed hard, slipped one of the hangars out, and held it up against his body in front of the mirror. It was too long on him for sure, as Phil was much taller, but he supposed if he just tucked it in he would be okay. As for the pants, Matthew knew he would just have to make do with his dirty pair. There was no way he'd fit into Phil's pants.

Still standing in front of the mirror in his underwear, Matthew began to tug the polo on over his head. However, he went completely rigid as he heard the door swing open and a male voice let out a startled yelp.

"Matthew! Put some clothes on, my God!"

Matthew turned and found the exhausted-looking Phil standing disheveled in the doorway, his room keys swinging from his wrist. Matthew's face went red and he rushed to turn away from him. "Sorry, sorry!"

Phil just grumbled something about how he was never going to recover from what he saw and waited until Matthew had put some pants on for him to return his attention back to him. Though, when he did, his gaze hardened.

"Is that my polo?" Phil asked.

"Uh...no." Matthew stammered.

"That polo is far too big on you. And it has a tear in the sleeve. It's my polo!"

Matthew silently cursed. "Sorry I-I didn't have any clean ones and I thought you wouldn't mind..."

"Of course I mind! That's laundry money right there! Unless you're willing to pay for my next load, I won't let you borrow it."

"O-okay."

Phil blinked, as if he hadn't expected that answer, then wiped the blank look off his face. "Good, then it's settled. Wear my polo, whatever, but it's going to cost you."

Matthew nodded. "O-okay."

Phil scoffed loudly and crossed the room. Then, he disappeared into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind him. Matthew didn't know what he had done to anger him besides borrow his polo. Hell, he didn't know if that was a reason worthy of his intense rage. He just rolled his eyes and accepted the consequences. Money was short, but he supposed it was worth spending a few cents to wear a clean top.

Before he left the dorm, he glanced at the clock hanging on their wall and noticed that he had twenty minutes to kill and homework to do, so he decided to walk to class early and finish it there. And, so on, the day was as dull as it had been the day before. He couldn't even say it was less miserable, because with the discussion he would have with Platinum hanging over his head, he felt sick to the stomach and dead on his feet.

That day in training, however, it was announced that their midterm exams were on the horizon, and that they would be switching gears into more idio-lead fighting. They were separated into groups, to which Matthew was paired with Ben, Felicity's friend, Davy, and Aaron, and played several sparring games that seemed more fun than serious. Or perhaps Matthew was just more excited to polish up his skills with his idio than anything. He was tired of the fist fighting and the bruises.

Though, when training was over, everything came crashing back to him. Especially as he showered, changed back into Phil's polo, and collected his things from his gym locker. The only thing he had left to do was approach Platinum, and that task seemed harder than anything he had done before, and he didn't know why.

Eventually, as the locker rooms emptied and his friends said their farewells, Matthew was left alone, sitting on one of the benches by the lockers. Or so he thought.

"Mattie?"

Matthew gasped and looked up, startled. Ben always had a way of just... appearing out of nowhere. Also, sneaking into places she wasn't allowed, it seemed.

"Ben?"

"Yes, that's my name." She scoffed. "I just thought I'd check up on you, you know, after yesterday. I didn't really get a chance to talk to you during training."

"You... do know this is the boy's locker room, right?" Matthew asked slowly.

"Yeah, and?"

"Never mind," Matthew said. "I'm fine. I just... have to go talk to Platinum about everything and I don't know how it's going to go."

Ben sighed and folded her arms. "We talked about this, Mattie. You have to talk to people. You have to approach your problems."

Matthew looked up at her. "It's not even a problem, I just... don't want to think about it."

"You, discovering that your mom is dead isn't a problem? Sure seems like one to me. Platinum didn't just send you off to find that information for the fun of it. He had a reason to. He probably has more to explain. Maybe he could clear some things up. You might be able to get some kind of closure."

Matthew sighed and let his head fall again. He knew she was right, she just didn't understand how hard this was for him. One by one, Matthew was losing family members. Day by day, he was more alone. She would never understand that.

"Look," she suddenly said, breaking the silence that stirred between them. "Yesterday you said you were worried that you might've been responsible for whatever happened. Perhaps talking to him will reassure you...?"

There was hesitancy in her question, which had the opposite effect of what she intended. It only made him more worried.

Ben shook her head, realizing. "Forget it, I'm not good with advice. You just need to get your ass off the bench and stop being a little bitch. Face your problems like the big boy you are."

Matthew returned his eyes to her, frowned, and shook his head. "Ben, just... please stop talking."

"Only if you promise to stop being a big baby."

"I-It's not that easy, Ben!"

Suddenly, Ben grabbed him by his backpack straps and pulled him upwards. Then, she released him, painfully grabbed his arm, and pulled him with her towards the exit. "Then I'll make it easier!"

Matthew didn't complain. In fact, he didn't say anything. He just let Ben drag him along through the courtyard and back into the school. Then, up the steps and onto the upper level where the teachers had their offices. Only when they reached the top did she stop and gave him a shove towards Platinum's office.

"Go! Do it! Don't be a coward!" She scolded.

Matthew was too overwhelmed to say anything. He stood there, frozen in place for a moment.

"What?" Ben growled. "Why are you just standing there?"

Matthew took in a breath, then released it. "You're right. Fine. I'm going. I'll talk to you after, okay?"

Matthew could see a slight smile appear on Ben's face, but it was quickly hidden behind her usual frown. "Okay. Good luck."

"I'll be needing it," Matthew said before he turned and left Ben behind, slowly approaching Platinum's office. Then, he stood there in front of it for a moment trying to work up the courage before he set his jaw, scrunched up his face, and forced himself to knock.

"Come in!" Came Platinum's reply.

Matthew glanced down the hall to where Ben was still standing. She gave him a thumbs up.

Matthew nodded to himself and reached for the knob, pushing the door open.

Platinum was sitting at his desk, a pair of reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He was peering over a piece of paper and his desk was cluttered with disposable coffee cups. His expression brightened when he saw Matthew enter and he set down the paper and took off his glasses. "Matthew! What a pleasant surprise!"

Matthew let out a nervous laugh, feeling his palms grow sweaty and his heart begin to race. "Y-yeah, hi."

"Take a seat, take a seat. Sorry for the mess." Platinum said, shooting the empty cups off to the side.

"Ah, it's okay." Matthew awkwardly plopped down in the chair in front of Platinum's desk.

Platinum cleared off his desk a little more, then turned to his visitor. "So, tell me, what are you visiting me for?"

Matthew played with a stray thread from his pants, avoiding eye contact when he said: "I... did the research."

Platinum's smile fell a little. He nodded. He likely had predicted this all along. "I figured."

Matthew fell silent for a moment, trying to formulate what he was going to say inside his head."My mother. She was a professional hero. Bandit."

Platinum nodded. "She was." He paused. "What else did you discover?"

"That she..." his voice broke. He tried to tell himself not to cry. He knew this was bound to happen, which was why he had been avoiding it all along. "That she's dead."

He hid his face, trying to hide the tears in his eyes. If there was one thing he hated more than anything, it was crying in front of people.

Platinum's voice was calm and gentle when he said, "Yes, and I am very sorry. I just thought it would be easier for you to discover everything on your own before I filled in the gaps."

Matthew quickly reached up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, sheepishly returning his gaze back to Platinum. "Was it my fault?"

Platinum shook his head. "No. That, I know for a fact. Her body was frozen there for some time. Pathologists have confirmed that she was the oldest body discovered. They estimated she had been there for eleven years. You would've been four when it happened. Investigators are still trying to uncover what really happened and how long Pardus's ploy has been going on for, but because Sarah's body has dated back so far... we are worried that this has continued even before you were born."

"But why her? Why my mother?" Matthew suddenly asked.

"That story is a little more complicated." Platinum sighed. "And I will tell you when you're ready, but I don't want to overwhelm you."

"I... want to know. I can handle it."

Platinum hesitated, sighed, and nodded. "Alright." He paused. "I guess I will explain to you first how I know your mother."

Matthew nodded, his interest piqued.

"Your mother, Sarah was my best friend." Platinum said slowly and leaden with emotion. "We actually went to high school here at TAFAH when it was first being founded. Our friend group consisted of me, Sarah, Taivan, and our lovely friend Zahra."

"Taivan... isn't that Mr. Grey?"

Platinum nodded. "Yes, he's been one of my best friends since I was a teenager." He paused. "And the others, well, we stayed close after high school for a good period of time, but we drifted apart as we grew older."

Matthew frowned, but didn't dare speak.

Platinum let out a little laugh as a wave of memories seemed to hit him. "Where to even begin..." he trailed off. "I'll tell you about the day I met your mother, I guess. I was a freshman here at TAFAH and ecstatic to finally pursue my dream as a hero, even if the school was just getting its feet off the ground. My whole family were heroes, you see, so I had big shoes to fill. The name 'Platinum' is an heirloom of sorts. If I wanted to earn it, I had to train in an environment such as this.

But anyway, I was moving in, actually, when I met Sarah. She pulled up wearing... quite the outfit. I remember she always had a thing for flannels, and I remember quite fondly that she was wearing one that day with strange bedazzled sunglasses and a bandana. I approached her and she instantly gave me a weird look and smacked my arm. I was completely thrown off guard by it until I realized that she had this unique idio which allowed her to copy other's abilities."

Matthew smiled at that. "Like mine."

Platinum nodded. "Yes, it does appear that you inherited your mother's idio. That's why I had my suspicions about you two being family when I first met you, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions until I knew for sure." He paused. "But anyways... your mother was a quirky one, to say the least. You either loved her or hated her. And she either loved or hated you. I sure loved her, and so did Taivan and our friend Zahra. We loved her for her strange outfits and her dry humor. We loved her for her constant desire for competition and challenge. And we loved her even if she perfected our idios behind our backs and figured out different ways to use them. She was crazy smart, you know, just like you. But Sarah... she hated school. She was only interested in becoming a hero.

She didn't tell us much about her private life, but we all figured out on our own that she came from a dysfunctional family. We'd hear her yelling on the phone with her father, but no matter how close we were to her, she kept a tight lock on her emotions. She would go through these moments of being alive and happy, then moody and dangerously temperamental. I think her release from the world she lived in was to fight and to be the best at fighting. And she definitely achieved that."

Matthew nodded. "She was really popular back then, wasn't she?"

Platinum nodded. "For a period of time, she was higher ranked than I was, and I was rather proud of her for it." He paused. "But... that changed, and unfortunately, that changed after our friend Zahra and I worked together to bring down a villain who wielded a dangerous nuclear idio. He threatened to blow up the entire city to bits and had planted bombs all over the city to distract the other professional heroes. Zahra and I figured his plan out and after finding him, we put an end to him. We went from rookies to making headlines almost overnight, and this made your mother beyond angry."

"Where was she when all this happened?" Matthew inquired.

"Likely with the other professionals who were trying to figure out what was going on. Zahra and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and we noticed the right things. As much as I loved your mother, the only thing I wanted from her was to be a bit more supportive of her friends' accomplishments, but I understood why she was so upset. We'd taken the spotlight from her. She simply wasn't the best anymore, which happens often to heroes, as you know. I'm just very lucky that I've kept my rank for so long."

Matthew nodded, understanding.

"I guess this is where things began to spiral." Platinum said, running a hand through his hair. "And I guess this is where I should explain your mother's relationship with Zahra a little more in detail."

Oh? Matthew blinked, but didn't say anything.

Platinum took in a breath. "In high school, Zahra and Sarah were inseparable best friends. Sisters, they called themselves. We believed it too. They had a bond that went far deeper than blood, but also an ability to be at each other's throats all the time. They fought over stupid, petty stuff in high school. Stuff they'd say to one another, material stuff, and boys. But it had never gotten this bad. It had never gotten so.... violent."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Matthew dared to ask.

"Well, with your mother in a low spot in her life again, she started lashing out and becoming irritable and unstable." Platinum explained. "So when Zahra became engaged with the handsome, suave young gentleman they'd both met and crushed on towards the end of high school, your mother grew so jealous that she cut ties completely with all of us." He paused. "That man's name was Richard Whittle."

Matthew's heart stopped. "Richard Whittle. Richard Whittle?"

Platinum nodded. "Yes, the man you know as 'Pardus'."

Matthew had so many questions, but he wanted Platinum to speak, so he kept his lips pressed together and nervously picked at his nails.

"I always thought he was an... odd young man," he continued. "I didn't know what to think of him for the longest time. He was charming and gentle and kind, but there was always something about him that was a bit off. To Zahra, however, he was everything. And... just seeing her happy was enough to appease me."

"What happened?"

"What happened? Well, Zahra achieved everything anyone could want, I must say. She became one of the most renowned heroes in Amberchase, using her platform to give voice to all the wrongs she'd wanted to right throughout her life. She married Richard Whittle, and started a family with him. They had a child together. But all of that leads to how Zahra lost everything."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Matthew, my beloved friend, Zahra, died not long before you were born. She had an accident, or so it seemed. Her husband claimed she fell, but I always had my doubts. I think your mother doubted too, and felt guilty for pushing her friend away." He paused. "I tried to approach Sarah, but she wouldn't let me close. And then... a short while after Zahra died, she disappeared. I've been speculating that she tried desperately to figure out what happened to her friend, and perished in the process. It's likely she got some kind of lead. Perhaps Pardus realized that, and got her out of his way."

Matthew nodded slowly, not knowing what to say. He felt overwhelmed and strangely relieved at the same time. At least he had answers and a vague idea of what happened.

"I am terribly sorry for your loss, Matthew." Platinum said after a moment of silence. "I can't imagine how you must feel."

"Yeah, well, it's easier to grieve someone you don't remember. I have no recollection of my mother at all. Only foggy images of her face, eyes, and voice."

"Well, still, I am very sorry. No child deserves to lose a parent."

Matthew shrugged. "I never had a real family to begin with. Just... the people I chose to call my family."

Platinum fell silent, nodding. "I just hope you know that I am here for you, Matthew. I know I'm not your father, but If you need anything, please never hesitate to come into my office and ask."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, despite knowing that asking for help was something he struggled with.

"Good, I guess that is all I can request of you."

Matthew didn't know how to respond again, so he silently picked at his nails.

"Are you okay?" Platinum eventually sheepishly asked.

Matthew nodded.

"Please... don't lock yourself up like your mother. It didn't help her in the end. You are like her in so many ways, but that's one trait you shouldn't emulate."

"Okay."

Platinum nodded.

Silence stirred between them before Matthew timidly tried to break it. "I-I think I'm going to go get some dinner."

"Right, yes, go do that." Platinum agreed. "Sorry for keeping you. Please check in with me soon, okay?"

Matthew rose onto his feet and opened his mouth to respond, but then there was a loud rumble, then an ear-splitting noise broke the air. He cried out and rushed to cover his ears, frantically looking around as red, flashing lights filled the room.

"The fire alarm!" He heard Platinum say over the obnoxious blare.

The fire alarm?

In his daze, Matthew desperately looked for the door, disoriented by the flashing lights. Then, a firm hand grabbed his arm and he was whisked out of the office, dragged behind Platinum as he hurried down the hall.

He didn't know what was happening, but if his teacher was in such a panic, it wasn't a good sign. He only prayed that TAFAH wasn't on fire. He didn't need another good thing in his life going down in flames.

But as they reached the stairwell, his heart sank. Billowing smoke rose upwards from far down below. It seemed his fears were becoming reality.

Platinum stood protectively between Matthew and the stairway, and for a moment he didn't move. He seemed just as stunned and surprisingly, nearly as panicked. Everything had happened so quickly, even a professional hero had been caught off-guard.

After a heartbeat, he turned and grabbed Matthew by the shoulders. He was used to these kinds of situations. In fact, he was practically programmed to think under pressure. 

"Cover your mouth and nose with the collar of your shirt. We need to find another way out."

Matthew nodded and did as he was told, lifting the collar of his polo over his mouth and nose. With the smoke rising to the third level, they didn't have long until they would be finished.

Platinum took Matthew's arm and led him away from the stairwell, heading to another exit. Hopefully, one that wouldn't be burning. But, Platinum stopped as they passed by a window. Matthew almost slammed into him. The man was staring through the glass at the scene beyond. It seemed the chaos wasn't just limited to the fire. The flashing lights from TAFAH painted ominous patterns on the courtyard. Ominous patterns which took the form of shadows.

Shadows which encroached on TAFAH territory.

Something very bad was going on.