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Say It Now by We The Kings

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[Third Person's PoV]

The little snow-haired girl runs through the rooftops of abandoned buildings in Fawcett City, exhausting and uncontrollably perspiring herself to oblivion. Her blue eyes, still fresh from weeping, sought for a familiar surrounding she calls home. Finding her window still open; she jumps right in and shuts the windowpane close, sliding her back against it.

Her eyes begin to shed tears again, with emotions kicking in. All she could think about was Shazam seeing her Guardian form to be real! What would she tell the Wizard if he found out?!

'Damn you, Jess. You just had to stay and gaze upon a bunch of people who don't see you! And great! Now the Wizard's Champion saw you! Good job, keep it up and the next thing coming might be Shazam seeing you transform into your regular self! Luckily, he abruptly left and didn't see you do it.', she remarks, scolding herself to the core.

She passes a look over the wall clock.

***8:30 PM***

"Is it that late, already?", she asks herself. Turning towards her door, she remarks,"I better eat some dinner before I sleep.", going out and down the stairs. Arriving at the kitchen; she spotted some leftover bacon, tomato and cheese in the refrigerator, then a few loaves of bread lying in a plastic wrap on the table.

She grabs them all and assembled them as a sandwich. Bite by bite, she digested her meal while replaying the scene in her mind.

*Flashback*

"Hey! How's it doing?"

***

"Hey, wait! How are you able to use the 'Living Lightning' like that? Are you another one of the Wizard's Champion?"

***

"So, were you the one that stopped those bad guys back there?"

***

"Well... aside from me and Black Adam-whose probably still on his way back here-you're the only one around here that can also control the Living Lightning. I just, you know, perhaps maybe-"

"NO! I DIDN'T DO ANY OF THAT! BUT EVEN IF I DID, HOW CAN THEY THANK ME IF I WANTED THEM TO!"

"Then, why no-", he paused when I conjured up another spell from my staff."Mistum disappearius!", went my magic, forming a thick cloud of smoke and fog in between us as I retreated behind the Fawcett City Skyscraper.

***

"Then why not? What could possibly go wrong if people saw you? Would it be the end of the world?"

***

"So, why can't they see you? Are you invisible or something?"

***

"Hey! Wait!"

*End of Flashback*

She tosses her head to the side repetitively,"Hmm! Get it out of your head, Jess! He'll probably forget about you tomorrow. Why would he ever believe whatever you'd say?! He'll think that that's just insane and that he's going insane!", convincing herself.

"He's just a somebody who met a nobody, and that nobody is you. You, you, you! That's all you are! You're never meant to be someone else!", she monologues.

"You never had the freedom of others to live a normal life, to have no powers, to be seen and make friends, nor to choose your own destiny! Everything you are is just a plan-a blue print--a piece of a game! That's who you are! You'll never be like the normal people because you're never gonna be one!", she yells, heightening her voice that could reach the stars.

Her outburst leads her to another cycle of tears, but she sniffs them away, avoiding herself to sob again. She sits up and cleans the dishes, climbing back to her room after.

Once she arrives, she opens her closet and pulls out a hidden drawer, returning her bracelet. She hung her hoodie and skirt over an old hanger and took some worn out pajamas.

Slipping them on herself, she lays down on her bed and cowers in her beddings. She snuggles over some pillows and gaze out of her window, seeing the beautiful view of stars and the moonlight entering in.

Her eyelids became heavier, signaling her to sleep. And not a moment too soon, she's already fallen in a deep slumber, murmuring under her breathe,"Shazam..."

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***The next day***

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Billy Batson wakes to a loud Saturday morning, the air filled with car noises and fossil fuel fumes. The scent invades his nostrils, leading him to a disgusted expression.

Young Darla Dudley enters his room and says,"Good morning, Billy! Breakfast is ready downstairs and Mom and Dad want to see you.", giving her foster brother a headache already.

"Ugh! Yeah, yeah.. Sure, I'll be down in 10 minutes!", he complained, throwing a pillow over his head along with his blanket.

"Alright. You better be down there quick! And don't even think about jumping out of your window!", she conditioned, pointing out a finger in front of him.

He finds himself in a small chuckle,"Of course not! I'm not insane enough to do that!", replying and applying his foster sister's condition.

She rolls her eyes a bit and then closes the door, leaving him to chuckle about himself. Then his eyes widened in shock, something in his thoughts alarmed him.

"*gasp" Oh no! I'm supposed to look for Jessica today! Man, I almost forgot! I better get some breakfast and quick!", he exclaims and rushes through his closet.

He takes out a maroon hoodie, a white shirt trimmed with yellow, blue jeans, and black converses to match. He takes off to the shower and then dries himself, donning on his clothes. He uses little time for combing his hair, making it look a bit messy.

After prepping himself, he goes out his room with a wallet filled with money, supposedly for purchasing something later. He slides down the stairs and heads straight towards the toaster. His foster family sees him, greeting him consecutively.

"Good Morning, William."

"Morning, son!"

"Hey, Billy."

"Morning, Billy!"

He ignores to turn around, but replies,"Good Morning.", popping in a slice of bread in the toaster.

"Woah, what's the rush?", his 'Mom' asks him.

The bread pops out, still hot but he places a bite of it in his mouth,"Can't tell, today's Saturday!", chomping the lightly crisp slice of loaf down his esophagus.

"Let me guess, Zompocalypse Episode 95? Its release date is today, isn't?", Darla questions me, an eyebrow arched over one of her eyes.

He grinned and said,"Yup! I'm also gonna try and get Episode 96!"

"Doesn't that book, like, brainwashes its readers?!", Freddy fearfully queries him, his arms a bit shaky.

He washed down the toast by grabbing a glass of milk from the fridge, replying,"Yeah, if that person is such a weak sauce!", running to the front door.

"Umm.. But, William-"

"I'll be back at lunch! I won't take too long!", he yelled back to the busy table in the kitchen and ran out of the house.

Enthusiasm spreads all over his body, because not only will he be getting two issues of his favorite comics; but would also try to meet Jessica as Billy, himself. He continued to think positive, until he stumbles upon a certain comic bookstore.

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Jessica opens her eyes, seeing sunlight pass through the window. Its brightness called her acquaintance, bringing her to rise from her bed. She immediately squints but fixes her gaze to the wall clock.

***9:25 AM***

"Hmm.. I must've overslept...", she cussed. Slipping off her pajamas, she dons a white sleeveless hoodie, a black skirt that goes just above her knees, some black stockings and a pair of dark brown school shoes. She checked her drawers, pulling out her bracelet and wore it over her wrist, just in case of a sudden alarm.

Before leaving, she checks her phone and spots an active notification. Unlocking the phone, she sees what is written on her screen;

Saturday, Feb 7, 2017
***9:30 AM***

Reminders:
***Zompocalypse Episode 95 Release Date***
***Zompocalypse Episode 95 Release Date***
***Zompocalypse Episode 95 Release Date***
***Zompocalypse Episode 95 Release Date***

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"Oh, it's release is today... Hmm... WHAT?! TODAY?!", she shouts in surprise.

'Oh gosh, why did I ever forget?! Ugh! Damn that Shazam! He's to blame! So much for him being a hero.... Thanks to him, I almost forgot about today!!!', she thought.

Rushing through her desk, she finds her wallet and fills it with money from her piggy bank. And so, she takes off, hopping out of the window and running down the streets.

'I hope I'm not too late...', she spoke internally, covering her face with her hood and entering a comic store.

The place was loaded with comics, and with the people who love them. She looks around the horror and thriller aisles and shelves for the said comics, but none of them had her favored number #95. She frowned in depression, she really looked forward to purchasing it today.

She sighed, her head bowed and her hoodie donned. Turning about, she was leaving the store.

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As Billy entered the shop, he doesn't realize a small white figure approaching him. When he faces her, he tries to stop in his steps but ultimately fails and crashes against her.

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She was exiting the store, but was delayed by a boy wearing a maroon hoodie. Unintentionally, she bumps right into him, falling backwards to the ground and so did the boy.

"Umph! Ah! Watch where you're going!", she exclaims and cusses under her breathe, promptly brushing off imaginary specks of dust from her clothes.

Billy sheepishly smiles, and says,"Oops! Sorry...", scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah, your sorry...", she trailed off,"Your sorry that; you bumped into me while I was walking out of the store, made me fall, and dusted my clothes while my bad side's going on because 'some people' have already bought all of the issues of Zompocalypse Episode #95! And thanks to them-"

Her words flashed in his thoughts,'She reads Zompocalypse?!', faster than the Flash could say 'hip hip hooray!' in a second.

"Wait! You read Zompocalypse?!", the raven-haired boy asked as he pointed an index finger towards her, curiosity growing inside of him.

Her azure blue eyes arched in surprise on how fast this guy could pick up her pace. Brows as white as snow crooked,"Yeah, what's it to yah? Is there a problem with that?", retorting a barbed question.

"No, not at all. But, are ALL of the issues gone?!", he reluctantly queried, praying to the gods to not let all of his hope fade away all of a sudden.

Jessica held an arm on her hips, the other over her chin,"Hmm... Obviously!", blurting out 'as-a-matter-of-fact'."I checked all of the aisles, but not as single comic was around.", adding to her statement, feeling disappointed.

The subtle and eccentric smile on Billy's face vanished before her, seemed to have been beaten by her pungent remarks. Two pairs of blue eyes meet each other, the ones more masculine showed off cocksure and anxiety.

He faintly spoke,"Aww... Have you checked the aisle next to the counter? The top comics always appear on the top shelves there.", suggesting her to have second thought and make up her mind to go back.

Her eyelids immediately broad, peering over her shoulders at the counter and looked back at him,"No, why would I? The cashier might see me.", memories of her past attempts to steal comics there flashed through her mind.

'Why would she be scared of a fat guy who runs this store?', the young champion wondered in his thoughts.

"Why are you so worried that the cash register would see you? You are going to buy a comic after all, right?", asking her and hoping that she would give him the answer he expected.

But to his surprise, she retorted,"Who said that I bought all of my Zompocalypse issues?", a thin white brow arched over her forehead.

'Holy moley! She steals her comics?!'

"What? You've been stea-", he was about to say but she cuts him off with a shush.

"Sshhh!!!! Not too loud, dumbass!", she exclaims, pulling the shirt of his collar towards her. He leans over her shoulder and whispers in her ears,"You've been stealing Zompocalypse issues from Episode 1-94?! How does the cashier ignore that for ninety-four times?!", staring in disbelief.

"What?! There's nothing I can do if my parents cut me off my allowance! I only get 5-10 bucks a week, and that's for my breakfast, lunch and dinner for 7 days. And he doesn't, he caught me just a few weeks ago, so...", she explained and trailed off, diverting her gaze from meeting his shocked and pitiful gaze.

Billy returns to his inner reflection, debating with himself,'Man, it must be way harder for her than what I expected. If she continues to steal like that, she's gonna get behind bars. Hmmm... I could just buy her one, but that means I won't be able to buy Episode 96! Ugh! *breathes* But if that's what she wants right now...'

"How about I buy us each? That way, we can both read Zompocalypse.", he suggests, fishing out his wallet filled with green papers.

The pearly-white hooded teen glares at him,"What?", asking for him to repeat his statement.

'Okay, what I said was true. My foster parents do give me 5-10 bucks a week, but I don't wanna blow them over a 20-50 paged comic book! I know how to get around with becoming responsible with money, and that includes buying Zompocalypse. But this dude is just plain crazy!', her inner self complained, raking her imaginary hair.

"Since we both read the same comics and 'GET ONE' in the same store, we're practically birds of a feather who should stick together.", he tried to reason and explain to her, yet it only gave her more reasons to question him.

Her lips grew a small smirk as she eyed him,"Hah! That is the cheesiest and most cliche phrase I've ever heard in my entire life! But, no thank you. I think I can manage.", turning back to the aisles in the store.

The raven-haired boy grabbed her arm, signifying that he wasn't done. "Don't worry, it's free! You don't have to pay me back at all. I just wanted you to have one as my gift.", he remarks as he pulled her with him, yet she breaks free from his grip.

Death-defying glares were directly at his way while she said,"Look, Bub. I am not going to let a weird, and strange fanboy just give me a copy of the same issue he has to waste his money. I mean, we barely even know each other-"

"The name's Billy, Billy Batson. Nice to meet you.", he rushed out of his mouth to make her opinion fast.

Her blue eyes glared at him once more, wishing that if looks could stab a person; this boy could've already been slain.

'I am not telling him my name. Even if I did, I can't be sure that he'll really give me that comic book for free...'

Her arms placed firmly over her chest, spatting out,"Just because you said your name, Bub, doesn't mean that I have to tell you mine. I know there's a catch here. So don't even think about it!", and fixed her gaze out the window.

'Hah! She's a tough nut to crack. I bet I can get her to tell her name, and I know just how...', Billy thought with an imaginary lightbulb glowing over his head.

He shows a subtle grin, putting up his arms in defense,"Okay, if that's what you want. I really was gonna give it to you for free, but since you don't want it to, I guess I could tell you what happens in-"

"JESSICA! JESSICA MOORE! My name is Jessica Moore! Got that? Good. Now; shut your mouth up, start walking, and just get me that comic book already!", she blurted, annoyance and sarcasm dominating her tone as she pushed him to the front aisle's shelves filled with comic books.

All that Billy could do was smile at her sudden words and actions, finding it was kind of cute of her acting so childishly immature. This version of her was different from what he saw when they last met -with him as Shazam. She was as fragile as porcelain and as delicate as a shy plant, whom would withdraw her leaves in contact. But now; she was as cold as ice and she builds a ten-foot barricade around herself, preventing people she dislikes or doesn't care about from entering.

He inwardly ponders,', I wonder why is she being so tough and mean at everyone around her? She is the Guardian of Magic; who protects all kind, but it doesn't feel like she is.'

Sooner or later; they've spotted their desired compilation of paper and took a pair of the same issue, lining up in a small queue. Jessica looks up ahead and laid her eyes on the cashier, too busy from punching in codes in the cash register, then averted them towards Billy.

'Why is this kid so nice and persistent to me? I just met him five minutes ago, but how come he's treating me like he knows me? This is really confusing.', she internally interrogates herself, hoping that the answers would appear before her.

She taps his shoulder, bringing Billy's head to face her."You're really just gonna give me a copy of the same comic you're getting?", yanking his consciousness to listen.

He fixed his eyes, replying,"Yeah. Why? You can tell me if you don't want to."

"Of course I want to, why else would you think a 13 year-old girl would tell a complete stranger her name for? A million dollars?!", she sarcastically retorts. His ears perked up, gathering the information she gave away.

'She's 13?!', he pondered.

Facing her, he queried,"Wait, so you're 13 years old?", disbelief and shock were noticeable in his voice."Duh? How old did you think I was, mid-fifties?!"

"I'm 13 years old, too! Who knew!", he blurted out, trying to sound amazed -but since the wizard already told him that he created her fourteen years ago, he isn't shocked as much. Though, he is happy to hear that from Jessica herself.

The cash register hands over to the raven-haired boy two comics wrapped in plastic, along with his change,"Thank you, come again.", and then the two moved out of the queue.

Excitement grows stronger than ever in the Guardian's heart, her desired issue just one stretch away from her grasp. Billy glances at her and sees her baby blue eyes, shimmering in joy like the stars in the night sky. He takes a hold of one of the magazines and offers it to her, his hand in front of her.

"Here...", he coaxes."It's all yours... Take it..."

Without hesitation, she does and rips the plastic cover open for her to begin reading. The boy jumps back in surprise, watching her enthusiasm in such a small thing. Realizing that she does not say anything for two minutes, he speaks up,"Aren't you gonna say anything?", pulling her out of her trance.

She averted her gaze from the visual conversation and focuses on him. Wondering what he must've meant to say,"Umm.. This copy is great?...", trailing off in uncertainty.

He heaves a sigh,"Don't you wanna say anything else? Like, I don't know,"Thank you"?", stating her obvious mistake. She stares at him for a while, then replied,"Oh, yeah. Sure. Thanks, Bub...", nudging his arm with her elbow.

"It's Billy, Jessica...", he corrects her.

"Right! Umm... Billy, yeah that's what I meant..."

"Sure....", he prolongs, then pauses as he takes in air."So, when do you think I can see you again?", taking the Guardian by surprise.

Sapphire blue eyes grew as a snowy white brow rose,"Hmm... Maybe in a week or until another shows up early, then you're gonna buy me that issue for free...", she remarked, humor being present in every syllable.

The boy chuckles, his hand over his hip,"Hahaha... Yeah, maybe in a week...", and drifts off to silence. Jessica smiles at his gesture, seeing it quite fascinating.

'This guy's got a lot to bring out, by the looks of it...'

"Alright, then... See yah...", she exclaims, her feet merely steps away from the exit. The boy stops her,"Wait!", bringing her attention back to him.

"What is it?", she wonders while she watched him rip a piece of paper and clicked a pen that he fished out of his pockets. Scribbling down for a few moments, he pauses and then reaches it to her. Curiously, she takes it and sees combination of numbers then his name below it.

(Reminder: This is just a random number.)

543-6428-1179
Billy Batson

"What's this?", she queries.

He flashes a smile, replying,"It's my cell. In case you wanna meet up and talk about Zompocalypse or anything at all... Keep it, you might need it... Besides, we're friends now...", assuring her that she owns it. Awkwardly, she digs it down into her hoodie's pocket and looks at him for one last time.

"Thanks... See yah, Billy...", she greeted farewell, leaving the raven-haired teen grinning like an idiot. He stays like that for a while, waiting to loose her retreating form. Then he mutters to himself,"See you around, Guardian...", looking at his magazine and left the store as well, heading homeward.

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(A/n: AGH!! HAVEN'T UPDATED FOR DAYS, but now that I have, YATTA! This books will still be updated but not as fast as "The Fangirl's Fictional Crush", since, yeah... So, thanks for the views, reads, comments and shares. Btw, What do you think will happen now that Jessica has Billy's no.? 😏😏 Hehehehe...)

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