I opened my eyes. Despite the bright orange flames dancing around my body, I felt no burning sensation. Hell, the only pain I felt was the lingering aches and bruises from being tossed into the closet to begin with. I sat up, strangely calm amid the inferno. Looking around I figured that, because Lan’s powers were an extension of Henry’s abilities, that I was immune to them as well, just as I had been with Natalie
    However, I realized there were contradictions. Emily had still been able to move me with her speed, and Valerie had tossed me around like a ragdoll with her strength. At the same time, I was unaffected by Lan’s flames or Natalie’s song. I realized it must be related to the types of powers he gave them. Emily and Valerie had been given enhanced physical attributes, while Lan, Mai, and Natalie had been given outright supernatural abilities that no normal person would have. Emily could always run, and Valerie could always lift, but Lan had never been able to shoot fire from his arms. 
    My musings were cut short when a shadow appeared at the entrance of the burning room. Moments later, the flames were extinguished by an icy blue mist that enveloped the confined space. The lack of any sensation of coldness on my body confirmed my suspicions about which powers I was immune to. The mist cleared, revealing Mai in her white fur costume, staring down at me with confusion and thinly-veiled contempt.
    “De- I mean, citizen! What are you doing here?” she questioned as she shot rays of ice at a few stray flames.
    “I know it’s you, Mai,” I groaned, heaving myself to my feet. 
    “W-What?! How could you-” Mai began before I cut her off.
    “There’s no time. Listen, have you ever heard of someone named ‘the Siren?’” I asked.
    Mai’s eyes widened with concern. “She’s one of the most dangerous villains in the school’s history! What do you know!?”
    “She’s back,” I stated bluntly, dusting the ash off my clothes, “And she has Emily, Lan, and Valerie under her control. And yes, I know all their secret identities too.” Playing into this comic book parody of my life was painful, but it was the only way I could realistically hope to get Mai on my side, and by extension get Emily out of harm’s way.
    “N-No, she can’t be gone! I still need to apologize to her!” Mai despaired, burying her face in her hands.
    “To her?! What about me?!” I shouted, an unexpected anger rising in my throat. 
    “What ABOUT you?!” Mai spat back. “You do nothing but get in the way. You constantly tag along with Emily despite the fact that you clearly don’t care about her, and I’m sick of watching it every day.”
    I felt my fist tightening. “In what fucking universe do I not care about Emily?! Do you have any idea how many times I- How I really- Ugh!”
    Mai crossed her arms. “I’ve never seen it! You’re always tired, you barely look excited to see her, and you constantly stare at me like I’m a nuisance whenever I show up!”
    I struggled to hold back as months of frustration built to a breaking point. “I’m sorry, should I be jumping up and down every time she walks into a room? We’re friends, Mai, It’s called familiarity! And don’t give me that crap about looking down on you, you’re the one who’s constantly trying to ice me out!” I paused, “No pun intended!”
    “When was the last time you asked about my day, then?” Mai prodded.
    “What?”
    “Me. When was the last time you just tried talking to me?”
    I opened my mouth to offer a rebuttal, but found the words lacking. When was the last time I’d tried to talk to Mai without Emily being involved? Had I ever?
    “Yeah. That’s what I thought.” Mai said, voice cold. “I’m gonna go save Emily and my brother. Your sister too, while I’m at it.” she said before walking away.
    Did she actually care this whole time? No way, she was always so hyperfocused on Emily. Even if she was right about me never talking to her, it’s not like she was any better.
    As she reached the exit of the library, I spoke up, “It goes both ways, you know.”
    Mai glanced over her shoulder, “What?”
    “It goes both ways. I’ve never reached out to you, but you’ve never reached out to me either.”
    Mai stared me down, evident doubt painted on her face. “What? Sure I have.”
    “Really? When?” I riposted, issued Mai the same challenge she’d given me. Just like me, Mai came up empty after a few seconds of pondering.
    “So what then? We’re both assholes?” she asked, the raw anger having dissipated from her voice just as it had mine.
    I shrugged, “Guess so. But if you’re looking for the Siren, There’s no telling who else is under her control, so I’m your only reliable ally right now. I also have a pretty good idea of what her plans are. I can’t win in a fight, and you can’t win without a strategy, so it looks like we’re stuck together.”
    Mai sighed, staring at the ground. “Fine, but I’m not doing this for you. Where do we go from here?”
    Our conversation was cut off by a female voice coming through over the loudspeaker, one I recognized as belonging to Ms. Robinson even through the grainy filter of the PA system.
    “Attention students and staff, we will be having a mandatory assembly in the gymnasium at 2:00 this afternoon. All are required to attend, thank you.”
    Mai and I shared a glance. “I say we drop by the front office.” 
    

Soon enough, Mai and I were standing outside the front office. Mai was in her costume, and I was wearing an abandoned hoodie I had swiped from the library. It was hardly a proper disguise, but it was enough to keep my face hidden from the crowds of students. I couldn’t be too careful knowing any one of them could be one of Natalie’s spies.
    “So you’re seriously telling me that Natalie is the Siren? Tiny, quiet Natalie?” Mai asked, bewildered.
    “Yep, and trust me - that girl’s far from innocent,” I confirmed, flashing back to her various sexual escapades I’d been forced to witness as a result of Henry’s manipulations. “And if what she said in the library is true, she already has Ms. Robinson under her control, so be ready for anything.” Mai nodded, focusing her attention on the door.
    “Alright, here we go,” she uttered as she twisted the knob and pushed it open. Our jaws fell in unison when we saw the scene laid out in front of us. Ms. Robinson was fully nude save for her wide glasses and a pair of white over-ear headphones, leaning back in her chair with her legs spread wide on the desk in front of her. Her eyes were rolled back in her head as she rubbed rhythmic circles around her clit, her pussy glistening. Her tits shook gently with the movements of her arm as she touched herself.
    “Oh my fucking god…” Mai muttered as she cautiously approached the oblivious Ms. Robinson. I stepped forward as well, noticing upon closer inspection that her lips were moving, as if she was speaking at a near inaudible level. Reaching the desk, I leaned in closer to hear what she was saying.
    “I hear the voice of my mistress, I hear the voice of my mistress, I hear the of my mistress, I hear…” she whispered on repeat, completely entranced. I looked over at Mai, who was utterly scandalized at the scene in front of us. I placed my hands around the headphones. Mai looked at me, then back at the headphones before giving me an approving nod. Carefully, I pulled the device off Ms. Robinson’s head, but she didn’t even react. I could hear a familiar, soft singing coming through the speakers: A loop of the Siren’s song.
    “Exposing them to the song for hours like this, they’d have no hope of snapping out of it,” I mused to Mai, but received no response. Looking up, I saw Mai’s eyes fixated on the headphones, her gaze losing focus as her hand slid under her pants.
    “Mai! Snap out of it!” I shouted, tossing the headphones away. Mai blinked, regaining her bearings and, upon realizing where her hand was, swiftly pulling it out.
    “Oh my god! I could barely hear it, and still…” she panicked, her face growing flush with embarrassment. She looked over at Ms. Robinson, a pitiful expression on her face as she watched the assistant principal repeat her motions and mantras. “There’s not much hope for her, is there?”
    I waved a hand in front of Ms. Robinson, then pinched her arm. Then her nipple. Mai shot me a disapproving look for that one.
    “What? If that didn’t do it, nothing would.” I defended.
    Mai rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed with my explanation. “Boys…” she grumbled.
    I stepped back, surveying the scene once again. It didn’t seem like we could snap Ms. Robinson out of a trance this deep, not with the song still ringing in her ears. At least, not that song!
    “Mai, I have an idea,” I said, reaching over and grabbing the discarded headphones off the carpeted floor. 
    “Jesus, be careful!” Mai snapped, covering her ears as I lifted the headphones back over Ms. Robinson’s head.
    “What are you doing?” she asked, hesitantly removing her hands again.
    “Giving her something else to listen to,” I said, reaching into my back pocket and pulling out the music player Valerie had lost during her earlier battle. Miraculously, despite me getting tossed around all day, it was still in one piece. I pulled out the earphone jack and plugged it into Ms. Robinson’s white headphones. For once, I was grateful my sister was a fan of death metal as the loud, grating music replaced Natalie’s calm, ethereal vocalizations.
    The reaction was immediate as Ms. Robinson’s eyes snapped back into focus. She jumped back, tumbling off her chair at the shock of not only the noise but her unexpected state of undress. We spent the next few minutes calming her down, a task that would have been much more challenging were it not for Mai and her status as a noble, reliable hero. If it were just me, a random student, catching her in that state I doubt it would have gone so smoothly.
    “Tell us, what do you remember?” Mai asked Ms. Robinson, her body now covered up in a long coat.
    “I don’t know, one moment I was here and the next I was- oh god!” she exclaimed, burying her face in her hands as Mai comforted her. “All I remember is a song, a lovely, lovely song,” she whispered, her mind momentarily drifting back to a calmer place before she regained her composure.
    “Ms. Robinson, do you remember calling an assembly this afternoon?” I asked.
    “An assembly? No, of course not,” she answered. 
    I looked over at Mai. “How much time do we have?”
    Mai pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen before looking back at me with a grim expression, “Ten minutes.”
    “Shit!” I exclaimed, pacing around the room. I could only imagine what Natalie would do with the entire school under her control. Mai wouldn’t be anywhere close to enough backup, even with her powers.
    “Wait, Derek, you said Natalie’s song didn’t work over the PA, right?” Mai asked.
    “Yeah, I heard her say it was too grainy. I guess that’s what the headphones are for,” I answered.
    Mai’s eyes zeroed in on the mic on Ms. Robinson’s desk used for announcements. “Ms. Robinson, can you play music from the PA system?”
    “Well yes, it’s connected to the mic right now but that can be slotted out for most kinds of inputs,” Ms. Robinson explained, clutching the coat tightly around her body.
    My eyes widened with realization as Mai shot me a hopeful look. If I understood her plan correctly, then she was more than just book smart.
    “Alright Derek, we’ve got nine minutes to prepare. You ready?”
    Truthfully, I wasn’t. I was way out of my depth and I’d already nearly died several times that morning alone. However, knowing it could help me save Emily, I was able to channel my adrenaline into courage rather than panic.
    “As I’ll ever be.”

Ten minutes later, I was the one sitting at the office desk. Ms. Robinson, understandably, decided to head home early, but agreed to let me stay in the office. I watched as the last few classes made their way towards the gymnasium, unaware they were walking directly into a trap.
    “Derek, can you hear me?” I heard Mai’s voice come through my walkie-talkie.
    “Loud and clear,” I answered. We’d found them on a shelf with the janitorial supplies, a massive stroke of luck.
    “No sign of the Siren yet, but the gym is packed,” Mai said. She was at the assembly, albeit hidden beneath the bleachers. “I can’t see anyone else either. No Lan, Emily, or Val.”
    “Roger that, just keep in communication,” I said, pushing down my nerves. I flashed back to the last time I saw Emily earlier that day, the way she seemed so shell-shocked by Mai’s animosity towards me. I wondered what she would think now, seeing us working together like this. Honestly, I felt embarrassed knowing that Mai’s issues with me were basically identical to the ones I had with her. Without Emily in the mix, we actually made a pretty decent team.
    “Wait, someone’s coming out,” Mai said, the nervousness in her voice cutting through the radio fuzz. I sat up in my chair, eyes and ears glued to the walkie-talkie.
    “It’s her. The Siren’s here. She’s at the front of the gym. I see the others too, they’re walking with her. Wait… Oh god,” she relayed.
    “What, what is it?” I asked, panic shooting through my body.
    “Headphones! Derek, they all have headphones like Ms. Robinson! The music won’t reach them!” I felt my stomach drop. Our entire plan hinged on blasting music to drown out Natalie’s song. If they had headphones on blocking out the PA, there was nothing we could do. Nothing except…
    I pushed down on the button. “Mai, you’ll need to fight them.”
    “What?!” she yelled through the speaker.
    “Not to the death!,” I yelled back, “If you can just knock their headphones off, that’ll be enough!”
    There was a brief silence on the other side, then a voice. “Okay. I think I can do it.”
    Just as she finished speaking, a sound carried through the walkie-talkie. It was distorted by static, but I could make out the immaterial sounds of Natalie’s song.
     “Derek… It’s… Time…” Mai murmured as she slipped into a trance alongside the rest of the school.
    “On it!” I shouted as I swiveled over to the PA system, fumbling with Valerie’s music player as I jammed the jack into the input dock. As I hit play on the device, knowing we didn’t have a chance to test if it worked, I prayed there wouldn’t be any technical difficulties. My prayers were answered when, through the tinny speakers of the PA system, distorted metal began blaring at a volume that nearly made me fall out of my chair. Moments later, another transmission came through
    “Derek? Derek, are you there?” I heard a lucid Mai call through the walkie-talkie. It was difficult to hear through the noise, but I could still make out her words if I strained my ears
    “Alive and well! How are the other students?” I asked.
    “They’re all confused, but alright. I don’t think the ones with headphones are affected though. Natalie’s not singing anymore. She’s saying something to Emily… Wait, oh shit! Derek! Run!” was all Mai had time to say before Emily, at superhuman speed, burst into the office and swatted the walkie-talkie out of my hand. 
    “Wait, Em, it’s me!” I shouted, only to be met with a cold stare devoid of recognition. I brought my arms up just in time to block an incoming punch, but it was nowhere near an even fight. Emily pinned me up against a wall, delivering a series of blows to my stomach as I winced in pain. She let go and I crumpled to the ground, body clenched in pain.
    “Derek?! Derek, are you there?! Mai called through the walkie-talkie, but I was in no position to answer her. “Shit, Lan and Val are coming at me! You’d better be alright!” she called out as the sounds of battle overtook the transmission.
    I was very much not alright. Doubled over on the ground, I felt a weight press against my chest. Emily knelt atop my prone body, her bare knees digging into my chest. I felt her warm hands, the same ones I’d often fantasized about holding, wrap around my neck and block off my airway. Panic set in as I struggled against her. I may have been immune to Henry’s reality-warping, but I sure as hell wasn’t immune to being strangled.
    “E-Em…” I choked out, but saw no reaction. She was too deeply entranced to understand what she was doing. Slowly, I felt the strength leaving me as black spots began to cloud my vision. This was it, there was no way out… Dying at Emily’s hands, was that a good death or an awful one? 
    Staring into her face one last time, I was reminded of why I cared about her so much. Her pale blue eyes that somehow seemed more vibrant than even the most colorful sky, her curly brown hair that, if not kept in a ponytail, spiraled off into whatever direction it pleased, her soft, round cheeks that lifted with every smile and laugh, highlighting dimples I knew she was embarrassed about. Even in a murderous trance, I was still reminded of the bright soul Emily carried.
    In a jolt of movement, I kicked my left leg outward, catching my foot on a dangling black cord attached to the PA system’s mic. With one final spark of strength, I jolted my leg to the side, yanking the cord. The metal standing mic flew off the desk, descending over top of us and colliding with the white headset enveloping Emily’s ears, knocking them loose. 
    Like with Ms. Robinson, the change was nearly instantaneous. I saw the light flash back into her eyes, her face once again filling with familiar expression. Her hands flew back from my neck, allowing me to breathe deep, ragged breaths as air refilled my lungs.
    “Derek? Are you okay? What is this? What am I doing here!?” she asked frantically.    
    I sat up slowly, coughing, while she knelt by my side. “Natalie- sorry, the Siren got you. It’s okay, though. Mai and I got you free.”
    “Mai… I was worried she hated me,” she said, referencing their earlier fight.
    “I really, really, don’t think that’s the case,” I reassured, regaining my composure. “Honestly, I don’t think any of what happened in the library was really about you.”
    “Derek…” she said softly, before glancing down at her outfit and realizing she was in her costume.
    “Oh my god! Um, Derek, I have NO IDEA how I ended up in this costume! I guess the Siren must have put me in it or something or…” she began, but fell silent when I started chuckling.
    “Em, I knew it was you literally the entire time,” I stated bluntly.
    Emily blinked, “Really? But… How?”
    “Because the costume does absolutely nothing to conceal your identity! You only think it does because-” I began, but Emily’s bewildered reaction to my rant brought me back down to Earth. “Well, what I mean is, you don’t need to hide around me. I can keep a secret.” I said with a reassuring smirk.
    “Oh, Derek,” Emily said before wrapping me in a tight hug. It was so sudden I barely knew how to react, my arms just hanging at my sides for a few seconds before I hesitantly wrapped them around her. There, for just a moment, time seemed to stand still in her embrace.
    “Wait, shit! You need to help Mai!” I exclaimed, breaking free from the hug. “She’s fighting Lan and Val right now, if you knock off their headphones they’ll be able to break free like you did!”
    Emily’s wide-eyed stare quickly morphed into a serious expression. “Right! I’ll see you again soon, Derek, we have a lot to talk about!” she declared before bolting out of the room in the blink of an eye, leaving me alone in the office. Painstakingly, I brought myself to my feet and began to make my own way to the gymnasium. Hopefully this whole mess would be sorted by the time I arrived.
    

Pushing open the gymnasium doors, I found that the action I expected had already subsided. Both Valerie and Lan had been freed from Natalie’s control, standing proudly among a crowd of admiring students. Natalie herself was tied up with her hands bound behind her back and her mouth gagged, preventing her from singing her enthralling song. Realizing I had no chance of breaking through the adoring crowd, I opted to lean on a wall next to the bleachers and watch the celebratory scene from afar.
    To the crowd, they had once again been saved by their four heroes. Emily, Mai, Lan, and Valerie all waved and reassured the onlookers while Natalie glared at the group with disdain. Through the crowd, I was just barely able to catch a glimpse of Mai. For the first time ever, she smiled at me. A real, genuine smile. In spite of everything, we’d ended up working pretty well together.
    I watched from afar as Mai and Emily exchanged words. I couldn’t make out their words, but it was obvious that they were back on friendly terms. Maybe I’d still be competing with Mai for Emily’s affection sometimes, but the bad blood was gone. For the first time in ages, it felt like something in my life had actually changed. It felt like a new beginning.
    “Well, well, well, isn’t this a happy ending!” I heard a terrible, familiar voice call out, cutting through all the noise in the gymnasium. It was a voice that chilled my blood and sent me into an immediate state of unease. Somehow, despite this chaos being entirely his doing, I’d been so focused on saving Emily from Natalie that I managed to discount Henry from the equation entirely. Hastily, I ducked under the bleachers, watching the scene play out from my hiding place.
    Henry waltzed casually towards the group, the crowd parting to clear his path. “So, what did I miss? Who’s the tied-up blonde?”
    Mai spoke up. “This is the siren, we just foiled her attempt to brainwash the entire school.”
    “Is that so…” Henry muttered, reaching out and squeezing the bound Natalie’s modest breasts. The others watched in silence as he felt her up as though it were completely normal. 
    “Eh, the fish scales aren’t doing it for me,” Henry said. He snapped his fingers, and Natalie vanished into thin air. “That fucking music too, it’s way too loud.” Another snap of his fingers, and the metal blaring through the PA system ceased entirely.
    “You know,  I think I accidentally gave, like, half of the school superpowers. I spent all day messing around with a different group of heroes and villains on the other side of the building. It was fun and all, but it looks like I may have missed out on this group’s escapades!” he announced. I watched on, crouched under the bleachers, as Henry began circling the group, making no effort to hide his lustful stares at their outfits. I felt a surge of anger as he slid his hand under Valerie’s skirt, feeling up her bare ass while she just stood there and let him.
    “Who are you?” Emily asked as Henry brushed his fingers along her thigh, sending my heartrate skyrocketing. I needed to intervene and get Emily out of there somehow, but there was nothing I could do without exposing myself. Teeth clenched, I watched on.
    “Me? I’m, hmmm…” Henry said, scratching performatively at his head as he pondered a new identity, “Ah! I’m Doombringer, your ultimate nemesis! There’s no way you can defeat me, fools!” he shouted, his performance severely lacking in commitment. Unfortunately, the quality of his acting was irrelevant with his powers of manipulation.
    “It’s Doombringer! Let’s take him down, everyone!” Emily shouted, now fully convinced that Henry was her archnemesis. Lan, Mai, and Valerie all jumped into action, launching punches, fireballs, and shards of ice at an amused and completely unharmed Henry. 
    “Nothing’s working, what do we do!?” shouted Lan.
    “You do nothing, that’s what!” Henry retorted. “The only way I could ever be defeated is if you discovered my weakness, and none of you know that I’m powerless against oral sex!” Henry boomed, barely containing his laughter. 
    “Guys, I have an idea!” Mai shouted confidently, “We can exploit his weakness to oral sex!”
    For the first time, I was saddened to see Henry influence Mai. She’d shown herself to be intelligent and capable, even in spite of the bizarre circumstances, but Henry had reduced her to nothing more than another pawn in his twisted game.
    “What?! Noooooo….” Henry bemoaned in an overtly sarcastic tone, albeit one that the others were made to take completely seriously. 
    “Ultraviolet, I want you to suck his cock with me!” Mai directed.
    “You got it, Frostbite!” Valerie affirmed, running towards Henry and dropping to her knees. Once again, I felt like a failure for failing to protect my sister as she pulled Henry’s dick from his jeans and enveloped it in her mouth.
    “Reflex, Heatstroke, I need you to evacuate the civilians, then join us in weakening Doombringer as soon as you can!” she yelled before dropping to her knees at Valerie’s side, each pressing their lips into the side of Henry’s dick as he moaned, placing his hands atop their heads and guiding their movements.
    While Henry received his double blowjob, Lan began herding bystanders out the far doors. Emily, using her speed, began dashing in and out of the gym while carrying students to safety. Frantically, I hurried out the doors and into the hallway, stretching my arms wide to block the path. Seconds later, Emily appeared in front of me, grinding to a halt just in the nick of time.
    “Derek, get out of the way! I need to evacuate the civilians!” she shouted.
    “No, you don’t! Em, listen, that guy isn’t a real villain, he just wants you to suck him off! Please, just get out of here while you still can!” I pleaded. 
    Emily, however, remained unconvinced. “That’s Doombringer, Derek, he’s the most powerful villain in the world! We have a chance of stopping him, and I won’t let anyone get in the way of that, not even you!” she declared before pushing past me, returning to her task. I rushed back to the gymnasium entrance, my plea having fallen on deaf ears, and peered inside. Mai and Valerie were now taking turns deepthroathing Henry. I watched as he placed his hands on Mai’s temples and forced her deeper, causing her to choke and gurgle.
    “Hold on, Frostbite, you can do it!” Valerie cheered before licking his balls in a long, fluid motion.
    My eyes darted away from the act out of instinct, that wasn’t something I ever wanted to see. I scanned the gym, watching as more and more students were ferried away by Emily and Lan. Soon all the bystanders would be evacuated, and Emily would be compelled to join in the debauchery. How could I stop her? Was there anything I could still do?
    Suddenly, my eyes landed on a familiar item on the ground. I hurried towards it and picked it up, holding in my hands one of the white headphones Natalia had used to brainwash Emily and the others. I brought it close to my ears and heard a familiar singing echoing through. It was still functional!
    Rushing to the side of the gymnasium near the door but just out of Henry’s sight, I laid down against the wall and closed my eyes, keeping a loose grip on the headphones. I only had one chance to make this work. Soon enough, I felt a presence zoom past me before coming to a grinding halt.
    “Derek? Derek, what’s wrong?!” Emily shouted, shaking me by the shoulder as I lay limp on the ground.
    “E-Em…” I muttered, faking injury. Not that there was much to fake, I was genuinely in pain from the day’s events.
    “Yes? What is it, are you okay?” she asked, her voice flooded with concern. I looked up and saw the desperation and care in her eyes, making my deception feel all the more dirty.
    “Em… I…” I whispered, prompting her to lean in closer.
    “Yes?” she said, mere inches away from my face.
    “I’m… Sorry.” I said, swinging my arm up and hurriedly securing the headset over her ears. She had just enough time to contort her face in shock before her expression melted into a familiar, vapid stare. I lifted myself off the ground, paradoxically pleased and upset that my plan had worked. I waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn’t even blink.
    “Sorry again, Em, but you’re coming with me,” I said, grabbing her limp wrist and pulling her into my hiding spot under the bleachers. This was as safe as I could get her, but I still felt gross for intentionally brainwashing her. Still, I told myself, it was leagues better than whatever Henry had planned.
    Speaking of, he seemed to be nearly finished with Mai and Valerie. The girls delivered rapid licks and kisses on the tip of his penis, culminating with Henry pulling their heads close and finishing on their faces, streaking cum over their masks. Just as they finished, Lan returned to the scene.
    “I’ve finished evacuating the civilians, do you need any help with the blowjob?” he asked.
    “NO! No, we’re good Lan, thanks,” Henry stated, breaking character. “Our experience after the dodgeball match was… Interesting… But I’m not quite sure it’s for me.”
    “Don’t worry, Heatstroke, we got him good!” Valerie declared triumphantly as she licked stray drops of semen off her face.
    “Yeah, you guys really got me good,” Henry smirked as Mai and Valerie kneeled in front of him, parts of their costume still streaked with cum. “Although, I was only weakened by your attack. To truly defeat me, you’d have to invoke the power of a foursome!” he announced.
    Despite his transparent manipulation, the heroes took his words to be entirely the truth. “Come on guys, let’s do this!” Mai shouted, reinvigorated by the prospect of defeating her nemesis once and for all. 
    Soon enough, everyone was in position. Lan had positioned himself behind Valerie, while Henry had positioned himself behind Mai. Both pairs faced one another, with Mai and Valerie directly across from one another. Lan flipped Valerie’s skirt upward, then carefully pulled her panties down to reveal her waiting pussy. Henry, far less hesitant than Lan, simply yanked Mai’s white shorts and undergarments down in one fell swoop, lining himself up behind her.
    I watched as Lan slipped out of his costume, revealing his toned upper body as he carefully removed his dick from his suit. Henry, too, undid his jeans and readied his own erect penis, still wet from the double blowjob he’d received just a few minutes earlier. Then, simultaneously, they each entered their partner from behind. 
    Mai gasped as Henry penetrated her, allowing Valerie to take advantage of her open mouth and envelop her in a passionate kiss. The rhythmic pounding each of them was receiving from behind made the makeout sloppy and uncoordinated, but that proved to be of little concern for the women as they sloppily explored each others’ mouths, producing ecstasy-filled moans with every thrust.
    I watched the scene with a bizarre mix of horror and lust. Henry had twisted the intelligent Mai’s logic, warping her into a tool for his desires. Even now, getting fucked from behind on all fours, I could still see the focus and determination in her eyes. Over the course of the day I had grown to admire her tenacity, even as she applied that drive to fulfill Henry’s perverted fantasies.
    The other side of the foursome was a different story. Lan was firmly gripping Valerie’s waist as he pounded into her, his athletic body well-suited to the physicality of the task at hand. Valerie, too, seemed disturbingly comfortable with the situation. She was taking Lan’s full length at rapid pace without issue, her rear extended at just the right height to allow his long cock smooth movement in her pussy. I watched as Valerie lifted a hand off the ground and wrapped it around the back of Mai’s head, bringing her into a deeper kiss as Mai melted in her embrace. 
    They had all been made to accept the situation, but Mai’s inexperience was clear even through the mental manipulation. She would occasionally lose her balance as Henry thrusted into her, and her attempts at kissing Valerie were sloppy. Valerie, on the other hand, was composed, as if she had plenty of experience in situations like this. She had positioned herself to be as accommodating to Lan as possible, while at the same time taking the lead with the flustered Mai. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of this experience came from Henry using her, and how much was just… her?
    That train of thought mercifully came to a halt when Henry began accelerating his pace. Mai struggled to keep up, but nonetheless maintained her composure as the fucking intensified. Lan matched Henry’s pace, pushing further and faster into Valerie who, in turn, brought increased energy to her makeout session with Mai. As their bodies rocked, their kissing grew sloppier, but that was no deterrent as the two women explored one another more deeply.
    Finally, Henry let out a groan as he gripped Mai’s hips, his movements grinding to a halt as he came inside Mai. Mai gasped as she felt his cock twitch inside her, pulling away from Valerie and bending downward as her body trembled. Lan reached his own climax moments later, tightening his grip on Valerie’s hips as he inhaled sharply, releasing inside of her. Valerie pushed into Lan, taking as much of him inside her as she could as she reached her own orgasm, her face distorting into an expression of primal joy I’d never seen before and hoped to never see again.
    Moments later, the chaos of the scene died with a whimper. Henry withdrew from Mai, snapping his fingers and instantaneously returning his clothes to his body. Mai and Valerie fell forward, bare asses hanging in the air as their glistening pussies dripped with cum. Lan fell backward, laying on the ground with his erect penis still visibly wet. Henry stood above the exhausted trio, their costumed dirtied and partially removed.
    “Well, that’s that. I guess you guys defeated me,” Henry said with a casual grin.
    “We did it…” Mai muttered.
    “All in a day’s work,” Valerie declared softly with her bare ass still hanging in the air.
    “That’s what heroes do,” Lan murmured, lying on his back.
    Henry left the group, walking alarmingly close to Emily and I in our hiding place under the bleachers. I felt a pang of terror as he paused right in front of the exit, mere feet away from us.
    “Well, that was fun I guess,” he said to himself, “Still, I don’t want to run out of inspiration. Maybe I just need some new faces to toy with…”
    New faces? Did that mean what it sounded like? Was he finally going to leave and torment some other school?! I’d receive no answer to my question as Henry walked out of the gymnasium. Moments later, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day. I watched as Mai, Lan, and Valerie picked themselves up and left through the far doors, dressed in their absurd, ruined costumes.
    Speaking of, I turned to face Emily. She was still staring mindlessly into the distance, her eyes unfocused as the Siren’s music echoed in her ears. I took a step forward, preparing to remove the headphones, when my hand brushed against her hair. I pulled my hand back, almost out of instinct. I’d never touched her hair before, and was surprised by its softness.
    In fact, there was a lot of her I was free to admire in this state. Her bare legs were  statuesque, her bright orange outfit curving just enough to cover her round ass. I knew Emily was beautiful, I could see that every day, but I wasn’t accustomed to seeing her as so overtly sexy. If I were admiring her legs in the past, I’d almost always be doing so through a pair of conservative jeans. Now though, staring at her exposed figure, I felt a heat grow within me. 
    I indulged my desires just slightly, allowing myself to take in her appearance not only as the object of my affection, but my desire. I admired her curvy figure, the way her leotard accentuated her sizable tits, the way the fabric of her uniform emphasized her taut, round ass. I looked into her face, her pale blue eyes signalling her obliviousness to her surroundings. I leaned in closer, fixating on her lips. I imagined what they would feel like pressed against my own, then what they would feel like pressed against another part of my body. 
    Nervously I raised my hand, just barely hovering over her cheek. I stared at her more deeply, leaning closer as I did. Then, with nobody there to stop me… I…
    I took the headphones off.

“I can’t believe you knew this whole time!” Emily exclaimed as we made our way of the gym, now dressed in her regular clothes.
    “I’ve said it like three times today, but your costume doesn’t conceal your appearance at all. None of them do!” I said, exasperated. Emily raised an eyebrow.
    “Speak for yourself, that costume’s kept my identity hidden all year!” she defended. I let out a wry chuckle. There are some battles you just can’t win.
    As we reached the front of the building, Emily grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the way of the crowd of students on their way home for the weekend.
    “Well, whether you were smug about it or not, you saved me today, Derek. I… Thank you,” she said. I watched as her smile faltered for a moment, as if she were preparing to say something else. Then, to my utter surprise, she leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek. Not an overtly romantic gesture, per se, but still enough to send blood rushing to my face.
    “A-anytime,” I stammered.
    “This is so exciting, though!” Emily beamed, “Now that you know my identity, I don’t need it from you! You can help us, be our eyes and ears on the ground while we save the school! We can be a team! I know Mai would vouch for you after today!”
    I thought Emily’s excitement would be contagious, but there was an inevitable reality check incoming. I felt a strange sorrow in my stomach, knowing that none of what she was talking about would come to pass.
    “That… That all sounds so great Em, really, I’d love to help you. But come Monday, Henry will have moved on to some new scenario, and you won’t remember a thing about what happened today. I wish we could bond over this, but we can’t. Not while he’s here.”
    Emily’s smile dropped, a disappointed confusion spreading over her face. “What are you talking about? Why would I forget about any of this, and what does Henry have to do with anything? We share one class, I don’t even think I’ve ever spoken to him before.”
    I forced a smile, though I can’t imagine it did much to hide my bitterness. “See you next week, Em,” I said before exiting out the front doors, leaving Emily alone to ponder my words. That is, at least until she left the building herself and the memories of her time as a superhero blinked out of existence, just as they had with so many of Henry’s other scenarios before.