“Ride the wind, Ghost Thing!” said Philly, ears fpping in the breeze.

  “I thought I told you to stop callihat!” said Ghost Thing, in absolute denial of his new moniker.

  Ghost Thing was out doing something he had missed over the st couple weeks: enjoying an afternoon of frolid fancy. With Philly in his backpack, Ghost Thing sped across the rooftops of Moss Park.

  Although melting down into a puddle and snapping across streets remaihe lengthiest jumps he could perform, the watery d had gotten good at skipping ns and the like to get over any gaps in his upper level pygrounds. So profit, he could skip across streetlights with making little much of a sound.

  All so he could exist as himself– to be oh the sky. To be free with speed and energy as he raced across the opy of downtown Toronto. Though the sky was home to many clouds that day, breaks between them let the sun shine down oy.

  Philly had a moment to pte on Ghost’s reluce to take his city-given name and added: “Would you like me to call you by your real name–” He whispered low so that only Ghost’s ears could hear– “Kay?”

  Slowing down on top of the speckled roof of an alternative clothing sthost Thing sighed then took a frustrated breath inward. “I... guess not.”

  I would have preferred to name myself, though Ghost Thing.

  The music bring iore below rattled the building a into Ghost’s feet and up into his body. The riveting riffs were muffled by the walls between him and the speakers pying the music but Ghhe chord progression and k was that Audiosve song with the desert car crash music videhost Thing wasn’t patrolling for crime that afternoon; he was just enjoying the day like what had been his regur before one fiober’s day when Philly came rolling to Kay’s apartment asking the boy to start superheroing. The st while had been stressful so Ghost Thing nearly had fotten how fun it was to jump across a street and have the wind bsting his face– his liquid body able to take the lower temperatures in stride. Ghost moved so quickly that the people below barely had time to get a glimpse at the cryptid as he zipped across the above.

  Some sharper eyes were to the skies, though, and as Kay hopped over the old bus stop off of Rid (the oh the big hole in the roof), Burrzie– a greyed-out thug-looking type with perma scruff on his – spotted that purple figure of liquid and cracked a smile. Shifting off the sidewalk into the front of a not-so-busy service tre, he pulled out his cellphoretched the antenna, and dialed in some numbers quick– time was of the essence.

  There was tws and then Dead Head picked up the call. “What is it?”

  “Ghost Thing spotted,” said Burrzie, “He’s down in Moss Park.”

  “Right,” said Dead Head. “Keep an eye on him. I’ll send Thrash soon.”

  Burrzie cut the call and folded the phone bato his pocket. He walked back out into the sidewalk and strolled down the road towards where he saw Ghost Thing, hoping to keep a on him.

  Philly needed a moment to get his head to stop spinning. Being tossed around in Ghost Thing’s backpack was getting to him, and it wasn’t the first time. Ghost Thing found a spot off of a three-storey daudio on a er– a spot where getting spotted by someone in a window was unlikely. Philly hopped out of the backpad rested his paws on the floor for a moment.

  “Riding with you is great,” said Philly, rumbling out a little burp, “but it shakes me up like a of pop!”

  Ghost Thing looked at his backpad envisioned what it would be like to ride along it. “I guess when your body is made of water, you don’t take to swaying and shifting very hard.” He chuckled. “You won’t catch me jumping across rooftops in my human form.”

  Philly id down. “Wouldn’t expect it. No, I get it. You race across the city like that.” The fox gestured his eyes around the rooftops. “Faster than taking a cab.”

  “And it’s–” Ghost Thing sighed wistfully, grinning into the sky– “more aliving.” That wasn’t a real word so he tried again. “It’s liberating.” That was a real word but he didn’t think it was the right one. “It’s... meaningful?” Not quite right, but close.

  “I bet it is,” said Philly.

  Ghost looked out into the horizon. A wave of shade passed over the cityscape as a cloude floated by. Ghost smiled: it had been awhile since he had a day to just seize the city and fly across the tops. He’d almost fotten how euphoric it made him feel.

  When his body unched across a rooftop, the feeling in his body could fade away in a mahat resembled what it would be like to melt into everything in the world– in the universe. It wasn’t an experiehat Ghost ever had elsewhere. He didn’t think it ossible to have it anywhere else.

  Was all that going to ge now that Ghost erhero? With duties? After the i at the loan agency, worry brewed within him that fighting crime was going to be a responsibility that would overshadow everything else in his life. On the trary, i couple days the worry had fizzled out, at least somewhat.

  “Philly,” said Ghost, “Do you really think I’m necessary?”

  “What?” asked Philly, crag a ugh but worried fhost with how he phrased that question.

  “I mean...” Ghost repositioned his legs aed his arms on his knees. “You said the city needs heroes, but nobody stop all crimes. Somebody is always going to get robbed or hurt or something. If I didn’t help out, what difference would it make? The city would be the same.”

  Philly put on a serious expression. “It matters to the people being robbed and so forth.”

  Ghost didn’t have a respoo that. It was a crete truth. But even if that was true, Ghost had to wonder how much worse Toronto would be if he chose not to be a superhero.

  He got up and rotated his neck like he had to stretuscles hidden in his watery body. “You good? I still got parts of the city I o tag yet tonight.”

  Philly got up and dove into the pack. “Alright. Good to go.”

  Ghost strapped the pack ba and crawled around the side of the building, dug below windows lest someone eeping out at the moment, ao the other side of the building where a muier sb of rooftop was waiting that surrouself with more roof of equal level: an easier pce to get bato the swing of things.

  From there, Ghost hopped off and jourhe city.

  Thrash went to where Ghost Thing had st been seen, keeping her eyes out for the bugger. Apparently he liked to jump across buildings, keeping off the lowest level of the city, so Thrash did the same. Parking her car in a car park outside a run-down Italiaaurant, the woman walked down the sidewalk– getting gawked at for her blue skin, bck catsuit, and her silvery pole at her back. Was it annoying? Yeah, but any frontation portunity to be reized by the publid develop a reputation that might get her fad description inked down at a police prect.

  Cheg to see that nobody around would notice her wander off, she snuto a back lot where a few cars were parked and everything was quiet. There was a building at the edge of the pce. Thrash went up to the wall and crouched down to fire herself up teres in the air to nd on the rooftop. There were no gadgets involved– the dy could hop.

  She dashed across the rooftops like a bolt a into the air with her staff out, ready to strike. All that was needed was her to find her prey.

  It only took a few minutes of her scouting into St Lawrence before she saw the water d– Ghost Thing himself– hopping from rooftop to rooftop. Was he purple or was the weather tinting him in some way? Funny, she didn’t expect him to wear that shade. It was no matter. She ran towards him, Thrash attack the hero while his back was to her. She gripped her metal rod a high in the air, holding the on out in front of her for a downward strike.

  Philly sehe attaing, and turned his head upward to see Thrash approag. He shattered. “K-Kid! Look out!”

  Ghost Thing turned his head upward to see the metal rod and hopped out of the way just in time. Philly was thrown from the backpack but nded on his feet. Thrash’s on cracked the ground below, pulverizing a k of the roof. The liquid kid and the fox stared down the sudden attacker.

  Blue skin. Was she some kind host Thing had to wonder.

  Ghost took a ready stance, fists out. “Who are you?”

  Thrash stood tall, hanging her rod over her shoulder. “Thrash. I’m affiliated with an... anization that you’ve been interfering with retly.”

  Ghost Thing didn’t know who specifically she was talking about– which crime Ghost interfered with that arently part of a rger group. He wasn’t up fuessiher. “Maybe yanization should stop plundering the venieores or delivery trucks,” said Ghost, trying to sound tough.

  And trying to sound tough was something he failed. Thrash found the liquid twerp’s attempt at intimidation ughable. He’s really just a kid, she thought. She leahe rod against her body and took two hands to her hair, brushing it back. “That’s not happening. What’s happening is yoing to leave us alone.”

  The woman wasn’t bag down. Ghost Thing wasn’t sure what to do. He wasn’t ready for a fight! He tried thten his tone. “I’m not scared of you!”

  Philly grimaced. He never imagined he would have to give someone pointers on banter, but Ghost was in need of some.

  Thrash chuckled to herself and grabbed her metal rod. No words– she charged at Ghost like a on being fired, and even if Ghost was ready, his dodge backward lit sed too te and Thrash’s staff cracked his chest. He stumbled and raised his arms like he was going to snatch the rod away from her but she took a powerful swing to Ghost’s left, and the kid had to drop to the floor to let it swipe over his head.

  With a dismissive chuckle, Thrash took the staff in both hands and thrust it at Ghost as he climbed back to his feet. Ghost flipped out of the way but Thrash’s blows were quid the water kid had to scramble to the side to keep himself from getting jabbed with the stark end of a serious on.

  Philly was having trouble keeping up with the two batants’ lightning moves. He had no advice to give his friend.

  Ghost tripped on his feet, rolled around, and hopped to avoid Thrash’s blows. She swung the rod around with most of the force she could muster, Ghost dodged it, and Thrash tripped backward, giving Ghost a moment to think.

  What am I doing? Ghost thought to himself. I’m dodging like a human when I should be dodging like water!

  Thrash took an overhead swing at Ghost and the d melted down into a puddle and then bsted himself up in the air, a few metres above Thrash.

  Ghost had the security of the high “ground” until Thrash reached a hand up and him and light collected on the tre of her palm. The kid had barely any time to react when a ball of light fired out of her palm and fired right into Ghost’s body. Not onot twice, but thrice. Ghost took three blows, shaking him like a mix between a boxing glove and a fire ball, and nded on the ground with a thud.

  “Kid!” shouted Philly.

  Thrash watched the water boy writhe on the ground. She gave him a smug look although the dession was missed on Ghost Thing since he didn’t raise his eyes to see his oppo’s expression.

  “Ungg-gh!” Ghost pushed himself off the ground, his arms trembling.

  The ability to shoot balls of light like that was a on ability for those with natural psychic powers. Between that and Thrash’s ability to jump super high and dash like a hawk, Philly assumed she had some special power.

  “Watch it, kid,” said Philly. “She’s a psychedelic.”

  Psychedelic? thought Ghost. “What?”

  It was a distra and Thrash took advantage of it. She flew up again and tried smming down on Ghost like befhost didn’t dodge in time and took a blow down the side of his body. But his adrenaline must have been kig in because it didn’t sting that much. Ghost was getting ahough.

  Thrash tried another fury of jabs with her staff and Ghost loosened his body wheaff e, the metal rod poking right through and leaving Ghost Thing unharmed. It was like feng with a pond. Thrash was aggravated and tried swiping through his body but Ghost handled all her attacks like they were leaves falling from a tree.

  Philly smiled. The kid was finding his groove.

  Thrash wasn’t tiring quickly, though. Ghost could let a swing of Thrash’s staff pass through his body and even spsh to the floor to dodge another one of her fireballs, but she wasn’t slowing down. If Ghost was going to win, he figured, he would have to go on the offensive.

  After dug under a swing of Thrash’s staff, Ghost tried a hefty kick. The kick had energy but its reach was too short to hit Thrash. Thrash chuckled– the kid was certainly an amateur.

  Ghost Thing knew he wasn’t going to win the fight with his measly attempt at martial arts so dug away from Thrash’s follow-up strike, he threw a big punch at the fighter, shifting his watery esseo his arm so that his fist led with mass. Again, his mêlée skills weren’t up-to-par; he only grazed Thrash’s face. It wasn’t force he needed– it was range.

  He tried another blow, using the torrential nature of his body to stretch out his arm and whack Thrash int her shoulder. She wasn’t expeg that, and lost grip oaff for a split sed. She got both hands around the pole before it fell too far to the ground and she brat was petent enough to be annoying.

  Ghost tried again but Thrash spun her rod in front of herself like a propeller and knocked Ghost’s hands away, some of his body bursting into water when hit with the on and spshing to the flhost Thing stumbled bad got a grip just soon enough to have Thrash fire a few fireballs at him.

  He slipped to the side to dodge them but o his shoulder with enough forake him topple over. Thrash didn’t give him a moment to think– when Ghost gnced, she was charging him with pole, ready to strike. Thrash jabbed at him and the stress of bat was getting to him because he had to trate to let his body loosen so that the figure of the pole slid through. Thrash followed up with a flurry of swings and Ghost Thing jumped out of the utting some room between him and his attacker.

  Thrash gred at him. Like a sharpshooter drawing a revolver, she raised her hand quid fired another bst of light at his form. Although the attack was quick, Ghost dipped out of the way, sinking into his puddle form and then popping back out on his feet in a very elegant move. Elegant, but shoointless. Nothing that got him closer to beating his adversary.

  “You fail to realize,” said Thrash, “that you’ve entered a world of pain.”

  There was the urge to shoot a eback at the fighter, but nothing clever came to mind. Ghost was out of breath, too, so he kept quiet.

  Philly was having trouble thinking of things to say himself. Out of all the people Ghost had fought i week, the dy was top of her css. She had powers and knew how to use them.

  He ran at Thrash, melted down into a slime-ball and then snapped out in her dire, smag his body against Thrash’s but not doing much damage. He reformed his humanoid shape while boung off her body and tried following up with a punch. He got a blow on her but when he went for a sed strike, that’s when Thrash grabbed his arm a him still.

  No problem. Ghost Thi his body loosen and slipped his hand out of Thrash’s grasp, stepping back.

  Thrash growled once again, but she got thinking she had a solution to that problem.

  They circled each other, waiting oher’s move. Thrash fired a bolt of energy at Ghost’s feet and the kid hopped to the side then bounced forward for arike. Thrash split out of the way and when Ghost went for another jab, Thrash reached out her hand and captured the boy’s hand into a grey shimmering orb.

  Ghost tugged, but his body was stuck. Panic filled his fad when he saw Thrash usiher arm to raise a strike against him, he loosened his arm– the whole thing– and disected the appendage from the rest of his body. He shook his arm and a watery hand reformed where he had lost one.

  Thrash cut the grey orb and bowl of water fell to the ground, spshing the rooftop. Both Ghost Thing and Philly saw this as ominous– the water elemental’s body stolen from him. “Watch out for that one, Ghost,” was the only advice Philly had to give. That teique: it wasn’t anything Philly was familiar with.

  While Ghost Thing had his eyes on the ground, Thrash fired another blow of her staff at Ghost Thing, knog him right iomach. Pain coursed through his body aried to recover by grabbing Thrash’s stick but she lifted him off the ground and tossed him across the roof.

  Ghost didn’t have much time to recover with Thrash following him like a wolf on hunt. He fired a quick kick up at Thrash whe close, and nded a good hit on her , but she cracked her hand open and a grey orb captured Ghost Thing’s foot. He hit the ground, struggling to break free.

  What other choice did Ghost Thing have but to separate his foot from the rest of his body, much like st time? He broke away and turned into water to slide a few metres away from Thrash, but wheried to reform his foot, his body was having trouble.

  His foot reformed but quickly receded. He tried again and his foot formed with holes through the tre. The part was having trouble holding on to its water– the thing dripping to the flhost felt like all parts of his body were tugging on each other, all peting for precious water to make up their pieces. Ghost groaned and stretched out a leg to make a foot but wheood on his legs, he felt weak and his body shook.

  He was in trouble, and Ghost k. Gone was his fighting stance. His knees buckled and fear came over his face as he stared at Thrash ing his way.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Thrash. “Feeling dehydrated?”

  For the first time in a long time, Ghost Thi his life threatened. His heart was booming. Eyes darted around, looking for some salvation– some help. No one was around, though. As far as he knew, he was the only superhero iy.

  On shaky legs, he stumbled to the edge of the roof and saen window on one of the buildings. He couldn’t see what was i in such a trembling state he didn’t care. He jumped off the roof, towards the window.

  Philly watched his friend ditch the battlefield. His heart sank– was the boy running scared?

  “Son of a–” Thrash raced over to the edge of the roof to see where the water boy was going. She saw the boy nd inside a building.

  She smirked. In a way, she expected him to run.