CHAPTER ONE
[ 𝗦𝟬𝟭 𝗘𝟬𝟭 : 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 ]
Lights. Camera. Smile.
Juliet's mouth ached from how long she'd been smiling for. The flashes from the cameras were nearly blinding, but for someone with much experience in front of the lenses and brightening flashes, she was accustomed to this sensation. Her suit, sewed to fit her down to the smallest detail, began to itch and she had to fight the urge to scratch her skin.
After the photoshoot, Juliet was brought into a medium-sized room with two gray chairs, and a small coffee table in between them. Softbox lights were propped behind each chair, along with more cameras set up in every possible angle, that for a second, Juliet forgot this was a simple interview for a magazine article. The hair and makeup people came to add some finishing touches, such as a few additional strokes of blush and hairspray, before allowing her to sit down in the chair.
"So, Stronghold," the interviewer from a recognized magazine, David Garrett, began as he sat on his respective chair. His hands were gripping a notepad and a pen, ready to take note of everything. "Thank you for joining us today. You look stunning, as always. I know you must have a very hectic day saving people. How do you manage to stay beautiful with such a demanding career?"
"Thank you," Juliet plastered her trademark smile for every camera as they continued to snap pictures. She crossed her legs together as the photographers snapped another set of pictures, her short red skirt rising up with her movements. She inhaled a long breath to add naturality to her next lines, all rehearsed the days before. "It's not easy, David. And I could sit here and discuss my makeup routine, but a magician never reveals their secrets."
"Of course, of course," David looked down to his notepad and then back up to her. "Our readers are dying to know, do you find it hard to balance your career as a superhero and your personal life?"
"It's definitely a challenge, but everyone struggles with balance in their lives."
"I suppose it's even harder for you, being in the spotlight all the time," David shifted in his chair and leaned closer to hear her answer. "Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the attention?"
"Attention comes with the job, David, but I focus on saving people rather than the attention it brings."
"That's admirable." He stared at her with deeply interested eyes, and all Juliet wanted to do was for her chair to swallow her whole and disappear. "Now, onto a lighter topic. What's your favorite way to unwind after a long day?"
Juliet had a harder time reciting her next line, since the urge to roll her eyes was strong. "I enjoy cooking a nice meal and spending time with people I love."
"I bet the members of The Seven are fanatics of your cooking."
"Well, I am quite good," she smiled bashfully to add fuel to the humble facade they wanted her to play. "My mother's recipes never fail."
"That's great," David laughed and reciprocated the smile. He cleared his throat and searched for the next question in his notes. "Now, to conclude our interview, what would you say to the hundreds of little girls that look up to you, in hopes of becoming just like you?"
"Believe in yourself, work hard, and don't let anyone tell you that you can't achieve your goals."
With a simple movement of David Garrett's hands, the interview was over and he didn't waste any time before standing up and leaving the room. Juliet wished she had the same kind of luxury. She was allowed to drop the smile that had adorned her face throughout the interview, but didn't get the chance to breathe before she was surrounded by hair, makeup, and Ashley Barrett, Vought's Talent Relations Director.
"That was great!" Ashley's chirpy voice rang loudly in Juliet's ears. She was holding a tablet close to her chest, which contained a heavily-detailed schedule of today's events. To Juliet, Ashley was an anxious woman, no matter how hard she tried to maintain a relaxed facade.
"That was great, David – " Ashley turned around to thank the interview, only to realize he was gone already. "Oh, he's gone already. Okay, then! What's next on schedule, let's see. . ."
"I thought that was it for today," Juliet expressed her confusion.
She'd been running back and forth through Seven Tower all day, filming advertisement videos, posing for magazine covers and now, wrapping up an interview. It was like any other day to Juliet, with the occasional 'saves' that she had to pull. Those weren't as frequent as she would have hoped, but because she wasn't an official member of the superhero team known as The Seven, she was shoved aside.
"Oh, no," Ashley shook her head at Juliet's last words. She skimmed through a document in her tablet. "We have a lot of work to do. You have an arranged meeting with the newest member, Starlight, and – "
"Ashley, it's late," Juliet cut her off after she glanced at the digital clock on the coffee table. The makeup artist and the hairdresser stepped back, satisfied with the results, allowing her to lock eyes with Ashley. "I think we're all exhausted."
"But I already checked with Stillwell – "
"It'll be fine." Juliet reassured, although she visibly tensed at the mention of Stillwell. Before Ashley or anyone else could notice, she spoke up again. "Besides, it's not like I'm in The Seven."
Ashley's breath audibly hitched at that sentence.
Juliet was expecting that reaction, in hopes that Ashley might realize she's right and stop nagging her about showing up to places when she wasn't even the top priority in the company. Juliet tried to become top priority, to the point where she begged Madelyn Stillwell – one of the most important people in Vought – for a place in the Seven once one of them retired, but she refused time and time again. It didn't make sense in Juliet's head. Her twin brother was the most famous superhero there ever was, and she was supposed to watch from the sidelines? That doesn't seem fair.
But of course, there was nothing she could do. And, as a result, Juliet had to fake smiles for product advertisements and for moments in which people called her Homelander's sister.
Juliet took the tense atmosphere in the room to stand up from the chair and storm off, leaving Ashley and the makeup artists completely stunned in silence.
Juliet, like any other person who worked in the building, took the elevator up to the 99th floor. It was the highest floor of the entire tower, which seemed reasonable to have every member of the Seven reside and work in that exact floor. Well, Juliet was an exception to that rule. She came as a package deal with her brother, the Homelander. He was not only a member, but the leader of the group, and only seemed reasonable to have his sister tag along, even if she wasn't as important.
Juliet walked out into the lonely hallway as she mindlessly skimmed through her phone, checking her social media, from what was new on her feed to posts where she was tagged in. She was heavily distracted that all her senses were caught off-guard, until she accidentally bumped into someone.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She heard a feminine voice cry out.
"It's okay, it's my fault for not watching where I'm going."
Juliet looked up to see which employee she might've bumped into, expecting to see the typical office attire others wore, until she caught a glimpse of glimmering golden boots. Her eyes recognized the white and and yellow suit, golden stars drawn all over the skirt and down the cape, which she had only seen in pictures until now.
"Here." She handed Juliet back her phone, which had clattered on the floor after they bumped into each other.
"Thanks," Juliet took it and figured it was now or never to make conversation. "Starlight, right?"
"Yes, that's. . ." Starlight nodded and her eyes widened, suddenly realizing who she was standing in front of. "Oh, my God. Stronghold. You're Stronghold!"
Well, we won't be needing that meeting anymore, Juliet thought to herself and smiled at the reaction. "Guilty as charged."
"It's so nice to meet you."
Starlight extended her hand for Juliet to shake, a greeting that had the latter fighting back a grin at the formality of it. Most of the time she met a new addition to the Seven, they didn't think twice before hugging her close, but not her. Everything about her screamed innocence, from the grin plastered on her face to the design of her suit, which Vought will definitely get rid of in a matter of days, she was sure.
"You as well," Juliet responded to Starlight's words with her smile never wavering. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying her best to be welcoming. "How are you adjusting to everything? Met everybody yet? Have you gotten the tour of the tower?"
"Um. . .I. . .yeah. . ." Starlight struggled to find the words. Juliet guessed that the faint smudge of her makeup had something to do with that, and that caused her to internally flinch. "Everybody's really nice. It's so cool to be here."
"That's good." Juliet answered with a nod. She checked the hour on her phone and pressed her lips together. "I, uh, gotta go, but it was nice to meet you, Starlight. Hope we get the chance to talk some more."
"I hope so as well," Starlight flashed her a wide smile.
Juliet walked the opposite way of her, and as she heard Starlight's footsteps beginning to fade away toward what she assumed to be the elevators, she turned back around.
"Starlight?"
The blonde whirled on her heel at the sound of her name. "Yes?"
Juliet marched back up to her, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor. Starlight visibly swallowed the lump of her throat and took a step back, as if she were bracing herself for something in particular. Juliet pretended not to notice as she reached out her index finger to brush the smudge of mascara from the corner of Starlight's eye.
"You missed a spot."
Now that she was up this close, Juliet's superhuman senses picked up on the particular smell this floor's bathroom had, which wasn't that unusual, until she picked up on the next scent. An overwhelming odor of rotting fish and sea salt, pretty abnormal for a girl like Starlight to have, since she knew only one person in particular who smelled exactly like that. It all clicked inside her head.
"Oh. . ." Starlight's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment and lifted her hand to cover herself, her body involuntarily moving to the side.
"Hey, I won't say a word," Juliet grabbed her shoulder for a second to provide a sense of comfort. "We've all been there."
She didn't wait for Starlight to say anything else and walked down the hallway she was heading to in the first place. She was completely sure that the blonde was standing still in the middle of the hall, completely dumbfounded, and Juliet didn't know whether to feel pity or laugh at her. After all, Starlight took the spot that was supposed to be for her, and she was tossed to the side – once again – because of it. Welcome to Vought, Starlight, was all she could think of.
The soft breeze of the outside air brushed through Juliet's civilian clothes, an effect that was not possible when she wore her suit. It was a brand new day, but that didn't mean it wasn't overwhelming as the others. Moments where she felt that everyone was too demanding, too loud, or too ridiculous, forced Juliet out of Vought Tower for a couple hours. It called for desperate measures to get away from Ashley's voice and her list of crazy demands. She walked through the less crowded paths of Central Park with her head down out of habit, despite the fact that she wore a pair of glasses that seemed to throw people off and not recognize her right away.
She sat in a lonely bench and took in the scenery in front of her – tall trees, families laying down their picnic baskets in the vibrant green grass. She enjoyed coming here for this exact reason; to see these people and pretend to have a life similar to theirs, where they didn't have to smile lifelessly at cameras for hours and enjoyed basking in the sunlight instead. But her daydream was suddenly cut short when her phone vibrated in her jean pocket, something that made her internally groan since she knew who it was before she even checked the caller's ID.
"Hi, Ashley," she said in a tone that could hide her annoyance.
"Did you see it?" her voice boomed through her phone's speaker. "The article is out! It looks so good! I'm sending it to you right now."
Juliet's phone rang with a notification and she removed it from her ear to open Ashley's message. She clicked on the link to the article and her eyes widened when she noticed the clearly edited photo in the front and center. "Yeah. I, um. . ."
"It's great, isn't it?" Ashley's tone was still enthusiastic.
"Ashley, um, why is it like. . .that?"
"Like what?"
"Edited," Juliet finally said.
"It's just the way they wanted it to be. Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it?" Juliet repeated incredulously. "How could I not? This is my – "
"Look, I gotta go, but we'll talk about this later, okay?" Juliet knew this was Ashley's way of telling her to forget it and that they wouldn't talk about it later. "See ya!"
Juliet didn't have the energy to say anything else and instead let out a defeated sigh before hanging up. She stared at her hands cradled in her lap and dug her nails into her skin to avoid showing any type of emotion, especially in a public setting like this one. She didn't know why she was so upset – Vought was no stranger to pulling these types of stunts on her – but it still was frustrating to see how they didn't wait to do it. She had been so focused in her own world that she hadn't noticed that a man, approximately a few years younger than her, sat down next to her on the bench until he made a noise to announce his presence.
"Um. . ."
Juliet finally looked beside her and what caught her attention was how the man forced himself to swallow the bite of the sandwich in his mouth to speak. There were lines of worry on his forehead, eyes flickering nervously from her to the ground as if he felt he were interrupting something he shouldn't be, and Juliet already feared the worst.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry, are you okay?" He asked instead. This caught her completely off-guard – she expected him to gasp and call her by her alias, even asking for an autograph and a photo, but he seemed genuinely concerned. "Just seemed like a tough call."
Juliet's stunned silence and frown must've given him the wrong impression, since he immediately jumped to take his words back. "Sorry. I don't mean to bother — "
"No, no, it's fine," Juliet cut in nervously with a shake of her head. Jesus, she thought to herself. She could talk in front of large audiences all day but couldn't form a single sentence for one stranger. "Uh, I'm okay. Just a busy day."
"Yeah, me too." He sniffed with his gaze on the floor, before lifting his eyes back again. "Uh, is it, like, a work thing, or a life thing?"
"It's a work thing." Juliet replied after a beat of silence. She turned her head at the stranger, figuring it was okay to ask the next question since he had done it to her. "You?"
"Uh, life thing."
"Have you ever felt like you're stuck?" she asked and didn't receive an answer from him, giving Juliet permission to keep talking. "Like, your life goes by and you realize you haven't done anything special or important? I. . .I've been on this job my entire life, and I do what they ask every single time, but I never get. . .promoted, you know? And, I can't just quit, because I don't know what else to do, and also because it'll feel like I just wasted all those years on nothing."
Juliet seemed to snap back into reality by the odd look the stranger was giving her and realized she was telling this to a person whom she had never met before. The words got stuck in her throat out of embarrassment and opened her mouth to apologize.
"Oh. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to just dump all of that — "
"No, no, it's totally fine that you dumped," he shook his head and pressed his lips together in a thin line. He opened and closed his mouth for a few seconds, as if he was debating what to say next. "Um. . .Listen, do — do you like your job?"
"It's the only thing I've ever done, the one thing I'm good at," Juliet answered, which wasn't that much of a lie.
"And it's a good job?" He pressed on, his eyebrows raised. "Like, you're not selling kids smack?"
"No, it's a great job."
"Thing is, um, I used to know this girl, and we used to go skating at Rockefeller and I'd be on the side with this death grip on the rails," the stranger began, and Juliet could tell that this memory meant a lot to him due to the fond way he was retelling it. "She would just charge headfirst into the middle of the rink. And she wasn't. . .good. Like, she fell — a lot — but she was never scared."
His face hardened and he cleared his throat to continue. "And she always used to say: 'Just 'cause you fall on your ass doesn't mean you have to stay there.'" His eyes fell back on Juliet. "So you fell on your ass, you know? That's not who you are. So who are you?"
"I'm a fighter," Juliet decided. "I'm gonna demand the respect I deserve."
"Okay. Cool." He nodded with a smile, like this was the highlight of his day.
There was a period of silence, and Juliet thought that might be the end of the conversation when the stranger broke the silence once again. He even extended his hand for her to take.
"I — I'm Hughie, by the way."
She shook it with a smile of her own. "Juliet."