Chapter Text
For many years, Agnes Monroe had taken the role of Shezow. From the moment she turned twelve, to the present day, she was protecting Megadale day and night. It would be a lie to say it didn’t strain her, or left her with some tough things to deal with, but she was proud of being Shezow. Being Shezow meant she could protect the people, it also meant she could protect her dear family.
Agnes still remembered the day Droosha had been born, her sister held little baby Droosha in her arms and Agnes ended up crying because of how cute her little niece was. It was that day Agnes swore to protect Megadale with all her might, not just to protect Droosha, but to protect the other families too.
Agnes loved to protect, more importantly, Agnes loved to love. Loving things and the world around her kept her going. From small things like the flowers blooming in the grass, to the two cute kids who made up her world now. Droosha had long since grown up, and now, she had two children of her own.
Agnes also happened to be there when the children were born. She remembered that day just as clearly as the day Droosha was born. She remembered the crying of two little babies, wrapped up in a purple and blue blanket respectively. Kelly Hamdon, born one minute earlier than her little brother, Guy Eli Hamdon. Droosha fell asleep, so Agnes was left to stare and adore her great niece and nephew alone. Boxter was currently out on an errand to get Droosha the sandwhich she wanted too, when he was back he would be crying and holding his children. So for now, Agnes stared at these two babies, the small children who would grow up so fast in a blink of an eye. Just one day she was able to hold them in her arms, and while she was still strong enough to do that, the next day they were both entering their final year of middle school.
Agnes sighed against the wall of the lair, leaning her head on her knee. Agnes knew she was getting old, she knew that one day, she’d be gone and a child would take her place. She didn’t care if someone took her place as long as they were good and kind, it was the fact she knew it would be a child being there. Specifically Kelly. Or at least she originally thought, some days it felt like the ring was gravitating towards Guy instead. She wondered if this is how her Aunt felt when she looked at Agnes when she was young.
Did she worry about the responsibility of Shezow falling into young Agnes’s hands? Did she also worry about the children being hurt because of the burden that is saving lives just as she had when she was twelve? Agnes buried her head in her knees, she really, really did not want to leave her family. Her time was close, she knew that painfully well, but Guy and Kelly were both so young. They grew up so fast, but they hadn’t finished growing up yet, if she left for good, that would be practically snatching their childhood away from them. The moment Agnes was gone, one of them would take her place. They would suffer just as she has, they would worry just as she has, they would probably struggle even more academically than she did knowing the changes in the school system. Being a hero and being a student at the same time was not an easy job.
“Agnes, are you sure you still want to continue the mission? The police have handled it well, and I do not believe the situation will escalate any time soon.”
Agnes looked towards the disembodied voice, Sheila, her companion ever since she was the little girl who became Shezow.
“While I could, I think I’ll let Boxter handle this one.” Agnes laughed and leaned her head against the wall once more. “I’ve been thinking, Sheila. You know I don’t have much time left.”
Agnes was met with silence, Sheila knew all too well that Agnes’s time was running out. The ring greatly helped preserve Agnes’s life and energy, had she been a regular old lady and Shezow, Agnes would have been dealing with a broken back long ago.
“And, well… When I’m gone, there will be a new Shezow, right?”
“That is correct.” Sheila answered, lacking the regular emotion she held in her voice.
“The next Shezow will be one of my kids, no?”
“That… is correct.” Sheila answered, this time, reluctantly. Sheila herself watched how greatly becoming Shezow at a young age affected Agnes. Both Kelly and Guy were barely thirteen.
“I don’t want to leave them with this, I really don’t.” Agnes’s voice held so much pain in it that despite not actually having a physical body, Sheila desperately wanted to hug her. “Shezow was great for me, it helped me discover who I am and helped me mature as a person. The problem is that it was just too much for a child. I should have never had to protect the lives of thousands at twelve. Maybe I would be more proud of being Shezow if I had been Shezow later in my life, when I didn’t have to grow up being Shezow.”
Sheila stayed silent, she could see the tears in Agnes’s eyes. It had been so many years since Agnes talked about how much being Shezow has hurt her when she was young, Sheila didn’t know if she should be glad it happened, or if she should be upset about the circumstances it was happening.
“When I’m gone, they’re going to have to go through what I did when I was a child. I can’t let that happen! I can’t Sheila, they're just kids.”
“Perhaps, you can train them beforehand.”
Agnes paused, and looked at Sheila incredulously.
“What…?”
“That was what your aunt went through when she was Shezow, she was going to train you too, but…” Sheila trailed off, Agnes’s aunt died before she could get the chance. “While you probably shouldn’t reveal your identity, you can come up with ways to train them, prepare them for being Shezow.”
“And how would I do that? Should I make them play superheros again?” Agnes laughed, “They’re still kids, but they’re at the age where stuff like that isn’t cool anymore.”
“You could, but you could also disguise it as day to day activities. Teach them how to fight, in more ways than the physical kind. You can hone their instincts, get them ready so that when one of them is Shezow, they don’t stumble into it like a baby deer.”
Agnes hummed, “That’s a great idea! Thank you, Sheila. I can always count on you.”
“Anytime, Agnes. Are you ready to go see them? If I remember correctly, they’re coming over in about… thirty minutes.”
“She-yeah” Agnes said, her Shezow suit dissipating, leaving her dressed in her flower dress and bright pink hair. One of the plus sides of having gray hair, she could dye it whatever color she wanted!
—
The years came and went. It had been around two years since Agnes started to discreetly train Kelly and Guy. She had suspicions on who would become Shezow, but just in case something unexpected happened, she decided to train them both.
If Agnes were to tell anyone a secret, she would say that she thinks it’s Guy who will become Shezow. Agnes was perfectly alright with that, Guy is a good child, rambunctious, sure, but not rude. She hopes that if he does become Shezow, he would be able to find comfort in it.
Kelly becoming Shezow would be alright too, Kelly was a good girl. She would handle the role of Shezow well, and skillfully too, ever the Shezow fan. Of course, Agnes would prefer if they became Shezow as adults, at least college students did not have to deal with the SAT.
Agnes sat down in the pink chair in front of Sheila’s supercomputer.
“Good afternoon, Agnes. Anything to report?”
“I do indeed! The progress with Kelly and Guy’s training has been going well, not only are they able to tell if someone is coming from far away, their reaction speeds have quickened too.”
“I see, well that is very good news. Have either of them been struggling?”
“Kelly is having a tough time at coming up with things on the spot, she isn’t very good at coming up with a plan in a short period of time. Not that I expect her to, of course. That’s something that comes with experience, and Kelly is the kind of girl who plans everything out ahead of time, so it is unlikely she’s ever had to come up with something at the flip of a switch. “
“And Guy?”
“He’s the exact opposite of Kelly, he’s good at coming up with things in a pinch, and is a creative thinker, but he lacks the ability to plan. It’s not a bad thing, but I worry about it if he is to become Shezow. He also knows less about SheZow’s abilities and how far they can go than Kelly does, so he’d have to go through way more trial and error than she would to get used to them. It would be perfect if the two could just put their skills together, but their identity has to be absolutely secret.”
“Do you have any suspicions on who the ring will choose? Even after all these years, I have a tough time being sure on just what the ring will do.”
Agnes sighed, “Years ago, the ring would gravitate towards Kelly. I wonder if that’s because she spent the most time playing Shezow as a child. Ever since they turned twelve , the ring always pulls towards Guy. It’s like fate made a switch in its course. There’s been some oddities here and there, occasionally the ring gravitates towards Kelly too. It seems almost confused about who to choose.”
“That is peculiar. Nothing like that has ever happened in the history of Shezow.” Sheila ran her memory back as far as she could, she wasn’t a companion to the very first Shezow, but she had been here for a long time. “The closest thing I can see in my memory system is the time the ring choose between you and your sister.”
“Do you think this will cause any issues?”
“No, but if it does I promise to guide them through it.”
The pink haired woman smiled, “Thank you for your work as always, Sheila. I’ll be off now! See you tomorrow.” Agnes stood up and made her way towards the exit, waving to Sheila. “Don’t miss me too much!’
Sheila smiled and laughed, “She you tomorrow.”
As the lair went dark, Sheila put herself to rest. She didn’t actually sleep, she was a super computer, but this was as close as she could get. She always woke up when Agnes entered the lair anyway. Humming to herself, Sheila hoped it wouldn’t be too long before Agnes came back, it got a bit lonely by herself.
—
Agnes put the phone down and sat on her bed. She had just had a very long conversation with both Kelly and Guy, who seemed to be fighting on who should talk to her first. Agnes couldn’t help but giggle at how the two bickered and the kinds of things they’d say to ‘win’.
Agnes shut her eyes, both Kelly and Guy had grown up so fast. To her, they’d always be those little babies she saw all those years ago, they would always be her children even until the moment they grow old as well. She wants to see them grow up. The thought of being able to see them graduate High School, and then college made her smile. To be there for when they get their first job, and be there when they get married. She wanted to be there for as long as she could.
Agnes took out the hair clips in her hair and laid down in bed, pulling the blanket over her. Today was a long day, so it would be good for her to turn in early. Under her blankets, surrounded by her pillows, Agnes Monroe slept. All night she dreamed of the moment Kelly and Guy were born, to the moment they became adults of their own.
That night, Aunt Agnes dreamed, and the ring that stayed on finger gradually grew dimmer.