Chapter 4: Not A Secret Anymore

 

Tim got home around 3 in the morning. Kris was soundly asleep and had no knowledge of her brother’s extracurricular activities. It would break her heart if she ever found out that her brother was a rapist. Tim quietly made his way to his room, passing his sister’s room. He gingerly opened her bedroom door to look in on her. He could hear her snoring; he smiled and closed the door and went to the bathroom. As he undressed, he noticed the scratches on his upper right arm and dabbed rubbing alcohol on it. He winced and clutched his teeth to mask the pain.

 “That bitch scratched me,” he muttered, referring to his latest victim. He quickly washed up and went to his bedroom. After closing the door, he sat on his bed for a moment.

 “Lori,” he whispered, “so that’s her name.” He smirked and lay down on his bed. Wearing only his boxers, he reminisced about when he raped Lori.  He loves the fear he saw in her eyes, but when he ran into her recently, she looked right at him with no fear, just a burning desire for revenge.

 He thought to himself, “I wonder why she hasn’t turned me in yet?” He was mulling that over and wasn’t too fond of what was on his mind, in fact he was worried. A few days later, he found himself at the breakfast table, watching the news on TV. It was his day off, and Kris was busy at work. She gets off at 9pm. He was enjoying his lunch when a segment aired about a vigilante known as Electra Woman.

"Electra Woman strikes again, thwarting yet another robbery," the reporter declared, kicking off an interview with the shop owner. Once the interview wrapped up, they displayed a photo captured of Electra Woman a few weeks prior. An unidentified individual captured the image and forwarded it to the news station. The photograph reveals only a partial side view of her body and face, but there's no doubt about it—it's Lori. Tim let his fork slip from his fingers, the sound echoing as it hit the table. Sometimes Lori wore a mask, but not that day. Tim's eyes widened in shock before narrowing with realization.

 “No way,” he murmured. “Now I see why she hasn’t reported me to the police; she’s biding her time, that bitch. She’s got something up her sleeve and I won’t let her get the upper hand,” he resolved. That week, he dropped by the martial arts class. While Lori was busy assisting a student, Tim strolled in. Her eyes went wide, a wary look shadowed her face. Tim walked up to her. “Lori, is my sister here?”  

She looked at him, her gaze sharpening. Then, she forced a smile and replied, "I think she’ll be here tomorrow."  

"Right, I totally forgot," he laughed lightly. Lori felt a shiver of discomfort around him; honestly, all she wanted was to take him down and haul him into the police station. She didn’t want him to figure out that she knew he was the one who attacked her. She wanted him to stay completely oblivious. After everything he put her through, she was dead set on catching him as Electra Woman. Her uncle had a valid point, but she was determined to handle it her own way. Clenching her jaw, she turned her gaze elsewhere.

 Tim spun around slowly, about to leave, but then stopped, faced back, and said, “You know, I actually took a martial arts class too, and I’m a black belt,” raising his eyebrows with a smirk on his face. Lori snapped her head back to look at him, and they locked eyes with a fierce intensity. “Is he trying to challenge me?” she thought.

With a touch of sarcasm she said, “If that's the case, maybe you ought to show your sister a few self-defense moves. You don’t want her getting raped by some loser, piece of shit, right?”

 With her arms crossed, she stared him down. He just stood there, hands in his pockets, giving her a hard glare. Their eyes met, neither were willing to give in.

"You know, we should definitely practice some moves together someday. I’m sure I could show you a thing or two," he said in a low voice. 

She sighed and replied, "Just let your sister know I'll catch her in class tomorrow," then Lori turned and headed off to grab her stuff from the back as she was going to call it a day. Tim watched her as she walked away. The other instructor had walked in to take her place. 

He pictured Lori in the outfit she rocks as Electra Woman. He thought to himself, "There's no chance she wants anyone to discover she's Electra Woman. That would be a total disaster for her. She'd lose her job and have to create a whole new identity."

 He flashed a bold grin, then casually walked out. Lori had a brief conversation with the instructor who arrived right after he left. "I'm going to head home now. Catch you tomorrow," she said. They bowed at each other, and she walked out. While driving home, she was completely unaware that another car was following her. She drove up the long driveway that led to the house, which was pretty isolated with no neighbors around. After getting out of the car, she made her way to the front door and called out for her uncle as she stepped inside. Frank walked over and hugged his niece. 

“How was your day?” he asked. Lori collapsed onto the couch, letting out a deep breath as she recounted what happened in class. He felt his jaw clench, a wave of anger bubbling up inside him.

“Lori, you should report him. He seems to know who you are and..."  

Lori cut in, "Yeah, I get it. I'm thinking about it."  

"Thinking isn't enough, you need to take action," her uncle urged. She nodded in agreement.  

"I have work tomorrow, plus class, and Kris will be there."

Frank sighed, "Lori, you know how I feel about this."  

"I understand,” was all she said and then she went upstairs to take a shower before going to bed. 

Tim stared at the ominous Victorian home. “So that is where you live now, Electra Woman,” he pondered. He cast a sharp look and let out a heavy sigh as he turned the key to start his red 1964 Mustang, a cherished gift from his mother. Keeping the headlights off, he drove away quietly, ensuring he was well clear of the house before illuminating the road ahead. He finally came to a halt after leaving the quiet street where the Victorian house stood. 

While driving home, he turned on the radio. A track named, “One Toke Over the Line” by Brewer & Shipley was playing softly. He pulled into the apartment complex, parked in the carport, locked up, and made his way up the stairs to his apartment. When he opened the door, Kris greeted him with a bright smile. “Hey big bro, where’ve you been?” He tossed his keys into the bowl and snagged a beer from the fridge.

“Just went out for a bit, nothing major.”  

“Really? You sure you’re not hiding a girlfriend?” she joked. He chuckled, shook his head, and quickly switched topics, “So, are you heading to class tomorrow?”

“Yeah, why?” Kris asked. He plopped down on the couch and started flipping through the channels, landing on the news. 

“Mind if I come over to check it out?” he asked. 

Kris settled beside him, deep in thought until a realization struck her. “Wait a minute, I see what’s going on,” she said, pausing for effect. “It’s Lori, isn’t it? You have a crush on her!” she chuckled.

He lifted an eyebrow, gave a slight shake of his head and scoffed. “Well, I took a martial arts class ages ago, so I’m curious to see what your instructor is teaching you.” 

Kris frowned slightly, “Sure, I guess.” She took a sip from her Pepsi. The news unexpectedly aired a piece on the enigmatic Electra Woman. They replayed the same image from last night. Tim looked over at Kris, who, completely didn’t realize that Lori is Electra Woman.

Kris remarked, “It seems like there are quite a few vigilantes out there these days. The police might grumble about it, but I have a feeling they secretly appreciate the extra support.” Tim focused intently on the image on the screen, his gaze sharpened. “Sure,” he replied curtly before switching the channel. Kris simply shrugged, and they settled in to watch an episode of Sanford and Son.