The stage lights hit Hermes harder than any villain he fought for the past few months. Cameras flashed, screens glowed, and the hum of the audience felt like static crawling on his skin.
Charlotte Freeman adjusted her round glasses, her crown-tipped green pen scratching across her notepad even as she smiled wide at the crowd. Her frizzy hair had a sporadic energy to them, matching the journalistic gleam in her eyes.
"Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between!" She announced, her voice sharp but playful, "Tonight on Hero Hour, we welcome a rising star. A man of many talents… or should I say, many powers. Please welcome: Copy Cat!"
There was a round of applause and a couple of cheers and whistles from the audience. Hermes' throat tightened.
He forced a smile, remembering Somner's advice backstage.
Relax your shoulders. Don't fidget. And when you don't know what to say? Just keep it short and vague, and flash those pearly whites.
