Rising Heroes!

Being saved from a burning building in a flash leaves quite an impression on a person. I was 7 years old and decided it was a good idea to play with a box of matches. The flickering of the flame captured my complete attention, I was quite literally like a moth to a flame. I started waving it around and danced like a maniac. When a part of the flame came too close, I lost my grip.

My small body had no hope of grabbing the tiny flickering light before it hit the wooden tile. When it landed, flames erupted, spreading everywhere in a matter of seconds. Coughing and crying, I tried escaping the flames before being surrounded. Waves of heat brushed up against me. With nowhere to go I crawled up in a ball and accepted my fate, knowing there was no escape.

Then... I was outside. Tears streamed down my face as I looked up, a young woman who was no more than 20, was holding me in her embrace. Her face was lean with high cheekbones, a sharp jaw, and a small nose. She had her blue hair in a loose bun and gave me a smile that reached her brown eyes. For several minutes she held me in a comforting manner, telling me everything was going to be alright.

It wasn't until after she put me down to return me to my parents that I realized what she was wearing. A purple skintight suit with a darker shade knee-length skirt, and a pair black heels. On the upper part of her suit, she was covered in bright white stars that glowed and had a black cape covered in glitter. It was at that moment that I realized she was a hero. As she sent me off I asked for her name. As all heroes do, she said her name was Galaxy Girl. I still have that name ingrained in my memory.

Following the incident I lived, breathed, and ate heroes. I watched every time a fight with a villain broke out on national television, and I would cheer the hero on from my house. Every time I saw a flashy new hero appear I'd draw pictures of them in heroic poses, I'd even write down which powers I thought were the coolest. For three years I lived on with the hope that I'd get an amazing power and become a hero too.

*****

10 years old in the 5th grade my old teacher with wrinkly droopy skin and white hair, was lecturing us on the proper use of grammar. I was in the center of a small classroom filled to the brim with desks and hardly any room to move. Besides a desk for the teacher and a whiteboard in front of the class, the walls were covered top to bottom with educational and motivational posters. Very rarely would you see a glimpse of the green bricked wall hiding underneath.

"Alright class! Who wants to answer this question on the board? You should know this already, we covered prepositions a while ago!"

I watch as she surveys the room, like a lion stalking its prey. Her eyes slowly come to a stop directly on me.

"Angel why don't you come up?"

She said in a way where I knew I couldn't refuse. I slowly stood up from my desk and when I walked to the front of the class I felt my classmates eyes burning into the back of my head waiting for me to do something embarrassing or trip up. When I reached the front I read the question she wrote. It really was just a simple question on prepositions.

As I finished writing the last letter and closed the cap on the dry-erase marker she handed to me. I felt like something was attempting to burst out of my skull. I collapsed convulsing on the floor. A white foam came out of my mouth and I felt an overwhelming heat surround my body. I screamed out in pain and could only watch as my teacher dialed for emergency services. I heard as she screamed for help through the phone before my consciousness finally faded.

********

1 out of every 100 people. That's the rate that people awaken with special powers. I found that out when I woke up, and my doctor filled me in with what happened. Apparently every case was exactly like mine. The process of awakening included a sudden spike in temperature, convulsions, a white foam forming on the edges of the mouth, and a blinding headache. I was happy for a moment when I realized what happened. I gained an ability! The doctor even explained how I could do whatever I wanted barring crime of course.

From what he told me they used to send kids off to special schools as soon as they awakened. After having certain heroes show up who's abilities rivaled natural disasters they signed some sort of agreement, letting us actives roam free as long as we don't commit crime. He then proceeded to explain how testing on actives is highly illegal and I'd have to figure out my ability was for myself. 10 year old me was content with that.

****

Every day for the past 5 years I've hoped something would happen. Honestly at this point I've prayed for anything at all. I'm supposed to have had some ability be it as benign as breathing underwater! But nothing! It's like someone had been holding a treat to my nose for the past 5 years getting me to chase it!

But I still haven't given up on my dream. Even if I don't have an ability I'll still help people! I trained every day for the past three years with 100 situps, 100 pushups, 100 squats, and a 10km run. While it may have sounded extreme it wasn't that bad slowly working up to it.

I was halfway through my morning run. Sweat dripped down my face and my breathing was labored.

'Only 2.5 km to go.'

Birds that chirped, wind that blew through the trees, and the rhythmic tap of my tennis shoes against the concrete pavement on the sidewalk were the only sounds around. It was a peaceful morning and the weather was a perfect cool temperature. As wind blew through my hair I paid attention to the landscape around me. A handful of buildings and alleyways lined up on my left side, and to my right past the street, there was an empty park excluding a light blue-haired, baby faced guy who was walking his golden retriever.

I kept to myself when I ran until I heard an angry yell in front of me. It came from an alleyway which was maybe 20 feet away at most. I sprint ignoring my fatigue until I caught the sight of a haggard middle-aged man with uneven stubble across his chin. He was shouting at a dark blue-haired girl with a pretty face and dark brown eyes.

"BITCH! HAND ME YOUR PURSE!"

He attempted to reach out and grab her but before he could I jump between the two. His face contorted into something that barely resembled a man.

"The hell you think you're doing kid? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something? You wanna die?

"I think I'll have to pass, tempting offer though!"

I turn back to the girl and ask her a question.

"You alright? You hurt in any way?"

"No, I'm fine but yo-"

Before she could have finished responding though the man lunged at me with inhuman speed and strength. I was stupid for looking away. He pushed me into a garbage can and knocked me over. Trash spilled over me and the man looked down with rage-filled eyes. He swiftly placed his foot on my ribcage and I felt a crack.

"Oh, kid... you don't know how badly you just fucked up playing hero."

There was a slight glimmer in his eyes. I felt a click in my brain, but before I could put much thought into it, his eyes started to glow a bright red. I felt a ripple of heat across my chest. My skin seared itself to my t-shirt and I screamed in agony. The flames surrounding me that night were nothing compared to this. I clutch my chest and the skin on my hand starts to blister and burn. It's then that I realize he's an active.

His eyes stop glowing for a moment and he looks me directly head-on.

"See what I mean kid?! Haha! Now off with your head!"

His eyes started to glimmer but before it could turn into a full-on glow, my head felt like it was going to burst. Something wanted to escape from my skull, drums being beaten is the only thing I could liken it to. Thump! Thump! Thump! it felt as if something was exploding outwards. A beam of pure energy shot out of my eyes. It hit the haggard man directly on his head. His eyelids seared shut and he let out a nightmare-inducing scream, before I could think any further though the beating increased. Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! It's the last thing I felt before I promptly lost consciousness.