Once Upon A Shadow

Powers. Everyone had them. His was just a bit dull.

There was little that could be done with shadows after all, especially when you had to have to touch them for your power to activate. It became practically useless in a dark room.

If he had his way, he would be a fire bender, throwing scorching flames left and right with all the flare he could muster. But is was not meant to be. If he had his way, he would be an ice user, making icicles orbit around him and summoning a frozen castle out of thin air. But it was not meant to be.

He was stuck — stuck with his shadow and any other he could get his hands on. But who the hell wanted to go near the enemy while in combat. What about asking kindly? Excuse me kind Sir, would you mind me touching you shadow so that I can have the smallest chance of defeating you? Yeah right. As if that's going to work.

Shadows were boring. They didn't sparkle. They didn't shine. And all he could do was make them into grubby hands to catch people near him. So what if he could make them durable? It wouldn't matter if he didn't get a hold of someone in the first place.

The shadows were useless. He was useless.

And his mind was further rotting away as he watched yet another demonstration by his fire bender instructor — luckily him— that couldn't be applied to his own power whatsoever. Ugh, why couldn't his shadows burn?

He paused. Why couldn't his shadows burn?

He knew he could make them as strong as steel. Why couldn't he make them burn like, well, fire?

The gears in his head turned.

All this time…

All this time I was thinking the wrong way!

If he wasn't a fire bender then he would create tendrils of shadows turned anything they touched into ashes! If he wasn't an ice user then…then he would…he would figure it out!

"Perfect!" He yelled out his joy to the world only to be met with the bewildered stares of his classmates. He sat down — he didn't even recall standing up — as the whispers started. Great, he thought, moving his hands to cover the embarrassment apparent on his face.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the lesson so much, Mr. (insert name). Why don't you come up and give us a demonstration of your own."

He paled. This day could not get worse. (Author: Wait for it, wait for it.)

Bang!

"Hey, (insert cute nickname, preferably embarrassing)! You forgot your homework in your room so I thought I'd bring it to you," he said with a smile.

Could someone please — please — tell him that it wasn't his ever so perfect twin brother— who he had met three day ago — at the door (which had recently developed noticeable cracking)?

And what did he mean he left it in his room! He was always prepared. And he had checked his room over — trice — before leaving. And surely his brother wasn't snooping around in his room — which was supposed to be locked by the way — being the perfect gentleman he was?

He takes it back. It just got a whole lot worse.