The Drifter

In the afternoon, Mr. Reynolds suddenly mentioned an interview and hurriedly left the Daily Planet, instructing Jay to head home without waiting if he hadn't returned by the end of the workday. With that, Jay tidied his things and left the newspaper office, concluding his first day as an intern.

Dusk was settling in, painting the sky with streaks of vermilion. The sun had started to dip behind the clouds, its residual light setting the horizon ablaze. Stepping out of the building, Jay felt the street bathed in warmth, which sparked a surge of contentment within him.

Carrying his briefcase, he strolled homeward, his mind wandering aimlessly, yet inevitably circling back to Kara. For six years, he felt as if an invisible wall separated him from everyone else, often perceived as aloof due to his exceptional abilities.

At the end of school days, while other students walked in chatty groups, Jay's solitary figure, elongated by the sunlight, was pointed out as a distant figure, aspirational yet unreachable. But they didn't know that he envied those casual friendships filled with laughter and trivial jokes.

Kara Kent's arrival had, for the first time in six years, given him a sense that he wasn't alone. He was eager to talk to her about how she managed her double life, blended into the ordinary, with so many questions buzzing in his mind.

But how to explain to her? Float to her window in the dead of night and reveal that he might be Kryptonian?

That sounded foolish, and he wasn't even sure of his own origins.

Lost in these thoughts, a barely audible commotion caught his super hearing—a mix of childish shouts, sobs, and the sounds of a scuffle, carried by the breeze. It seemed to be a street away, indiscernible without superhuman senses.

Jay paused, then decided to follow the sounds.

In a secluded corner of Central Park, the scene matched Jay's expectations. A gang of larger kids was pummeling a smaller boy in black, hurling muffled insults. The boy in black curled up helplessly, enduring the blows without a trace of resistance.

A frustrating, yet all-too-common sight.

Now that he had witnessed it, Jay felt compelled to intervene. He stepped forward, forcefully halting the bullies and shielding the beleaguered boy. The boy looked up at Jay with tearful eyes from behind his back while the bullies, somewhat intimidated, backed off with threatening parting words.

Turning to the boy, Jay smiled and gently touched his forehead, "You're safe now."

The boy gaped, speechless, still sobbing. He seemed terrified. Jay led him out of the park and bought him a hot cocoa across the street. The boy's crying subsided, but he remained silent, not even uttering a 'thank you' before they parted ways.

As Jay watched the boy clutch his warm beverage and walk away, a voice from behind spoke, "So, you really are a good guy, huh?"

The voice was cold and deep, its tone reminiscent of a detuned violin. Jay turned to find a disheveled drifter in the shadows. He was a mess, with hair resembling a bird's nest and jeans patchworked as if scavenged from a dumpster. He blended so well into the dark, dirty corner that Jay hadn't even noticed him before.

"You must feel pretty good," the drifter said. "Feel like a hero?"

Jay frowned slightly, "I just did what needed to be done. I happened to pass by and saw something I could easily rectify. I had the power to stop the boy from being bullied, so I couldn't stand idly by. It's that simple."

"Simple, huh?" The drifter scoffed. "If only things in this godforsaken world were that simple."

Jay found the man's cynicism perplexing and thought it a waste of time to engage, but something inside him felt the need to challenge the man's view, "Sounds like you were watching the whole time. You could've stopped the kid from getting beaten more, but you just sat in your little corner watching the show?"

"It's meaningless, and it doesn't help the kid," the drifter spoke flatly. "You chased them off today, they'll come back tomorrow, maybe even more vengeful because of your interference."

"So you're saying my actions were meaningless?"

"Worse. You've given that child false hope, and that'll only make his fall harder next time."

Jay was annoyed, feeling that the drifter was being unreasonable, yet he couldn't pinpoint the flaw in his argument and just shook his head, "You're too pessimistic."

"And you're too optimistic." The drifter paused and added, "Reminds me of an old friend."

"He must've been a good person."

The drifter fell silent for a moment, a faint sadness glinting in his murky eyes, like an aged man who had seen too much.

"He was," he replied. "Much better than me. But he's gone now."

Jay was taken aback, sensing that the drifter had many untold stories.

"I'm sorry," he said.

The drifter shook his head, closed his eyes, and seemed to resolve to say no more.

What a strange encounter.

With that thought, Jay left the drifter behind. The man watched Jay's departing figure intently until he vanished at the end of the street, leaving no trace behind.