Will
September 4th, 2007. 5:04 a.m. Outside the dorms. The morning air is cool and the flowers outside are still kissed with dew. I have my proper running attire on and am currently stretching with A.D.
“Are you sure you want to run with me?” I manage to touch my toes on the first stretch. “I might be just a little too fast for you.”
“I’m sure I can manage.” A.D. chuckles and kicks the air in front of him. “I appreciate the concern though.”
“I’m serious. I don’t want you straining yourself just to try and keep up with me.”
“Dude. I can manage. Just shut up and run with me, okay?” A.D.’s lax demeanor becomes ice cold for a fraction of a second.
“If you insist.” I shrug. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I turn to the park and get ready to run. “Ready when you are. First one around the park wins. Sounds good?”
“Oh so it’s a race now, huh?” A.D. rubs his nose. “You’re so on.” A.D. takes a stance next to me. “Ready when you are.”
“One… two… three… start!” I shout and we begin running around the perimeter of the park in the center of campus. Wow. Huh. A.D. is actually managing to keep pace with me. His form is exceptional and his arms and legs move in perfect tandem with one another. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised. This man does look like he runs marathons for fun. Good. Good. I actually have to try to keep up with him.
“You’re looking a little bit winded there, kiddo.” A.D. smirks while keeping pace with me. “Be careful. You might just tucker yourself out.”
“You’re wasting your breath. Just run.” I keep my eyes focused in front of me.
“I got air to spare, baby.” A.D. continues his pace and soon manages to run ahead of me. “Shame you don’t.”
“I’m only using ten percent of my power… watch this!” I unleash my inner energy and soon blast ahead of A.D. That’ll be sure to put the braggart in his place.
“Oooh that’s a cool trick. Check this out.” A.D. continues his insipid taunts and blasts ahead of me. He doesn’t even look or sound winded. He’s not even sweating. Is he using drugs? This is impossible! Nobody can be this fast without a speed Tech!
“Cute.” I breathe heavily and begin giving it my all for the first time in a while. We pass the halfway point and I continue sprinting at full speed.
“Ooooh. Not bad.” A.D. chuckles as he begins to lag behind me. Good that oughta show him. Just stay a good seven to eight feet behind me where you belong. “I’m only using nine percent of my power.” he laughs and starts catching up to me.
Don’t look back. Don’t waste time or breath on him. Just focus on the goal. You can see the dorms. Just a little more. This is what you trained for. I pump my arms harder than I ever have before and really start to feel blood pumping through me. Feels good. Feels hard. Feels like I’m living.
I can hear A.D.’s breath just behind me. It sounds barely stressed. I don’t want to know how close he is to me. I suppose it doesn’t really matter as long as he stays behind me. Just forty more feet till we reach the dorm. You got this. You can do this. I’m sure he’s out of breath by no- “Later, Willy.” A.D. flashes me a smile and a little salute and blasts ahead of me.
No matter how hard I try, no matter how fast I run, I cannot keep up with him. If I push myself any further, I feel my heart may explode… Impossible… I’m at my limit… and I’m defeated this easily…? How… How…!?
A.D. touches the dorm, turns around, rests his back against it, and waves at me. “C’mon, Willy. I don’t have all day.”
“Shut up!” I bark and reach the dorm ten seconds later. I need to put my arms over my head. I need to down a gallon of water right now, but I can’t. I won’t. I refuse to give him the satisfaction. “You… you have to be cheating...”
“Nope.” A.D. rests his hands behind his head and smiles again. “I’m just good, baby.”
“You got lucky then… I was… holding… back…” my chest starts to tighten and the inside of my lungs grows cold.
A.D. covers his mouth and starts laughing.
“What’s so funny…?” I rub my hand and sharpen my fingers.
“Dude… it’s just a morning run. Why are you getting so butthurt? Is this your first time losing?”
“No…” I rub my hand again and dull my fingers. “I just… didn’t think… you were so good…”
“Well get used to it, baby.” A.D. turns his back to me and begins heading back into the dorm. “You’re in the big leagues now.”
I stare at him while breathing through my teeth. Who does he think he is? So he beat me in a race. Big deal. I’m still just waking up… I’ll get him back for this. I take a deep breath and follow him back inside our dorm.
Yuko
September 4th, 2007. 9:21 a.m. I want to die. Each time my heart beats, I feel like my head is one step closer to exploding. I wish it’d stop being a jackass and kill me already. It’d save me and this hangover a bunch of time. I can’t even stay in bed… each time fabric rubs against my ear, it feels like some asshole’s trying to drill out my wisdom teeth through my skull. I need a smoke… I don’t even know where the good stores are… Damn this place…
I roll over and smell… cold avocado and butter. What? I look over to the table by my bed and see a small plate of toast with cold avocado sloppily spread over it, a banana, and a cup of lukewarm water. There’s a small note between the cup and the plate. I open it, but struggle to read it. The sound of crumpling paper cuts against my brain like an uneven shard of glass. My vision’s gone to hell and it hurts if I focus on anything for too long. It reads, “Hey, Yuko-chan. :3 I tried to wake you up this morning, but you sounded like a zombie and threatened to kill me 2.5 times. (I say .5 because you got half a threat out but you fell back asleep before you could finish) Anyway, I’m sorry I couldn’t get you up for class on time. Being hungover sucks, so here’s a little breakfast I snagged from the school cafeteria for you. Everything here is supposed to help with hangovers. Drink lots of water, okay? I don’t want my teammate to suffer on the first day. Good luck. \(^o^)/”
Before I knew it, I'd already chugged down the water and ate half of the toast. I can’t stand avocado… it tastes like nothing… Despite that, I devour the rest of the toast and the banana as well. Bed’s full of crumbs. Don’t care. I lie in bed for god knows how long before giving up and taking a shower. It’s loud. So, so, so, so loud. If I could kick the shower in the dick to quiet down, I would. I take my time to make myself presentable, get my sunglasses, and trudge out the door. I’m an hour late, but I don’t care… Not like they’ll even let me fail out. Plus it’s the first day, so I’m sure no one wants to care right now.
Elevator down, out the door, trudging through campus. Everyone’s laughing and yelling… and playing welcome music… They got the brass, the trumpets, tubas, and a whole drum line throughout the main road. Each time someone hits a drum, I feel my brain hemmorage just a little more. It’s too early for this garbage. You’re college students. Shouldn’t you all be in bed or something? God damn… Everyone should just shut up… Wait… I look around and realize I don’t recognize anything. Damnit… Where am I even supposed to go?
I fish around in my backpack for my welcome week schedule. Hero Alias Registration at 10:00 a.m.… at AM1134. Got it. I try not to vomit, ask some sappy student council member for directions, and head over.
When I get to the lecture hall, it’s… halfway empty? What? It’s 10:34. Does registration take this long? I look down the hall to find someone to sit with. That guy smells. That girl’s popping her gum. That dude has a lizard head… Screw it. I’ll sit alone. I go up to the professor at the front.
“Oh, hello.” he begins looking through his binder. “Better late than never I suppose… Your name is…?”
“Yuko Kaneko.” I rub my temple.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
“Kaneko?” his eyes widen. “That Kaneko?”
“No.” I feel my cerebrum shrivel. “Paper. Now.”
“Ah, of course. Here we are.” He hands me a piece of paper. “Do you need a pen?”
“No.” I take the paper and retreat to a quiet little corner at the side of the room.
Let’s see here… I look down at the form. There’s only two parts: Desired superhero name and Costume Description. Huh… I guess it’d have to be related to my Tech… Songstress? Harpy? No. No. Harpies are gross. Oh! Siren! Hell yeah. Siren it is. As for costume description… well, I can just make one myself. I go back up to the teacher. “Hey, teach. Can I just make an outfit myself?”
“Of course. It just has to be approved by the Commission.”
“O...kay… when do I have to make it by?”
“Friday next week.”
“14th… Got it.” I give him my paper and begin walking out of the lecture hall. On my way out, I see Vivian hunched over in her seat with her fingers to her temples and her eyes glued to an empty form. She looks like she’s trying to make the paper levitate with her mind. Just keep walking.
As I pass her, she looks up and we lock eyes for what feels like an eternity. A horrible stillbirth of an eternity.
“Yuko!” she screeches as I clutch my ear. Fortunately, she shuts up for a second before taking it down a few notches. “Yuko, can you please help me? I have no idea what to name myself.”
“And you think I can help you because?”
“I dunno… you just seem creative. Please? Any ideas? Just something for me to work with. Pleeeease?”
“I dunno.” I shrug. “Can’t really think of anything. Your Tech’s too weird to think of a decent name.”
“Isn’t there some kind of Egyptian god that would be fitting for this?”
“... There might be, but I don’t know.” My brain feels like it's just been turned to mercury. I feel hot liquid pulse and slap around my cranium. I have no idea how I’m still standing.
“I see.” Vivian glances back down at her sheet. “Thanks anyway. See you back at the dorm.”
“Yeah.” I escape out of the front entrance and immediately head back to my dorm room. There’s some team building activities and ‘helpful’ crime fighting seminars, but I don’t care. If any of that was really important, they’d make that mandatory. Halfway back, I come across the sweet smell of tobacco. My headache begins to subside and I follow the scent to the source. Past the Mission Hall, down some stairs, and into the park. On a bench under a tree, I see Josh hanging out smoking alone.
“Hey.” I sit next to him and lean on his shoulder with my mouth open. “Gimme.”
“I’m sorry.” Josh let out a puff towards the sky. “These cigs are reserved for polite girls.”
I roll my eyes. “Could you please give me a smoke?”
“That’s better.” he pops one in my mouth and even lights it up with the same lighter my dad uses.
I burn through half of it in one huff and let it incubate for a while inside me before letting it all out. “Aaaaaw yeah… you’re a lifesaver.” My head finally stops pounding, my stomach feels better, and everything stops being so goddamn loud.
“Hey, pace yourself. We’re in Cali. These things ain’t cheap.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I take another hit and let my own smoke wash over me.
“You just get out of the name registration too?”
I nod.
“Nice. What did you end up naming yourself?”
“Siren.”
“Yeah.” he chuckles. “That makes sense.”
“What about you?”
“Count.”
“Really? Count? You couldn’t come up with anything better?”
“Yeah, cause Siren’s real creative.”
“... That’s fair…” I shrug and almost finish my smoke. “But why Count?”
“Ever read The Count of Monte Cristo?”
“Nope.”
“You should.” he puts away his smoke in a little ashtray by the bench. “It’s a good book.” he gets up and stretches. “I gotta get going. Angela said she wanted to teach me how to play something called Third Strike.” he starts walking away.
“Hey.” I finish my smoke and toss it in the ashtray. “Can I get one for the road?”
Without looking back, Josh throws a smoke towards me with impressive accuracy. I catch it and stuff it in my shirt. “Thanks, Joshy.”
“No prob. I hear the 7-11 across the street has some halfway decent lighters.” Josh waves goodbye without stopping.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Vivian
September 4th, 2007. 10:38 a.m. Come on… Come on… There’s gotta be something… Maybe I could use some god’s name? No, that'd be pretentious. Size Girl? No… that… that just sounds… kinky. Growth Girl? No, that's worse. Far worse. Hnnnngh. Damnit. Why? Why can’t I think of a cool name? This is usually easy for me. I hear the door to the lecture hall open. Oh, hey. Janelle’s back for some reason.
“Hey, Janelle!” I whisper and beckon her over.
“Oh… hey… You…”
“Vivian.”
“Right. Vivian. I knew that. What’s up?”
“I need help coming up with a name. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Uh. Um.” Janelle’s eyes wander around the room. “I… I don’t have anything. Your power’s too weird to have a name.”
“Damn. Thanks anyway.” I fall back into my seat. “What’d you name yourself?”
“Phoenix.” she smiles.
“Dammit. That’s so cool. Why Phoenix though?”
“I just think they’re cool. I always wanted one growing up.”
“Aaaw that’s cute. What brings you back here?”
“I think I dropped my phone.” Janelle begins looking through the aisles.
“Lemme help you. I just… have…” Realization slaps me in the face like a cold sweaty slice of ham. “You… That’s it! I have the perfect name!” I fill up the form with my genius and submit it to the teacher. The teacher looks confused, but accepts the form nonetheless. “Alright. Where’d you drop your pho-”
“Found it.” Janelle dangles her phone by the decorative straps. The sheer amount of straps make her phone look like the world’s most adorable set of cat o’ nine tails. “Thank you for offering.”
“No problem.” I stretch my back with my hands on my hips. “That’s what heroes do.”
We walk out of the lecture hall and begin heading to the team building exercises at the park.
“What did you end up naming yourself?” Janelle asks while stuffing her phone back in her pocket.
“You.”
“Me?”
“No. No. You.”
“Yew?”
“No. You.”
“You?”
“Yes, you.”
Janelle’s face contorts trying to comprehend my life choices. “Why would you name yourself ‘You’?”
“It’s so that whenever I arrive on the scene, the villain can say, ‘It’s you…’ and then I’ll say, ‘Yes, ME!’”
“That’s really lame…”
“Well, I mean, that’s not the only reason.”
“What’s the other reason?”
“It doesn’t tip anyone off to what my Tech is. Once an enemy knows your Tech, they have an advantage over you.”
“Huh… that’s… actually a good point.”
“Thank you, thank you.”
“I might regret asking, but what’s your outfit going to look like?”
“Oh, that? I’m just going with some jeans and a jacket. Going for that blue-collar hero aesthetic.” I adjust my belt and put my hands on my hips once more.
“You just really hate dressing up, don’t you?”
“Can’t stand it.”
“You need to fix that.” Janelle shakes her head. “No one’s going to want to sponsor you with your current name and outfit.”
“Fine by me.” I shrug.
“What?” Janelle narrows her eyes. “Then why are you here? Don’t you want to be a professional hero?”
“Oh, I do.” I stretch my back. “I’m just not too keen on any company or government owning me. I’m gonna be my own hero.”
“Good luck with that.” Janelle points at me.
“And good luck to whatever you wanna do.” I point finger guns back at her.