Y’know those hot summer days? The ones where the sun is blazing above and the squitos won't stop biting you as your skin starts to stick? Yeah, it was that kind of day when I first saw her on the TV. It was her debut as the newest member of ‘The Seven’—Starlight! A pretty blonde girl from a small town in Iowa, with the power to bend and use light. I thought she was really cool! I wanted to join The Seven when I got older too, and I hoped she’d be there to greet me.
I had the power of complete and utter invulnerability. Like that one supe, ‘Soldier Boy,’ from the '20s. He used to be my favorite because I could relate to him. That was until I read that he hated minorities and indigenous people, which I am! I'm a member of the Mvskoke Creek tribe . So, I switched to liking Starlight, a new up-and-comer, which I hoped to be someday!
My mom, who adored Homelander, always asked why I didn't like him. I couldn't explain it well enough, but I don't know—he always just felt off. Fake. Sadly, a few months later, the accusations came out.
The Deep, the most lame and boring member of The Seven, had sexually assaulted her. Everyone I knew believed it was a lie. I grew up in a small hick town where the only thing to do was be on drugs and a bunch of crack heads and thieves out here. Each thought she was lying to smear The Deep, a Christian man given power by God. My dad and I sided with starlight and my mom felt indifferent, She didn't care so long as it did not include Homelander.
From all the hate online she was getting I would be there in the comments trying my best to defend her with what little info I had. Though i was always outnumbered irl in high school by the starlight haters. I didn't care what they thought though I had powers they didn't. Every so often though I could tell I was being eye’d by my classmates their whispers were clearly audible to me, Though they never knew I could hear them. They’d say things about me being gay or a simp. None of it matters much. I had to be right. The Deep was a creeper and a rapist. There's no way I could forgive him for doing something like that to my hero!
I had better things to do than to listen to my peers though. I HAD to train. I had to make it into The Seven. As invulnerable as I was, I was barely strong enough to throw a car, meaning I could never keep up with either the speedsters or the ultra strong (who could pick up a car with one finger) I had to get better. I had to be better. There was a supe who was strong and almost invulnerable ‘Queen Meave’ She was my little brother's favorite. He would dress like her (though Rowan didn't have powers like me or her) and practice sword fighting with sticks. He thought she was so cool and I found that adorable. I picked up the idea from him actually back when we were little kids. Him 10, I 15. The idea of picking up a weapon, instead of just using my fists, I needed to set myself apart if I wanted to catch Vaughts attention. So one day early morning of 2015 i begged my dad to get me a sword.
It took a few months and a lot of chores to get one. But eventually I did, and I haven't needed another nor would I want another. It was a sleek black blade made of tungsten steel and a handle that looked like brass knuckles. The guard of the hilt looked little bigger than the blade. I could cut down trees in one swing with it, and occasionally I'd have to bend the blade back into shape with all my strength when I'd mess it up.
Every so often my dad would take me out to a field (my request of course) and unload his 12 gauge into my chest.
Hell one time he even got one of his military buddies to shoot an armor piercing round against me. The bullets and shells would simply flatten and fall at my feet. Though invincible I could feel the heat from each shot. It never hurt but more like it felt like I was being pushed by a smaller person in a specific spot.
“Jack you ok? That bullet could tear through a tank, you know that right?” With that question I fell to the ground pretending to be hurt. My dad had to withhold his laughter while his friend panicked. The friend rushed over to me only to jump up at the last second and tell him “you dropped this sir” and dropped the smoking bullet into his hand. The look of indignity on his face was priceless as my father let out a howl of laughter. Hours later after saying goodbye and getting a few dirty looks from the friend with a smirk on my face. It was dinner time and the house smelt AMAZING!
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That night my mom had prepared my favorite food, Fried chicken and corn on the cob. Rowan, now 15, was playing with his Queen Meave action figure smashing it into his potatoes. I loved him so much but damn was he childish and stupid. I'm sure if I wasn't his brother he’d get bullied, but most everyone in our school knew I had powers and that I was VERY protective of my baby brother. As my dad ate his food he was scrolling on his phone going through Reddit or something probably. My mom hadn't started to eat but instead watched me enthusiastically scarf down my food with a smile.
“Tomorrows a big day jack!.” I wonder what she meant tomorrow wasn't supposed to be anything special?
“Why is that?” I said through a mouth full of food.
“You’ll see. Don’t spoil it for him, woman!” my dad quickly interjected. My mom quickly went silent, flashing a smile to my dad, and proceeded to eat the food faster than even I had. We all finished our food quickly. Rowan refused to go to bed, so we stayed up a bit longer watching movies like Space Jam and SpongeBob. Around 10, he finally fell asleep sprawled out on the floor, holding his action figure tightly.
My mom had just finished cleaning everything up and was stepping outside for a cigarette. I promised her I’d carry him to bed as she passed us by in the front room. So I turned off the TV, gently picked him up, and carried him to his bed. I tucked him in, turned on his night light and fan, then made my way to my room right across from his.
Our house wasn't anything special, just a small countryside home with a deck that wrapped around it, standing a few feet from the ground. It had a single-floor plan with hardwood floors, three rooms, and two bathrooms. My room was the furthest from the door, with my bedroom door tucked away in the corner at a 70-degree angle facing the hallway. Inside, it was nothing big, just filled with a lot of posters of The Seven and anime I liked to watch in my off time from training. Starlight took center stage on the right wall, right next to my JJK poster of Todo. My bed was a twin-size memory foam. I fell onto my bed from a standing position, throwing my full weight onto it, and passed out almost as soon as I landed.
The following day, which my mom called ‘a big day,’ started with my usual routine of benching 300 pounds and running at least 11km. Afterward, from near the house I heard cars coming into our driveway. Two SUV’s pulled up and 5 men. Each stepped out and four of which where heavily armed they moved to seemingly guard the fifth, The One they guarded walked with a commanding presence. He wore a sleek black suit with the Vought emblem on his upper left chest pocket.
I’d never seen my parents act in such a manner. Usually, my dad would tell visitors to ‘fuck off’ and level a gun at their heads, while my mom, the even stronger-headed one, would offer them a swift kick to the ass. But now, they both looked like puppies eager to see their master.
My mom and dad never hid the fact that I’m a product of a medical procedure called ‘Compound V.’ They told me they were approached with an offer of a lot of money, under the condition that they’d experiment on my mom and me while I was in her womb. That’s why I have golden eyes and black hair, even though both my parents are blonde with blue eyes. Not that I’m complaining—I think it’s cool!
“Hello again, Miranda and Jason,” the man spoke as if greeting two old friends. I was only a few feet away, standing there, not knowing what to do with myself.
“I’ve come to check up on our investment and to offer another deal on the table,” he said, the last part as though it wasn’t an actual choice. Did this motherfucker just call me an ‘investment’? Ouch, I’m a human too, dick!
“Sure thing, Mr. Edgar! What did you have in mind?” my dad spoke quickly and timidly
Edgar?! Stanley Edgar?! This was the man of Vought. His dark complexion and charismatic way of speaking confirmed it. He was the man who owned Vought, the spokesperson, and the man behind the curtain! He was here talking to my mom and dad about ME? Why? Why would he come to a small backwater in the middle of nowhere?! Surely he had better things to do?