Within the next hour, Remy did nothing. He stared at the clock on his wall, watching the two hands make snail’s progress. Faint screams still lingered in the back of his mind.
On autopilot, he left for school early at 4:00 AM. There was no way he could face his parents. All it would take was eye contact for them to know something was wrong. They could sense things like that.
His parents didn't know he had been shadowing Amelia's night shifts for the past six years, and he intended it to stay that way. If he told them what had happened, they would not believe him, and even if they did, what would be the point? What would be the point in telling his parents that Earth’s first and last line of defence was corrupt? His father was merely a lecturer on superhero history with no superpowers, and his mother was a therapist who could manipulate dreams. What could they possibly do in response to such a heartbreaking revelation without evidence?
His father in particular adored superheroes more than anyone. The idea of convincing him that the top hundred were not pillars of justice made him want to throw up. Wasn’t losing a daughter enough?
He walked to school, initially taking the longest detours, but then quickened his pace after being swarmed by superhero billboards. The bastards were everywhere. For almost every advertisement, one of the top 100 ranking superheroes was featured. Could he never buy another product again?
The morning lessons passed quickly. Maths. History. Biology. Remy avoided social interactions and concentrated on listening to the teachers or solving whatever question was presented in front of him, pretending like any of it mattered.
By lunchtime, as usual, his friends surrounded him as they argued about the state of the hyperrealistic VR game industry. Remy stared off into the distance, mindlessly eating a sandwich until a sudden change in topic caused him to bite his tongue accidentally.
“The Endless Superhero Association are legendary,” Ryan said. “Did you see how they eliminated the A-Tier invasion? We’re so lucky to be alive in the Super Era. Imagine living in a world where superheroes are only fictional. Couldn’t be me.”
“Flashpoint Guild is better,” Sabeena said bluntly, playing with her pink hair. “Instant is a brilliant leader and should be ranked number one.
“You’re just saying that because you like his mask.”
“Black masks are sexy. Don’t judge me.”
Remy grimaced as the faint screams resurfaced once again. The whole incident– Amelia’s abduction and torture– was too vivid in his mind.
“Instant never shows his face,” Ryan snapped. “For all you know, he could be butt ugly.”
“Nope, I’m sure he’s handsome,” Sabeena retorted. “Have you heard his voice? That teleporter is stunning. I am sure of it.”
“Whatever. In any case, your logic is flawed. Endless is the best superhero and, let’s face it, he always will be. The man has single-handedly saved Earth more times than I can count. Calling him a man is an understatement. He’s like the physical embodiment of good. A paragon of justice.”
Their conversation continued for what felt like longer than any of the morning classes. The top-ranking superheroes were discussed with such adoration by everyone around Remy and to make matters worse, more people latched onto the conversation as if it was a contagious virus.
“Remember the livestream where Instant saved all those victims from that flood?”
“Give it up, Amelia. Don’t make me take a hostage... It’s only business. Now come.”
“Phoenix is an underrated superhero. That man has healed millions and holds the all-time individual save record. His guild is great too. Don’t sleep on the Flow Defenders.’
She can’t fall unconscious so how about we use that to get… creative.”
“Do you think Endless has an endless life span? That would be cool because then he
could protect us forever.”
“This is most certainly a strange question, but how would you like to die?”
“Shut the hell up!” Remy roared, shooting up from his seat.
He breathed heavily, quickly regretting his aggressive display. Everyone in the cafeteria stared with stunned expressions.
Tears unexpectedly began to flow. His best friend was gone, and she would never come back. Who could he talk to during those long late nights now? How could he continue to live knowing evil was boldly out in the open yet blind to everyone?
----------------------------------------
Once Wide Awake’s death reached the public, Remy took a break from attending school, and in his free time alternated between callisthenics and inadvertently acting like a mannequin. His mom also took time off work while his dad continued working.
With the lights always switched off, Remy tended to curl up on his bed and wished sleep was possible so he could escape reality. His mom had to remind him to keep up with his hygiene and remain a functional human being.
He rarely went outside and ate only one meal a day so that his mom wouldn’t complain too much. Some nights, he heard his parents attempt to cry discreetly, which broke his spirit even more.
The absence of Amelia was too noticeable. She was the light of every room, always able to cheer a family member up. Remy even missed her annoying habits. Maybe she rambled too much and tended to inform people about information that no one asked for, but the disappearance of those traits was a painful reminder of her demise.
The only thing that gave him some resemblance of happiness, and it was more of a bittersweet feeling than anything else, was the overwhelming consensus that Wide Awake’s impact on society had been nothing short of monumental. On social media, countless citizens recounted their experiences with Wide Awake where she had risked her life and displayed courage to save them. Even the cancerous news outlets that tended to trash her name praised her fruitful superhero career.
Remy spent one evening stuck in autopilot, barely acknowledging his actions when his phone began blaring. He froze mid-press up and narrowed his eyes. Sighing, he reached for his phone on the nearby desk and switched it off.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Another B-tier threat had somehow wormed its way into Everforge City. Extraterrestrial. As strange as it sounded, Remy had associated the alarm with excitement because it meant he got to watch his sister in action.
But not anymore. Now she was gone.
Remy slowly crawled his way back into bed. Moments later, his father opened the door to his room.
Remy groaned. “You said you would knock first. Knock first.”
“Knocking is pointless if you never respond.”
Remy frowned under his covers. “I’m not sick. I’m not hungry. I’m fine. I need some time alone. Go away.”
“I think you need new material, son. You’ve been regurgitating those same lines every day. Creativity is good for the brain. Switch things up.”
Remy didn’t respond.
“Your Mom and I are watching the action downstairs. The alien threat is surprisingly close to us this time. You’re welcome to join us if you want.” His father waited a moment before throwing the covers out of Remy’s grip.
“Hey!” Remy complained, shooting upright. He almost tossed a firm rejection but decided against it, noticing his father's gloomy expression and bloodshot eyes.
“You can’t stay like this forever, Rem. You know Amelia wouldn’t want that.”
----------------------------------------
Ten minutes later, Remy trudged downstairs and watched the A-rank superhero, Midnight, fight the alien group of glistening crimson slime balls known as Radiants with his parents. They watched silently as Midnight took full advantage of his flying superpower to stay out of range of the Radiant's puking projectiles.
The veteran superhero unnecessarily spun in the air and dodged out of the way in the last second every time like there was a chance he could lose. Remy increasingly got irritated as it became evident the fight was being dragged on for entertainment purposes.
Suddenly, his father exploded, echoing his exact sentiments. “Come on! Finish it already!”
“Calm down, dear,” his mother said.
“How can I when the glorified drama queen looked at the camera five bloody times?”
“It’s annoying,” Remy said.
“See?” His father barked, eyes lighting up. “Rem agrees! My rage is valid, dear.”
Eventually, Midnight concluded the fight by conjuring a wave of purple acid which obliterated all the Radiants in one mighty attack. As the interviewer began to ask the superhero questions only moments later, Remy tuned out, trying to find an answer to a question of his own: Was Midnight in the white room where Amelia was tortured and murdered?
He sat upright on the sofa and squinted his eyes. Midnight’s super suit was a vomit lime green. It seemed familiar but a lot of the top-ranking superheroes wore green.
A response to a question caught his attention…
“It’s a great honour to be part of the Endless Superhero Association despite only ranking 89. It’s the best guild in the world, no doubt about it.”
89! I remember seeing that number.
Remy’s eyes widened, fists clenched, as the vivid memories flooded his mind. While Amelia was being tortured, Midnight was one of the many spectators, lingering in the background. He had watched silently.
The superhero had not been involved in the torture and had even complained at one point.
But the motherfucker had still done nothing.
All of a sudden, Remy was locked into the interview. He leaned forward.
“Once again, thank you for your service. One final question for the night. What would you say is your philosophy as a superhero?”
Without skipping a beat, Midnight answered, “Saving lives no matter the cost. That is all.”
Remy stood up from the sofa and bolted out of the living room. He dashed upstairs and for the first time since Amelia’s passing, he entered her bedroom, grabbing her hoverboard which leaned against the wall.
“Remy sweetheart!” His mother yelled from downstairs. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good!” Remy yelled back, rummaging through his sister's wardrobe stacked with experimental or outdated superhero tech. “I’m just going to take a quick trip!”
“You’re doing what?” His father yelled. “Not tonight you’re not!”
“Where is it?” Remy muttered, tossing various items in the air. He almost smiled. Amelia would have given him the most vicious slaps known to humanity if she was still alive to witness him rummaging through all her shit.
“There still might be aliens outside!” his mom shrieked, her slow footsteps coming up the stairs. “Don’t be silly, it’s too dangerous!”
Perfect, Remy thought, raising a navy blue grapple hook in the air. “Don’t worry! I’ll be back soon.”
Remy leapt out of the adjacent open window and broke his fall perfectly with a roll. Although it was his first attempt, it felt like he had completed the action a thousand times due to watching countless Wide Awake livestreams.
He exploded into a mad dash and jumped onto the hoverboard. Within seconds he was reaching speeds that rivalled the hovercars and grounded electric vehicles whizzing up and down the street.
Remy pressed a button on his watch and a hologram displayed, showing Midnight engulfed by many fans. As he expected, the people pleaser had stayed to take pictures and sign merchandise that would most definitely be sold online for three times the original purchase price.
BEEP, BEEP!
“Get off the road asswipe!” one driver heckled.
Police sirens blared in the background as Remy swerved in between vehicles, completely ignoring the traffic lights. Never before had he felt such a strong desire to get from one location to another.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Remy swore, glancing at the watch’s hologram. Midnight was waving goodbye to the crowd of adoring fans.
Almost there. One left. Two rights. One more.
Remy rose the hoverboard to its highest possible altitude before shooting the magnetic grapple hook into the sky.
CLING!
He hung from a flying private spherical capsule, the very same ones his father would pay for to watch Wide Awake in action.
Midnight began his ascent and Remy glared from above, eyes wide, tears spilling into the air. No, you don’t! He swung off the grapple hook and collided with the superhero mid-flight.
“What the hell are you doing, kid?” Midnight yelled.
Remy seized the superhero's arm and bellowed, the torment in his voice painfully obvious. “Saving lives no matter the cost is your philosophy? Then why didn’t you save Amelia? You’re full of shit!”
As soon as the words left Remy’s mouth, all the energy and passion left his body, and a dark bundle of sadness replaced it. His grip loosened.
Maybe this was a good opportunity to see his sister…
They were already at a high altitude and Remy had said what he wanted to say. He did not want a response; he did not want to go back home; and he did not want to do anything anymore.
Remy let go. Midnight grabbed his wrist before gravity could take hold and flew to the nearest rooftop, gently letting him down. Remy tried to push Midnight away but the superhero barely moved an inch. “Why help me and not her? How could you just stand there and watch my sister get…” His voice dissolved away. Tears threatened to spill once again.
“Forget what you saw. It’s best you pretend it never happened.”
“You’re a hypocrite. How can you talk so righteous to the public like that? How are you not ashamed–”
“I am!” Midnight roared, hands suddenly covering his face. “Wide Awake was the purest superhero who ever lived. Of course, I’m ashamed.” He dropped to one knee as if struck by a fatal blow. “There’s nothing I could have done, kid. The top three superhero guilds are strong enough to do whatever the hell they want, and the monsters who tortured and killed your sister are the same treasures who protect Earth from cataclysmic dangers three times a week. So unless you can find replacements for an Omega-level threat, there’s nothing you can fucking do about it. Continue to live in the peaceful, thriving world your sister worked hard to protect, and accept your new reality.”