Returning to my body, huddled on the tile floor, pain, hunger, and nausea accosted me from every direction. I forced it all into submission using my renewed strength. My eyes quickly adjusted to the light. Jeff was kicking me, yelling, “Let go!”

My dress shirt was soaked in sticky blood, and I felt like a mop at a crime scene as I tried to collect myself. My right hand had a firm grip on Jeff’s ankle. I used my left to grab higher on the other pant leg then moved my right further up. I continued my vertical crawl up the fabric of his clothes to my feet.

When I stood to my full height and looked up at him with a deranged smile, Jeff frantically tried to pull away. His steps backward were followed closely by my steps forward in a slow tango led by the mad gleam in my eyes.

He backstepped through the door, and I slammed it closed. My palm hit the space between the door and the frame and I paused. Rather than simply tug at the foreign energy within myself, I looked inward.

Within my mind’s eye, I saw a frozen tundra. An icy wind blowing crystalline flakes across a landscape of white. I reached out to touch the scene and a chill ran through me. I grasped it and opened a pathway from my soul to my body. I redirected the falling snow through the corridor, causing a layer of frost to manifest mid-forearm. It thickened as the cold ran through my wrist and out of my palm.

With a burst of power, the door welded closed with a thick bead of ice. Using my body as a conduit for the sky-blue energy residing within me, mastery over ice was at my fingertips. I found it ironic that love was so cold.

I exhaled a frosty breath then rushed to the sink. The urge to throw up again was approaching a dangerous threshold. My heart started beating hard and fast. The pain had subsided, but that just covered the damage enough for me to think straight.

I had to heal enough to keep moving, retain enough energy in reserve to sustain my life, create a positive generation within my body so I wouldn’t deteriorate further, and hide the remaining damage from Shawn. Seemed easy enough, and my brain was up to the task this time.

It would be kind of hard to hide how bad of a shape I was in if I kept throwing up blood, so I prioritized my stomach. I wasn’t sure if it would be faster to convert the energy into its purest form to heal more efficiently or take advantage of the love at my disposal.

Power was running wild throughout my body trying to tend to my different injuries frantically, so instead of dillydallying, I chose to push it toward my stomach while converting it the best I could. I grimaced before it even got there. I realized a more pressing issue.

I was having a hard time catching my breath and my heart was beating so fast. While my encounter with the well-cushioned fast-food manager had been titillating, there had to be something wrong in my chest, too. I knew I had been hurt, but I hadn’t realized it was this bad. I decided that partially fixing the burger storage organ to save my love organ was for the best. By that, I meant the love organ in my chest.

Sirens in the background told me I was running out of time. I pushed more energy into my heart and lungs, causing my eyes to go wide. I tried to let out a scream, but the pain was so great that no sound escaped my lips. I hugged myself as I fell to the floor.

The pain lessened and I sucked in a full breath, wincing, but this time the pain was from my broken ribs. Tears flowed down my face. I couldn’t do any more. It was too much, I wanted to cry out for help, but there was no one. No one that could help me. I was alone and I wasn’t done.

Bracing myself, I moved energy into my stomach and the other organs there. I curled in on myself as pain mounted in my gut. When it was finally done, I’m not sure how long I laid there, but I knew it was too long. I had to move.

I shakily pushed myself up to my feet by sending energy into the muscles throughout my body. I walked my hands along the wall to the door and yanked on it. Nothing happened. I groaned.

“Stupid ice.”

I empowered the muscles in my arm even further and cocked it back. When my fist struck the frozen latch, the entire frame and door buckled.

“For death’s sake, get it together Jesse.”

I wiped my mouth as I rushed out into the parking lot. The sun was bright overhead and the heat from the asphalt distorted the air. I spotted Shawn’s car. He’d parked in a handicap spot because of course he did.

He was shaking his head and making a what-in-the-world-have-you-been-doing gesture. I sprinted to the car, ignoring the pain dulled by the power surging through me. Hurdling over the passenger door, I signaled him to go, expecting a chase like I had just robbed a bank and he was the getaway driver.

“Did you have to take a dump or something?” Shawn said with disdain, oblivious to the situation.

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“Let’s go!” I shouted emphatically. The sirens had gotten much closer, and I actually had a reason to get arrested this time.

“Let me guess. You tried to kill a guy because he wouldn’t touch your special place?” Shawn asked with a smirk.

“What? No!” But it came out a little more defensive than I intended.

“Then how do you explain the guy that ran out covered in blood, holding himself like he’d just been violated.” I stared at him with my mouth agape.

“I—that wasn’t me. Just go.” The blare of sirens and flash of red and blue lights reflecting off houses was a clear indicator of the imminent arrival of the police.

“Uhh… yeah.” Shawn put the car into drive. “If it wasn’t that guy, then I think the girl in the drive-thru noticed all the blood in the car.”

“Nice going,” I scolded, averting my eyes.

Squealing tires in the distance caused Shawn’s eyes to widen. He slammed on the gas and hastily turned the wheel. The convertible struggled to get traction, but after a moment, the rubber gripped the pavement. Unfortunately, it wasn’t before the police flew into the parking lot.

With our car in motion, I kicked open the passenger door. Using the seatbelt as a safety line, I leaned out over the blacktop. I skid my fingertips along the pavement and pressed a chill into it. Frost trailed behind us through the turn out onto the street. Two police cruisers tried to pursue, but when they hit the ice, they careened into Benny’s Burgers, narrowly missing Jeff as he came running out.

Pulling myself back into the car and shutting the door, I sent Shawn an icy glare, “This is literally the worst day ever.” He stared at me in awe, then shook his head with a scoff.

“You’re unbelievable. You can shoot lightning bolts and freeze the ground, but you waste all your time healing people.” His attention remained on the road, but reaching behind his seat, he pulled three paper bags sagging with grease and practically threw them at me.

“Here are your 30 sandwiches. I threw in a kid’s meal so you would have a toy to play with instead of yourself.” I opened one of the bags and started devouring the contents immediately. He hadn’t been joking, in the second bag was a child’s portion of chicken nuggets, fries, and a little action figure. It was a hero in a mask wearing spandex. That warmed my heart a little, he was so thoughtful.

Most of the way through my burger jamboree, Shawn slowed the vehicle, a sign we had escaped pursuit.

“Jesse?” he said hesitantly. “You said Cara was going to need more healing, right?” He didn’t look at me, but there was a somber, almost pained look on his face. “Don’t tell her that it was my fault.”

I responded to Shawn’s plea without hesitation, “Of course. Anything for you.” And I meant it. He was my student, and I wanted the best for him. I would carry his burden. Sure, he was conceited, but beneath his exquisitely chiseled exterior, he—I tensed. Squinting, I smelled the air, then myself and grimaced.

“Oh death,” I whispered to myself. The energy was influencing my thoughts. On the other hand, we were stopped near a delicious group of ladies enjoying lunch at an outside diner. Before I could get out to dazzle them, however, the light turned green. I turned back to Shawn whose brow was furrowed.

“What’s with you today? You’re acting so weird.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” I said, then winked before I could stop myself. Death help me.

“I hate you,” he replied after staring at me longer than any driver should.

No other words passed between us during the drive. We approached the curb in front of my apartment with three bags of empty burger wrappers on the floor.

I originally planned to leave the action figure in the convertible too but decided I really did want it. It was a memento of my superhero days and that one time I saved a city from darkness. It was almost like it happened just yesterday, or even that day, I thought with amusement, then I started thinking about something else and left it in my seat.

With one foot out the door, I glanced in Shawn’s direction. He didn’t turn toward me. His eyes were glued to the bottom of the steering wheel. His face looked the same as when Mrs. Hasbrook had accused him of incompetence.

He hadn’t chosen to walk the path of power. Shawn never asked for his abilities, but he was trying his best to handle it. Before this, he probably felt a sense of accomplishment that the months of focus and practice were paying off. Even though he screwed up bringing Cara back, it was progress. I could lighten up on him a little.

“Shawn,” I said with a concerned expression. He tried to hide his dismay when he redirected his eyes at me. “You’re going to have to change before your tee time.” Then, with a smile, I turned and strut toward my apartment building without looking back.

As I entered, I saw that Dale was still sitting at the security desk. When he looked up at me, he jumped to his feet.

“Jesse!”

“What?” I asked in a chipper tone just before making it to him. The vivid world I had been experiencing faded to gray. My posture drooped and I just managed to keep myself upright leaning on his desk. “Oh…”

“What the he-heck happened?”

I chuckled. “Heh. You should see the other guy.”

“I doubt he looks worse than you.”

“Oof, that hurts, Dale. You know I work hard to look good for you.”

“You might as well give up with that ugly mug.” Dale pulled my arm over his shoulder for support. “Ugh, you’re tracking blood all over the carpet.”

“Cut me some slack. I’ve had a rough day.”

“Jesse.” Even Dale couldn’t maintain the charade as he guided me past the desk. “I know you’ve been pushing yourself harder than usual lately, but this is too far.” I looked down at myself. He was right.

The constant stress of money and feeling like I wasn’t making enough of a difference weighed on my soul. It wasn’t really about the money though. My desire to make a positive impact was the main thing that drove me. But that wasn’t entirely true either.

My sins were so heavy. I wasn’t selfless. I just thought if I saved more people, I’d feel less guilty. I was tired, but I refused to burden others with my pain.

“C’mon Jesse. You’re not as light as you look,” Dale complained.

“Huh?”

“I’m not going to drag you all the way back to your apartment.”

“Oh—right.” I tried to put weight on my legs, but they were shaking too much. The act of moving them sent agony through me. He noticed.

“What’s wrong?”

I winced and forced a weak smile as I turned to him. “My legs are broken.” Then I started coughing and my vision faded.

Before I knew what was happening, Dale was carrying me in his arms like we were crossing the threshold as a married couple… into an elevator.

Before the darkness took me completely, I caught a glimpse of Dale’s stern expression accented by flecks of blood on his cheek.