Hero High: Figure In The Flames

by Chara, Mina

  “Watch,” he said, but I couldn’t, so instead, I blinked, and everything stopped.

  I caught my breath, and tried to steady my heart. I felt like I might die from the stress of it all, but I couldn’t give in, I was not going to watch Ashley drown, hell no. I might not be Adam Armstrong, but I knew I’d find a way to make Coach Flat regret what he did to Dr. Dangerous, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let history repeat itself.

  Think Friday think! How could I get through that box? It was one of the world’s strongest substances, but what was holding it together? Glue? No. They said it was molded. The hinges where white, I couldn’t tell how they were attached.

  I wound my memory back further, watching everything I’d seen play out once again. They’d sealed him in with a lock. It wouldn’t be a tumbler, I saw wires, numbers, and what? Plastic explosive. So, the box would explode if I tried to open it from the top. What could I do!? How could I break him out?

  I sat there in silence for what seemed like forever. Not bothering with memory, or possible scenarios, I settled in the darkness as I thought everything through. What was I missing? Frustrated and angry I ran my memory back further and further until I reached the point where the flat pen flew through the pillar. How had that been possible? Why was the pen flat? The Coach could make other things flat? Of course! His clothes flattened with him, which meant his power applied to more than his body, it applied to things he touched. My memory sped forwards again and found the pen, flat against the ground, it was at least ten minutes since he’d thrown it, and it was still flat. That pen would be flat on this floor until the floor no longer existed.

  It was an honest to God eureka moment. Coach Flat could cut through anything, that’s what made him so deadly, and if he could affect things within a certain radius of his body, then I could steal his power! I blinked the world back into action, and looked straight up at him. If he was going to use his power, I’d have to make him angry. I looked directly at the box, and did as he said, I watched, and I showed no emotion. It wasn’t long before he yanked at my restraints.

  “Cry!”

  But I didn’t, in fact, I did nothing at all, hoping against hope my last ditch effort would work. “You little-” he raised his hand for the chop, I turned round, stuck a finger in the air and touching his hand with mine, made sure it came within the radius he could affect. The air popped. It was strange, I could feel it. I spun my arms round, dodged his chop, and kicked him back with my heel. Using my new flat finger I cut my restraints and confused one of the thugs by chopping the tip off his gun. The few seconds I gained were just long enough; I kicked Coach Flat to the ground and still dazed, he thrust his flattened hand at me. I ran forwards making for the window and Jake moved to intercept, I was sure it as all over.

  Kevin the cameraman, my cameraman swooped in, and tackled Jake to the ground like he was a superhero himself.

  “Run, Friday, run!” He yelled, and held Jake off just long enough for me to get the lead. The camera crew cheered as I leapt out the window onto the falling snow, and dived into the river below.

  The water was painfully cold but the shock kept me alert. The light of the sun barely penetrated the water, the yellow of Dr. Dangerous’ hair was the only visible color. I pushed through the murky water and grabbed the sides of the box before showing him my flattened finger. His eyes widened, and he moved back, there was only an inch or so of air left.

  My finger cut through the hard substance like butter, the water rushed in and Ashley pushed his way out. As I carefully cut his ties his eyes fluttered closed. I did my best to pull him to the surface, but he was too heavy. I shook his chin, and his eyes opened again. My chest was on fire, collapsing in on itself, my body demanded I open my mouth but I knew if I did, it would mean the end. Ashley’s arm wrapped round me, and together we pushed, we pushed up, and up like the light of the sun was the light at the end of the tunnel. When we finally broke the surface the crowd exploded, then, as I helped him onto the concrete, Ashley went limp in my arms and the crowd went quiet again. He wasn’t moving.

  “You don’t need CPR,” I told him, “I can see your chest moving up and down.”

  He sighed and opened an eye. “Worth a try.”

  “Idiot.”

  He laughed before turning over and coughing for good measure. The crowd, held back by barriers, let out a sigh of relief. I shook my head at him, how could he be so relaxed?

  “What, we’re friends again?” I asked him.

  In answer he locked his arms around me and the heat of his superpower chased away the chill of the ice cold water. “We were never just friends. Besides, I knew you’d save me.”

  Coach Flat ran towards us, pushing the crowd of fans out of the way. He raised his hand, ready to attack. I pushed up to intercept him, but Ashley grabbed my sleeve. “Friday, you can’t fight him!”

  “It’s my job. Remember?” I said.

  “Nobody can beat him!”

  “I don’t need to beat him,” I pointed out, “he’s using the serum, right?” Ashley nodded. “When did he last take an injection?” I asked.

  “Yesterday, around about now,” Ashley told me.

  I nodded and stood up as Coach Flat advanced. “Then I just need to keep him occupied.”

  “It’s too dangerous!” yelled Ashley but I ignored him, and ran for Coach Flat. The Coach’s eyes went wide with shock. After all, the dumbest thing I could do was run towards the deadliest man alive, but hey, that’s the job. He swung his arm at me, I ducked, and the crowd gasped. He moved to slice my legs, I stumbled back. I could feel my power slow things down for a fraction of a second so I could work out what I had to do and keep my reactions on point. He aimed right for my chest, I blocked his hand and in reaction, he flattened his arm. I heard the pop before it happened, and drew my body back. I was falling when Lisa kicked him in the side, retreating before he could flatten. His feet remained three dimensional, but the rest of his body went paper thin, and a boom echoed through the room. I gulped. Barney stood next to Lisa as Coach Flat glanced around. His hand popped back, and then his arm.

  “Shit!” his hand flattened again. He was close to his limit, I just had to distract him a little bit longer. The man was a human boxcutter but still, I lunged forward and this time Coach Flat darted out of the way. He knew I could hurt him. He’d never faced a real enemy and he was scared.

  He doubled back, holding his hand out to Jake, “Gimme the syringe!” Jake fumbled in his pockets, pulled out the long gold syringe and slung it across the courtyard.

  Lisa intercepted his throw.

  “Not today, Satan!”

  “Yes, Lisa!”

  She nodded, and threw the syringe to Barney before Coach Flat could attack. His whole body popped back into three dimensions; you could see his feet wobble, his instinct was to fight, but he couldn’t without his powers. Instead he tiptoed backwards, ready for a run. Lisa raised her finger and tutted, but the Coach turned and sped off down the street where he collided with Barney and Lisa slapped handcuffs on him.

  “Get off me!” the Coach yelled. Barney was only just strong enough to hold him down. Lisa pulled him to his feet and the fans began to clap. I breathed a sigh of relief and tore off my jacket to wrap it round Ashley’s shoulders, it was only just big enough for him and he was shaking with cold.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll get you back to the Super Structure, warm you up.”

  “Promise?” he said, eyebrow raised.

  “Shut up.” I looked away to see Coach Flat being bundled into a van as the police pushed people back. The Coach was screaming at the top of his voice, I couldn’t make out what he said, but I could see confused looks on the faces in the crowd, and then I heard it.

  “Play the tape!” the thugs who’d tazed me nodded and I got to my feet, but it was too late; every screen in the city flashed into life, and every single one showed the same looping image. Stories above me, looking down on the city square, the screen showed security camera video of Dr.
Dangerous pulling me in for a nice long kiss. I didn’t understand what was happening until I saw the fireball hurtling towards me.

  “Lisa! Get Dr. Dangerous out of here!” I yelled.

  “No, kid, you’re coming with me!” said Lisa, but Jake was advancing, determination in his eyes.

  “Go!” I yelled and though reluctant, Lisa took Ashley by the shoulder and dragged him away as he coughed and sputtered. People needed her, the only one who needed me was Jake.

  “How could you?” Jake screamed, “he’s a super villain!”

  The crowds began to back away, but Jake just turned around to the school.

  “Leave them alone Jake!” I said, “they didn’t do anything.” he turned back and looked me in the eye as he sent a huge blast of red hot fire towards the other students.

  “You should have thought about that before you kissed him!” he yelled.

  “You’ve got no right to be upset!” I said inching forwards.

  “Bitch!” he trained his fire on all the students like a hail of bullets from a gun, backing them up against the building.

  “Jake stop this,” I cried, “stop being, this!”

  “You think you’re better than me just because you got super powers!”

  “No!”

  “So what if I had to get mine from a syringe!” he yelled.

  “Jake, stop!” I yelled again, but he was way past the point of control.

  “Everyone should know just how un-heroic you are!” he said and the fire that encompassed his body flared with his anger. He stopped and turned to the cameras and I ran to stop him.

  “You see her?” Jake said, “you want to know how she got her powers?”

  “Jake no!” I yelled, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t cross the line.

  “She killed her mother!”

  Everything in me stopped, I hadn’t said it in years, neither had my father, my sister, or Jake.

  “Yeah, that’s right! She’s a murderer! She’s always had anger issues, she just can’t turn it off! And I’m the bad guy! I’m not the bitch sucking face with a super villain!”

  My fists clenched, my nails drew blood from my palms. He turned away from the cameras, stepped towards me and gripped me by the chin, nearly lifting me off my feet. The crowd gasped, but his grip was distraction enough, the other students made a run for it.

  “You threw a stupid tantrum in the car and she died in the crash. You killed her!”

  “I don’t remember,” I told him.

  “Convenient, isn’t it?” he said and his face twisted into a smile.

  “I was eight!”

  “It doesn’t change the facts,” he said softly, “you’re still a murderer!”

  My fist reacted by itself, ready to bloody his nose and make him pay, but all I could see through my tears were wistful memories of who we’d once been.

  Jake was my first friend, my first crush, my first refuge. He’d been so funny, sweet, and kind, I’d always adored him. He made the days I couldn’t stand to be alive, worth living. He’d made me smile for seventeen years. Why was he making me cry now? Why had this happened? I loved him with all my heart, I still do. I wasn’t in love with him, but I did love, him, like a brother, like a friend, I don’t know, it doesn’t matter. But just because you love someone, and you know no matter what they do you’ll always love them, it doesn’t mean you keep coming back when they call, and it doesn’t mean you’re obligated to give them a third or fourth chance. Love isn’t an obligation. I loved him, and I was so tired of fighting.

  My fist stopped a fraction of an inch from his face. He smiled. He’d won, in a way. I’d made the choice to not be that person, to not be the little girl throwing a tantrum, I chose not to be the person who punched a man in the face for saying something stupid, I chose not to be the girl that beat a friend half to death, I chose to be a superhero, and I chose to change.

  But being a superhero hurts.

  Jake hit me with all his strength, and I felt a tooth loosen. The side of my face felt numb, like I’d had my soul knocked out of me. When you’re hit like that, it takes a moment to register the pain. I stumbled backwards, but I didn’t fall. The wave of pain was like another punch, but I stood back up and straightened my shoulders.

  “I’m not going to fight you,” I said, like a kid unsure of the answer the grownups expected.

  “No, you’re not,” he said as he nodded to the his band of heroes with hand guns and they rushed towards the crowd. “You’re gonna let me kill you.” Someone from the crowd screamed, a woman’s voice, faint, told him I was just a kid. “And if you don’t, they die.”

  I laughed. After all, this was what I’d been waiting for, a chance to do something. If I let him beat me to death, would I finally be forgiven for my mother’s death? I wanted so much to be forgiven.

  I looked at him, and nodded. “It won’t make you a hero,” I told him, “isn’t that what you always wanted, to be a hero?”

  There was a moment when the realization crossed his face; he’d never be a hero, only a villain, but, just as I had, he accepted the idea.

  “Heroes aren’t real,” he said and hit me again, this time in the gut. It felt like my organs had been thrown up into my throat. He grabbed my shoulders and slammed his knee into my stomach. Blood poured out of my mouth. The people in the crowd gasped in horror and gripped each other tighter. Another voice pleaded with him to stop.

  The only thing I could feel was pain as he slammed my head into the ground, and stepped away with pride. I’d never felt such intense pain. My eye was swollen, my mouth numb, every inch of me had to be cracked or bruised or worse, but I pushed up with my good hand all the same, and once again, stood in front of him. He’d said he was going to kill me, I didn’t plan to die lying crying on the ground.

  He gripped me by the back of the head and slammed his knuckles into my nose. It splintered. Blood spilled over my face. All the screens in the city were focussed on me, bruised and bloody, beaten to a pulp by my best friend. I bit at my bottom lip and tried to stop myself from crying.

  “So this is you trying to be a hero?” he said, with a smirk.

  I spat the blood from my mouth, my vision was blurred with blood and tears. People in the crowd were crying. All he had to do was push and again, I fell to the ground. I couldn’t fight him, not again. Even if I died, I wasn’t going to fight. Adam had killed Dr. Dangerous and regretted it the rest of his life. I wouldn’t make the same mistake, and if I resisted, innocent people would die. He stepped on one of my legs and I heard the bone snap. I screamed and tried to take a deep breath, all around me, people in the crowd were crying out for him to stop.

  I tried to speak but my voice was gone, so instead I wrapped my fingers around the leg of his trousers. I wanted to say, ‘I love you, stop this, this isn’t you’ but he kicked me and shook me off as he screeched, his fire sputtering, jolting, burning my skin. The flames all around him grew larger and larger, like a star ready to explode.

  “You’re not a hero!” he screamed into the crowd of crying citizens, but a small voice from behind Jake disagreed.

  “She’s my hero!”

  A little girl in a blue cape made out of a weathered towel stepped forward, a garden hose in hand. It was June with Mrs Mine, her stuffed bunny, in hand. She gave Jake a fierce glare, and water erupted from the spout on the hose. It was nothing like enough, she was no threat, a water pistol trying to put out a house fire, but she stood there all the same and despite the blood and pain, I couldn’t help smiling.

  Jake screamed as he used whatever power he had left, flinging it all at the little girl. My hand reached out, I wanted to protect her. There was nothing I could do, but I wasn’t alone.

  The bright neon yellow of a fireman’s jacket dropped over the little girl protecting her from the fire, while someone pulled her away in the nick of time. A heavy jet of water pounded Jake into the ground. For a moment I was lost in confusion.

  Firemen and women lined up with their
hoses, dousing Jake in water his fire couldn’t escape. Men and women from the crowd tackled the heroes holding hostages, prying their guns from their hands and forcing them to the ground. A medic hoisted me up, and the crowd of everyday people surrounded Jake, scared, but brave, holding him down as a policeman cuffed him and read him his rights. June’s blue cape swayed back and forth in the wind, someone had done her hair so it looked just like mine.

  People crowded round me, each one wanting to make sure I was still breathing. June held out her hand as I was pushed into the ambulance, I wanted to take it, but the pain was too much. My hand shook as I tried to lift it and my vision narrowed to a pin point. Before I could take her helping hand the world went dark, but I knew I’d made the right choice. I’d changed.

  I blacked out in December, and woke up in June. My father and sister were both by my side when I woke up, my father crying with relief and my sister collapsing onto the ground. My father had practically lived in the hospital for all those months, and the captain, who’d been my room mate for several days, had got into the habit of reading me the headlines every day without fail.

  My flattened finger was three dimensional again thanks to a helpful hero.

  I spent a day having the doctors look me over, clearing me to leave, telling me I needed a wheelchair, in case the leg Jake had broken acted up. My father agreed, and offered to pay, but in the end Hero High covered all of my treatment. Only a day later Veronica stormed into my room, unscathed and unfazed by what had happened, telling me I had a party to go to.

  It was only five in the afternoon, the sun was still high in the sky as Captain Fantastic helped me into a wheelchair I didn’t really need, and my father and sister stood nervously at the side. Veronica insisted I keep the wheelchair near by in case and I had to admit, although my legs weren’t damaged, I probably didn’t have the strength to stand for too long. Regardless, I considered a protest, but the captain just shook his head. D’fwan and Carol stormed into my hospital room, immediately claiming it as their own and Veronica leaned down to explain.