Page 17 of Day

He led me up one floor to the chill room, which had a sofa, two large chairs, a big screen TV, and all the electronics to compliment it.

“So you lost your home? Fire? Burglary?” I was out of my element here, so I decided small talk might help. I was shit at it, but I tried.

“Explosion.” He said it without emotion, just like he had told me the color of his mailbox. His answer was not what I was expecting.

I stayed quiet and waited for him to get started on his story.

He watched me, and his stare felt like it was inside my soul, reading all my secrets like they were written on a piece of paper.

“Got any family members named Louisa?” he asked randomly.

Thinking back, I tried to remember any family members with that name, but came up short. Once my parents didn’t want me anymore, I stopped caring about the Daniel family history.

“Not that I know of.” I was getting a little impatient for the origin story, as Rose had called it.

“Very well,” he said then launched into a fantastical tale of the Greek gods, and how they put all their powers into the world of men so that heroes would be born to protect their fellow humans.  It was hard to believe, but then again so was having super-strength and inhuman speed.

Rose came in shortly after Draco had finished his story and started talking about everything else. It was a large information dump on my brain, but I listened.  They were training to be who the gods had wanted them to be, protectors of mankind. Draco had been a general in ancient Greece and was chosen to be the leader of us with powers. Our teacher. A slight tinge of familiar resentment ran through my head as I thought about how his long absence affected people like us, not knowing what was happening to us or why. I could see how the other society had formed, the bad one. Rose said they wanted to reign over man using their gifts.

The Raven, or Emanuel, as was his given name, sounded like a bad dude, and truthfully I wanted even less to do with either of these societies after I heard their tale. It was deep shit, and I had enough going on. All this information didn’t change anything for me. I was a freak, and despite the well wishes of the gods, I was not superhero material. Heroes didn’t hurt people. I had. I was no hero.

“So now you know why we need you, and why you need us. You don’t have to be alone anymore with your powers. Draco can work with you, help you learn to control them, so you won’t be afraid anymore.”  She obviously had been in my head, reading my emotions as I was feeling them.

“I’m not your man. Seems like there are tons of people out there with gifts, since they’ve gone unchecked for fifty years.” It was a stab at Draco, and he didn’t even flinch with my words. I stood and thought about my next words carefully, so I wouldn’t piss anyone off more than I might have already.

“Thanks for telling me all this. Really. But I just want to finish my deal with your brother, then head out to sea on my boat.”

Her body deflated some, but then she pushed her shoulders back up. Unwilling to give up the fight.

“Our first recruit died before she could join us. People are being taken, and their powers sucked out of them. Others are dying every day, and we have a chance to save them.  You can sit on your boat and watch the world of man burn, but one day you’re going to realize you are part of this, whether you wanted to be or not.  We will always rise above and fight the shadows, even after there is no light. So hide on your boat, but sooner or later you’re going to get dragged into this fight, either willingly or by your last fucking breath. Choice is yours.” She stormed out of the room, anger pouring from her like a flooding faucet.

“Sharp-tongued warrior,” Draco muttered, and I couldn’t have agreed more.