I wanted to help people.
There was a girl with black hair and glasses standing in the hall, talking to a teenaged boy in rocker gear, when the doors to the elevator opened to the training floor, where the bathrooms were.
“Oh, I love it! You look amazing!” The girl grinned and moved toward me. Instantly my body tensed. The boy saw at me and grinned. He was staring at me, and I could see his eyes were studying the outfit.
“Awesome,” he commented.
“I’m Josie. You must be the new girl, Gwendolyn. Welcome to the Hero Society.” The girl waved, and I am pretty sure I let out a sigh of relief that she didn’t try to hug me. Her energy was calm despite her exuberant greeting. I hope that meant she was just excited to see me. Most people were indifferent to me, so excited would be cool.
“I think you’re scaring her.” The boy walked over to Josie and lightly put his arm around her, moving her back a bit. Great, I’ve already messed up this whole first impression.
“Hi.”
I spoke softly, and that was it. I didn’t know what else to say, feeling awkward as can be. Pops had been hanging out in my backpack with my clothes, but decided now was a great time to make his entrance. I hope they were kind to him, too.
“Hi, I’m Pops, Gwendolyn’s sidekick. We are happy to be here with you guys.” He was so articulate, and of course after their wide eyes disappeared they swooned and asked me a bunch of questions about Pops.
The boy, who introduced himself as A.J., noticed I was getting fidgety and looked ready to go. So, he said he needed to go back to the computer room and Josie should come with. They were nice, and I was grateful he read my emotions so clearly. I was trying to be polite—I knew it would have been rude to leave, but I wanted to.
I moved quickly to the bathroom and changed into my normal set of clothes—skinny jeans and a sweater—so I could head home and relax. I’d put the white boots back on until I could figure out a way to make them more compact. They would take up a lot of room in my pack.
There was still no one in the training room as I peeked out of the bathroom. I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d had enough excitement and emotions today; I didn’t want to ruin any more first impressions today. Maybe another day I would try to talk to everyone.
But tonight, I just wanted to go home, shower, play with Cora, and then draw up some plans for my hero outfit.
Easy. Simple.
Then tomorrow, I’d wake up, go for my run, and start the routine all over again.
Chapter Four
Arthur
I hoped like hell that this girl was a routine girl and ran every day. I’d been stretching out here in the cold all morning waiting for her to come running around the bend with her still slightly frightening dragon.
I’d spent all day yesterday trying to come up with a plan. Should I run next to her and try to start a conversation? Do something crazy to get her attention? Not say anything at all and just watch her run by like last time?
For fuck’s sake. I used to look at a woman with a sexy smirk, and eyes that said I would make her forget her own name, and that was it. After my revival, I put on my glasses and lost my swagger, giving up the asshole life.
Keeping my head off of the change in me and what I would do when I saw my new muse, I got to work in my warehouse.
Before I knew it, I had been welding a scrap metal sculpture all day and into the night. It reminded me of her. It was only three feet tall, but it made me think of her, comprised of all-recycled metal I’d found while cruising through the city dump. I liked taking trash and turning it into something beautiful. I loved painting and many other types of art mediums, but upcycling was my favorite. I figured I was helping the environment while at it, too.
Lugging the sculpture out to the park wasn’t too hard, in fact it got my muscles all warmed up for a jog.
I watched as the snow fell on the twisting metal that looked like a swirling tornado but hinting at the curves of a woman with blue eyes.
The girl was nowhere in sight, and neither was anyone else for now.
“Time to practice,” I said aloud to no one but the trees and myself. I tried to learn more about my powers when I could. Snow was a form of water, and I was able to manipulate water. Move it, shape it, wielding it completely. Water was inside me, and I felt the water around me like an extension of my own body. It pulsed and moved, with every molecule vibrating.
I took my glove off, even though it was cold, and felt the snow beneath my fingers.
Lifting my fingers, the little flakes followed them up like a reverse snow fall. I’d been untrained when I fought with the Hero Society, and that didn’t end well for me.
I thought about what I wanted the snow to do, and a solid snowflake of ice formed above my palm. It had sharp edges, with a flawless pattern. Tossing it up in the air, suspending it without touching my skin. Then with a quick flick of my wrist, the fused snowflake spun like a ninja star toward the park bench that was near. Sharp corners embedded into the cold wood.
Fighting was not something I wanted to do, but if there was a repeat of the past, I would not be so helpless. I had the power of water on my side, one of the most dangerous weapons in nature. I may be an artsy, mild hoarder of a man with geeky glasses, but I could fuck someone up if provoked.
