Authors Note:

I know this isn't the story I should be writing since I hardly ever update so sorry to my fans but I'll update my other things eventually. I've a bit of the next chapter of 'The Secrets Out' written. Also I wrote this Xmen fan fiction in 2006 so I'm contemplating posting it. Its rubbish and self indulgent though.

Anyway I was just so overwhelmed by the lack of fan works on the internet for this amazing book 'Hero' by the late, great Perry Moore that I had to do something even if its as shit as this is. Also the fact the sequel he started will probably never see the light of day I thought I could come up with my own. I just can't say goodbye to this world yet. Fingers crossed the film/tv show will come to fruition.

Enjoy and thanks. Also sorry for the awfulness of this chapter. Also for any of my fans that haven't read this book I highly recommend it. Its not the best technically written book in the world but I loved it so. Definitely one of my favourite books ever. Its just like he read my thoughts or something.

Another thing this fic is full of spoilers for those of you who haven't read a book. Its my attempt at a sequel after all.

Also as always I don't own anything, all credit to Perry Moore. Heck I dedicate this to him :)

Chapter One

Thom's POV

Ugh… The day most kids dreaded was upon us.

September first.

After everything settled down after well how shall I put it 'The Justice Incident' I spent hours deliberating weather or not I should return to high school. I mean there are very logical reasons why I should stay at home but there is also the fact I don't have a diploma yet that's the issues. Though I don't really see myself going off to university and blowing my life savings doing a stupid major that will lead to a life of unemployment I'm more worried about the fact I won't be able to progress from the shity minimum wage jobs I've been doing since I hit puberty. Then there was the other job that I probably should be doing if only for all the zeros on the proposed salary. My stomach churned when I thought of that particular job. It was a mix of guilt and knowing I made the right decision. I had to live my life and it wasn't just for me but for the gang, Goran and his brother and heck even for my dad.

I pulled into the high school parking lot and finally found a space to park my ostentatious new car. The league sent me over a yellow Ferrari 458 Italia in an effort to butter me up. It wasn't the first over the top gift they tried to give me but after the aforementioned 'Justice Incident' my father's car was nowhere to be found. So since I had my license reinstated and places to go and things to do I couldn't refuse. Though I will admit more often then not I get embarrassed driving around in the thing. Everyone and I mean everyone recognises me now so the last thing I want to do is draw attention to myself but since I needed transport and didn't have much in the money department using a drop dead gorgeous super car wasn't the worst idea I've ever had. Plus I think if I didn't accept the gift Kevin would have disowned me. Personally I think Scarlett should be worried about the relationship he has with the car and the fact it kind of matches his costume doesn't excuse the fact he disappears for hours on a regular basis only to return home with his latest speeding ticket. Which is quite ironic when you think about the fact he has superspeed. It's a wonder he's still allowed on the road when my licence gets shut away when my leg twitches. Anyway I'm saving up for a bigger car, a family saloon or something. Something safer, more practical. Basically Just so I can travel in lager groups then two and so I don't have to put up with Kevin's drooling. I'm planning to give him the car as a gift when I get my new car anyway.

"Great…" I grimaced sarcastically as I noticed all the people that were already staring at my stupid car. Just wait till the saw me step out.

I grabbed my school bag, pulled it onto my back and braced myself. I held my breath as I opened the car door and ventured outside. The stares where minimal at first but then the whispering started and the pointing. I exhaled, repeating a claming mantra in my head. Unsurprisingly images of Goran swirled in the middle of it. God I was making the wrong decision doing this wasn't I?

I kept my head down as I clambered up the steps to the buildings entrance. I braced myself once again as I entered. I started walking down the long hall. I had to go to my locker before my first period English class. It was the first day so I had to dump a load of stuff in my locker. Unfortunately the pointing, staring and whispering didn't stop. As I walked by the stereotypical popular kids they all stopped chatting and turned a gaped at me. It was as if I was walking around it the nude or as if my brain was leaking out my eyes or something.

I made it unharmed to my locker. It was like returning to a home of an old friend or something. It was even found of all the dents, scruffs and scrapes on the its door. Over the years I've gotten fond of my locker since it was basically the only place I really felt welcome bar maybe the basketball court well until I was thrown off the bloody team. Plus there was all the times I was stuffed in here by the schools many bullies. Lets just say thank god I had those growth spurts. My heart filled with nostalgia as I entered the code.

As I began stacking my books as simultaneously I heard loud whispering behind me. I couldn't help turning around and sneaking a peek. It was a group of freshmen girls. They all looked the same if you asked me anything, fowling the latest trend I assumed. Though then again girls never really caught my attention if you get my drift. They started giggling and squealing at each other as soon as I laid eyes on them, living up to their stereotype.

As I turned back after rolling my eyes at the latest annoyance I noticed the A4 sized poster messily sellotaped to the inside of my locker door. I smirked nostalgically. It was a picture of Uberman. It really felt like a life time ago since my eyes last graced this picture. Not only did I know Uberman personally now things really had drastically changed since the last time I set foot in this building in all areas in my life. Where I live, who I live with and a million other things including the picture of Dark Hero I was now neatly covering my old Uberman picture up with. My heart warmed as I then stuck a picture of Goran and myself onto the top right hand corner. I was grinning like an idiot again as I remembered taking that picture. It was after a flour fight. We had taken it in our head one evening to bake cookies for everyone. It didn't work out very well. We ended up spending an hour cleaning and went to the supermarket around the corner and bought a packet of good old chocolate chips instead. I then but a picture of Scarlett, Kevin, Larry and myself in the other corner. I then stuck a Major Might sticker on the inside. All my fathers merchandise was re-released. I was sent boxes of the re-issued stuff. There that was this September's customisation done.

I just finished cleaning up my locker and organising my stuff before the bell went off. That one signalled that you were pushing it and that you should be making your way to your seat let alone your classroom. I locked my locker door behind me as I rushed to my first class. I was lucky my English classroom was just at the end of the hall. I felt disheartened as I walked into the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and there attention hopped onto me. Great… Here we go.

I tried to quietly and discreetly take my seat. I could feel my face burn and I was hoping to God I wasn't turning red. The whispers continued but soon I was saved by the bell and class started and it was as if I didn't exist anymore. I was anonymous. Just how I like it. Or at least while my classmates tired to stay awake as Mr. Bore waffled on about an egotistical, idiot prince of Denmark.

The class was relatively normal except the Mr. Bore or I mean Mr. Grayson hesitated on my name when he was calling out the register. It was odd. He looked up surprised when I routinely replied 'here'. Later though I was saved buy the bell once more and English was out and Biology was in.

As we filed out of the room some of my classmates who never spoke to me except for the odd rude remark either about my father or when they taunted me with the word faggot said things like 'Hey Thom' and other pleasantries.

"Mr. Creed. Would you mind staying behind a second?" Mr. Grayson requested suddenly. It caught me of guard but I complied. I was curious. What did he want? As the last person left he closed the door behind him.

"I was surprised to see you," he began.

"Oh," I said awkwardly, shrugging as I tried to figure out whether I should stand or sit. Be relaxed or tense.

"I mean I didn't think you were returning. I did see your name on the register last week when I was given it but I never thought you'd actually show, especially all that happened the last few months. I just thought they rolled over the list from last year," he continued as he began wiping down the board. I leaned against a desk in the front row.

"Well I'm a senior now. I thought it would be best to finish and get my diploma, you know?" I explained.

"Sensible and wise decision," he agreed as he picked a hacky sack off his table and began fidgeting with it, tossing it in his hands. He confiscated it off a skater while he was trying to drum Hamlet's courage soliloquy into us. He was young. I didn't know how young but I'd be surprised if he was anywhere near thirty. I started to examine him closer, trying to place an age on him and I realised in the short few months that were the summer he looked like he aged ten years. His eyes were tired, accenting the bags under them and even the beginnings of crows feet. A normally clean shaven man had thick five o'clock shadow. His light brown hair was longer, he had to keep pushing his fringe out of his face behind his ears which the hair had out grown. Also it was faint but I think he's gained weight, especially the beginnings of a bear belly and rounder face he seemed to have. He was never ugly but the summer seemed to take a serious blow to his looks. He was one of those stereotypical young, hip, cool teachers. The one all the girls fancy. However I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow he turned up with gray hair.

"Still… With being in The League do you think you have enough time for everything? Like I'm planning on unloading a hell of a Hamlet paper on you this weekend and that's just me. What about all your other classes? Your on the basketball team aren't you?" he questioned.

"Actually," I corrected.

"I'm not on the team anymore and I'm not actually in The League full time. I'm a permanent reserve member."

"Oh I just heard Uberman on Letterman waffling on all about you and your involvement," he responded.

"Yeah it's a publicity thing," I laughed off Uberman's keeping up appearances bullshit.

"What about the D-List Heroes?" he wondered. That's what people had taken to calling Golden Boy, Miss Scarlett, Typhoid Larry. It wasn't an insult or anything its what they called themselves anyway. Dark Hero and I were honorary members of them team too. Though neither of us could or in my case wanted commit to it full time. Luckily though my friends on the full time roster got paid the same as the A-level League members. Heck they would be in The League if it wasn't for or camaraderie and independent ways of going about things.

"I go on rounds with them from time to time but I'm serious about this I want to finish. I guess its hard to explain after all that's happened to me over the summer. And I know its not going to be easy juggling everything but I'm used to juggling. I don't want to give my life up to heroics. Not after how consumed the lives of well you know were," I divulge. He shuffled his feet, staring at them. He squeezed the hacky sack while avoiding eye contact with me. He got the reference to my parents lives.

"True I just don't want you to bite off more then you can chew. Also I want you to know I'm not going to treat you differently then any other of my students-" he replied before I interrupted.

"Exactly I wouldn't want it any other way. Just because people know about my powers and things doesn't mean I'm a different person then I was last semester."

"True and because of that I expect the standard of your assignments to stay the same. Heck we both know there's areas you could improve for that matter," he stated. He didn't say it angrily, strictly or in a giving out tone it was more like he was concerned yet it was somehow a nudge towards an order.

"I promise, I'll try," I offered. He have smiled accepting my offer.

"Okay and sorry for keeping you behind. Hurry now or you'll be late for your next class. I had my hand on the door knob and was half way out the door when Mr. Grayson stopped me.

"Oh and Thom! I'm sorry about your father and your mother. He was one of a kind your dad, wasn't he?" he sympathised.

"Thanks," I nodded solemnly. He turned around and began writing notes on the board as I left.

The bell rang out just in time. My biology teacher had spent far too long trying to explain natural selection, the Darwinian theory and all that. I still didn't really understand. A common place in Mr. Richter's science classes. He tended to muddle things up and not explain things very well from time to time.

The class was much the same as the last when it came to the points and stares. What I did find odd though was when we had to pick our lab partners. Over the years if there was an odd number in the class I'd be by myself or whoever was late or missed the class would be stuck with me. However today everyone was fighting to be my partner. I felt a little uncomfortable but it was probably because Owen the captain of the football team won the seat next to me. I just didn't really know him. Heck I hardly knew anyone in the high school.

As I was headed towards my locker to restock for French I could hear someone shouting my name.

"Thom!… Thom!" yelled Clayton Camp. He was on the varsity basket ball team. My former team mate. Like he'd care about the former part, no one did care that I was kicked off the team. Weather it was because of my sexual orientation or not. I laughed to myself. God I was being a bit bitter. Clayton was running up the hall towards me, against the traffic of students. He finally got to me slightly out of breath.

"Thom come quick something's happened…"