It's been four weeks since 13 year old Alec was cursed into the new life of a full grown man, with powers he only dreamed were possible to have.
People tried to help him and take the curse away but he had refused and by the time he had let them, it had been too late, he will look forever ten years older of his real age.
There was no going backand and that scared him, more than once he had found himself outside his aunt house, staring in front of the door, wanting to enter and have his old life back.
But he couldn't. He felt himself change day by day, maybe it was part of the curse, he didn't know, but each day that passed he felt less and less like a kid, and at the same time he still didn't feel like a man.
He stayed at the watchtower now, most of the days studying in the mornings, at the insistence of Chloe of course, she said that working has a superhero didn't mean he should abandon his studies.
So that he did, in the afternoons he trained with her to gain more control over his still new powers, and finally at nights he was left in the city to save people from the forces of evil, at least that's how he like it to see it. He came back everyday to the tower with a sentiment of fulfillment by helping people.
Well, almost everyday. Today wasn't the case, today was one of those days he felt completely lost in the world, and was left sitting in the couch contemplating into the night events.
"Are you okay?" Chloe's voice snapped him out of his trance; he looked up at her from his spot in the couch.
"Yeah I'm just…" He didn't know exactly how he was, but the hesitation in his voice betrayed his statement.
"Confused" She finished for him, and she couldn't be more right but at the same time it felt like something more.
"Yeah, there are thing I still don't…" the words die in his mouth as she sat next to him, hoping to give him comfort.
"It's okay I'm way older than you and there still some things even I don't understand"
"She was just a little girl, and he…he was his father" his voice cracked and didn't allow him to finish
"You need to know that there are some things we don't have control over"
They stayed quiet for a while, he was thinking over her words and she was giving him the time to, until he broke the silence.
"After my parents' accident, my aunt told me that there were things, bad things that happened to good people, and most of the times it wasn't anyone's fault" Chloe saw as he cleaned the single tear that escaped his eyes "So I always dreamed of been a hero and stop those things to happen to people… I just never thought that people were part of those things"
Chloe watched as his eyes held a mixture of confusion and hurt. She still didn't get use to the way he wear his feelings right in the open, while almost everyone, herself included, try to hide them.
But that made her notice something else; his boyish wide smile that made her feel interested the fist time he met him, was less and less present in his face and that made her somewhat sick. It wasn't fair to him to lose that, to lose his innocence.
"I've been thinking, that maybe I should go for a while" He turned to look at her, no noticing she had been staring at him.
"What?" Her voice came a little higher that she intended but she couldn't help it, of all things that had caught her out of guard.
"I want to go out of metropolis" The way he talked…he had his mind already made out.
"But… Why?"
"I know it's normal under the circumstances, but I realized I don't know anything about the world…and today I realized I don't know anything about life" She heard the frustration in his voice, something she had never heard from him before.
"You're right, it's normal because you're just a boy, something you forget sometimes, you shouldn't be by yourself out in the world" She told him, still not sure if trying to convince him or her.
He looked away shaking his head at her words "That's the thing, i'm not, at least not anymore" He turned to her with an intensity in his eyes that challenged her previous words "And I'm not allowed to be, no if I want to help people, to be a hero and be someone to be look up to, I can't be a kid anymore".
Chloe was shocked silent for good three minutes before she talked again, a smile n her face of having just realized something as she did "Don't worry I think you're in the right direction"
His eyes went wide at her word as he turned to her "What do you mean?"
"No 13 year old would have come to that and made this choice on his own" He returned the smile after that.
"Don't feel like a 13 anymore, you know?, but still feels like this is something I have to do" They stared at each other for a few seconds before the weight of the situation came to her, he was leaving, she turned to try and hide the sadness in her face and the tears that treated to fall.
"You know I can't really go in peace in you keep doing that"he said tilting his head just enough to see her eyes
She still didn't look at him when she answered "Doing what?"
"Trying to hide how you feel" that did make her turn completely to him "You did it when we first met"
You keep trying not to smile.
"And you keep doing it now, you are sad that's not something to be ashamed of, there's nothing wrong with showing your feelings".
"Sometimes, especially if you've been burned too many times, it better not to" her voice was barely a whisper; he was sure any other person wouldn't have listened.
"Even if you pretend they not there, it doesn't mean they don't exist" He could see the tears forming in her eyes.
"But maybe… maybe they can't hurt you again" The tears finally break down through her face.
"You are amazing because of how you feel" She turned to him at his words, and he caressed her face, cleaning her face from her tears "You help people every day, you help heroes every day without asking, never second guessing, you're the most amazing person I've ever met and it's all because of how you feel"
After registering his word and with wide eyes a small smile formed in her face "You know, I should be the one enlightening you about life and not the other way around"
"Well my aunt always told me I was quite mature for my age" She just looked at him with a full eyebrow raised "You know comic books aside and everything" That gained him a chuckle from her before they fell into silence.
"I'm going to miss you" she finally said
"I'm going to miss you too; I could never repay what you have done for me"
"You could"
"How?" He gave her a curious look
"Promise me you'll come back" Her look became serious, eyes searching into his "That whenever you feel ready, you will come back"
His brows furrowed before he broke a small smile "That was never a question" his smile turning into a grin
"Good" Were her only words before matching his smile
After a few hours later he had his backpack ready "I'll see you later" He smiled to her and she nodded, he turned his back to her but stopped him before he could move.
"Alec" He turned back to her "Thank you…Thank you for everything"
He nodded to her "Your welcome citizen" with one last laugh from her he started floating outside the Watchtower window before turning and speeding away, leaving the familiar glow before it began to disappear in the distance.
Life always had a way to leave her alone in the same spot, but for the first time she didn't feel sad about it, no, for the first time in a while she felt happy and confident about the future, a better future.