I was inspired to write this story by a character that appears in the story "Stitching Up The Past" written by BanishedOne. If you haven't read it yet, do so now, then come back here so you'll understand the wonderful character of "Silence" that was created and what's happening to her in the first chapter of that story.
I was originally going to have this beautiful character as an alternate version of Warren's mother (when you read about her you'll understand why), but then realized she would be much better as the love interest of someone else. And yes, I got permission to use her a LONG time ago.
Speaking of a long time ago, hey BanishedOne, when are you going to update "Stitching Up the Past"? This waiting is KILLING me.
Strong & Silent
Chapter 1
"First Encounter"
"I can beat him up…if you want me to."
She looked up, so surprised at the strange offer that she momentarily forgot the cause of her sorrow; a special edition of A Tale of Two Cities that had been given to her by her late grandmother now lay open, one precious page ripped out and now in pieces, torn apart in the span of an eye blink by the cruel boy that had just left.
Now another boy stood next to her, one who seemed the polar opposite of her tormentor in every way. He was younger than her, possibly a year or two at most. Though only a few inches taller he was built like some kind of overly developed strongman competitor, with wide shoulders and a deep chest that made his KISS t-shirt look like it was painted on rather than worn. Even relaxed his massive arms sported twenty-inch biceps and forearms that looked the size of her legs. His blue jeans barely held the equally powerful lower body, including legs that were like tree trunks. His hair was a wavy mess of deep brown locks that looked like it had never seen a comb, and his boyish face, which made him look even younger, was set in an expression of concern. His blue eyes looked made more for laughing than showing the worry they did now.
"What?" she said, not certain she had heard him correctly.
"I saw what he did to you," the boy answered, "he tore up your book like it was funny or something. Well, I didn't SEE him do it, but I know he did…and so do you.
"I can beat him up for you…make him apologize and promise not to do it again."
That was the oddest offer she had ever heard. She didn't even know this boy, who had to be a freshman, as she had never seen him before this year…she would have definitely remembered him…and he was offering to beat up her tormentor who had been destroying her books for the past three days.
"I…that's all I can do," he said, almost like he was apologizing, "I'm super strong. Breaking and hitting is all I can do. I wish I could fix your book for you."
She felt touched by his words. He seemed to be making an honest effort to help in the only way he knew how. But why would he do that? No one else ever really associated with her…they were all afraid of her. But he wasn't. Either he hadn't heard the rumors, or he didn't care.
"No," she finally whispered barely loud enough for him to hear, "thank you but…I'll take care of this myself. He'll slip up sooner or later and when he does…I'll deal with him."
"If…if you're sure," he said, looking and sounding dejected that he couldn't help, "but if I can help…just let me know."
He started to leave, and then he stopped and turned back around to look at her.
"My name's Steve…Steve Stronghold. I know everybody calls you "Silence". Even if it's not your real name…I still think it's very pretty…and so are you."
With that he turned and walked out of the cafeteria, amazingly shy for someone who she had heard of only by reputation as well.
Steve Stronghold, the son of the legendary Samuel Stronghold…Major Victory in his hero identity. The hero who, when he was Steven's age, had fought for America during the latter part of World War 2 against the likes of Dr. Skull and the Human Panzer, and hadbecome semi-retired a few years ago to raise a family at a later age than his peers did.
Steve had been the talk of the school ever since the first day of the new semester. Everyone was all excited that the son of such a legendary hero was now attending Sky High, and it seemed like all the boys wanted to be his friend and all the girls wanted to be his girlfriend. Of course there were a few holdouts; the skinny little boy who had taken it upon himself to torment her for apparently no reason, the dour, stringy haired girl with the thick glasses and perpetual frown, and a few others.
She wondered why someone who was on the fast track to the popular clique would even bother to notice her, much less make the offer he did. Did he just feel sorry for her? Or was he actually reaching out to her honestly, unafraid of anything he might have heard?
The thought stuck in her head all that day and into the evening after she had gotten home to her little house with her parents; her dad who was a brilliant scientist and her mother who had the power to assume a shadow form when she used to be a sidekick to a more famous heroine who had retired to raise her own family.
That night she dreamed of him; the messy hair, the concerned look, and the muscles. She had never thought of being attracted to one of the "muscle heads" as the super strong kids were called, but there was something about him that made him different from the crowd of boastful, loud and obnoxious boys and girls she had known in the three years she had attended the school. It seemed like his concern and gentleness showed through the walls of hard flesh, making it somehow a symbol of protection and comfort rather than brutality and arrogance.
The next day it went like it had for a week. She would be reading her book and suddenly a page was torn and rent, the pieces scattering as the boy appeared out of nowhere and sneered at her. She still refused to speak to him, only look at him with the same questioning expression, even though she had figured out why he had done it. She had heard of the stupid dare going around, the one where someone would try to get her to use her power, which she had not done since her first day as a freshman in power placement.
But this little monster was not worth it. Not yet. Either he would get it through his thick head and go on to pester someone else, or he would eventually slip up, and then she would get him. Now he slunk away and, sure enough, the large shadow fell over her again, and she looked up to see the young giant, his face even more pensive than before.
"I'll still beat him up for you," Steven whispered.
She felt truly touched now. This was an honest attempt to help, not another stupid ploy or dare to get her to show her power. No one was that good an actor.
"No," she repeated, "but…thank you."
He nodded his head and started to leave again, but as before he stopped himself.
"Could I," he hesitated, unable to look her directly in the eye, "could I walk you home after school? He might decide to try something worse and…I could be there to protect you."
This was completely unexpected. Did he somehow know where she lived? Of course it was a matter of school record, but she knew he did not ride the same bus she did, and the routes were extremely long range in some cases.
"I…live on the outskirts of town," she said, "that's too far away for you, I'm sure."
"Nah," he said, "I can just leap back home in no time. I can jump pretty far…about a quarter mile at a time."
Now this was what she had expected from a "muscle head"; bragging about one's abilities. But the way he said it, it sounded more as a simple matter of fact than a boast. He seemed to be very modest about it, as if it was no trouble and, if it was, she was worth it.
"Okay," she said, "I ride the number 27 bus. I'll see you there."
"Okay," he said with a lop-sided grin complete with big dimples that seemed more natural to him than anything else.
It was the end of the day, and the kids that couldn't fly on their own or didn't have some type of flying device had to make their way to the busses. It was a mad scramble as everyone told his or her friends goodbye for the weekend, promised to call, and hurried to get the best seats on their respective bus.
Number 27 sat off to the side, it was one of the last busses to take off as per the schedule. It was already full as everyone sat in the same spot they always did. One thing was certain…the back seat belonged only to her.
She didn't mind. It gave her more time to be alone, to sit and read or write down her thoughts…as if she really needed any more time for that. Friday afternoons were always the hardest for her because she would see all the other kids telling each other what they planned to do for the weekend and telling each other goodbye. Nobody ever said that to her. They always seemed relieved when it was her turn to get off the bus.
Now she sat there, actually anxious for the first time ever as she waited for Steve to show up. She didn't know what to say when he did, and rehearsed in her mind over and over again what she wanted so much to tell him.
But there was no sign of him.
One by one the other busses took off, each to deliver their cargo to its respective destinations. Soon it was Number 27's turn.
She desperately looked out the window. Still there was no sign of him. It was a trick. A cruel, stupid trick by a popular kid to show how he could get to even the most feared person at the school. She could already hear him and his friends laughing at her come Monday morning. Maybe he was even in on the book destroying cruelty of that little weasel, the two of them working together to win the stupid bet. She felt her heart actually hurting as the engines on the bus started up and it began to taxi down the driveway to start its take off. A single tear struggled to break free, but she fought to hold it in. He wasn't going to make her cry, damn him.
The rockets on the bus ignited, and just as it started to lift off there was a terrible lurching that would have thrown the kids out of their seats if they hadn't been strapped in. The bus itself was angling up into the air as if the rear of the bus was stuck on something. Some of the kids, including her, tried to look and see what was happening.
It was Steve. He had grabbed onto the bus, sinking his fingers into the metal like it was soft clay, and holding it down so it wouldn't take off without him. He seemed to be having a little trouble, mostly from not getting a good enough foothold; otherwise he probably wouldn't be straining at all. All the other students were shocked, and yelled for the driver to stop, which he did when he saw what was happening. He instantly cut the rockets but the bus was still off the ground, held there by Steve who, once he realized the bus was not trying to get away, set it down as gently as he could. He then grabbed his book bag and made his way to the doors, which swung open to let him enter, albeit sideways because of his broad shoulders.
"Sorry," Steve apologized to the driver and passengers, "but I promised a friend I'd see her home safely, and a Stronghold always keeps a promise."
No one was about to argue with Steve on that, especially after seeing what he had just done. Everyone was wondering who he was talking about, and more than a few jaws dropped when he gently sat beside Silence in the back seat, giving her a sheepish smile.
"Sorry," he whispered, "I couldn't ditch Boomer fast enough. Him and some of the other guys wanted to go do something, but this was more important."
She felt her cheeks grow hot, as she knew she was blushing, not just from what he had said and done, but the fact he had done it in front of an entire busload of students. Though it was Friday, the school would doubtlessly be abuzz with the news about what happened on Monday, if not sooner.
And now he was so close to her. Even sitting halfway in the seat so that he wouldn't crowd her with his greater bulk, he looked more a giant than ever in the enclosed confines of the bus. She could smell his cologne, mixed with a hint of sweat from his exertion of holding the bus down. She saw a faint sheen of perspiration on his skin, and could count the tiny hairs on his forearms. His bicep looked as big as her head. His profile looked like it was a Greek sculpture come to life. She had never really noticed how handsome he was until now.
She was so entranced looking at him she nearly forgot to get off at her stop.
"Here we are,' she whispered, suddenly once again shy. He stood up and waited for her to get out of the seat and followed her down the aisle and off the bus. As it pulled away she noticed that the eyes of all the other students were on her and her companion.
She walked along the street, not saying anything as she felt his shadow over her like a protective blanket. It felt good. When they arrived at her house, she paused at the door.
"Thank you for seeing me home," she said, "it was a very chivalrous thing to do."
"You're welcome," he replied, then hesitated again, "uh…if you're not busy tomorrow I could…I mean, maybe we could…go out to a movie or something."
Now it was getting totally surreal. It was one thing for the most popular boy to walk her home, but now ask her out on a date? She didn't know what to say at first, and he took it the wrong way.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I…I just thought…"
"Yes," she said, again in that same whisper he had to strain to hear, but hear it he did.
"Really? Great!" he suddenly caught himself, "I mean…okay. I'll pick you up about seven, okay? I'll see what's playing first, then you can decide."
"Okay," she said.
"Okay," he repeated, "well…uh, I guess I'll see you then."
He waited as she entered her home and gave him a little wave goodbye. Once the door closed Steven Stronghold leaped into the air higher and further than he ever had before, coming down a full half mile from his starting point. The ground shook slightly from his impact, and he looked around to see if anyone was about. Once he was sure he was alone, he reared back and bellowed his happiness like a young bull in the spring.
She had said yes…the fragile looking little dark haired girl with the pale blue eyes who dressed in such modest clothing. The girl who was always reading and writing, and who he had first noticed when he saw her nearly crying when her first book had been ruined by that skinny little jerk with the black eyes and the cruel smile. The girl who had touched his heart because he had been raised and taught from day one to protect the defenseless and help those in need. She had needed help, but the only way he knew how was to beat up her tormentor…and he would have loved to do that…he would have gladly broken every bone in the little freak's body at a nod from her.
But that had changed. All the rest of the day his mind kept drifting back to her, despite being in class or hanging out after school with Baron, Boomer and the others. There was just something about her that made her stand out from all the others girls, especially the flashy, brazen ones who kept coming on to him.
He had admitted from the start that he didn't know her real name, only her nickname of "Silence". He had also been truthful about how he thought both she and her name were very pretty…no, not pretty…beautiful. Her hair was as black as a raven's wing, and her eyes were the blue of a clear sky on a freezing January morning. She didn't wear any makeup, and she didn't need any…not for him, anyway.
So what if none of the freshmen or sophomores knew what her power was? So what if some jerks thought she was a villain in the making? So what if she read a lot and wrote as well? If anyone called her a nerd or a dog, he'd stomp him flat. She was so quiet and shy, so small and fragile that he just couldn't resist her; she was his perfect opposite…he was big, powerful, sometimes loud, which was the norm for a teenage boy with or without super powers, and very outgoing. Except with her. She made his knees go weak where he could leg press a good five tons for reps without straining. She made his breathing fast and shallow where he could run ten miles and even hold his breath while doing it and not strain at all.
He leaped again, soaring into the sky to land another half mile away. He was amazed. He was actually leaping further than he ever had before. Was that her power? Did she have the ability to increase the powers of others? Or was he just letting his happiness overcome any subconscious limits he had placed on himself? Actually the last thing he needed was to get any stronger at the moment, because he didn't want anything to complicate tomorrow night.
When he had his date with his silent angel.
To be continued.