How To Save A Superhero

You know your day's off to a great start when you preface it by gasping for breath while caked in sweat. My mind took a little while to shape the blurry, jagged mess of colors splayed in front of me to the familiar, friendly glow of a couple neon signs I kept hung on my wall. My walls were plastered with posters and old Rolling Stone articles from the 1970's. I even had a few drawings up there, created by your's truly. There were heaps of clothes littering my floor, making it into a minefield of old band shirts and old hand-me-downs. It was a disaster, but it was comfortable. I was happy living in what my mother so often describes as a trash heap.

I glanced down at my clock- 6:27. I had about a half hour to get the hell out of my house before my mother woke up. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I try to run away from her, per se, it's just that it's easier for me to avoid her altogether. But, I don't want to get into that right now. I just needed to get out of the house. The most common way I did that was going for a walk. Running was a bit… off-limits for me, at least in public. Reaching blinding speeds usually doesn't get you caught or exposed to humans as a mutant, but on the occasion that I am caught? I just go straight to considering myself in a grave (which, I admit, doesn't sound too bad to me, sometimes.). I quickly stuffed myself into my binder, slumped on an old shirt and some pants, and got myself out the door as I was still pulling my shoes onto my feet.

I took in a deep breath. As I exhaled, my breath escaped from me in a large, wispy puff and my nostrils burned like they were the barrel of a gun. It was definitely hard nipple season. That is to say, it's cold outside. The sun was still working on pulling itself above the horizon and colored the cloudless sky in a beautiful gradient of deep pink and orange. It was mornings like this that made life seem just a little tiny bit closer to worth it. It was also mornings like this I was thankful for my longish hair (it at least covers my ears) and my favorite chrome-colored jacket, since it was near freezing out. It was to be expected of winter in New York. But, I loved mornings like these. I rather liked seeing the few sleepy-eyed students carry their steaming coffee as they sluggishly make their way down the sidewalks, I loved watching the morning fill with color, I loved watching musicians begin to line up on the streets, and I especially loved seeing the very top of the tallest buildings reflect the orange glow of the heavens surrounding them.

Okay, I got carried away there. But, when things like that were one of the last things you hang around for, you cherish them. A lot. But, I suppose by now you want me to get to the story. I was making my way down a sidewalk that was in dire need of some repainting as an old Pink Floyd song was blasting through my earbuds. I'll probably give myself ear-cancer (does that exist?) with how loud I listen to music, but, it's so well worth it. I looked up at what seemed to be just the right time- something, no, someone was plummeting. A few buildings ahead, I could clearly see a figure dropping to what seemed to be their doom. The building they seem to have fallen from wasn't too tall, but it was tall enough. I knew my powers were usually off-limit at this time, but there was something I had to do. I couldn't just stand there. And so, I kicked myself into high gear and the entire world around me froze.

You see, the way I run is weird. I end up going so fast that everything around me slows down, and I travel through at my own relative speed. 5 minutes to me would end up being maybe a few milliseconds to the rest of the world. Well, it depends on how fast I'm going. The higher of a mach I end up reaching, the more energy it uses up. And boy was I really pushing it right now. I kept my focus on my target- the person, who now didn't look like they were plummeting so much as they were falling through a pool of a thick, viscous liquid. I reached my destination, and time snapped back into place. Boy, was that stupid of me. I was knocked right into by the falling person, and it kind of felt like a wall had hit me. A few popping sounds, some groans, and an eye opening later, I came face-to-face with who I'd saved.

The figure was entirely suited from , head to neck. There was a mask flung to the ground next to this gaudy individual. This person seemed to be a very young man, maybe about my age. His skin was pale and bruised very slightly around the eye, like it had been healing. There was a mess of sweat-soaked brown hair atop his head. A semi-shiny fabric of red-and-blue clung to his skin with a ferocity that seemed almost painful. The insignia of a very, very edgy spider on his chest reflected the few beams of light in the alley. Spiderweb designs ran the length of the boy. And then, his eyes snapped open. Brown eyes. Very big, very brown, and… very scared. His irises traced the ground until he saw me, goggles on, hair an absolute mess, kneeling over him like an idiot. And the first thing out of his mouth was,

"Shit."