Chapter 10: Heroine

Not being the average human anymore now that I have powers, I never had the thought of becoming a superhero. Then came a time, where I had to decide whether to get involved in other affairs when it came to life or death.

Alyssa

I arrived back to the UK safely and without any problems, feeling fresh as a daisy and confident that I'd be able to lead a normal life. I still had thoughts about letting others in about my powers, which might affect my relationships, but the person I most pondered on telling was my boyfriend Charles. Should he know or shouldn't he? If he did know would it jeopardise the strong loving relationship we have built up all those years.

Thinking about it caused me to dream about it that night.

We were having a picnic in a secluded area in the park. The whole vibe was romantic with bright radiating sunshine which made the fresh green grass glow like flexible strands of jade. The birds chirped and sung a happy tune, I felt like Snow White or Cinderella with her many animal friends come to visit.

The mood was happy and chipper, we laughed we kissed and exchanged romantic words which augmented our bond as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Then I divulged to him my accident which immediately concerned him. I told him I was unscathed, but something amazing had happened. My throat was dry but was tingling as I begun a little demonstration by moving a bottle of wine with my TK and refilling our glasses. He was shocked and backed away a little, but was amazed when I revealed that it was me doing it. I also zapped a cloud in the sky and it exploded and dispersed, creating a rift and revealing the blue sky it had been covering. I even morphed my body into liquid form to melt into a puddle, which I would maneuver into the distance and re-materialise back into human-form. This was where I would show him my last trick.

He watched me with an eager smile on his face as I returned the smile. I giggled, bent my knees and shot myself up in the sky with a whoop. I stopped myself before I hit the clouds and looked down at him, looking like a measly looking sprite looking up at me.

I paused a little and allowed myself to float before diving down towards him like a bomb dropped from an airplane destining towards its target. I landed safely and was greeted by an ecstatic version of my boyfriend who was effusing his bewilderment that he had a superhero for a girlfriend. Superhero, what was I thinking? I didn't even make up my mind whether I wanted to be a superhero.

I woke up and realised it was a dream. I rubbed my eyes and looked outside my window and it was a bright sunny day, resembling the one from my dream. Gazing out of the window and seeing birds fly by, I pondered on what my plans for today were. There was the arrangement to meet my boyfriend before traveling to London Gatwick to catch the late flight back to Spain. Other than that I had the morning off, I thought back to the birds that flew across my window and smiled at the thought of what I had in mind.

I had a light breakfast, would be better for me in case I got cramps. Afterwards I called J.R. and requested that he drive me to the Salisbury area. I made an alibi telling him I'm going to meet a female friend, when really my true intentions would differ.

Waiting for J.R. to turn up in front of the house, I grabbed my winter coat and ski goggles. I placed them in a rucksack and trickled (not as if I was made out of water) downstairs, excited for what I was itching to do.

J.R. was happy to see me, like he usually was. It seemed like he was willing to do anything for me, which did make me feel guilty for trying to take advantage of him. He did on the way question me about what I had planned and I told him that my friend and I were going to go bird-watching.

When J.R. dropped me by the small cafe I thanked him for the ride. He smiled with pleasure and asked me to give him a call if I needed to be picked up. I got out and walked into the cafe, hoping to hear the engine start and the crunching of gravel, knowing he bought my alibi and drove off.

J.R. did drive off and I peeked out of the window to confirm that he really was gone. Not wanting to be rude or disrespectful, I decided to order myself a vegan coffee just to pass the time and relax.

After I finished my coffee I walked outside to an isolated carpark, where the birds sung and the sun beamed through the trees creating a beautiful orange tint. I breathed in the beauty and continued my walk to a place of familiarity, the spot where I had my first flying lesson.

I reached the open field with not another person in sight, perfect. Now I can get changed and take off. Ducking under a tree I changed, hid my rucksack high in the tree using my TK and then walked into the open field. I gazed up at the sky with the blinding sun assaulting my eyes.

With one last brief inspection of my surroundings, I bent my knees and shot up fast and high into sky, a place which was peaceful, enthralling and vast in exploration. This was it, I was alone without J.R. to nag at me or tell me what to do. Having to hide in the clouds during my first flying lesson had diminished the fun and thrill of it, but this time I would properly enjoy myself.

With alacrity and determination churning in the pit of my stomach, I aimlessly accelerated at high speed past the clouds and had my real flight lesson. I was free as a bird.

I couldn't determine how long I'd been flying or how fast I'd been traveling, because I was having so much fun I could barely control myself. I didn't just fly straight, I also practiced some aerial stunts, practicing dives, twirls, barrel rolls and anything else acrobatic I could think of. In other words, I was like a flying ace without a plane, what was the name of the Red Baron? Manfred von Richthofen.

I knew intellectually that I should be worried about planes that I might hit or who might spot me and notice a flying girl, but my euphoric state of mind caused me to be reckless and indifferent to the risk I posed to myself and others.

I flew aimlessly for a couple of hours completely lost in the moment, unaware of where I was on the globe and unsure of when and how I would return back to UK. I'd need to make it back in time to see Charles before I headed to Gatwick, plus I didn't know how long it would take for J.R. to turn up and give me a ride back to town. Aw shoot, before I flew back the UK, why not spend my time flying all over the globe, knowing that I could probably make it back in time?

While gliding in the air at a comfortable speed, I received a call from Charles, so I stopped flying and hovered in the air to take the call. The brief call was lively and amorous, while I tried to make it less suspicious as to where I was and what I was up to. I confirmed with him that we would be meeting later and the call ended with a loving message. I decided that now would be a good time to fly back to the Salisbury area.

Just then I heard the muffled crackling sound of gunfire, something which sounded like an automatic weapon. My heart jumped upon hearing the sound and I hesitated. After a second I decided to descend below the clouds just to observe where it was coming from. Once below the clouds I stared at the scene spread below me. It looked like a warzone. There were explosions, armed soldiers and even tanks advancing towards what looked like a civilian area.

Oh my God, I saw what looked like terrified civilians. These civilians were caucasians and they were dressed in cheap looking clothes and the females wore head scarfs. Maybe I was still in Europe, maybe I was in the Balkans.

These civilians were fleeing from the danger and into their houses, where a small military unit pursued them. The scene shocked me to the core and I was horrified to see that some of those civilians were women and children.

I am not a violent person, I am a charitable, goodwill and altruistic person, who wants to help others. Killing unarmed people especially children I would not tolerate, I had to do something about it.

I flew low, unconcerned whether I would be spotted. I could see that the fleeing civilians were being rounded up and were about to be executed. The wailing screams pierced my ears and sank my heart, prompting me to try to intervene regardless of the consequences, disregarding the fact I might lose my life.

I made a hard landing in front of the huddled victims, just as the four soldiers opened fire on them. The bullets from the automatic rifles halted in midair and glistened like bright pellets in the daylight, suspended in front of me and the band of unarmed civilians. There was gasping and bewilderment from the soldiers, whispering in a language which I could not interpret.

I looked at the soldiers with a stern expression and let the bullets fall to the ground where they bounced like hailstones.

A soldier yelled an order and they opened fire, emptying their entire magazines at me, but that only resulted in their bullets again being stopped by my telekinetic force.

When it was clear that the soldiers were out of ammo and needed to reload, I took the opportunity to disarm them of their automatic rifles by telekinetically ripping them out of their hands and tossing them away.

Aware that the soldiers might not simply give up the fight or be intimidated by someone with such extraordinary abilities, I felt the adrenaline rush and prepared to incapacitate the soldiers. I saw one soldier trying to insert a new magazine, and I telekinetically grabbed another soldier and flung him against the soldier reloading, knocking them both down. One soldier had already reloaded his rifle to fire and with impulse, I shot an energy bolt at him rendering him unconscious. The last remaining soldier looked at me and I looked at him but, but not in my casual warm expression. This intimidating look I gave him made him pale and flee in panic.

After I watched him retreat into the distance, I turned to look at the people I had tried to protect. They were stunned and grateful that they were saved. I approached them with a smile, knowing that I was unable to speak their language or expecting them to speak mine.

Suddenly there was the thundering sound of automatic gunfire, which made me turn around. I saw a jeep approaching, with a driver and another man operating a machine gun turret. I morphed myself in a liquid blob which then swallowed the people and sank into the ground. I transported the civilians through the ground into a nearby building and then headed back outside to face the jeep.

Once outside, I could see the jeep personal baffled by what they just saw. I grabbed the vehicle with my TK and I lifted the jeep off the ground. It was a lot lighter than a truck. The driver desperately floored the jeep's gas pedal and the engine roared to no avail as he tried to regain control. Not happening. I flipped the floating vehicle and the two soldiers fell out clumsily. I then proceeded to crush their former jeep into a large hunk of scrap metal.

This supernatural occurrence frightened the soldiers, confused by what type of opponent they were dealing with. The soldiers turned around to see me standing behind them watching them, but before they could draw their guns on me, I knocked them out with two energy bolts.

I smiled, certain that it was all over and all danger had been eradicated, but then I heard the cocking of a rifle behind me. I turned to see an angry looking soldier, eager for revenge and expressing a bloodthirsty grin of confidence. The soldier pulled the trigger but there was only the sound of a click, his weapon must be jammed. Cursing, he dropped the gun and quickly drew out a knife to slash my throat but before the blade could strike my neck, I liquified my body. The knife slashed at the liquid, which protected me from receiving a fatal blow.

Suddenly the soldier was knocked out by a civilian, who had hit him on the back of the head with a shovel. The civilian said something in a foreign language. I could not understand the remark but his smile of thanks was universal.

We could hear the squeaking sound of wheels in the distance and I turned around to see a tank approaching us.

"Quickly, get back," I shouted, and was surprised to see the civilian who had assisted me run to safety as if he understood what I was saying.

I fixed my eyes firmly on the tank advancing towards me, and directly at the barrel that pointed in my direction. Eventually the tank halted and then lowered its barrel as I stared directly into the muzzle.

After a long pause, the muzzle spat out a blinding flash of light and a large shell suddenly froze in the air within inches of my face. I redirected the shell's pointy cone head and its momentum upwards. I released my telekinetic grip on the shell abruptly as the shockwave force from the cannon's blast slammed into me. The cannon shell shot upward into the sky and exploded overhead as I hurriedly threw up a TK barrier to shield us from any flying shrapnel or shockwave. Turning to my attacker, I seized control of the tank and then lifted it up in the air. God, it was much heavier than a truck and I was straining with the lift. Grunting with the effort, I turned the floating weapon upside down. I doubted that it could fire in that awkward position. Satisfied, I then waited for the tank crew to drop out of the top escape hatch where they would then be ambushed by the civilians who just armed themselves. Now the soldiers were the captives.

As a last course of action, I used my TK to visualize a sling and then threw the tank away. It had poor aerodynamics and slammed into the ground where I watched it roll upon impact. I could also see military units approaching from a different direction. These new arrivals wore a different uniform compared to the soldiers I had just fought. These uniformed soldiers approach the civilians with lowered weapons and a cordial manner, this proved that they were here to save the civilians from further hostile attacks. Maybe it was better not to stay around and bask in being praised as a hero. With a nod to the nearest civilian I took off and flew into the clouds.

It took me a while to get my geographic bearings. I was now somewhere in the Ukraine north of the Black Sea. Once I'd figured that out I was able to determine the direction of Britain and then headed home. My confrontation had strained me and it took a while. I was famished from my efforts but I had neglected carrying money on me to buy food, a stupid mistake. Eventually I made it back to the UK in one piece and landed back in the Salisbury area where I called J.R. and told him I was ready to be picked up.

When he arrived I was still shaking from the experience which had not only nearly gotten my face seen, but nearly cost me my life. On the way back to my parents' house, J.R. questioned why I was behaving erratically. I made up an alibi on the spot and told him I had consumed too much sugar and was a bit hyper. I looked at J.R. who nodded in approval. Maybe he did buy my weak alibi and wasn't going to scold me for lying.

I decided to stop off at my parents to get food and then ready myself to meet Charles. When I arrived at the house I saw that my parents were watching the news in the lounge. Being curious with how my parents seemed fixated on the TV news, I watched the screen from the doorway.

The newsflash was about the Ukrainian crisis, where there was now open conflict between the Ukrainian rebels and the Pro-Russian Militia.

The people on the screen looked very familiar, they were the same people whom I had saved earlier today. One of them was a middle age woman who described her rescuer as being a young beautiful female with god-like powers. Other witnesses who survived the onslaught described how this young female was able to single-handedly take down a small unit, a jeep and a tank.

Hearing their descriptions tied a knot in my stomach as I worried that this news story would subsequently get bigger. There might be further investigations which could result in me being tracked down and exposed. Wanting to take my mind off things, I headed to the kitchen to eat. I was still starving.

Then I'd head upstairs to get myself ready to meet Charles. I could use the distraction.

During my meeting with Charles, spending lunch at a cafe with him, I was still a little on edge about the conflict I had intervened in. Charles did not act suspicious about my body language, but did notice something was off about me. He noticed that I was staring at the TV which hung above the wall next to the counter. He turned round to peer at the TV and noticed that there was a news article about the incident in the Ukraine which I had been involved in.

Worried that further information would reveal clues that might point to me as the suspect, I focused on the TV, hoping not to blow it up like Matilda in the film. Concentrating and imagining a blank screen, the TV flicked off and left a small light blotch in the middle. The people who were in the cafe and watching the TV were baffled and awed, obviously eager to know if the mysterious suspect has been identified. Thinking about what could happen next, I was determined to get out of Britain as soon as possible, because if an artist's sketch of me was manifested then I would be cornered and hounded by those who suspect me of being the mystery girl with powers.

I was happy with how Charles and I departed, I was still showing signs of anxiety and he kept asking me what was wrong. I kept assuaging him and feeding him little alibis what was worrying me, which he bought and reverted to his normal loving self again. We kissed each other and went our own separate ways.

I missed my train (lost track of time because of my anxiety) so I called J.R. and he agreed to give me a lift to Gatwick. In order to help calm myself and take my mind off my growing paranoia, I talked to J.R. about superheroes. I'd never really had an interest in comic book characters or their fans. J.R. filled me in on the basics. He gave me a history lesson on how they made an impact and how they inspired many people's lives.

I found it interesting to learn that Superman was more than just a comic book character, he became a symbol of American hope during World War 2. He even told me about Spiderman, and how different he was from most heroes at the time. Spiderman was just an ordinary kid who was accidentally bestowed with powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Like me he relished and indulged in having superpowers, even went as far as using them for leisure. He became locked in his own ego and self-esteem he disregarded the idea of getting involved with fighting crime. This was something he lived to regret when he let an armed robber get away and that same armed robber killed his uncle, who was a father figure to him. This terrible tragedy motivated him to use his powers for good and that's how he became the superhero everyone knows him by.

I couldn't help but compare myself to Spiderman, none of my family or friends were killed, but I knew that under certain circumstances I would be compelled or forced to become a vigilante. The one quote that was mentioned when J.R. brought up, which I will always live by „With great power comes great responsibility". It was true, I was possessed great power, and with that power I'm responsible with how I choose to use it.

I was really thankful for J.R. feeling obliged to make the long journey all the way from Wiltshire to Gatwick. Why would he do this for me, was he wanting something in return or was he just being generous? I shouldn't think about it too much, I'm only trying to be nice and return the favours he does for me. I need him, but I'm not sure if he needs me.

When we arrived at the airport, J.R. walked with me all the way to the terminal just to watch me drop off my luggage and get my boarding pass. There wasn't much time to sit, relax and chat, because the plane was just minutes before everyone was boarding. I gave him a shy short hug before walking through security and hoping I don't miss my plane.

I made it just in time and had a relaxing flight all the way back to Spain, it did rain on the way there, which kind of set the morbid mood I was in.

It was pitch black when I arrived in Spain and I was feeling rather tired, I think I nearly nodded off in the taxi because I was so exhausted. When I got back to my flat, I saw that Clarissa was already asleep. I dropped my bags, took little steps towards my bed and collapsed on the soft springy surface. Without having time to be concerned about the aftermath of my recent involvement with the Ukrainian crisis, I fell asleep and was free of all troubles for now.

To be continued…