For the sake of the story, Royal Woods is next to a big city. Because I couldn't think of a clever way to show a superhero in a small town.

She was walking to the bus stop, minding her own business. It was a full day of shopping done, whole sets of outfits collected after her shift at the store. Great deals and offers were made. Money spent, money saved.

And yet, that looming pain existed in her chest.

She was sitting at the bus stop with her bags, waiting patiently, when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey girl!" Lori, her eldest sister greeted. "How's everything going back home?"

"Oh, great!" Leni cheerfully chattered. She filled Lori in on their latest escapades. New details on how their siblings were trashing the house in her absence. Leni told her about her day, and the pain shrunk with the conversation. It was good to hear her sister's voice again.

There was a pause in the conversation, and then a change in subject.

"How are you holding up?" Lori questioned.

Leni didn't answer right away. She wanted to tell her sister not to worry, that she liked having the room all to herself and the extra closet space that was just a bus ride home away from being filled up, but she couldn't find the words to say any of it. Any attempt at an answer died in her throat.

"Hey," Lori pushed, "Are you still there?"

"Yes," Leni found that word easily enough.

"Okay," her sister sounded sullen. "Hey, it's not like we're not ever going to see each other again, right? I'm coming home for Thanksgiving, and Christmas after that."

Leni didn't answer, though she found it increasingly more difficult to keep the tears at bay. She sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes.

"Hang in there, Leni," Lori told her, "I miss you guys too. It's lonely out here, and I hate just sitting around doing nothing but school work and ramen."

"You got Bobby, though," Leni tried to be encouraging.

"Yeah," Lori sighed. "Hey, I hate to leave you like this Leni, but I have to go. I love you."

"Love you too."

"Bye."

Leni hung up and placed the device in her purse. She could do little more than lean forward and stare at the sidewalk. Why was any of this so…hard?

She was so focused on her thoughts and what to do next (if nothing else than to distract herself), that she didn't notice the events happening around her. She didn't address the rumbling in the background, mistaking it for distant thunder. She didn't notice the astonished crowd that and stopped where they were to look up at the sky. She didn't even notice the ball of light, as it arced through the sky from a far-off explosion.

She only noticed when it landed right on top of her, flinging her body across the street like a ragdoll.

…

She woke up, with no knowledge of how much time had passed. In truth, she didn't remember too much of this. There was just… flashes. Images of her surroundings. She could see the ground… but it was so far away, somehow? She reached out to grab hold of it, her fingers brushing against the asphalt, but she was floating off.

Did she die? Was she going to heaven? Was she supposed to be feeling this cut and battered?

She was hunched over, like someone was holding her by a string on her back.

She could feel herself drifting forward. She could feel the wind whipping her hair around. She couldn't tell where she was going, but she was too out of it to care. She closed her eyes and just lost herself in the sensation.

It was a few minutes before she opened her eyes again. She wasn't completely sure how long it was, but she looked down and saw her house. She silently second guessed herself, but the doubts soon evaporated. It was the worst looking roof on the street; the roof, back yard, and the tree in the front yard were all littered with neglected toys.

This dream of hers drifted down to the front door, where she entered without resistance. She drifted upstairs and took a left to her own room, closing the door shut as she entered. She stood there, at the center of the room, in a state of shock and awe.

She was tired. Sleep was the only thing she could think of.

She started to change out of her day clothes when she noticed the cuts and bruises on her body. She should shower first.

Just as she grabbed her towel and robe, there was a knock on her door.

"Leni?" it was her brother, Lincoln. "You home?"

"…Yes?" she answered through the door.

"Okay," he said, "You left the front door open, and… There's this weird light show in the sky… I was just… Are you okay?"

He was so sweet it broke her heart. At least the dream got that right.

"I'm alright Linky," she answered. "I'm just going to take a shower."

"Okay," he answered and seemed to walk away. As she waited, she heard him talking to someone else. "Yeah, she's home. Okay. Yeah, we're fine. I love you too-"

His voice drifted away as he closed the door to his room. Leni went about with her shower and got dressed for bed, even though it was three in the afternoon.

She didn't wake up for some hours, as she felt someone shaking her shoulder.

"Hey, dudette," Luna's voice broke through her subconscious. "We got dinner ready. You hungry?"

"No, no," Leni answered absently. "Just wanna sleep. Sleep forever."

Her stomach protested in a loud and un-lady-like manner, growling like a wild animal.

Luna snickered next to her. "Come on," she insisted, "I know that noise. You haven't eaten anything all day. A quick meal, and you can go back to sleep."

"Fine…" she lurched forward into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. She only just now realized she hadn't put on her sleep mask. She looked down at herself, at the arms that were supposed to be covered in cuts and bruises. They were completely clean. That proves it was just a dream, right?

She followed Luna downstairs, trying to find the words to describe her dream. It seemed so real. Leni wasn't much for dreaming, and she didn't think they'd be so lifelike. Dreams were supposed to be silly, weren't they?

Leni became aware of the tense atmosphere when she hit the bottom step. The little ones weren't playing with toys or chemistry sets at the last second before dinner like they usually would. Instead, they were quietly sitting at the table, eyeing every adult in sight; waiting for someone to tell them it'll be alright.

The adults- their parents- were busying themselves setting the table and cooking dinner. Mom took a moment to calm Lily down, who started kicking up a fuss.

The older kids stood around the tv, though no one sat in the couch or chairs. They stared at the news, absorbing the information. Lincoln was among them, his eyes wide and his face uneasy. Leni joined them, watching the news anchor give his report.

"…and authorities have made no comment thus far," he took a breath, "All we do have, though, is a series of pictures and amateur videos being posted on all forms of social media, including twitter and facebook, of the aftermath of the Event. Some doctors are speculating that the meteors and debris from the generator explosion have caused panic and hallucinations throughout the city. If you are experiencing any unusual symptoms, please, see a doctor immediately-"

"Kids!" their mother called, "turn that off, its time to eat!"

Someone turned off the screen, and the herd of children solemnly marched to the dining room table.

Everyone was silent as their father, stone faced and thoughts somewhere else, set their dinner in front of them.

Everyone filled their plates and began eating solemnly. Leni looked around the table, seeing all her younger siblings sitting uncomfortably. For a terrifying moment, she thought one of their number was missing, but a quick head count corrected her fears. Only Lori was missing.

"So," their mother said, "I heard that school's going to be on hold for a while."

That would have been cause for celebration, but nobody moved.

Leni frowned at the conflicting information.

"…Why is school cancelled?" Leni wondered.

Eyes turned to her, followed by a moment of silence.

"Oh," Rita shook her head, "You must have been asleep when it happened."

Leni waited for further explanation.

Lisa opened her mouth to speak, but a river of technological terms and wordings flowed out that Leni had no clue or reference for.

Lincoln, mercifully, put a hand on her shoulder.

"There was an accident," he translated. "Some kind of experimental generator went out of control. It caused blackouts, technology shorting out all over the city. Debris from the explosion has been falling all over the city."

"Oh…" Leni processed. "Oh no…"

"You seem to know a bit about this science project, son," Lynn Sr. noted. "Taking an interest?"

"Clyde and I were talking about the thing giving us superpowers," the boy shrugged.

"Ah," their father nodded. Though, he didn't notice Lincoln's smile droop into sadness.

"What's wrong, Linky?" Leni asked.

"Its just…" he sighed. "Clyde's parents… they're pretty freaked out. Apparently they had a panic kit packed and ready. They're all staying with their Gran, out of state until Royal Woods is "safe" again."

He put air quotes around "safe."

"Is…is the debris really that big of a problem?"

"Some people are saying its radioactive," Lynn piped up. "My softball team drove right by a piece of it today!"

"Same dude," Luna agreed. "Chunk was driving the van. We didn't realize what we were looking at until it was too late. Floored it out of there."

"I kind of wanted to get closer to one of the pieces," Luan confessed, "Maybe get some video of it for my blog. But a bunch of idiots were standing around it, baking in the glow of the thing."

"Which is a good enough sign to stay away from them," their dad clarified, "Hear that everyone? Stay away from glowing rocks if you don't know what they are."

A collective murmur of agreement echoed around the table. Lisa sounded the most bitter about it.

Soon, Rita was interrupted by a phone call.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, "I'll be right back."

She left the table and answered her daughter's call.

"Hey!" Lori greeted, "I just heard! Are you all okay?"

"Yes, yes, we're fine," Rita assured her. The mother filled her in on some of the finer details. It was all unsettling, but it calmed the both of them to know that the other was safe.

Lori sighed. "I'm glad to hear that. It's been what, a week? And the world falls apart? Jeezums."

Rita smiled and chuckled over the phone.

"How's… How's Leni?" Lori asked, on a more concerned note.

"She's fine," Rita answered, slightly confused, "She slept through the day. We've had to fill her in on what happened."

…

"Keep… Keep an eye on her, will you?" Lori suddenly requested. "I don't think she's handling… all this as well as she lets on…"

Rita smiled, her heart melting.

"Will do," she promised.

"Now put me on speaker, will you?" she demanded. "I want to say hi to everyone!"

Later that night, Leni sat upright in her bed. She hasn't been getting a whole lot of sleep recently. Every night she would get ready for bed and turn out the light, and turn to the other bed. She would say "Goodnight Lori" and remember again.

Tonight was no different. Instead of trying to sleep though, she just sat on the edge of her bed; thinking about the day's events.

Did she really…fly home? Or was that a dream?

She felt herself leave the bed. She felt her feet leave the carpet. She could feel her head nearing the ceiling of her room. It was undeniable.

She was floating in the air.

She could fly.

She drifted to her desk and grabbed her sketchbook, chalk full of different designs and ideas for clothes. She silently drifted downstairs, turning on a lamp in the living room and turning on the TV.

The news was still playing, new details on aweing and awful things. She drew, taking up a new page in this sketchbook. A brand-new design, something she had never made before.

Missing persons. Supposed kidnappings. Riots. People being hurt. People with families. People getting trapped. People dying. People losing people. Looters. People not being able to eat. People having nowhere to go. People being taken advantage of.

All these things happening at once, right here, in her home town and the downtown city she loved to walk through. It blossomed a sorrowful awakening inside her. It gave her ideas. But it also made her realize:

She couldn't do this on her own.

"Leni?"

The girl jumped and turned to the stairs, slamming her book shut.

"Lincoln," she greeted. "Hey. You're up late."

"Uh…" He looked around, eyes fixating on a certain spot past her. "It's one-in-the-morning."

Leni followed his gaze to the time stamp on the TV. It indeed was 1:04.

"Oh."

Lincoln joined her on the couch. "What are you doing up?"

"Oh, just…working on a new design. Couldn't sleep."

"Oh." Lincoln nodded.

They both watch the news in silence.

"I heard if things get worse," Lincoln commented, "They'll actually bring in the military. Enforce marshal law."

Leni blinked. "What's-?"

"It's like the military taking over the police's job," Lincoln explained, "They'll patrol the streets. Conduct random searches in everybody's house. Tell people when and where they can go. It's…not fun."

Leni pondered the prospect. Maybe she could help in… keeping things from getting worse.

"Lincoln," she said to her brother. "Do you think…you can help me with something tomorrow? I just have…some questions."

"Sure," he answered chipperly. "What'd you need?"

"I wanted to know more about those… superheroes you're into."