-3-
I am nine when I meet my first hero.
He's tall, muscled, and terrifying. With bright blue hair and a silver outfit, he catches Daddy mugging the mean, old lady that hits the poor homeless man every morning with her purse. Daddy snatches the purse. She uses a sonic quirk to scream for help. Nobody stops to ask questions, nobody cares.
I stand atop the hill on my way to school and watch as the silver hero slugs Daddy across the face.
He breaks Daddy's jaw.
The police arrive soon after. Daddy cries as they take him to jail, mouth hinged open and eyes glancing towards us every few minutes. Kaito, eleven, has to stop Sora and Ryu from going with him. When the police finally leave, Ryu turns to me and glares.
"You didn't even help him!"
I shrink back as Sora nods his head in agreement, all three boys nearly shaking.
"Why the hell do you get to have powers when you won't even use them!" Ryu yells. He pulls the flashlight from my arms with a yank and chunks it down an alley. I cry, turning to retrieve it. Sora stops me. He pushes me to the ground, sneering as I skid across the sidewalk. My leg skids on asphalt, bleeding. He stomps past, towards his school. Ryu does the same.
"Kaito?" I whimper. He turns upset, disappointed eyes towards me.
"You didn't even try," he says, nose wrinkled and eyes watery and red. "You're the only one with powers, and… and Ryu's right! You don't even care!"
My nose and eyes and leg all leak. Kaito turns and walks away. I want to go after him, to tell him I do care—to tell him I was scared. But I don't.
I get my flashlight instead.
And by the time I come back, all three are gone.