Chapter 18 "Hero - Part 1"

In every person's life, he or she wants to be someone important, someone that matters. We all strive to make something of ourselves, find purpose in this crazy world. Some like me; we want to be the kind of somebody out of a movie, a person fighting for something greater than himself, somebody who is more than the common person, a hero.

- Michael Mules, Journal Entry

It would be tomorrow.

There was no delaying it, no avoiding, or wishing this away.

Tomorrow she would come and it was going to be the two of them. Him against her: Fire versus enhanced acrobatics.

Michael shook his head just thinking about it, while lying down alone in his bedroom. In comparison to her ability, he was a schmuck, as some would put it. Her power was more far out there.

Get a grip of yourself, Michael. It has to be one hundred percent confidence when you meet her.

But there was the five-year old child in him saying to run for the hills; to get into his car and drive as far as he can go. If he just kept going without showing his face or speaking to people, avoiding contact in any way, he could disappear.

But no, he had to face this. . . showdown. If not, then he could endanger his family and the girl he loved.

To think, in the part of his mind where fantasies ran around like multiplying bunnies since this amazing discovery, he pictured himself in a costume, facing the bad guys courageously and beating them everything time.

A life like a comic book wasn't glamorous, he now realized.

But he would be getting the fight with the super villain to say the least. Dr. Suresh, I wish you would have returned my phone calls. For all he knew, these people had already gotten to him - or like Wendy said, he was one of them. Michael didn't want to believe that one bit.

Whatever was the case with him, Michael was going to be doing this on his own and he was as ready as he could have made himself be in this short time. Hopefully all of the exercising and workouts were going to pay off.

And if they don't . . .

He shook the thought away, but only for a moment; if worst came to worst, then hMichael had to make preparations. He had to make sure things were left as descent as it could be for the people he loved.

"Yes mom, we are going out to eat afterwards, but Michael isn't coming," Angela said into the kitchen's phone. "He's going on his grad night; it's a field trip for the graduates."

She had to listen to her mother badgering about this for a few minutes. Michael came in during that time and sat down on the table to eat the lunch Angela made. Once her mother was done, she said in a flush, "See you tomorrow, mom, bye." and hung up.

"What time is grandma coming," Michael asked with a mouth full of food.

"Just a little bit before the ceremony starts, and swallow before talking." She then took a large portion of food into her mouth.

"So mom . . . "

Her son seemed to be trying to get something out of his mouth, but was having trouble figuring out what exactly those words were.

"What is it there?' she asked cheeringly.

"I just want to say thanks."

"Thanks?"

"For putting up with me, and how I've been acting for a while now," he explained to her. "You've been a good mom and I am who I am thanks to you and dad."

He had never spoken like this to her before. Was it graduating that made him do this, or just simple maturing? Whatever the case, she felt warmed by his words of gratefulness.

"Thank you, son." She took his hand. "None of you kids have ever said this to me."

"I figured it was about time one of us did," he said shrugging.

They stayed quiet before she spoke again. "So, you're graduating."

"Yeah." he nodded in a smirk.

"And we have a present for you, which you'll open tomorrow after the ceremony before leaving," she told him.

Michael just nodded with the same smirk.

For the last few weeks, the world Tracy knew had been turned upside down. Everything she thought to be a fact or untrue was proven wrong. Before returning home, she thought the idea of a person flying to be ridiculous, but it wasn't.

Her brother had superpowers. There was a woman stalking and attacking him because of it, and she also had superpowers.

His life and her life to the extent were no longer set in the realm of the normal.

She was in her room, alone, sitting at her desk, looking at a history book that she was supposed to be studying on but not really reading it. Instead she was contemplating everything that had occurred and what was still set to happen.

Michael was going to face a human torch and he was forcing his confidents to sit this one out. Tracy had wanted to object but the events at the hotel made her see logic. Perhaps her brother did have a better chance if she and Wendy were not there to get caught in more than they could handle.

But there was another part of her thinking that logic should be dammed and they would tip the scale in his favor.

"Tracy."

She blinked, looking over to her opened door, where Michael was standing.

"Hey, can we talk for a minute?' he asked.

"Yeah, okay," she said a little blank in emotion.

He walked over to her bed, next to the desk and sat down. She noticed how he was rubbing his hands together; Michael always did this when he was struggling to find the words to speak.

"Look . . . I want you to know . . . That I'm glad you found out about all of this," he said to her. "And I wish I had told you myself. You've always been my favorite in this family, the one I could depend on for anything."

Was he telling her this because he thought something might happen to him tomorrow? She wanted to stop him and say that nothing would happen at all, but she also wished to hear whatever else her brother had to say. She let him continue.

"Tracy, you've been brave through out all of this," Michael paused, apparently second-guessing his statement. "Actually, I kind of wish you weren't, because that's why you've walked in on too many hot spots."

Tracy frowned at him. She was over nearly getting killed and just wished that he was as well.

"The point is I want to say thanks, for standing by me and being a stupidly brave kid." He waited a few moments before continuing on. "And if something happens to me, tomorrow - no, you need to hear this," he said as soon as her face became fearful, "if something happens to me, I want you and Wendy to tell the family everything, okay. They'll deserve to know the truth."

That wasn't a hard request at all. Tracy looked away from him, feeling like he was already leaving a burning mark on her, even though nothing bad had happened to him yet.

"You will do that for me, right?" He forced her gaze back to his.

It took a moment for Tracy to nod. "Yes, okay," she repeated and leaned over to hug him.

They stayed that way for a long while, during which she also told him. "You'll win. You're the hero of this story."

"Michael, why did you bring me up here," Wendy asked, feeling exhilarated but a little frightened too, as her boyfriend led her by her arm up a long staircase of a building he had driven them to in downtown Los Angeles.

"You'll find out," was all he said.

After several minutes of running up the endless steps, they made it to the door on the top. The air felt a little chilly, but Michael kept her tightly wrapped in one of his arm as he walked them over to the edge of the roof.

"Alright, you're acting like a crazy person," she implied. "What's going on?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked. That was a stupid question on his part.

"Yes, of course."

"Good, come one." He jumped onto the ledge and offered his hand out; she took it after only a moment of thinking it over and hopped onto the ledge next to him.

They were fifteen stories above the ground, overlooking the busy street below looked insignificant, all the cars zooming by and people steadily moving passed like bugs. They were in the middle the city's largest buildings, beautiful in their twinkling-night light.

The pull of gravity was making Wendy's legs shake; she looked at Michael, who was maintaining his smile. He pointed out to another building that stood a block away in their view, and was about the same height as the one they were on.

"Do you see that building over there? The roof is locked up after nine, complete privacy," he explained.

"And you brought me up here to me tell me that?' she didn't sound cynical but kept a skeptic attitude.

"I don't know what it feels like to fly, but I can imagine it pretty well." He picked up her legs without warning, and Wendy grabbed a hold of his neck with both arms, knowing what he was going to do.

"Don't worry, I'll break fall just in case," and Michael leaped. The speed of jump didn't bother Wendy, she stayed amazed by the sight of the street below as they moved over it without the like hardly any human being had ever done before.

It was only mere seconds in-between there jumping from the first roof to arriving onto the second one. Michael eased her back onto her feet, which were now relaxed. Wendy looked around and saw what had been waiting for her here: Michael had set up a private picnic for them, with a blanket, basket, a bouquet of flowers, and yet to be lit candles.

"You did all this for me," she said in amazement.

"You're worth all the effort." They walked to the setup arm-in-arm. "I didn't get wine, but I hope you like apple cider."

"That's a good choice," she assured him, but she soon stopped short of sitting down on the blanket. "Michael, are you doing this because you think you might-"

He stopped her in mid-sentence. "Whatever happens tomorrow, I just want you to know, you made these last two months the most amazing, more than my abilities have - or at least next my abilities - top three, for sure."

She laughed, lightly throwing a fist at his shoulder. "You'll beat this, because you're the one who cares about people and helps them with your powers, not hurt them."

She stroked the side of his hair back and kissed him warmly for a long minute. "I love you, Michael Mules."

"Ditto."

So for that night, they forgot about the dangers that lay ahead and what could possibly come of it, and stayed on the moment, which was the two of them.

To Be Continued