Origins: Dori

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Dori wakes up on the morning of his eighteenth birthday to a note from his mother saying she is leaving.

He's not surprised, not really anyway. He's noticed the late night phone calls, the too-short skirts. She has a track record- three sons by three different men, all Supers if her stories are to be believed. He never knew his own father and was too young to recall Nori's. But he does remember the man who fathered Ori and hopes the little one doesn't grow up to have his father's violent temper.

Dori has powers. He can lift cars above his head without breaking a sweat. He has to be careful when he slams a door, otherwise he might break the entire frame out of the wall. Yes, Dori has powers, though he considers them a curse. He hopes his brothers don't suffer similar fates.

Nori is thirteen and notices everything. He's a shrewd troublemaker on his good days and is heading down a path that makes Dori's skin crawl. Petty thievery is no way for a Rill brother to make his way. They are better than that. Dori is sure of it. Ori is eight and impossibly quiet. He draws and writes stories and lives in his own little world. Dori intends to keep it that way.

So, their mother leaves and Dori gives up his plans for college in order to raise his brothers. He's surprised to realize that he doesn't mind in the least. He's already been making sure they have food on the table and get to school on time- this is not so much different. When they ask, he explains that their mother has gone on a trip- a story that Ori eats up and Nori scoffs at. Then they get on with their lives.

Dori finds work stacking boxes at the shipyard. He is careful to only lift as much as the other workers, doing his best to conceal his powers. The hours are long, but Dori is good at his job. It's honest work. Then one day he lifts a bit too much and one of the other workers calls him out. He is ostracized, heckled, taunted for being unnatural. The others refuse to work with him and the foreman lets him go.

He finds another job, then another, and another, but they all end the same. The world isn't a kind place for those who are different. No matter how hard he tries, someone always discovers his powers. People are scared of him. Disgusted by him. It doesn't matter how much he begs and pleads for work that will keep his brothers fed, no one will willingly hire someone with powers.

Dori is twenty-three and out of options. He's been fired again, this time for lifting a fork-truck off of a trapped worker. The man would have died by the time help arrived. Dori could have left him, could have kept his secret, but he is a Rill and they are better than that. So, the man lives and instead of thanks, Dori receives termination papers.

There are no more jobs. Word has gotten around about what he is. Neighbors offer him dark glares in the hallways, potential employers turn him away without looking at his resume. He does his best to hide it from his brothers. Ori is thirteen, smart and talented. He is still quiet and shy, but never comes home from school with complaints. Nori is eighteen and knows about his older brother's struggles, though they never discuss it. On mornings when Dori finds a few a few crisp bills tucked under the coffee maker he doesn't question Nori. He doesn't want to know. He simply pays the rent and buys the groceries. It hurts to much to think of Nori becoming a thief. They're Rills and they're better then that.

So, Dori takes the only job that's left for him. The last resort. The signs outside his tent at the freak show advertise The World's Strongest Man. Dori doesn't feel all that strong. He spends the day ripping phone books in half and lifting small cars. People point at him and call him names, but at the end of the day there is a pile of wadded up bills in his hat. There's not enough for them to live well, but enough to survive. Most days he goes without, squirreling away as much money as he can. He feels better having a nest egg, no matter how small and pitiful it might be. Some day Nori might get himself into more trouble than he can handle and need bailing out. And one way or another Ori will go to college.

Dori doesn't tell his brothers about his new job. He doesn't want them to know. Instead, he walks into the freak show tent with his head held high. He lifts dumbbells and bends pipes and tries not to hear the hateful remarks from the audience. He keeps his face impassive and doesn't let anyone see his shame. Each day he swallows his pride and betrays himself for the amusement of people who will never accept him. But Dori does it for his brothers. Because they are Rills and deserve better than that.

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