This World

by Lee, TD

  Jaron pats me gently on the shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. Not everyone needs to have something to show for when it comes to this stuff. What matters is that you survived that ordeal.”

  “Yeah, you’re right!” I agree.

  He points to my neck and says, “Although, it does seem like you still have some really light bruising around your neck though. Either you’re a lot more interesting than I thought you were or those are there for a completely different reason.”

  My eyes open widely. “Oh yeah, I was almost choked to death because of a mind controller.”

  “Whoa, mind control, now that’s scary. They can literally make you do anything they want whether or not you want to do it. How terrifying is that? Imagine if someone has that power, but can use it on everyone all over the world? Terrifying!” Jaron says, “I’m glad I haven’t encountered a mind controller. How are you holding up? I’ve read and heard that mind controllers can really mess you up.”

  “I’m feeling fine, especially after telling Hiro off,” I remark.

  “Hero as in student Hiro? Or Hero as in hero the people that we’re not fond of?” Jaron questions.

  “Both, technically? But Hiro the person. He and I were friends at one point,” I answer quickly.

  Jaron nods. “Right, the Mobile Knights pilot guy. The guy who is super in love with heroes right? Damn, how nice it must be to live in such a blissful world where things are just sunshine and rainbows.”

  “Yeah, he totally doesn’t understand,” I add.

  The bell rings to end lunchtime. Jaron stands up and says, “It was nice to meet you Ridley. If you want, we can meet up after school and go to a rally.”

  “Rally?”

  “Yeah, there’s a rally happening on the other side of the city. I don’t really know the details, but I know it’s a rally against a superhero. I’ve been to a couple and they’re always really interesting,” Jaron elaborates a little more.

  “Huh, yeah, I think I’ll go. Sounds interesting to me,” I say.

  Jaron smirks and nods. He quickly takes out a piece of paper and pen. “Cool, here’s my number, I can meet you after school and we can head to the rally together.” He hands me a paper with his number.

  I put the paper in my pocket. “Yeah, sounds great.”

  “Great, I’ll see you after school then. Meet me at the doors near the office.” Jaron waves goodbye and walks off.

  Take that Hiro, alone. Pfft. Yeah, I’m totally alone. I can make friends. I don’t need him.

  When I go to class, I take my seat. Class starts, but Hiro’s not here. Sadie and every other super person is, but Hiro. Is the guy so sensitive that he just skips out on class to avoid me? Wow, just wow. Whatever, I don’t want to ever see the guy anyway.

  Sadie and I briefly make eye contact. She glares at me with intensity, maybe even some ferocity in her eyes. The anger she’s projecting towards me is palpable. Hiro probably told her what happened and she’s angry at me. Whatever, I don’t even really talk to her so she can hate me all she wants.

  As class goes on, I’m just anticipating this rally more and more. I’ve never been to one, so I wonder what it’s going to be like. Being surrounded by people who think similar to me now, it’ll be great. Do I need to make and bring a sign? I won’t have time for that, I have to meet with Jaron as soon as class ends today.

  Time ticks slowly. My attention to the class is nonexistent. I’m just waiting for that stupid bell to ring so I can hurry and go. Hiro never showed up during class either. Either the guy got called out for patrol or he’s really just that sensitive that he doesn’t want to be in the same room as me.

  The bell finally rings and I rush out the door. My heart is beating quickly with excitement. There’s just something really exciting going to a giant event with people who think similarly to me. I weave through the crowded hallways to get to the designated spot. Jaron stands tall above the students. He’s looking down at his phone when I approach him.

  “Hey!” I greet.

  He looks up at me, smiling. “Oh, hey! Just got more info about the rally. It’s at the courthouse after a hearing about super people.”

  “Oh, cool,” I remark, even though I have no idea what’s going on with the politics of super people.

  “We’ll meet up with some of my friends who are already there. They know way more than I do, so we should get going now,” Jaron instructs. We leave the school doors and quickly start walking.

  Jaron looks like he knows where he’s going so I just follow him. He makes small talk with me that just consists of his encounters with superheroes and villains. From the sounds of it, he has encountered a bunch of heroes who have indirectly affected him. Just like me, Jaron’s car has been used as a weapon. He has been held hostage from a monster and almost died because the superhero reacted too slowly. The stories Jaron can tell are pretty much endless. Seems like he remembers these encounters better than I do, since I kind of just push the memories aside.

  The courthouse isn’t too far from school. Just a couple of blocks away with the city in between. The courthouse is a large building decorated with regal looking banners and flags. There’s a large set of stairs that lead up to a set of large doors. There’s a large crowd of people standing outside, some with large signs standing high above the crowd. There are several news teams moving about as well, several floating cameras focusing on them.

  Jaron and I weave our way through the crowds. I shout just so Jaron can hear me, “Whoa, there’s a lot more people here than I thought.”

  “Oh yeah, it may not seem like it, but there’s a lot of people who don’t like superheroes,” Jaron responds, “whether it be because heroes are overrated or personal encounters, there are plenty of people who oppose heroes and villains in this way.”

  “I wonder why we never hear about them,” I say. I’m slowly processing the fact that there are so many people around me.

  “Well, the media or whatever will only broadcast what they want to show. With our society being as it is, showing anything that’s anti-superheroes is pretty much a no-go most of the time,” Jaron explains.

  Two girls approach Jaron and myself. One of the girls is in an oversized shirt with some sort of anti-superhero logo on it. Her blue and green hair is up in pigtails. In her hands is a giant sign. Around her arm is a red armband with the same anti-superhero logo on it. She greets Jaron with a smile, “Hey Jaron! You brought a friend?”

  “Hey Beth, hey Pat! Yeah, this is Ridley, we go to school together,” Jaron says as he hugs the two girls.

  Pat, the other girl who is dressed in a black shirt and shorts with several ear piercings, looks at me and says, “Hey, we always welcome more people, especially if they’re friends of Jaron.”

  “Oh, uh, thanks, nice to meet you,” I say. “So what is this rally about?”

  “It’s an anti-Deviants protest! Throughout our world’s history, Deviants have been a huge threat to humanity that it’s about time we prosecute and hold them all accountable for their actions!” Beth announces proudly as she waves her sign in the air. There’s passion in her eyes.

  “Anti-Deviants?” I question, cocking my head to the side.

  Jaron answers, “You know, Deviants, those freaks that were born with their powers? They’re an abomination of society. Freak shows that escaped from the circus.”

  “How are they different from any other super people?” I ask.

  “Hey, I’m not cool with heroes either way, but at least most of the heroes out there got their powers through accidents or hard work or because it was gifted to them. They weren’t born to be freaks like Deviants. There’s a reason why Deviants are known to be abominations. Born to be freaks, live as freaks,” Jaron answers.

  Beth quickly adds, “It also doesn’t help that most Deviants have caused more trouble and damage than they have anything else. They can’t even agree amongst themselves either considering they’re constantly at odds with each other. In the super people world, Deviants are al
ways on the opposition because they’re self-centered freaks that are only looking out for themselves.”

  Abominations of society? That’s now what Hiro would say about the Deviants. Mari too, didn’t she say that she really liked the Deviants? Deviants are people that get their powers innately, but they don’t manifest until they hit their teenage years. While I don’t get why there’s such a huge divide between the way people view Deviants versus other super people, they are super people nonetheless and they’re just as much of a threat.

  “Alright then, so why is there such an uproar about them today?” There are so many questions I have, I hope I’m not annoying these guys.

  Pat answers me as she fixes her hair, “Aside from usual Deviants bullshit, there are two hearings in the courthouse today. One is about the release of a Deviant from confinement. The other is about the pardoning the actions of Meteor a couple weeks back.”

  “Ugh, Meteor,” I murmur. My mind quickly flashes back to the incident a couple weeks back.

  “You have a problem with Meteor too?” Jaron asks.

  I sigh deeply. “Yeah, I was there during that incident.”

  “Oh shit, so you almost got burned alive? It’s a miracle you survived, I heard that someone was burned alive because of Meteor,” Pat remarks. Her eyes are widened in shock as she looks at me.

  “Well, I don’t think anyone actually did die that day, but yeah a lot of us got close to it,” I reply. I don’t know what’s scarier, being mind controlled or burned alive. Both are terrifying. “But whatever, who is this person being released from confinement?”

  Beth answers, “They go by Electric Blue, lame codename huh?”

  “Why were they in confinement?”

  Beth explains, “She went on a rampage a couple years ago, sent electric shocks everywhere. That’s how Jaron got even more injured than he already did.” She looks over at Jaron who lifts up his shirt to show severe burn marks that have slightly been healed. If Beth says it’s been a couple of years, it’s horrifying how the injuries haven’t completely healed. “Electric Bitch went on a rampage because she claims she was possessed by a cosmic entity and lost control. Like, bitch, how do you get possessed by a cosmic entity? And if you do, it’s a lame excuse to say that you lost control. You’re better off dead if you can’t control your powers.”

  “Whoa, I see,” I mumble. It seems like both Beth and Jaron have a lot of history with super people. Both of them have been injured with lasting scars because of super people. I’m starting to really feel out of place compared to these two. I turn to Pat, asking, “What’s your history with super people?”

  “Well, I luckily haven’t actually gotten hurt by them, but they’ve caused so much grief and sadness to my family and friends that it’s hard to look up to them like so many people do. It’s ridiculous just how much people idolize them like Gods. They’ve caused so much damage that I find it absolutely baffling that people love them so much. It’s disgusting,” Pat answers.

  Now I feel really out of place here. We have Jaron who has been personally hurt and damaged by super people. Then we have Beth who is so passionate about being against super people that it’s starting to hype me up. And Pat who knows people have been hurt by super people. Each of these guys have actual reasons for why they’re here. They have strong reasons why they hate super people. Meanwhile, there’s me. A person with just one incident. I really feel out of place.

  Beth looks like she’s about to say something, but the whole crowd grows into an angry uproar. Exiting from the courthouse doors is a familiar woman. The woman clad in green that stopped Meteor slowly walks out of the doors, exposed to the angry crowd in front of her as well as several reporters that run up to her to bombard her with questions. Several flashes from cameras blinds her eyes. Her feet stop moving as another woman exits the courthouse doors. This woman is dressed in a striking blue costume that has futuristic designs and lights on it. Standing on both sides of the women are guards standing with guns in their hands.

  The crowd starts chanting loudly. “Down with Deviants! Down with Deviants!”

  It seems like each step the women take, the louder the crowd gets. Because of the crowd, I find myself cheering with them. Anger is fueling me as each word I repeat gets louder and louder. There are so many signs around me that are being toted around in sync. The crowd starts getting a little rough as some start pushing the people around them. Some people even tried running towards the women only to be stopped by the several guards that are trying to maintain the crowd.

  “Down with Deviants! Down with Deviants!”

  Reporters keep invading the women’s space. One of them asks, “Synthia, Synthia! What do you have to say about Meteor’s most recent actions against King during the day of Hero Con?”

  Synthia attempts to have a calm demeanor, her eyes focused ahead of her as she tries to continue walking. Her voice is very mature, as she speaks, “We have talked to him about his actions and we will keep a very close eye on his actions in the future.”

  “Electric Blue, do you have anything to add? For Meteor was once a great hero who has fallen from grace, do you have any input?” the same reporter turns his attention to the woman in blue.

  Electric Blue has an annoyed look on her face. “No.”

  “Then what about your release from confinement? It has been about three years, how are you feeling currently?” The microphone the reporter is holding is right up against Electric Blue’s face.

  “I’d be better off if you just fu-”

  “Tessa here has had a very long day today, so she may not be up for questions. Please try to understand, for this is a lot of stimulus at once,” Synthia interrupts. It doesn’t matter how much she tries to de-escalate the situation, facts are facts. Electric Blue is dangerous.

  “What happened to the cosmic entity that possessed Electric Blue?”

  “What of it?” Electric Blue responds frustrated. Way to try to give a good answer because that totally lets us know how safe we’ll be.

  “Down with Deviants!”

  The reporter steps close to Electric Blue. Another question comes from the reporter’s mouth, “How do we know we’re safe from you or the cosmic entity that possessed you!?” Electric Blue doesn’t respond. Her silence only causes the reporter to step even closer to her.

  “You need to back off,” Electric Blue warns, her eyes glowing, electricity flows out of the edge of her eyes.

  “But we demand an answer!” the reporter is yelling at this point. They approach Electric Blue some more, at the point that Electric Blue can’t even move forward anymore.

  “Back off!” Electric Blue shouts, pushing the reporter with her hand.

  Screams of terror erupt all around me as we all stare at the badgering reporter’s head as it disappears.

  Chapter 12

  The badgering reporter’s head suddenly gets blown off. Blood sprays on several people that were around the reporter. The decapitated body slumps to the ground as the head lands on the stairs. A dead expression tumbles down the stairs. Cameras focus on the severed head and Electric Blue as she stands still, stunned from what she had done.

  “Th-the Deviants killed that reporter!” several people shout in unison.

  “I-I didn’t do it!” Electric Blue yells, frightened.

  While some people from the crowd run away in sheer terror, others remain as they boo the Deviants and continue to cheer, “Down with Deviants! Down with Deviants!” The conviction behind everyone’s voice is powerful. Overwhelming, even.

  “N-no, no!” Electric Blue falls to her knees as the guards and Synthia surround her. Her eyes, however, start glowing a violent blue. Electricity sparks all around her.

  “Menace to society! Abomination to humanity! We demand death!” the crowd shouts as they all start to approach Electric Blue and Synthia like a violent ocean wave. Everyone is pushing against each other just to get closer to Electric Blue.

  “Move back!” the guards yell, each of them
holding up their guns.

  “We demand death!” the crowd yells, trying to force their way by the guards.

  The ground under myself and the crowd starts to shift away, forcing the crowd away from the guards. A giant stone wall barricades the crowd from the guards. The crowd boos against, some even throwing garbage they had or their signs at a scarily familiar person descending from the sky.

  “Down with Deviants! Down with Electric Blue! Down with Synthia! Down with Meteor!” the crowd chants violently as some attempt to climb over the barricade.

  Meteor descends from the sky, but disappears behind the barricade. Within seconds, Meteor flies back into the air, in his arms is both Synthia and Electric Blue. The crowd boos as some throw their signs or trash high into the air. The barricade recedes back into the ground and a large section of the crowd chases after Meteor, despite Meteor flying faster than people could run.

  “So what do we do now?” I ask. The crowd has completely dispersed now, so I don’t quite know what to do.

  “All of this cheering made me hungry, let’s go get some food!” Beth exclaims enthusiastically. She’s full of so much energy that it’s a bit overwhelming.

  Jaron nods, he gently rubs his stomach. “Got a place in mind?”

  “The usual spot?” Beth remarks, tilting her head a bit.

  “Sounds great to me,” Jaron says.

  “Yeah, sounds good,” Pat adds, smiling.

  “You want to come with us Ridley?” Beth asks, turning towards me.

  “Um, yeah, sure, but where is this usual place?” I ask. If it’s the Chiffon Room then I’m all in or Gourmet Duel, but that place is a little too pricy to be a regular place to go to.

  Beth takes my hand and starts pulling me along. “It’s a great place, you’ll see,” she says with a wide smile on her face.

  The three guide me through several busy streets. It’s a normal day despite what just happened at the rally. I wonder if the crowd actually followed Meteor and tracked him down. I hope they did. After each store we walk by that has any sort of superhero display, Beth would remark something negative about them. Doesn’t matter who the hero was or what the store was selling, Beth would say something and go on a tangent about how she hates that particular hero. Even when a store had something small involving super people, Beth had something to say.