This World

by Lee, TD

  I look around the living room and don’t really find anything else, picture wise. But on the coffee table is a tattered notebook with some of the pages frayed and damaged. The notebook has me curious, but I shouldn’t snoop around too much like that.

  I make my way back to Drake’s room, but I accidentally step on a loud wrapper that alerts Drake awake. His body shoots up and he asks, “What’s going on?”

  “Sorry, I’m so sorry. I stepped on this wrapper,” I explain quickly, bending down to pick up the wrapper.

  Drake sighs with relief. “Damn, walk carefully. But my fault, I really should clean up.”

  “It’s no big deal, sorry to interrupt your nap,” I apologize.

  “It’s whatever, probably can’t go back to sleep now,” he says, rubbing his eyes a bit. “You looking around or something?” He stands and stretches out his arms and back.

  “Yeah, I just thought I’d take a look at your pictures, you have quite a bit of them,” I remark. “Did you know Hiro?

  There’s a bit of hesitation before he answers me, “Yeah, of course I did. He went to every possible fan meeting he could and wrote me tons of letters and got as many pictures as he could with me, even after everything that happened.”

  “What happened?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he responds a bit quietly. “That best friend of yours really wanted to be my apprentice, if not sidekick. I wasn’t opposed to the idea, even if he didn’t have any super about him yet. But I declined, he deserved better than to be around a sack of shit like me. Now, well, you already know.”

  “He would’ve loved to be your sidekick,” I remark.

  “I don’t get why,” he dismisses, “whatever. You wanna go grab a bite to eat? I’m pretty hungry, and it’s gonna be a long while before we should be going to the agency.”

  “Um, sure, yeah,” I reply. Why is he so dismissive about anything that happened to him or even being remotely looked up to?

  “Great, let’s get going then, I know a great taco truck,” he says, walking towards the balcony. “Come on, let’s go. Get on my back.”

  “What?”

  “Get on my back,” he repeats.

  “Do you ever use your door?” I ask. Seriously, does this guy use his door at all considering he flew onto and off of his balcony.

  “Why do that when you can just fly?” he answers me quickly, “Come on now.” He turns his back to me and waits for me to hop on.

  I slowly approach him, wrapping my arms over his shoulders and hopping up. He secures me then jumps off of his balcony and flies briefly before landing in a rather sizable plaza filled with plenty of people and food trucks. The plaza smells amazing since there are so many food trucks just lined up. I wonder if any of them are from Gourmet Duel. There’s so many people here too, there are lines of people at all of the food trucks I can see. This must be a popular thing happening today.

  “The taco truck is this way, unless you want something else,” Drake says, taking the lead.

  I follow him through the crowds. Despite being pretty pleased with the atmosphere I’m in since food is amazing, I’m getting really strange vibes from the people here. As I follow Drake, I’m noticing all of the people that we walk by are giving Drake weird looks. Disgust might be the best word to describe what they’re expressing. Why though? I know Drake isn’t exactly the most popular hero now or even that liked, but it’s even more apparent for the public’s distaste towards him. It’s like his very presence bothers people for some reason, even though he’s not really doing anything.

  People are pointing and whispering at Drake. Angry and scared stares target Drake, their eyes in complete disdain. I wish I understood why. Simply because I’m following Drake, people are giving me those looks of distrust also. I wonder what they’re saying to each other, the plaza is too loud for me to eavesdrop.

  Drake and I line up for a taco truck that smells amazing. Even the people in line with us are eyeing us, specifically Drake, more and more. Some people even leave the line just because Drake is present. Do people really not like him that much? It’s like his general presence is a superpower in itself of attracting bad attention from people.

  “Ugh, can you believe it? Meteor is right behind us, hope he doesn’t blow a fuse and kill everyone here,” I overhear a young man say to his friend.

  “Oh my God! Shh. Be quiet, he might hear you and get angry,” his friend says, gently slapping his shoulder.

  I look over at Drake, it looks like he heard the comments, but he’s just waiting patiently as if he didn’t. He’s probably used to the backlash he gets. I want to know why though. In both the dossier and even the comics talk about how unpopular he became, but I don’t know why. With Hiro talking about him so much, I would think he’s pretty liked, but that’s just Hiro from what it seems.

  The line moves fast and we’re at the window where a woman in a cap greets the both of us with a smile, “Welcome back Meteor, back for your weekly?” At least this lady seems to not dislike Drake.

  “Of course,” Drake answers, he reaches into his pocket to grab his wallet and slides her a card, “Get me ten of the usual,”

  The woman gives a small chuckle, “Ten? Spending big today aren’t you?” She slides the card through a reader.

  “Have to splurge sometimes, remember that for yourself someday,” Drake advises. Although I think he’s trying to crack a joke, his face is so straight that it definitely doesn’t come off that way.

  “Coming right up,” the woman says, sliding the card back to Drake.

  We move to the side and watch the cooks through an open window of the truck. The sizzling sound and savory sweet aroma fills the air around me. Just watching them and their extraordinary skills with food is making my mouth water. How weird is that something so simple as cooking could bring so much joy to someone?

  While we wait, I notice how much that Drake and I aren’t talking. It’s silent, much like it is with pretty much everyone else that’s not Adele—well, Ainia warmed up to me so she’s a bit more talkative towards me now. Why do I get the feeling that everyone that’s helping with this case are just not talkers. Although, I feel that if Vesper could, he would talk up a storm.

  Our food is finished and given to us in a couple of boxes. Drake grabs them then takes me over to an area filed with tables and chairs. There’s plenty of people sitting about, but once people notice that Drake is approaching the area, a bunch of people grab their food and leave the area even though there were plenty of unoccupied tables. Man, Drake really must be unpopular.

  Drake sets the boxes down and opens them. Presented before me are several rather large cheese infused, softshell tacos stuffed with savory smelling pork, with a colorful assortment of vegetable toppings and creamy guacamole drizzled on top.

  I take a few bites and I’m not disappointed. There’s so sort of spice on the pork that hits a heat level that’s spicy enough to give it a kick, but not so bad that it painfully burns. Swirling in my mouth is a savory flavor that also has a bit of a tang from a citric flavor. Each bite starts with a crunch from the cheesy shell that adheres to the taco, but there’s also cheese within the taco that adds a familiar taste.

  Although, while I eat, I can’t help but notice the mass amounts of glares that we’re getting. People are whispering and pointing as subtly as they possibly can. This is really different compared to how Hiro got adoration in public. Weird how the idol of Hiro is garnering the opposite public response. I really wonder how the public got to be like this towards Drake. Just looking at the guy, there’s nothing that stands out to me that pegs him as a bad or horrible person. Yet, the public just seems to think differently.

  Drake notices me staring at him. He raises a brow and asks, “You doing okay? Food not good?”

  I shake my head. “No, it’s fine, really good actually.”

  “Then what’s bothering you? You look really lost in thought about something. Is the incident bothering you? If so, then breathe nicely knowing
they got who it was that attacked you,” Drake questions.

  “No, I mean yeah being attacked is still bothering me, but it’s not what I’m thinking about right now, or was thinking about I should say,” I say, distraught with my words. My heart jumped a bit just thinking about the incident earlier this morning.

  Before taking a massive bite of his taco, Drake further questions, “Then what’s got you hot and bothered?”

  Should I ask? I don’t know how he’s going to respond, will he get mad if I ask about why people don’t like him? I wanna understand his backstory, but he doesn’t seem very fond about talking about himself or even the past. Yeah, I know the generalization of him not being liked is due to him killing a villain, but what led him to that? Why did it happen? Hiro always saw something in this guy to keep idolizing and believing in, but everyone else doesn’t. What is it about this guy?

  Drake’s brows rise even higher than they were before since I’m taking so long to respond. He asks, and waves his hand, “Seriously, are you okay? You need to go back home and rest up or something?”

  I shake my head, “No, sorry. I just, uh. I’m, really, just, um.” Dammit I keep stuttering. My heart is beating faster just because I’m getting nervous about wanting to ask about his past. How do I even ask this to someone?

  “Alright then, you better start talking because for how long you’ve stared at me I either have to kiss you or punch you,” he tries to joke a bit.

  “Um, well, I just, um,” I really need to muster up some courage to ask, “Can you tell me about your past? I’ve, uh, noticed how people have just been staring at you and, um, talking about you and not in a good way. I’ve just been, uh, curious about why and how this happened.”

  He looks at me for a brief moment before responding, “Listen, you really don’t wanna hear about the past.”

  I can’t let the opportunity slip. I have to use what’s left of the initial courage to keep persisting on the question. “It’s pretty obvious it’s still something you think about to this day.”

  “It doesn’t, I’ve grown past it and I just ignore the hate,” he says, taking a bite of his taco.

  Come on Ridley, keep up the courage, or dumb bravery. I take a deep breath and say, “The hate from others, but what about yourself? In the little time I’ve been around you, anything you say about yourself is just negative. You won’t even accept the fact that Hiro loved you and looked up to you. You’re not over the past, you’re trying to ignore it.”

  “That’s a bold claim, you sound like you know me even though you probably don’t even though your best friend was a fan,” he answers coldly, even a little mockingly. He’s on the defense now.

  “Well, I know about your relationship with Diamond Dust and that you were a student at the Titania Academy for Higher Evolution,” I say.

  “Diamond Dust,” he murmurs, a small smile creeps up on his face, “you really dug up on my past haven’t you?”

  I shake my head, replying, “Not really, I just happened to find pictures of you in your room. You two really seemed like you guys loved each other.”

  “We did,” he sighs loudly. It doesn’t seem like he’s going to be that defensive anymore. Thank you Diamond Dust for breaking down his defenses.

  “What happened to her? I read something about her dying, but that’s all I know,” I respond.

  “I’m surprised you don’t know much about my history considering your best friend was my biggest Meteorite—shit, I can’t believe I just said that,” he says, laughing a bit under his breath. The way he said that was different than he did not too long ago.

  It’s good to see he’s warming up a bit. “Honestly, when Hiro talked about you or superhero stuff, I tuned him out. So most of my knowledge about you is actually from the comic books.”

  “Those messes? Well, they have some stuff right, but definitely not much. Publications have biases after all,” he remarks. “Well, where do you want me to start?”

  “What?”

  “You want me to tell you my whole life story don’t you? Where do you want me to start?” he repeats. “I’ll get to the part as to why everyone hates me soon enough.”

  “Oh, um, how about when you first discovered your powers,” I say.

  “Let me tell you something real quick. I’ve never liked my powers, hated them ever since I had them,” he confesses without any hesitation.

  “What?”

  “You don’t really realize it around you do you? There are plenty of people who have superpowers, but either hate using them or don’t want to be a superhero. Super people are pressured to become these heroes because we can do extraordinary things. But the thing is, we just want to live our lives. You might not see it at all, but there are just everyday people that use their powers just as a convenience to their everyday lives. Look up there,” he instructs me and points to the sky. A couple of people in business suits are hovering in the air. “Just some people using flight as a way to travel instead of driving. And over there.” He points to a chef at one of the food trucks who is manipulating fire as he cooks. “Just a normal chef using flames to cook. Not everyone who is a super is a hero or villain, just normal everyday people.”

  “And that’s what you want isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” he admits with a long sigh escaping his throat. “Unfortunately, I’ll never be able to after being the spotlight for so long and now having a negative spotlight on me.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Remember how I said I hate my powers. My biggest downfalls in life started because of them. I never asked for these powers, and yet here they are invading my life and destroying me little by little until I die. Nothing but a curse if I’m being honest,” he answers me grimly.

  Never would I have thought of someone not liking their superpowers, especially ones that are really useful and good. Much better than spontaneously exploding and essentially just dying by using your superpower.

  He continues to talk, “Ever since I discovered my powers when I was a teen, they’ve just caused me trouble. I started a forest fire that took weeks to stop. My family and former friends started to turn on me because they found out my powers were due to being a Deviant. Funny enough, being a Deviant is just the start of all of my problems. Even after being part of Titania’s academy, things weren’t that much better for me. Sure, I learned how to control my powers better so I don’t hurt people by accident, but that’s it. A school filled with Deviants is always under attack from non-Deviants and villains alike. Just because the way we get our powers is different. It’s a sad reality.”

  “I don’t understand that, you and other Deviants are just as super as anyone else that has superpowers. What makes you guys so different?” I question.

  “Honestly, not much. Maybe it’s just that Deviants were born to have superpowers rather than actively seeking them out or stumbling across powers by accident. Just the fact that we have that extra type of DNA, it makes us that much more different and like monsters in the public eye. Hell, Deviants hardly even get any support from HERO. We’re just swept under the rug because regular humans don’t accept us. If there’s ever any issue regarding Deviants, it’s the bottom of the priority list. And any Deviants that are part of HERO are sent to do the dirty, ugly work that the other heroes don’t want to do. I’ve spent many years holding onto that dumb hope that one day, Deviants will be treated equally.”

  “All of that must have really taken its toll on you,” I say in shock. It’s hard to think that something like HERO being so underhanded when it comes to Deviants.

  He chuckles under his breath. “You have no idea.”

  ‘You left Titania’s School for Higher Evolution didn’t you?” I ask.

  He nods his head. “Yeah, I thought I was with them long enough so I thought I’d try to tackle being a solo superhero for a while. I joined the Retaliators for some time since they paid pretty well for the time.”

  “And your first main villain was against Kitsune right?”


  Drake’s eyes widen a bit, almost as if I unlocked something in his mind. “Haven’t heard that name in a long time, but yeah. She was one of my first supervillains and one of my first loves. I was just a dumbass thinking I was in love.”

  “How did that happen? I mean, how did you think you were in love with her?” I question.

  “I was young and stupid and a hot, older lady thought I was good looking. It doesn’t take much to get a teenage boy interested. But she used me more than anyone knows,” he sighs deeply, his eyes are wandering around trying to recollect all of the memories within his head.

  “In what way? All I know is that she is a mind controller,” I respond, looking at him intently just so I can fully absorb all of the things he’s saying.

  “Think about it. How powerful is an ability like mind control? There’s so much you can make someone do against their will. It’s horribly powerful and will always be used for horrible things. It’s a corruptive power, anyone who has mind control gets consumed by it and will abuse it. That’s what happened when I was under Kitsune’s control. She used my affection towards her against me. To this day, I’m not even sure if the love I had for her was real or not. That’s what mind control can do to you. Be under it for so long, you’re not quite sure if reality is actually real or fiction. Years of mind control just doesn’t leave you as the same person. It’s a constant struggle that I battle with to this very day,” he explains.

  With the couple of times that I’ve been mind controlled I wasn’t necessarily wondering if things were real or not, well except maybe my anger towards Hiro at the time. But maybe that’s because I wasn’t under direct influence at all times like Drake was. I can’t even imagine how it could be

  “Kitsune had me under mind control for maybe two years? I can’t really remember. If it weren’t for Jackel, I might have been under mind control for even longer,” he continues to explain, “then there was the Puppeteer. He toyed with my mind for longer than I can even recall. Jackel helped me so much during my time against the Puppeteer and the public. She saved me more than she could have ever known. Then there was Nymph who tried to toy with me like Puppeteer and Kitsune did. But that was short lived.”