by C. C. Ekeke
“I was careful, Mom,” Hugo assured her with a hand chop. He knew that he had solid control of his super-strength. Though backhanding Baz into next week remained tempting.
Mom's shoulders relaxed. “That cannot happen again.” She ran both hands through her thick hair. “That poor girl from AJ’s school got sent to some OSA facility. If you lose control—”
Hugo snorted at her fears. “The only person who should be worried is Baz, if he comes at me again.”
“Bogota!”
Hugo rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll keep my distance.” Best to squash this nonsense argument. Hugo scratched his spiky hair and turned to head upstairs.
Mom wasn’t done. “I heard Brie was involved. What happened between you two?”
“Jeezus!” Hugo looked to the heavens for answers why this girl kept plaguing him.
“Not just when she stopped by last week.” Mom approached him, arms folded. “I saw Brie and her father at the grocers the other day. She’s very upset at how you’ve ignored her for weeks.” By Mom’s tone, Hugo knew she wasn’t letting this go.
“Mom.” He inhaled to dispel his rekindled anger. “I know you like Brie. But she’s a cruel, twofaced asshole.” Hugo’s rage soared, despite his efforts. “Who isn’t welcome in this house anymore!”
The mood in the room shifted. Mom glowered. Hugo froze, knowing he’d crossed a line.
“Bogota. You're my child in my household,” she declared in icy tones. “Where I determine who's welcome.”
Hugo reared up like a viper, blood boiling. Before his powers, he would curb his anger, apologize for it. Today, he wanted to yell. He wanted conflict. “Well, I’m supposed to be the man of the house, right?” Hugo threw up his hands. “Hell, I’ve been the man of the house since before Dad died.”
Another line crossed. Mom’s eyes narrowed. Hugo sensed her quivering rage from across the room. “Here’s a lesson about being a man, Bogota,” she threw back. “Disrespecting your father after he was horribly taken from us is unacceptable.”
Hugo clutched his face with an infuriated groan. “Stop saying Dad was taken from us!” he cried, hands slipping down to his sides. He was tired of peddling that lie. Tired of hearing Mom believe it. “He left us! We weren’t enough to keep him here! Dad wanted out so bad he jumped off a bridge into the middle of freeway traffic!”
Mom paled and turned away. She had refused to accept this for a year. Hugo wouldn’t nurse her delusion anymore. He rounded Mom so they were face to face. “You had to carry this family.” His voice lowered. “You were our mother and father because he wasn’t strong enough.”
Mom finally met his gaze, looking so small and sad. “You don’t know what you’re saying."
Hugo glowered down at her in disbelief. “You think AJ and I didn’t hear your fights over money? You begging Dad to swallow his pride and take a real job? Pleading that he get help for the depression?” Hugo shook his head in frustration. “He failed as a husband. Failed as a father. Failed as a man!”
Mom’s hand flashed up in angry retort, moving in slo-mo to Hugo’s heightened senses. He caught the slap an inch from his face, the exchange lasting a second.
Hugo gaped at Mom’s wrist in his clenched fingers and her terrified face. He’d seen that fear after getting powers when she didn’t recognize him.
Another thrumming heartbeat made Hugo turn. AJ crouched at the top of the stairwell, petrified.
Hugo released Mom’s wrist. She stumbled back, cradling her forearm and looking at him with panicked eyes.
I hurt her. The realization shattered him, as Mom’s and AJ’s fear permeated the room. “I’m sorry I…” Shame clogged Hugo’s throat. “I didn’t mean…”
He whirled and zoomed out the backdoor at breakneck speed.
For hours, Hugo raced around San Miguel at speeds surpassing 400 mph. Looking for answers? Trying to tire himself? Hiding in shame? Hugo just didn’t know. His brain was ablaze.
By late evening, Hugo found himself at downtown Paso’s Beach Bum Burger. He’d already devoured three Titan-Sized Double Cheeseburgers plus some chicken tenders. Using these superpowers had turned his stomach into a black hole.
Now he scrolled through his cell’s missed calls and texts.
Simon: You got sent home? Call me.
Grace: Hey man. Heard about Friday and today. Everything okay?
Brent: DOOD! So glad you smacked down Baz!! Hope you didn’t get in too much trouble.
AJ: Uso, where are you? Mom’s freaking out!
Mom: Please come home so we can talk. I love you.
Hugo couldn’t answer his family. Not with all this anger…sadness…shame.
He answered Simon and Grace together. ME: I’m fine. Just need to clear my head.
But Hugo knew a walkabout wouldn’t help. Superpowers were supposed to make life better. Live the dream of being a superhero. Get the girl. How had Hugo’s life gone to absolute shit?
Titan chose the wrong guy, Hugo realized. The truth was a white-hot knife thrust to the gut, but it had to be said. Stuffing his phone back in his pocket, he scanned the restaurant.
A young Latino couple, so loved up and touchy-feely in a booth, shared a vanilla milkshake. Another couple, interracial, waited for their food while playing with their newborn. The curious, bald infant reached for his father’s nose, triggering laughs from both parents.
Somehow, this Beach Bum Burger joint was packed with happy couples or families. And Hugo sat by himself, lonelier than ever. He heard their discussions, how connected they were to each other, a rhythm of fondness and love in every breath.
Nauseous, Hugo rose, emptied his food tray in the trash and strode out the back entrance.
The screams reached Hugo before he saw them. Just beyond a parking lot spotlight, a young woman was pinned against a car by a beefy man. The massive brute grabbed at her roughly, eyes glassy with lust. She cried for help, despite his attempts to cover her mouth.
Hugo scanned the lot. The few folks nearby entered their cars, pretending not to hear. Seriously?
Hugo remembered Lady Liberty’s warning about playing the hero. The words still chilled him. He reached for his cellphone, at least to call 911.
Clothing ripped loudly as if right next to Hugo. The predator had torn at the woman’s blouse. She wailed.
“Fuck that!” Hugo moved. The parking lot became a blur. Suddenly, he plowed into the brute like a bowling ball. The snap of several ribs was as satisfying as him flailing and shrieking through the air.
Hugo wasn’t done. Before the man landed, the Samoan rocketed at him again. Ka-TOOM. Again, the man soared. Hugo let him faceplant on a car hood, denting it. He slid to a heap at the feet of his victim, out cold. She looked around, bewildered, before scurrying to her car.
Hugo zipped back to the Beach Bum Burger rear entrance. A quick glance around confirmed nobody saw him do his thing. Good. Despite being costume-less, Hugo could at least help a civilian in need. He sighed in enjoyment and walked toward pedestrian traffic.
An hour later, the joy of that rescue had evaporated. Hugo strode through downtown San Miguel and its flurry of civilians, the bright lights and busy intersections. Part of the crowd but completely detached. The rainbow of aromas and odors, the symphony of moving cars and random music and conversations. He experienced them all, no longer amazed. Hugo crossed well-worn sidewalks and intersections, going home and apologizing consumed his thoughts. Then Hugo pictured Mom’s and AJ’s fear. By blocking her slap, he’d accidentally hurt his own mother. Shame churned in his gut. How could Hugo go back after that?
He stared at the sky for answers, seeing a forest of twinkling stars. Looking ahead, Hugo stretched his senses all around him.
Was Mom right about me losing control, being a danger? After Dad’s suicide…things would be easier for her and AJ if Hugo left San Miguel. They wouldn’t be in danger if OSA discovered he was an unregistered super.
“But where?” Hugo stopped, considering where to flee and
spare his family more grief.
He noticed the footfall then, half a block behind him. It had been so subtle, Hugo had dismissed it as city background noise. Now, he realized those footsteps had followed him for half an hour, despite his random route. Couldn’t be a coincidence.
Hugo’s stomach lurched. OSA saw me save that woman. His first thought was to superspeed the hell out of town.
Walking faster, he considered his family. Hugo had to see exactly who trailed him, find out what they knew. Then Hugo would leave the City of Wonder.
The footfall didn't deviate even after he’d crossed intersections. Hugo gulped, fighting the urge to turn. He found a narrow unlit alley to his left. The buildings on each side were short enough to scale with a short jump. Perfect.
Hugo slipped inside and waited.
After five minutes, the footfall halted near the alleyway entrance. Hugo leaped fifty feet up, landing on the roof of a local coffee shop. He crouched and watched.
The footsteps pivoted as Hugo’s stalker stepped into view. A woman, slim in build and petite. A baseball cap hid her face from Hugo’s perched view. She looks so familiar.
He squinted. A Cardinals cap. The girl from the summer who had seen him save Jordana Buchanan.
Part of Hugo was relieved. She didn’t look like an OSA agent. Is she undercover? Why else would some random girl follow him for over an hour? She slinked further into the alley, searching to and fro.
Hugo wouldn’t hide from this. If she was a threat, then he’d run and never return.
Brief terror shot through his veins as he stepped off the roof and plunged, landing in a crouch behind her.
The girl whirled and jumped with a shriek.
Hugo rose, wearing his most intimidating scowl. His landing left a small crater in the concrete. “Why are you following me?” he demanded, flat and frightening.
The girl regained composure and craned her neck back to gaze up at Hugo. She wore her Beach Bum Burger server shirt and pants. Under the brim of her baseball cap, Hugo noted Asiatic features.
“It’s you,” she breathed. In the darkness, her almond-shaped eyes were alight with triumph. “I knew it!”
She remembers. Who’d forget the guy who stopped an SUV with his shoulder? “Knew what?” Hugo asked, playing dumb.
“You were at Beach Bum Burger tonight.” The girl sounded close to his age. She circled him like a brand-new Mercedes. The idolatry was unnerving. “I was getting off my shift. Figured you’d skipped town or whatever. But here you are. During the summer, you saved that black girl.”
Hugo’s frown hid any rising panic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She scoffed. Despite towering over her, this girl’s resolve had nothing to do with size. “If you’re going to lie, please be more original. So.” She stopped in front of him, positively excited. “Definitely a speedster. But that car damage suggests super strength and enhanced durability, too. And heightened senses since you spotted me tracking you. Wow…” She looked gobsmacked. “You’re…spectacular.”
Hugo might have been flattered by the attention under different circumstances. “What do you want?”
The girl met his gaze, hands raised in peace. “I’m not here to blackmail or extort you or whatever.”
Hugo snorted rudely. “Says the girl who stalked me for over an hour. You with OSA?”
She shook her head. “I wanted to meet you.” The girl went back to drinking Hugo in like a milkshake. “I usually don’t encounter another super with your powerset. Unless they're some costumed goofball.” She spoke that last line with a sneering tone.
Hugo gaped, grasping the import of this petite girl’s words. “Another super? You—?”
“Yup.” She nodded proudly. “Presley Lau. Pleased to meet you.”
Hugo looked her over. Either Chinese or Taiwanese, he decided. “Presley? Like Elvis?”
Presley shrugged. “My parents were big fans.”
“Why didn’t they name you Priscilla?”
“How did you—?” Presley gasped in such disbelief, Hugo had to laugh. She cleared her throat with amused indignance. “Priscilla’s the legal name. Never really fit.”
Hugo agreed at a glance. “You’re right.” Suspicions aside, the Samoan decided he liked Presley. And by her attitude, no way could she be with OSA. “Hugo.” He held out a hand.
“Hi, Hugo.” They shook hands. “Wanna get outta here?” Presley nodded at the alley exit.
Hugo withdrew his hand. “I’m flattered but…we, like, just met.”
Presley guffawed. “LOL, no! Not like that!”
Hugo blushed as the girl bent over laughing.
She sobered after a few moments. “Like, when you left Beach Bum Burger you looked like you needed a friend.”
Oh, that. For a moment, Hugo had forgotten the copious problems awaiting him at home and school. But why confide that in this random, intriguing as she was?
Presley seemed to sense his hesitance. “C’mon.” Her beaming look made Hugo blush more. “I promise my powers don’t include razor-sharp teeth.”
Fifteen minutes later, Hugo would’ve preferred sharp teeth to entering the rundown Junction.
In the late 1990s, this thirteen-block San Miguel neighborhood was to be a mecca of business and luxury high-rises near downtown. But a combo of bankruptcy, cheating scandals and embezzlement had destroyed the venture. That left the city with countless unfinished buildings that became magnets for crime and homelessness.
Powers or not, the noises belting out of these buildings made Hugo’s skin prickle. Sporadic curses, moans of discomfort or pleasure, stray dogs barking from afar. What am I doing here? But out of fear of going home, Hugo kept following Presley. She strolled nonchalantly under flickering streetlamps, greeting each prostitute by name, ignoring the shadows stirring in every corner.
Hugo silently thanked God once they reached Presley’s home. The building looked unlit, dilapidated and incomplete. Hugo heard a cluster of voices on the fifth floor.
He wrinkled his nose at the pungent odor. “This looks…welcoming,” he muttered, trying not to sound patronizing.
If Presley noticed, she didn’t show. “My friends and I are squatting the whole building.” She motioned Hugo forward, and he hesitantly trailed her beyond the pitch-black entrance.
The elevator was quiet while Hugo counted how many minutes he should stay here.
He felt Presley watching him. She removed her cap, revealing short spiky hair and full view of her face. Hugo didn’t find her unattractive. Very cute, bordering on pretty.
“You’re freaking out,” Presley teased.
YES. Hugo shrugged and looked at roach silhouettes scurrying across the ceiling lights.
Stopping on the fifth floor, Presley strode into a wide-open space stretching wall to wall. “I’m back!”
Hugo marveled at the vast surroundings. The entire floor was ramshackle brick walls decorated with graffiti. There were tables, beds, a massive 78” TV, piles of clothes, clutters of trash and countless kinds of toys. Definitely an unfinished office building. A plethora of odors swirled about, most unappealing to Hugo.
As Presley reached the room’s center, four figures appeared out of the clutter and gathered around.
A bald, muscular Latino kid locked eyes with Hugo. “Who’s this?”
Presley’s smile made her eyes nearly vanish. “The super I told you about two months ago.”
A lanky kid with shaggy red hair and a massive nose brightened. “The super super?”
A squat Indian boy studied Hugo coldly. “Unimpressive, and looking for reasons to split.”
Hugo’s danger sense went off. How'd he know that? “You told your friends about me?”
“Only them,” Presley replied blithely.
“Who I don’t know.” Hugo studied these weird strangers. What the hell was he doing in the Junction? “This was a mistake.” He turned to leave.
An ultra-skinny black teen grabbed his shoulder uni
nvited. “No need to leave. We’re trustworthy.”
“Where I’m from, trust is earned.” Hugo shrugged him off. “Move.”
The Latino kid blocked his path. “Or what?”
That faux-menace reminded Hugo of Baz Martinez, angering him. “Dude...” He got in the boy’s face, standing three inches taller. “You got no idea how much danger you’re in—”
“Whoa, whoa and whoa.” Pressley wedged herself between the two boys. “Take a breath. Give each other space.”
Smart idea, Hugo decided, stepping back. For him. He was seconds from bitchslapping this kid into orbit.
Tension aside, Presley eyed Hugo and the Latino boy with a face-splitting grin. “We’re all friends here.”
“That’s doubtful,” Hugo objected, glaring at the Latino kid.
“Let’s start fresh.” Presley never lost her joviality. “Hugo, everyone. Everyone, my new friend Hugo.” That seemed to calm this gang. Hugo saw how each boy deferred to Presley. Clearly, she was the boss.
Presley walked to each friend, signaling them to talk. The surly Latino boy started. “Vargas.” Vargas started growing in height, musculature and dark fur. Suddenly, Hugo found himself staring up at a yellow-eyed werewolf with shaggy black fur on his hind legs. He wasn’t expecting that. “No first name?” Hugo snarked.
Presley hissed. “Stop."
“Paul Davian.” The skinny ginger-headed boy with the massive nose turned to a pile of trash and sneezed, blowing the pile ten feet away.
Hugo nodded with cautious respect. “Salud!”
The squat Indian boy approached. “Nikilesh Patel.” He turned to Vargas, eyes glowing crimson. Vargas grimaced. Hugo watched him shrink back to his bald human form.
A telepath. That explained Nikhilesh sensing his fears. Hugo backpedaled in concern.
The thin black boy spread his arms and stretched, extending them further and further. Soon they touched both sides of the wide floor. “My name is…Thin Shady.”
Hugo smiled, impressed. Everyone was a super. Explained why Presley brought him here. But Hugo didn’t feel safe with a fifth presence hanging behind everyone. He heard her nervous breaths and thrumming heartbeat. Hugo nodded in her direction. “And her?”
