Under the light of my moonlit bedroom, my eyes slammed open, glowing fluorescent purple and fading to blue. Sweat drenched every inch of my body. When my phone rang on the counter next to my bed, I rushed for it, relieved to see Mia's name on the screen.
"Where did you go, James?" Mia wrote. I rushed to the top of my bed, biting the sides of my cheeks.
"Are you safe?" I asked. I pictured Mia with Max. His hand wrapped around her throat, forcing her into silence.
"I'm fine. I'm at home, in my bedroom, where I belong."
"But how did you get there?" I raised a question, but I smiled, knowing she was safe.
"I don't know. I thought it was you, but I could see dark crimson eyes."
Shit.
"Are you sure you're okay? Do you need me to come over or something?" Three dots fill the screen.
"You can come over, but I don't want Mark to know you're here." She replied.
"He already knows my secret," I admitted.
"Still, " she contended. I yanked myself out of bed, tucked my hood over my head, crammed my phone into my pockets, and bolted from the house.
Mia was safe and well at home later that night. To be sure, I knocked on her window, and it surprised her to see me.
"James, I wasn't expecting you to show up," she said.
"I came to see if you were okay," I answered, slipping a loose strand of her rich blonde hair behind her ear as her eyes sank.
"Do you want to come in?" she gave in moments later. Outside her window, it was cold. The chilly breeze brushed my arms.
"Yeah." I acknowledged, smiling. Mia backed away as I tucked under the border of the window.
"I-I'm okay, James. Now leave before Mark wakes up." She whispered.
"I have more significant issues." Mia and I brushed our noses together. I stared down at Mia, sizing her up. Mia backed away. "I just don't understand how you have superpowers." I walked over to Mia's bedside and sat down.
"It's a long and complicated story. Can I tell you now if you'd like to hear it?"
"No, not now. Mark, as would my uncle, would have a fit if he knew you were here. So, please leave, but you can tell me at your house in the morning. "She gave me a friendly grin and pushed me towards the window. I returned her gaze, one foot dangling.
"That would be great." I grinned. Mia gave me one last shove, and I soared away, pulling my feet to the side.
∆∆∆
I snuggled Mia against my warm body. Her eyes gleamed, dancing around Sam's spacious laboratory. Sam is glad r at Sam, watching him fiddle with the keys on his laptop. He was finally letting me show her the lab after I told her my secret, which he was upset about, but he gave in, allowing me to have my proud moment with the girl of my dreams.
"This looks amazing," she exclaimed, her nose twitching with delight as Sam flipped a switch on his motherboard, the room with neon lights. Sam's grin returned.
"You like it now," Sam grinned. Mia twirled her hair on her fingertips as she glanced my way, biting the skin on her upper lip. She slipped her fingers into mine, and her warm hands melted with mine.
"Yeah, I like it," she confessed but frowned. "This reminded me of the northern lights. My family drove me there when I was seven," Sam turned out the light and glanced at me while I squeezed her fingers.
"That's interesting," Sam said, but he quickly switched his focus to his computer, annoyed that she hadn't grasped the hypnosis-beams concept. He believed that the mechanism he designed would one day enable millions of people suffering from hypersomnia to sleep every night. Sam seemed dissatisfied, but he rolled his eyes and kept his feelings to himself. After observing Sam's defeated expression, I shifted the subject to the box on the corner wall. Sam retrieved a vial containing neon liquids from the tiny box and closed it.
"Sam has been working on some major projects, and after so many years with my superpowers, I've been considering giving them up because I'm not sure I can continue much longer with them, Mia."
Mia's mouth gaped open, and she looked at me, her hands pulling away from mine in surprise. "Superpowers aren't something you can't just give up."
"Yes, I can. I debated for years whether to keep my powers or become normal. Especially when Sam gave me trial cures."
Sam sat in the background behind his computer without saying a word and arguing about intervening. Mia grimaced.
"What about the bad guys, James? Who's going to stop them? I saw the way you handled that other super yesterday. You're a good guy, James. We need a good guy." My eyes softened as I sighed.
"I'm not just a super, Mia. I'm a regular guy trying to live an ordinary life too. If any group could take down a super, it's the cops."
Mia pouted but didn't argue anymore and instead stared into my eyes, hoping for a different answer. But it wasn't coming. That is how I felt.
"I should head home now. My uncle might look for me. It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Knight. I'll see you at school, James." She acknowledged, brushing my hand again.
I leaned down and kissed Mia. She didn't pull away but kissed me back. Then she walked back up the steps, looking back at me before leaving the room.
"What did I tell you about telling others about your secret?" Sam lectured.
"I know, Sam. Don't rub it in my face." My heart sank as I growled at him.
"I told you she was safe," he continued.
"I know," I grumbled. I already knew Mia was okay. Something inside told me she was safe, but my torn emotions kept me from listening. The bigger question was, who brought her home that night because it sure wasn't me, and if it was Max or Noah, that meant Mia already knew something about my secret, or maybe I was speculating. I was just happy she was safe.
I worried whether taking my powers away was the best choice. With Max at large, the city needed a hero. I argued about whether I was that guy. I was far from being the hero I wanted to be, and I even wanted to be a hero. I had no choice if this was my fate.
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