Burning Book Part 2 of 2

Sabrina’s life was zooming towards earth and within seconds lives would be lost, including hers. She starts to have regret over what she has done in her past. This was spring break and instead of having beach fun she took a few days to visit a man she met online for sex. He had fun. She got money. She had had sex to have it since she was eleven and all the boys would pay her. A dollar for every minute they had with her. Some boys would even starve at lunch just to say they spent it on her…or with her depending on how they would state it. Some saved all week long. One even saved all month. But there was one that never spent a single dollar. He, Greg Myer, was the one, which for years, never made a single pass at her. He also never made fun of her like some did, especially girls who were so into chastity that was glued with jealousy. They tend to have lost boys and men to her very giving ways.

Sabrina is adopted. She had a nice natural golden tan due to her American Indian past. Her adoptive dad, Sam, had adopted her because he was friends with her real mother. She could not keep her because she did not want her. Her dad knew her mother because he was a police officer. Her mother was rapped by a man. Her dad convinced her mom to give birth because he knew she would be special. Her mother regrettably agreed but made him promise to name her Teresa. He did, but also named her Sabrina after his mother who died of a heart attack.

It is not a bad combination Sabrina Teresa but her last name was Doer. Even though it is pronounced Doe-(like the deer…yeah, yeah the song too)-er people pronounced it as “do”. It was not a name that helped her in not being sexual. Instead people created a joke, “Doer – I would.” One guy even made a shirt that had that phrase on it.

Her dad died in a shooting. Her adoptive mom, Beth, never liked Sabrina. She did not like the amount of time Sabrina would spend with her dad. When her dad was out Beth would call her the daughter of a whore. She was always envious of Sabrina. The report states her dad died in self-defense because Beth said he had abused her. She shot him four times in front of Sabrina when she was 9. Beth hit herself with a bat or anything she could find to just get away with murdering the one person that made Sabrina feel wanted. Beth did get away with it and she kept Sabrina and even though she housed and feed her, Beth never cared what Sabrina did or who she was doing.

“Sabrina are you still up?” Her dad would say even though he knew she was.

Sabrina peeked out from under the covers. The light from the hallway hit her eyes as she smiled and would reply with that daddy’s little girl sparkle in her eye, “Hi daddy.”

He came in and sat on her bed and said, “You are my little miracle you know that?” He pets her head with his protective hand.

She shook her head and giggled.

He put his hand on her head and combs her hair with his fingers as he stated, “You make me so proud and you’ll always make me proud.” He smiled. He leans over and kisses her on the forehead. “I love you.”

Before he would pull away she latches onto his neck and says, “I love you more.”

He pulls back and she comes up above the covers. She laughs. He tickles her to get her to lose her child grip of love on his neck.

“Daddy, can you stay with me while I sleep?” Her eyes become big with a glaze of please.

“Hold on,” her dad says as he pulls her hands off of him and lowers her back under the covers. He leaves her room and then returns with his hands behind his back. She knew it was a gift of some sort and she grins.

He sat down on her bed and says, “I can no longer stay with you until you sleep Sabrina. “She lowers her head in sadness. He pulls out his hands from behind his back, “So I will give you this.”

She takes the gift and says, “It looks old.” She wrinkles her nose in a child like disgust.

He laughs at her facial expression and says, “Yeah it’s because I use to use it when I as your age to help me sleep.”

“Really?” Sabrina asks surprised that her dad would need such help. The child like disgust melts away and shows her softer features.

“Yes,” said her dad smiling as he felt a bit emotional for the childhood memory moving from his possession to hers.

She hugs the teddy bear even though it was old. Now that it was something that was his she loved it more than she had before.

“I will stay tonight, but it’s my last night,” he said. “Okay?” He lies back with his arm around her.

“Okay,” she said holding the teddy bear close and snuggling up next to her dad’s protective presence.

She tried to find a boy or man that could hold her like her dad, but never did; even Beth’s new boyfriend. No man could ever give her the comfort her father gave.

Sabrina squeezes hold of the teddy bear. The only way she ever felt comfort as if he was there with her right then. There is screaming. The plane hits the ground and bounces and shatters and spreads over a square mile. Bodies flew out in all directions and fire consumed the plane. Chaos had taken over and stuff happened so fast trying to process it all would have made one loose consciousness just by trying. Then thunder rumbled the air and rain pour down as if someone just turned a water hose from the sky on full blast. Sabrina looks around and no one moves. There is no more screaming. She sees broken bodies everywhere.

Sabrina is penned under a sheet of metal. She pushed it off her and it flies up into the sky with such force that it never returned anywhere in sight. She does not bother trying to understand how that occurred. She looks at her body. She tries to find out where she is hurt but finds nothing. Her clothing was tattered and homeless person like but not one single scratch was on her. She finds her teddy bear. It had caught on fire. She puts it out and picks up the teddy bear. It looks a bit more worn than before but she still loves it.

A hand reaches out and grabs her ankle that is still covered by her sock. She jumps at the touch. She picks up another piece of massive debris without thinking and sees the man underneath and recognizes him as Andrew the man that was traveling with her for his pleasure more so than hers. She is about to help him up. She is about to save him…

…But then he says, “I paid for a whole week. Make me feel better.” His breath was short. He was asking to die while having sex. He lost his legs in the crash. He has not notice that yet.

She bends down and grabs his hand with hers and says, “You’re nothing like my father.” Tears race down her face combining with the rain that keeps on falling. Then she feels information and memories filling her brain. Information such as how to tie knots, sail boat lingo, and the lame lines to pick up women that women actually fall for. Andrew was a spoiled kid who had the money to abuse women, like herself, and get away with it. Memories of him always getting his way. He was not happy. He did not have any good friends. He hated onions but loved onion rings. He was picked on in school for his big ears. He did not want to do the family business. He has never had real relationship that was not bought. Codes, passwords, anger, depressions and the need to pee all flashed in her mind within mere moments. It all stops when she lets go of him. He is now dead.

Sabrina, again, has no idea what just happened and if she is the cause of his death. She freaks out a little. She feels anger so she kicks Andrew’s dead body in the head and it tears off. The head flies across the destruction. She is seriously going to lose it. The rain has soaked her and her bear had turned into a sponge. She crouches down and sits in the mud as the rain continues to fall faster and faster around and on her.

Ambulances, fire trucks and police arrive minutes later. The paramedics looked over Sabrina and found not a single thing wrong with her physically. The police question her. She told them everything but how she threw metal into the sky, how she stole memories and how she kicked Andrew’s head clean across the plane crash. She is announced, later, as a miracle.

********

“JD keep your eyes closed,” says Devin. He kneels next to JD to make sure he was okay.

JD was squeezing his eyes shut and says, “I know what this is.”

“What,” Devin asks as he tries to itch his back with one hand.

“I don’t know how it’s possible but I got Cyclops’ power,” JD says. He lifted his body up to sit up right and then says, “I bet I could control it.”

“Are you sure,” Devin asks scared and still trying to itch his back.

“Cole is out cold and he’s quite shiny for some reason,” Ivan says as he walks up next to them.

“You are alright,” Devin asks looking at Ivan.

“Yeah that freaky cold feeling is gone,” Ivan says then he looks at Devin and says, “You’re turning blue.” He lets the words fall out so mater-of-factly.

Devin says, “Huh?” His shirt, in the back, starts to rise.

“I believe I can,” JD says opening his eyes and a bright red beam shoots out and shatters the ice cube of ashed comics. Chunks flew all over the place and some broke the sliding door glass. Dusty and friends scream yet again in drunken unison.

“Guess not,” JD says sighing and falls back to lie on the ground flat.

Devin did not even notice, “I’m blue?”

“Yes,” says Ivan thinking it was funny. “You,” he points, “are turning blue. Which is really weird even for a black guy.”

Devin’s back starts to hurt. He quickly stands up and then he hunches over. Ivan came up next to him and asks, “Are you alright?” But Devin did not respond. Instead wings explode out of his shirt and one hits Ivan in the face. Ivan slams up against the house. The wind is knocked right out of him. He moans in pain.

“What’s going on,” JD asks showing his annoyance with being unable to open his eyes.

“Can’t you see it’s raining,” Cole says as he is awaken by the rain that kept on hitting his face.

“No he can’t,” Devin says as he felt relief from the itching.

“Why no…whoa!” Cole says seeing Devin’s wing span.

The rain starts to pour.

“I need out of this rain,” JD says. “I can’t see and Devin has wings?”

“Yes,” Devin says. “I hate molting, I better not molt. Do not fear I’m a freaking out over this it’s just less noticeable.”

“That hurt,” says Ivan taking deep breaths.

“Okay my friends,” says Cole, “JD’s drunk brother is a pain. Let’s get to my house to figure things out.”

“Is all of you metal,” Ivan asks walking up next to Cole as he regains his breath. “All of you,” he gestures up and down Cole’s body and pausing around his groin area for added affect.

“Balls of steel,” Cole says winking.

Devin grabs JD to help him up off the ground.

“I have ice balls,” says Ivan.

They start to walk to Cole’s house in the rain. All four are soaked and therefore do not really care to get out of it as fast since they had nothing to keep dry.

“Let’s compare,” says Ivan.

Cole says, “No.” He punches his hand and a metal spark sprung up. “I’ll crush you like an ice cube in a blender.” He adds an evil laugh.

******

Lee Greake sat at his computer photoshoping a picture of his sister as a dog. He laughs as he perfects the blending of her face with the fur of the dog. An orb floats into his room through his window. It seems to look at him and hesitates but then it guides itself into the back of his head.

Lee twitches. Then it turns into a tick. His wavy black hair fell out of perfect precise position. He then says aloud, “Must create. Must create.” His ivy green eyes look a bit glazed. He feels like he is under some sort of control that is not him but not something that is going to make him do something he could regret.

Lee gets up and walks out of the house to across the street where the junkyard is. He often scavenged the yard for used computer parts because his funds were too poor for the ideas he had in mind. He often had trouble figuring out how to make things work and it frustrated him because he knew there was a way he just could not think of it. This feeling he had now is really weird. It is one of knowing what to do and how to create it using almost about anything. It feels remarkable to him. He is in search of something other than computer parts. His mind is set on something he has never worked with. It was dark. It was hard for his eyes to totally adjust to the dim light of his cell phone and the poor lighting of the yard itself.

He crawls through his normal hole he created years ago and begins to look. It was odd this feeling or urge to find something. He has never had such an urge before. He is being driven to do this. He dose not feel as if what he is doing is anything illegal or wrong. It is just weird.

Lee did not have good friends. Guys found him too much of an odd nerd and girls just loved the way he looks. Which is a fantastic feeling but he did not like to communicate with loud annoying girls with no brain power to provide a decent conversation that was more fact related than how hot he must look in his swimming gear.

There happens to be an explosion that occurs from somewhere in the distance or up in the air but Lee does not stop his searching. He notices it but lets it go without allowing his curiosity to get the better of him. He is more interested in finding what it is he is looking for. He digs through all kinds of things. He kicks and looks and finds nothing as of yet. Then the rain just starts to pour on him without any kind of caring of how it was drenching him from head to toe. Normally he would run inside to get out of the sky spit but the urge over powers his natural need to stay dry.

He slips and falls into a pile of junk. It hurts mildly but nothing he cannot just get over and proceed with searching for this thing. When he gets up to regain his lost balance he sees what it is he needs. He pockets it. He thinks of how his mother would be so upset that he is going to use something of that caliber of beauty for something that was not going to be an accessory to a dressy night on the town; to be more specifically her dressy night on the town.

“You’re not out that easily,” a voice yells over the pounding of the nonstop rain.

Lee drops to the ground not caring how muddy it is. He did not want to be seen by the user of that voice. His heart beats five billion times faster than normal. He is too young to die. He needs to finish creating this thing…well he had an idea what it is just the name is escaping him at the time. He could not really think under the pressure of him having a greater chance of dying now than he had before he left the house.

“What are you to do,” another voice says, “beat me?”

Lee hears a back hand and someone hitting the ground. It brings him back to reality and he tries to look around the corner to see who is who in this dramatic event in the junkyard. The rain has not stopped. It continues to fall in sheets and it drowns out most of the noise around him with its own noisy collision with metal and puddles. Plus it is doing a nice job of making vision a bit difficult. All Lee sees is two figures one standing over the other.

“Atherton,” says the other figure as he stands over him, “we were so close. Why?” He pulls out something from the back of his pants and holds it there with his hand out of Atherton’s sight.

Lee mouths the name “Atherton”. He knows him from school. His hair starts to fall in his line of vision. He brushes it back behind his ears. His thick eyebrows accumulate a lot of raindrops but push out any that they cannot hold and they drip down his face. He squints to keep those raindrops from finding their way into his eyes. Atherton is a senior and Lee is a sophomore. He knows of him. Lee knew he was part of a gang. Lee did not nose around in other people’s affairs though…well until now.

“Eric,” Atherton says as he lifts himself up off the wet ground, “we can still be friends. There is no need to end it over this.” He wipes his mouth where he had started to bleed. He looks Eric in the eyes. Rain was the only thing between them other than the very thick tension of hate and misunderstandings.

Lee notices that what Eric has behind his back is a gun. He wants to say something but a glowing orb catches his eyes and diverts his attention off the gun. It is right behind Atherton. Eric would have seen it but he is bowing his head in what appears to be disappointment. As Eric raises his head to speak the orb merges with Atherton unnoticed by both Atherton and Eric.

“I can’t,” Eric says then swallows hard. “I’m the leader. How would it look if I allow you to leave?” Eric pulls his arm around and points the gun at Atherton’s forehead. “It’ll look weak.” Rain falls on them both in its continuous nonstop theme. Their eyes are locked in silence as if both were going through the past. Their friendship and how it was one of the best either have ever had in a long while. “And I don’t do weak.” Eric’s trigger finger pulls back.

Lee hears the sound of a gun shot through the loud rain drops and he looks away so he does not see the outcome. His eyes squeeze tight so as to not let a single sight of blood cross his vision. He expects to hear someone running by to leave the noise of the gun shot alone so as to not get caught, but that is not what he hears. Instead he hears something totally different.

“How are you doing that?” Eric says stammering not even realizing he had dropped his gun. He takes a few steps back in his astonishment.

Atherton stands with his eyes squeezed shut like Lee. He did not want to see it coming and decided not to try to run. When he opens his eyes he sees a bullet looking him straight in the eye. He freaks and falls to the ground. The bullet does not follow. Instead it continues on in the direction it was headed and imbeds itself into a car door. Atherton has to use this to his advantage so he gets back up on is feet and looks at Eric and says, “Don’t make me bring it back to kill you instead.” His fists were close tightly and held close to his side in mock strength.

Eric did not even have a single thing to say. He takes off running leaving his gun behind. Atherton picks up the gun with his amazement over the events that just happened still fresh and new.

Lee decides it is also time to leave. He is not dry at all anywhere. His cell phone is so ruined and he did not know how he was to explain that to his mother. That is not something that is priority right now. What is priority is him getting home and fixing what it is the orb had instructed him to do when it combined with him. He is assuming he was also hit with an orb like Atherton. It would explain what was going on but not all the way. He would have to figure this all out after he finishes his project.

******

Cindy may have been a small girl that did not look like much but when she talks everyone within a mile listens. Her bark and her bite are just as bad as the other and no one would ever want to break up with her unless one goes by the name Addney. Addney Crossback was part of almost every single team the school had to offer in sports. He was just that good. He was also good enough to date Cindy and keep her from being her normal evil and mean self. People notice the differences and praised him for it. But he has found green pastures and tonight he had broken up with her.

Cindy cries nonstop as she yells at him. She says, “Why now? Why after 8 months have you decided that now was a great time to rip my heart out of my chest? WHY?” Tears just race down her face as she sniffles to hold back the snot from performing the same way.

Addney knew she wants to be held but he holds back from doing that because this is a break up and it had to happen tonight so that what he has plan could start. Just the thought of what he has in the works makes him smile.

“You think breaking my heart is some sort of game?” Cindy says noticing his smile.

Addney is brought back from the future and says, “No Cindy but I can’t date you any more.”

“Why?” Cindy screams through her tears. “That is the one question you don’t seem to have an answer for. Or should I be saying who?”

Addney is caught off guard and does not have something to reply with.

Cindy walks towards him and starts pushing him. “Get out of my house,” says Cindy. “Just get out.” She shoves him again.

Addney loses his footing and falls backwards and hits his head against the wall. He closes his eyes in pain. With his eyes close he does not notice the orb that enters through Cindy’s ear. The next time he looks at her he sees there is something different about her but he could not put his finger on it.

“You do not have the right to look at me ever again,” said Cindy as she pushes him again. “Do you understand me?” Thunder rumbles the house.

Addney hits the door with his back and he fumbles for the handle because he cannot see her irises at all. Just white all around and he has never seen that before in anyone and just knows that this could not be good for him or the situation. The front door opens and he quickly runs to his car.

Cindy is a bit confused about how he is handling her anger but this does not make her less mad it makes her more mad so she says, “Do not come back and mow our lawn you nasty boy.” Winds pick up and hit Addney in the back and throws him forward. He will swear that it lifted him and threw him against his car.

Addney did not even turn to look at her to acknowledge that he did hear what she said. He just gets into his car and starts it as quickly as possible. Lightning shoots across the sky and thunder rumbles again.

Cindy falls down on the porch and starts to cry as she watches her boyfriend…her ex-boyfriend drive away from her. Tears fall on the concrete and are met with raindrops that start to fall at the same time. The tears fall faster and the rain matches the intensity of her tears.

Her mother walks out side and sits next to her and holds her daughter as she cries over a broken heart in the rain that fell faster and faster matching the upset of Cindy.

******

JD had one of Cole’s bandanas wrapped around his eyes to keep them closed. He lies on Cole’s bed because his head took a nasty slam to the ground and it still throbs from the impact.

Devin is on his cell phone talking to his mother telling her where he was and that he is okay and he will probably spend the night at Cole’s and see her the next day. She talks to him as if she really could careless that he was out as late as he was and she said that he should spend a lot of time with his friends because soon that will not be possible. She brought back the dread of telling them that he would not be here for the amazing summer they had planned out since they were younger. He hung up the phone in a worse mood than he was before. He then catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror and then realizes he is getting bluer by the moment. As if it was not bad enough being a black smart boy he is now blue. His mother will freak.

Ivan keeps on breathing out cold breath and watching it and continues to be amazed by it as he was the first time he saw it. He had made an icepack for JD’s head. He thinks he will love this once he understands why he gets ice instead of the ever cool strength that Cole got.

Cole comes back in the room with drinks for everyone. He places them down on his desk and breathes out in relaxation. He had been able to revert back to his normal self so as to not have a clunky metallic self catch his mother’s attention and her asking several questions he did not know the answer to. Or she would just faint and that would add to the difficulty of this entire situation.

“So Ivan can you get those drinks cold for us?” Cole asks as he smiles.

Ivan walks over and sighs, “Don’t abuse me with such menial task. Ask me to freeze the ocean. I’m so powerful enough to do that.” He grabs two of the cans and frosts them with a single though. He does the same with the other two.

“Devin are you alright,” Cole asks seeing that he is still in the same spot where he was when Cole left the room.

Devin was able to fold his wings down so that they were not taking up so much room they were still taking up a lot of room. Devin says, “I’m turning blue.”

“I noticed,” says Cole. “But I’m sure you can revert back like I did.”

Ivan hands out the drinks to Devin and Cole and then takes JD his. He removes the icepack and then helps JD up and gives him a sip of his. “Head still hurt JD,” Ivan asks with a rare bit of concern.

“My head is still throbbing,” says JD.

“We have to get him to the hospital and have them check it out,” said Cole. “And you are all welcome for me finding you different clothes to wear.”

“I would have thanked you,” said Ivan, “But your taste sucks so it’s more like you should be thanking me for wearing them.” He helps JD take another sip.

“So you rather go about naked?” Cole asks and then realizes the box he just helped open.

JD groans at the question.

Devin shakes his head and snickers forgetting about his blue condition.

Ivan starts to strip as he says, “I thought you’d never ask.”

“I did not ask you to I asked if you rather,” said Cole trying to save himself.

“I’m glad I can’t see,” said JD.

Ivan buttons up his shirt and laughs, “I don’t want any of you to cry over what you might see.”

“It’s that bad huh,” Cole says laughing and proud that he regained that ground for asking the previous question.

“Correction,” said Ivan as he gets up off the bed and places the drinks on the dresser, “it’s that good.”

Cole laughs. Then he says, “So JD what do you make of all this?”

JD says, “It’s really silly to think this but it’s also just as silly to actually have it but I believe we’ve inherited powers from the comic books. Why? I do not know and I can only speculate that the fire was the key to us getting them.”

“You’re wrong,” says Ivan, “It’s not silly it’s sweet. I’ve got the power to freeze things. I mean I can make a girl ask me for my jacket and never need a jacket ever again…it’s a gentlemen’s dream.”

“How do you know what a gentleman would dream,” Cole asks smiling and shaking his head. He went into his closet and pulled out a belt and says to Devin, “I’m going to strap this around your wings to keep them from hitting us in the face and allow you to have more room.” Devin agrees and Cole wraps the belt around the wings and pulls it tight to strap it around Devin’s chest.

“Thanks,” said Devin. Cole smiles and nods a welcome. Devin walks over to JD and asks, “So I’m blue and have wings who is that suppose to be?”

JD says, “Angel.”

“So I’ll be able to change back into my natural black state?” Devin asks with little hope.

JD takes a deep breath and says, “No…not according to the comic book or from what I know. Angel’s skin tone is blue with blond hair.”

Devin looks in the mirror again and sees he still has black hair. “Well I hope that it doesn’t venture that far. Me having black hair is the last bit of black on me and I would like to keep it. My mom’s going to so freak out.”

“We’ll be there,” says Cole. “We’ll make sure it is all smoothed out.”

“Even if I can’t see the outcome,” says JD smiling. “I’m there too.”

“Fine,” said Ivan as he throws up his hands in a joking manner, “I’ll be there too.” He smiles.

“Thanks guys,” says Devin. “With these wings I could fly. Maybe I’ll warm up to having them once I’m able to use them. It’ll be very liberating I think.”

“It would seem to be,” says Cole.

The doorbell rings.

Cole walks out of the room to go and see who it is.

Devin says, “So could whoever that has your power in the comic book control it?”

JD smiles at the thought and shakes his head and then says, “No he couldn’t because when he was younger he hit his head and that made him unable to control it and he had to wear a visor so as to have some control.” Then JD became sad at the thought. He will never be able to see again.

“JD,” says Ivan, “don’t you fret will figure out something. We always do.”

“Ivan,” JD says, “don’t use fret it freaks us out when your vocabulary expands unexpectedly and I know…we really always do.”

“Shut up,” said Ivan, “I like new words. It’s neat to say them to surprise my buddies that I’m not a dumb jock.”

“I always seemed to have thought so,” says Lee as he walks into the room.

“Who the hell are you,” says Ivan a little annoyed at the intruder. His breath lets out a frosty air as he breathes out in anger.

“Take it down a notch Iceberg,” says Cole as he walks in behind Lee. “Lee is here to help. He’s brought an interesting gift considering he was also hit with an orb.”

“Oh,” says Ivan, “and what can you do invent new ways to annoy me?”

“He’s really not disproving that dumb jock thing,” says Cole laughing as he pushes Ivan away from Lee. “He was joking Ivan okay? Just give him a chance.”

Lee ignores Ivan and walks in and says a small hello to Devin, he does notice the blue hue but ignores that as well, who returns it and then Lee ends up near JD. “I’ve brought this because I was told to make it and for some reason believed that you were all going to be here and that JD needed it.” Lee starts to take off the bandana that is around JD’s head.

“What are you doing,” JD asks trying to stop him. “I can’t open my eyes.”

“Then don’t,” says Lee as he continues. He takes it all the way off and JD is squeezing his eyes shut. Lee pulls out the thing in which he had made and positions it onto JD’s eyes and then he says, “Open your eyes.”

JD resists but after Lee asks again he opens them and to his amazement he saw the room in which he’s spent the night in several times but the only difference is that everything was in a shade of red.

Devin says, “You’re not freaked out by my blue skin?”

Lee looks at him and says, “Nope. I saw a guy stop a bullet tonight so I’m not so sure blue is as weird as that at this point.” He turns back to JD and asks, “Can you see?”

JD shakes his head.

“Okay,” says Lee, “I also created these shades and these to sleep in.” He hands them over and continues, “I know this is all so much to give but apparently someone knew you’d need them and used me to create them. Don’t ask me anything further on that because I really don’t know I’m just assuming. Apparently the ruby quartz has the ability to hold back the blasts from his eyes. I’m amazed I found some in the junkyard. Oh,” he hands over a pair of gloves that were black, “in these gloves is a button that if you press it with enough pressure it’ll open the visor to shoot out those beams of yours. Ingenious? Yes. Apparently I’ve been gifted with the power of invention. I have so many ideas wondering in my head it’s starting to annoy me.”

“You said that you saw someone that stopped a bullet,” says JD looking at Lee through his new visor.

“Yes,” Lee answers.

“Who was it,” JD asks.

“Atherton Magnophear,” says Lee, “he was getting out of the gang he was in.”

“He won’t be the last one we hear about getting powers,” says JD.

Ivan asks confused, “Why does that matter?”

“We were not given these powers to just play around with them,” says JD. He gets up off the bed and continues, “We were given them to do use them to save the world.”

Ivan shakes his head as he says, “You are a dork.” He crosses his arms.

“I’m too depressed to save people,” says Devin. “I am feeling the color in which I am. How cheesy is that?” He plops himself down on the bed.

Lee heads towards the doorway and says, “I’m going to let myself out. I’ve gotta get back home before my mom notices I’m gone. I have not got my driver’s license yet. Being 15 years old does keep me from having that. I’ll get it though or I could just invent my own transportation.” He stops at that idea as if it just came to him. He smiles. “I’ll see you all around. I really do gotta go. Running home is going to be fun. Maybe I’ll see another freak with powers.”

JD says, “Thanks Lee and see you around.”

Lee walks out.

“Now what,” Cole asks. “We go and look for bad guys to round up?”

“It is Spring Break,” says JD. “We don’t have plans.”

“Shut up,” said Ivan. “We are just teenagers who don’t care about anyone but ourselves. We don’t have time to care about others.”

“For once I agree with Ivan,” says Devin. “I only care about getting rid of this blue so that I don’t have to explain the blue and the wings to my mother who probably won’t care anyway seeing how I’m just a chess piece to her in a bigger game she’s created against my dad.”

“Mr. Emo,” says JD, “let’s just sleep all this off and discuss this in the morning.” JD moves the glasses off the bed onto the nightstand. He then jumps back in the bed.

“Whoa,” says Cole. “My room my bed. Get out.”

“But my head hurts,” JD whines.

Cole rolls his eyes and says, “Fine you and I will sleep in the bed.” He points to Ivan and Devin and finishes, “You can both grab covers and find a place on the floor.” Cole shuts the door to his room.

“Aww we are having a sleep over,” says Ivan. “I miss these.”

Devin says, “Yeah I’ll miss them.”

“We’ll have some over summer for sure,” says JD. “So no need to miss them right now.” JD rolls over and gets comfortable and then realizes the visor was going to bug him so he changes with the ones that Lee created for sleep. There is so much eyewear that it is going to get annoyed just a bit.

Devin grabs a cover and takes a spot on the floor and partially hides his head as the tears start to fall. They planned this summer since they were younger and now he is going to be the one that is going to ruin it not Ivan. He takes a deep breath and tries to find a comfortable spot but found it difficult because of the wings. He could amputate them and just be a blue boy with holes in his back. He closes his eyes and ignores the clamoring of his friends. He wishes just to be free from so many things and now he adds wings and blue skin to the very long list.

Book Burning Part 1 of 2

“Mommy,” JD whines as he runs up to her holding a clothes pin and his favorite blanket. His eyes turn into a waterfalls and his bottom lip dove to the ground with drama as a weight. He finally reaches her with his very short legs and holds up both as if offering sacrifices to the goddess of love.

She looked down at him and pats him on the head for comfort’s sake and says what she always told him when things just went sour for him, “JD things that are broken can be fixed but no amount of crying will have them fix themselves.” She got down to his level and smiles that big smile that showered love in his direction every time he thought of her. She takes her thumb and wipes the tears from his eyes. She takes hold of his offerings and proceeds to put them back where they had fallen off and said, “Plus superheroes don’t cry to their mother when they need to save the world. They just go out there and make her proud.” She kisses him on the forehead and finished, “You were born to make me proud.” She leans back as she takes a full look at her magic and then says, “And what is there not to be proud of? I have a superhero as a son. Now go save the day my little hero.”

Of course JD never took the time to fully understand all of what she said even if she did say it often. He just smiled and flew away. He was jumping off the couch to feel as if he was flying for a brief moment in time. He fought the imaginary bad guy several times. He plays with his little action figures that were all heroes in their own right.

JD opens his eyes from remembering the good old days. The days where his mother was there to comfort him and tell him everything was alright. She was his rock in this world and he would hug her and feel invincible in her arms. Now all that was left was a rock that stated her beginning and her end. He reached out and touched the tombstone and sighed.

It had been five years almost to the date. He removed his glasses that were thick indicating how bad his vision was and he used his sleeve to dry up the tears that were coming out of his eyes as if set free. His pain was deep.

JD’s dad was a loving dad. He really and truly was. But he was not at all comforting for JD. He had to visit the grave at least once a month because even though she is six feet below him she was still his rock and he could not live without talking to her. He could hear her tell him how his dad just did not know how to understand his need for loving superheroes in the comic books. All he understood was that JD was nothing like his older brother who was the football star in college and who had the chance of a life time. It was a chance to be in the NFL and get those millions. Sometimes JD wondered if it really was Dusty’s idea to be in the football or his dad living the dream through his only son.

JD’s dad never really showed anger towards him. He was loving, but it was apparent who was the favorite son. JD did not have interest in football or any sport. He liked to read books and he really loved comic books. He loved the aspect of saving the world from evil and giving people a chance to live without being harmed by the bad guys.

JD would give anything to give his mother just one hug. He kneeled in front of her grave and hugged the cold stone. He closed his eyes and imagined her hugging him back and hearing the words he dreamed about almost every single night since she died, “Now go save the day my little hero.”

JD felt a hand on his shoulder and he stood up.

“I told them you’d be here,” said Devin. “I guess being a rich black kid makes me unbelievable since my parents are rich due to playing the stock market right instead of being huge movie stars, sports stars or drug dealers. I know I’m just something out of the ordinary and yet that’s a good reason to not believe me when I say that JD is at his mother’s grave.”

JD laughed.

Devin hugged him. “I know I say this every time I come with you but I am really sorry. I wish I could have stopped her from dying. I wish I could have stopped the person that did it.” Devin pulled back and looked at his shoulders and said, “Did you get tear on my shirt again? People are going to think bad things about me if I have white boy tears on my shoulder. They’ll think I’m some sort of softy towards your kind.”

JD said as he sniffed, “You’re more than a black male who has lots of money.”

“Don’t lie to him,” said Ivan. “He is nothing but a rich black male who has an allowance that’s bigger than my father’s salary.”

“We’ve been over this,” said Devin as he turned to face his accuser, “I don’t get an allowance and you should step off the jealous box.”

Ivan patted JD on the shoulder, “I’m sure I could get him arrested for assaulting you just because he looks guilty.”

“How do I look guilty,” Devin asked as he glared at Ivan.

“You shouldn’t ask that question,” Cole said as he gave JD a quick hug. “He’ll just say your skin.”

“Why do you go and ruin my funnies man,” Ivan asked slightly annoyed.

“Hey I want to say that you’re lucky JD,” said Devin as he waited for someone to say why.

“Just continue you slow retarded punk,” said Ivan as he rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” said Devin. “He’s lucky because his mom is dead. Mine is at home right now thinking of ways to make me not like my father. I’m stuck in some sort of popularity contest that never ends. They both try to buy my love. I really wish I could just be free from it all and have a normal family that did not feel the need to use money as a substitute for love.”

“You really need to stop watching Dr. Phil,” said Ivan.

“You really need to grow a heart and stop being a cold hearted little man whore,’ said Devin.

“What are you referencing,” Ivan asked already knowing. He crossed his arms and waited for a reply.

“You know who he’s talking about,” said Cole.

JD smiled, “Sabrina?”

Cole made a click noise, winked and pointed at JD which indicated him as correct.

“Sabrina loved my humor,” said Ivan as he smiled.

“Loved?” Devin asked as he showed his confusion.

“You know my dad he has this thing where he wants me to just do it as much as possible so I’m not stuck like he is only doing one woman,” said Ivan as he started to walk away.

“But you didn’t do anything with her did you,” Cole said in an ‘ahha’ fashion. He even had the finger pointed in the air for added on the money feel.

“Come on,” said Ivan, “You guys know me better than anyone else. You know that I just talk and talk but don’t walk that talk at all. It’s easier to say than actually do.”

“I’ve seen Sabrina and I have to say I do her as she walks by,” said Cole.

“What has happened here?” Ivan asked as he looked around. “I’m the witty cool one not Cole. I’ve become a woman while in this grave yard of dead people. I gotta get out of here so that I can be normal.”

“Yes and normal people already know that the grave yard is dead people and they don’t feel the need to say that,” said JD as he turned and said a final goodbye to his mother and the sign in sign language for thank-you.

All four started to head out of the grave site.

“Anyway,” said Devin, “continue with the story about Sabrina.”

“What is there to tell,” said Ivan. “She has them all.”

“What?” Devin asked.

“You know what she has,” said Ivan. “Everyone in the school knows that Sabrina has every single STD known to the entire Science community and I know she probably has a few that don’t even have names yet.”

JD laughed and said, “Yeah but that doesn’t stop anyone else from putting themselves into bed with her. I mean she is hot.”

“If you’re stupid you forego the thought she’s a hot bed for death and even the possibility of making your penis fall off,” said Ivan.

“Forego,” Cole said shocked that Ivan even knew a word like that let alone used it correctly.

“That is shocking,” said Devin, “but not as shocking as Ivan believing an urban legend.”

“No it’s true,” Ivan said seriously. “She has the ability to make your penis fall off.”

“Yes of course she does,” said JD. “She is a witch or a vampire like that chick in Blade Trinity with the teeth in her area of blood flow.”

“Can’t you just say vagina,” said Ivan. “I can and when I say it I have reactions that show I don’t need a little blue pill.”

“That, good sir, was TMI,” said Devin.

“I love that movie,” said Cole. “That was hot when they said she had that happening down there in her flaps.”

“Flaps,” Ivan said laughing. “I’m going to have every one of you over and we’re going to have sex ed and popcorn.”

“Yes because those two things go together that well,” said Cole as he shook his head.

“Why did y’all come here,” JD asked.

They had reached the gate and started to walk towards JD’s house.

“Why is there smoke coming from my backyard?” JD asked as he started into the night sky seeing the black smoke rise.

“That was why we were there to see you,” said Ivan. “We wanted to know why too.”

“Thanks guys,” said JD. “I now understand why we’re friends.” He started to run back to his house.

They followed JD back to his house.

It was not an odd thing to see smoke rising from one’s back yard because they lived in the country area of Montana so they were allowed to burn trash from time to time but that was usually done on Tuesdays and today was Wednesday. What was it that could be burning and who was doing the burning?

Dusty was back in town during spring break. Rodger, JD’s dad, was out for the evening at some sort of Softball game. He did not allow anyone to state it was softball because he had always said that softball was for girls. So under no circumstances were Dusty or JD allowed to state it was softball. So Rodger was at a baseball game with his friends. So that meant it must have been Dusty burning something.

JD reached his backyard first and saw that it was Dusty; Dusty and his drinking buddies. JD never really got along with anyone that was friends with Dusty. He did not even get along with Dusty that well. His dad was bad at relating but Dusty was one hundred times worse. JD always tried to be civil with Dusty but sometimes Dusty just wanted to be vindictive and mean.

JD’s heart sank the lowest it had been since his mother died. Ivan, Devin and Cole arrived at the same time and stood behind JD as he stared at the fire. He saw it was not a fire of trash. It was more a resemblance of a Nazi book burning than anything else. It would make sense that it would be close to a Nazi act since it was Dusty the one who did not like anyone who was not white. It was a funny thing since Dusty and JD were both half Asian. But ever since their mother passed away he denied that part of him.

“Well looky, looky it seems we have company on this very lovely bonfire night,” said Dusty as he had taken notice of the new arrivals. He walked around in a circle holding a beer bottle with two fingers. He had almost lost his footing which would have landed him in the fire. He laughed it off.

He stood up right and said, “Do you like what I’m using as fire? Because we do and it’s keeping us very warm. Right guys?”

The five guys that were there all roared and rose their bottles in the air in agreement.

“I’m sorry,” said Devin as he stared at the bonfire in disbelief.

“I’ll kick him so hard his teeth will fly out of his face,” said Ivan as he glared in Dusty’s direction.

“Don’t,” said JD said almost begging. “It won’t solve a single thing.” He stared at the memories as they took flight in ash form. Every single comic book his mother ever bought him was engulfed in flames that were set by his own flesh and blood brother. He tried really hard not to cry.

“JD you can stay at my house,” said Cole. “My mother would so love to see you. She likes you for some reason.”

“Look my little brother is about to cry over little books on fire,” Dusty yelled in a mocking tone.

“Let me it him once,” said Ivan.

“Cool down Ivan,” said Devin. “Fighting him will not bring back the comics.”

“It will make him feel the pain he’s inflicting on my best friend,” said Ivan almost growling.

The bonfire started to make crackle noises like fireworks. It caught everyone’s attention. The fire shot out flames and one licked Dusty’s butt and caught him on fire. He was so drunk he could not remember if it was drop, stop and roll or roll, stop and drop or whatever it was. His buddies thought it was a good idea to throw beer on him. Luckily one of them threw water in which he thought was beer.

Ivan laughed at the sight. Cole snickered. Devin and JD just stared at the flames because they started to turn blue. Not just blue as if it was burning blue objects but blue flames. It was almost as if the flames were not real. The bonfire was swirled by the wind into a weird formation and as the wind went around the blue fire a lot of orbs floated with the wind. The orbs erupted out from the tips of the fire and shot off in all directions. The number of orbs could not have been counted. They had bunched up and when they flew out they went so fast it was hard to tell where they went.

“I fell cold,” said Ivan as he hunched over and fell on the ground shivering. “Actually I fell really cold.” The words came out of his mouth with frosty wind. It was not that cool outside.

Dusty’s friends and Dusty laughed at what they were seeing but they had no idea what they were looking at.

Cole looked at his hand and watched as his hand just formed into some sort of metal glossy looking thing. He did not understand. He took his left hand and touched it and it felt like metal. He flicked it and it sounded like metal. “Guys my hand just turned into metal is that normal?”

“I don’t know but my back itches so bad and yet it tickles at the same time,” said Devin. “It’s like someone is rubbing a feather up and down my back.” He fell against the corner of the house trying to itch himself.

“My eyes feel like they are on fire,” said JD as he squeezed his eyelids shut. He opened them and felt a surge of power force out of his eyes. It shattered his glasses off his face and then it propelled him into the air 20 feet. He closed his eyes and he fell back down hitting his head against the ground. His head throbbed in pain as he laid there on his back. Dusty and company laughed so hard they started to choke on their beers.

“I’m so cold,” said Ivan. “What is going o-o-on?” He looked at the fire and without even thinking twice the fire turned into a block of ice instead.

“What the hell,” Dusty said in shock. His friends and him ran over each other as they went into the house.

Cole was too mesmerized by his hand to even notice the gigantic hole that DJ had put into the ground. Cole fainted and as he fainted his entire body turned to metal and with a clunk he lied on the ground.

Devin went to JD and said, “This is too weird. I can’t explain any of it. Are you even conscious?”

JD laid on the ground not moving and then all of the sudden shot up and his eyes opened. A red flashlight like beam shot out of both of his eyes and he closed them again and then said, “I can’t open my eyes.”

Devin forgot about his itching back and said, “No you can’t.”

There was an explosion. Devin looked up in the sky and saw smoke. What was happening?

******
The beam from JD’s eyes had hit a plane and caused the explosion. The tail was knocked clean off and the plane was tail spinning towards the ground. Sabrina remembered the movie Alive and how people were sucked out of the plane because the tail tore off. So she held on to the armrest so tight that when the pane jerked her in a circle she ripped the armrest out and instead of not screaming she screamed as if she was going to die like everyone else.

To be continued…...

Under Construction

Soon to be here a Serial based on the title....I can't give too much away or it won't be interesting. Ha.