I groaned as I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar white ceiling greeted me. This isn't my room? My head shifted to find next to me, was my family. My mother, Aya Armstrong was reading a novel, as usual, Dad, Marvin Armstrong was gazing out in the window, seemingly anxious. My little sister, Athena was sitting on the back petting a small white dog.
My father was a pretty tall Italian man wearing a suit, he must have come straight out of work. His usual slick black hair was messier than usual and his green eyes seemed more tired than usual. His mustache almost hid his frowning mouth. Like my Dad, my mother's auburn hair was wilder and her eyes were red and puffy, she must have been crying.
She often reads books to calm her down. My seven-year-old sister who is a child version of my Mom looks anxious. I'd never seen that hyperactive girl this down before. Poochie must have sensed me waking up because he barked and hopped onto my bed licking my face.
"Ah, stop it!" I yelped.
"Ben!" Mom, Dad and Athena shout in unison rushing to my side.
Dad pulled Poochie away from me allowing me to breathe, only for my Mom to give a bone-crushing hug and Athena soon joined. My cheeks became inflamed and I prayed to God that no one sees me in this state.
"Okay, okay that's enough!" I say as I gently push out of the way.
"Thank God, you're okay!" Mom said.
"Yay! Benny's okay!"
Athena did a happy dance, while my father stayed quiet but gave me a smile of relief.
"I'll get the doctor, be right back!" He says, putting Poochie down before exiting the room to get the doctor.
Oh, I'm at the hospital, aren't I? Honestly that should have been obvious especially what happened. Wait, what happened? First I got sucked into a black hole and ended up in some weird place for what felt like a couple of hours and now back at the hospital.
"What happened Mom?"
She raised a quizzical brow. "You don't remember?"
I shook my head. Mom let out a shaky breath before opening her mouth.
"Ben, after one of the inventions had a malfunction everyone evacuated the building. Everyone except you. You're friend Jimmy, I believe told the rescuers that you were still inside."
I recoiled, and the feeling of wanting to throw up came to me. Jimmy, friend? Yeah even putting them in the same sentence was revolting and I wanted to say that Jimmy wasn't a friend at all, but I let Mom continue talking.
"When they entered the building and then the room, they found you unconscious, the fire was no longer there thankfully, that's what allowed you to be alive!"
"How long was I out?"
"Only a day, still..."
She holds my cheeks, tears welling up in her eyes. Oh boy.
"Look I'm okay, I feel good!" I tried to reassure her.
And in truth, I do feel good. You know, for someone who just survived a life-threatening situation, I felt kind of strong, almost invincible. But her worried hazel eyes told me I failed to convince her.
"Brother..."
Athena comes to my side, having a look similar to Mom only less restrained and looks ready to cry her heart out.
"Are you going to be okay?"
My face softens. Praying to all the gods that nobody sees being this chummy and cringe, I embraced Athena.
"Of course, I'm going to be okay, don't worry." I let her go and ruffle her hair.
She giggles shoving me away. We were startled when the door opened, it was Dad along with a man with a lab coat.
"Ah, I see you're awake Mr. Ben."
RED
20 Minutes Later
JUSTICE
Everybody leaves my room as I lay in my bed. The doctors ask all the standard procedure questions such as 'How are you feeling?' or 'Do you remember what happened' you know doctor questions. I answered them as honestly as I could, although I did not mention my 'Dream'. Honestly, that place, whatever it is, is all I can think of. Was I really in that place?
It should be obvious what the answer is. My experience is far too bizarre not to be a dream. And yet it felt so real, especially the multicolour lightning hitting me. Regardless, I'm still emotionally tired after what happened, and I just want to shut my eyes and let my problems dissolve...
Wait, what the...
I opened my eyes in alarm. What just happened? For a second when I closed my eyes and relaxed, I saw something, which is weird because you're not supposed to see something when closing your eyes. What little I saw, I could have sworn I saw multiple white people. And I'm not talking about a white dude, but I mean a literal pure white person.
It was like those silhouette art things of people. But when I opened my eyes, they vanished. Just what is going on? Okay, Ben chill out there is probably a normal reason why that happened. Maybe it was a trick of the mind or because I was traumatized by an event I started seeing things.
I mean that could happen. Hesitantly I closed my eyes and yup, the white silhouettes are here again. But I didn't open my eyes and instead focused. There weren't just silhouettes, I could see the outline of my surroundings, it was like my hospital room but someone drawn in chalk. I saw one white Silhouette approaching the door and I heard a click, which made me open my eyes.
Almost instantly a girl I didn't know, about my age, opened the door slightly. She froze at the sight of me, she had sapphire blue eyes and short raven hair. She blinks for several moments before nodding.
"Sorry, wrong room."
She awkwardly closed the door and as soon I did, I shut my eyes. Once again I could see the silhouette, but this time she backed away from my door before walking to somewhere else.
"What the heck?"
I opened my eyes slightly, took a deep breath and focused. Trying to recreate the feeling when I closed my eyes and it worked. The world around me dimmed in colour, turning into grey, but the silhouettes popped out although not as visible as before. I could see through walls, sort of? It was more than just that when I closed my eyes and focused more intensely.
I sort of see the things behind me. Not see, but more feel. I don't know how to describe it. The closest I could attest it to is the feeling of someone watching you accept this time in reverse. So I can see and feel through walls?
Maybe I'm just imagining it? Oh god please don't tell me I got brain damage from the incident. But wait, I saw that girl's silhouette walking to my door and opening it, how did I know to open my eyes as the girl came inside? Coincidence? Doubt it.
Still, I didn't know getting brain damage gives you sensory powers.
RED
3 Days Later
JUSTICE
It's been a day since I left the hospital. I was discharged quickly due to the doctors not detecting any injuries or anything but telling us to tell them if I experienced any problems. I considered telling them about my sensory ability, but I doubt they'll believe me. Whatever the case, this power is pretty rad. Now I could sort of see through walls.
Okay, it's a pretty lame superpower. You know after experiencing getting electrocuted in another dimension, I would've thought I would get more awesome powers than just detecting people. At last I could use this to avoid Jimmy next year. And even if it was lame, I felt proud that I got superpowers. Like I'm given something all children want.
A superpower! Sure I'm not crazy about superheroes or anything, but having powers is certainly pretty cool. It took getting used to, not to mention it was a bit hard to sleep feeling everyone's presence nearby. Speaking of my ability, my range is about half a kilometre max. But now I lay in my bed staring up at the ceiling.
This was the worst part of summer vacation for me, the lack of anything to do. Listen I hate school like all kids do, but at the very least it kept me occupied. It's not like I can hit up my friends, I don't have any. Mom says I should play outside, the thing is I hate physical activity. I don't see the appeal of destroying my muscles and smelling like poop by the end of it. I decided to try to end my boredom with some reading.
Grabbing one of the random graphic novels on my shelf. It was an Amulet created by Kazu Kibuishi. I got this for my birthday last year from my Mom. She was hoping I would get hooked on reading. While I'm a reader, it's more of a 'Sure Why Not.' rather than a hobby. Either way, I've heard a couple of people talk amongst themselves about the graphic novel.
Saying a lot of positive things and recommending it to others. I had my eye on it, but school kept me busy and I didn't find the time to read it. Since I don't have anything to do, I decided, why not? I glance at my clock which reads 12:31 PM. Mom told me to go outside by one o'clock.
She says she doesn't want me to coop up inside and play outside. It was annoying and frustrating but, my Mom is stubborn and won't even hear me out. Then again that could apply to all mothers. So I guess I could read the series a little before my Mom barks at me to get out. I grabbed the book and lay on my bed as I began to read.
Time passes...
Honestly, it was a pretty good story. The characters and the narrative are engaging, it was good enough to make me lose track of time and before I realized it, I was on the third installment. A relaxed sigh escapes as I put the book down. That's enough for now. Hold on a moment, didn't Mom tell me to leave the house and get some fresh air?
It must have been a couple of hours since I started reading, hopefully, Mom doesn't get too mad about the fact I stayed home for a couple of hours. Still, it was strange she didn't call my name to tell me to go. Unless she was out somewhere, but I doubt it, I could feel her presence downstairs. Judging by her silhouette's position she must have been reading or something. Regardless, I should go before she freaks out.
As I was about to get off the bed, my eyes passed by my alarm and instantly I froze.
"What?"
It reads 12:33 PM. Yeah, no way that was the time. It felt like I lay in this bed reading for HOURS. And since God hates humanity, he made things whenever you are invested or engaged in an activity, an hour of that feels like five minutes while anything else you hate, like school. It feels like five hours for thirty minutes. And I was certainly engaged in reading.
I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Great, my alarm is now broken or something. Whatever. I changed into some outdoor clothing, wearing a plain black shirt with red jogging pants. With that, I left my room and headed downstairs.
Looks like I was right with my Mom reading a novel. She was reading something called Twilight. She notices me before smiling.
"Hey, honey, going out already it's not even 1 yet."
My brows raised along with my eyes.
"Wait really?"
She nods, and a tiny look of confusion flashes over her eyes before vanishing.
"Oh okay, I guess I'll be back whenever." I wave at my Mom before turning back, putting on my shoes and opening the door.
"Be safe!" I heard my shouts behind me.
"Yeah, yeah."
I closed the door and began to walk around the neighbourhood. Harvest Hills is a small town, nothing special about this place. No big malls, no theatres and there are only two schools here. One middle school and the other a high school. I walked aimlessly, too distracted from what happened earlier.
How did I finish three graphic novels back-to-back in two minutes? I'm pretty sure my alarm was working before and my Mom didn't mention anything about me leaving the house late, actually, she said I was early. So I can't chalk it up to my alarm clock being broken. I blinked as I sensed a silhouette rapidly approaching.
They were going pretty fast too. From what I could 'See' they were behind a car and the silhouette seemed to be drinking something. I don't need superpowers to know who's behind the wheel. I lift my eyes off the ground to look at the speeding classic red Mustang car. While it was hard to see the driver due to the distance, I know behind it was the infamous Jermy Douchebag.
I don't know his last name, but everyone knows this sorry excuse of a teen. This guy was a delinquent and a general menace to everyone. The number of times I saw this guy vandalize or threaten someone is honestly too much to count. He is Jimmy Bullard but in high school and somehow ten times worse. Because at least Jimmy was a quiet brute.
Hearing Jeremy talk makes me want to jump off a bridge. I could see his silhouette drink something and I get the feeling those aren't something you should chug while driving. Honestly, it wouldn't be the first time, he's lucky that nobody got hurt so far. The only reason he gets away with it is because of his rich parents. While he didn't harm me personally, he does give me a dirty look every now and then.
I was on the sidewalk with two others behind me, about to crosswalk to the other side. I could see one big silhouette and one small one, similar to the size of my sister. I stopped and looked at the speeding red Mustang wearily and turned my attention to the other two people which turned out to be one woman holding hands with who I assumed to be their daughter. I looked at the speeding red car and nearly sighed in relief when I saw the lights turn red.
"Oh, thank god..." Even Jermy knows when to stop for a red light.
Unfortunately, my relief was short-lived as Jermy's car pushed past the red light. Several honks of cars can be heard as he drives past. I played and watched as the car zoomed past me and it was heading for the two pedestrians behind me who were still trying to cross over only realizing that the car wouldn't stop.
"Ahh!" The woman screamed.
"Mommy!"
My heart trembled as I was about to watch a traumatizing event. But before I could realize it...
I moved.
CRASH!
Wait, what the heck just happened? I was no longer on the sidewalk instead I found myself on the road, one hand outstretched to the side. I slowly turned my head to face the woman and the daughter. The woman was embracing her daughter tightly unaware of what was happening around her, she was sobbing loudly. The young girl on the other hand was looking straight at me.
Looking at me with awe and wonder. I then shifted my gaze to my outreached hand, blinking my eyes as I was in utter disbelief at what I had just seen. Because my outstretched palm was grabbing the bumper of the red Mustang. My hand was deep within the bumper of the car. Speaking of the car, it looked wrecked, it was as if it had crashed into a tree.
Smoke was coming out from the front. I gulped as I pulled my hand away and inspected it. Not even a scratch was there. I hastily got up and stared at the broken car in shock. Did I do this?
I slowly walked to the driver side door, my breathing a little uneven as I expected to see a rather gruesome sight, though thankfully, Jermy seems in one piece. Sure he was bleeding from his forehead and looked rather delirious of what's going on but seemed to be okay generally.
Hey, he might be a HUGE butthole, but I don't want him to die.
"Hey, are you guys all right!" A voice called out.
I gasped as I took a step back. Multiple silhouettes are running to get to the scene, it won't be long until a crowd forms and cops arrive. They will no doubt ask me what happened, even though I have no clue what's going on. I pictured myself in a dark interrogation room, as the cops looked ready to strangle me. While my parents are on the side, looking at me with disappointment.
Yeah, not dealing with that. I willed my legs to slowly move, walking away from the scene. I picked up the pace every second before I began to run and that is when things got really weird. Remember that feeling of biking down a steep wheel, feeling wind push your face as you accelerated down. Well think of that but times it by MILLION.
I was fast, too FAST. I was probably running faster than any car! As I zoom past buildings on roads I soon realize that I should be crashing into things a lot more, after all, I was moving really fast. Because I was one of only a few people that realized that super speed kind of sucks. Because unlike others' perspective, in yours you're normal, it's just the world around you has slowed.
So if you have super speed and run to I don't know, Antarctica it would probably take a few seconds while for you, it feels like eternity. But in my perspective everything was still fast, it was like watching a fast-forwarded movie. But somehow I was able to avoid cars and buildings with ease. It's really hard to describe unless you were me. Either way, I was most likely the fastest thing alive at that moment.
And I'm only jogging! After about ten seconds in my perspective, I stopped in a random alley, not even out of breath. I could stare at my hands and legs with horror and confusion. Just what the heck is happening to me!? I...I needed time to mentally recuperate.
I walked slowly, careful not to activate my new superpower of superspeed. I exited the alley only for me to be confused. Wait, this isn't Harvest Hills. There were way too many people and I don't recall us having multiple skyscrapers. I shifted my head, only for my jaw to drop at the sight before me.
Harvest Hills is about nearly an hour away from Toronto, without traffic to worry about. Even if I was fast, I couldn't possibly reach Toronto in a short amount of time especially since I only ran for a few seconds. So, why in the love of everything that is holy, am I looking at THE CN TOWER!?