Everyone wants to be special, or at least that's what I believe. For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be special, and I suppose that applies to everyone else too. It could be in something as basic as being better than others at a sport or be better than others in a class, but the truth is, that everyone likes to know that they are special in a good way, and I guess that's universal.
In my case, as I mentioned, ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to be special, but not in the normal way. I wanted to be more special than anyone else, to have a unique talent that would make me stand out from the crowd, like one of those TV heroes who discover they are the chosen one or something similar, and that everyone depends on them.
I dreamed of having something like that, and my parents thought something similar, obviously not that I would become some kind of hero, but that I would be special in a certain way. Like me, they always sought to be special, but the reality is that they never achieved it, and so, like all good parents, they decided to burden me with their dreams and hopes. As their only child, I grew up with that burden, and when it became clear that I wasn't special either, I could feel them looking at me with eyes of disappointment, eyes that were never the same again.
It's unfair if you think about it. Some people are born with more money, others are born with great talents, and some are even born with both. I, on the other hand, don't shine in anything at all. I have to work hard to maintain relatively good grades, but then there are those who, without trying so hard, can match or surpass me, leaving my efforts meaningless. And the worst part is that this applies to every aspect of my life.
Right now, I'm 16 years old and in my first year of high school, and I'm on my way to another normal day at school. The school I attend isn't so far away that I need to take the bus, so I prefer to walk, and that way I can talk to my friends.
An there waiting for me near the usual corner was one of my best friends, Bruce. I've known Bruce since we were in elementary school, and it was no coincidence that we ended up at the same high school, since we have a lot in common. For starters, we live relatively close to each other, neither of us are outstanding in anything, and we both feel overlooked by those who are talented. We also both like superhero stories and talk about them constantly.
-I was waiting for you- said Bruce with a smirk on his face, his eyes telling me he had something to say. -Tell me, if you had to choose between seeing the future or reading minds, which would you choose? -
Once again, it was one of those questions, the kind I like, about what superpower you would choose, which powers you would prefer, or which power would defeat other and therefore consider superior. The truth is that neither he nor I like superhero stories specifically because they are great works of art, although there are cases where they are, but because we are fascinated by the idea of superpowers. This is also why we get along so well. He and I can spend hours talking about things like this non-stop, which can drive some of our other friends crazy.
-I think seeing the future is better - I said after thinking about it for a while and starting to walk toward school. -On the other side, if you could read minds, you could know what others think of you, and that gives you a certain advantage, but I think seeing the future is an easier power to take advantage of. -
-You know, I figured you'd say that, but you're not considering that reading minds has advantages all the time. You can know what a girl thinks about you, or when someone is lying to you or something like that. It also allows you to know, in a certain way, what's going to happen. -
-Yes, but seeing the future gives you the advantage of knowing chance, which allows you to win games, something that reading minds doesn't allow you to do. –
- That depends on how you look at it. -
We were going to have this discussion again, and I didn't want to start the day fighting, so I did the healthiest thing.
- NO, we're not going to have this discussion again. We never get anywhere because you refuse to accept the truth- I said as I tried to end the discussion.
-What?! You're the one who won't accept the facts. - He really seemed to want to argue, and I can understand that because sometimes it can be fun, but the truth is that I already know how it's going to end without having to see the future. -Chance cannot be predicted with future sight because it is by definition random, and if it were determined, then it would be destiny, and that means that no matter what you do, you cannot alter the results. –
Luckily for me, we were about to arrive at school, so I had the perfect excuse to stop my friend before I felt like arguing too.
-Sorry, I have to go to class now. We'll talk during break, - I said as I walked away.
-Don't run away from the truth. You can't hide from this discussion, -
He said as I walked away from him. As I said, this is a discussion we often have, and it always ends up turning into whether free will exists or not, or if there is a higher power, or if we are masters of our own destiny, and similar things. I'm not religious, but Bruce is, and then it becomes a religious discussion, and like all religious discussions, we end up angry for a while.
At school, almost no one knows me, just my friends and the occasional person I've had to do group work with, but I really think even the teachers forget I'm there. I don't play any sports, and my only extracurricular activity is writing, but since there's no writing club or anything like that at school, it's a hobby I do on my own.
I'm not doing badly in class, of course not, because if that were the case my parents would kill me, and it's not that I don't participate, it's just that I prefer to let others do it. It's better to let those who know what they're doing do their thing and me play my role as a regular student.
The day went on as usual. I didn't talk to anyone new, I didn't have any special classes, and I spent my time fantasizing about how amazing it would be to walk through walls so I wouldn't have to go around things. Finally, it was time for gym class. I'm not a big fan of any sport, and as I said, I'm not very good at them either. In fact, I'm not even athletic, and my physical condition is mostly poor, so gym class isn't exactly my favorite class, but getting up from my seat and playing basketball isn't something I dislike either.
Besides, the best thing about sports is that they usually divide us into those who are special and those who aren't, and if I'm up against people who are in the same condition as me, then I'm not so bad.
I put on my sports clothes like every other class and as I mentally prepared myself for whatever game was going to be played, I kept thinking that walking through walls would give me an advantage even in sports like basketball, simply because I could ignore air resistance and walk through anyone who tried to stop me, just by taking care of the ball. I really hoped that one day, by some miracle, I would gain superpowers, because with superpowers, even the most mediocre person becomes someone impressive.
We were playing normally while the coach shouted advice to us all, when we felt the ground start to shake. We were in the gym, so there were no benches to hide under. Many of my teammates fell, including myself. We all looked at each other, a little scared, until the floor exploded into hundreds of pieces of wood.
A huge white and orange snake rose from the floor. Its fangs were very pronounced, and on its head, you could see four curved horns like those of an antelope and four emerald green eyes that watched everything intently. The entire gym fell into chaos as everyone tried to escape from this creature.
We knew very well what that thing was. We had heard reports of similar beings appearing in other refuge cities. This was undoubtedly a demon. The demons began to appear a few weeks ago in several refuge cities. One had even appeared here in Greenvalley before, but I had never seen one face to face.
That creature took a while to completely emerge from the hole it had appeared from, and unfortunately, my brain took just as long to stop being paralyzed by fear and start running toward the exit. It was then that the demon snake let out a kind of hissing roar that only increased the panic I was feeling.
It was just a moment, but when I looked back, I knew the snake was going to attack me. In less than a split second, I knew I had to dodge it. I jumped as fast as I could to one side, and the snake crashed into the wooden floor, destroying it further and sinking into it a little.
I was getting up from the floor when a feeling of warmth began to fill me. If I had to describe the sensation, I would say it felt like when your hands are freezing and you put them in hot water. That feeling of thawing was what my whole body was now experiencing.
I had heard that there were people who had awakened their powers much later than the normal age, and I always hoped that would happen to me. After feeling this sensation for a moment, I knew that this was the case. Finally, my moment had come; I had become someone special.
Then reality hit me like a truck. The snake had sat up again, turned to look directly at me, and let out a hissing roar more powerful than before, which hurt my ears. I looked around and there was almost no one left in the gym. The snake began to go crazy, continuing its agonizing hiss and moving its head from side to side. I took advantage of this to stand up and try to get away.
While I was thinking that maybe the impact had disoriented her and I could escape, the snake hit me with its tail on my side, sending me flying against the gym walls. I hit a wall and feel terrible pain on both sides of my body just before I start to pass out. I hear someone shouting something in the background, but I can't make out what they're saying; everything sounds as if I were underwater. Finally, I close my eyes and lose consciousness completely.