Set In Motion

Press conference

I step to the podium, rubbing the brush with my fingers. Okay. I'm good. No problem. Look at hairlines, that'll work at this distance.

Cheers began ringing out, a few chants of my hero name, and I can't help but grin at the people in the back waving their arms at me. I raise my left arm in a greeting to everyone and stabilize on the podium. Deep breath. Count to four. Let it out slowly.

"Hello, everyone! Thank you for coming out to this sudden announcement!" Is that what my voice sounds like? Yikes. "I'm going to be taking up a residence in Japan, beginning next week." Immediately tells of shock and protest rang out. Shit. "I will be joining UA as a teacher for their students. A good friend of mine asked for a hand and I couldn't refuse..." I trail off starting to doubt myself. Squeeze the brush. No. I steel myself. Deep breath. No. "I am not abandoning you. I love you. This is my home. But I'm needed right now. As a public servant, I am needed wherever I am called. And you are not being left or forgotten. You all well know Tremor and Whiplash are here for you. They were here before and they will always be here for you. I understand if some of you are feeling betrayed and I cannot put into words how sorry I am to be leaving." My voice cracks. No, I'm almost done. I'm okay I'm okay I'm okay. Squeeze. Deep breath. Brush. "I will be back to see you all and I hope you will welcome me back. But for now, at least, I must go."

I steel myself. Focus on the rim of one camera and hope my face isn't showing the panic I'm feeling. And then I'm bombarded with questions. I can't hear them, it's all a roaring buzz in my brain and I can't hear words. I have to talk to them, tell them. They all know. It's okay. "Please, everyone. My head is buzzing. It's all too much noise. I can't hear you and I'm-" my head jerks to the side, eyes screwing shut. I shake it out and chuckle, "well, I'm ticking. Please. Just... more patience and I'll answer any questions." I smile sheepishly out at the crowd.

Immediately the roar dies to silence the second I ticked. A reported raised her hand. Channel 8, brown eyes, round face, perfect bun. She's here often. I like her. "Yes?"

"First of all, I would like to apologize, it was rude of us to bombard you." She bows her head slightly, a tinge of pink on her cheeks.

I smile gently, "It's okay, Mariana, what is your question?"

She looked up, almost hesitant, "What is the offer you couldn't refuse? Is it just teaching?"

"Oh! No, it's not just teaching. It's mentoring and providing a path for our next generation of heros. It's cultivating and protecting and nurturing all of our futures." I burst out, then flinch. Even I didn't expect that, my mouth just moved without me thinking but it didn't come out too bad. Mariana nodded, another reporter raising his hand. I nod to him.

"Who is this friend that made you the offer?"

I smile, "He's a bear or a mouse or a chinchilla, I'm honestly not sure. But he's Principal Nezu to everyone else." I giggle a little at everyone's baffles faces.

Another arm raises, much smaller and far in the back. A girl sitting on her fathers shoulders.

"I'm sorry, could you make a path for me? To the little honeybee in the back with the purple hair." I ask the crowd. Everyone looks around confused before parting in a wiggly path. I walk down from the steps of the courthouse, into the crowd, reporters tailing me.

I finally reached the girl and smiled softly at her, "What is your question, honeybee?"

Her blue eyes wide and round as she looked down at me, her soft voice whispering to me, "Will you come back? I'll.. I'll miss you..." I saw tears well up in her crystal eyes, and apparently so did her dad, as he reached up to lower her to the ground. I reached my arms out wide, and she ran into me. "I'll miss you, Kinetic. You're like me. No one is like me."

My heart squeezed tight, and I pulled her close, "There are plenty like us, and I will come back to you. I will always be here for you, my little bee. I will come back and I will find you and we will have a day, all to us. Okay?" I squeezed her gently.

She hid in the crook of my neck and I felt warm tears on my neck and collar as she nodded gently. She pulled back and I poked her nose. Her giggle sounded like wind chimes.

"Why did you call me bee?" She asked, her head dropping to her hands.

"Because," I say sitting cross legged on the ground, "honeybees seem small, but they hold the entire world together. They bring beautiful flowers and strong trees. They give us sweet honey and a pretty world to live in. They do so much work for everything around them, even though they're small and seem fragile. But they're strong and hard workers and hold everything together. Honeybees are the best thing on this earth and do not get enough credit for it until they're gone. And you, my dear, are a honeybee." I smile at her and hold out my hand. She looks up and a small smile reaches her lips, her hand reaching to mine.

"You're a honeybee too, and I want to be like you."

"You will, bee, and you'll be better than I could've dreamt." The girl nodded, her smile still holding in her lips as she turns away and returns to her dad, whose face was red and eyes puffy. He held her hand and I could read "thank you" on his lips. I nodded and stood, stretching.

"Thank you, everyone. I need to be going, but I appreciate you all listening to me," I say as I turned around meeting the faces of many puffy eyes and large smiles. The crowd parted and I was able to return to the courthouse with anymore questions.

The second the door closed, I fell to the floor, brain spinning. My fingers traced the lines of the tile, grounding. Deep breaths. I'm done it's okay now I'm don't deep breath tiles close your eyes hum brush deep breath. Okay. I'm okay.

I stand and meet the eyes of my parents, mom puffy eyed, "You did amazing with her," she said, dabbing at her eyes.

I smile back. I really hope I'll keep that up.