The day for Paige Grey began just as every other. Rolling out of bed and onto the floor at 6am on the dot. Paige groaned, burying her face in the soft carpet for only a moment before dragging herself to her feet. 6 in the morning was far too early for anyone to wake up, according to everyone Paige knew, but her school was cruel and demanded sacrifices, so little sleep it was. The room was cold as she crossed the floor to her closet to change- the heater must have been broken again. Paige's parents hadn't been able to replace it yet, so they were stuck with occasional heat but mostly cold. At least it wasn't the dead of winter anymore, but March in Minnesota was still far too cold to be without heat.
Paige changed, shivering against the cold and rubbing her arms as she waited for body heat to warm up her sweater and pants. The stairs were dark as she navigated them in the dark, trying to avoid Marty, the family's black kitten. It was difficult to see the tiny black shadow in the darkness but she managed to avoid stepping on the tiny creature, so she counted it as a win, even though she did accidentally push him off the last step.
Purring, the cat curled around her legs as Paige stepped into the kitchen, flipping on the light and crossing the cold tile floor, grateful for her socks. She pulled the pantry door open, using her foot to keep the kitten out, and grabbed the bag of cat food that never emptied from off the shelf. It hadn't run out since Paige's mother, while looking over their taxes, had complained about how much the food cost. "I wish it didn't run out, so that we wouldn't have to spend so much money on it every month," she'd said with a sigh from the table. Paige, sitting on the couch in the other room, had only blinked and whispered, "It is done," to herself. The phrase wasn't necessary for her powers to work, but Hannah loved it, so it was a habit by then. Based on the odd tingling sensation in her head, she'd known it worked. The food hadn't run out since, something Paige's mom had only noticed once. "I wonder if the Gifter heard me," she'd said, and that was that.
"The Gifter." Paige's superhero name. It definitely wasn't as impressive-sounding as some others she knew of- Iron Man, Black Widow, even the Winter Soldier sounded more terrifying. (Was he even a hero? Paige wasn't sure. She should probably keep up with the news more carefully) It didn't matter though, Paige loved her superhero name. It fit what she was perfectly- the gifter of small miracles, to those who needed them. The cause of lost keys randomly appearing, and grades mysteriously jumping up a few points. Making little wishes come true.
Her powers were the reason she was forced to roll out of bed at 6 sharp every morning. Her dad, way back in 6th grade, had complained about how often Paige was late to school. He'd wished she would stop being late to things, and having only barely received her powers and still unsure how to control them, Paige had rolled her eyes and told him, "Okay, I won't be late any more." Apparently that was enough for her powers, because Paige hadn't been late ever since, either waking up for no obvious reason or just plain rolling onto the floor just early enough for her to get to school on time. If she tried to procrastinate, something would force her to get ready- a parent coming to bother her, Marty crying at her, even just a burst of adrenaline that had her speeding out the door. It was, Paige had to admit, very helpful, but sometimes she just wished she could sleep in.
She was very careful not to grant wishes centered around people being late for things after that.
" 'Morning, Paige," Paige's mom greeted her, stumbling into the kitchen and heading straight for the coffee pot. Paige had the coffee going by then, so there the warm brown liquid was waiting for her. The cereal was sitting on the counter as well, and eggs were cooking on the stove for Paige.
"Hi mom." Paige was at the old kitchen table, scrolling through the news app, looking for recent information about the Winter Soldier- Bucky, most articles seemed to be calling him. It was difficult to find much though, with most of the articles she could find being about the recent attacks by Spider-Man, or President Ellis thanking the Avengers for their help, or the seemingly infinite amount of people mourning Iron Man and Captain America.
No, Paige grumbled in her head, I absolutely do not want to hear about your 10-year-old crush on Iron Man, or your claims that you always knew that Spider-Man was evil, or your racist comments on how Captain America's shield now belongs to a black man. Just tell me what I want to know!
"Your eggs are burning," Paige's mom interrupted Paige's thoughts, sipping on her coffee.
"Shoot!" Paige jumped up, pulling the eggs off the stove and pushing them around in the pan as quickly as she could without dropping them all over the hot surface. "They're not too bad, thank goodness." Only a little burned, though Paige hates everything burned, so it definitely could've been better.
The eggs, as predicted, were gross. Paige scarfed them down anyways and headed back upstairs to grab her homework that she finished the night before, before throwing on a coat- her heaviest coat, despite the fact that it was March, because she was still freezing- and running out the door to catch the bus, right as it pulls up to her stop. Thanks, powers.
Hannah, Paige's best friend, is waiting for her on the bus, her backpack taking up nearly the entire seat. Hannah, all five feet of her, is constant energy. She loves people and knows everything about everyone, which is one of the reasons Paige is so glad that they're friends. Besides the fact that Hannah is really just a bundle of joy and amazing to be around, of course.
"Hey!" Hannah's face lights up when she spots Paige pushing down the tiny aisle. "Thanks for taking me out with you last night!"
Paige smiles. "Thanks for coming!" she says with a laugh. She'd taken Hannah out when she'd gone into the woods the night before, which was her way of helping people and using her powers- the townspeople knew her more of a real-and-confirmed urban legend than a superhero, someone who could be summoned to help them with small needs if they paid her a dollar coin. The dollar coins weren't necessary- Paige was willing to help everyone- but they did help when her parents were struggling with their bills for the month, or for when Paige wanted to give someone a present for whatever reason. The other half of the legend said that the Gifter could be reached at 3:21pm exactly, right after school ended, in the lower section of the school library. All you had to do was leave a gold coin and a note with your name and your request, and it may be granted by the time school ended the next day.
The library, predictably, was always full at 3:21pm.
Paige always stopped by the library to grab the slips and money by the time school started, and throughout the day she would grant as many wishes as she could, with Hannah's help. They made quite a team, a good enough one that they- they being their superhero versions of themselves, the Gifter and Kai, the name that the media had assigned to Hannah- got national coverage. Tony Stark and Thor had both tried to reach Paige with simple requests, and she'd helped with both, which led to her superhero alter ego being revealed to the general public.
The town, thanks to her, was now a major tourist attraction.
Hannah huffed. "I do need to study," she complained. "I can't just help you all the time."
"But you never come with me!" Paige teased, settling into the seat, Hannah's backpack now covering the majority of her upper body.
"Because you stay out so late. It's not healthy!"
Paige just rolls her eyes, smiling at her friend's concern.
They reach the school about fiteen minutes later, heading first to their lockers and then straight to the library. The kind old librarian, Ms. Thomas, always collects the coins and paper slips for the two girls, keeping them safe over the night. She's one of the three people who know their identities as the Giver and Kai- and, of course, Hannah and Paige are the other two. She usually helps look through them as well, always interested in the lives of others.
"Looks like everyone's hoping their partner breaks up with them today," Ms. Thomas says in lieu of a greeting. "So no work for you girls. Valentine's is over and all that, all the new couples are done with each other."
Paige sighs. "I wish I could say I'm surprised," she says, shaking her head. "But honestly, I'm not. Are there really no others?"
"Not today." Ms. Thomas winks. "Unless you want to help Ms. Hannah over here..."
Hannah, as she always does, turns beet red. "I do not need a boyfriend, thank you Ms. Thomas," she says, crossing her arms.
"Of course you don't, sweetheart," the librarian laughs. "And I don't need a cane."
