Nat: The Beginning

I Get Enlisted?? (Sort Of)

Nat

The next thing that happened was a blur. Just when I thought that I was going to be taken away, a shadowy figure swooped down over us. I heard a loud thunk, and suddenly the man's grip released. I turned around to see him passed out cold. A man with blond hair and huge red wings stood over him. 

"You ok kid?" 

I nodded, still in shock. He gave me a thumbs up and turned to deal with my would-be kidnapper. The only problem was, he had already vanished. Someone must have helped him escape. 

"Well that's going to require a lot of paperwork." He turned around to face me again, ruffling his feathers. He looked me up and down, probably judging my hygiene. I don't blame him. I hadn't changed or bathed in a few days, and I probably looked sort of suspicious. 

"You sure you're ok kid?"

"Oh yeah! Just got a little lost is all," I said in the most innocent voice I could muster. I pointed to a random lady. "Look there's my mom!" 

We looked absolutely nothing alike, but he seemed to buy it somehow. 

"Well alright then. Run along now." 

I don't know what it was, but something about the winged hero and his strange note seemed to stir something in me. I felt gratitude and another strange feeling in my stomach. Maybe it was hope...or maybe it was the dumpster burrito I had eaten for lunch earlier. But either way, I could tell that this encounter had changed me. 

Before he left, the man called out, "Let's hope we won't have to see each other again any time soon! That is, stay out of trouble young lady." 

And with that, he flew off. 

_____________________________________________________________

Nat (1 year later)

Shit shit shit shit shit. I'm in trouble. 

I was running as fast as I could, pulling my hood further over my head and adjusting my mask. Turns out, that feeling I had after the hero saved me in the alley a year ago was not the burrito. 

I felt inspired to go out and help others. (Barf, I know). It's cheesy, but I realized that it was what I really wanted to do. I could kill two birds with one stone--rebel against my criminal mother and make up for the shady things I had done. 

The only problem: I don't have a hero's license. Now I'm being chased by an actual hero, and he is scary. 

He started gaining on me and I knew that I'd have to find a quick escape. I knocked over a vendor's cabbage stand, hoping to cause a diversion. 

"Sorry!" I yelled over my shoulder. I could hear the vendor cursing me as I ducked around the corner to catch my breath. I was finally safe...or so I thought. 

"Nice try, but I've been doing this a while. You're not getting away that easy." The light glinted off his yellow goggles, which were probably the shiniest thing about his personality. Mans was exhausted. I couldn't even see his eyes but I could just tell.

I analyzed the situation and did probably the stupidest thing I could've done. I attempted to punch the pro hero in the face. 

He smirked and blocked my punch, then moved to counter attack. I used my power to slow his punch, ducked under his arm, and tried to sweep his leg. He somehow saw that coming too. 

"You know," he said. "You're a lot like Keigo told me you'd be." 

I stopped in my tracks, almost letting him get me. I didn't dare speak, trying to keep as much about me a secret as possible (Although I guess Keigo/birdman had already figured some things out). 

"That's right. If I'm correct, you're the girl he tailed for a while. He didn't trust that you were totally safe and reported you to me. You've become quite the little vigilante." 

I grit my teeth and kicked outwards, but he jumped out of the way. Man this guy was good. 

"What I don't understand is how you've lasted this long. You've made some pretty miraculous escapes before, and even now you're holding your own quite well." 

Just when I thought I finally might've had the upper hand, he grabbed something from his pocket and threw it at me. I acted without thinking, stopping it in mid-air with my quirk. I realized my mistake and hesitated, long enough for him to wrap me up in his scarf and immobilize me. 

"Just as I thought." He crouched down and started reaching for my hood. My eyes widened in fear as I realized my identity was about to be revealed. But suddenly, he stopped, inches from my face. 

"As you can see I have the power to discover who you are and expose you...but I'm choosing not to. I'll let you keep your privacy for now..." 

I sighed with relief.

"But now I offer you a choice." He pulled a pamphlet out of his pocket. "I want you to enroll at my school. I've proven my theory that you have a quirk, even though you've done a pretty good job of hiding it. I know you've got potential." 

He wants me to what? 

"You don't have to decide now, but I want to give you this chance. I know you can do better. You just have to try." He released me and started to walk away, leaving me with the pamphlet in my hand. I stood there in shock. 

He stopped and turned around to say, "I don't know what it is, but I think you'd fit in there. Please consider enrolling."

I looked away for a brief moment, and when I looked back he was gone. I stood there for a while, thinking about what had just happened.  I couldn't exactly make sense of it yet, but I knew one thing was for sure. 

I had a decision to make.