Everyday-Man

1: Everyday-Man

"You know, there are many different kinds of Superheroes. You have Spider-Man, Ant-Man, Superman, Wonder Wo-MAN! All of them have to say their gender. How unoriginal, am I right? To be controversial and hypocritical, I've decided to call myself," I cleared my throat to deepen my voice and puffed out my chest, "Everyday-MAN!" The class remained quiet before me.

My teacher, Mrs. Crawley, cleared her throat, "Uh huh, and what exactly is your Superpower?"

"Yeah. What's your Superpower, brah?" Kyle asked, spinning a ring of fire around his wrist.

"Do you even have a Super?" Anylee chimed in, extending her claws.

"I-I-"

"I-I-" Kyle mocked with a smug look.

"You don't have a Super, do you?" Kadee inquired with a fierce look as her braids turned into snakes.

I gulped.

"He does have a Super," Siemen said while standing up, "the power of pure BRAINIAC!" The class laughed at me as he used his Telekinesis to launch a paper wad at me.

"Settle down!" Mrs. Crawley ordered. "Do you, or do you not have a Super, Mr. Van Holten?"

I cleared my throat, "Well. . .not at this current time, which is why my name is Everyday-Man, but-"

"Next. Thank you, Mr. Van Holten."

"I wasn't done-"

"Yes you are. Move Brainiac." Anylee hissed while shoving me off the platform.

I stumbled down and walked back to my seat.

"Don't listen to them, you did great." My friend Sparky whispered to me.

He held up his hand in a high-five which I accepted, completely forgetting his Super is Electric Shock. I felt my body fritz as the shock slammed into me.

"Sorry," He winced.

"I-it's a-all g-good b-bro!" I reassured him with a twitchy smile and a shaky thumbs up.

"I lost my shock resistant gloves this morning-"

"EXCUSE ME!" Anylee snapped in our direction.

Sparky whipped his head around; you could hear the static electricity popping around him as he faced forward to listen to his crush speak.

I took my seat behind him and peered around his afro.

"Ms. Felinety, you may begin."

"Thank you Mrs. Crawley," Anylee beamed with a cat-like smirk.

She gracefully flipped her ebony curls over her shoulder and swept her feline eyes over us.

"I come from a lineage of people with cat-like abilities, as you already know." She began. "As you also know, my mother is the famous hero, Cheetaria," She paused with a Cheshire grin as the class cheered, "and one day I will follow in her footsteps. So, the hero name I chose is, Midnight."

Oohs and aahhs erupted from the class.

Sparky's static intensified as he faced at her with electricity glowing in his eyes.

"Sparky, calm down before your ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR shocks more people than a high-five does," I whisper warned him.

"Oh fitz, you're right," He responded.

Slowly his static calmed down until all you heard was a low hum. I didn't tell him the lights started flickering earlier.

"My Super, since I actually have one," Anylee shot me a smug I'm-better-than-you look, "is a series of cat-like abilities. Balance, enhanced senses, claws, stealth, charm," She smiled confidently, "and anything else you can think of."

"So, you can hack up hairballs?" Kyle asked with a smirk as he tossed fireballs from palm to palm.

Anylee narrowed her golden cat eyes at him while baring her sharp cat teeth. "No. Kyle. I do not."

"Well you said 'anything else we could think of.'" He quipped with a shrug.

"Yes, but-"

"So you don't clean yourself with your tongue?" He interrupted.

She huffed in annoyance, "I said I had cat-like abilities, not that I am a cat, Kyle."

"So, what you're saying is, you're not on the same level as your mom who can turn into a cat?" He challenged her with a wicked fiery gleam in his eyes.

"I-I-"

"I-I- Just face it. You probably won't reach your mom's level anytime soon. She was able to turn at age thirteen. And how old are you?"

She kept quiet, looking down at the floor with angry and bitter tears in her eyes, bristling with hostility and anger.

"Fif. Teen." He answered, enunciating every letter triumphantly.

"Cut it out, Kyle!" Kadee hissed along with her snake braids.

"Cut it out or what, Kadee? You can't even freeze people with your eyes like your father Deuss. So save the dramatics for someone who actually cares." He waved her off with a flick of his hand.

Her jaw dropped in shock.

"Hey! Leave them alone! You call yourself a hero and say something like that?!" I shouted at Kyle angrily. I didn't even realize I shot up out of my seat.

"What are you gonna do about it? You should know your place, considering you're. Beneath. ME." His smoldering eyes locked with mine.

"Actually I'm above you." I quipped with a shrug, "I have more of a hero's heart than you'll ever be able to procure in your entire lifeti-"

Suddenly, I flew back and slammed into the wall adjacent to me. I slid down the wall with a groan, only to look up and see Siemen with his hand pressed against his temple.

"You can't say anything unless you're able to FIGHT BACK. So you can go on about having a 'hero's heart,' but you'll NEVER have the abilities to back it up. Stay in your place where you belong, Arin." Siemen narrowed his glowing blue eyes at me.

"It's funny hearing that from a guy whose name's literally one letter away from being-"

He cut me off as he slammed me back against the wall again, choking me.

"Mr. Leon, let go of him this instant!" Mrs. Crawley demanded, finally deciding to be an 'adult' and step in.

I felt my eyes practically bug out of my head as I tried to claw at an invisible hand.

"Mr. Leon!"

Siemen paid her no mind and continued to choke the life out of me.

You could see his strain as his lips curled back and various dark blue veins began to protrude around his eyes and forehead.

I heard Sparky's panic as black spots began to cloud my vision. The lights started flickering as Sparky stood up and raised his palm up to Siemen. He shot a ball of sparkling electricity into Siemen's abdomen, which released his hold on me as he went flying back.

I dropped down to the floor wheezing and hacking.

Sparky blew out the lights with an overcharge as he electrocuted Siemen into unconsciousness.

Everything went silent except for my gasping and the crackling of electricity.

I could already sense that as soon as I got out of class, I was going to get jumped.