Hero

Twelve

I wake up to a bright white light. I squint and look around the room. I sit up quickly, a pain shooting through my stomach. I realize my hood is down.
"Shit," I mumble.
"Don't move too much," the doctor says walking in. I nod.
"I realized," I say holding my stomach. He chuckles. "When can I get out of here?" I ask.
"I'll give you one last check up, give you some pain pills, and then you'll have to call someone to pick you up," He says. I nod. He gives me a quick check up. I'm as fine as I'll be for having been stabbed. He gives me pain pills. I decide to call Oryn, so that I don't worry Mya too much.
"Hello?" he asks.
"I need a ride home from the hospital," I say.
"What happened?" he asks.
"I got stabbed, but I'll be fine," I say.
"Alright I'll be there in about a half an hour," he says.
I decide to visit my mom. I walk to her room. I knock on the door, then walk in.
"Hey, mom," I say. She smiles at me.
"Hi, Xander," she says. I hug her.
"Why are you here?" she asks.
"Just wanted to visit," I lie. She frowns.
"Xander, I know when you're lying," she says.
"I was, um, stabbed," I say. She gasps.
"But you're okay?" she asks. I nod.
"Anyway, I should go. My friend Oryn is going to pick me up," I say. I hug her, say goodbye, and leave.
I get in Oryn's car. He smiles.
"How'd you get stabbed?" He asks.
"I got in a fight," I answer. He rolls his eyes.
"I figured that, but by whom? He asks. I shrug. He rolls his eyes again and drives out of the hospital parking lot. He drives me to my apartment.
"You gonna be okay by yourself?" he asks. I nod and get out. I walk to the elevator. I get on. Elizabeth stands there, not looking at me.
"Look," I say. "I can't exactly explain the coffee shop incident, but I'm sorry for whatever it was I did to make you mad," I say. She slowly turns to me.
"I know, Xander," she says. "I'm sorry for slapping you," she says.
"That's okay. Didn't really hurt anyway," I say with a smirk. She punches my shoulder lightly. I smile at her. The elevator dings. She gets off. I stand in the elevator in silence. It dings and I go to get off I bump into Mya. She looks sad.
"Mya, what's wrong?" I ask.
"I-I did something terrible," she says.
"What is it?" I ask pulling her into a hug. She shakes her head and lays it on my chest.
"Alright. You don't have to tell me, but if you do want to talk. I'm here," I say letting go of her.
"Thanks, Xander," she says rubbing her eyes. I smile. I unlock my apartment and go inside. I sit down slowly, my stomach hurting as I do.
"I guess being Shadow is out of the question for a while," I say to myself. I hear a knock at the door. I open it to reveal Mr. Jacobson.
"Oh. Hey, Mr. Jacobson. What are you doing here?" I ask. He steps inside.
"Xander, I found something really interesting today," he says. I nod.
"And that would be?" I ask. He looks at the floor for a second then says "I'm your father."
"What?" I ask in shock. My father left before I was a year old, but I guess it's possible.
"Your mother told me that you were staying in my apartment building," he says.
"Why would she tell you that?" I ask. He shrugs avoiding the question.
"Why would you leave?" I whisper, not really wanting to ask the question.
"You were... Different. I didn't think I could handle it, but now you're eighteen and I know you can control your.. Gifts," he says. "That's not the only reason. Your mother and I never got along in the first place. We had you and I felt obligated to stay, but it didn't last long." I nod.
"Wait, you know about my powers?" I ask. He nods.
"I also know that you're Shadow, but don't worry that's our secret," he says. I sigh in relief.
"There's also a dark past I should tell you about," he says. "I've done some, uh, bad things in my lifetime. I left you, I've stolen money, I've tortured people. Your friend, Mya, she's been trying to get back at me for torturing her family."
I gasp and turn away from him. I walk into the living room. I run a hand through my hair.
"So, you're a villain?" I ask turning to him. He nods solemnly.
"I'm sorry, Xander. I know you're a hero and now you know your father's a villain, but Xander I have to do something. Keep you out of the way," he says and holds up a gun at my head.