A Celebrity and a Hero

Chapter 1

Jaces POV
There I stood, in the middle of the street, in costume, police sirens getting louder behind me, as I stared at the building in front of me that was burning to the ground. I failed. My job was to protect the city and I failed it. I wasnt fast enough. As the reflections from the red and blue lights got brighter, I took a deep breath. I jumped in a super bound and hopped from rooftop to rooftop, just trying to get out of there. I need to go home.

I sat in a ball on the couch, hugging a pillow, now in my normal clothes. My dad came in and handed me a cup of water. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. I shook my head. I turned to the tv and my eyes widened in fear. "Wolf lets building burn tonight-" i switched the channel. "Super hero known as the Wolf, didn't come to save people from a fire-" i switched it again. "Cause of the fire seems to be an electrical issue-" I turned off the tv and rested my head on the back of the couch. "Jace, please talk to me" dad said. "I failed dad. I didn't get there quick enough. I wasnt fast enough. And the worst part is, that I got the alert! I got it, but I thought that maybe, the police could handle it. I didn't think it'd be a fire! Jokes on me for trying to have a real life huh?" I said. He sat down next to me and put his arm around me. "You just gotta lay low for a while. You need a break. This happens all the time. We live in a world of magic. Super hero's aren't a new thing. They fall and then they get back up again just like everyone else" he assured me. "Yeah, just with higher stakes. I know we live in a magic world dad. Look at me. Look at you! We have dog ears and tails. We're mutants. That's why they call me the Wolf. Almost everyone has magic. Its what we do with it that counts... but I didn't do anything with my magic tonight. All I did was run. What kind of hero runs?" I asked. "The scared one. Its ok to be scared Jace. You're only nineteen" he said. "Yeah, and my girlfriend is already a celebrity" I said. "That's it! You should go to California. You can stay with Crystal and get the break that you need." He suggested. "Dad, I haven't seen her in person in a year. I cant just show up at her door like 'hey babe, I'm moving in!'" I said. "Then call her. You need a break Jace. I think Crystal is the perfect person to have it with" he said. "I cant call her. Not after tonight. I know she's gonna flood me with questions and be all worried... I just cant." I said. "Do you want me to call her?" He asked. I hesitated but nodded. "Ok. Go get some sleep. You can pack in the morning" he said. I nodded and went to my room.

My eyes peeled open as the light creeped through my blinds. I sighed. Usually I would get up to go on patrol, but now I cant do that. I waited for a moment before grabbing my phone. Eight missed calls from Crystal. Ten unread messages. I sat up and opened the messages. She's worried about me. Lots of "are you ok" and "please talk to me" messages. The last one just says "I love you" though. I texted her back. "I love you too" I said. I put in my ear buds and turned on my podcast. I'm a photographer, but I love learning about everything. Especially magic and other species. That's what this podcast is about. They give facts and talk about history of different species and magic. I got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey kid" dad greeted. I waved while I made coffee. "Todays all about super-mutants." The podcast started. "Now, we already went over how mutants are normal people that have mixed DNA with an animal. They have the ability to turn into that animal, and they often have ears, tails, horns, or wings of the animal they are mutated with on their human form. Like instead of human ears, they have cat ears." The woman said. I rolled my eyes. I hate cats. Not just because I'm part dog, but because they're so annoying. "We've also discussed how a super-human is a human with extraordinary magical abilities. A super-mutant is the mix between these two. They appear as normal mutants, but can wield magic just like any super can" she said. My dad tapped my shoulder and I took my ear buds out. "What?" I asked calmly. "So, Crystal has set you up at a college in LA. That way you can continue your studies after you leave." He said. I nearly choked on my coffee. "Dad! I told her not to do that! She wanted to take me with her to LA when she left but I told her no. You just gave her a liable reason not to listen to me! I don't want her to buy everything for me! I'm already invading her space" I said. He hesitated. "I mean... she didn't buy your plane ticket. I did" he said. I sighed. "You really want me out of here huh?" I asked. "Of course not. I just want you to feel better. Besides, its been a while since you saw Crystal" he sais. I nodded. "That's true" I said. "Go pack. Your plane leaves tomorrow" he said.

I'm packing. I have the window open for circulation. I shoved whatever I could into my boxes, not caring if its organized or not. I heard a police siren and ran to my window. I stuck my head out and almost jumped out but then stopped. I cant do that anymore. Its hard to fight it when its like an instinct now. I shut the window and locked it. I opened a drawer in my closet and just stared at it. Its my super suit. I shut the drawer but kept my hand on the handle. I cant take it... but I cant leave it either. I opened the drawer and quickly grabbed my suit. I shoved it to the bottom of the box and shut it. My dad cant know I'm bringing it.

I cant do this. The planes about to land. Saying bye to my dad was hard enough. I cant look Crystal in the eye after what happened. As the plane landed, I took deep breaths. Dad said that Crystal had a car sent to get me. I got off the plane and found a guy with my name on a board. He brought me and my crap to the car. LA is so big to me. I don't know how I'm gonna handle living here.

I knocked on Crystals door. Its late. I didn't think she lived so far from the airport. Crystal answered the door, hair a mess, wearing a single sleeved crop top and baggy sweat pants. I took in her appearance and smiled. She's got beautiful white hair and hasn't gotten any taller since the last time I saw her. She's still short. Her eyes widened and she smiled so big that it warmed my heart. She hugged me. "You're here!" She said excitedly. "Yeah. I'm sorry to barge in on you. Things are... bad" I said quietly. "I know. I saw, and Hudson called. And you're not barging in on me. You're never unwelcomed here. I love it when you visit" she said. "So can I get out of the hallway?" I asked. "Oh. Right. Yeah, come on" she said. I walked in, and as always, her place never ceases to amaze me. Being famous definitely has its perks. Crystal grabbed my hand and dragged me to her room where I can see that she's been up for a while watching tv and eating snacks. She took my bag away and dropped it on the floor. She pushed me onto her bed and crawled over me. "You doing ok baby?" She asked. "Well, right now I'm being straddled by a goddess so yeah, I'm great" I smiled. She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Jace. Are you ok?" She asked seriously. I looked to the side as my expression dropped. "Can I wait to tell you till tomorrow?" I asked. She nodded. "Of course" she said. I backed up and took my shoes off. She got back in her spot on the bed and I curled up next to her. Crystal is a human. She doesn't have any magic, but I love her none the less. Crystal put her arm around me and kissed my head. "I have a meeting tomorrow, but after I have the whole day. We can talk when I get back ok?" She asked. I nodded. "Thanks for saving me" I whispered. She looked down at me. I looked back up at her. She put her hand on the side of my face and gently brushed her thumb back and forth. She smiled lightly. "What can I say? I love saving my hero" she whispered. I smiled but then dropped it. I'm not a hero anymore.