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Disaster After Disaster

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Riddians POV: New York backstreets

The bricked pathway of the city back streets is cold and harsh in this winter weather. My light blue, ripped, skinny jeans are damp from the condensation in the night air. My feet are like ice blocks in my brown snow dusted combat boots and my red t-shirt would have been useless if I hadn't of grabbed that spare grey ski jacket from the "donations for the homeless" box. The only thing warm is my left hand. It's burning up a bit. Well, I'm telling it to do that actually. See I have these powers over a certain element. When I was little my step father had always said that I was destined for greatness, he could feel it. I never knew my real dad but I always kept an old photo of him in my pocket. Striking red hair and bright green eyes, just like me. He could do magic like me too. We can control FIRE! It's nothing like I've ever seen before and for me it's a huge help in the middle of winter. A few delicate flames dance around the bare skin of my palm, slowly warming my face in the bitter cold. My boyish hair does nothing for my ears as the wind whips past my head. It's getting stronger now. I snuggle into my jacket and make the flame burn brighter. I can feel the heat licking at my rosie cheeks more now. Lucky I slept in the alley tonight, if anyone had seen me working my magic I would be whisked away by the bloody government and be experimented on and....no Riddian, come on think positive. You are warm. You're not gonna die tonight, although it was a close one last Tuesday when the police saw me practising lighting a man on fire by throwing a fireball at him. I give myself I light giggle. I deserve it for all I've been through.

You see, my whole life I have been bullied for my "differences" in just about everything. I have always been faster than everyone, smarter than everyone, stronger than everyone and because I was tall I was really clumsy. Everyone looked down on me and didn't want anything to do with me and the worst part of it all is that I never had any friends because I was that one kid who could never relate to anyone. I had no one to rely on or have my back when I got beat up on the way home from school one day. A group of grade twelves decided to give me a punch up thinking that knocking some sense into me was going to change the fact that I was different, but it didn't work and that's when everyone started picking on me.

But after years of torture I had finally had enough, so I ran away from home. As I lived in a small town 15 miles from the nearest city, New York, I didn't have much choice than to get away from everything. I followed the only road in and out of the suburbs and didn't stop until I couldn't go any further. I was walking along a dusty, baron path when I collapsed to the floor. I thought back to all the bullying, the name calling. I hated them for that, they had judged me at first glance and I had suffered enough. My body was so full of rage that bursts of white hot flames seared from my hands like fiery daggers and I howled at the new power surging through me. I guess I was just born with it.

I'm not usually one for introductions but, my name is Riddian Saint and I am 15 years old. I'm pretty tall for my age and I am, sadly, homeless after running away when I was 13. It's only been two years and eight months since I figured out my special powers but I have been learning how to control them. I recently found out that I can turn my whole hand into flames. It is so cool.

I am a big fan of comic books, especially DC. They make me feel like I'm not alone in this weird and torturous world. If I could pick a fantasy world to live in I would go there. All my life I have learnt about all the superheroes, especially Young Justice. Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash, Artimis, Miss Martian and Aqualad to name a few (all of them). If only I could meet them in real life. They would be my new family and the only differences we would have would be who could eat the fastest, me or Kid Flash.

Daylight is breaking over the skyscrapers of New York City. This is where I live now and I love it. There are so many tall buildings and so much rushed activities. In the sky a couple of little patches of clouds on either side of the Empire State Building slowly move towards each other. Looks like a storm is cooking. But something isn't right, they seem....unnatural and....out of place. But everything here is unnatural and out of place. I shake the winter snow off my boots and walk along the foot path towards the doors at the building entrance. They hold breakfast and morning tea's inside every day. People can be so generous to those in need.

Suddenly, lightning slashes out of the gathering of clouds. Huh, this is weird. I mean I know it's winter but we weren't expecting a full on storm for another 3 weeks. The ground shakes as clouds move closer and grow darker. There is a massive storm coming. I start to jog towards the doors more hastily now to seek shelter inside, but the clouds are moving closer towards each other. The closer I get to the building the faster the clouds are moving. This is so weird. I'm sprinting now. Full on racing the wind. The clouds are full of lightning, gaining more and more speed. I have to get inside and escape the possible disaster. I reach out my hand to grab the handle of the door just as the clouds meet and...

*BOOM*

A pool of green covers my body as electricity surges through me. I scream out in pain. My whole world goes black and I can't move. What the hell just happened?

**--**
Another dimension

I can feel the cold earth underneath my body. I feel so weak and vulnerable. I can't move or see anything. I'm slipping into consciousness. I wake with a gasp for air. I sit up straight and look around me. Wow... I'm sitting in a huge crater which has impaled the middle of a street. There are people looking at me, some are in their pyjamas. I seem to be in a city but unlike New York this one is dark and gloomy. I feel light headed an fall back into my elbow. I touch my head but it feels wet somehow, like thick water. Oh no... I trace my fingers along the deep gash along the left side of my head. This is not good. The people start muttering as if wondering what to do.

Someone called out, "CALL THE POLICE!" The next thing I know I here faint sirens in the distance and a beam of light in the shape of bat streaks across the foggy night sky. No way... I'm in Gotham?Wait what? This can't be happening, is this a dream or something? Okay now I am freaking out. If this is Gotham and that is the beacon that Detective Gordon uses like in the comics then that means if I'm the main attraction, Batman will be wanting to see what all the fuss is about. I was only joking about living in this world. Its official....I'm dead. This had to be heaven.

I feel like I have to get away before batman gets here, yet I don't know why. I stand up, trying not to fall back down, and take off my ski jacket. It's not as cold here and it will only slow me down. Everyone takes a step back and stares at me as if I'm some creature they have never seen before. I take a step forward but I'm too weak, falling to the ground I catch myself and clutch my head as the world spins. It's too late anyway, he's here.Batman glides down from a nearby rooftop, landing right behind me. I turn around and scramble back in shock.

"What happen here?" His voice is rough yet smooth in a way. Serious as always though. He doesn't take his eyes away from me as one if the crowd members speak.

"She just fell from the sky and landed in the middle of the road Batman!" The rest of the crowd nod and mutter among themselves. I stand up in confusion. He tilts his head in curiosity.

"I did? I'm really sorry about the crater I...ARGH!!" Before I could finish I collapse to the ground, both hands gripping my pounding head. Batman tries to help but when he touches my arm a flash of white light clouds my vision. What is with these Fucking white lights? Images of my life pass before me. How I discovered my powers, how I've been homeless for so long, how the storm got wilder and I touched the door handle, ending up here. Then it stopped. My eyes came back into focus. I see Batman in shock but he's fine. Did he see the same thing I did? How did that happen anyway? Is this some sort of new power?I look at Batman who is now standing up as he notices the gash on my forehead and stares at me in thought. He picks me up, cradling my head before walking out of the crater and towards what looks like a black limo that has been decked out with extra attachments. He puts me in the passenger seat and straps me in. Hopefully he understands what I'm going through because this is the weirdest dream. I slip in and out of consciousness before my vision goes completely black and I slip back into the seat in silence.