We Are Heroes

35

I suddenly found myself in a foreign room.

With shallow breathing, I gazed around my surroundings to see where I was.

It was a decent-sized room with dark gray painted walls. There was a door across from me and a large light was shining upon me, like a spotlight. From what I could see, the room was completely empty, except for me...and whatever I was being held by.

I looked down at myself, realizing that I was cuffed to a metal slate that was turned vertically, so I was perpendicular to the floor and ceiling. But there was one thing about me that took away my breath; it wasn't that I had no shirt on, but it was what happened to my body from my hips down: I was broken.

Literally.

The area of my hips were smashed off with jagged, glass-like edge to them.

I was scared, so scared I felt myself growing pale. How could I walk again? With this, I can never play soccer! But I have to play soccer! I need my legs! I snapped by head to the left like as if the wall there would have the answers to my thoughts.

I then heard the door opening, so I gradually turned my head back to look at the doorway.

Sauntering into the room was a man who seemed to be in his forties; he had tan hair that was swiped back and piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a black suit with a gray tie.

Who is this guy? Who are you? my mind screamed. All I could do is stare at him in terror.

"There is no need to be afraid, I am here to help," the man told me with a sophisticated voice that had a hint of an accent.

"Wh-who are you?" I managed to say. I hated sounding so weak and scared, but I couldn't help myself--I was overwhelmed with fear.

"I am Xavier Glassford...you might know me of the Watcher of Supernaturals."

I made a confused look and shook my head. "No, I don't know you..."

He nodded his head. "Well, that might be because you just gained your powers not too long ago before you were knocked out and of course we've never had met before then."

"Knocked out?" I repeated from what he said.

"Yes, you were knocked out for quite a while: a year to be precise." He began stepping closer to me, while keeping his eyes up at me.

"A year? I was out for a year?"

"That's right." Xavier clasped his hands behind his back. "From the evidence we've obtained, you were caught in an explosion and when you hit the ground, you shattered to a million pieces because you yourself are made of glass due to your powers." He extended his arms out to both sides. "We gathered as many pieces as we could and as you can see, we're in the process of putting you back together." He extended his hand out at the missing half of my body. "It's an onerous task."

"How long until I am...back to normal?"

"I can't guarantee you anything, we don't know for sure. Maybe another year since it took one year to do one half of your body, so it's logical for it to take another year..." He shrugged with a small frown.

"But-but I want to walk! I want to play soccer! How could I do that like this‽" I yelled with anxiety.

"You can't do those activities right, but don't worry, Soldatov," he told me in a calming tone, "hopefully you will soon."

I took in a deep breath and nodded my head while staring at the ground, reluctantly taking in his advice.

"What do you remember?" I heard Xavier asking me.

I slowly letted my eyes land on him. "Um..." I began searching my mind for what I last remember. "...I remember where I was before this-- I was at my parents cabin and--"

"No, in reality, not your imagination," he told me with a shaking of his head.

I knitted my eyebrows together. "That...wasn't real?"

I shook his head more. "No. You couldn't feel anything, right? You were thinking of that while you were undergoing surgery; you began thinking of that after we finished with your head."

I felt so disappointed, so let down. So I never met my father. I never time-travelled. But that girl...that girl that came to me, she seemed so familiar, but where did I see her last time? And how did she come into my 'imagination?' There was silence for a moment as I began drifting in my tangled thoughts of confusion and dismay.

"What was the last thing you remember before the dream?" I heard Xavier question me.

I got out from my thoughts and began searching hard through my memory. "I don't remember anything...not that much...just..." An image came to my mind. "...just the ground getting closer to me...as I was...falling..."

"That must've been when you were caught in the explosion," I heard Xavier guess. "That's understandable if that was the last thing you've remembered."

I lifted my head up to look at the man. "So what's gonna happen to me?"

"Well, the surgery will be put off for a while since you have awaken. We will resume after we've found a way to put you back to 'sleep' in a safe way. But for now to get you back on track with getting your memory and everything else that follows, you will be spending time with a helper that I have chosen for you."

The door then opened on cue and that same girl from my dream came waltzing in; she was wearing a red shirt with pink long sleeves, jeans, and red sneakers; she had her hair down. She halted next to Xavier and waved at me with a smile. "Hey, Alek."

"Who are you?" I asked with puzzlement.

"You don't remember me?" She posed in a shrug. "I was in your mind to get you to wake up!"

"Which...you did a bit too early," Xavier added in while having his eyes looking away from the girl.

"Xavier!" she cried. "I'm sorry, things would've gotten bad with him mentally if I didn't step in!" She extended her hand out at me. "I sensed it and I had to go with it!" She brought her hand back to herself.

"Well, I guess it'll be better for him to be awake than to lose him." Xavier nodded his head.

The girl turned back to me. "But Alek, do you remember me from before your dream?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't know anything before my dream..."

"I was with you at the dance!" she shouted with wide eyes frantically. "Don't you remember the dance‽"

I shook my head slowly.

"Aderyn, he knows nothing before his dream, except hitting the ground," Xavier told her soothingly while placing his hand on her shoulder.

The girl lowered her head down with a frown.

"Wait, what's her name?" I asked him.

"Aderyn," she told me herself, lifting her hand back up at me. "Aderyn Cara. Now, we have lots of catching up to do, Alek," --she gave me a growing smirk-- "so let's get on it."