When Lightning Strikes

Chapter 1-- Bravery of a walnut

I didn't realize it was an option to be a villain. Maybe if I could go back I'd change that about myself. Then who'd be the hero? Who would defeat me?

Let's just face it: the villain always loses. If they don't, they end up converting to the good side. Usually they have a traumatic childhood to back up their level of insanity. I didn't have a traumatic childhood. Though I was struck by lightning.

It wasn't uncommon for our town to have supers running around, but it had been years since they made an appearance. Ever since the famous hero Titania and the notorious villain Steel Hawk fought a deadly battle 12 years ago in the heart of the city, there weren't many takers for the role of hero. Villain, however, was not a problem, considering Steel Hawk had a son that promised to avenge his father's death. It was going to take a brave soul to step up to the plate.

I had the bravery of a walnut.

When life hands you amazing super powers, though, do something great for the community. Today was the day my town needed me. Well, maybe not me specifically, but someone had to take action.

Red Raven was the kid's name. Steel Hawk's son was always terrorizing the city. He had his powers before he hit puberty. I had to get struck by lightning with sand art hanging around my neck before I got my abilities at the age of 14.

My hunch was that since sand, when struck by lightning, crystallizes, the sand art around my neck acted as the middle man for me getting my powers. The crystallizing that occurs in my body, however, was simply received as invisibility. I suppose my super speed comes from lightning fast reflexes, but we'll save the play-on-words for later.

Red Raven had the Supers gene in his blood, though. Mine was by chance. I like to think that if I'm given an outstanding chance to save people, I should take advantage of it.

I haven't discovered the limits of Red Raven's powers yet. Some who have been under his mind control say you have to avoid eye contact to prevent his control. There's probably a certain distance that puts boundaries on his ability.

The notorious villain was clearly my age. He had his own Wikipedia page, for crying out loud, I knew everything about him except for his real name and what high school he attended. In this town, you either went to Lincoln Grove or High Rock. Hardly anyone was homeschooled. Most parents had full time positions as police officers and security guards. If you had a peaceful life in this city, it was common to see you were the one targeted.

Red Raven wasn't the only villain, but he was the biggest threat. He could manipulate anyone's behavior, which is why he never gets caught. He was a genius. Not, as in, 'I don't have to study, I'm book smart', but the kind of smart where you have photographic memory. That's why his name is Red Raven, because ravens are apparently geniuses.

I'm not an official hero yet; I don't even have a super suit. While this may be my first time saving the day, it won't be the last. I'll need a cool name along with a suit.

As I rush to the town hall building, where Red Raven is holding town commissioners hostage, I try to think of what people will call me after this. The Flash was already taken. Invisagirl sounded like those invisible braces. Oh, well, I'm sure they'll come up with something.

Even though we were classified as a town rather than a city, the government related buildings were enormous and towered over some of the town shops. I arrive in seconds at the mansion-like building to find Red Raven pacing in front of the commissioners tied up on the floor. The alarm is a piercing noise that almost makes me lose my focus. As soon as the head commissioner spots me with wide eyes, I fade into nothing.

"Nice to see you up close Red Raven." He jumps at our close proximity. He can't tell where I'm at. Maybe I shouldn't be smiling so much, but this is going to work. He can't manipulate my behavior if he can't see me.

"Who's there? Show yourself! Or are you coward?" He taunts. Like I would give up my invisibility just to make a point that I wasn't scared.

"I'm a coward, huh? Considering I'm the only hero out here, I think that's pretty brave," Don't give yourself that much credit, Della, I remind myself.

"To think, no one has caught you yet. You manipulate people's behavior and think you're a genius but I think you're the coward now."

I race in to tackle him to the ground, while still invisible. I don't think he's ever witnessed an invisible speedster because the look he gives me says he's terrified. Then he smirks.

"Hey, Della." He speaks my name like he's known me forever. While I try to figure out how he knows me, I realize I've become my visible self by accident. That's how he's seen me. This isn't good, I repeat over in my head. What do I do? He's going to manipulate me into doing something terrible!

"I'll let you run back home, little girl. You can save all these people, too. But you leave me alone. If I see you hanging around one of my hostage sites again, I won't show mercy. Get out of here, newbie."

I blink several times before I scramble to untie every commissioner. The look on their face reads terrified. I race them to the public library, knowing they'll be safe here because there's a basement no one knows about. I stumbled upon it years ago, that's how much time I spent exploring this endless place.

Do I go back to Red Raven? Is he already gone? Why did he show me mercy? How did he know me?

When I get back home, I decide to call my best friend who knows me better than anyone. Ashlynn Reins. She wasn't the super genius I had just fought (if we can call it a fight) but she knew I had powers and she would help me figure out who he was. Also, she was a wizard with a sewing machine. It was time to make myself known to the public. 

A/N
Hey guys! To anyone who has previously read this book, it will be very much different now. I've never done this, but I'm restarting the book to give it justice. The plot will not be the same because, well, I don't feel there was much of a plot before. Basically, forget what you read previously.
Also, PLEASE refrain from cursing in the comments. I love seeing readers reactions to the story but I will delete any profanity even in the slightest.
Thanks for reading!
Always, Sunny