Supers Wear Spandex *third book to Heroes Wear Capes

Chapter 3 - Getting called to the principal's office

"Maybe this place, this hospital, maybe it's a version of reality, and not reality itself."

~ Syd Barret

The next few days came and passed in a haze of white coats and blue pills. Xander barely spoke a word, only staring blankly at the white walls of the institution.

Taylor was always by his side. Sometimes she would just sit there, which made it even harder for Xander to bear. In those moments, when she sat stoically feet away just to give him company, made his heart ache the most. It reminded him of the badass vigilante he knew in the real world.

(Or, at least the world he made up in his head)

It was harder to distinguish reality from what was made up in Xander's mind. Everything flowed together and tangled into mismatched memories and fantasies. He could remember two situations happening two totally different ways, but both felt real. He could still remember the feeling of being able to run at the speed of sound, but he could also remember the feeling of the deep dark hole filling his chest at his father's funeral. He could remember laughing with Mera at the movie theater, but he could also remember her staring at him over spectacles, narrow eyed.

Xander really felt crazy for the first time. Was this how it felt? To not know if your life was a dream? To not know if you had the power to rewrite your own reality?

Because that was what it looked like to him. Xander couldn't handle his father's death, so he made a place where his father never entered his life in the first place and heroes were present to save the day. Where, when he accidently killed Paul Rossi, he made himself believe in a super villain plot, Xander finally becoming the hero of his own story.

There was another group session going on in the main room, but Xander wasn't involved this time. He recognized one of the crueler guys from when he woke up out of his dream in the circle. Blonde, blue-eyed, and with the air of a total asshole.

Xander wondered if he had made this guy into someone in the alternate reality he created in his mind. He certainly seemed like he was an important enough antagonist in Xander's life to be involved in his world of the impossible. Most everyone at the hospital seemed to fit like puzzle pieces into the reality Xander made up. Most looked like teachers and students at Xander's school, others looked like familiar TV actors and heroes on the news.

It was so jarring to suddenly realize you created a fantasy world full of the people around you to help yourself cope with loss.

Xander suddenly perked up and put his whole attention on the circle. He heard a familiar name.

"We don't need to use nicknames," Mera scolded one of the patients.

"Clark over there already calls himself that, why can't I?"

The blonde chuckled and raised his eyebrows at Mera. "What? You afraid of the tantalizing lure of Mischief?"

Mera rolled her eyes and the fixed her gaze on the patient, Clark. "I would like it if we kept these sessions tame, Mr. Rogers."

Xander got excited for a moment before falling back in his chair. Of course, this was no proof of his utopia actually existing. That just proved that he stole a super villain name from the nickname of one of the inmates.

The seat next to Xander suddenly filled. Celeste sat there, scoffing.

"Um, hello?"

She turned to face Xander and raised her eyebrows, "You have something to say to me?"