Superheroes, Super Problems

*1* Human Error.

Over a year ago, there was an explosion in my city. A geneticist and physicist experimented with a theory that hydrogen bonds from the Big Bang would have an automatic draw to each other and cause phenomena to occur if they were finally bonded and re-parted-also a process resulting in unlimited amounts of power. One night, they were studying the evolution of such hypotheses and the lab exploded, releasing the radiation and exposing the city to who knows what. Originally there was thought to just be power outages and a plethora of accidents-one that I was even involved in-but that was just what the government released to us.

There was a cloud of uncertainty hanging in the air. I was confined to a bed for that entire summer because of the repercussions that left me with a fractured hip, concussion and so much else that the doctors said I was supposed to be dead, but I stayed alive. However, my miraculous recovery was the least of the worries in the city...because after the explosion, people developed superpowers.

Sure, some female girl with the incredible ability to siren out high frequencies and detect sonar radiation saved our country from a mistakenly rogue missile. No one knew who she was or what she was, but ever since, other people with powers-metahumans, some scientists named-revealed themselves whether on vigilant rescues with unnamed heroism or criminal encounters that landed them behind bars in a special detainment to discover just what the Hydrogen Project radiation did to them and try to reverse it. But of course, not all "villains" were jailed. And that's exactly why more metahumans revealed themselves as heroes, under an unsaid compromise that if they helped the community, maybe the government wouldn't abduct them and treat them as lab rats.

Back then, superheroes distracted the fact that the experiment-gone-wrong had destroyed a lot more. But to me, I could never forget what happened. I had lost too much that summer.

***

"Excited?" my older sister, Vixen, asked as she parked in the school parking lot.

"I'm excited to get through this year," I assured. It was senior year and I was already counting down the days until graduation. I started climbing out of the car and saw a familiar person waiting on the sidewalk. I turned back to Vixen before she drove off. "I'll see you later."

"Four o'clock," she confirmed.

"Actually, I'll find my own way home," I told her. Before she could argue with me, I shut the door and briefly closed my eyes and decided that maybe I was ready to start driving again.

Vixen drove away and I had to come to terms with the boy who was waiting for me. One look at his silver eyes and I immediately felt guilt.

"Hey," I mumbled.

"Good morning," he returned and forged a smile. I feigned mine and began walking beside him towards the school. "So how've you been?" I crossed my arms and shrugged as if he wasn't someone I had known for a long time. "So you didn't return my calls this summer," he added and I gulped in another mass amount of guilt. He opened the door for me and I muttered a thank you, but once we were both inside, he touched my arm and ushered me to the side. I looked up at him. "I know it's been a year and the case was concluded, but I wanted to be there for you-"

"Well we both know what happened the last time you wanted to be there for me," I snapped with a low voice, but didn't mean to be so harsh. He didn't take it offensive though. He only leaned away from me in understanding. "I appreciate you trying to help, but it doesn't make a difference, Steele. Not you or the verdict or any of it."

I walked away from him and neared my locker that I had for the past three years. And to my annoyance, it was defaced with two words: HUMAN ERROR.