The Call to Rise

Origins Part 1: Jay

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm new to this site and this is the first story that I've posted online. Please tell me what you think of it, and if there's any way I can improve upon it. I'd love to know what you guys are thinking!

Flashback

As a child, Jay had always loved storms. While other children hid underneath their blankets or scrambled to their parents every time they heard the thunder, he would gaze out the window in awe. He loved hearing the rain pitter-patter against his window and loved it when the thunder sounded. But what he loved the most was the bright flash of light that created pretty patterns in the otherwise dark grey sky just before the thunder. His mommy had told him that the bright light was called "lightning".

Jay really wanted to see lightning up close and maybe even touch it. But Mommy and Daddy had told him that lightning was "dangerous" and that he couldn't go outside during the storm. Boo. But Jay had a plan: he was gonna sneak out into the storm.

Peeking out the door to his bedroom, the six-year-old triple-checked that his parents weren't paying attention. Slowly, he opened the door fully and tip-toed towards his goal: the door that led outside to the junkyard. Inch by inch, Jay got closer and closer until he finally reached his objective. Peeking behind his shoulder one last time, he turned the doorknob and stepped outside.

Jay gasped as he felt the cold rain against his face and his head. He heard the wind howl and the rain was coming down so hard that he could barely see. But he could hear thunder in the distance and he knew that the lightning would come soon. And he wanted the absolute best view of it.

Squinting through the rain, Jay could just make out the big pile of junk that he loved to climb with his dad. It was made up of all sorts of broken things and it offered one of the best views. Deciding that this would be the best place to watch the lightning, the six-year-old boy raced towards the junk pile and started to haul himself towards the top.

It was slow going, especially because the rain made Jay lose his grip every now and then, but he was determined to get to the top. The thunder was getting louder, which meant the lightning was almost here...

"JAY!" At the sound of his name, Jay stopped climbing and looked down. Both of his parents were looking at him; his mom was standing in the doorway of their home while his dad was standing a few feet from the base of the junk pile.

"Get down from there, son!" Daddy called. Jay normally would have protested, but at the sight of his dad's extremely worried face, he decided that it was probably for the best that he came down. He can watch the lightning outside another day.

He had started to climb back down when it happened. His memory failed him at this point in time. All he remembered was an extremely bright flash of light, a huge thunderclap that nearly left him deaf, and pain.

Oh the pain.

He felt like that one time when he had stuck his finger inside an electrical socket, except this was a million times worse. He thought he heard himself scream, but it was hard to tell. The last thing he remembered was falling and feeling like there was fire in his veins...

Present day...

Jay watched as his dad popped open the hood of their car and shook his head. "Looks like the battery's dead," he sighed, wiping his hands. "Wait here, son, while I go get something to jumpstart the car."

"Okay Dad," Jay replied. When he was sure that his dad was out of sight, he sighed and leaned over to look at the car's innards. He chewed on his bottom lip for a second, debating whether or not this was a good idea. Finally, after a few moments of indecision, Jay took a deep breath and concentrated.