The Prancer and the Super Hero

Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm

"Can you go to the party next week?" said the nervous voice of the teenage boy on one end of the line as he paced back and forth across his room staring at the walls and pictures. His eyes fell carefully on one of himself sitting on a stool next to a girl who's face shined brighter than the lights above their heads. She was taller, and that was even visible in the picture, but none the less they were smilling and laughing over something spoon fuls of frozen yogurt in their hands.

"I'd love to! You know I want to see him again!" she said in a near giggle. The breath escaped the young man as he sat down in his chair. No matter how many time's he had asked her to go on a 'date' and no matter how well they went he felt that it was the very first time, all over again.

He said his farewell and a brief and subtle I love you as he escaped his room and ran into the kitchen, eager now to get something to eat before he went to meet with his friends and go to the movies. The T.V. was playing rather loudly in the livign room but he payed no mine to it as his cousins entered the room. "Have you taken your medicine?" sharply stated one, a strong blonde haired woman with blue eyes that commanded respect and discipline. "I forgot..." he whimpered cowardly as he nearly hovered over to a medicine cabinet.

"Do you remember what they said?! Miss too many of those pills and you'll need to go to the hospital! You have to be more careful... You need to! You could di-..!" she was interrupted by the sudden yelping of a dog from the front door. They both turned only to see a taller, fair-skinned and grey haired man in his late thirties (estimately) standing in full Army uniform at the front door.

"Your home early?" she sighed as she smiled and moved to him. His face was hard and had scars around it from places where he'd seen more than his fair share of action out in the field. "Thomas... look at the T.V." All three turned to the now seemingly massive screen as an alert cut through the news channel stating that the U.S. federal government had declared a draft and all able bodied men above the age of 18 were to report immediately... Thomas's 18th birthday was nine days ago.

The Army soldier stood straight and looked at the boy in the eyes before saying, quite solemnly...

"Thomas... You are going to war."