What It Means To Be Super

Chapter 9

💪Angelo💪

After our vision returned, we surveyed our surroundings. "This isn't Detroit. Hell, this isn't Michigan." Jayne said softly.

"Sorry." Russell said. "I tried to focus on that date, but someone else in our group just couldn't keep their mind glued to it."

"Wait. You mean if someone else wasn't thinking of October 31, 1999 then it won't work?" I asked.

"No, I'm saying someone kept thinking of one date, and that overruled this one."

We all took in our surroundings--a murky street with police sirens as a constant background music and sketchy men drinking from their paperbag-covered bottles.

My eyes were trained on an old sky blue mustang when Joule said: "Oh shit."

"What?" I asked.

"Russell? Do you know anything about time travel?" Joule asked in an oddly high-pitched tone.

Russell shook his head. "No. You seem to be pretty educated on it though." He crossed his arms.

Joule looked almost desperate. "Russell, please."

Russell sighed. "All I know is that we can't let our past selves see our future selves and that we can't try to meddle with the future. What is meant to be will be."

"Shit." Joule replied. Then he went and hid behind the black Honda by the street corner we were standing on.

"What are you doing?" Vivian looked down on him.

He was silent. "It was me, okay?" He blurted out. "I was the one who kept thinking of the date. I kept praying "please don't take us back to that day. Please don't take us back to that day." over and over, but I guess that causes us to come back to this day."

"What's so significant about this day?" I asked.

Joule looked up solemnly. "Remember my dark aura?" We nodded. "This is where I got it from. Today is the day my lightness is consumed by the dark."

For some reason, I really didn't like the way this was going. "Get down!" Joule hissed, and we ducked behind the Honda.

Two men and a woman were walking by, carrying something in their arms. The something was squirming, and muffled screams were coming from the object. "Is that you?" Jayne whispered. Joule just nodded, his eyes glued on the scene. The men and woman walked behind the alley we had a good view of.

The woman was saying something as the men threw young Joule to the ground. "What's she saying?" I asked.

"She's telling me I'd better be quiet or she'd murder me." Joule said quietly. Then the woman took off little Joule's shirt and pants until he was in his red underwear. The woman took a knife from her bag and began to carve something into his stomach. Joule screamed in pain but the men just gagged him. I could see tears glistening in little Joule's eyes from that far away.

Then the woman pressed her fingers to his gaping wounds and little Joule convulsed in pain. She smeared his own blood on her lips and on his face. Her lips moved as she spoke again.

"What's she saying now?" Russell asked.

""Sleep tight in your bed, little boy. But know you've been claimed by the streets."" Joule recited like that statement was a never-ending loop of words in his head.

Vivian gasped in horror. The men and the woman ran away, leaving little Joule writhing in pain in the alleyway. I studied Joule, and I could see the brokenness in his eyes, the hurt. But he was surveying the scene. "What...?" He murmured in confusion, his eyes darting along the street. "Where is she...." He trailed off and his gaze rested on Jayne.

Then he doubled over in pain. "Joule!" Vivian yelped, and in anguish he let out a scream. Red liquid was soaking through his white shirt. He fell to the sidewalk, digging his hands into the cement painfully. Jayne yanked his shirt up and we saw that his scars were bleeding as if they had just been cut open.

"Jayne." Joule breathed heavily. "Listen very closely. You have to go to my past self. Then you have to say "I'm here to save you. Everything is alright now." Then just talk to me from there. After I've let you pick me up, take me to the taxi and tell him to leave me at the park. Give him this." Joule coughed and more blood poured down his stomach as he handed Jayne a five dollar bill.

"But that would mess up the past and the future!" Russell intervened.

"Trust. Me." Joule spit through his clenched teeth. Him and his past self screamed at the exact same time as pain wracked their bodies. Blood began to foam at the corner of Joule's mouth.

"Do it." I found myself saying. "Hurry." Jayne ran over to little Joule and crouched down. I imagined she was saying what she needed to. Finally, she had little Joule in her arms and was carrying the boy towards a taxi. She gave the driver the five and then the taxi was gone.

She jogged back over to us. Vivian was kneeling next to Joule and I joined her. We watched in amazement as the blood dissipated into the air. "Wha...?" I made a confused sound. Finally, all we could see was the scarred lettering that woman had carved into him.

Joule let out a breath. "Thank God it worked like I thought it would."

"Let's get out of here. Then you have a lot of explaining to do." Jayne looked at him sternly. Joule nodded.

"Okay. Everyone think of the present. Ready? Okay." Russell smacked his hands together and the world swirled blue.

AUTHORS NOTE::

Hmm seems like Joule is a little smarty-pants, dont'cha think?

Thanks for reading, I love you all so much!