Wraith

Simple Beginnings: Prologue and Chapter One

Author's Note

I've written this as a three story arc which I intend to publish on Wattpad immediately as one novel. After that, further story arcs will follow as I write them.

I started telling this story when I was in my teens, and although it has been rewritten many times since some of the decisions I made then are still very much in evidence. For example, I wanted a catchier term than 'superhero' and 'villain;' so I came up with 'user' and 'abuser.' I'd like to change that terminology to avoid negative connotations such as drug use; but one of my weak areas is names. If you have a suggestion, please let me know in the comments section. I welcome feedback, helpful criticism and any other comments.

Prologue

Olive Eckert was sixteen the day she finally realized that she wasn't like the rest of her family; she was Normal. Her revelation came in two parts. The first occurred one evening shortly after she waved goodbye to her friends and set off to walk the five blocks home from South Hills High. She was passing an alley when a young man with a dark hoodie covering his face suddenly rushed out at her. Olive was a slim girl of average height and when he pushed her she went flying. She had no chance to even begin to use her self-defense lessons before he ripped the satchel off her shoulder and raced away. For a shocked instant Olive remained where she had fallen, staring incredulously after her attacker. How could she, the daughter and sister of Users, have been mugged like any common Normal?

With a surge of anger, she scrambled to her feet. "Hey! That's my bag!" She started to run after her attacker, but had only taken a few steps when the pain in her right ankle and hip brought her to a halt. At that moment, a white blur sped past her, intercepted the thief and then returned to skid to a halt in front of her.

Olive looked at the white body suit and up to where green eyes just like hers danced behind the white mask that covered the User's entire head. It was her brother Andrew in the User costume of Hank the Mystery Hunk. A year younger, two inches taller and a full User for the last three months, he was everything she longed to be. In one hand, he held her satchel and now he handed it to her. "Here you are."

Olive managed to dredge up a smile despite her envy. "Thanks, Hank." As always when one of her family was in costume she made sure to use his User name.

"No problem, Olive. Just doing my job." And with a wink he sped off once more.

Olive looked after him for a moment longer, then shifted the satchel from her grazed hands to her undamaged shoulder and turned to limp home. A stinging in her knees let her know that they were undoubtedly both grazed as well and she let loose a sigh. What a perfect end to a horrible incident. How was it that despite the trademark Eckert green eyes and red hair – closer to her father's deep auburn than her brother's flaming orange – she had none of the talent? For as long as she could remember she had wanted nothing more than to be a User like her parents and, more recently, her brother. But what sort of User couldn't even defend themselves against a simple mugging? She should at least have been able to catch the thief herself rather than have to have someone else do it for her.

Olive's day wasn't over yet either. As she stepped up to the door of her house raised voices drifting through the half-open sitting room window made her halt to listen. Growing up, she had hardly ever heard her parents argue, and yet now they were clearly doing exactly that.

"I just don't see why you persist when it's clearly pointless." Her mother snapped.

"You don't know that for sure. She might just be a late developer." Came the firm answer in her father's deep voice.