Damsel in Distress

Chapter 5 - My First Bad Review

            I woke up with a start. It was late, I was going to have to hurry to get to school on time. I jumped out of bed in a rush, putting on some jeans, a light blue sweater, and my favorite dark blue scarf. I pulled on my high top black converse and ran out my bedroom door.

            I entered the kitchen and put half a bagel in the toaster. I set the toaster on for four minutes and took the butter out. While I waited for the bagel, I put all my papers in my backpack. I took out my sandwich from the fridge and took a small bag of chips from the pantry. After I was done packing my lunch, the toaster ringed.

            I sat on the counter and ate my buttered bagel while reading the note my father had left for me before he left for work. It was the same as usual, he'd be back from work late and I'd have to get my own dinner.

            Ever since I was six it was almost the same thing. My dad would work late into the night and wouldn't get home until I was asleep. I used to have to carpool with Lacey's parents before I got a car of my own. He left way too early too.

            You could say that my dad had turned into a workaholic after the big battle twelve years ago. The fight between The Avenger and Smith that had killed many people in Empire City and the surrounding suburbs had took the life of my innocent mother. She wasn't the only victim, but one of the many from Empire City.

            Most of the kids at our school hadn't remembered that day, or the chaos that it had brought upon this city, but I did. I remember better than most because that day just happened to fall on my birthday.

            If you asked any adult what they had been doing on that fateful day, they could tell you in an instant. Everyone, even those who didn't live in our city, remembered that day. It was the day that half our city had been destroyed in the fight between good and evil.

            I had been at dinner with my family at our favorite Italian restaurant. My mother had been the closest to the window of the Italian restaurant, so when the legendary fight reached our end of town, she didn't stand a chance. In fact, she probably didn't feel a thing at all.

            I remembered that I could see the battle from where I sat at the counter. Smith had thrown The Avenger through the window of the restaurant. The Avenger then got up and flew out the vacant hole in the wall. Then the battle was brought to another end of the city. The fight that ruined the Italian restaurant only lasted seconds, but it had felt like an eternity. It took four hours until the battle finally ended.

            Our city still remembers that day like it happened yesterday. The Avenger had been, after all, the favorite super of our city. He had saved the day like no other could at the time. Most said that the way The Avenger gave his life for the city was heroic, but I didn't. We all knew that he had had the chance to defeat Smith two days before, but he let Smith be taken in by the authorities. I knew that the battle that took hundreds of civilians, and my mother, wouldn't have happened if that stupid super hadn't been sticking to his rule to never kill anyone unless absolutely necessary.

            It was a stupid super rule. He hadn't known what would happen if he followed his stupid rule, so I didn't blame him much. It was no one's fault except for Smith's fault. He's the one who brought havoc on our city that day.