Heroes & Villains

Ex: 02 |As Normal as my Life's Ever Going to Be

"Sera, you're late, which means I'm late" shouted my brother, Griffin, from down the hall. Even though I'm 17, he still demands he drives me to school when he doesn't have to go early for work. Griffin is now my legal guardian, because technically we're orphans, and he's 8 years older than me. He's been my only family I've had since I was 10; besides our great uncle who took us in. That's when my parents were charged with treason and abandoned us, the phase of my life I call the "Dark Awakening".

I go to the Higher Education for the Resilient Organization school, also known as the H.E.R.O Agency's Preparatory School. The agency and school train metas and some normal folk that have been enrolled to create a variety of different heroes. There are:
Field Agents, who mostly all metas, (this is me)
Overwatchers who are computer geniuses that aid the field agents virtually, beta field agents (sidekicks) and even Trauma Healers (medical personnel to treat metas).

I quickly swing my leather bag over my shoulder and flip through the pages of my agenda to see what's planned for today. All it says is Uncles Dezzie's spring cleaning and return library books. Dezzie is our great uncle. His real name is Desmond. Griffin calls him Dez, but ever since I was 10 I called him Dezzie, and the name just kind of stuck.

"Coommmming!" I shout as I head into the hall.
• • • • • • • •
Griffin hasn't even fully stopped the car in front of the courtyard to the Hero Prep school before I sprint out "Okay by-"

"Wait, you forgot your book" he says holding a copy of Pride & Prejudice out the window.

"No, that's the car copy." I have copies of Pride & Prejudice everywhere. You never know when you'll be stuck in traffic, or dying of pure boredom and Elizabeth Bennet seldom is boring.

He gives me an understanding look. "Tell Charlie and Finn that it's Burger tonight with Uncle Dez and Leah." He starts the engine and with a quick wave drives off.

Charlie is my boyfriend of 2 years and honestly sometimes I feel like my brother is more obsessed with him then I am. Leah is my brother's girlfriend; she's the only real stable woman I have to look up to. I mean there's the Bennett sisters and Mrs.Bennett, but she's not stable or real.

"Hey Sera!" I hear from behind me, "Wait up!". I turn around to see a red headed boy jogging up to me carrying what looks like to be two metal briefcases.

"Hey Finn, we're making burgers today, wanna join?" I know he wouldn't refuse.

"Duh, I'll head over after my computer engineering assignment is done" he holds up the two suitcases with an eye roll.

Finn, properly known as Finnick, is the closest thing I have to a best friend. Finn, Charlie and I all went to Chatham high together. Finn's the one who found the inhibitor in my neck. He was showing me some sort of Photon magnet he was working on, when the chip suddenly tore through the soft skin on my neck to the magnet. Not only do I have a hideous scar there now, but it blacked out South Chatham for weeks. When the Hero Agency discovered me, the also found Finn and that brilliant brain of his. I was enrolled as a field agent; and he, as an overwatch.

As we walk to our first class. I think to myself how I really don't have that many people in my life. Yes sure I have acquaintances, the girls in the locker room I make small talk with, Charlie's lacrosse friends, and even some of Great Uncle Dez's retired buddies. But Elizabeth Bennet said it best: "There are a few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well".
• • • • • • • •
I spend lunch watching Finn show me his new software project for his engineering class that can show you the blue prints to any building in Massachusetts. I nod along, but I don't see how that would ever be useful for us. The Hero Agency has everything.