Chapter Text
I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Auntie Vea had bought me glow-in-the-dark stars a few months ago, and together, we’d carefully placed them across the ceiling, against my Mom’s wishes. Despite this, I loved them.
Their soft glow gave a comforting warmth to my too-dark room, especially on nights when it felt too quiet, too empty. I'd often gaze at them, feeling a strange sense of peace and wonder, like I was a glowing star among them and they knew it.
I moved my gaze to my hands, raised above my head, and flexed my fingers slowly, stretching them out before curling them back into fists. I did this a few more times before my eyes wandered back to the ceiling.
I was good at making friends. People seemed to like me, but that wasn't hard. What was, is how it felt like there was something inside me, something... different. I knew I didn’t want to believe it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling.
Tonight, I was determined to figure it out.
I focused on the largest star sticker on the ceiling, closest to my fan. It was small but bright, just slightly larger than the others. I imagined it moving, just a little. My fingers twitched as I pictured the star shifting through the air, nudging it using the force of my brain.
'Come on...'
Nothing happened.
A sigh escaped me, and the corner of my eye pricked with a tear. I could feel myself getting frustrated, and my head started to hurt.
‘I know I can do this,’ I thought. ‘I’ve seen it happen before, I know it.’
Over the years, I’d had little moments where things shifted, objects moving just out of place, like the world was changing just for me, even for a moment.
The most memorable had been when I made my pencil roll off my desk just by staring at it. My parents, though, didn't really believe me. They always brushed it off, saying it was just stress from moving again and insisting I was "seeing" things and needed glasses.
I glanced over to the folded pair on my dresser before closing my eyes and clenching my hands, hoping my mind would connect with the star, to move it, just like I’d been trying. Reaching out, focusing all my energy on my fingertips. I felt a strange tingling sensation in my fingers, a bubbly fizz, like when you drink soda and the bubbles hit the inside of your nose.
The star wobbled.
My heart started to race in my chest as my eyes widened in disbelief. I stared at the ceiling, barely being able to breathe. Had it really moved? Or had I imagined it?
I looked away, my gaze falling to the side, disappointment sinking in. Maybe it was just the latter, and I needed to go to bed now.
'But it had to be real.' Is what something deep inside me was saying.
I flexed my hands again, concentrating, visualizing the stars gliding, shaking, and dancing across the ceiling. Slowly, they began to move. The smallest star twirled, then another. They shifted ever so slightly, but they moved.
"Woah..." I whispered out in shock at the sight. It was happening. It was happening! My powers, my abilities, they were real.
But as my excitement heightened, so did my creeping doubt. Was I really making this happen? Or was I just seeing things? Maybe it was all in my head, and I was so desperate to believe it was something else that made me different, that I was convincing myself of it.
But deep down, I knew. I could feel it, even if nobody else believed me. I was different, and that made me special.
And one day, I would prove it.
16 Years Later...
The shrill sound of my alarm clock jerked me from my sleep, and I whined, slamming my hand down on the snooze button. The light in my room was soft, but I could already feel the weight of the day settling over me.
A lot had changed since that night in my childhood bedroom. The years had come and gone, and with them, the realization that I wasn’t as alone as I thought. I wasn’t the only one out there with powers, even if I still didn’t know all that much about what I was.
However, I did learn that my deceased grandfather had some abilities too, and that’s when my parents finally admitted what they’d been hiding from me for years. They’d been so worried about how to handle my powers that they kept them a secret, in fear of the worst.
It caused some tension in my family at first. But over time, we adapted. We kept all discussions about powers within the house, among family. It was our unspoken rule, one that had worked... for the most part.
Neither of my younger siblings had any powers, which I sometimes envied. They had the normal life I could never have, the life where nothing was complicated, where you didn’t have to hide part of yourself. But my abilities kept growing, I didn’t just move things anymore; I was learning to manipulate them, to shape them, to do things I never imagined.
But I couldn’t let myself dwell on it. My life was moving forward. High school had come and gone, and so had college, where I studied Journalism and got a minor in Social and Digital Media.
I’d graduated with honors, secured a townhouse in Metropolis, and found a job working at the Daily Planet with my uncle. Of course, that job came courtesy of my mom’s timely intervention with a well-placed phone call, but I couldn't complain, at least not too much.
“Ugh,” I groaned, tossing the blanket aside with a flick of my hand, watching it float up before settling back down. I let out a breath as I rolled out of bed, dragging myself to the bathroom.
The mirror reflected my disheveled face at me before I splashed water on my face. While I had grown more confident in myself and my skills for my job, I was still pretty nervous about a ton of other aspects in my life.
Shaking my head, I moved through my routine, getting ready for the day ahead. As I swished mouthwash in my mouth, I muttered to myself, “Today's the day.”
Today, I was planning on finally getting ready to confront my uncle about my job, and though my head had been filled with doubts about how he'd react I knew I wanted to explore Metropolis and get to see the city.
After getting ready, I slipped into my shoes, well, skate shoes, to be precise. A quick tap on the ground, and out popped the hidden wheels. I repeated the process with the other shoe, double-checking my tote bag before heading out.
Despite not being an expert skater, the shoes were the perfect disguise. They allowed me to glide around the city with ease, dodging attention as I went about my errands and snapped pictures around the city.
I locked the door behind me and exhaled before smiling. I allowed my body to float a little off the ground, spinning with a laugh.
"Perfect," I murmured, feeling a rare sense of freedom as I glided through the early morning streets of Metropolis. The sky was a pale blue, the streets empty save for the occasional car and early risers. My thoughts lingered for a moment on the conversation I’d overheard between my mother and uncle earlier, but I shoved it aside. I was determined to do my job well today, no matter what.
As I neared a place my uncle frequented, Shuester Bodega & Bakery, I tried to skate normally to avoid drawing attention. But of course, I misjudged my speed and collided with the door, tumbling ungracefully to the ground.
“Oh my god! Are... are you all right?”
A voice, soft and apologetic, broke through my embarrassment. I blinked up at a man who was, admittedly, far more buff than I had expected. My glasses had flown off my face, and I could hear him rambling apologetically as he gently picked them up, placing them back on my face with exaggerated care.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine!” I blurted out a little too loudly, cutting him off. I was mortified, so mortified. I could feel my face heat up as I awkwardly stood.
'He's so buff, I thought he was the door.' I thought, avoiding his eyes.
The guy’s face softened, his embarrassment matching mine, but there was something endearing about him. “Really?” he asked, his voice still laced with guilt.
“Yeah... uh, it happens all the time,” I said with a nervous laugh, trying to defuse the situation. “In fact, the first time I came here, I bumped into the actual door,” I added, trying to make him feel better.
“Really?” He chuckled, clearly relieved. “That’s... that's good to know.”
I smiled, the tension breaking. “Yeah. We should get in before the coffee gets cold, huh?” I said, trying to regain my composure, nudging the door open with a push of my hand.
I locked eyes with a short-haired girl standing in line at the counter, her face contorting with that unmistakable expression, the one that said, I’ve seen everything and I’m trying so hard not to laugh.
I could feel my face getting warm.
'Most definitely embarrassment,' I thought to myself as I stepped inside, hoping the day would somehow not get worse from here.