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The big day had finally arrived at the School for Gifted Children, and the dean practically kowtowed from his own office.
The staff and a coterie of New York's most influential parents were ecstatic to host their esteemed guest, the one and only Dr. Warren Albright. He looked as though he'd stepped out of the glossy author photo from one of his best-selling books. His hair was chestnut brown with frost touched temples and his voice had the nourishing warmth of a fireplace in winter. He used his power to diagnose latent super-abilities to set young people on the path to greatness. Dr. Albright was much more than a mentor.
He was a guidance counselor.
He could hear the children and their minders outside in the hallway, waiting for their date with destiny. They were all overachievers, but not all were from privileged backgrounds. The Albright Scholarship had scouted them from every walk of life. Born with rare conditions, they had beaten the odds to make it this far, and now they were hoping to win the lottery. Early assessment, career planning and connections were all key factors in the success of famous superheroes.
Dr. Albright set his pipe in the dean's paper clip bin, adjusted the sleeves of his barleycorn tweed jacket, and then announced to the Headmistress, ?Let us begin.?
The first candidate was ushered in. He was a chubby boy in a tight navy sport coat. If he was anxious, it didn't show on his plump cheeks. He practically bounced into the room. Dr. Albright glanced down at the boy's academic transcript.
?Good morning, Oscar. It is so good to meet you.?
Oscar hopped into the chair opposite. ?Yeah! You too.?
?As I'm sure you've been told, I will be assessing your latent powers today. We will be discussing issues above and beyond the clinical baseline diagnosis. Are you ready??
?Um?.?
?It's not painful, I promise.?
Oscar's smile brightened and he shrugged. ?Yeah! I'm ready.?
Dr. Albright leaned in and tented his fingers, absorbing information with his exquisitely refined power.
?Teleportation.?
Oscar's jaw dropped. ?What? No way. Really??
?I have known a few teleporters in my day. It is a rare and incredible gift.?
Dr. Albright scanned through Oscar's academic record.
?How is your math? I see that you have performed well in most of your other subjects.?
?I love learning languages, and I'm a total anthropology geek. I'm into history and art?I am just so pumped to start teleporting. I want to see the whole world!?
Dr. Albright reached for his pipe and then left it. He had cleaned and emptied it before arriving, as there was no smoking allowed in the school.
?Seeing the world is certainly a laudable goal, Oscar. For earthbound people, like me, the world is terra firma, the one thing we can trust. If I close my eyes and fall backwards, I know that the earth will be there to catch me. When you begin traveling at advanced speeds, however, you encounter a harsh reality; the planet is always moving. As we speak, it is rotating at nearly one thousand miles per hour, while traveling around the sun at approximately sixty-seven thousand miles per hour.?
Oscar looked confused.
Dr. Albright continued. ?The earth also moves at different speeds at different latitudes, so if you were to teleport to the wrong place, at the wrong angle, you would hit the earth incredibly fast and hard, or else miss it entirely. If you found yourself too high up in the atmosphere, or god forbid, in outer space, you might succumb to decompression sickness, hypoxia, and hypothermia before you could reorient yourself well enough to teleport home.?
?Wait?are you saying that teleportation is impossible??
?Of course not! It is even relatively safe, so long as you have a perfect grasp of angular velocity, navigation, orbital mechanics, and so on. Once you have absolute confidence in your calculations, I would still advise that you stay close to the surface, however Most of the world is covered in water, so if you don't mind getting wet every now and then, you'll be fine. Needless to say, the rest of the planet is covered with mountains, trees, buildings, people?perhaps it would be prudent to limit travel to your direct line of sight. And take care not to startle anyone; you never know who may have a heart condition that will drop dead from surprise.?
Oscar's buoyant cheeks deflated.
?Chin up, son. There are plenty of other ways to see the world. You could be a pilot,? He paused to double-check Oscar's grades, ??or possibly a flight attendant.?
Oscar shuffled to the opposite door, carefully placing one foot in front of the other.
The next candidate strode in. He was the oldest of the group, a young man with a burgundy button down and a gold silk bow tie. He extended a firm handshake. ?I'm Marcus Hill. It is an honor to meet you, Dr. Albright.?
He sat tall on the edge of his chair.
Dr. Albright opened his file.
?It seems like you're ready, Marcus.?
Marcus's knees bounced and he clasped his hands. ?Yes sir. I was born ready.?
Dr. Albright closed his eyes and nodded.
?Pyrogenesis.?
Marcus leaned back and covered his mouth. ?Fire powers? For real?? He grinned and brought his hands back together ?Okay, okay. That's what's up.?
Dr. Albright absentmindedly touched his pipe again.
?I understand that fire can be a very alluring force, but it must command your respect. As an exercise, I would like to present you with some of the most common scenarios that require heroes. Earthquakes, plane crashes, industrial accidents, terrorism, riots?do any of those situations seem like they would be improved with fire??
The teenager's face tightened. ?I'll be a solution, not a problem. I'll train until I'm world class.?
?I'm sure you would, Marcus, but there is a reason why police officers and doctors don't carry flamethrowers. The military no longer uses them either. Not because they are cruel and indiscriminate, which of course they are, but because they are not deemed particularly effective.?
?With all due respect, Dr. Albright, I wouldn't be a random guy lugging a heavy flame thrower, spraying fire everywhere. If this power is a part of me I would have total control. I would use it intelligently.?
?Intelligence and control are not words usually associated with fire. Do you remember the Tulare Complex Fire? I suppose it was before your time. It was one of the worst wildfires in this hemisphere. Thousands of homes, a hundred civilians, dozens of firefighters, countless animals?reduced to ash, all by a kid with a lighter. Fire season gets longer and deadlier every year, Marcus. By the time your power manifests, it may even be year round.?
Marcus threw his hands up. ?So what am I supposed to do??
?Don't worry. There is a place for you There are shipping vessels in the arctic that still have to contend with the shifting ice pack. I have no doubt that they would be thrilled to have someone like you aboard.?
Marcus nodded and slunk out through the other door.
The next candidate, a lanky girl with dirty blond hair and large green eyes, waved as she entered. ?Hi! I'm Allison.?
She had a refreshingly open face and an aroma of fresh cut grass. Dr. Albright wouldn't be surprised if she had grass stains on her jeans. She sat down and swung her legs.
?So?? She dragged the word out with a wily smile, as though she'd caught him holding a present behind his back.
?Yes, let me get right to it.?
He extended his palm and pursed his lips.
?You have the latent ability to speak with animals.?
Alison squealed and jumped out of her chair. ?Ohmygodohmygod! I knew it! Best power ever!?
He gestured for her to sit down. She bounced in her chair as if it were a jeep on safari.
?Tell me, Alison?are you a vegetarian??
She cocked her head to one side. ?I like vegetables.?
?Yes, but do you only like vegetables??
?I love animals, if that's what you mean.?
Dr. Albright put his palms on the desk ?Do you eat meat??
?Only chicken and bacon. And fish. Oh, I guess I like turkey, but not like, all the time.?
?I see. That will probably change once your power becomes active. I would strongly recommend that you move as far as possible from any industrial farms, slaughter houses, or animal shelters before that time.?
?Does this mean I can be an animal doctor??
?As long as you keep your grades up, I am confident that you will make a fine veterinarian.?
She bounced from the room, eager to tell everyone about her exciting future. Dr. Albright closed her file.
?Please send in the next candidate.?
A slim boy efficiently crossed the room and sat down. He stared at Dr. Albright through his square glasses.
?Good morning, David.? He tapped the boy's transcript. ?I must say, your academic achievements are outstanding.?
David blinked and adjusted his glasses The light shimmered off his dark hair, which had nearly been combed and gelled into a helmet.
?Feel free to talk or ask questions.?
The boy waited quietly.
Dr. Albright moved on with his assessment. He repressed a shiver.
?Mr. Kwan, you have the latent ability to project energy from your eyes.?
The boy paused, about to readjust his glasses.
?This will be hard to hear, so I will deal with the facts plainly. Your eyes are weapons. If you decide to use your powers in war time, to uphold the law, or even in self-defense, you will have to look directly at your enemies. There will be no fog of war. You will witness exactly what you have done, and it will not be pretty.?
The boy nodded slowly for him to continue.
?The world needs soldiers and protectors, I won't deny that. Your skills will be highly valued, and if you choose that life, I know you will perform admirably.? Dr. Albright's eyes flicked away. ?The larger issue here is with civilian life. Once people learn of your ability, it is unlikely that they will ever make eye contact with you again. They may not even go near you, for fear that you may sneeze or get startled and unleash a sudden bolt of lethal energy. Beyond the risks of the battlefield and almost guaranteed PTSD, you will return to a life of alienation and loneliness.?
David's face remained neutral, but strands of his black hair broke free from their orderly shell and his glasses had begun to fog up.
?I am terribly sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, David, but there are?options.?
After decades of research and great expense, The Albright Foundation had developed a treatment that permanently sent superpowers into complete remission. They provided this service freely for those with dangerous or unwanted abilities.
David Kwan rose wearily, like a prisoner yoked with a great weight.
?Thank you for your honesty, Doctor.?
He left without looking back and stepped into the hall, where his severe looking parents waited expectantly.
Dr. Albright watched him leave with a twinge of relief. He slid David's folder to a separate pile and then signaled to the dean that he needed a break.
He took his pipe outside to the rose garden. The parents and administrators watched him pack his pipe. They were nervous and eager for answers, but they had the decorum not to impose upon his solitude.
He struck a match and sipped the stem of his pipe until the sweet tobacco smoldered. He considered all of the kids that he never had a chance to counsel, those ignorant, reckless youths that had grown to become infamous criminals; Commodore Chaos, Laughing Skull, King Psycho, Pain Eater. He puffed and exhaled a smoky sigh of deep satisfaction.
None of them had snuffed out as many superheroes as Dr. Albright.
Can you love the sun?
Is it possible to love something even though it could burn you?
Her name was Akilah Williams. She was the sun of my universe. She was, without a doubt, the smartest girl in school. We'd known each other since elementary school though we didn't talk much. I guess you could say we didn't really meet until our freshmen year of high school.
I remember it was the day of football tryouts. I was sitting on the bleachers and felt as if someone had stuck their hand in my chest and squeezed. I thought to myself. Is this it? Is this how I die?
?Hey, Josh. Are you okay?? A voice to my left said. I turned in their direction and found Akilah Williams looking back at me. She was still in the school uniform, a white button up, and forest green pleated skirt. Her natural kinky coily hair was out of the regulation bun and fanned out from her face, framing it beautifully.
?I'm dying.? I somehow had the strength to say. Even as I felt like I was dying, I was struck by how pretty she looked with her hair down.
She shifted on her feet. ?I think you're having a panic attack.? She sat next to me. ?I need you to take a deep breath for me.?
?But? I can't breathe.? I said between gasps.
She half smiled, the left corner of her lip pulled upward. ?If you're talking, you can breathe. Now, come on. Deep breath for me. In through your nose.?
I did as she said. Breathed in as deep as I could, filling my lungs with air. She did the same.
?And out,? she said. She pursed her lips, letting the air out slowly. I followed her lead.
She breathed in. I breathed in. She breathed out. I breathed out. She kept it up for a few minutes, reminding me how to breathe again. Finally, and thankfully, my heart stopped trying to pound its way out of my chest and I could take solid breaths that didn't feel like I was breathing through a straw.
?Thank you,? I said, wishing there was more that I could say since thank you didn't seem like enough.
?It's okay,? she said. She put her hand on my cheek and looked into each of my eyes. ?You should take it easy. Go to the nurse or something.?
I looked away from her. I didn't want to deal with this right now. I needed to get on the field and earn my spot on the junior varsity football team. It was all I ever wanted.
?I can't,? I told her simply. ?I'll be fine.?
She eased my face back to hers. ?You'll be fine, but for how long?? I couldn't afford to ask those types of questions. I wasn't about to let anything stand in the way between me and my dream.
?Thanks for everything,? I told her.
She nodded. ?Take care of yourself.? She brushed her skirt and stood to leave.
As I watched her go, I felt cold without her near me. Empty. As if I was watching the sun fall out of the sky. Only seconds had passed, and yet I missed her already. What was happening to me?
***
I do not claim to be a genius. Not in school nor in football nor even in life. So it is to no one's surprise that it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize my feelings for Akilah. And when I did figure it out, it was too late.
I was in the cafeteria and I saw Akilah walking with this guy named Thomas Fox who was on the Quiz bowl team with Akilah's best friend, Kaisie. Akilah was laughing at something he had said I found myself getting annoyed because I didn't remember making her laugh that much and then I was wondering what I had to be annoyed about. It's not like Akilah and I were together.
Nicole, who was sitting beside me, followed my line of sight. ?You want to know what I heard?? I didn't, but that didn't stop her from telling me. ?Akilah and Thomas are going out.?
My bottom jaw dropped. I looked at Thomas with his lean frame, low top fade and chiseled features. He was as tall as I was, maybe taller. He looked athletic, though I couldn't tell for sure. And he was smart, too which made him perfect for Akilah.
I folded my arms and frowned. He was perfect for her. There was an unfamiliar emotion bubbling up inside me and I realized suddenly that it was jealousy. I was jealous of him. Jealous that he was able to be by her side and make her laugh. It was jealousy that made me say, ?I guess geeks can find love, too.?
The entire table turned my way and started laughing. Everyone started cracking jokes about their geek love. I laughed along even though it wasn't funny. Even though I was hurting inside.
It was in that moment I learned what it had taken me much too long to figure out. I liked Akilah.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do with that information. She was with someone. I had missed my chance.
Years passed and I rose up to Varsity, starting lineup. I was the quarterback. The guy every guy wanted to be like and every girl wanted. Well, almost every girl. Akilah remained out of my reach even after she and Tom broke up at the end of sophomore year. I revolved around her, kept up with what she was working on, but never got too close. Just like the sun.
As fate would have it, our paths crossed again senior year in a creative writing class. I would never admit it, but Mr. Lewis's creative writing class was my favorite part of the day. His classroom was is in the computer lab on the second floor overlooking the parking lot. That room was one of the few classes that still sported a chalkboard. Akilah sat in the far right corner of the first row while I sat in the far left corner of the last row. We were the closest we'd been to each other since freshman year, and yet still so far.
He would assign writing prompts to stretch our minds and challenge us to see things from a new perspective. We would spend most of the class working on our drafts and talking through ideas Once a week, we would have a mystery writer critique. Mr. Lewis would choose a draft at random and read it out loud. He'd ask us all for feedback, what we liked and what we didn't and what we thought the writer could do better. He would never say the writer's name, no matter how much we asked, hence the mystery part.
Mr. Lewis said, ?I don't want how you feel about each other to affect the feedback you give. The writer knows and can grow from the feedback. That's all that matters.?
I always got excited when Mr. Lewis chose something I had written. More excited than I had ever been in a football game and even more nervous. It felt like I was laying my soul on the chopping block to be butchered and critiqued and yet, I knew as much as the criticism hurt, my story would become that much stronger because of it.
As we approached the end of the semester, I had more than a couple of strong short stories under my belt. I was in the middle of writing a difficult scene between my two main characters when I saw Mr. Lewis approach the front of the room.
?Alright class, can I have your attention please?? Mr. Lewis said. Heads popped up above and to the side of monitors to see what he had to say. ?With the time we have left for today's class period, I'm going to assign partners for the final project.?
Groans echoed throughout the room in response. I groaned right along with them, but inside, I was jumping for joy All of our writing so far had been solo projects. I was curious to find out what writing with someone else would be like.
As I listened to the partner assignments, it was clear that he was partnering by alphabetical order. Knowing there was a long way to go before he would reach my name, I turned back to work on my scene, keeping one ear focused on what he was saying.
?And finally, we have Joshua Washington and Akilah Williams.?
No, that can't be right. There must be some type of mistake. Everyone was murmuring about their partner assignment, but even more people were questioning me being partnered with Akilah.
?Joshua and Akilah?? Kaisie said. ?That is so totally unfair. He's just going to mooch off her, do none of the work and get the best grade in the class.? Did I really seem like the type of person who wouldn't do their fair share?
?Akilah's going to be pissed. He's going to bring down her precious GPA,? Taylor said, from the seat next to me. This got a couple of laughs. He was on the football team with me, so I knew he was just kidding around. That didn't make me feel any better though.
Hey, I wanted to say in my defense. I'm just as surprised as you are. But all I did was laugh. Like I was in on the joke that was at my expense. Because they can't laugh at you, if you're laughing with them.
?You all do realize he's the strongest writer in this class. It's more likely I would bring down his grade than he would bring down mine.? It was Akilah. She didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to. When she talked, you listened.
A hush fell on the classroom. What could anyone say to that? Akilah had spoken. In my defense, no less.
?Let's not focus on grades,? Mr. Lewis said, taking back control of the classroom. ?I'm more concerned with how you handle a collaborative writing process. Understand??
There were nods and yessirs. And that was the end of it.
The bell rang soon after and class was dismissed for the day. I took my time packing up my things since I knew Akilah would be one of the last ones out of the room. I needed to say something to her, right? She defended me after all.
When most of the class was empty, I walked up to her. She looked up at me with a dazzling smile. ?Hello Joshua, and what do I owe this pleasure??
I was dumbfounded and all she did was say my name. I really should have come up with a game plan before coming over here. ?You didn't have to do that, you know,? I said, finding my words. ?They were just joking. You didn't need to take it so seriously.?
She raised her eyebrow, not believing me, but instead of saying what I knew she was thinking, she nodded slowly and said, ?I'll keep that in mind.?
?But?um,? I scratched the back of my neck, in the universal gesture of I am out of my depth and I don't know what to say. ?Did you mean it??
She stood up and pushed her chair in. ?Did I mean what?? She waved goodbye to Mr. Lewis and exited the room with me following behind her.
?You know,? I said. ?When you said?After everybody had said?? Why were words so hard?
?Oh, about your writing? Of course, I meant it. Even Mr. Lewis says you do great work.?
?How could you know it was my writing??
She shrugs. ?I'd know your writing anywhere. And besides you do this precious little smile anytime Mr. Lewis reads from your work. I'm surprised no one else has noticed.? We had made it to her locker. She spun the combination lock and once she opened it, she faced me. ?And if you ask me, Nothing up my Sleeve is the greatest thing ever written. And there's that one line in it. How does it go? ?He loved her as one loved the sun, from afar.? Gosh, gives me chills every time. How did you come up with it??
Nothing up my Sleeve was a story I had written earlier in the semester. It was about this street magician named Orion who finds out that he's descended from Pharaohs and he has to keep Anubis from raising an army of the dead. It was a favorite of mine as well. The line she was referring to was about Orion who had fallen in love with his childhood friend Kyla. Sound familiar? ?Oh you know,? I said, vaguely, ?the words just come to me.?
Obviously, that story is about me and Akilah. There's even an earlier draft of the story on my online dropbox that still has her name in it. If I'm being honest, any story I've written that has a love interest probably has an early draft with Akilah's name somewhere. Having her name helped me get into the right mindset of how it would feel to love someone. And even though I couldn't be with the real Akilah, this was good enough.
***
I do not claim to be a genius. That goes without saying, but bears repeating. I had invited Akilah to my online dropbox so we had a place where we could work on our draft together. It was the dropbox where I keep all of my drafts, so I knew it would be easy for us to access. I had not realized the error of my ways even when she approached me after Mr. Lewis's class and asked, ?Hey Joshua, can I talk to you for a minute??
?Sure,? I said, still completely unaware. ?It's a nice day. Want to meet on the bleachers in say, 15??
She nodded and went to go get her things.
When I got to the bleachers 15 minutes later, she was waiting for me with her laptop open on her lap.
I sat next to her and she passed me her laptop without a word. I looked at the screen and it was open to a document. I instantly recognized it as an early draft of one of my short stories for class. Too late, I realized that this was a draft that had Akilah's name in it. Too late, I realized that I had given Akilah access to my entire drop box. That she could see all of the drafts therein. Oh dear god, why have you forsaken me?
I ventured a look in her direction and she had her head tilted, amused, waiting to see how I was going to talk my way out of this one.
?Akilah. It's not what you think,? I stammered. ?It's not? it doesn't mean I have feelings for you or anything.?
?You just use my name as the love interest in everything you've written.?
?Yeah.? I shook my head. ?I mean, let's start over.?
She smiled. ?Please do.?
?I may have used your name in a couple of my stories.?
She scoffed. ?A couple??
?Okay, a lot of them. And I may have had a little crush on you when we were freshmen, but now? ? I paused. How did I feel about her now?
She scooched closer to me. ?And now? How do you feel about me now?? Her eyebrow was raised in question.
?N-now?? I stuttered. She was too close and it made it hard to think clearly.
?It's a really simple question, Josh. How do you feel? Either you like me or you don't. Which is it??
?I?um,? I scooched away, putting distance between us. ?I don't know.?
She looked out on the open field. ?He loved her as he loved the sun, from afar. I wonder if he noticed how lonely that made her feel. No one can feel love that's too far away to reach.?
It was strange hearing my words said back to me. I never saw how sad they were. ?Akilah??
She looked at me. ?What are you afraid of, Joshua??
?Everything,? I admitted.
Akilah seemed to appreciate the honesty. ?I get it. There's safety in loving from afar. You don't have to be vulnerable. You won't get hurt. You won't get burned. But up close,? and she closed the distance between us and this time I didn't pull away. ?That's where the magic is. That's where the living is. It may not work out, but isn't it worth the risk??
I took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out just like she taught me all of those years before. We were face to face now with just our breaths between us. My eyes flicked down to her lips. They were so close. Isn't it worth the risk? I could hear her say.
I didn't know for sure, but I was about to find out. We kissed and in that kiss was everything I never knew I was missing. Warmth and passion and love. Loving her was like loving the sun. I might get burned if I get too close, but man, it was worth it.
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