I love storytelling and I wish to write my own stories someday, but I first need to learn how to finish the stories I start.
I love storytelling and I wish to write my own stories someday, but I first need to learn how to finish the stories I start.
I never gave myself my hero name. I never intended to be a hero in the first place. Just one of the vigilante types that got turned into a hero in the eyes of the public. Trust me when I say the authorities of this city would've loved locking me up in a jail cell, but the problem with that is that no one would be able to clean up the messes they cause for themselves.
They call me the Will-o-the-Whisp. My power allows me to become intangible with my surroundings, turning into fog, mist, smoke, clouds, water, fire, you name it as long as it's not a solid object. Anything attached to my body can also become intangible along with me; this also includes living beings. I was working at a bar when I learned of powers. I used my street smarts and ties to learn about some, particularly unsavory folks. I'd turn myself into mist and whisper things into the ears of people I knew who would do something about it. Did all of those people succeed in what I wanted them to do? No. Have I killed people to make change happen? Yes. But I've always tried to be sure that the ones I killed, knew what was coming to them.
I only became known to others when I had to save this city for the first time. It was a scientist who went mad with knowledge, he wanted to know everything about the universe, to the point where he risked destroying everyone else in backlash. I couldn't save him, he was far too gone by the time I got to him.
Now I'm here, trying to stop another broken person from making a stupid mistake. And this time it's someone I know. I hate it when it's someone I know.
It's a girl, she's in her late teen and early adult years, her name is Miranda.
I've lived the street life for most of my formative years, my parents didn't care too much about what happened to me after I turned 5, and as far as they were concerned I wasn't their problem unless I was ill, starving, or hurt. And once I was 12 they made me learn to fend for myself and get a part-time job working at a diner after school, and once I got paid I started having to pay a part of the rent too.
As soon as I graduated high school and got a place to stay, I left my parents and took the money I was able to save up. The apartment I got's owner offered me a job working at the bar that was just under the apartments, and in exchange he would make the rent cheaper for me. The offer made me skeptical at first, but I eventually took it. Besides I was allowed to eat any of the leftover food after the work day was over. It wasn't long after I moved in that I met Miranda. She lived in the apartment next to mine, and her mother was a... Piece of work to say the least. At that time she was only 12 years old and her mom constantly left her alone. While I know my parents weren't great, I'd have to say Miranda's mother made them look like saints in comparison. She constantly left her daughter alone, yelled at her whenever she was found digging for food in the ally trash cans, and hit her whenever she tried to ask for something.
The first time I did anything about the situation was a few weeks after I moved in. I found her rummaging with the ally trash again, it was the third time I'd seen this happen. Usually, whenever Miranda realized she'd been caught going through the trash like a raccoon, she'd run off before I could say anything. However, this time I brought a burrito with me, I had to pay for the food from my pocket money but it was worth the smile she got on her face when she realized it was for her.
From that moment on, whenever she felt she needed something she would come to me. If she was hungry I'd make something from what I had in my mini fridge. Had a nightmare, I'd allow her to sleep at my place, and if she found herself in trouble, I'd help her get through it.
By the time I had become a well-known hero, I had started seeing Miranda less and less. Not only because I had become busier as the years went by, but I had also started coming back to my apartment less and less. Becoming a hero for me meant I became a lot more paranoid about people finding out my civilian identity, which would me if anyone ever found out who I actually was they could hunt me down, or worse hurt one of the few things I care for. So I became distant, I'd still checked in on Miranda every once in a while but I couldn't keep her close.
Maybe that was my mistake.
It's been months since I last saw her, I didn't know what happened to her. I thought maybe she had done what I did when I was her age, which was getting far away from my parents. But... I never thought I would find her to be someone I'd have to fight.
Her hair, once a dark ebony color was now completely white, with her skin now as pale as bone, and her amber eyes looked fueled by rage. And now we're here stuck in a stalemate with her fingers turned knives at a man's throat and me trying to de-escalate the situation.
"Well Well, if it isn't the mystery hero known as Will-o-the-Whisp!" Miranda seethes, baring her teeth at me like a cornered animal, keeping a tight grip on the man she has captive. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought your MO was that you don't protect those who've done wrong to others?"
Normally she'd be right in that assessment, as the man she holds captive has been convicted of charges of human trafficking, assault, and attempted murder. But I'm not trying to stop her for his sake.
"I know the terrible things he has done, but I'm not asking for you to stop for his sake-"
"THAN WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO STOP ME?!" She interrupts me, pushing her sharp fingers just that bit into the man's neck, allowing small pinpricks of blood to roll down from the slight openings, "For what?! So you can sAvE mE- oh cut the crap!"
"My dear, killing this man will do nothing but cause you more pain!" I try to reason, taking a step forward and unintentionally causing her to move back and push her knifed fingers more into the slight opening wounds. "So what?!" Miranda yelled, tears pricking her eyes as grief and rage filled them, "It's not like I have anything left to live for!" That makes me become stock still, frozen in surprise and horror at what she just said.
"I... What?"
"Yeah, you heard me! I have nothing left to live for! My mom was a neglectful & abusive asshole who sold me out for cash when she found out I had powers, every person I've ever met in my life has only ever wanted to use me, and the one person I thought would always be by my side and protect me- LEFT ME!!!" She screamed that last one, a scream so heartbroken and angry it felt like it shook the room. "So yeah! I don't care if I die or spend the rest of my days locked in prison for killing this asshole that played a part in everything."
"I- Miranda-" I spoke, reaching my light blue gloved hand out to her, but she flinched at hearing her name, "I never meant to leave you." She stared at me, eyes looking confused and untrusting at my words, "What are talking about? How do you know my name?"
Slowly, I began to approach her, keeping my steps slow and my strides smooth as I spoke to her in a calm voice, "You were just a scared little kid back then, you didn't know who to trust, your mother made it obvious that would you couldn't trust her, most people thought you were a street rat, and then you met me, and for some reason, you trusted me to feed you, keep you warm, fed, and further more-"
I'm just in arms reach of her- "Keep you safe."
Were stood inches apart from one another, I could now see the widening of her eyes as she stared into my white wooden blue-painted mask.
"And sadly I failed to do that."
"... If you are who I think you are. Take off the mask." We stood there in silence for a deafening moment, staring at the other, one with a blank look and the other in distrust, and hope. I move my hands behind my head and untie the ribbon keeping my mask in place.
The sound of clattering wood falls to the ground and echoes around the room, my face shows to her with nothing to hide it. Miranda's face twists into a surprised gaping face, unintentionally changing her fingers back as she gapes, and tears start to roll down her face.
She pushes the man hard away, having him splayed out on the ground as she moves to reach for me grabs my face, and I don't stop her. I allow her to just stare and hold my face as I wait. A small, wobbly, smile goes across her face for a moment before she starts to sob big fat ugly tears, and pulls me into a hug.
There's a pause and then reciprocation.
"Never- Hic- Do that to me- Hic- Again!" Miranda yelled out, hugging me so close and tight that I didn't think I could breathe for a moment, but I laughed in relief as I said, "I make no promises I can't keep."
