This is the story of a boy named James. An average day for James would be to wake up, get dressed, walk to class, go to his classes, then head back to his dorm room for the evening. He grew up reading comicbooks, and always had a good sense of right and wrong. Some say chivalry is dead, but not to James. He did his best to get to the door before females, so he could open it for them. However, the chatty women would usually walk right past him with no acknowledgement of his heroic deed.

He liked to keep to himself most of the time. James would often go down to the nearby beach in the warmer months and sit on the rocks listening to the waves hit the shore. The sound would soothe him. He could think more clearly while down there, and it seemed like those waves were making music just for him.

It was dark out that night. The sun had just set, and it was getting cool. That didn’t bother James though. He preferred the cool weather. As he was walking on the shore, he saw something glimmer in the water. It wasn’t just light from campus reflecting off of the waves. It was something glowing. James got as close to the water as he could and reached into the water to pick it up. It looked like a black rock that had a pulsing purple glow, and it was immediately dry when he picked it up. It also felt warm, despite being in the cold water.

Suddenly, the rock began to smoke, as if it was evaporating water off of it, but it didn’t feel that hot. Then the smoke got darker, almost completely black. It didn’t quite rise like smoke; it just spread like a fog. It seemed to cover his arm, and it began to tingle. It was like the feeling you get when your arm falls asleep, but…not… James felt weak at the knees, and fell. He ended up sitting on his legs being covered by this… this darkness. The stars in the sky began to disappear, and the last thing he saw was the moon shrinking. Then it was dark. Pitch black.

He didn’t know where he was, or what he was doing, being very disoriented from what had just happened. His eyes began to focus. He was in his room. Lying in his bed. “How did I get here?” he thought to himself in a groggy tone. It was dark in the room. James sat up in his bed, and started rubbing his aching head. His body still had that tingling sensation. When he opened his eyes, he realized something: he couldn’t see the arm that was on his head. All he saw was darkness. “What the…?” he said aloud. He put his hands out in front of his face. It took a minute, but he began to see the shape of the hands in front of him, but they were black, totally black. As he was trying to figure out how, or why, he was like this, he thought about his normal skin. The tingling sensation began to fade and his skin returned to normal. He got out of bed and turned on the light. Two desks, two dressers, a bunk bed; everything seemed normal. His roommate was gone for the weekend, luckily. James just kept staring at his hands, wondering what happened.

Suddenly, a thin, yet dark smoke seemed to come out of his sleeves and settle on his arm. The tingling sensation spread across his entire body, and his vision changed. The room seemed to get brighter, and he had to squint. He moved to turn off the room light, and to his surprise, he could still see perfectly in the dark. James walked over to his mirror in order to see what he had turned into.

James barely recognized himself. The first thing he noticed (aside from the different colored skin) was that his eyes were glowing. Glowing a deep purple. It looked more like he was looking at a silhouette with glowing eyes than a person. He heard a noise outside his door and spun his head to look at the door. Through instinct, his body returned to normal. Once he knew no one was around, James concentrated to turn his body black again.

He pressed his hands against the wall around the small mirror and leaned in closer to examine the silhouette. He was seeing things. He became aware of the rest of his body. He felt lighter somehow, his stomach, which once had a little extra on it, was now flat and firm. His hand slowly formed a first. Then, in a sudden burst of movement, James did a jumping kick. Well, attempted anyway. When he jumped, his head slammed into the ceiling and he fell to the floor.

Standing up and rubbing his head, James’ aching head decided to go outside before testing himself anymore. He figured going back to the beach would be a good place. Once there, and after making sure no one else was around, James put his years of watching martial arts movies to good use. He punched and kicked at the air, and he could tell he was stronger. Thinking back to hitting the ceiling, James wanted to see just how high he could jump. He crouched down and pushed off as hard as he could. The wind rushed as he flew upwards, looking over the trees nearby. He let out a loud “YAHOOOOO!” as he flew through the air. He continued to leap around the beach, excited about his newfound abilities. He went back to performing his pseudo-martial arts. The bo staff being one of his favorite weapons, James began to pretend he was holding one, swinging it around. As he imagined the staff in his hands, smoke rose from his arms and seemed to drift off his hands in a long narrow form. The smoke soon solidified into a staff. He stopped and stared at the new item in his grasp. Fascinated by this new power, he tried thinking about the staff turning into a spear, and sure enough, more smoke drifted off the tip of the staff and formed into a point. James made the spear turn back into a staff and continued to practice with it. The bo smacked into one of the larger rocks on the beach and the rock cracked under his newfound strength. Shocked by the power he actually had, James dropped the bo, and before it hit the ground, the staff dispersed into black smoke and vanished.

Worn out, James decided it was time to go to sleep. “It’s so far to my room,” he thought. I wish I could just teleport there. Then an idea came to mind; he had created other things just by thinking about them, so why not this? The image of a black hole, like in the cartoons, when a character would pick up a hole in the ground and it was just a black circle that they could still go through appeared in his mind. In front of him a circle appeared, just as he had imagined. It floated in the air in front of him, solid black. Not quite sure what to do next, James slowly stuck his hand into it. The feeling was cool, but then he felt warmth again. James pulled his hand out, stared at the darkness for a moment, then slowly put his head through. All he could see was darkness; then suddenly, he could see the interior of his room. James pulled his head back through quickly, surprised at what just happened. After staring at the dark circle for a minute in disbelief, James went all out and jumped through the hole. He landed hard on the floor in his room. Exhausted, James crawled into bed as his skin morphed from black to normal, and he fell asleep.

James woke up the next day after noon. The previous night felt like a dream. There was no physical sign of anything from the night before, but James knew it was true due to the small lump on his head. Wanting to be able to control his powers more, James focused on his hands. Instead of his whole body turning black, just his hands did. He spent the afternoon creating simple objects from the shadows that came out of his hands, such as cubes and spheres.

That evening, as the sun was setting, James wanted to go back to the beach, to sit on the rocks and think. James pondered about where the rock, and these powers, had come from. Little did he know that he wasn’t the only one thinking about the rock on the beach, for during that same evening, two men were walking along that same beach, watching the waters. They were both dressed in odd clothes. One was a large man, well over 6’ tall, and despite his loose clothing, it was obvious that he was extremely muscular. He wore a black Chinese style jacket with a dark orange trim, and pants to match. The other man was dwarfed in comparison. He was slender and had a long mustache that was starting to grey. His clothing was similar to the large man, except his was a deep crimson with dark blue trim.

“Have you seen it yet?” The smaller man barked to the other in a Chinese accent.

“We’ve been searching this coast for hours, with no sign, boss.”

“Well the crystal says the rock is nearby. We must be getting close.” The older man said while holding out a pendent with a small crystal hanging from it. The crystal was glowing a soft green.

The two men continued slowly; one watching the water, the other watching his crystal.

James looked down the beach and noticed a girl coming down the steps from campus. James knew who she was in an instant. She had deep red hair and a slender body, but not too slender. Her name was Michelle, and she was one of the few people that James considered a friend. They didn’t hang out too often, but when they did, their time was filled with a balance of serious talk and laughter. James watched as she went from the stairs to the edge of the beach. Michelle looked out over the water, then down to her feet. She slipped off her sandals and slowly stuck her slender foot into the cool water. As she bent down to examine something under the surface of the water, James noticed two men coming down the beach towards Michelle. One pointed at Michelle, and then they began advancing on her faster. James could only watch as the large man grabbed Michelle and picked her up with one hand. The smaller man stood looking up at the frightened girl’s face, and began to ask her questions:

“Where’s the rock?! What did you do with it?”

Michelle could only stare at the two strange men, too frightened to react.

“We know it’s here, and you were picking up something in the water!” The older man yelled at Michelle and pulled the crystal pendent from around his neck. The crystal was glowing a bright green now.

James knew he couldn’t let those men hurt Michelle, and with his new abilities, he’d have no problem scaring away two thugs. Making sure he was behind a large boulder so that the men couldn’t see him, he focused his energy and the smoke billowed from his skin and covered his body. James then created a staff. He peered around the corner. The men had thrown Michelle to the ground, and the big one was standing in the water, looking for something.

“Well! Do you see it?” The old man barked.

“I suggest you leave, sir.” A voice said from behind the crimson-clad man. The mustached man turned around to see the stoic silhouette standing between him and the girl.

“You… you have the rock?”

“Have you tried looking down? This beach is covered in rocks. Or are you looking for that special one to be your pet rock?” James cracked with a newfound sense of confidence.

“That rock belongs to us. Give it back to us and no harm will come to you.”

“I don’t know, I kinda like this look” James said as he held out his arms and pretended to admire them.

“Very well then. We will have to take it through force. Piāo Lì, deal with this annoyance.” The older man stepped aside as the large man stepped out of the water and took off his jacket. He walked up to James, towering over him, muscles flexing. James took a step back and posed with his bo. Turning to Michelle, who was still on the ground, James said, “Run.” As he turned back towards the hulking man, James was hit with a giant rock and flew backwards. The wind knocked out of him, James could barely stand. As he attempted to regain footing, James looked back at the man who had hit him. At first he thought the man was holding a large boulder, but as his vision cleared, a shocking realization came; he wasn’t holding a boulder… His hand was a boulder. The giant’s fists were encased in solid stone.

“How…” James started to ask, but the elder man knew how to answer.

“You didn’t think you were the only one with special gifts, did you? By the way, Piāo Lì means ‘boulder’ in Chinese.”

The human rock started walking towards James. James stood up and held his staff defiantly. As the giant fist came towards him, James jumped high above Piāo Lì, and landed behind the towering man. Swinging the bo like a bat, James bashed it into his opponent’s back, causing Piāo Lì to stagger forward. To James’ surprise, Piāo Lì didn’t even fall down. Instead, his arm went out and swung backwards, catching James in the chest. Before James could even stand up, the giant was upon him. As he swung down, James cowered, expecting the blunt hit, but it never came. James looked up to see a confused face looking down at him. James looked down and saw his legs disappearing into the boulder fist. He had somehow phased through the fist. Piāo Lì regained his senses faster than James and hit him again, knocking James back several feet. Realizing that he was not ready to fight someone this strong. James began to formulate an escape plan. Michelle hadn’t gotten far and was standing in awe of the sight before her. He had to get her out of there. James ducked under the swinging boulder and ran towards Michelle. He put his hand out and a portal appeared behind Michelle. James pushed the frightened girl through it and turned to the two Chinese men and said, “We’ll have to continue this another time gentlemen.”

“You have no idea of the power you hold young man. That stone housed a demon’s power. You won’t be able to control it for long. Zancheng will be watching you!”

James was already jumping through his portal as the man was talking, so he couldn’t respond. He fell through the hole next to Michelle. He stood up quickly and helped Michelle stand up.

“Who were those guys? Who are you? How’d you do that? Where are we?” The questions started flooding from the poor girl’s mouth.

“Slow down,” James said. The two of them were standing in the middle of the empty football field on the opposite end of campus from the beach.

“Are you alright?” James asked, concerned.

“I think so. Maybe a bruise or two.”

“Sorry for the rough trip, I just wanted to get you out of there.”

“It’s ok, but who are you? What are you?”

“I’m…” Realizing he wasn’t ready to share his new power with her, he knew he had to keep it a secret. “… a friend.” He replied. “You should be safe now, and I doubt those thugs will bother you again, but to be on the safe side, stay off the beach for a while.” James turned around and created another portal and stepped through it.

As the night went on, James sat at his desk trying to piece together the events of the day. The confidence he felt when confronting those men was intoxicating. He knew he had a responsibility to use his powers to help others, the way he had helped Michelle. He spent hours trying to come up with a name to call himself.

“The Shadow? That’s taken, and too cliché.” James spoke to himself. James looked around his room at all the posters on the wall. He saw the heroes he grew up with as a kid: Spider-Man… Ninja Turtles… They were the ones that helped teach him right from wrong, and he related to them because there was always a character similar to his own personality. As James stared, it suddenly hit him.

“I’ll call myself Spidon! S-P-I, like Spider-Man, and Don, like Donatello: my two favorite heroes. And people don’t need to know how I came up with it.”

Now that he had a name, James began to imagine a suit. Every hero needs a costume. His influences running through his mind, he closed his eyes and thought. While his eyes were closed, his body started to transform again, except this time, his skin wasn’t the only thing that changed. It looked like one of his portals opened above his head, and started to descend. Instead of disappearing in it, he went through it. As the black circle passed over him, his skin and clothes started to change. His skin turned black, as before, but his shirt became a tight fitting long sleeve top, that showed off his new muscular build. The middle of the shirt was a deep purple color that grew into a stripe that went over his shoulder and down each arm. The underside of his arms, and the sides of his torso were a dark green. When it got to his waist, the jeans he was wearing turned a solid black, almost as dark as his body. His sneakers, already black and white, stayed the same. James opened his eyes and looked down at his body. Now he felt like a real super hero.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. James spun around in a panic, he yelled out “Just a second” while trying to focus his mind to go back to his normal look. He walked to the door and opened it. On the other side was Michelle.

“Hey, Michelle. What’s up?”

“The most amazing thing happened earlier tonight! Some weird Chinese guys were on the beach and I was saved by a real life superhero!”

James tried to hold back his smile. It was time to practice acting.

“Really? What did he look like?”

“Well, he was kinda creepy, all black, like a shadow, with glowing purple eyes. And he made this portal thing to save me.” Michelle revealed the whole story to James, who did his best to keep a dumbfounded look on his face. After she finished telling the story, James showed his concern for her, “But you’re ok, right?”

“I might have a bruise or two, but I’m better off than I was with those two thugs. You really should have seen him, James.”

“Well, I hope that guy stays in the area, if stone Chinese guys are around.”

Michelle looked at her watch and realized that it was getting late.

“Oh wow, it’s almost one in the morning. I’m sorry I’ve been blabbing so long.”

“Don’t worry about it, Michelle. You should get to bed and rest. Do you want me to walk to you to your room?”

“No, I’m sure I can make it alright. Especially if that shadow man is around.”

James simply smiled and said, “alright.”

Despite her excited mood, Michelle was still a little paranoid while walking back to her room. She heard a noise coming from the shadows. Startled, she quietly muttered “Who’s there?” She peered carefully into the darkness, when suddenly the glow of two small purple orbs appeared. Then, as if he was growing out of the darkness itself, Spidon emerged.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You’re the one who saved me before.”

“Yup, I just wanted to check up and see if you were ok.”

“What? Are you stalking me?”

“No, not at all, I just happened to see you walking by.”

“Well, thank you for saving me.”

“It’s what I do, Miss.” Just then sirens could be heard in the distance. Spidon turned to where the sound was coming from.

“Do you have to leave?”

“Looks like it. Try not to get into any more trouble.”

As Spidon turned and started walking back into the shadow from whence he came, Michelle called out to him.

“Wait! Who do I call for if I need help?”

“You can call me Spidon.” And with that, he leapt into the shadow and vanished.

Over the next few months, more and more stories appeared about the mysterious shadow man who called himself Spidon. The local news interviewed some witnesses of a recent attempted burglary. Some were grateful and told the reporter about how Spidon leapt in front of them with a shield to protect them from random gunfire. Others weren’t as happy. One witness exclaimed, “Anyone who hides in the shadows like that has to be up to no good. It’s a demon I tell you.”

James turned off the TV and looked down at his hands. He thought back to the man he met the first day he had his powers. The man had said, “That stone housed a demon’s power.” If it was really a demon’s powers, why wasn’t he evil? James used his powers to help people, not to hurt them. He realized, of course, that it would be extremely easy for him to create a portal underneath a bank and steal as much money as he wanted, but he knew better, and would never do anything like that. Maybe the old man was wrong, and it was just a legend about the demon. Maybe someone else had the rock once, and they were evil already.

James realized he had all but forgotten about the men. He hadn’t seen them since that night, so it seemed like they must have left. James shook his head and decided he was better off not worrying about demons and creepy guys in funny clothes, although thugs were getting easier and easier to beat, so another round with that rock guy might be a good work out.

In order to get his mind off things, James decided to go see Michelle. When he got to her room, the sign on her door read, “Went for a walk.” James knew she’d be down on the beach, because “going for a walk” for Michelle really meant “sitting on the beach. He walked down campus towards the beach, thinking about what to say to Michelle. As he was walking down the steps, James heard a scream. He recognized it as Michelle’s instantly. As he started running, his skin and clothes morphed into his Spidon outfit. Spidon showed up just in time to see Piāo Lì carrying Michelle away, and the smaller man was standing, waiting for Spidon.

“You showed up quicker than I thought.”

“Zancheng! What are you doing?”

“Ah, you remembered my name. I’m impressed. Well, I’ve been watching you “Spidon,” and you’ve been a busy little boy. Saving people, stopping robberies.”

“It’s what superheroes do. What did you expect?”

“I must admit that I’m surprised you have no succumb to the power yet. Although it seems like you have not even tried to push yourself as far as you can go.”

“What are you talking about? I know how to use my powers.”

“I’m afraid you really don’t young man. You have only used a fraction of the powers granted by the great shadow demon. If you want to know more, follow us.”

The crimson elder turned around and started chanting something James had never heard before, yet it seemed familiar. Behind Piāo Lì, who had stopped to watch when Spidon showed up, a glowing green oval appeared. Piāo Lì turned and walked through it, still carrying Michelle.

“You’re not the only one who can make portals, demon child.”

“Where are you taking her?”

“She is collateral, my friend, to insure you cooperate.”

Spidon followed Zancheng through the bright green light, and found himself on top of the tallest building in the city. Spidon had teleported himself up here many times to watch over the city.

“I know this is a favorite spot of yours, Spidon, and I do enjoy the view.”

“Quit playing games, Zancheng. What do you want?”

“I simply want you to give up your powers, in exchange for this girl, whom you seem to have an attachment to.”

“I will never let you have these powers. I am in control of them.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong.” Zancheng said with a smile. He turned to Piāo Lì and said something in Chinese that Spidon couldn’t understand. Piāo Lì walked to the edge of the building and hung the unconscious Michelle from a small crane that was used for the window washers. Zancheng turned to Spidon and said, “To show you how much you are not in control, you will fight Piāo Lì.”

“Fine, I’ve gotten much better than last time, and I’ve been hoping for a rematch.”

Spidon formed his staff, and stood ready to fight as the towering man’s hands became solid stone. Piāo Lì began to run towards Spidon and swung, but Spidon jumped and flipped over his body, hitting him in the back with the staff. The mountain of a man stumbled forward, but quickly regained balance. Spidon swung with the staff again, but Piāo Lì caught it and broke it. The section that broke off immediately became smoke and drifted away. Piāo Lì took another swing and punched Spidon several yards away. Spidon regained footing and then concentrated on his fists. Shadows flowed from his forearms and covered his fists. The shadows then solidified, giving Spidon armored gauntlets. At the same time, Zancheng started chanting another spell. Spidon heard him speaking, but ignored him and ran at Piāo Lì. The two exchanged blows; Spidon’s size and speed gave him a minor advantage. Spidon began to feel stronger, more powerful. It felt like an adrenaline rush. The fight brought them near where Michelle was hanging. Spidon ran and gave a flying kick to the center of Piāo Lì’s chest, knocking him over. While he was down, Spidon ran to the edge of the building and grabbed a hold of Michelle and brought her back onto the roof. Just as he set her down, Piāo Lì grabbed him from behind and threw him across the rooftop. Zancheng was still muttering something under his breath. Spidon felt a sudden surge of anger towards Piāo Lì. As he stood up, his fists covered in his smoke-armor again. He ran towards Piāo Lì, yelling. The smoky armor exploded from the rest of his body. Another flying kick to Piāo Lì’s chest. Both fell down. Spidon jumped on top of Piāo Lì and began pummeling his chest and face. Piāo Lì’s body became limp and his rocked hands faded back to normal, but Spidon kept hitting him, his eyes glowing a brighter and fiercer purple. Michelle walked up behind Spidon and reached towards him saying, “He’s unconscious, Spidon. Stop.” But in the heat of the moment, Spidon spun around swinging. He knocked Michelle a few yards away, and she lay still, unconscious. Spidon suddenly stopped. He slowly stood up with his face aghast.

“What have I done?”

Zancheng began laughing behind him. “Fool, I told you that you could not control your powers. As I told you before, you have barely scratched the surface of what you can really do. I used my knowledge of the magic arts to bring out the demon within you.”

“You…you made me do that?”

“Of course. You were distracted by my minion, so it was easy to repeat the spell to call forth the shadow demon. Now give me the stone, or I will make you kill your little girlfriend.”

“You will never have the stone, Zancheng. And you cannot control me!”

Spidon leapt up into a portal, and appeared behind the villain, tackling him to the ground. Spidon straddled over the villain’s chest and repeatedly beat him with shadow-engulfed fists. He had never been so enraged in his life. This guy had gone too far, and now he was going to pay. Spidon would never kill anyone, but he was ready to beat this man to an inch from death. Suddenly the man's eyes lit up a bright green, and Spidon was thrust backwards from a sudden blast of energy. Spidon quickly got up and wiped the blood coming from his nose. He stared at the man who now had a glowing green aura around him. To compete, Spidon tensed his body, and an aura of darkness surrounded him. The old man was beaten and bruised. He jumped upward to escape Spidon. Spidon had to chase after him, but he had never flown before. He didn't even know if he could, but he had to try. This man could not get away. It wasn't an option. Spidon bent his knees and using all the might he could sum up, he leaped into the air, shooting straight towards the green ball. As he was soaring towards the green light, huge wings erupted out of Spidon's back. He speed increased as he chased after the man, rising higher and higher into the air above the city. The glowing man was still gaining distance. Spidon's eyes were burning a bright glowing purple. Spidon began to scream as a sudden extra burst of speed came from him. His eyes shot out a bright purple light and shadows exploded from Spidon's body. With fists stretched out in front of him, the shadows formed into a sharp point, like a rocket with wings, and Spidon slammed into the villain. They were hundreds of feet above the ground, and both fell in a constant struggle with each other. The green glow and the shadows were gone. It was merely two men, falling to their deaths, fighting along the way. Spidon's eyes burned from the wind whipping in his face as he fell at speeds that would kill an ordinary man. Both were taking hits in the face that could crack a man's skull. Spidon could barely see through the pain. But he did see one thing. He saw the ground coming towards them, fast. First lights, then buildings, then a rooftop. As quickly as he could, Spidon made a final kick to separate himself from the evil man. Both were mere seconds from hitting the roof. As he fell face first towards the building, Spidon let out another scream and put his arms in front of his face, ready to feel the impact, then death.

The impact never came. Spidon had instinctively created a portal before he hit the building. There was no way that the man falling with Spidon had time to react before he hit, and at the speed he was going, he could have broken through the top three floors. That would not be a pretty picture, and Spidon didn't intend on witnessing it. He felt half dead already, and he still had to check on his friend. Barely able to walk, Spidon slowly created a portal beneath him. He fell through it and out at where his friend lay, unconscious. The threat was finally over. It was done, and his friend was safe. Spidon kneeled next to Michelle, and cradled her head in his arms. Tears flowed through his eyes as he thought about what he had done. He knew it wasn't his fault. He wasn't in control, but it still happened, and there was nothing he could do to take it back. Slowly, she began to stir. She looked up at Spidon, who was no longer in his shadow form. He was simply James. He hadn't noticed that Michelle had woken up, until he felt a soft hand on his tear-stained cheek. No words were spoken, as they looked at each other through blurred, tear-filled eyes.

“I think I always knew,” Michelle said softly.

Suddenly, there was a laugh from behind. A cruel, evil laugh. The bastard had survived. His eyes were glowing green, except brighter than they had even done before. Then the green aura surrounded him, bigger and brighter. His laughter was that of a person driven to the brink of sanity. Zancheng’s final words were simply, "Farewell Demon."

"I AM NOT A DEMON!" Spidon screamed as he stood up and his body became shadowed again. But it was too late. The green light was expanding, and Spidon knew what was happening. He didn't know how he knew. It suddenly hit him, and he knew what he had to do. The wings burst from Spidon's back again, and grew to an enormous size. The wings folded to cover Michelle. The huge green aura suddenly stopped and was sucked back inward. Then it came. The moment Spidon had expected. An explosion. An explosion that took out half of the building they were on top of. Spidon felt the burn in his back. This was an explosion of magical energy so great that it should have killed everyone, no matter how super-powered they were. Michelle could only watch on in horror as she saw the agony in her friend's face and the holes being burnt in his wings. Suddenly, the light was gone. It was night again. A calm hit the city. It sounded as if there was not a living soul on the planet. The wings were gone, and Spidon was limp on the ground. Her strength returning to her, Michelle forced herself to get up and examine what had happened. She looked to where the evil had stood. There now remained nothing on that side of the building. The building seemed to have been destroyed except for a small circle where Spidon had protected his friend. The piece of roof was on the ground. Everything had fallen during the explosion, but they hadn't even felt it. Michelle knelt down, and repeated the pose Spidon had done to her moments ago. Her tears flowed more freely than they had when she was trying to stay strong in front of Spidon. She held James' head against her own. She noticed something, a ray of hope, he was still breathing. Barely breathing, but breathing nevertheless. He had lived. James slowly regained consciousness.

“Are you ok, Michelle?”

“Me? I should be asking you!”

“We should get out of here.”

As James stood up he noticed a rock. It was jet black next to all the grey rubble of the building. He slowly bent down, picked it up, and then put it in his pocket. The couple walked away from the scene unnoticed as the police and fire trucks arrived.

James spent the rest of the week in bed. His wounds weren’t severe enough to require a doctor, and he’d rather avoid answering any questions. It was easier to call in sick for a week. When the school year ended a few weeks later, James sent most of his stuff home and kept a few clothes and some money. Michelle came to say goodbye.

“Do you really have to leave?”

“I need some time away from it all. I felt horrible when I hurt you, and even though the powers are gone, I just need to travel on my own for a while. I promise you that I’ll come back.”

James hugged Michelle while both of them tried to hold back tears. He looked into her eyes and gave her a kiss. James turned around started walking to the bus stop. Once on the bus and settled in, James reached into his backpack and pulled out the black rock. It was warm to the touch, and it started to glow.