The sun seeped in through the thin, green curtains and illuminated the face of a sleeping boy. He shifted in his sheet to shy away from the intruding light.
A digital alarm clock displayed the time of quarter to five. The alarm would go off any second now as the snooze had already been hit once.
Every morning, Thomas would get up and go to the beach where he and Jake, his best friend, would surf for two hours with who ever else decided to show up. They had started this tradition in junior high and continued to do it every day, except Sunday, since. The last day of school, senior year, was no exception.
Tom rolled over as the alarm sounded and shut it off. He groaned as he pulled himself out of bed. He grabbed a quick bite to eat, got dressed and grabbed his surfboard and backpack, then headed out his door. The sun was just rising upon beautiful Maui, Hawaii and the beach was only a short walk away.
The young surfer made his way down his street and found that a new family was moving in not more than a few houses down. He stumbled when he saw a girl come through the front door.
She had long, rich brown, wavy hair and looked as if she was in the sun just as much Tom. She was wearing a white tank top and yellow capris. As the girl looked around, Tom realized he stopped and was gawking at her. She noticed him and he immediately turned and started to walk towards his beach spot again.
After another five minutes of walking, he reached his friends at a round table. The beach was relatively windless and there was not a single wave in sight.
“Dude, this sucks,” Jake said melodramatically.
“Yeah, but there’s no point complaining,” Tom replied, “We can’t do anything about it.”
“It’s our biggest turnout, too,” whispered Jake, eyeing the dozen or so surfers sitting at the table.
“Not to mention the last day of school, ever,” Tom added.
“Yeah, what a drag,” Jake sighed as he once again glanced at the crowd.
“Christie’s here, I bet that’s why you’re bummed,” Thomas grinned.
“You caught me. I was looking forward to showing off and then sharing a kiss with that beautiful angel.”
Thomas laughed, “You’re unbelievable.”
“Yeah, Tommy boy, maybe, but at least I like girls.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Dude, you, like, never go for a girl that likes you. You are either extremely conservative or gay. All these years of friendship have never shown a light upon which one you really are.”
“I am not gay.”
“You sure?”
“Dude!”
“I’m just messing with you, Mr. Mercury.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind, let’s at least get a game of volleyball started so we have something to entertain our guests for an hour and a half.”
Half past seven, Tom was headed to his class when he noticed a flyer on the white brick wall of the hallway. It was for the Marine Corps.
The thought had entered his mind more than once but it never lingered for more than a few moments. His future was already laid out ahead of him. It might not be saving the world but at least he would be able to make a small mark in the business world.
He had been accepted to a local university where he planned on getting his master’s in business, then taking over his grandfather’s company: a small chain that was known for surfing equipment and other things such as clothing.
He moved in with his grandpa in Hawaii when he was in third grade. He had been living with his mom but she had been murdered in an armed robbery at the bank she worked at.
Thomas still remembered that day like it was yesterday.
~
At the time Tom had been living with his mother in Los Angeles where they had a small house. He went to Wayward Elementary School and was in Mrs. Bumble’s third grade class.
The whole day was dedicated to a read-a-thon in which the students were to read a certain amount of pages to raise money for a charity of their choice. Tom, called Tommy at the time, kept to his self in elementary school and enjoyed quiet days immensely.
He had been reading “The Chronicles of Narnia” throughout the course of the day and right before the bell rang to mark the end of the day, he completed “The Last Battle”.
He rode the bus home as usual but when he got off the bus a police cruiser was pulled up to his driveway. He knew the police officer as one of his friend’s dad.
“Tommy,” the man said, “I’m going to have to have you come with me, son. Have you ever ridden in a police car before?”
Tom had spent the rest of the day at his friend’s house as social services looked for a place for him to stay. They finally decided that his grandfather would be best suited to take care of him as he was financially secure and had shown care towards the situation by flying from Hawaii to be with Tom.
~
Lost in thought, he entered his classroom and slumped into his seat. The instructor wasn’t really planning on teaching anything, so most students had turned on music or delved into books or magazines. It was first hour so plenty of people had their heads down, napping.
Tom turned his iPod on and stared out the door into the hallway as the song entered his mind and his thoughts drifted, as they usually did.
His mind wandered to the girl he had seen earlier. From a distance she was beautiful but what was she like close up? Seemingly on cue, she walked by the room and Tom immediately sat upright, she was, however, already gone from view, he got another look by leaning out his chair but almost fell over in the process.
He only barely saw her walking away, turning a corner and wearing the same yellow capris and white tank top as before. What was she doing there?
“Hey what are you staring at?” Emma, a girl who sat near him, asked as he tried to refocus his thoughts.
“Oh,” Tom muttered, “Nothing. Emma, do you know of anyone new moving here?”
“Yeah, actually, there’s a girl going to be a new senior next year that moved in. I was in the office when she was getting a tour scheduled,” Emma smiled, “She’s a real looker, is that who you were staring at?”
“I wasn’t staring.”
“Sure, you weren’t.” The smile became smug.
“Listen, I’m not like that.”
“Are you gay?”
“No! Why is that coming up so often?”
“Jeez, relax, I was only kidding.”
“You're lame.”
“Well, maybe you should act a little more interested in my kind, you know, girls?”
“I'm interested, just not obsessed like most guys.”
“Are you a virgin?”
“That’s personal,” Tom turned red, “I’m not answering.”
“You are!”
Tom looked away.
“How far have you gone with a girl?”
“Far enough, leave me alone.”
“Have you kissed girl, even?”
“No.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Really?”
“Yes, really, why is that so hard to believe?”
“Well, Thomas Lumen, I wouldn’t mind…”
“Stop.”
“I was only saying…”
“I know! Stop.”
Emma winked and turned to her music, satisfied at the new information and the new shade of pink that had covered Tom’s face.
The day was a slow one. People were taking pictures and saying goodbyes.
Thomas knew he’d get quite a few tags on Facebook that night.
He hadn’t seen the girl again but she was never far from his mind. He still couldn’t figure out why he had such an overwhelming curiosity about her. He saw her twice and both times sparked a forest fire of wonder and questions. Tom felt in over his head.
The day faded into nostalgia as the bell rang and cheering erupted or rather, the bell couldn’t even be heard through the cheers.
Thomas was patted on the back a few times as he made his way through the halls and out the front doors. He had to head to work right away since he pulled the short straw and ended up with a shift right after school ended. That meant no after school beach parties and no surfing sessions or anything.
After walking for about fifteen minutes down the street, lost in his thoughts, Tom finally reached his place of occupation. He treated the store like his own house and paid special attention to every detail inside and outside when he was cleaning and planning any remodeling. In the small parking lot, only two cars were parked. One was Mark’s, an employee that had the shift with him.
Mark was a high school graduate in his first year of college. He was shy but had a unique authority, it was almost modest but it still held strong against the most abrasive customers, and he had a nice personality when he opened up a little bit.
Tom pushed through the doors to see a man standing with a knife to Mark as he frantically put money in the bag. His face was sullen and stone cold.
The man turned around and saw Tom at the doorway and grabbed Mark by the throat and put the knife to his neck. “If you try to run, he’ll get hurt.”
“Come on, just take the money and go, there’s no need to hurt anyone,” Tom said firmly.
“No one will get hurt if I don’t want anyone to get hurt, stand over there,” the robber gestured and pushed Mark towards the cash register.
As Tom walked to a corner of the store, two customers walked and saw what was happening. The robber yelled at them to stand next to Tom and pulled out a gun he had stored in his jacket for more leverage.
One of the newcomers was the girl in yellow capris. The other one looked like her father. Striking a conversation with the girl had drastically changed positions on Tom's to-do list, however. He had to figure out how to get Mark away from that guy and disarm him. He noticed a rolling cart not too far away and slowly inched towards it.
The robber looked towards them but didn’t notice Tom’s motion. Tom waited for the robber to look away and pushed the cart as hard as he could in the robber’s direction. The cart skidded and flipped on its side, hitting the masked man in his shin and making him fall to the floor. The gun clattered to the floor but not before the robber got a round off in Tom’s direction as he fell. The girl’s dad swept up the gun and held it at the robber as he lay on the floor.
“Destiny, call the police,” the father ordered.
She called for the station, which was right down the street, and leaned against the wall, relieved that things would be okay.
Mark gasped,“Tom!”
Tom was lying on the floor, his shirt soaked in blood. The random shot that the robber had managed to get off had hit Tom in the center of the chest, most likely clipping his heart.
Destiny, the girl in the capris, stifled a scream of her own and knelt down next to Tom.
“Destiny,” her dad said, “Give him the shot it may be the only way to save him.”
Destiny nodded and caught the flask her dad had tossed. She removed the covering to reveal a syringe with a long needle at the end. Tom was incoherent and close death as she plunged the needle into his neck.
The father looked distraught but somehow content at the same time. The serum now being pumped through Tom’s veins was his life’s work. His name was Dr. Milton Reid and he was a microbiologist who had been working on a cure for paralysis but stumbled upon a secret that could give a normal man extraordinary abilities. The serum itself was his only prototype but no amount of fame was worth the death of a young, brave soul. Sirens gave way to police coming up to the store. The robber took advantage of the distraction and pulled Reid to the ground. He grabbed the gun and held it at Destiny. “Give me that syringe, if I’m going to get arrested I’ll at least get one last shot before I go.”
Destiny hesitated. There was still a small amount left in the syringe but she wasn’t sure if it would still give the man abilities or not. The robber thrust himself towards her and grabbed the flask as he pushed her on top of Tom. He stuck the needle into his arm and took a deep breath as he injected himself. “What is this stuff? It burns!” The robber fell to the ground writhing in pain as two police officers stormed in.
The two officers handcuffed the man still cursing about the burning and shoved him into the back of their cruiser.
Later that night, Thomas awoke in a hospital bed. He had no wound to speak of. He looked around groggily and saw the girl.
“Am I in heaven?” He asked as he reached out for someone, anyone.
“No, you’re in the hospital,” Destiny said as she grabbed his hand and held it, “Your grandpa will be here shortly, he is flying in from the continental states.”
Tom looked at her, “What happened? I remember getting shot.”
“Well, Thomas, you were shot. But my dad was able to save you by injecting you with a formula of his own creation.” Destiny looked deep into his eyes and he felt as if she was reading his mind.
“So, he drugged me and it healed me?” He mumbled incoherently.
Destiny’s father walked in at that moment and responded to the question, “Yes, Tom, you were healed. There may, however, be side-effects.”
“Like what?” Tom asked.
“Abilities, Tom, you will now have abilities beyond your wildest dreams. Right now it doesn’t matter if you believe me or not, but along with saving your life we have created a criminal that is more dangerous than an entire army.”
Dr. Reid explained the seriousness of the matter. The robber had broken out of police custody and had figured out a fraction of the abilities he had possessed. He was now on his way to the mainland states.
After a lengthy discussion about what exactly he was capable of as far as abilities, Tom realized what he had to do. “I’ll stop him. Once I stop him, I can become a real life superhero. Dr. Reid, I promise that I will use your gift to me as a force for good alone.”
“It’s God’s gift, son. Far more abilities will develop in due time, keep me updated so that I can help you to learn how to control them.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s God’s gift to me and I won't abuse it.” A bold look flashed across Tom’s face as he spoke. “I look forward to our partnership together.”
Tom rose from the sitting position he had taken on his bed and stood next to Destiny. He looked at her shyly and stepped over to the open window.
He turned back and said, “Wish me luck.”
With that, Tom stepped backwards and flew out the window. He might be leaving everything he knew behind but he finally felt important, knowing that he could save the world. More than just one hole in Tom’s heart had been filled and this new adventure that awaited him was an answer to prayer he said every night since his mom had died, a prayer asking of God to protect people so that no one else had to feel the pain Tom felt. Now, Thomas Lumen could be that protection and guard the world from the attacks of a petty criminal who most likely would not give a second thought about murdering. This is the story of a hero; this is the journey of a hero rising.
[End]