The Mysterious Hero

The Mysterious Hero: Chapter 15

            My eyes were wide in shock as Luke’s words played over and over in my head. He was going to try to find out who The Mysterious Hero was. I watched as Luke smirked at the crowd, nodding his head to the statement he made.

            Luke was serious.

            Someone tugged on my hand, but I was oblivious to the world around me. I stared at Luke, watching his every move. He grinned at the crowd, moving his eyes back and forth to asses if The Mysterious Hero was here. Did he already know it was me?  

            Luke was an imbecile. There was no way that he would be able to reveal my secret. Doing that required hard work and effort, however, Luke never bothered with those assets.

            The back of my head throbbed as someone smacked the bump there. Averting my eyes, Emily frowned at me. I felt the bump on my head, rubbing soothing circles on it. I forgot that I even had a bump there.

            “Lila, we’ve been calling you’re name for five minutes. Didn’t you hear us? We’re going to be late for class,” Tiffany said. “Let’s go inside before everyone else does.”

            I nodded my head and followed my friends up the steps to the school. I was careful not to apply too much pressure on my leg. The pain did diminished to little tingles, but nonetheless, it still burned like fire. Eric held the door open for me, but I turned back to look at Luke. At the same time, Luke turned his head and caught my gaze. There was amusement on his face as he shook his head and muttered something to himself.

            Anger boiled up inside me. It was obvious that Luke thought that I couldn’t be The Mysterious Hero. His body language told me that he thought that I was a weak nerd who did nothing but homework and stayed home all day. I was insulted, although, it was a good thing he didn’t suspect me. He couldn’t know. No one could know.

            “Guys, I need to go to my locker,” I stated, walking behind my friends. I just needed my books for first period.

            “I know this might sound stupid… but I’m scared,” Tiffany whispered, ducking her down in shame. “What if those criminals come back?”

            Emily and Eric sighed in relief. “It’s good to know that I’m not the only one,” Emily said, her strong demeanor fading. “I’m scared too.”

            Eric nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, I keep thinking that those criminals are just going to break in during school hours and start shooting again,” Eric admitted. “I know I’m a guy, but I have a right to be scared.”

            I felt angry that my friends were in a state of vulnerability. It wasn’t because they were feeling vulnerable; it was because of those two criminals were making them feel that way. Students should be able to feel safe in a school environment. They shouldn’t feel nervous or hesitant. It was all because of those criminals. They were scaring my friends.  

            “We’re all scared. But we have to be strong and be optimistic. Don’t think bad thoughts, just good,” I said. “We have each other. And if something does go wrong, The Mysterious Hero will appear,” I assured them with sincere eyes. I would never let anyone hurt my friends. I couldn’t bear losing my best friends, they were the best.

            Tiffany whispered, “What if she doesn’t come?”

            “She will,” I promised. “She always does.”

            They nodded their heads, believing my words. “Yeah, you’re right,” Emily said. “We can’t be scared. Plus, even if there is a shooting crisis, we can use Eric as a shield,” Emily joked, elbowing her brother.