There is always another option

Chapter -1

John was home. Dreaming, he remembered how he'd entered Wellston a little over a year ago, the longing for... another life, a fresh start, a new opportunity, and the perfect place to do his penance... no luck.

"—Hey... um... what's your ability?"

No one could think of anything but that... how disgusting, that human inability to think of anything that isn't related to power... what hypocrisy...

"Let me help you..."
"¡Monster!"

*Gasp* *Gasp* *Gasp*
John woke up sweating. His hair was damp, and his forehead was beaded with beads of sweat. He breathed heavily as he tried to erase from his mind the damn nightmare that tormented him daily. Interrupting his trance, the phone rang on his nightstand. He ran his hands through his hair to comb it a little.

—Ahwmm...Sera?
—Did you just yawn at me?
—What? No, you're crazy.

—...Okay, hey, I want to go clothes shopping in Kovoro, are you coming with me?

—Huh? A-ah...I can't...you see, I'm really busy and all.

—Really?

The girl was standing in front of John's door, phone in hand, tossing her hair a little.
—Y-yeah, you see, it's quite messy. I like to use the weekends to clean-

*Doorbell...the sound made John's skin crawl*

—ARE YOU OUTSIDE?

Seraphina moved her phone away from her ear after the scream and heard a pair of shrill footsteps leading John from his room to the front door. He opened it with a loud slam, and there they were: Seraphina with a smile and a...very, very slight blush at the sight of her friend's torso, and John with disheveled hair, dark circles under his eyes, wrinkled pajama pants, and his torso catching the wind from outside, which made him straighten his back.

—I'm not going. You're taking too long.

—Don't be a crybaby. Come on, I'll help you clean up. Get changed.
—I have to shower first.
—John, it's 3 p.m.

—Are you going to talk to me about getting up early?

—...go on, I'll help you clean up in the meantime.

John snorted curses as he went to the shower in his room and stepped into it. Sera walked into her house and closed the door. The place was dark from having all the curtains closed. She quickly opened them and, to her surprise, realized the house was spotless.

—Crybaby...

The image of John greeting her at the door appeared in her mind, and an involuntary blush crept over her. However, after the initial surprise, something else calmed her down. The surprise disappeared and turned into a slight concern. The memory of the previous day and her friend's deteriorating eyesight made her murmur.

—John... what aren't you telling me...¡!

John would be in his room getting ready. He knew he didn't have much time left before Sera decided he'd taken too long and dragged him outside. Surprisingly, the house was quiet, very quiet. Plus, there was no mess at all. He'd only left his gloves and the bo-...the book! on the living room table.

The black-haired man shot out of his room and into the living room. To his bad luck, he found Sera reading UnOrdinary on the couch. She seemed...absorbed in the book. When she noticed his friend's gaze, she returned it maliciously as he flipped back a couple of pages.
—You never cease to amaze me, huh? The book of the moment, the stir it caused...how did you get it? It was banned almost at the same time it was published, and that's the reason for superheroes.

John was silent for a moment. He was surprised, scared, that Sera had discovered something about his past in such a careless, unusual way. What if she found out? Of everything... what if she abandoned him?

"What if she didn't?"

—Ohh... it's my father's. He had a few extra copies, so he gave me one before I left New Boston.

—Your dad, huh?

(How can anyone have more than one copy of the government's most hated book?)

Seraphina looked curiously at John as she closed the book. The red cover made the yellow headlines somewhat difficult to notice, though anyone who saw "that" red cover would know it was UnOrdinary... though not everyone would read the author's name, thinking it was a pseudonym.

—W. H. Doe... YOUR DAD IS THE INFAMOUS W. H. DOE!!??

—Uh... yeah?

(Like, infamous?)

—I can't believe it. I mean, I've always wanted to read it. But getting information about him is almost impossible, and you're his son?  Why didn't you ever tell me?

—Oh, well, let's see. I'm a cripple, my father too, who, by the way, wrote a story censored by the government. Is there a taboo about that book suggesting vigilantes who call themselves "superheroes" exist? Who knows, maybe it wasn't right for me to divulge it to someone I didn't trust?
—And why didn't you ever tell me?
A lump in my throat. How could I tell you, Sera, without you finding out about my past and being disgusted by my existence?
"Monster"
—Well...you never asked.
"Coward"

—...well. I guess you're right about one thing. This book drives everyone who reads it crazy, like X-tatic and all those-

—They're not delusional.
—Excuse me?

—They're not delusional. They... understood the book's message and agree with it. Our society is wrong... maybe vigilantism isn't their best idea, maybe... they should value their lives more and try to help in other ways... but they do more than most.

"They do more than I could ever do."

Sera smiled, putting the book down on the seat as she crossed her arms and feigned indignation.

—You sound like one of those vigilantes.

—Fuck you.

I'd say, heading toward the kitchen, with a smile, trying to use my last card to keep us from going out to the mall.

—Do you want some lunch?

End of Chapter 1