Finding Mr. Superhero

Chapter Eleven

~~~~

Dedicated to AloneInWonderland for the amazing banner. Thank you!

~~~~

If you were to ask me my opinion of myself, I'd have to say I'd always viewed myself as a pretty high-strung girl. I took life too seriously, I worried too much.

And there was only one thing that could make me slow down and relax.

That came in the form of some peach-scented candles, dim lighting, and a steaming hot bubble bath.

I grabbed my journal and dipped into the tub, allowing the hot water to caress my skin. Tying my hair up into a messy bun, I grabbed my writing journal and a black pen.

When life got too hard or something needed to be said, I'd take to the comforting and crisp lined pages of a notebook. It wasn't a diary, as what I wrote rarely deviated from fiction. Before I'd found my niche in journalism, I'd always loved creating stories. Stories about high stakes and damsels in distress. Stories about ghosts and Greek mythology. Something far away and impossible, yet so exciting to think about. The words would flow from my pen freely, and take me away as if physically transporting me to another world. It was a way to get the thoughts out of my head and turn it into something tangible.

But this time I wasn't writing fiction. Oh, no, I was writing real life. And somehow this reality was even harder to believe than anything I could've dreamed up.

One upon a time in modern-day New York, there lived a girl named Violet. On the first day of her senior year she fell off the roof of her house and was saved by an illustrious superhero clad in black leather. The world thought of him as a villain; and yet he'd saved her life and countless others.

She also met a boy named Sam, with green eyes and black hair and a flawless olive complexion. He found her smart and funny and bought her coffee and made her feel special.

And there was one more boy. A next door neighbor with gorgeous blue eyes and lips that could sink ships. He'd kissed her at a Halloween dance, and now that girl was finding it hard to focus on anything else but that boy next door...

I sighed and shut the journal, knowing that if I allowed myself to write anymore it would only be a very detailed description of that kiss in the science room. My mind was a jumbled mess of my loyalty to the Black Phoenix, as well as the fact I was technically (or was I?) dating Sam.

I sighed and stood up, toweling myself off quickly and getting changed into a pair of yoga pants and a sweater. Tonight, despite the fact it was October, a brisk chill had set into the air. Once I was finished, I stepped out onto the balcony and found my seat on the roof tiles, finding a position I thought comfortable enough to settle in for the long haul.

The evening officially hailed Halloween, and children in costumes holding candy bags chatted jovially as they made their way down the streets. Their sweet giggles filled the air, and they were completely unaware of the girl sitting on the roof above them, watching over them with a matching smile.

I'd always thought of Halloween as one of those commercialized holidays not worthy of much thought. It was just an excuse for confectionery manufacturers to earn lots of money and children to go crazy on sugar, but something about seeing the joyous atmosphere changed my mind.

There were so many genuinely happy little kids walking the streets with their close friends, snacking on candy bars and enjoying the warm night. I'd be heartless to discourage something so hopeful and festive.

There were little girls who ranged from witches to cowgirls to nurses to fairies, and boys dressed in gory makeup with lots of fake blood smeared on their innocent faces. The place was alive with festivity, and it was hard to stop that feeling from catching on.