Author Games: The Hero You Deserve

Semifinals: Cherry Bomb

I dropped out of school after Mama died. I didn't see a point in pretending to be normal anymore. Part of me wanted to burn the whole city of Chicago to the ground and go back to Tokyo. I had it all planned out in my mind: I would announce myself as the Empress and take my rightful place at the head of the Empire. I would do everything Papa had prepared me for.

In the end, I couldn't bring myself to set a single fire. Pathetic, I know. I still left though. Papa had left all his fortune to Mama and me, and Mama had left everything to me. As a result I had more money than a seventeen year old could do anything with. Buying a plane ticket to Tokyo was easy, as was getting myself a small apartment in the city.

I lived quietly, I kept to myself. I didn't work, I didn't take over the Empire like I swore I would. Mostly, I was just angry. At myself, and at my mother for leaving me, for killing Papa. Slowly, I deluded myself into believing that Mama was the real villain in all of this. Papa had a reason for everything he did, a method. It was for the greater good of his Empire.

Mama made herself a hero, for what? She didn't like being a freak, so she flew around and saved people who didn't even ask for her help just so she could feel better about herself? She was weak. No wonder she fell apart after killing Papa.

I wouldn't be like her. I wouldn't. Someday I would find a way to make myself worthy of taking Papa's place in the Empire. I wasn't ready yet, that was all. I was Empress by blood and title only- I needed to do something big to prove I was truly worthy of that name.

Years later, when I heard the rumors about the world renowned superhero Blacklight building a team of young heroes, I knew it was my chance. I died my hair, gave myself a hero name, and donned Mama's costume. I would return to America and present myself as a new hero. Blacklight would choose me to be amongst his ranks, I would gain the trust of all his little proteges, and then I would destroy them all- an entire generation of would-be heroes, wiped out by a single person.

That was how I was going to make my name as the Empress. I would make Papa's Empire greater than it had ever been before, encompassing the entire world. I would make my father's memory proud.

But nothing ever goes according to plan.

Now I was standing over Blacklight, and he was dying, but I wasn't the cause of it. I wasn't laughing, I wasn't even smiling. My heart pounded in my chest, terror in every breath I took. "Get up, you have to get up," I urged.

There was thick smoke all around me, and I could hear the shouts of the few remaining Sentries as they tried to organize themselves. We weren't entirely sure what had happened. There had a sound of thunder from the basement of the headquarters, so loud it woke everyone from their sleep. When we went to investigate we came upon a battle.

Tifanos and Zachariel had somehow separated from Miguel, and now they were fighting for the fate of our entire planet. Either a world where everyone suffers under the reign of a demon, or one where every hint of evil is purged. And unfortunately for me, neither option seemed like one where I would survive.

I dropped to my knees and shook Blacklight's shoulder. "Come on, please! You have to help us fight them! Blacklight, you have to help us!"

He shook his head weakly, blood dripping from his nose. "I can't. I'm only Miguel now. I'm human. I'm sorry, but it's up to you. Work together, do what you can to save humanity."

Angry tears fell from my eyes, sizzling against my burning skin. "This isn't fair! I'm not a hero, I never was! I was supposed to be the one taking over the world, how can you expect me to save it?"