My Super Story

Chapter 10 On an Island in the Sun

        There’s something truly amazing about the breeze in your hair and the stars and moon hanging right above your head that really takes your breath away.  Not like many people can breathe normally at the altitude I was at right then anyway, but you know what I mean.  But as I flew through the crisp midnight air, I couldn’t help but think about how amazing my God is.  To create something so breathtakingly beautiful, with just a few words, is absolutely awesome.  Truly and wonderfully awe-inspiring.  Not even remembering that there were three guys around me, I simply enjoyed the once in a lifetime experience.  The boys were stunningly silent as well.  We were all experiencing God’s majesty up close. 

The hushed splendor gave me time to think, not only about God’s glory, but about everything that was going on in my life.  How in the world did this happen to me?  Is it going to be like this forever?  Was it reckless to just get up and go without really thinking about it and considering all that could happen?  This wasn’t just a trip to Palm Beach over spring break.  What if our abilities just disappeared, evaporated into the chill of the night?  We could fall right into the ocean.  Could something like that happen? 

I paused in mid-flight.  What do we think we’re doing?  Traveling over the Atlantic in the dark of night, with no one knowing where we are or where we are going.  This was a bad idea.  Mason, Derek, and Logan slowed to a halt and came back to where I hovered frozen.  The questions in their heads matched the looks on their faces. 

“I’m sorry.  I was just having a momentary breakdown.  I’ll be fine, just give me, uh, ten seconds.”  I said this blankly before drifting slowly downward.  Derek and Logan lifted me up again and held me up while I breathed in and out, focusing only on breathing.  After a few seconds of silence, spoken and in our minds, I was able to hover on my own. 

“Hayden, talk to us.  Are you okay?” Mason stared into my hazy eyes until I brought my focus back to him. 

“I’m sorry.  I don’t know what came over me.  I was so scared all of a sudden.”  I paused before adding quietly, “Was this a really bad idea?”

After a moment of silence, Derek spoke up simply saying, “Maybe.”  Seeing that that was not the answer I wanted he continued, “But bad idea or not, Hayden, we are here together and we won’t let anything happen to you.” 

I smiled slightly, appreciating the sentiment.  “Thanks.  I knew that, but it’s good to be reminded.  Let’s get going.” 

“Are you sure?  We can still go back,” Mason added.  I nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

After another hour of flying and getting over my shakiness, the dark blue sky seemed to grow darker and cooler than it should have been, even for the middle of the night.  We were a couple hours outside of the city and the city lights had faded long ago.  Our only light being the stars and moon that seemed so close, we could tell right away when the light was fading and clouds moved in around us.  The air grew thicker and I began flying lower to escape the fogginess. 

When Mason caught up to me, he asked, “Do you think it’s going to rain?  ‘Cause that would totally stink!”  Obviously, we didn’t want to get stuck in a rainstorm but I didn’t know what to do.  I shrugged and we flew lower still to search the water below us.  We had planned to stop on a secluded island about four hours outside the city, but we were just over half way there.  It looked like we would have to find cover sooner than that. 

I heard Logan shriek at the first clap of thunder and flash of lightning.  It scared me as well, feeling like it was right above my head.  Flying even lower, until we were just a few feet above the swelling waves, we searched ahead of us and around us to see if there was anywhere we could stop and wait out the storm.  Finally I heard Logan call out, “I see something! Over there!”  He pointed to his left at a dark cluster of small islands, and we headed straight to them.  As we came upon the first island big enough to provide protection from the storm, I felt the first drop of rainwater on my shoulder. 

“A little to the right,” I call out teasingly to the boys as they set the roof on our makeshift hut.  It is actually pretty good considering we put it together in four minutes.  Of course that was easy being that we have super strength and speed.  We were on a small island about three miles long.  The trees were swaying heavily in the wind.  We used the fallen branches to build our shelter.  Within minutes we had a small hut consisting of three fairly sturdy walls, a surprisingly waterproof roof, and floor covered with soft moss and leaves.  It was very late, so we decided to get some sleep.  We huddled in the driest corner together and wearily drifted off to sleep with the storm fading outside along with the moon and stars.   

I woke several hours later to the smell of a fire burning.  For a moment I could not recall where I was and determined that I was dreaming about a camping trip.  Suddenly remember the previous night’s adventure, I jolted up and looked around.  Apart from a few stray branches, our shelter had lasted through the storm quite well. 

Unsurprisingly, Logan was snoring beside me.  We were the only ones left in our hut, so I ventured outside.  The sun was high in the sky and I guessed it to be well after noon.  The fire I smelt was a small campfire Derek was tending.  I saw Mason by the water, and it was a peculiar sight to behold.  He was standing a few feet into the water looking down at the fish.  Then suddenly he disappeared, only to reappear a few steps away with something in his hand.  I realized eventually that he was making himself invisible in order to sneak up on the unsuspecting fish and capture them with his bare hands.  What he planned on doing with them, I did not know.  I would certainly not eat them. 

Derek seemed to suddenly realize I was up and smiled warmly at me.  “Good morning, sleepyhead.”  He smirked.  “Care for some fish?  It’s fresh off the fire.”  He lifted his stick he was holding above the fire which held a small fish on it. 

I laughed and made a face.  “No thank you,” I grimaced.  “I’ll stick to my granola bars for now.”  I opened my backpack and pulled out a granola bar and bottle of water, sharing the latter with Derek. 

We ate and drank in silence for a moment before Derek leaned toward me and asked, “Did you ever imagine we would be here today?” 

“What do you mean?  On a tiny secluded island in the middle of the Atlantic after flying all the way from New York all by ourselves?”  I paused dramatically to think for a moment.  “No. No, I did not.”  I smirked at my companion. 

He chuckled at me and added, “Even two days ago, fully aware of our powers and abilities, I did not see myself crossing the Atlantic on my way to Paris today.”  I had to agree.  This was quite a turn of events.  Lately it seemed like anything was possible.