Not so super superhero

Chapter 13

My stomach churns and I gulp hard. Scarlett must sense my anxiety, because holds my hand and gives me a reassuring squeeze.

I look over and smile at her gratefully.

Necrotica, the superhero who talked to us before, pops up on a screen I didn't notice before. She taps the mic, which makes a ringing sound. Everyone in the room cringes and cover their ears.

"Helloooo everyone, hope your day has been good, because after this, a lot of you will go home crying to your mommies," she continues, "ok, so here's what's about to happen, you've all been separated into batches to make this thing run quicker. There are around 22 batches, each one has around 50 people. Out of each batch, only the first 30 will be able to move on to the next round. After this round, there will be 660 of you."

My eyes go wide, that's almost halving the people in the competition right now!

"To check what batch you're in, look at your I.D's. Batches 1-5 will be going in 30 minutes. I wish you all good luck, peace!" The screen goes black, and the room erupts in chatter.

I look at my I.D and a number flashes, I'm in batch 13.

I look up at Scarlett, "nineteen," she says.

My heart sinks. What was I expecting? I must've had to be really lucky to be in the same batch as her.

"I'm in batch thirteen," I tell her.

"Man this sucks! What about you Liz?"

Her face has gone pale, like she's seen a ghost. "B-batch two," she mutters with her shaky voice.

"Wow, that's rough." Scarlett pats her back.

She starts shaking, "rough...... rough!? This isn't only rough, this might as well be the worst moment of my life! How the fuck did I lose so bad in the luck department?" She seethes.

Scarlett holds back a laugh, "someone working here must have it out for you."

Liz flips her hair, "well I am known to be a bit of a heart breaker, so maybe one of my past lovers decided this would be a funny joke."

I laugh and roll my eyes. "How about instead of  being a clown, you get ready because you're up in 24 minutes now."

"Oh wow, did you have to remind me?!"

I shrug, "someone has to give you a reality check."

For next twenty minutes, Liz is complaining and having multiple mental breakdowns. I really do feel for her, even if I'm joking about it. Even though I do have some time before it's my turn to go, I can already feel my heart hammering in my chest. I can't imagine the amount of stress put on someone that has to go first.

I'm glad I have some time before I go. Hopefully, this way I can scope out the competition and see how slim my chances are of making it to the next round.

What makes me the most nervous is myself, my powers are so unpredictable, it's like I might as well not have them. I'm praying that my training and practice has not gone to waste, but I'm not sure if someone like me that hasn't had powers for a very long time can even compare to someone who's had them since they were seven.

"Ok wish me luck, guys," Liz sighs.

"Good luck, even though I'm sure you don't need it," I give her a reassuring smile.

"Go out there and kick ass!" Scarlett gives her a pat on the back.

Liz waves bye and hesitantly leaves. I watch as her and the other people in batch number 1 leave.

"How do you think she's gonna do?" I ask.

"honestly, no idea. Haven't seen her use her powers in action yet. I really do hope she makes it to see the next round though."

I nod, "Me too, she's a cool person."

We grow silent. It's kind of quiet now that Liz is gone. Well, not that quiet, since there are still hundreds of other teens in the room with us.

"How do you think you're gonna do?" She asks.

I sigh, "well obviously I want to do good, but I'm sure most people know that I have pretty much no chance. I just want to get to the second round and put my name out there. Who knows, maybe I can gain attraction and get scouted. But that might just me getting my hopes up."

She shakes her head, "no, I believe in you. You will make it," she assures.

I smile, "you're just saying that to make me feel better."

She becomes serious, "no, If I know anything about you, it's that you work your ass off harder than most. Been through more than most too. It's ok to get your hopes up as long as you follow through, which I know you will. Don't put yourself down."

I smile and take in her words. Maybe people do care for me after all.