Read Second Class Supers – Page 13
The scene on the display changed to show a new reporter, Jason Lu. A tall thin man with black hair. He seemed younger than the previous reporter, but also more calm and collected. He was standing outside the Normals emergency entrance at the hospital. The area was dark, with room for a single ambulance to pull up. Kya knew that if the camera panned to the left, just a tiny bit, she would be able to see the entrance to the Supers ER with spaces for half a dozen ambulances, and a brighter, cleaner exterior. Kya thought back to the last time she had to wait in the Normals emergency room, spending nearly twenty hours with a broken arm before receiving any service and she shuddered to think what the injured Newton Wilson was going through.
“Thanks, Lana.” Jason said with a smile and nod to the camera. “I am here at Merciful Redeemer Hospital, where Newton Wilson was admitted just moments ago. His condition is quite serious. There are even unconfirmed reports that he was dead upon arrival. A source from inside the hospital told us that his spinal column was shattered upon impact with the building and he has suffered severe internal injuries.”
Kya shook her head, her eyes stayed glued to the screen. The camera zoomed out to show the emergency sign above the entrance, and only the letters “E” and “M” were lit up, while the rest of the sign was dark.
“Mr. Wilson was hit by Myles Redwood’s Super Strength Ability this morning.” Jason continued. “Myles gained all of his supers within a one week period of time; in direct violation of the Best Practices Act. All five of his supers have manifested. The first was Size, followed just a day later by Voice which for those unfamiliar with this ability is super amplification of vocalizations.” Kya could tell that Jason was reading off a teleprompter. “Less than 24 hours later, Myles demonstrated his ability to fly using the Flight Super, and we have also seen that he seems to be immune to injury using a Super known as Imperviousness.”
The female reporter’s disembodied voice broke in. “Any news on the paparazzi’s family? Have they been informed about what happened to Mr. Wilson? Do we know anything about them?”
Jason perked up and stood at attention, his voice dripped with excitement. “Yes Lana, we have. Newton’s wife, Liz, and three year old daughter, Melody, arrived at the hospital just seconds after his ambulance got here and they had no comment at that time. They have been asked by the hospital administration to hold a press conference about the event later today. We will be covering this story as it unfolds.”
“I am sure this will spark quite the discussion.” Lana’s voice said again.
The image changed to a still of a very angry looking Myles Redwood and Lana continued, “So, what do you, the people, think of this incident? Was it an accident or…”
Tapping on her phone, Kya shut off the broadcast. She grabbed some clean clothes and slipped out of her room for a quick shower, making sure not to catch Sam’s attention. The idea of discussing the previous nights events made Kya’s stomach twist and flip. Her food arrived just as she put on her clothing. With a towel still wrapped up in her hair, she opened the door.
On the other side was a young man wearing a uniform that hung off of him like it was two sizes too large. “Kia Robbers?” He said holding a box filled with food and drink.
Kya couldn’t help but laugh as his mistake both shocked and appalled her. “It is Kya. Kya Roberts, actually.”
The delivery boy clumsily passed the package to Kya and nodded slightly before quickly turning and departing down the hallway back towards the elevators.
Kya groaned and rolled her eyes as she closed the door and walked back toward her room. She glanced around and noticed that Sam’s door was open. She decided that Sam must be inside as she could hear the sounds of a news report echoing out into the common area. Once she was back inside her own room, Kya shut the door, and turned her television back on, queuing up a random comedy movie. Before she knew it, she had eaten all of the food and the movie she had selected was over. Kya threw herself back into her bed, surrounded by garbage from her feast and had a nap.
Nearly two hours later, she woke up to the sound of her alarm, and picked up her phone. The screen flashed a reminder message noting that it was time to get ready for work. Kya obeyed, and grabbed everything she needed for her overnight shift.
When she left her room, Sam was sitting on the couch, staring intensely at his phone.
“Hey, Kya, how are you feeling?” He asked without looking up from the screen.
“Rough.” She said, her voice coming out a little like gravel. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“You’ve seen the news too, then?”
“Um, yeah.” Kya cleared her throat.
“See? These Supers!” Sam tossed his phone on the couch and turned to Kya. She could see there was a little sadness in his eyes. “It’s insane. No wonder you can’t sleep… How can anyone feel secure when we live in a world where rich children have the power to end your life in a fit of rage?”
“You mean Myles? I was feeling rough before all that.”
“Oh? How come?”
“Sam! We were robbed! Strangers… Criminals came into our home. Broke our things, took our stuff.”
“I’ve looked into it and I’ll be getting the updated version of my tablet and laptop today. There are also a few of your movies missing, I’ve transferred money into your account to replace them, or get new ones if you’d like.” He sighed. “Stuff is just that: stuff. It can be replaced. People. Life.” He paused with each word, letting them hang in the air, the weight of them pressed down upon Kya as Sam tried to drive his point home. “Now, those things can’t be replaced.” Sam picked up his phone again. “Newton.” He paused searching for the man’s full name, looking like he wanted to burn it into his mind. “Newton Wilson is dead. Liz and Melody… They have truly lost. And Myles…”
Kya interjected, her patience gone, her frustration overwhelming her. “Sam! He’s a Super. All that stuff? That’s not our real life. Our life is here and now. There are criminals walking around out there with our stuff!” Tears started welling up in Kya’s eyes, and she tried to hold them back as she continued. “They broke into our home! The police don’t care. The world doesn’t care. Are you saying we shouldn’t care?”
Sam looked at Kya and raised an eyebrow.
His non-reaction fuelling her rage, Kya felt her fingers tingling like she was touching electricity. Unable to look at Sam any longer, she turned. “I’m going to work.” She said and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.
Kya hugged herself tightly as she walked from the apartment entrance to the bus station. As her anger dissipated, she was filled with a new emotion. She felt twitchy and was constantly looking over her shoulders. Worry began to drown out all of the rational thoughts in her mind. What if they think I saw their faces? What if they come back to make sure I can’t talk to the police?
Malcolm's Ramblings 