Heroes

Her power is luck.

It’s not a terrible power she supposes. It could be something really ridiculous like growing her hair and nails or that guy with the spiked tongue.

Still, no one seems to understand how her power works. Those who just know the word ‘luck’ treat her like she’s invincible and those that know she’s still human treat her with kid gloves.

But she knows her skills and limits even if no one else does. She tries to explain that it’s all about extremes. She doesn’t always come out unharmed. It’s all relative.

It works like this:

Things that would cause small scrapes don’t happen. Things that would cause lacerations cause small scrapes. Bodily harm and breaks are lacerations. Death is bodily harm and breaks.

She still winds up in the hospital a lot.

She doesn’t know what would happen were her death to be horribly gruesome. She’s afraid that to her powers, a regular death would seem the better option.

The others don’t understand. Their powers have gotten stronger through practice and control. Hers must do the same.

She doesn’t know how to explain that hers don’t. They’ve been the same her whole life and, even if they could get stronger, considering that testing her limits could actually kill her she’s not too inclined to try.

So she continues being treated with kid gloves, which is slightly frustrating, or like she’s invincible, which is terrifying.

They’re called heroes.

She doesn’t know how to tell them she doesn’t think she’s a hero. She doesn’t think heroes should be afraid of death. She’s just a girl and some days she wishes no one had ever told her she was special. She thinks she would’ve preferred to just be a normal person with some rather abnormal luck.

She doesn’t want to be a hero. She wishes they had left her alone.

She’s afraid to die. Even more, she’s afraid they think she can’t die.

Even more than that? That they know she can, and they don’t care, because they are all of them special. Which means as a whole they are no longer special. As a whole they are the same. They have a duty to save the world and while they aren’t expendable, they are required to do their duty. Whether they want to or not.

She doesn’t want to.

She wants to be normal.

She doesn’t think anyone cares.

She’s still afraid to die.

She has no choice.