hey ¦ contest entries

j. Wraphics (round 3)

"Canopy"

I watched the sky, its fluffy clouds all over the place, making so many shapes of so many different sizes.

They're all so different. Just like us.

And as I was submerged in my inner monologue, to my side, my best friend, Germaine, slapped her arm, itching it vigorously as she muttered, "Gosh, stupid mosquitoes everywhere. I hate them."

I laughed, watching her swat away mosquitoes in vain, "Well, thank god mosquitoes never come after me."

"Stop rubbing it in. I just have nice blood, and you..." She looked me up and down, in mock disgust, "No wonder they stay away from you," She muttered, letting out a laugh at the end.

I smacked her on the head, my height a huge advantage compared to her mini figure, "Dumbass."

We laughed heartily for a few minutes before my bestie stopped, turning around to face me, her eyes narrowing, "No, but really, why don't these mosquitoes go after you? Of all people?"

I gulped. Shit.

"Ugh," She grumbled, facing forward once again as if she hadn't just asked me a question that had possibly taken years away from my life, "If only I had your superpower."

I stopped.

"Superpower?"

"Yeah, not getting mosquito bites. I mean like, wouldn't that be awesome?" She jabbed my chest, "Oh wait, you already know what that feels like."

I rolled my eyes, my walking pace gradually increasing as my heart began to thump faster. Right. Superpower.

Germaine gave me a weird look, her features scrunching up in confusion. But within a split second, it was gone, replaced with her usual airy and chill vibe, as she began to walk me back to my dorm, chit-chatting away the whole way there.

---

I stumbled into my room, gasping for breath. I knew Germaine had just asked the question casually with no actual suspicion behind it, but it still rocked me to the core.

Should I be keeping this a secret?

I didn't know. I really didn't.

It'd only been a few weeks since I myself had found out,.. and I had no effing idea what to do even.

Tell my best friend? Or keep it a secret?

I sighed, glancing over my shoulder with my back arched as I willed for my power to reveal itself, and slowly, from under the back of my t-shirt, a pair of thin translucent wings emerged, stretching under the dim light of my room after having been hidden for too long.

But things can't stay hidden forever.

"What the shi-"

My head swivelled to my room door, where my best friend stood, her mouth agape in shock as her eyes stared unblinkingly at the wings that had literally just grown out of my back just a few seconds ago.

F*ck.

---

"Oh! You're a superhero now!" Germaine exclaimed as she sat on my bed drinking the hot cocoa I had made to calm her down.

I sighed. It had taken me forever to get her to stop staring at my wings in shock and actually start talking and listening to what I had to say, and there she was talking all that nonsense about superheroes.

I didn't even have a proper superpower for god's sake!

"What? No, I'm not a superhero. I'm not a heroine or whatever shit. I'm nothing."