Love and Capes

Ice and Fire

"Some say the world will end in fire

Some say in ice

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice"

- Robert Frost    

Callie

So you know how most seventeen year old girls are busy worrying about their A levels or whether or not that really attractive guy in your Economics class fancies you? Especially after your eyes connected for two seconds across the cafeteria at lunch. Well those things were at the bottom of my list of worries.

Why? Well because I'm what you call a superhero, and that meant I felt somewhat responsible for looking after the well being of society. Also let me tell you that being a female superhero was not nearly as glossy and glamorous as depicted in those superhero films. A lot of the time it meant lying and being deceitful to the ones you loved and taking multiple trips to the hospital (for those of us that do not possess automatic healing). Oh, and not to mention being constantly tired in class the next day after you've taken on a gang of six thugs. However there were upsides, such as knowing that you've just save someone's life and- Well that's about it. But that's the most important right?

That was why at half eleven, as I was just about to get into bed on a Sunday night, I started getting a nauseous feeling in my stomach. Now, normal people would put that down to eating a dodgy prawn at lunch or perhaps pregnancy, however shortly after I started gaining my powers two years ago I learnt that this was a sign to supers (short hand for superheroes) that someone was in trouble. My senses perked up instantly and I jumped into action. I slipped into my midnight purple spandex suit, with ice blue accents, accompanied with cape and pulled on knee high black boots. I then tied on my mask, hiding my identity. Once ready I pulled up my old school style window and jumped, letting the wind take me and then I was suddenly flying. The whole routine took about two minutes in total, that's how practiced and automatic it came to me these days.

I let the nauseous feeling in my stomach guide me to the trouble as I soared over the streets of West London, keeping my heightened senses alert at all times. Eventually I came to a slow and landed on a building in Notting Hill, my cape billowing out behind me in the moonlight. Raucous laughter and music continued to play in the streets below and I remembered the Notting Hill Carnival had been earlier today and the party goers were still going strong.

I listened carefully trying to block out the laughter and my senses zoned in on a girl sobbing hysterically far down on the streets. It sounded as if it was coming from two buildings away. I ran across the rooftops and peered over the edge of the building looking below. I was looking down onto an alleyway which was dark except for one lamp affixed to the side of a building and hidden from the main street, making it the perfect crime hotspot. At the end of the street a girl was cowering on her knees as two hench guys stood over her. Next to her was a huddle on the ground. I squinted and realised it was a young guy, knocked unconscious on the floor. Shit, at least I hoped he was unconscious and not dead. 

Right having scoped out the scene it was now time for Absolute Zero (me) to make her entrance. I stealthily jumped off the building, bending my knees and landing gracefully on the ground behind the three large guys who were too engrossed in taunting the poor girl to notice me. I then concentrated my powers to generate ice which shot out of my hands and spread out along the floor travelling toward the men, who still hadn't noticed me, despite the fact that the temperature had dropped about ten degrees Celsius. The first time I had tried this out I felt like Elsa out of frozen, creating and manipulating ice, except ya know I wasn't a queen or anything royal. Just little old Callie Evans.