THE CHAIR WAS UNCOMFORTABLE TO SIT IN. That wasn't to say it was the most uncomfortable chair she had ever sat in. That spot was reserved for hospital waiting room chairs. However, the plastic chair, its hard edge digging into her back, in Officer Ryan's office easily took second place.
The local police had arrived in their screeching cars just as she created a bowl-like shield to catch the suicide attemptee. After she lowered the man to the ground, a policeman, a look of irritation coating his features, came up to her window and politely told her to get out.
She knew it was illegal to use her Quirk in public. She just didn't care at the moment.
This normally wouldn't be a problem, since she was a minor. However, this happened to be her third time chatting with the police over her breaking the law. They had let her off with warnings the first two times.
This time, she was driven to the police station, where they would decide her fate. She hoped the flow would give her an easy solution.
"You know why you're here, Kendria."
She blinked. "I'm not quite sure, Officer. Can you tell me once more?" Though she would never say it, she actually liked Officer Ryan. He was quite a pleasant man to be around when he wasn't on duty. She also liked the fact that it wasn't too hard to get him riled up, something that she was very good at doing.
He rolled his eyes. "Lay off the sarcasm, Kendria." The man rubbed his face. "Look, the laws and processes may have changed over the years because of Quirks, but that doesn't mean you can just go around doing whatever you please."
Picking at an uneven fingernail, she clicked her tongue. "I'm assuming that my 'heroic actions' won't help me out of this."
Officer Ryan glared at her. "You may have saved that man's life, but he still sustained injuries. Broken ribs, fractured skull. Besides, what you did was still illegal." He reached for the telephone on his desk. "Now, I'll call your father and let him know what's going on --"
"He won't be home," she said. "He'll be at the bar, passed out in the corner with a bottle in his hand." She shrugged. "Even if you can get a hold of him, he won't care enough to come deal with all of this." There was no anger or bitterness in her voice, something that most people thought strange for a person in her situation. She had learned to live with it. She believed that the flow would lead her to her future if she just shrugged it off.
His gaze softened a bit. "What about your mother?"
"Officer, please, we've been through this before. You won't find her. She disappeared without a trace."
The man sighed and sat back in his chair. "Of all the people I have to be cased with, it's you."
"Blame the flow," she muttered, to which he just shook his head.
After Quirks appeared, and Heroes became the main bringers of justice, the laws in America changed quite a bit. Quirks could not be used in public, in any way, shape, or form unless you had a certified Hero licence. You were given two warnings, for any kind of petty crime. Crimes such as murder would land you in jail, no questions asked.
Judges and juries were no longer a thing. The police would simply call in a Hero, who then decided what would be done with you. Which, in her opinion, was not a very smart way of running the system. Heroes had a bad habit of choosing what would make them look better in the eyes of the public. Which meant some people were wrongfully imprisoned, and some walked free when they should be incarcerated.
The Hero often called into this town was a woman that disguised her identity with the name "Wonder Woman" and a costume that matched the old comic book character. Wonder Woman was one of the flashy Heroes that focused more on publicity and money than the well-being of a community.
She didn't particularly like Wonder Woman very much, but the flow still brought the Hero to her. This she accepted, because she didn't particularly care.
"Now, young lady!" The brightly colored woman wagged her finger. "I hear you used your Quirk outside of your home!" Wonder Woman plastered a large, much too big for her mouth smile onto her face. "So I guess I have to decide what to do with you!"
She stared blankly at the woman, lifeless green eyes blinking slowly.
Wonder Woman's smile faded, just a bit. "Well, I have two options for you, young lady. You can spend a year in juvenile detention, as is customary for three-time lawbreakers like you! Or ..."
The Hero reached into a pocket hidden in her costume and pulled out a folded piece of glossy paper. With a wink, the woman handed it to her.
A pamphlet.
She turned it over, read it inside and out, then finally looked up at the Hero. "A Hero school?"
"Well, it offers other courses as well. It just depends how well you do in the entrance exam. It'll be a great character building experience; you'll be a new-and-improved version of yourself! Plus, with a Quirk like yours, you could do some good in the world!"
She blew a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "It's all the way in Japan." That's not to say she was opposed to the idea of Japan. It just seemed like it wasn't the easiest option, which was usually a deterrent for her.
Wonder Woman's smile became slightly more strained. "And your teachers told us you speak fluent Japanese. Your mother emigrated from Japan, correct?"
With a sigh, she nodded, flicking the corner of the glossy paper. "And I'd be there for how long?"
"One year. You'll have to pass one year of whatever course you're placed in." The woman glanced at her file. "You have an uncle that works there. You'll be staying with him, naturally."
She tossed the pamphlet onto the desk. "And if I fail?" If the flow were to choose flunking an exam instead of actually following through with one year of foreign schooling, she would be grateful.
"Then you'll serve a one-year juvenile detention sentence." Wonder Woman no longer forced herself to smile. Annoyance was evident in her posture and facial expression, and the woman's eyes seemed to say, "I want you to fail."
She stared at the table and waited. The flow swished back and forth, back and forth, weighing each choice to see which would be of the most benefit for the universe.
When it settled on a decision, Kendria Smith sealed her fate.
I didn't mean for this chapter to be so long, but it would feel incomplete if I split it in half, you know?
I'm really excited to write this character, her mindset it just this mysterious puzzle that I'm slowly figuring out. And I'm loving every second of it.
Here's to an interesting character.
-- Fan
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