Novel & Cerita Too Young To Be A Hero

he asked, sounding doubtful. Tales hesitated for a split second. Even he didn’t know if they would be able to escape. But he forced his expression to stay calm. “Yeah. We can. We just have to be smart. Watch for openings. Stay quiet. Keep out of their way until it’s time to move.” The younger boy looked at him with wide eyes, as if seeing him as someone dependable, like a superhero. “Wow,” he exclaimed. “You talk coolly,” he said, exaggerating. “How old are you?” the younger boy asked in awe.

“My parents are very strict about me going out. You think you can confuse them?” I smiled awkwardly at him. For some reason, I’m not comfortable!! Those green eyes and innocent face are killing me. “You don’t understand, I will talk to them….” “Ahh, what are you even saying? I don’t think you know how much they hate her.” I rolled my eyes. “You don’t have to worry about that, kid.” Then he frowned deeper. “Kid? I’m 19.” “Then I am 24!” He chuckled while his sharp eyes swept over my body. “You don’t look like your age… why adding to it to make me…”

He can wax lyrical about Peter Parker for hours and I’m hoping this will be enough to distract him. “Peter’s only a boy,” Jackson says with a giggle, like I’m the silliest person on the planet. “But Batman is old like you.” Ouch. I’m not sure that 26 can be classified as teetering on the edge of the grave, but I guess to a 4-year old, it must seem pretty ancient. On par with middle-aged Batman, in fact. “Oh look, there’s your school up ahead. Are you excited to see all your friends?” I ask desperately.

She is tapping into her powers too soon, but she defends everyone; she’s a three-year-old. Almost four, I said. Gerda did mention she would be powerful but didn’t know how powerful.

What else were we supposed to think? “Duh, I said he’s my student! He’s younger than me!” ”Age does not matter, dear. How old are you, Hero?” “I’m 25 ma’am,” was the young man’s eager reply. ”And do you have a girlfriend?” ”DAD!” ”No, sir, I don’t.” ”What about a boyfriend?” asked a soft feminine voice. ”MOM!” ”No ma’am,” chuckled Hero, “I never have and will never intend to have one.”

“Tell us what you’re thinking about.” Nothing. “It’s okay to be upset about what happened. What you had to do was very hard for someone your age.” Still nothing. Dominic tried next. “You saved Mommy’s life back there. You saved all our lives. That makes you a hero in my book.” Debbie finally spoke, but her voice was so quiet I almost missed the words. “Heroes don’t kill people,” she repeated the words she’d been saying every time someone called her a hero. “Debbie—”

“The Alliance doesn’t need Otherworlders who simply want to grow strong to avoid dangers. What they need are heroes who will face danger head-on and save the world from peril.” It was a tough task, one that shouldn’t be thrust on mere teenagers. But for the people of H’Trae, 16 Years was the legal age for humans. That was why the Summoning Spell had been so specific to summon high-schoolers who were that age. The younger a person was, the more malleable they were to training, and the higher their growth potential would be. That was why the Alliance needed their saviors to be as young as possible, but also adults.

Marvel-themed birthday party. The last item was the paper. "My name is Malaya Jones, and I am eight years old. My mom is what I think of when I think of Family, and she's a superhero." Jordan laughed as he continued. "I don't know my dad, but he might be one, too. My mom taught me that love is always growing. Like her love for me. And that we need to share that love with the world. So we can all be Family."

Almost. One word. Just one. What word could possibly encapsulate an eighteen-year-old who had lost everything that ever meant something? What single word could hold the weight of a thousand untold truths? A single syllable strong enough to contain the grief, the guilt, the gnawing emptiness that had followed me like a shadow? A hero? Survivor? Brave?

"You owe me enough for me to say thanks." He whistled. "Five decades and still no character development." He folded his arms and touched his jaw with his fingers. "You'll make a bad hero, 'yah know?" I shook my head in an irritated way. "I told you to stop hanging out in public libraries just to listen to young girls fangirl over your kind."