Date: Monday, August 31th, 2010, 4:00 am
Location: Cactus High, Cactus City, Texas
The next morning, Julius Valdez awoke with a leaden fatigue dragging at his limbs, the hum of newfound senses an insistent, vibrating ache behind his eyes. Last night's revelation—that he was a mutant, capable of bending earth, wind, fire, and water—had stolen his sleep, leaving him groggy and disoriented. He stumbled over the sudden influx of sensory data, a cacophony he was still learning to filter.
He quickly pulled on worn shorts and a faded T-shirt, meeting his parents on the dew-kissed front lawn. They were already warming up, performing synchronized high knees and air squats that disturbed the quiet morning.
"You ready?" his father asked, his voice a low rumble.
"Yeah," Julius replied, sliding his earbuds in, the first notes of Lightbringer's new album already a familiar comfort. This weekly 5k had been their ritual since he hit sixth grade. He'd once dreaded doing these early morning runs but now cherished the shared moments with his family. Yet today, the music felt different. Knowing there were other mutants out there, even a famous band, ignited a fragile hope: maybe he wouldn't have to hide.
"Hey, slow down!" a shout cut through the driving beat.
He pulled one earbud free, a faint surprise tightening his features. His parents were a considerable distance behind him, their usual steady pace no match for… whatever his legs had just effortlessly accomplished. He hadn't pushed, hadn't strained, yet the quarter-mile gap was undeniable. He eased back, the boundless momentum bleeding away as they finally closed the distance.
When they caught up, his mom was breathing heavily, a hand pressed to her knee. "What was that, a sprint?" she puffed, a wry smile touching her lips. "We're not twenty anymore, kiddo!"
"I really don't know, Mom," he said, shaking his head, genuinely bewildered. "My legs just… went."
Back at the house, his parents collapsed onto the living room couch, their bodies deflating.
"I should be happy for beating my old PR," his father groaned, "but I'm wiped."
"Same, honey," Julius's mom agreed, then looked at him with an apologetic gaze. "Sorry, baby, I'm just too tired. No breakfast today."
"It's okay, Mom, I can make something quick," he replied, heading for the kitchen. As he started on a protein shake and rice with eggs, the morning's impossible run replayed in his mind. Their usual 5k time ranged from 30 to 33 minutes. Today, he'd finished in 15. And he hadn't even broken a sweat. The entire run had felt like a leisurely stroll around the block.
Can I do more than control the four elements? he wondered, a tremor of both fear and exhilarating possibility thrumming through him.
He begrudgingly changed for school. He desperately wanted to stay home, but unless he was genuinely sick, his parents were unyielding.
The moment Julius stepped into Cactus High, a wave of raw sensation washed over him. The ground beneath his sneakers vibrated with a thousand footsteps—each light, heavy, hurried, or hesitant—a complex, moving tapestry of pressure points. His seismic sense turned the bustling hallway into a living map; he knew where everyone was, their trajectories, their speeds, their imminent collisions. It was overwhelming, a vibrant cacophony of unseen movement that threatened to scramble his thoughts.
Then came the whispers. The stares. The sudden smiles.
"Julius! Man, that game was insane!"
"You were a beast on Saturday!"
"Hey, Valdez! Can you teach me that spin move?"
Suddenly, he wasn't just Julius Valdez, the new freshman. He was a legend. Girls he'd never dared to even glance at now smiled, their eyes lingering a moment too long. Guys he'd barely spoken to clapped him on the back, their enthusiasm almost knocking the air from his lungs. He navigated the packed hallway effortlessly, his seismic sense guiding him, allowing him to flow through the crowds like a leaf caught in an unseen current, following the path of least resistance.
In Mr. Harrison's English class, the chatter continued, classmates excitedly dissecting every play from Saturday's game. Julius felt every shift in their weight, every restless tap of a foot under a desk—a constant, distracting buzz beneath his skin. He tried to focus on the lecture, but his mind kept drifting to the pulse of the room: the slight tremor from the air conditioning, the almost imperceptible sway of the fluorescent lights. When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, he slammed his textbook shut a little harder than intended. A small, dry gust of wind—a miniature dust devil—swirled briefly around his desk, scattering papers before vanishing. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice, but Julius felt a cold prickle of fear. He needed to be more careful.
Lunch was an ordeal. His usual table was swarmed, his friends making space for him as if he were royalty. Jamal clapped him on the back. "Dude, I'm telling you, the way you just disappeared from those three guys? That was some Jedi stuff!"
He tried to keep his composure, but the effort was draining. He was the most popular kid in school, yet he felt more isolated than ever. Every compliment felt like a mask he had to wear, every admiring glance a reminder of the colossal secret humming beneath his skin. How could he explain that the effortless moves, the uncanny ability to weave through defenders, wasn't luck but a terrifying, beautiful connection to the very earth beneath their feet, the air current he felt, and potentially, fire and water?
By the final bell, Julius was utterly exhausted, not from academics but from the relentless and overwhelming input of his new senses and the sheer mental strain of maintaining normalcy. As he walked toward the locker room, Head Coach Warner intercepted him. "Valdez! Just the kid I want to see. You're not playing JV anymore. Today, you're with the big boys." He handed Julius a varsity jersey.
Julius's jaw nearly dropped. "Coach Warner, I appreciate it, but I'm only a freshman. I really don't think I deserve varsity just yet. I'm already lucky to be on JV."
"From what I saw Saturday, and with your work ethic, you absolutely do," the coach grinned, sensing Julius's apprehension. "But if you're that unsure, you'll start as second-string running back and second-string safety, and yes, you'll still be playing JV games too." Julius paled at the sheer volume of practice and games, a daunting prospect. Coach Warner laughed at his stunned reaction, then strode off.
On the field, Julius could feel the bitterness and jealousy radiating from some of the older players. He understood it; he was only fourteen, stepping onto varsity while they'd trained and waited. He wouldn't let it bother him. He was here to play.
They began with stretches and warm-ups. Julius noticed how light his body felt, how easily his limbs stretched, a vibrant energy coursing through him. He felt good. Really good.
During drills, waiting his turn with the offensive line coordinator, he felt a sudden shove to his shoulder. The attempt failed; Julius remained rooted to the spot while his assailant stumbled backward onto his butt. Julius sighed, offering a hand. The guy slapped it aside. "Fuck off," he spat, scrambling up to join his friends. Julius could sympathize with his frustration but recognized the action as simply childish. If they wanted him out, they'd have to prove it on the field.
When it was finally Julius's turn to run a play, he saw the defensive line stiffen, their eyes burning with determined challenge. He understood. They wanted him, a freshman, out. A faint smirk touched his lips.
"Red 42! Red 42! Set, hike!" Coach Miller's voice boomed across the field.
The moment the ball slapped into Julius's hand, he exploded. He'd already gained ten yards when two colossal linebackers converged, closing fast. The instant they were within a few feet, he executed a perfect backflip, soaring over them as if performing a high jump, landing silently on his feet to face forward again. The defensive team was momentarily awestruck but quickly snapped out of it as Julius gained another twenty yards. The two safeties sprinted toward him. When the smaller, faster one got close, Julius spun, a quick pirouette that sent the safety colliding into a linebacker. That left only one man. The remaining safety charged like a raging bull, but Julius juked him, a deceptive feint that sent the defender sprawling. The field was open. He crossed the end zone effortlessly.
He wasn't even close to being out of breath. Instead, he felt a potent surge, pure power coursing through every vein. When he turned, everyone was staring, faces frozen in shock and awe.
"My God, Julius! You're going to win us state!" Coach Warner roared, his voice thick with disbelief and triumph.
The team swarmed him, shouting questions, their disbelief echoing around him.
"That was fucking nuts, man, I've never seen anything like that."
"Bro, what the fuck, you actually flew!"
The popularity was intoxicating, a sweet balm to his ego, yet it felt strangely hollow, a temporary diversion from the churning storm of power within. He was a hero on the field, but inside, he was still just a kid grappling with a profound, terrifying shift in his reality, knowing that every step, every breath, held the potential for something extraordinary and something uncontrollably dangerous.
After practice ended, he spoke with the rest of the seniors and was even invited to hang out with them, but he declined, saying that his dad was waiting for him and that he had homework to do. It wasn't a total lie, but he wanted to test his limits. After today, he knew for sure that, in addition to bending the four elements, he possessed other powers as well.
When he got home, he quickly finished his homework, which was fairly easy since it consisted of just an English paper and chemistry homework. Once he finished, he quietly snuck out of the house and headed to his school's track. It was already late at night, and the sun was setting, but with his newfound powers and senses, even though he couldn't see, he wasn't blind. Through his seismic sense, he perceived no one in the vicinity.
A fierce grin split Julius's face. "Okay, let's do this!" he practically growled. This was it—the moment he'd been craving, a chance to truly push the terrifying limits of his newly awakened abilities. With a flick of his thumb, he started the timer, the challenge echoing in his mind: a full mile, as fast as humanly possible. Or, rather, as fast as he was now possible. He launched himself forward with such force that the starting blocks were ripped from their moorings, the track beneath his initial strides cracking under the strain. He was a cannonball of pure kinetic energy, the ground a fleeting, damaged ribbon beneath him. Every fiber of his being screamed as he tore through the distance, but when he finally slammed on the brakes at the finish, the friction tearing deep ruts into the track, ragged breaths tearing from his chest, an exhilaration unlike any he'd ever known flooded him. He checked his phone, a jolt of shock, then triumph, electrifying him. Four laps. Sixty seconds. Unbelievable. The ravaged track served as undeniable proof of the impossible feat he had just accomplished.
The track beckoned again, this time for a brutal examination of his stamina. Julius wanted to truly break the clock, to run for an impossible duration—an endless stretch of laps. The very thought ignited a thrill in his core, and he exploded from the starting line. Lap after lap vanished, his powerful strides eating up the distance with relentless efficiency. He kept counting, but somewhere past the eighty-lap mark, the effortlessness of it all caused him to lose track.
He eventually halted, not out of fatigue but from the overwhelming realization of his own boundless power. His mental checklist grew: super speed, endurance that defied definition, and a recovery rate that bordered on instantaneous. The destroyed sections of the track confirmed what he already suspected: super strength was undoubtedly part of his arsenal—but the night had claimed its hold, forcing a pause. His full capabilities would be put to the test another day.
When he finally got home, it was already 12:32 in the morning. He quickly and quietly showered and got into bed. From the events of today, he was excited about his newfound physical ability and powers. Yet, once he thought about it more deeply, he started to feel a creeping loneliness and slight fear. He knew he would have to keep his powers a secret. He knew how people in this town felt about mutants, and he even read the rumors online about how the government and influential people hunted mutants down to experiment on them. His once-growing excitement was now replaced with fear and anxiety, knowing that no matter what, he could never really connect to others around him for fear that they might find out what he truly was—a mutant and, to some, a freak.