PART TWO
Welcome back. Let’s recap what happened: my name is Antonio Adekeye and recently, I had found a mask that had unlocked my secrets powers and a book called the Journal that tells me guides on how to use them. So let’s continue the story…
It’s a clear moonless night, quiet enough to hear a pin drop but loud enough so no one can hear anything suspicious. The perfect time to use my new powers. I waited until I could hear Mum snoring, before I slipped out the window. I wore a hoodie over my super suit and put the Journal in my bag.
Believe it or not, I had gone through a parkour phrase so I jumped onto a branch of an old mango tree and climbed down. Obviously, I wasn’t going to practice in the estate or leave through the normal exit, knowing full well that the gateman or any of the residents would pick me up and return me to my very angry mother. So I was going to the old field behind the old office building that I pass everyday while going to school. And to get there, I went through a shortcut I use when I’m late for school.
In ten minutes, I was at the field. It was surrounded by old buildings which minimised my chances of getting caught. I brought out the Journal. I read a few chapters the day before and learnt my first power is superspeed. I take a deep breath and go into a running stance. Years of playing sports don’t fail me now…
As soon as my feet start to move, my feet start to spark like an exposed wire. Suddenly, I’m moving at a speed of 100 miles per second and…crash into a wall.
Wow.
“Ow!”. I rubbed my jaw and can feel blood on my chin and my nose starts to swell, but nothing major.
I continued to practice. So far, I had discovered that I had electricity manipulation and the enhanced powers of a wolf which included super speed and agility. I needed to learn how to shoot lightning bolts accurately, so I lined up some planks of wood stored in the corner and stood from a distance. I shot a bolt but missed my aim. I tried again…and again…and again. And failed every single time.
I huffed with frustration, trying to let my anger cool down. I have trouble controlling my anger and now that I was basically a walking electric circuit, who knows what would happen if I let it out?
“That’s not how you do it”, a voice said behind me.
I turned around swiftly, already in a defensive pose. But when I saw who it was, my eyes widened. I was looking at Michelle Rivers, my classmate. We were sort of friends. Sometimes we talked about our favourite books and stuff like that. Since I was an only child, I saw Michelle as a little sister and maybe, sort of have a little crush on her.
She looked different now. She wore a black leggings and a purple hoodie. She had on purple Doc Martens and had a quiver strapped to her back and was holding a bow. Like me, she was also native African, with chocolate brown skin and black curly hair, which she wore a hood over. The most fascinating thing about her was her eyes. They were silver grey. Now, at night, they seemed to glow like moonlight. A mask covered the lower part of her face.
“Michelle? What are you doing here?”, I asked.
She stepped back warily. “How did you know my name?”
I hesitated. I couldn’t reveal my identity just like that. I wanted to know why she was here. “I just do. Now, what are you there?”, I commanded.
I know I sounded a bit mean, but I couldn’t stop. The mask had unlocked a new side of me: a bold, confident part. I was no longer Antonio Adekeye, the loner boy with anger issues. I was Alpha-Wolf!
“I don’t need to explain myself to you”, Michelle replied, “You…you can’t hurt me”
I grinned under my mask. I couldn’t resist the urge to pull a prank.
“What if I do?”, I said in my deepest voice. I lunged at her, my hands up like claws. Michelle yelped and jumped back. I laughed.
“A-Antonio? Is that you?”, she stammered.
“The one and only.” I took off my mask. So much for a secret identity. I knew I couldn’t hide anything from her now.
“Wait –what’s going on?”, she asked me.
“I should ask you the same thing”
“I have a good reason. I come here to…practice archery”
I raised an eyebrow. “In the middle of the night? In an old field?”
“Yes…yes”
I could hear the lies in her voice. “Michelle…what are you really doing here?”
“Don’t try to change the subject! What are you doing here? You’re the one wearing a mask!”
I put my hands on my hips and puff out my chest, making the classic superhero pose. “I’m here for official hero training”, I said.
She rolled her eyes. “Sure, you are”, she said sarcastically.
“It’s true! I have powers! Watch!” I face my makeshift targets and shoot lightning bolts at them. I was hoping to impress her by hitting targets, but yet again, I missed.
Michelle watched me with a mix of curiosity and scepticism. “Okay, so you have powers,” she said, crossing her arms. “But you clearly need some practice.”
I sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, I know. It’s harder than it looks.”
She stepped closer, her eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. “Let me show you how it’s done.” She raised her hand, and suddenly, the air around her seemed to shimmer. In an instant, she vanished from sight.
“Michelle?” I called out, looking around frantically. “Where did you go?”
“Right here,” her voice came from behind me. I spun around to see her reappear, a confident smirk on her face. “Invisibility is one of my powers. I also have telekinesis.”
I stared at her in awe. “Wow, that’s amazing! How did you get your powers?”
She shrugged. “I’ve had them for as long as I can remember. My parents don’t know about them, and I’ve been practising in secret. I guess we’re both in the same boat.”
I nodded, feeling a sense of camaraderie. “Yeah, I guess we are. So, do you want to help me with my training?”
She smiled. “Sure, but only if you promise to help me with mine. Deal?”
“Deal,” I agreed, shaking her hand.
We spent the next few hours practising together. Michelle showed me how to focus my energy and aim my lightning bolts more accurately. In return, I helped her improve her archery skills and control her telekinesis. We made a pretty good team.
As the night wore on, we sat down to take a break. “So, what’s your hero name?” I asked her.
“Mindstorm,” she replied. “Because of my eyes and my ability to become invisible.”
“That’s a cool name,” I said. “I’m Alpha Wolf.”
“Alpha Wolf, huh? It suits you,” she said with a smile.
We sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the stars. I felt a sense of peace and purpose that I hadn’t felt in a long time. With Michelle by my side, I knew I could handle whatever challenges lay ahead.
The next few weeks were a whirlwind of training and discovery. Michelle and I met almost every night at the old field, honing our skills and learning to work together. She taught me how to control my lightning bolts with precision, and I helped her refine her telekinesis. We even came up with some cool combo moves, like using her telekinesis to lift me into the air for a surprise attack.
One night, as we were wrapping up our training session, Michelle turned to me with a serious expression. “Antonio, I think it’s time we put our skills to the test.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve been hearing rumours about a cult causing trouble in the city,” she explained. “They’re using dark magic to terrorise people. We need to stop them.”
My heart raced at the thought of facing real villains, but I knew she was right. “Okay, let’s do it. Where do we start?”
Michelle pulled out a map of Lagos and pointed to a location near the outskirts of the city. “I’ve been tracking their movements. They seem to be operating out of an abandoned warehouse here. We should check it out.”
We made our way to the warehouse, moving stealthily through the shadows. When we arrived, we saw a group of mutants gathered around a fire, chanting in a strange language. Their leader, a tall figure with glowing red eyes, was holding a book that radiated dark energy.
“This is it,” Michelle whispered. “Are you ready?”
I nodded, feeling a mix of fear and excitement. “Let’s do this.”
We sprang into action, using our powers to take down the mutants one by one. Michelle used her telekinesis to disarm them, while I unleashed lightning bolts to incapacitate them. The leader, however, proved to be a formidable opponent. He summoned dark energy to create a shield, blocking our attacks.
“We need to work together,” Michelle said, her eyes glowing with determination. “I’ll distract him, and you go for the book.”
I nodded, and we executed our plan. Michelle used her invisibility to sneak up on the leader, while I charged up a powerful lightning bolt. Just as she reappeared and caught his attention, I unleashed the bolt, striking the book from his hands.
The dark energy dissipated, and the leader fell to the ground, defeated. The remaining mutants fled, and we stood victorious.
“We did it,” I said, panting from the effort.
Michelle smiled, her eyes shining with pride. “Yeah, we did. We’re a pretty good team, Alpha Wolf.”
“And Mindstorm,” I added, grinning.
As we made our way back home, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. We had faced our first real challenge and came out on top. With Michelle by my side, I knew we could handle anything the world threw at us.
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