SuperVillains

CHAPTER 1.


My name is Mark and I'm a villain. Yeah right, one might think. Sure you are with a name like that. Well I really am one, and those who chose to think in denial can't hope to understand. I'm not normal. Never have been, and never will be. Neither will the others. It all started when I moved to Chicago from Winnetka upon graduation from High School. Towards nightfall, I decided to venture to some party at the house of some teenager who's parents were either away or didn't give a damn about what happened. As soon as I'd entered, the strong smell of smoke blasted me in the face, and music was blaring from inside. I was having a good time, what with the intimidating people and loud noises. After a while, I'd noticed the smell of something burning. I realized it was coming from the basement and decided to check it out. When I got there I had no time to turn back. I felt myself collapse, and everything went dark.

When I woke up, I was back on the streets of the Windy City. I headed for my apartment as fast as I could go. I wanted to clear my head of the night's events and forget it ever happened. When I got to the door, it was locked. I realized that I'd lost my keys at that house, and was even more frustrated after searching my pockets to find that I'd lost another valuable item as well--my wallet. I wanted to bang on the door, despite this being unecessary and ridiculous, because I didn't want anyone coming out. The last thing I needed was more commotion. As soon as my fist hit the wood, I fell right through the door and ended up in my apartment room flat on my face. The door was still locked shut. I quickly got up, confused. How had I done that? I wondered. I ran towards the door, which was still shut and went right through it as if it wasn't even there. Excited, I ran back inside. Who needs stupid keys when you can walk through walls? I thought, laughing.

After a quick nap and shower, I walked through downtown Chicago, like a God among mortals. They had no idea of what I could do. I decided to walk into a nearby alley to test my power out, when I founds myself cornered by five people around my age who looked like they wanted me dead. I tried to run, but looked down and found my feet were frozen to the ground. A girl with fiery red hair came up to me. "Weren't you at that party last night?" she asked.

"Yeah, he was. I saw him there myself. Guess you got powers like us." This time it was a man speaking. He looked muscular, and had a long tattoo down one arm. "What can you do?"

"I can walk through walls." Idiot! I thought. Why tell these people your power when they don't know anything! "What can you people do?" I might as well find out their powers if they knew mine.

The muscular man stepped forward. He picked up a rusty car with one hand and threw it a good distance away from the small alley. "I'm Edward." He said with a triumphant smile on his dirty face. The redheaded girl lit a cigarette and after inhaling the smoke, breathed out fire.

"That answer your question, ghost-boy?" She said this with a scornful tone. Smart-ass, I thought. Then a girl with dark hair and blue makeup approached. She shot a beam of energy from her hands at a huge puddle on the ground next to me. It had become frozen solid. She must have been the girl who froze my feet. Then I heard a siren, which got louder. A police car, or judging my the multiple sirens, three. The gang must have head it too, because they started to run, with me being pulled along against my will by Edward.

"Oh, Crap! Why did I throw that car?" I head him mutter. I tried to yell out for help, but Edward clamped a huge hand over my mouth. I felt like I was about to die. Why is this happening to me? I thought. What had I done to deserve this? Edward dragged me into this dirty looking shack in the back of a longer alleyway, the rest of the gang following behind. I was thrown on to a moldy couch, gasping for air. The revelation that I could have used my power to escape made me groan.

"Baby." The redhead, again.

"Well try being suffocated by some muscled freak!" I practically screamed this. I had had enough of these gangsters. I was then slapped hard by the "muscled freak." It was clear he had lost his patience with me.

"Shut up or I'll make you punk! Do you want the cops to come and arrest us all?" He then turned to the redhead. "And May. If you give him any more trouble you're gonna get trouble from me." May must be the redhead. I thought. At least I know someone here. May angrily lit a cigarette, storming away.

"What's your name, kid?" Edward asked.

"Mark." I said in a timid voice.

Before Edward left, he said something that really made me shiver. "Mark, if you even think about running away, let's just say we're not afraid of beating up some rich punk." He must have noticed my North Face jacket upon saying this. I was left all alone in that dirty room, in a shack where a gang with power lived. I wondered if they knew where I lived?

Later, I would find in that moldy room a phone book with a list of Chicago apartments stapled in the front. My apartment was first on the list.