I’m not what you call normal. People call me abnormal, weirdo, or freak. I’m what you might call, different. It’s not because I’m fat, stupid, or nerdy. Pfttt. I wish that were the reason. But, it never was. It still isn’t. I know that sounds pretty bitter for an eighteen year old. But believe me, you would be bitter, too, if you had my life. My hatred started eight years ago, that one night. The night I became an orphan.  

It was a cold, rainy night, perfect weather for our plot to destroy the world. While that might seem strange to you, it was just an average day for me; my family was a team of mad scientists, some even called us villains. My dad, a tall, lanky and serious Brit,  was devoted to Britain his whole life, and would probably still have lived there if not for my mother’s request to move back to America. Mother, on the contrary, was a short, amiable American. She went to school in Britain where she met my father, but her heart and home was in America, her birthplace. They were both scientists who wanted nothing more than to see their scientific master plans come to life, no matter what the cost.

Even though my parents were crazy and obsessed with science and their plots, they were still the best, most loving, and smartest people I knew, and I loved them for it. Everyday the three of us would search for a novel way to carry out a new scientific experiment, even if it meant destroying the world. This time our plan involved a complicated electromagnetic device that my parents created which worked by conflicting with the iron in the Earth’s core, blowing it apart, thus destroying the world.

As we strolled over to the secret vault to retrieve the device, I glimpsed the crazy and hungry look in my parents’ eyes they always got before we set an experiment in motion. Nevermind, that we were about to wreck the world. The soft hum of the machine vibrated through my skull, and I remembered my role in carrying out this plan. This device didn’t work on its own; it required me, more specifically my superpower. Although my parents were unlucky and born normally,  I, on the other hand, was born with a power. I could connect, join minds with and control any electronic device. Whenever I used the power, I felt a buzzing in my hands as an electric current swarmed through my blood vessels, sparking off my body, making me look like a firecracker. As I faced the machine, the familiar buzzing began. 

Suddenly, someone flew in. Startled, we stumbled back, pushed against the back wall with looks of mixed surprise and horror evident on our faces. It was our enemy Captain Peace, as the public called him, otherwise known as Captain Pain in the Rear and Spoiler of Plans by my family. Although we had been stopped many times in the past by this superhero, never had he compromised our secret lair so quickly. This time though, I saw a new face, a little girl. She looked about my ago, possibly ten years old, and was  peeking through the folds of Captain’s billowing cape, obviously too timid or scared to be seen.

Captain had brought his daughter with him, possibly to teach her, or have her watch his victory. For some reason, the thought of her watching him defeat my parents angered me. Suddenly, I heard the girl speak and I realized I was mistaken. There was no fear in her eyes, something different. Could it be...eagerness?

“Daddy, when will you defeat them? Will you use your flying superpower? Can I watch?” she entreated, her blue eyes big and round with excitement and anticipation.

“Of course Jessica, honey,” Captain, replied, “Only this time, it might be a little more than defeating.”  Just as he concluded his “heroic speech,” he flew with amazing speed and strength, right towards my parents and hurled them against the wall! Completely unprepared and no match for Captain, my parents crumpled like a sack of potatoes without a sound. Too stunned to move, I was frozen to my spot as if my feet were cemented to the floor. Satisfied my parents weren’t going to rise anytime soon, Captain turned and spoke to me.

“Let me teach you something Jake,” he rasped, a horrible sound emanating from his throat, like nails on a chalkboard. “The bad side never wins! Now, in this moment, because your family has always been a nuisance in my path with their silly experiments,  I will do what I have wanted to do for 20 years! Because you are villains, I will kill your parents, but leave you to watch. I want to see the horror on your face as your parents fall to me.” With that death sentence,  he whipped out a silver-bladed knife that rang off his metal belt, and slit the throat of my parents.

As their crimson blood oozed out I fell to the ground screaming until I could scream no more. As I fainted from the shock, the last thing I saw was Captain Peace laughing while he flew out the building with Jessica in one hand, and his blood stained knife in the other. Much later I woke up in a pool of blood, and it all crashed down on me. I was an orphan. Howling, I vowed revenge on Captain and his daughter.  I would never forget this day that Captain brutally tore my parents away from me, not until the day I died.

Now years later, I attend The University of Texas as a freshman and live in an apartment with Luke, my best friend. Luke is the only person who knows about my powers and my devastating childhood.  He is my one true confidant. Classes were over for the day and I was headed home, bursting with news to share with Luke.

“Hey, Luke!” I shouted rushing to catch up with him. 

“Yeah, Jake?” He asked stopping to let me catch up.

Filled with excitement, I blurted out everything in a rush. “I’ve got to tell you about the most amazing girl I just met. I saw her just after class, and I know she’s the one. She has the most beautiful face, hair that shines like gold,  and eyes that are as clear as the sky. And her smile just lit me up. You know what I mean?”

Luke smiled and shook his head. “So.. this must be your dream girl, huh. Since you know everything else about her, did you happen to catch her name?’ he teased.

“Oh, sorry, it’s Jessica.” I replied, laughing at how I must have sounded. Life changed for me after meeting Jessica. We became inseparable for the months that followed. It seemed like meeting Jessica brought a new purpose to my life. I was no longer obsessed with revenge. I had found love and happiness. I knew there would never be anyone else in the world for me. I never revealed my superpower or the details of the murder of my parents to her because I just wanted to put it all behind me. After a year of dating, my perfect world seemed to come crashing down when Jessica one day revealed a secret of her own.

Wringing her hands in her lap, Jessica looked intently at me. “Jake, I can’t believe we’ve been dating for a year. I don’t want to keep secrets from you anymore. I have to tell you who my father is.”

“Sure,” I replied, “you can tell me anything.” I was totally unprepared for what came next.

“This is something that I have never told anyone, but I really feel I can tell you. You and I are both different. Me, because of my father, and you, because you’re an orphan.” She took a deep breath and continued. “My father is Captain Peace. He is amazing. He fights crime and tries to keep the world safe. You have to meet him!” 

My head was spinning and I thought I might faint like I did on that night so long ago. Something inside me knew I had to act normally. I don’t know how I pulled it off, but with a forced smile on my face, I told Jessica, that was unbelievable and amazing and I would love to meet her father. She threw her arms around my neck in gratitude, making me feel worse than ever. We parted deciding to go to her father’s house the following week.   

That night in my bed, I lay there twisting and turning, wondering what I should do. Should I be with the girl I loved and forget my vow, or should I avenge my parents’ death, and kill Captain and Jessica? I just didn’t know. My brain seemed like it would split in two it was so conflicted. A war was raging inside me.

One side of my brain encouraged ,“Go with your girlfriend; have a normal life.” 

The other part growled, “Remember who you are. Avenge your parents and fulfill your vow.”

“But, you can’t kill the girl you love.”  the first side countered.

“Destroy her; you cannot fall in love with the enemy. Kill them both and fulfill your vow!”

Ugh, It gave me such a headache I didn’t know what to do. My thoughts conflicted every night, until the night before, when by some miracle it dawned on me what I must do. Suddenly I bolted upright; I had a plan and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

The following day I brought the electromagnetic ball from 8 years ago, and a highly complex electrical trap to school. All through the day I practically jumped from nervous excitement. I would finally avenge my parents’ death. Jessica and I went to her father’s house together as planned, and in my backpack I had the ball and trap. As soon as I arrived at the house, Captain Peace opened the door, and realization immediately struck him.

“I KNOW YOU!” he growled in the same raspy, horrible voice I remembered from 8 years ago.

“Yes,” I whispered quietly as I whipped out the trap, pulling Jessica and her father apart. Jessica looked stunned and hurt. They hung there helpless, held by five metal arms, and my mental power as I ranted in a rage. “I will finally get my revenge on you, Captain! You’ve been living happily with your daughter, but did you ever think about me? Did you ever think about how it feels to be an orphan, how it feels to watch your parents be killed in front of your eyes?” I screamed. “My parents may have been mad scientists, but you are the real villain. You are a killer and a heartbreaker, and now I will kill your daughter right where you can see and this time I will be the one to watch your pain and suffering, just as you did years ago to me. Now get a taste of your own medicine!” With a menacing growl on my face, I walked over to Jessica with the ball in my hands, and set it to target only the iron in her body. I knew this was what I had to do. Captain deserved to be punished for what he did, and the only way to get through to him was to hurt Jessica. I was so focused on my task, Jessica’s scream jolted me.

“Jake how could you do this?  I trusted you. How could you kill me? Was the past year for nothing? Don’t you love me at all?”

Something tightened inside my chest but I shook it away and ignored her. I kept pushing, ripping her apart bit by bit, listening to her cries of pain, and Captain’s cries of horror. Jessica’s eyes bulged; red and blue veins were popping out everywhere. Captain shook his trap and tried to get out, but the metal arms held him tight. Just before it was too late, Jessica screamed as loud as she could.

“Jake, I love you!”  Abruptly, I stopped. I couldn’t kill her; I couldn’t do to her what HE did to my parents. I knew the pain too well. And more than that, I loved her. I sat there panting at what I was about to do, and unlocked the trap.

Jessica ran over to hug me, but Captain Peace had other plans. He sprinted towards where I dropped the trap and scooped it up in one hand and carried the ball in the other. I shouted and rushed to him, but I was too late. He pressed the activation key. I was yanked away from Jessica and held up by five metal arms. I peered to the other side, and saw that the same fate awaited Jessica. Captain paced in front of us, and spoke.

“Fool,” he rasped, “you have given me the very tool I needed for my plan. I would have taken it that one night years ago, but I wanted to see the horror on your face as I killed your parents. And I needed my daughter to see me as the hero. But I see I have lost her now to you. I intend to use your tool for a different purpose. Not to destroy the world, but to threaten the world so I can overtake it.  If humanity does not obey to my every command, then I will wipe them out of existence. They will be forced to obey me! Now, Jessica, I will give you one last chance. Will you join me as the leader of the world or perish?”

Jessica looked wounded and enraged. “Are you crazy?! Father, you have gone mad; come back to us and be the good man you were before,” Jessica pleaded, her eyebrows scrunched in concentration and eyes squeezed tight, still trying desperately to shake out of the trap. 

“No Jessica, since your mother died 8 years ago, I’ve been a changed man. All the good died inside of me. But if you will not join me, then no matter!” As he put his hand on the device, we heard a humming and ripping sound, like our world was about to explode. But Captain  was forgetting one factor-- me. Again, I felt the familiar buzzing in my hand and the ball flew from his hands, like magic.

“Wh--wh--what!” Captain stammered as the metal ball bounced along the sidewalk with a Clang, Clang, Clang.
Now confident and clear headed, I strode out of the trap and declared, “No Captain EVIL, you will not become the leader of the world, because of something you taught me: the bad side never wins!”

Immediately, we heard his cries of pain, as Captain was being torn apart from the inside. He started to become red like a tomato, as his blood rushed to the outside. Purple and blue veins burst all over his body, and there was a fleshy ripping sound, the sound of organs being torn apart by the forces of magnets. Suddenly, Jessica grabbed my arm and blurted,

“WAIT!”

I turned to her annoyed that she interrupted my moment of triumph.

“You can’t kill him. He’s my father! And this is not who you are,” she begged, still gripping my arm with a look of panic in her eyes as she watched her father dying.

“What?” I asked confused, as if in a trance.

 
She looked me straight in the eyes and repeated slowly, “Jake, I said,  you can’t kill him; he’s my father. Even though he’s a psychopath, if you killed him, you would be no better than him.  Instead of killing my last relative in cold blood just banish him.”

Something weakened inside of me and I knew Jessica was right. Releasing the trap, I spoke my last words to him. “I will show you the mercy you never showed me, Captain. But I better never see your face again, or there will be no more chances!”

And with that Captain flew off, too scared to do otherwise, and I stood there hugging Jessica. Right now I was happy. In the future I don’t know. The super villain is still out there, and my parents are still dead, but at this moment I'm content.