So Ya Wanna Be A Hero?

It was still early morning when Nessa first opened her eyes. With a silent groan she rolled over to look out of the bedroom window, and she knew she wouldn’t be getting any more sleep that morning. The first hints of the grey light of morning were beginning to stretch across the sky, and a thick fog had rolled in and was hanging low over the fields that stretched out beyond her house.

A soft moan came from beside her, and she turned her head around to see her little sister, Leia, just opening her eyes. They watched each other for a few seconds before Leia gave a small smile, “Are you scared, Ness?”

Nessa twisted her body around to be able to view her younger sibling more easily, “No.” She said as she looked into her sister’s brown eyes, the complete opposite of her own grey ones, “Why should I be?”

Leia shrugged, “You could be going away.”

“Leia, the serum only reacts to five percent of the population, that’s only about five people in my entire age group. The chances of that happening to me are pretty slim.”

“But it could happen.” Leia protested. When Nessa didn’t reply, the younger sister continued, “Do you want it to?”

Nessa watched her sister for a moment or so before finally shrugging, “I don’t know. It’s a lot of responsibility.”

Leia nodded, but was smiling, “But it would be so cool!”

Nessa rolled her eyes, but gave a small smile of her own, “Yes, I suppose it could be.”

Unlike her sister, who was still so young and full of dreams and creativity, Nessa understood the consequences and responsibilities that came along with a reaction to the serum. She would have to leave her family, and her friends. She’d have to leave Leia. She glanced down at her sister once more, and smiled at her before she sighed, “I guess I had better get up. I don’t want to be late.”

Leia tilted her head, and a few strands of her blonde hair fell down into her eyes, “Nessa, it’s just a long line. You can’t be late.”

Nessa laughed and reached down to move the strands of hair that had fallen and push them behind her sister’s ear. “I guess you’re right, but I’m meeting Jenna and we are going together.”

Leia nodded, and Nessa ruffled the girl’s hair, which only caused the strands of hair that she’d just moved to fall back down. “I’m going to get up now. You go on back to sleep; you have another hour or so before you have to be up for school.”

Nessa kissed Leia’s forehead before she sat up and climbed her way out of the bed that the two siblings shared, and stood up, looking down once more at the small form of her sister. The two of them had shared this bed since Leia was two. There had been times when it hadn’t been so easy. They had both woken the other up plenty of times with nightmares, or just needing to talk about whatever had been bothering them. It wasn’t much, just a mattress on the floor in the corner of the room. But as far as Nessa was concerned, it was one of the safest places on earth.

She finally made her way over to the dresser and took out what she needed, and moved to the bathroom where she changed, pulled her dark hair up into a loose bun, and headed into the kitchen to find her mother already up and making coffee.

Her mother smiled as Nessa walked in, and poured some of the freshly made coffee into a mug, handing it to Nessa, “Are you nervous?”

Nessa shrugged, and decided immediately that she might as well get used to that question, “A little I guess.”

Her mother, Joan, nodded, “Well, whatever happens, I’m sure it will be fine.”

Nessa took a sip of the coffee and leaned against the counter. After a few seconds, she looked up at her mother, “Were you nervous when you took the serum?”

Joan’s brown eyes, the same as Leia’s, blinked a few times before she smiled, “I was terrified.”

Nessa felt her eyes widen, “Really? Why?”

Her mother was about to answer when a new voice sounded from the doorway, “Your mother didn’t want to react. She wanted to be able to stay home, get married, and have a family. None of which you can do if you react.”

Nessa smiled as her father, Jeremy, walked into the room. He was the one she had gotten most of her looks from. She had his dark hair and grey eyes, while Leia had their mother’s blonde hair and brown eyes.

Nessa looked at her father, “I see. What about you? Were you nervous?”

He smirked, a look that made him seem younger than he was, and poured himself a cup of coffee. “I was excited. I wanted it to react to me.”

Nessa nodded and looked down into her coffee mug. She still wasn’t sure what she wanted to happen. She’d never been much of a fighter, and she couldn’t really picture herself out hunting down bad guys and fighting with criminals. But then, she couldn’t really picture herself doing much of anything else either.”

Movement caught her eye and caused her to look up to see her father crossing the kitchen towards her, and putting his arm around her shoulders. “Just know that we love you very much.”

Then her mother was there beside her as well, “Yes, we will be proud of you no matter which way it goes. We love you.”

Nessa smiled, and pulled away to put her mug in the sink. She’d never been one for physical displays of affection, even just within her family, but she gave each of her parents a hug anyway. “Thank you. I love you both as well, but I guess I’d better get going. Jenna will be waiting for me by now. I’ll see you later.”

She grabbed a light jacket to put on over her shirt, and pulled the front door open. “Nessa.”

Her father’s voice caused her to pause in the door way, and she looked back. He smiled and held up his coffee mug in a sort of salute, “Good luck.”

She smiled, and nodded once, before stepping out and pulling the door closed behind her. Then she was on her way. She took a deep breath of the cool, autumn air, and walked down the concrete walk and out to the road. It was the middle of fall, and the leaves were finally beginning to change their color, which made the walk a little more pleasant in her own opinion.

“Nessa!” The familiar voice caused her to look up from where she’d been watching the gravel road pass beneath her feet, to see Jenna coming towards her. “Today’s the day! Are you excited?”

Well, at least she wasn’t asking if Nessa was nervous. That was a nice change, “Sure? I mean, I guess. I don’t know.”

Jenna laughed, “Yeah, yeah. I don’t know why I ask really.”

Then she started talking about how she hoped it would react with her, because she wanted to be an Enforcer and that was the only way to become one, a reaction with the serum. Nessa eventually had to tune her out because it was the same speech her friend had been giving for the past month and a half, and Nessa knew it word for word all the way through and backwards.

Honestly though, Nessa really didn’t understand why Jenna was so keen to become an Enforcer. Jenna was the type of person who screamed and jumped up onto a table at the first sign of a rat or spider. How did she expect to hunt down criminals? Nessa really couldn’t imagine Jenna as the tough soldier type. Come to think of it, she really couldn’t imagine herself as one either.

She looked at Jenna, who was still going on about how she wanted to save the world. Nessa smiled despite herself. She really found it hard to believe that they were best friends. Jenna spoke with such enthusiasm and excitement, about anything. She had always been like that. Nessa on the other hand, was quiet and withdrawn, and happy to be on the outskirts of any social situation. She didn’t like large groups of people, and was much happier observing than taking part. Jenna picked on her about it all the time, saying that Nessa needed to “come out of her shell,” but that was just the way she was. Honestly, as far as personalities go, the two girls were complete opposites.

“Hey, are you listening?” Jenna asked, pulling Nessa back to the present conversation.

“Of course,” she said almost too automatically, “you were just saying that some people who react to the serum go crazy.”

Jenna grinned, “You know, sometimes I think you only pay just enough attention to be able to parrot back the last line of whatever I was saying.”

Nessa smirked, “Well, I guess you’ll never know for sure.”

Jenna laughed, but her laughter died as the two girls reached the bottom of the stone steps that lead up to the entrance of City Hall. Jenna looked at Nessa, her eyes shining with excitement, “Nessa! It’s time.”

Nessa forced a smile and nodded, but didn’t say anything as they began to ascent the stairs.

“Hey! Nessa! Jenna!”

The two girls weren’t even three steps up and they paused in their climbing to turn and see Gage running to catch up. By the time he reached them he was tired and out of breath, Jenna laughed, “I hope you don’t react. You will never be able to keep up with the training exercises they’ll put you through.”

Nessa rolled her eyes, “He’ll be able to keep up better than you will.”

Jenna made a mock face of horror, but then shrugged, “Yeah, you’re probably right. But I’ll get used to it.”

Then the three of them were climbing again, and finally reached the large double doors. Gage pulled them open to allow the two girls to pass, Jenna walked through without acknowledgement, as she always did, Nessa nodded in thanks.

The large lobby was filled with people, maybe a hundred or more, and they were all standing or sitting in little groups, little pieces of paper in hand, talking amongst themselves. She recognized most all of them from her school, but she also realized that there were plenty that hadn’t arrived yet. Also there was still the other school across town which also had eighteen year olds ready to be injected. She couldn’t help but think that sounded like a cow being prepped for slaughter. But that was a ridiculous notion when it came to the serum. People had been being injected for the past forty years, and no one had reported anything negative because of the serum.

“Excuse me.” Nessa looked to her left to see an older woman with thin glasses staring at the three of them from behind a counter. Her glasses had long since slid down her nose and she was glaring at them over the rims, “Take a number. When that sign,” she pointed to a large sign hanging over the center of the room, “pops up with your number, report to the room specified.”

Three slits of paper popped out of a thin slot on the counter, and Gage, Jenna, and Nessa all reached for one. Nessa was the only one to say “Thank you.”

Jenna was the first to glance down, and rolled her eyes as she lifted the piece of paper for Nessa to view, “452, this is going to take a while.”

Nessa nodded and glanced down her own for the first time, “453.”

Gage glanced at his own piece of paper, and smiled, “451. Actually, there is every possibility that it might NOT take that long at all.”

Jenna rolled her eyes, “Oh really Brainiack? What gives you that idea?”

He paused hesitantly and glanced at Nessa, who nodded, encouraging him out of her own curiosity, so he shrugged, “Well, that sign over there reads ’Now serving number 347. And there is only about a hundred people in this room, and we have numbers 451, 452, and 453. There are ten rooms being used, and my brother said last year that it only took about two or three minutes. So there’s no reason we couldn’t be out of here before lunchtime.”

Nessa grinned at her friend’s logic, while Jenna again rolled her eyes, “Ok. Sorry Smarty-Pants, I’m sorry I doubted you.”

Gage shrugged once more, “It’s no problem. You always doubt me.”

Jenna nodded, “Yep, and I always regret it later.”

Nessa laughed, “Maybe one of these days you’ll learn.”

Jenna seemed to consider this briefly, but shook her head, “Nah. I wouldn’t count on it.”

The three found a bench to sit on, and Nessa started watching the activity in the room while her other two friends chatted amiably. City Hall was, as Gage had observed, split into ten rooms where injections were being done. There was an enforcer behind each door, and Nessa watched as people would go inside, and then leave, rubbing their arm gently. The Enforcer posted at the door nodded to each one who came and went, and even chatted with people who were standing or sitting nearby. There wasn’t necessarily anything in particular to set her off, but for some reason Nessa still found them intimidating. With that realization, Nessa made up her mind. She did not want to react to the serum. She didn’t want to be an Enforcer.

She glanced up at the sign the lady at the counter had pointed out, and nudged Jenna. “437, it’s almost time.”

Jenna did a little dance in her seat, and Nessa rolled her eyes, “Finally! I can’t wait.”

Nessa glanced over at Gage, who she could tell was just as nervous as she was. His foot was tapping a mile a minute, and he was subconsciously tapping his fingers on his knee. He caught her watching him and stopped his shaking, and did his best to give her a reassuring smile.

Jenna suddenly jumped up, she’d been watching the sign, “Hey! It’s our turn! We’re next.”

Nessa looked up to see for herself, and sure enough, they were up next. Gage was supposed to go to Room One, Jenna to Four, and Nessa needed to locate Room Six. Nessa and Gage both stood up and the three did a group hug. Nessa sighed as she pulled back, “Well, here we go.”

Jenna nodded, and bounded off, “See you on the other side!”

Nessa and Gage were left alone then, and Gage smiled, “Well, I guess I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Nessa nodded, and the two parted ways. Nessa saw a sign that said “Room Six” with an arrow pointing down a hallway. So she headed in that direction, and found herself on a long hall way with white walls and doors every few yards on either side. She assumed they were offices for city officials, or conference rooms. There was one door at the end of the hallway, and there was an Enforcer posted outside, just as there was for all the other rooms that were being used today.

As Nessa got closer, she saw the door open, and a girl with long red hair came out. It was Kara from school, they’d had classes together. Nessa smiled at the girl as they passed, and Kara said “Hi.” They weren’t really friends though so that was all the communication that passed between them.

The Enforcer on the other hand, had the door open already for Nessa, and gave her a polite nod as she passed him and entered into the large conference room.

“Have a seat.” The voice came from a female Enforcer, who didn’t look to be much older than Nessa was, maybe twenty, with dark curly hair.

Nessa stared at the big table, “Any chair in particular?”

The girl smiled as she took out a syringe from a box. It was filled with blue liquid. “Nope. Just pick one. I’ll be there in a second.”

Nessa nodded and took a seat at the head of the table; it was the closest after all, and watched as the girl made her way over to her.

“Arm.” The girl gave the order, and Nessa lifted her arm to her. The girl smiled, “This won’t hurt.”

Then the needle was pushed into Nessa’s arm, and the girl had been wrong. It had hurt. She gave a slight gasp, but was silent other than that. The girl laughed as she injected the blue liquid, “Yeah, I lied.”

Nessa narrowed her eyes as she watched the needle be pulled out, “Yeah, I figured that out for myself, thanks.”

The other girl smiled and stood. She walked to the other end of the table, threw the syringe away in a small trash can, and pulled out her clip board. “What’s your name?”

“Vanessa Fletcher.” She rubbed her arm gently, now understanding why everyone she’d seen outside had been doing the same.

The girl nodded, and scribbled something down on the clip board, or more accurately, the paper that was on the clip board, “You’re free to go. If you react you’ll know within the next thirty four hours.”

“How will I know?”

She only smiled, “Trust me, you can’t miss it. Have a good day.”

Nessa sat there for a few more seconds, hoping the other girl would elaborate a little, but of course she didn’t. Nessa finally sighed and stood up, moving to the door, “Yeah. You too.”

She nodded once to the Enforcer as she passed once more, and made her way out into the lobby where Jenna and Gage were already waiting for her by the door. They both smiled as she approached, and for once Gage beat Jenna to the punch, “Was that weird for you?”

Nessa only nodded, but Jenna shrugged, “If you say so. Who’s ready for lunch?”

Gage smirked, “I told you we’d be out by lunch time.”

Jenna flicked her hair back with her hand, “Yeah, I get it, you’re smart. Seriously you guys, lunch?”

Gage looked to Nessa, waiting for her to answer first, but she shook her head, “I think I’m going to go on home. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Jenna made a face, “Sure, unless one of us reacts.”

Nessa sighed, “Jenna, even if that does happen, we still have twenty four hours to say goodbye to friends and family. I’m sure we can make time.”

Jenna gave a dramatic sigh, “Alright, alright. Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow. How about you both come over to my house around five tomorrow afternoon?”

Nessa nodded, “Sure. I’ll see you then.”

She headed towards the door, which Gage opened for her, “Would you like me to walk you home?”

Nessa smiled politely as she passed, “No thanks.” She said as she paused just outside the door, “It’s only a few miles. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He gave a slow nod and let the door closed and returned to his conversations with Jenna. Nessa watched them through the glass doors for another second before turning to descend the great stone stair case. She was about half way down when she saw the bus pulling down the street. She sped up so that she could catch it. In all reality, it would probably be faster for her just to walk home. The bus made several stops and went in a circle before finally heading out to the suburbs and farms outside the city, but it was a good chance for Nessa to sit and think without being bothered by people.

She reached the sidewalk just as the bus came to a stop and she climbed on, told the bus driver where she was going and paid him, and made her way towards the back to find a seat by the window. The city went by slowly, one building at a time, and she thought the time to really think about her situation. What were the chances of her reacting? Surely they weren’t that good. She had just told Leia earlier that morning that only about five of the kids at her school would react. Yes, the chances of one of those five being her, or Jenna or Gage, were very unlikely.

“You look nervous.”

Nessa looked up to find a young man, maybe twenty five, twisted around in his seat watching her. She tilted her head slightly, “Maybe a little.”

He nodded, “Why should you be nervous? We’ve all been through it.”

She watched him carefully, “Weren’t you nervous?”

He seemed to contemplate this for a moment, “I guess I was. I wanted to react.”

She lifted an eyebrow, “Really? Why?”

He only chuckled, “You mean, aside from the obvious?”

She nodded, “Aside from the obvious.”

“Well, aside from the obvious, you have a chance to help people, really help people, and make sure the laws are upheld. You learn a lot about our civilization that you wouldn’t learn otherwise. And then there’s the obvious – you become very powerful indeed.”

He was smiling, but she still wasn’t very convinced, “But weren’t you afraid of leaving your family?”

He was silent for a moment, and gave a slow nod, “Most people are. But not everyone has a perfect family. Some people are more than willing to get away.”

Nessa considered this for a moment, “I guess so.”

He didn’t reply to this, and she looked up to see him gathering his things. She took this moment to really look at him. He was a handsome man actually, with dark blonde hair that fell down to his shoulders, and bright blue eyes, which suddenly looked up to meet hers. “Well, this is my stop. Good luck”

She nodded as the bus came to a stop, and she looked out the window at the building it had stopped in front of. The letters along the rooftop, in all capital letters and looking very official, read “ENFORCER HEADQUARTERS.” She watched as he climbed down off the bus, and turned back to give her a wave before turning around once more and headed into the building. Then the bus surged forward once more and she was again headed home.

He was an Enforcer. Now she was even more confused. He hadn’t acted, or even looked like the others. He had seemed friendly enough, and hadn’t been intimidating in the least. She gave a frustrated sigh, because just like that, because of one conversation with a stranger on a bus, she was confused again. He made becoming an Enforcer sound like a good thing. He had said it was an opportunity to help people, and defend her family. She supposed that was true, she just hadn’t really thought about it, despite all of Jenna’s ramblings.

The bus came to a stop once more, and with a start she realized it was her stop. How long had she been thinking to herself? It must have been quite a while because she knew that there were other stops between the Enforcer Headquarters and hers, but nevertheless, here she was. She stood up quickly and made her way down the aisle of the bus and climbed down onto the gravel road that would lead to her house.

After just a minute or two of walking, she was on her front porch and opening the front door. Her mother was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and greeted her, “Hey! How did it go?”

Nessa only shrugged, “It went.”

Her mother smiled, “Well, your father will be home soon, and your sister should be home from school any minute. Want to help me finish this up?”

Nessa smiled, “I would, but actually I’m kind of tired…I think I’m going to go lie down for a while.”

Her mother nodded, “That can happen after the injection. Go on, I’ll make sure Leia doesn’t bother you for a while after she gets home.”

Nessa gave a grateful smile, and gave her mother a hug, before heading into the bedroom and collapsing down onto the low bed. She closed her eyes, and started thinking once more about everything that had happened, and whether or not she wanted to react.

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she was suddenly aware of Leia climbing into bed beside her. She opened her eyes slowly and realized that it was dark outside. “Leia?”

“Shoot.” The girl said, “I was trying not to wake you.”

Nessa smiled, “It’s fine. I probably need to get up and get something to eat anyway.”

Leia nodded, “Mom saved you a plate. It’s in the refrigerator.”

Nessa grinned, glad that her mom had thought about her, not that it was surprising, “thanks for letting me know.”

Nessa sat up slowly, and started for the edge of the voice, when suddenly a loud voice sounded inside her head. She gave a loud gasp and pinned her hands against her ears, but it didn’t help. Leia gasped as well, startled by her sister’s reaction, and moved to sit in front of her. “Ness? Ness are you ok?”

Nessa couldn’t hear her over the voice sounding off in her head, over and over again, “If you can hear this, congratulations. You are one of the lucky five percent. Please report to Enforcer Headquarters no later than eleven AM Wednesday morning for further instructions. First part of your training, learn how to block out this announcement.”

She couldn’t believe it. She really couldn’t believe it. She had reacted to the serum. Out of everyone in her school, she had reacted. “Nessa!”

Her sister’s voice pulled her back to the present, and with the voice still sounding in her head, Nessa looked her sister in the eyes. She didn’t need to say anything, her sister understood immediately, just as she did...she had reacted.