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Chapter 2
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“Dead? There’s no way!”

Various students and teachers said something to that effect. School closed early that day. Getting ahold of Julian’s mother was close to impossible when everyone got out. Luckily, Julian’s new friend had awesome parents.

Denise beckoned Julian over to their car. Her father was the one driving.

“Hello.” Julian wasn’t sure what else to say, but felt compelled to say more.

Denise’s mom sat in the front passenger seat, but was more than willing to speak through the driver window. “You must be Denise’s friend. Jude, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Julian didn’t feel like correcting them.

“Would you like a ride home?”

“Sure. Thanks for offering.”

Denise’s dad pointed behind him with a thumb and grand, charismatic gesture. “Of course. Hop on in. I’ll just need directions on how to get there.”

Julian followed Denise through one door after his friend scooted all the way to the far side.

“So, how far are you?” asked Denise’s dad.

“Not far. I live in the suburbs just past Galaxy Park.”

“Nice place?”

“It can be. My mom is always telling me there are worse places.”

From there to the end of the short trip, Julian and Denise talked about a lot of things related to heroes, villains, and television shows. Hero-based shows liked to exaggerate the cheese of what heroes and villains did, or the drama in their lives. Ironically, a lot of the people who watched those shows regularly lived in the hero and villain capital of the known universe, and could have known better by poking a head outside their homes.

Julian also gave the few directions needed for them to get to his mom’s house.

“It’s that house right there.” Julian gave an awkward pause. “With the white car in front of it.”

Denise’s mom, Robin, said, “Oh, is someone home then?”

“That’s my mom’s car, but I couldn’t get ahold of her when I tried earlier.”

Robin’s husband, Henry, pulled up to the curb near the white car. Julian’s mother was still in the driver seat with her head resting on the steering wheel.

“I hope she’s OK,” said Robin.

Henry said, “So do I. Why don’t you go check on her, kids? We’ll wait right here as long as we need to. If there's a problem then we can get help.”

Julian and Denise got out of the same door, and walked to the other car, which was on the driveway, parked less even than Julian had ever seen from his mother in all their years here in Paragon.

Please be alright. Please be alright. We don’t need another reason to cry.

Julian went to knock on the window, but stopped inches from the glass when his mother raised her head. She had been crying for goodness knows how long, which Julian could see by the redness in her cheeks and eyes.

His mom opened the door. “Oh, Julian, you’re home. I was about to come get you. I’m so sorry. Who’s this?”

“Mom, meet Denise. Denise, this is my mom. I promise she’s usually a happier person on most days.”

“And I promise I only give noogies to my own kid if they misbehave. It’s nice to meet you, Denise.”

“Likewise,” said Denise. “Are you alright, Miss Tanimoto?”

“I’ll be fine. I just . . . Oh, I’ll be fine.” She got out of her car, examining the one that brought Julian home. “Hello, are you the ones that drove my baby home?” (“Mom...”)

“Yes,” said Henry. “What happened?”

“I was having a bad day at work before the news broke about . . . about Captain Patriot. They let me off work early so I can rest, but now I have to work a couple extra hours tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow? Mom, my appointment!” exclaimed Julian.

“Oh no, is that tomorrow already? Shit, I’m so sorry. Is there any chance that we can reschedule?”

“Not for a few weeks.”

Denise said, “Hey, Mom, don’t we have to go shopping tomorrow in Steel Canyon?”

“We do, but we might have to reschedule as well unless your father takes you.” When Robin said that, her husband waved as if to say he didn’t mind. “Would you mind if Henry drove the kids into town tomorrow, Miss Tanimoto?”

“Please, call me Mai. That would be a big help, thank you.”

“No problem. I’d drive them myself, but I have something important that came up at the last minute.”

“I know how that is. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name, but I got your husband’s.”

“It’s Robin.”

“OK, well, if you don’t mind driving the kids halfway across town on a Saturday morning, then I’ll have to repay you the favor somehow.”

Henry asked, “What kind of appointment is it, by the way?”

“It’s . . .” Julian knew that deer in the headlights look on his mother’s face. “He has a doctor’s appointment.”

“Must be some doctor to provoke that kind of reaction. Don’t worry, I won’t pry into it if you don’t want to tell me. Jude, I’ll see you tomorrow. Will ten o’clock be a good time?”

“That will be perfect,” Julian responded.

“Great! Come on, Denise, let’s go home.”

Back in the mid-90s, some of the major heroes of Paragon had taken part in promotional posters that went on to become collector’s items. The most notable of which were Arrow telling the audience not to do drugs, Captain Patriot striking a pose with a few books while telling people to read, and Swan Diva promoting fitness for kids.

Somehow, Julian’s mom had all three, and a couple others. The one with Swan Diva hung in a frame in his room after months of trying to convince his mother that he wanted it and would take good care of it. She had even tried getting him a puppy or a kitty at one point. The animals took kindly to him, and he liked them, but he didn't know how to take care of anything alive back then, so they went elsewhere. Finally, his mom had relented and let him hang the poster in his room.

The heroine on the poster had long platinum hair, and a ceramic mask that covered her entire face. The rest of her costume started at the top of her neck. No one knew what she looked like beneath the elaborate disguise that fully concealed her.

There was a knock on the door. Julian’s mom wanted to enter, and so she did. She sat next to him on his bed.

“He’s really gone, isn’t he?” asked Julian.

She said, “It would appear so. I want to say he’s coming back. This isn’t the first time he’s disappeared, but this time’s different. It feels like something important has been torn from us, and all we can do is help each other, and heal.”

They sat together in silence. Julian wanted to say something, but no words would come. He wanted to do something, but nothing seemed possible without any power, any plan.

His attention was caught again when Julian’s mother snorted at the poster.

“Have I ever told you the funny story behind these posters?” she asked.

“No.” His response was soft as his heart was welcome to something uplifting. “I don’t think you ever said how you got ahold of them.”

“That’s another story for another day. But these posters, especially with Swan Diva and Captain Patriot, didn’t turn out as originally planned. Swan Diva was supposed to be the one promoting reading, and her opposite the fitness one.

“You see, their photo shoots had all been scheduled for the same day, so Swan Diva arrived half an hour early, and Captain Patriot right on time. Things overlapped a bit between the two of them, and she walked in on the man juggling the prop books. Swan Diva scolded him for that even though they were props, and even bound so that the books wouldn’t open and break.

“Eventually he did apologize, but if you can imagine a young woman talking down a man more than twice her size and thrice her own super strength, then you might have a funny picture in your head. Arrow, who had just finished his shoot, suggested that the two of them switch places. They called it stupid and pointless, and did it anyway.

“And this is why the Captain held a book open with one hand after the magic binding was undone for it, the second book was in the other hand, and the third book was balanced on his head. You should have heard Swan Diva’s reaction when Arrow expressed an idea of knocking the third book off of the Captain’s head. It resulted in the pose she used in this poster here.” By now she was standing well within reach of it.

“How do you know this?” Julian smiled. He knew a lot of things about the metas and non-powered heroes or criminals around the city, but this was the first time he heard of this story.

“It’s a story. I said nothing about it being true, Jude.”

“So you heard that one?” He half-hoped she didn’t.

“I like it. Maybe we should start using that more often.”

“Mom...”

“Or maybe Judy. What? It’s not like you’ve told me anything better since we started seeing your therapist.”

“Denise came up with that. I don’t know, maybe things are just moving too fast.”

“Life is too fast, and those of us who bother trying to keep up will know this better than everyone who doesn’t. Plus, it sounds like you’ve finally made a good friend.”

“One who knows my deepest secret already,” Julian said.

"There’s nothing wrong with that. Remember, people will have to know sooner or later. It’s not like we can drop everything and move somewhere else when your boobs start growing, or other such changes.”

“Mom...”

“You never know. Maybe you’ll luck out, and they’ll be bigger than these things.”

“Please tell me we’re not having this discussion.”

“Hey,” Mai grinned at him, “deep down inside, you're my baby girl. Who else are you going to have this conversation with?”

“No one?”

Jude’s mom just stared at her with a straight face all of a sudden.

“That’s never happening,” Jude said.

“At least we’re not talking about periods and pads,” Jude’s mom said.

Jude threw a pillow at her with a pouty face. After it bounced off of her, Jude’s mom caught the pillow with a short cackle and tossed it back.

“Alright, you,” she said. “It’s almost time for me to either make dinner or order something. In the meantime,” she struck the same pose as Swan Diva in the poster, “I believe you have some homework and chores to work on.”

“Oh, Mom, it looks so cheesy when you do it.”