cometkittiesoriginalcontent

[cometkittiesoriginalcontent]

My Life as a Background Character: My Best Friend is a Superhero

           About six months ago there was a strange fog that coated the city. It was green and seemed to glow as it enveloped everything. It was hard to see more than a few feet in front of you at any time, causing several accidents and general panic among the citizens. Most people tried to stay indoors out of fear. My parents locked the door and called into work that day. Within a few hours, the fog had dissipated, leaving no trace. City officials claimed that it was a harmless gas released from a nearby factory and that there was nothing to be afraid of and life returned to normal.

           About a week later; however, people in the town began changing. Those that worked at or lived nearest to the factory had begun developing mutations. Mr. Jenkins skin turned green and he started to grow a tail, Mrs. Holden could suddenly compute advanced mathematics in her head, and little Freddy Thomas could turn invisible! These new traits were attributed to exposure to the chemical and the town was placed in quarantine as they tried to figure out what had happened and just how many people were affected. A sort of vaccine was created and given to those that were exposed to dangerous levels of the toxins. Those that had already developed mutations were given a cure and returned to normal, even little Freddy Thomas, whose mom had to search the whole town to find. The crisis was averted, or so we thought.

            A small faction of the population, calling themselves the irregulars, refused to get the vaccine as they enjoyed their newfound abilities. They attacked the hospitals and destroyed the remaining vaccines, claiming that life was better as a mutant. They began terrorizing the town, looting and causing mayhem. The military was called in to deal with this new threat but they were unprepared for superhuman abilities. That is when she appeared! The Dragonfly swooped in from the sky and stopped the irregulars, saving the town from their wrath. Her translucent wings shimmered in the sun as she used her increased strength and agility to take out her foes! Greendale had its own superhero! After that day the irregulars vanished, but there were still members of the community that had never received a vaccine. Sometimes these mutant citizens decide to use their powers for selfish purposes, causing mayhem and destruction in our sleepy little town. Their troublemaking never lasts long though, with the Dragonfly there to save the day!

           We had all heard the story of the Dragonfly and her heroism many many times as we traversed the halls of Greendale High. She was the most interesting thing that had ever happened to any of us in our lifetime and everyone loved to talk about her. Some students were trying to turn the attention on the by claiming to know Dragonfly personally or claiming that they were saved by her once, or in the case of Bobby Fleckman, dating her. My friends and I tried to stay out of the conversation as much as possible, choosing to avoid the topic of superheroes and mutants as much as possible. My best friend Eliza hated the topic more than anyone else though. Her father was one of the mutants that did not receive the vaccine due to the irregular’s destruction, and by the time more was made the damage had been permanent. Mr. Jones now had an extra pair of arms sticking out of his sides, and was now considered a freak by the rest of the townspeople. Mr. Jones isn’t the only mutant that did not get cured, but he is one of the few that have a visible malady, making life much harder for him and his family. Eliza hates talking about all of it because it just reminds her of how horribly everyone treats her father now. I don’t blame her.

           Eliza had always been close to her father, ever since her mother died when she was nine. It had just been the two of them for years, facing the world together. Whenever she speaks of him now she seems sad. She knows how cruel people can be to those that are different, and despite Mr. Jones’ jokes about having an extra pair of hands around the house now, she knows that he is struggling to deal with his new reality. So whenever mutants or the Dragonfly get brought up I make sure to change the topic or get her out of the room as quickly as possible. I’m worried about her. She has been missing a lot of school and ditching classes lately. I just wish I knew how to help.

           It has been months since the Dragonfly first appeared, but she has made regular appearances since, taking down not only mutants but also petty criminals in the streets. While I avoid the topic when I am with Eliza, I can’t help but admire the Dragonfly and what she does. Like everyone, I am star struck by the idea of having a superhero in our own backyard. Whenever there is an attack, most people run as far away as possible, but I tend to hide in a nearby alleyway or store and just watch. It’s incredible to see her in action! Her wings fluttering and her azure suit shining. She is just so strong and brave, even though she can’t be much older than me. Eliza would never speak to me again if she knew I did this, but I can’t help it! She’s just so cool!

           Today is Saturday and the gang and I are all at my house playing games and unwinding after a particularly stressful week. Matthew is destroying us on his favorite fighting game, Warrior Bots. His red bot was only seconds away from destroying my blue one when mom comes in in a panic and changes it to the news. On the screen is a reporter, backed by burning buildings.

           “… There is still no sign of the Dragonfly. Several businesses have been robbed and set ablaze by the mutant that calls himself Flamethrower,” the reporter says, as we all stare at the screen in horrified fascination. Eliza quietly excuses herself to the bathroom, but we barely acknowledge her leaving. Mom starts to call everyone’s parents, suggesting that they all head home for the day. I head upstairs to find Eliza only to discover that the bathroom is empty and the window is open. Eliza is gone.

           The next day I wait anxiously in the classroom for Eliza to appear. She never answered my calls or texts after her disappearance on Saturday. I called her dad and he said she had made it home safely but had broken her phone. When I asked if I could speak with her he said she was busy and hung up the phone. I want to be angry at her for not telling me where she went or at least trying to call me, but I’m more worried. What if something is really wrong? What if she’s being targeted by one of the anti-mutant hate groups because of her dad? It would not be the first time she has received harsh treatment because of his condition. Just last month their house was broken into and someone had graffitied the walls with anti-mutant sentiments and crude drawings of Mr. Jones getting his extra arms chopped off. Their family has already been through so much that if something like that happened again I’m worried that Eliza might just break.

           She finally arrives in class, but one look at her face has me worried all over again. She has a visible black eye and several other scrapes and bruises along her neck and arms. She sits beside me with a smile as she greets me.

           “Hey Annie! What’s up girl? Sorry I didn’t call or text you this weekend. Phone broke and then I just got so busy with homework and stuff! You get it, right?” She says obviously trying to pretend that everything is okay.

           “ What happened to your face?” I ask quietly. She reaches up to touch the bruise and winces.

           “Oh that? Yeah, when I broke my phone I kinda tripped and, whoops clumsy me! I fell on the stairs going into the house. Scraped myself up pretty badly, huh?” she says as she shifts nervously, not looking me in the eyes. I can tell she is lying, which makes me even more worried. Before I can call her out on her lies, Mr. Diaz walks in and begins class. I look over at her as she listens intently to the lecture, planning on getting to the bottom of this later.

           After first period, Eliza is nowhere to be found and seems to be avoiding me. We don’t have class together again until the end of the day, but we usually eat lunch with Matt and the others. Today she sat with the rest of the cheer squad instead. I spent my time watching her as the guys all goofed off around me.

           “… And then I said I’d give him my pet llama George in exchange for his sandwich.” I hear Matt say, breaking through my inner turmoil. I give him a look to show that I am not impressed with his antics.

           “What’s up with you today, miss mopey? Did you embarrass yourself in front of ol’Danny boy again?” Matt teases. At the mention of my crush, I feel my face heat up as I tackle Matt and cover his mouth with my hands.

           “Shut up! Do you want everyone to hear you!?” I whisper-yell as he shakes with laughter. I release my hold on him with a grumble.

           “What’s wrong Annie?” He says in a much gentler tone, “I’ve never seen you this out of it before.”

           “Eliza has been acting weird and today she shows up with bruises and stuff and I swear she is avoiding me! I just want to know what’s wrong.” I tell him.

           “Ann relax. If something is wrong you know she will tell you on her own time. Obsessing about it is only gonna make her push you away. Let her come to you on her own time.” He says. I know he’s right but I can’t help but worry. Lunch ends and we all head to our next class. I stay behind and attempt to approach Eliza but once she sees me coming she quickly gathers her things and leaves. All except for her backpack, which she leaves sitting on the floor. I grab it and attempt to catch up with her but she is nowhere to be seen. Her bag feels weirdly heavy as I carry it with me to class. I know I should respect her privacy and leave it closed, but with how she has been acting I feel like I need to see what’s inside. I duck into the nearest bathroom and hide in the stall. I place the bag on the ground in front of me and slowly unzip it, hoping that Eliza doesn’t get too angry with me for doing so. Once the back is unzipped I peek inside to find a strange blue fabric and yellow boots. I stand and unfurl the material and have to keep myself from screaming as I stand in the restroom holding a very recognizable costume. Eliza is Dragonfly.

           I shove the costume back in the bag and rush out of the bathroom. I make a beeline back to the cafeteria and put the bag back where I found it. I’d rather her not discover that I had seen what was inside. When she arrives in our shared last period she has the bag again, obviously having gone back for it. I can barely pay attention to the teacher as I stare at it imaging the secrets that it holds. My best friend is a superhero and I didn’t know.

           After that day things went back to normal. Eliza stopped avoiding me and I pretended as if nothing had changed. Internally I was screaming. My best friend regularly risked her life to save the town. She had saved me before and I did not even realize it was her. It actually seems obvious now! Dragonfly and Eliza are identical – they have the same body type, hair, skin tone, everything! I actually feel stupid that I didn’t realize it sooner. It’s no wonder she did not like talking about Dragonfly’s adventures when it was her the whole time. I keep thinking back to every missed class or canceled sleepover, trying to figure out how I missed something this monumental. I call her my best friend, but if I didn’t notice something like this can I really say that? I feel like a horrible friend.

           I’m just so angry! At myself for not realizing sooner, and at her for not telling me. We are supposed to tell each other everything but she kept this from me. It really hurts. I’m also weirdly jealous. She is out having all of these great adventures while I’ve been stuck at school or home living my boring life. I could have been helping her somehow! I could’ve at least been covering for her at school but apparently, she doesn’t trust me enough… and the worst part is that I can’t confront her without telling her that I looked in her bag. Then she would really have a reason not to trust me.

           A few days pass as I struggle with my newfound knowledge of Eliza’s double life. Eliza, Matt, and I are all in my room doing homework together when Eliza’s phone rings. She excuses herself to take the call. A few moments later she returns and tells us that something came up and she had to leave. Not long after she left, my mom calls me downstairs to the living room where a news report is playing on the screen. I see Eliza in her Dragonfly costume fighting a guy with flaming hair. He kept shooting fire blasts at her and as she dodged the building surrounding her would catch fire. This looks bad. I don’t say anything as I suddenly rush out the door and run down the street. I can vaguely hear Matt and my mom calling for me but I keep running. I have to make it to Eliza. She needs help. I make it to Main Street to see the destroyed buildings. People are running away from the scene as fast as possible. Some are obviously injured as they hobble their way to safety. One man that passes me looks as though he took a direct hit for the villain, his clothes singed and his face marred with fresh burns. This villain is actually hurting people. Someone tries to grab me and pull me away from the battle, but I struggle away and run into a nearby alley to hide. I had to get to Eliza and I couldn’t let anyone stop me.

         I peeked out from my hiding spot to examine the damage. Main Street was burning. Everywhere you looked there were flames slowly engulfing the town, as smoke billowed up into the sky, making it hard to see – hard to breathe. I stood in my hiding spot with my shirt pulled over my face trying to filter out some of the smoke as my eyes burned. I couldn’t see Eliza anywhere and I refused to leave without her. She may be a superhero, but she is not indestructible and she is my friend. I slowly made my way out of the alleyway, ducking down to protect myself from the smoke. Dragonfly had to be here somewhere. Eliza had to be here somewhere. All around me are townspeople running and screaming as they try to escape the destruction. Never had a mutant attack been so devastating. It’s my fault. I distracted their hero just when they needed her the most. I have to fix this, but first I have to find my friend. A car slams into a building nearby and startling me out of my reverie. There. That’s where I need to go.

        I slowly make my way to the site of the crash, muffling my coughs the best I can so as not to draw attention to myself. There is a small clearing ahead that seems to be free of flames and smoke. As I approach I hear the sounds of a battle. I see my best friend in her shining blue suit as she tries to talk down Firestarter, her wings bent and mangled.

        “There is nothing to gain from this!” she yelled at the young mutant as he prepared another flame attack. “Look at all the damage you have caused! All of this needless destruction, all of the people you have hurt here today, they did nothing to deserve this!”

         He laughed as a maniacal grin lit up his face. “Done nothin’?! These people go about their normal lives and look down on mutants like me! They act like I’m some kinda freak like I asked for this or somethin’! You know exactly what I’m talkin’ about too! Don’t even try to pretend that you don’t!” He said with a sneer. I look over at Eliza and see the conflict on her face. She knows he’s right. She has seen how they treat her father and others like him. She knows firsthand how these same people that expect her to save them would treat her if she walked around with her wings on display. I see her hesitate. Firestarter notices too and takes the opening.

         Just before the flames engulf Dragonfly, something incredible happens. Another hero appears. His red suit looks hastily thrown together and crooked as if he had never sewn anything in his life. Four arms stick out from the sides, covered in red winter gloves that were probably found at the bottom of his sock drawer. He is wearing sunglasses instead of a mask, in an attempt to hide his identity. But it is obvious who has come to Dragonfly’s rescue. Mr. Jones rips the door from the wrecked car and uses it as a shield to protect himself as his daughter. He sees me and calls me over to take care of his little girl. I rush to Eliza just as he begins running straight for Firestarter, using the door as a battering ram. Eliza is on her knees, just staring at the spot her father once stood. She’s in shock, and I honestly don’t blame her but I have to get her out of here!

        “Dragonfly, listen to me! We need to get out of here!” I say, trying to get her to move. She just shakes her head, looking as though she wants to cry. “He will be fine, but if you stay here it will be a distraction! He needs you to be safe. So come on! Superdad over there has got this!” she finally looks at me realizing that I know. That I know who she is and I know who had come to her rescue. She nods in understanding and I help her to her feet. We slowly make our way back to the alleyway I had been holed up in earlier.

         “How long have you known?” she says looking me in the eyes. She’s covered in soot and her wings have gone limp. She doesn’t seem angry but she looks as though she could collapse at any minute.

          “I have suspected something was up since Saturday when you disappeared. It wasn’t until today that I discovered the suit in your bag. I am so sorry for invading your privacy! I was so worried that something had happened! You had bruises and you were being so secretive… I just had to do something!” I find myself in near hysterics as I try to explain my reasoning. I look at her to see her response to be immediately engulfed in a hug. She shakes as she sobs into my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her and tell her that everything is going to be alright as her tears seep into my ash covered hoodie.

           We hear footsteps rapidly approaching our hiding spot and Eliza pushes me back and takes on a battle stance, ready to fight to protect me. There is no need for it as Mr. Jones comes barreling down the alley, glasses eschew and costume ripped and wraps his daughter in a hug. He carefully examines her face and the cuts and bruises she sustained from her earlier fighting. He doesn’t look much better as I notice a large gash on his lower left arm. But they are both here and they are both safe now as they cry and collapse into each other’s arms. All is well.

           Later as Mr. Jones and Eliza clean up at their house, he explains what happened after we left. Apparently, he and Eliza aren’t the only heroes in town as a group of the displaced mutants that used to work at the factory appeared and helped him take down Firestarter. He explained that he and some of the other had kept in touch and once he realized that his little girl was in trouble he called on them to help.

      “They all love this town even if this town doesn’t love them. And I love my girl and would do anything to keep her safe,” he explained.

      “But what about Flamehead?” I asked as I sprayed Mr. Jones’ cut with disinfectant spray.

      “He’s being shipped off to a special research facility upstate. They are hoping to figure out a cure and fire boy should be a perfect specimen to do their research on.” He said with a smile.

Though I’m a bit uneasy about the prospect of them conducting research on the kid, I’m still happy that he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else and if they find a cure it could benefit a lot of people, including my friend and her father. I voice this thought out loud.

     “They can keep their cure! I may be a freak but I’m a freak that saved people’s lives today.” He said jovially while standing and striking a pose. “Besides… these extra limbs have kind of grown on me.”

Eliza Groans and shakes her head in dismay. “Really dad? Puns?” she says with a roll of her eyes as her father laughs at his own joke.

       “ Though If I’m going to keep saving the day I’m going to need a real costume and a cool hero name! How about Armistice? Get it? Arm? Or maybe Disarmament?” Eliza grabs my hand and we run upstairs as her father keeps shouting off more and more pun-filled names, laughing the entire way. My best friend and her father are both superheroes now, and they vow to protect the people of Greendale even if the people of Greendale might not always deserve it. Everything is going to be okay.

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My Life as a Background Character Intro

           My Life has always been normal. I go to school, I come home, I hang out with friends on the weekends. There has never been anything particularly interesting about me. I have always been just Annette Turner, daughter of Alyssa and Markus Turner. My Home life is average. I have two loving parents that work a lot but still, try to make time for me. At School, I am just another face in the crowd, not particularly athletic or artistic or popular. I still have some pretty good friends though despite my lack of talent or interesting qualities. I have always just been ordinary, and I used to be okay with that… until recently.

           Things have gotten weird lately and it seems like everyone is having these crazy adventures! Everyone except me. Greendale is supposed to be a quiet, normal, everyday town where nothing special ever happens but now I’m not sure it will ever be the same again. The lives of all of the citizens have been changed or their most hidden secrets have been revealed. Our sleepy little town is in chaos! But with all of this calamity happening, none of it seems to affect me directly. I am still just Annette Turner, an ordinary high school student.

           Everyone around me is out having adventures and finding themselves in extraordinary situations but my life has stayed the same. This is my life as a background character.

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My Life as a Background Character: My Crush Cast a Spell on Me

        Greendale is a place that has seen its fair share of crazy happenings. You can walk down the street and see all kinds of people of all different backgrounds and colors. Some with more limbs than others and some may be hiding fangs but they are all a part of this town that I call home. Despite the craziness that is Greendale, we also have ordinary everyday people, like me. While the wild and scary things may stick out and capture people’s attention the world is made up primarily of the mundane and ordinary and Greendale is no exception. These ordinary people exist alongside the abnormal, sometimes in harmony sometimes not. Some seek out excitement and want to be extraordinary while others are content as they are. Greendale is a place unlike any other and you never know what is going to happen next.

       Going to school every day is a struggle. Sitting through classes, hearing the teachers drone on and on about whatever topic, while your classmates whisper around you is the most boring thing a person can be subjected to. The only things that make coming to this torture chamber bearable are my friends. I don’t know what I would do without them. The other thing that makes coming to this prison worthwhile is that I get to see Daniel Winters, the most wonderful and amazing guy I have ever met. He does not stand out much in the sea of faces, preferring to just stand back and let the louder voices speak. He is, however, incredibly kind and has the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen. But most importantly Daniel’s a normie like me. In the sea of crazy that is this town; Daniel and I are both plain and ordinary people, not destined for anything extraordinary or fantastic. As much as I love my friends and the rest of this crazy town, it’s nice to know that someone is just as boring as I am.

       Today is the day. I am finally going to go up to him and tell him how I feel. We do not talk much but we have been in the same class since pre-k. The only time in my life that I can remember him not being there was when he disappeared to his Aunt Sylvia’s house for a few months this last summer. Other than that his presence has been a constant in my life. I know what his voice sounds like as it travels over a crowded cafeteria. I know the path he takes to school every day and where he likes to go on the weekends. I know his birthday and his favorite type of cake. I know everything about him and it just makes me love him even more. Today, I am going to tell him that. My friends have been building up my confidence lately. I mean if I can face off against a super villain or a vampire, how hard can it be to talk to a boy?

        Very hard apparently. I have tried to approach him a total of seven times throughout the school day and every time something happens! The first three times were my fault because I kept chickening out, but the other four times were infuriating! Why is his friend chuck always with him? Doesn’t he have classes to get to? And why did today have to be spirit day? I finally got him alone and had actually asked if I could speak to him in private when the entire marching band and cheer squad started marching down the hallway. I tried to speak over them but he couldn’t hear me and then Eliza, being full of pep and cheer, grabbed my hand and forced me into the crowd as it made its way to the gym. I hate football season.

       So now I’m stuck standing in the bleachers at some lame pep rally instead of telling the boy of my dreams how I feel and running off into the sunset. Well maybe not the sunset, it is only 3 o’clock after all. Eliza is out there cheering with her squad as the football players get pumped for yet another Friday night. I have to remember to ask her how she hides her wings when she’s wearing her uniform. The cheers and shouts of the assembled students ring in my ears as my failure settles in and eats at me. Well, at least I tried.

        The pep rally finally ends and all of the students are dismissed. I walk out dejectedly with Matt trailing behind me talking about his date with Evan tonight. I wish I had a date tonight but the universe decided it was not to be.

       “Hey Annie, look who it is!” Matt says knowingly, pointing to Daniel. Maybe the universe is giving me another chance.

       “Hey Matty, listen, I’ve gotta go. It was nice talking to you and I’m sure you and Evan will have oodles of fun on your date. Talk to you later. Bye!” I say as I rush after Daniel’s retreating form. He seems to be going back in to the school instead of leaving like the rest of us. Weird. I follow him quietly, waiting for him to stop so I can talk to him properly. He finally does and I take a deep breath to prepare myself, but when I open my mouth to call out to him he walks into a nearby broom closet. Even weirder.

       I walk up to the door and listen to the sound of his voice as it travels through the wood. He seems to be talking to himself. I decide that it would be best to announce my presence, so I open the door. “Hey, Daniel we didn’t get a chance to talk earlier,” I say as I poke my head inside, just in time to see his blue eyes go wide and a green light emanate from the stick he is holding before it begins to envelop him. I close my eyes against the brightness and when I open them Daniel is gone.

       I sat on the floor of that broom closet for a while just thinking of all of the possibilities. Is Daniel a mutant? A vampire? Something else? Why is everyone around me something else? I thought I knew him. I thought he was like me. Normal. But normal people don’t have magic wands or vanish in a flash of light! The janitor eventually came along and kicked me out but I was not ready to go home. I took a detour through Emery Park where I have been pacing back and forth for the past two hours. I thought I knew him. I thought I knew everything about him. I know his class schedule, who his friends are, where he lives. I know that he often smells like lavender from his mom’s flower shop. I know that he likes to go to the arcade every Saturday and what games he favors. But I did not know this. I did not know that he has some kind of magical powers. Did I ever actually know anything about him?

       A pair of hands suddenly grabs me from behind as I’m surrounded by that same green light from earlier. I close my eyes tight and feel myself floating for a moment. When my feet hit solid ground once more I yank myself away, falling to the floor in the process. I look up and see Daniel looking down at me, his face unreadable. “You weren’t supposed to see that,” he says in a tired-sounding voice. I’ve discovered his biggest secret and now he has to deal with me. He begins pacing the room, rubbing the back of his neck and running his hand through his hair. I just stay where I am on the ground and take in the vial filled room around us. Is that a cauldron? I really hope he doesn’t decide to put me in there. I’m too young to become soup!

       He finally stops his pacing and muttering and heaves a big sigh. As he turns to look at me I hold my breath, scared of what he will say next. “I’m sorry” he says, as he comes over to me,” I should not have abducted you like that, but I really needed to talk to you about what you saw today. It’s kind of a big secret and no one is supposed to know.” He stoops down and offers me his hand. As he helps me to my feet I realize how ridiculous I was being. I may not know him as well as I thought, but I do know that he would never try and cook me. He’s too nice for that.

       “I’m the one who should be sorry. I should not have followed you into the closet like that. I promise I won’t tell anyone!”

       “Thank you. If my Parents found out that someone had figured me out I would be sent to live with my Aunt. Not exactly a pleasant thought.” He says with a laugh in his voice. The atmosphere is suddenly tense as both of us avoid eye contact. His hand has found its way to his neck again.

       “So I forgot to ask earlier, but what was it that you wanted to talk to me about earlier today?” He says as he looks at me again. For a second I lose my train of thought as my eyes catch his. His words sink in and I remember my quest from earlier today. It seems like so long ago now. I feel my face heating up and I know I’m blushing. This is my chance! We are finally alone together and his attention is solely on me.

       “It was nothing worth talking about,” I find myself saying. The truth is I can’t bring myself to tell him knowing what I know now. I thought I was in love with him, but I knew nothing about him. We hardly even spoke to each other and now I’ve gone and forced my way into his life. Telling him how I feel would be selfish at this point.

       “Are you sure?” he asks. I just nod and give him a reassuring smile. That is a conversation for another day.

       I ended up staying at his house until after the sun had gone down. He had not had anyone his own age to talk to about his powers and was excited to finally have a friend to discuss it with. He showed me around his workroom and let me flip through his spellbook. It was the most I had ever spoken to him. I went home with a smile on my face, realizing that we are actually friends now and that this meant I might actually get to spend time with him. I feel guilty about walking in on him like that but some good came out of it. I also think that if he spends some time with me then maybe he will grow to like me just as much as I like him. I could not wait to see him again the next day. I went home and got ready for bed. I went to sleep that night dreaming of blue eyes and magic potions.

       The next day I woke up early so I could get ready to go over to Daniel’s house again. He asked me to come back because he wanted to show me some big project he is working on. He seemed really excited about it and said he wanted my opinion on it. He actually wants my opinion on something! I spent the morning trying on everything in my closet. It may not be a date but I still want to look my best. Maybe he’ll see me all dressed up and realize that he wants to be more than friends. It’s unlikely, but a girl can still hope.

       I walk the three blocks over to his place and knock on the door. He answers immediately with a big smile on his face. He has such a pretty smile. He ushers me in and we make our way down into his workroom, laughing and joking around on our way down the steps. There is a stool set up in the middle of the room and he directs me to sit at it. I can help the giggles that escape me as I take in how dramatic he is being about this entire thing.

       “Good evening ladies and gentleman!” he says with a flourish, barely containing his own giggles as he swishes a cape around his shoulders. “Prepare to be amazed as I, the great Danini, present to you my life’s work!”

       “You know you are only 15, right?” I laugh as he nearly trips over his cape, which I now realize is a throw blanket he probably stole from his parents’ couch. He shoots a sheepish grin my direction and I feel my heart skip a beat. This boy is completely ridiculous but he is also completely perfect.

       “I must ask the audience to save their commentary until after the show,” he says as he gives me a pointed look, his brown hair falling into his eyes. I mime zipping my lips and he smiles back at me.

       “About a year ago our little town was changed forever. The citizens were changed into mutants and the only known cure was destroyed! Until now.” He looks at me to gauge my reaction but I’m frozen. A cure? For mutants? What is he talking about? When I don’t react he continues. “Many believe that the cause of the mutations was scientific, a chemical spill or leak causing the changes we have seen, but that is not the case! The source is in fact magical. Some witch or wizard’s spell gone awry. The so-called cure that they gave out only worked because it contained a certain magical ingredient, an ingredient that was missing in the second batch of cures. I believe that I can create a potion that will cure all of the mutants in town, even after a year’s time! Isn’t that great!”

       “Yeah, it is,” I say without much conviction. All I can think of is Eliza and her father. All of the hate they have received and all of the good they have done with their powers. They could be cured, but after all of this time, would they want to be. Daniel continued on, explaining the process to me but I could not hear a word he said. My mind had flown far away. Maybe this is a good thing. Eliza and her dad could be normal again and if the cure works, the town won’t even need superheroes anymore. She could stop being Dragonfly and go back to being my best friend.

       I leave Daniel’s house a little while later, promising to help him with his project in any way I can. He says he needs to find a test subject to try out the potion on. My brain immediately goes to my best friend, but I know she would not agree. I still call her and Matt up and ask to meet them at Eliza’s house. I need someone to talk to about all of this.

       I arrive at Eliza’s and find the two of them upstairs, gushing about Evan together like a couple of regular teenagers. I can almost forget that the boy they are talking about has fangs and a penchant for blood. Their lives are so much more complicated than mine. I miss the days when we were all normal. I catch their attention and begin telling them about all I had learned. I just hope that Daniel will forgive me for revealing his secret.

       “So you are telling me that ol’ blue eyes is a witch and he wants to cure me of my mutanism?” Eliza says angrily. I knew she would not take this well. She loves being a superhero.

       “Yes. He has figured out a way to cure the entire town! Isn’t that amazing?” I say, knowing that my word would upset her. She looks as though she want to slap some sense into me. Matt’s hand on hers seems to be the only thing holding her back. Before I realize what I’m saying all of my thoughts about this spring forth from my mouth. I tell her that if there are no more mutants then she won’t have to fight crime anymore. I tell her that she can be normal again. I even mention that maybe we can find a cure for Vampirism too! Everyone can be normal again!

       “Why would anyone want to be normal? It’s so boring! I don’t even want to go back to that! I’m actually somebody now, I actually matter to people. I would hate to be just a normie!” Eliza shouts. Matt nods his head in agreement.

       “Annie, we like not being normal. Evan and I have even been discussing him turning me.” Matt says carefully. My brain is swimming. He wants to be a vampire now? I understand Eliza wanting to keep her powers, but this? This is too much!

       “You’re right. Who would ever want to be a normie? We are just so plain and boring and ordinary. I don’t even know how you are still friends with someone as pathetic as me!” I cry as I run out of the room. They try to stop me, but I just keep running. My tears are blinding as I run home. Back to my ordinary house with my ordinary parents. Back to my ordinary room. Why would anyone want to be normal? Why would anyone want to be like me?

       It’s Tuesday. Matt and Eliza kept trying to call me and even tried visiting. I turned them away. I convinced my mom to let me skip school on Monday, but she would not allow a second day. I make my way up the stairs to school and head towards my locker. Matt is still at his own so I keep walking. Throughout the day I avoid them. It’s for the best. They don’t need someone as boring as me holding them back. Daniel tries to talk to me too, but I quickly make an excuse and leave. He’s like them. He is special. No one wants a normie like me as a friend, let alone as a girlfriend. I never stood a chance.

        The school day ends and I prepare to head home. Daniel rushes up to me and grabs me by the hand. His wand is out before I can protest and I’m transported, once again, to his workroom. He does not even stop to make sure I was okay before he’s rambling on about his project.

       “I found it! I found the ingredient! I can make the cure!” He says as he walks around the room, pouring and combining different vials and mixtures. I almost want to tell him where he can shove his cure, but I refrain. I know I can never have him, but I still like him too much to be rude. “All I need now is a test subject to prove that it works!”

       His words settle over me like a cloud. I want to tell him that there is no one that would be willing to get rid of their powers. That mutants are fine how they are; that they would not want to go back to be normal after being mutants for so long. But another thought comes to me instead.

       “What about me?” I ask him. He looks at me for a second and laughs. I try not to feel hurt.

“Are you secretly a mutant now Annette?” he chuckles, “I kind of need a mutant to test it, you know, seeing as it is a cure for mutanism?”

       His voice is so condescending as he says this that I almost tear up. He doesn’t take me seriously. Of course he wouldn’t, I’m not special enough to even help him. “Then make me one,” I say with as much conviction as I can. The laughter instantly drains out of his voice. He is looking at me like I had grown two heads. It is a shame that I hadn’t because then he would have his mutant.

       “Annette, I can’t just make you a mutant. That’s crazy!” His hand is back on his neck, he’s thinking again.

       “You said so yourself that the mutations were caused by magic. Well, you’re magic! I know you can pull it off. And besides wouldn’t it be more beneficial if you knew exactly which spell you were countering with your ‘cure’?” He looks at me and all arguments die on his tongue. He knows I’m right.

       “Still I have no clue what kind of mutation you will get or how long you’ll be stuck like that. It’s too risky. I just got you as a friend; I would hate to lose you so soon.” He says this with a smile but I also sense pity in his voice. Everyone has pity for the normie.

      “If I wasn’t okay with the consequences, then I would not be offering. I know mutants in real life and I know all of the things that come along with it. I will be your test subject. I trust you to put me back when this is all over.” I say matter-of-factly. I really hope he agrees. Maybe if I’m not just a normal girl anymore I’ll be good enough for everyone. He has a look on his face and suddenly he takes off around the room, gathering the needed herbs and spells. He is muttering about all of the possible side effects and giving me a basic rundown of what he is doing. I don’t care; I just want to get this over with. He sets the vial down in front of me while he goes to upstairs to get the last few ingredients from his mother’s garden. I sit and look around the room wondering what kind of mutation I might get.

       “What do you think you are doing?” I turn at the sound of Eliza’s voice and see her, Matt, and Evan trailing behind Daniel. He looks flustered. Eliza probably yelled at him until he led them to me. I feel guilty about telling them his secret and I make a promise to myself to apologize later.

       “I’m helping out a friend. This does not concern you.” I say in a flat tone. I hope she gets the message.

       “By trying to turn yourself into a mutant? Are you nuts?!” Eliza stomps across the room to me and I see her eyes straying towards the vial beside me. She is going to destroy it! “You don’t need to change yourself! You are fine the way you are!”

       I glance at the vial and then to my friends. I am not like them. I am just Annette. I exist in the background. But what if I wasn’t? What if I was something more? In a split second, I grab the vial and drain its contents. I hear them all yell at me to stop and the ensuing panic, but I can say nothing. My body feels weak and I seem to be shrinking. At least I think I am. Eliza is definitely getting bigger. The feeling stops and I look up at Eliza.

       “Oh Annie, what have you done?” She squats down and picks me up. I am small enough to fit in her hands. I try to tell her that I am okay but all that comes out is a croaking noise. I’m scared. Just what did Daniel’s potion do to me? I hear him rushing around the room to find something to change me back while Eliza holds me close to her face. Matt and Evan walk up to her and they all stare at me in my new form.

       “I did not mean to say all of that the other day. There is nothing wrong with being normal, Annie. It’s just is not something I want for myself anymore. I should have realized that saying something like that would hurt you though, and I am sorry.” she says as she looks into my eyes.

       “Yeah, Annie! You are our best friend in the world. We like you just the way you are! You don’t need to change yourself to be our friend. Being normal is boring, yes, but there is nothing normal about you, you idiot!” Matt says this with a smile and I croak at him in confusion. I am normal though. I’m just a regular girl, well was just a regular girl, with a regular life. I don’t have powers or a vampire boyfriend. I’m just me.

       “How many normal people would run out into the middle of a fight with a supervillain just to drag their superhero best friend to safety?” Eliza says with a laugh.

       “What normal girl meets a vampire in an alley and lives to tell the tale?” Evan adds, recalling our first meeting.

       “What normal girl then proceeds to stalk said vampire to make sure he doesn’t eat his date?” Matt adds dryly. All of them laugh at that one. “Let’s not even mention where we are standing right now! There is nothing normal about you. You are amazing and we are all lucky to have you as our friend.” I feel myself wanting to cry. Can frogs even cry? I look up at my friends, my glorious, amazing, awe-inspiring friends and I realize that I love being their background character because it means I get to be a part of the adventures they have and I get to be there for them whenever they need me.

        “I hate to interrupt, but I think I’m ready to change our little friend there back into a princess,” Daniel says while walking over to our group. Eliza hands me over to him. My face would be so red right now if it wasn’t already green!

       “Is this the part where you kiss her?” Matt says jokingly. I swear I am going to hit him when I’m back to normal. I look up at Daniel in apology to see him blushing. Well, maybe I won’t hit Matt after all. Daniel pours the potion over my head and I begin to feel myself grow. I close my eyes as I wait for the feeling to stop. When I open them I see two bright blue ones staring back at me as Daniel cradles me in his arms. It takes me a moment to realize what is happening and I soon flail and jump, landing in a heap on the floor. My friends all laugh at me as I cross my arms in a huff. Daniel stands behind me with a confused look on his face. Everything turned out okay.

       I am Annette Turner and I am just a normal girl with a not so normal life. I live in a small town where crazy things happen every day. I recently discovered that one of my best friends is a superhero and my other best friend is dating a vampire! I also just found out that my crush is secretly a wizard that can cast spells and brew potions. All of the people in my life seem to have this crazy stuff going on around them, but to me, they are my friends. Sometimes it can get overwhelming having so many amazing people in my life when I am just a normal girl. Sometimes I feel like like nothing more than a background character in someone else’s story, but that is okay.

       Everyone has their own story to tell, whether they are larger than life or an ordinary person like me. More importantly, every story has background characters. We are all in the background in someone else’s story. Sometimes being in the background can make you feel small and insignificant, but you have your own story with your own background characters. If you spend all of your time worrying about who you are in someone else’s story then you stop noticing your own. My friends are incredible, but so am I in my own way. I love being their background character, just as much as I love having them as mine. There are billions of stories out there to be told and this is mine. I am a background character and this is my life.

[cometkittiesoriginalcontent]

My Life as a Background Character: Matt’s Fangtastic Date

       Greendale is a place where fantastic, out of the ordinary things happen every day. This seemingly sleepy little place is home to strange occurrences and even stranger people. So strange, in fact, that an entire subset of people exists that we refer to only as mutants. Due to a chemical spill that left part of the town with strange mutations and abilities. Since then we have seen the rise of heroes and villains, as well as groups that wish to see all of their kind dead. The social climate here has definitely changed as a result, with neighbors and friends existing on opposite ends of the debate. Greendale has a lot of problems now.

      Another thing that Greendale has is a high number of disappearances. Within the last year, there have been at least twenty people and even more pets that have vanished without a trace. Many try and blame this on the mutants and use it as even more fodder for their hate-filled campaigns, but the disappearances started long before the chemical leak. The mutants are not the only strange thing about Greendale. There is something else, something much more sinister hiding below the surface.

       I was walking home from Eliza’s house one night after eating dinner with her and her father. He had made some overly complicated vegetable dish so that he could show off how fast he was at working with his four arms. I often went over there to speak to the pair of them about their adventures as the town’s superhero pair, being the only one that knows their secret. It was just after eight when I decided it was time to walk home. My parents had a strictly enforced nine o’clock curfew in place for me, especially with all of the crazy occurrences that have been happening lately.

       I was walking down Jefferson Street, just past Chuck’s corner store when it happened. Jefferson Street is a long narrow street filled with nearly identical homes, all with their own fenced in yards. Usually, the Davis’ dog, Roscoe, can be heard barking long before I turn the corner, but tonight all I hear are crickets chirping in the darkness. I continue my trek up the street towards the Davis’ house ready to see my favorite little buddy jumping on the fence in greeting. But when I get there Roscoe is nowhere to be found. Instead, I see little patches of blue fur lining the grass and sidewalk. Roscoe’s fur.

      Walking home alone suddenly seems much more dangerous than it did a few moments ago. I try to ignore my concern for the little mutant dog and continue up the street towards home. I still have several blocks to go before I reach my destination. Every sound I hear makes me jump and quicken my steps. A cat screeching in the dark makes me want to jump out of my skin. I finally hit Main Street and my fear starts to wane as more and more street lamps click on. That’s when I hear it. In between two small businesses is a barely lit alleyway, and coming from it I hear the sound of whimpering. Common sense tells me to just leave. To go home and lock the door. There’s blue fur on the ground in front of me. I go down the alleyway hoping that my mind is just creating worst-case scenarios and that I’ll find that stupid dog unharmed. Down the alley, there is a dumpster with a small pile of boxes beside it. The whining and whimpering seems to be coming from the stacks of cardboard. I begin to move the boxes to get to the source of the sound and soon I have found him. Roscoe. Except he is not unharmed as I foolishly hoped. There, where his collar used to be, are two small holes. His blue fur is streaked with blood. He continues to look at me as he whimpers, obviously in pain. I have to call for help!

      I take out my cell phone and begin to call Eliza. Having a flying superhero for a best friend can come in handy in an emergency. I could just hear the dial tone when suddenly I am thrown against the wall by an unseen force. My phone is ripped from my hands and I suddenly find myself staring into a pair of red eyes. Red. The color streaks his face and stains his lips. His skin is pale and his hands, which are pinning me against the walls, are cold. I barely hear Roscoe whimpering from his place on the ground over the sound of my own heart racing. Is this what it feels like to stare death in the face? I hope not.

      He stares down at me with a look in his eyes that almost looks like fear. What does he have to be afraid of in the situation? I’m the one being held against a wall by an actual vampire while his most recent victim lies on the ground near my feet! This is definitely not how I envisioned my own death. I planned on being old and grey holding the hand of my husband, Daniel Winters, as we fade out together like in some cheesy romance movie. Instead, I’m going to die in a dirty alleyway beside a dumpster. A blue dog as my only companion. On the plus side, if I die tonight I don’t have to take the geometry test tomorrow. Silver linings.

     He opens his mouth to speak to reveal sharp fangs and more blood drips down his face. I cringe and look away, unable to handle the site.

     “I’m not going to hurt you,” he says in a frantic whisper. My eyes are screwed shut as wait for the piercing feeling of his fangs entering my neck. Maybe I have seen too many horror movies, but considering the situation I am currently in I feel my assumptions are accurate. I hear him sigh, and his grip loosens slightly. This is my chance! Using every last bit of courage and strength I have, I kick him away and take off running away from the alley leaving Roscoe and the terrifying creature behind. He doesn’t follow.

       The next day I find myself sitting in class, a test in front of me with numbers that seem to swim across the page. I did not sleep last night for fear of him coming to find me. Geometry is even more impossible than usual. I look around the room, seeing Matt concentrating on his test at the desk beside me. He was really chipper when he entered class today and if I had even an ounce of energy today I probably would’ve asked him, instead his peppiness is annoying. How can he be so happy when vampires are apparently roaming the streets, ready to suck our blood? I want to ask, to tell him what I saw but I’m afraid he won’t believe me, or worse that he’ll assume I ran into a mutant and started crying monster. It happens and is a real problem Greendale faces and I don’t want people thinking that I believe that rhetoric. For all I know that was a mutant I saw last night, but most mutants do not go around drinking the blood from little doggies in back alleys. If he is a mutant, then he is a dangerous one that needs to be stopped. I plan on telling Eliza later. If anyone can do something to fix this it will be her. She fights wayward mutants on a regular basis so a vampire should not be much of a challenge. Maybe she will even use a wooden stake to do it?

       The bell rings and I realize that I had drifted off and left over half of my test blank. Great. Well, there goes my GPA. I gather my stuff and shuffle to the door to walk with Matt to our next class. He’s talking animatedly with Georgie Kline about the test, apparently, he actually feels good about this one. Is this what it feels like to want to stab your best friend? He looks at me and tries to get me in on the conversation, which is honestly the last thing I want right now.

       “So how do you think you did?” Matt asks with a smile. I want to smack it right off of his face. Instead, I just groan. Maybe I was attacked by a zombie last night and not a vampire because I certainly feel like one right now.

       “That bad?” he says with a grimace, Georgie wearing a similar expression beside him. “I’m sure it will be okay. Mrs. Womack is usually pretty nice about these things and I’m sure if you ask you can get some extra credit or something.”

       “Yeah! And it was only one test so it’ll be fine” Georgie says. I just groan again. I need sleep, not a pep talk. Georgie excuses herself as we approach the lockers. Matt and I are lucky to have ours beside each other. He quietly opens his and begins digging around while I stare blankly at my combination lock. This is going to be a long day. I hear the rattling of a pill bottle beside my head and turn to see Matt grinning with headache medicine in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Forget what I said about wanting to stab him, he’s the best friend a girl could have!

      “I figured you could use these, seeing as you are half dead today,” he says while handing them over to me. I take them from his hands and quickly swallow them. Matt has begun fiddling with my lock and within seconds it swings open. Normally I would question how he knew my combination, but today I am just grateful.

        “Try to wake up please, I have some amazing news to tell you but it’s no fun if you can’t get properly excited for me,” Matt says as he gathers his things and walks away, heading to his next class. I quickly get what I need and follow. Hopefully, the pills kick in soon.

          Classes continue in this manner until lunch time where we join Eliza and the others at our usual table. I have managed to wake up a little but now I keep remembering all of the little details of the attack last night. The way the blood dripped down his pale face as his blond colored hair seemed to shine even in the darkness. Maybe that one author got it right, maybe vampires do sparkle? I find myself actually smiling at the thought of the one I encountered last night covered in glitter. That would definitely make him less scary than the covered in dog blood look he was rocking last night.

          Once everyone had gathered at the table Matt stood up and cleared his throat, making everyone at our little table stop and listen. “I have an important announcement to make! So hear ye hear ye!” he says being dramatic as possible. He pauses in an attempt to increase our anticipation. Everyone turns away and goes back to their own conversations instead. “Fine. Fine. I won’t make you wait any longer! Over the weekend I, Matthew James Garrett, met someone!”

          “That’s great Matt! Where’d you meet him? What’s his name?” I say excitedly. This is a big deal for Matt. He has had a hard time in the very limited dating pool he has here in Greendale, so for him to find a guy he’s willing to talk about means that he’s actually serious about this one.

          “His name is Evan and I met him at Gina’s, you know the little cafe that stays open all night? Well, it was like ten and I decided to go get some coffee to help me get through the literature homework. Mom was still at work so she wouldn’t notice if I left. I walked in and there he was! Pale, blond, and gorgeous with brown eyes! I decided to drink my coffee there and we ended up talking until after midnight. By the way, I’m grounded for a week, but once the week is up we agreed to meet up for an actual date!”

          “That’s great Matt! He sounds great!” I say but I also feel the need to reprimand him for being out so late, especially after last night, “Just try not to go out so late at night by yourself, you never know who or what is out there.” He gives me a strange look before laughing at what I said, the rest of our friends joining in. Of course they wouldn’t take me seriously, I habitually stay out much later than I should. Things are different now though and I want the people I care about to be safe. Honestly, now that I think about it, it’s strange that we haven’t all been given stricter curfews and more rules since the factory incident. A guy set half of the town on fire a few weeks ago! What are our parents thinking letting us go out alone at night?!

          The bell rings and we all gather our things to leave the cafeteria. Matt and Eliza are staring down at his phone and talking in hushed tones. I walk over and look at the phone, noticing that it is open to someone’s online profile. My eyes take in the picture and I feel my blood run cold. There on the screen, beside the name Evan Doyle, is the vampire. His eyes are brown in the picture and his skin is less pale, but I know it is him. I guess the myth about vampires not showing up on film is a lie, or maybe he really is a mutant. Either way, one fact remains: My friend has a date with a vampire.

       School had finally ended for the day and I am headed back to my house with Eliza. I need to tell her about the vampire and about how much danger our dear friend Matt is truly in. I know she will listen to me and help me come up with a solution. Matt was so happy at lunch and I don’t want to take that away from him, but his safety comes first. I just don’t know how to tell him without seeming crazy. Why do all of my friends have to end up in crazy situations like this? One’s a superhero and now the other is dating the undead. This is not normal!

          I quickly lead Eliza up the stairs, not even stopping to greet my mom on the way up. I need to talk to someone before I burst. I secure the door behind us and press my back to it. Eliza is staring at me like I’ve gone insane. Hopefully what I’m about to say doesn’t confirm that I have. “Okay. Are you going to explain why you are acting so weird and why you made me come all the way over here instead of going home? I’ve got like a million assignments to catch up on, so this better be good.”

          I stare at her for a moment, trying to find the words. I can tell she’s getting irritated with me. She huffs and starts to walk towards the door. Prepared to push me out of the way so she can leave. I understand her irritation, as a superhero, her time is very limited. As she’s about to turn the doorknob I find myself shouting, “Matt’s new boyfriend is a vampire!”

          She pauses and turns to stare at me. “What are you talking about?” she says coldly. She doesn’t believe me. I soon find myself babbling, recounting all that happened last night while pacing around the room. She listens intently, only interrupting when I mention the fate of poor Roscoe. When I finish my story I collapse on the bed and she walks over to sit beside me.

       “Are you sure that it was the same guy?” she asks hopefully. I wish I could give her the answer she wants.

      “Yes. I’m sure. His eyes are brown in the picture but that’s the only real difference that I see.”

      She sighs and leans back to lie beside me. “What do we do?” she asks. I wish I had an answer.

        The rest of the week goes by quickly. I keep trying to get Matt alone but every attempt ends in failure. He is never alone at school, constantly telling anyone that will listen about his date.  If he wasn’t grounded I would visit him at home, but that isn’t an option at the moment. Eliza has begun doing nighttime patrols to see if there are any more sightings. There have been none. It’s Saturday and Matt’s big date is tonight. His weeklong grounding has been lifted. Eliza and I head over to his house, planning to finally tell him. Hopefully, he listens. We arrive and he excitedly takes us upstairs to help him pick out what to wear. I’m nervous and I can tell Eliza is too. He finally decides on an outfit, a red shirt and some nice jeans. Red. How appropriate.

       He finally sits down with us and starts to talk about Evan. About how they have been talking and messaging each other all week and how great he is. We need to tell him. I need to tell him. He’s in the middle of retelling a joke that Evan apparently sent him when I can’t take it anymore. “Your boyfriend is a vampire!” I shout, “A blood-sucking creature of the night!”

       The room goes quiet after my outburst. Eliza looks like she wants to hit me. While I admit that was not the most eloquent way of telling him, at least I said it. Matt starts laughing.  “That’s a good one, Annie!” he says through his chuckles, “a vampire? Really? Someone has been watching too much television lately.”

       “I’m not joking! I saw him in an alley covered in blood! He ate Roscoe! You have to believe me.”

       “First off, who is Roscoe? And second, what are you talking about? Covered in blood? You haven’t even met him yet!” Matt says with obvious anger and confusion. I begin to tell my story again, with Eliza interjecting occasionally. When I finish Matt is quiet and is looking down at the floor. He isn’t taking this well and I don’t blame him. He thought he finally found a decent guy in Greendale only to find out that he’s been talking to a monster. He’s realizing just what Evan meant when he asked him to dinner.

       “I can’t believe you would go this far to keep me from going out with someone,” he says with malice in his voice. “I thought you were my friends, but I guess I was wrong.”

      “Matt, we are not lying! We are trying to protect you! You are our best friend and we just want what is best for you!” I say with tears streaming down my face. Why won’t believe me? He’s known me for years; he should know that I would never try to hurt him unless there was a good reason.

       “Get out,” he says coldly. “Just go.” I can feel my heart breaking. He doesn’t believe me and now I’ve ruined one of the best friendships I’ve ever had. Even worse is that I might lose even more than that if he goes on that date tonight. Eliza grabs my hand and drags me out of the house. Matt says nothing as we walk out. His date starts in a few hours and I failed.

       Eliza and I decide to stake out the date. If Matt won’t listen then at least we can be there if anything happens. We are stationed across the street from the restaurant with a pair of binoculars. Matt and Evan have just arrived at the door and are being led inside. Seeing him now in person confirms what I already knew. It is definitely the same person.  Matt has a huge smile on his face and is laughing at something Evan said. Apparently, vampires can be funny. I wonder if he’ll still be laughing when Evan’s teeth are piercing his throat later.

       The date seems to be going well and they stay in the restaurant for a couple of hours before finally getting up to leave. They emerge from the restaurant holding hands. If he wasn’t a killer I would say they make a cute couple. I gather my surveillance equipment so that I can move to a new location. Eliza, wearing her blue super suit, takes to the air. She can get a better vantage point from above and if she gets caught she can just say Dragonfly was patrolling the area. Thankfully Matt doesn’t know about her double life yet. We have our phones so we can keep in contact. I trail them from the ground, hiding behind plants and in alleys the entire way. Definitely one of the stranger things I’ve found myself doing, but if it’s for a friend I will do whatever it takes! They stop and head inside of the movie theater. Eliza rushes down beside me. We have to follow them inside. Movie theaters are dark and the perfect place to hide nefarious activities. Eliza quickly covers her suit and removes the mask. We walk up to the window to get tickets, trying to keep a low profile. We manage to make it into the movie and sit in the back, several rows behind our targets. They seem to be having a lot of fun. It’s a shame we have to end it.

       The movie we are watching is some ridiculous horror flick about a doll that comes to life. Interesting that these two would choose a horror movie to watch, though I suspect Matt did that on purpose expecting his date to be easily scared. I swear that boy is a walking cliché sometimes. From where I sit I can see his arm around the back of Evan’s seat. I roll my eyes at the predictability and Eliza is trying to stifle giggles beside me. The movie reaches its climax and I find myself getting invested, so much so that I stop paying attention to our little couple. The lights come on as the credit roll. We were supposed to exit before the movie ended so we wouldn’t be seen. Too late. Matt has noticed us and he looks like he could murder us. The mission is a failure.

          He grabs me by the arm and drags me out to the lobby, Eliza and Evan following. He turns me to look at him before he starts yelling. I see Evan behind him with a look of absolute terror on his face. I think he recognizes me. Good. “I can’t believe you! Just stay out of my business and leave us alone.” Matt says, but I’m paying him very little attention. Eliza is speaking to Evan, but his eyes keep wandering to me. He knows that I know.

          “Why don’t you tell him the truth, Evan? If that is your real name?” I remark, ignoring Matt’s anger for the time being.

          “Annette stop!” Matt shouts.

       “You recognize me. I know you do. You had me pinned against a wall earlier this week!” I say accusingly. Evan visibly stiffens his eyes looking back and forth between Matt and I. Matt reaches over and grabs his arm, leading him away with a glare and an angry scoff.

       “Don’t you dare follow us.” He says over his shoulder as they walk away. Eliza and I just look at each other before taking off after them.

       We find ourselves traveling down Main street towards the alleyway where this all began. Evan apparently has a favorite dinner location. Eliza flies us both up to the roof of one of the building so we can look down and watch. They are talking in hushed tones. Matt seems to be apologizing for my behavior earlier. Evan stops him though. We can only hear bits and pieces of the conversation, but when even flashes his fangs I knew it was time to intervene. Eliza and I jump down in between our friend and his would-be attacker, preparing to fight if need be. Evan jumps back in surprise and Matt is visibly shaking behind us. “Don’t worry Matt we are here to protect you!” Eliza says as I try to calm him down.

       “I told you not to follow,” Matt says quietly. “I’m okay. Just leave. Please.”

       “But Matt!” I say trying to talk some sense into him. This is a real-life vampire we are talking about.

       “He won’t hurt me,” Matt whispers as he pushes me aside. “He isn’t dangerous. I know he’s not. So please go home and let me finish my date.” He grabs Evans hand and starts walking out of the alley. Evan looks just as surprised as us as he is led away. Eliza and I stand in the alley, shock on our faces. Matt chose to continue his date with a vampire.

       Matt does not respond to any of our messages the next day; however, he does change his relationship status online. He’s alive. He also has a vampire boyfriend now apparently. I want to be happy for him but I’m still scared. Evan may not intend to hurt Matt, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous. I make it to second-period geometry. Matt is there but he hasn’t looked my way at all. I guess I did end up ruining our friendship. The bell rings and I head to my locker hoping to talk to him. Matt continues down the hall.  This feels awful and I want to apologize, but also I don’t feel like I should have to. I was right about Evan, even if I was wrong about his intentions. I did see him in that alleyway that night. I did see Roscoe’s blood on his face. I needed to save Matt from the same fate.

       Lunch has finally arrived and I expect to see an empty spot at our table where Matt usually sits. Instead, I hear him laughing and see him and Eliza laughing about something on his phone. I hesitantly approach and set my stuff down. Matt grins at me and hands me his phone. On it is an open chat with Evan. The two of them have apparently been sending vampire puns and jokes to each other. The most recent one, from Evan, is a picture of him with a cup of coffee with the words ‘don’t worry, it’s decoffinated’ written over it in red lettering. I found myself giggling along with my friends as I hand the phone back. Everything seems to be okay. We laugh and joke throughout lunch and Matt explains what happened after we left. Apparently, Evan has only been a vampire for a few months. He got attacked while visiting the city and found himself with red eyes and need for blood. So far he’s been dealing with this craving with a diet of very rare meat products and the occasional stray animal. Matt explains that the night I caught Evan red-fanged, Roscoe had already escaped the fence. He apparently cut himself on the way out and Evan followed the scent. He had no idea that Roscoe had an owner. I remember the little tufts of blue fur on the fence and at the entrance to the alley. It made sense. The stupid dog hurt himself in a ridiculous escape attempt. Evan saw an opportunity, and though I am not sure how okay I am with the idea of him sucking the life out of little cats and dogs all over the city, I can understand why. Matt invited me and Eliza to hang out with him and Evan later this week so that we can get to know him properly and so that I can apologize for outing him without his permission. I have my friend back and I couldn’t be happier.

      I went to Eliza’s again that night to study for a geometry make-up exam. Mrs. Womack took pity on me and is letting me retake the test. On the way home I stop in front of the Davis’ empty backyard remembering the stupid blue dog that used to inhabit it. Mrs. Davis comes outside and smiles and waves at me as she holds the door open behind her. A little blue creature comes running outside and starts jumping on the fence. Roscoe is alive! I find myself laughing and petting the little menace as he excitedly licks at my hands. If I notice that his teeth seem a little sharper than before, I don’t say anything. Some secrets are best left unsaid.

          I continue my trek home, passing the dark alleyways and watching as the streetlights come on. I am just an ordinary high school student heading home after a long day. My life is still ordinary. There is nothing that special about me. Those around me, however, have a much more interesting story to tell. My best friend is a superhero, fighting crime and saving the world. My other best friend is dating a vampire. Sometimes I’m glad nothing exciting happens to me. I think I’d rather just stay in the background for now.

[cometkittiesoriginalcontent]

The Monsters that Follow Us

       I can feel their eyes on me. Watching. I can’t tell my family, knowing they won’t believe me. I am alone in this fight. My sister probably thinks I have gone off the deep end and is calling everyone to tell them I’ve gone crazy again. I can’t bring myself to care at the moment. There are more important things to worry about. I hoist myself up into the abandoned building, hoping it will be my refuge for the night. My muscles strain as I pull myself in, and I feel the broken glass dig into my palm. I hope the blood does not lead them here. I tear a piece of fabric from my shirt to wrap it up in order to stop the bleeding before I take in my surroundings.

        I find myself on a raised platform inside of an abandoned warehouse storage facility. There are old crates and chains lying around, covered in dust, undisturbed for years. A rickety staircase leads down from where I am settled. It would be best if I got away from the windows just in case they followed me. Each step down the rotted wood leaves me anxious. It would be terrible luck if I escaped the clutches of those monsters just to be done in by an old piece of wood snapping in half. After several agonizingly slow minutes, I find myself on solid ground once again. The sun’s dying rays remind me that the worst of the danger has yet to come. They get stronger at night. Maybe it is because the sky is as blue as them after the sun goes down.

        I shuffle through my bag for my phone and a flashlight. I will need them soon. My hand has bled through the cloth but I can barely feel it. Adrenaline is my only friend in this dark hour. I glance at my phone screen and see I have several missed calls. Most of them are from my sister, Lydia, calling to check on me. I see one from The Boss and I call back immediately.

        He picks up the phone almost immediately. “Travis, where are you?” he asks in a worried tone.

       “Don’t worry about me. I’m safe. I got some messages warning me of what was coming.” I say as I walk around the room, setting up my temporary campsite as a hold the phone between my head and shoulder blade. All throughout the week, I had been seeing messages hidden in TV shows and in video games. At first, I ignored it, not realizing that they were for me. Eventually, the flashing red messages started showing my name. I could no longer ignore that something was coming; that they were coming. “So how are we going to take these things out?”

        I hear nothing from the other end and I worry that maybe something is wrong. Maybe calling him was a mistake. “Travis, I think you need to come into my office.”

        “No can do. If I leave they will get me for sure! There are a lot of them out there, just roaming the streets. I know they are after me. ”

        “Travis, where are you right now?!” he asks again, more worried than before. It’s nice of the Boss to worry about me. He is such a busy man, running the entire service from behind the scenes as well as medicating those that aren’t able to see the monsters that stalk them from the shadows. I have spent many hours in his office on his old red couch, visiting as both a patient and as a soldier. I like to think of us as friends. It’s nice to know he cares.

       I hear a crash from outside. They have found me. I can feel the dark mood overtake me as they approach. I suddenly do not want to move. I want to just give up. The shadowy figures presence brings a fog over my senses and drains me of my will to continue forward, but I will not let them win.

       “Fuck! They’re here! I’m in an abandoned warehouse off of Fifty-Sixth. Send backup as soon as you can! In the meantime, I think I can hold them off,” I yell into the phone as I drop it to the ground. I pick up my bat and prepare myself. Here they come.

        I can see their amorphous blue bodies slip through the cracks in the old building, a slurping sound accompanying their slimy figures as they force their way in. I tighten my grip on the bat and a shooting pain emanates from my hand. I just have to hold them off long enough for help to arrive; just long enough for the Boss to come and fix this. The blue sludge joins together to form several humanoid shapes but these things are not human, not really. They are a disease; A sickness that prays on the weak and downtrodden and feeds on their misery. They slither in and make life harder to live, make people want to give up. For some of their victims, they only stay for a little while, causing them misery from the shadows, but ultimately leaving them to live their lives. For some, they are always there, waiting. Making life unbearable. Then there are those like me that they toy with. They come and go, letting me think that things are better. I am a much better and brighter person whenever they leave, but they always come back, haunting me and making me want to die. That is why I started fighting them. I was told that it would be easier if I just took the pills and moved on with my life, but how can I do that when I know these things are out there, torturing people.

       My life has been spent in a state of depression. I always blamed my fucked up brain, my family, and everyone else around me, when really, it was them. It was always them. The first time I saw one of these creatures I was twenty-two, getting ready to graduate college. I was going through one of the worst depressive episodes I had ever experienced, barely able to get out of bed and go to class. I knew it would all be over soon, that tiny bit of happiness I had carved out for myself would soon be gone. I knew that all of the friends I had made would slowly disappear and I would be alone, back in the hell hole of a town I grew up in working a job I really wasn’t sure I wanted. It felt like my life was ending. A large part of me wanted it to. One night, I was sitting in a parking lot in my old, beat up car. I was considering buying a gun just to take myself out when I saw it. This blue squid-like figure was slinking through the shadows. So like any rational human being, I got out and followed it. I didn’t know at the time that I was walking into a war, but once I knew the truth, I knew that I had to help. I was one of the few that could see them, these things that destroy the hearts and minds of men. I was one of the few that could fight them.

        At the time I was terrified, so I made an appointment with a psychiatrist the next day and explained what I saw. I was immediately put on some strong medications and told that I was probably undergoing a psychological break and after what I saw, I believed them. So I started taking the pills and felt myself even out. The depression had finally subsided some and I did not see any more blue creatures in the shadows. I graduated and moved home, just as I was supposed to and went on with life. I felt dull some days and almost considered going off my meds several times. It felt like I was losing a part of myself and that I was less human whenever I was drugged up.  One time, I did go off of them and within a week the blue things were back. I could see them everywhere now, following random people on the street, casting a shadow over their heads. I knew I needed to go back on my pills. I made an appointment with a more local psychiatrist, hoping that they would be able to get me the pills I needed faster than my usual doctor. I made the appointment and went in the following week. This was the moment that changed my life.

       Dr. Hugo was an imposing figure when I first met him, tall and muscular. Not at all what you would imagine a shrink to look like, and soon I would understand why. He asked me to explain my psychological history, the gravelly sound of his voice making me a little uncomfortable. I told him, expecting to be handed a prescription and to be brought in for regular appointments. I was wrong. The second I mentioned the blue monsters his entire tone changed. That was the day I met the Boss and was told all about this underground world. I was told about the creatures that were actually responsible for the darkness that hung over my head throughout my life. I will always remember what he said.

       “They latch on to people. Sniffing them out and stalking them everywhere they go. They find the smallest bit of doubt, of sadness, of grief and they feed off of it. If it isn’t strong enough they will do everything they can to make it grow, sabotaging their hosts to keep them down. Some of them are more powerful than others, causing diseases and disorders. We fight them off. First by protecting the affected and then by chasing off as many of them as we can.”

        Finally, I had an explanation. I was not broken, I was a victim. I was not the weak and pathetic person I had been calling myself. I was raging a secret battle against a monster I did not even know existed. A lot of us are. That was the day I decided I had to join this crusade. My eyes were opened and there was no going back. So with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, I began training under Dr. Hugo and his team. I took on a job as a social worker so I could better help the afflicted. My family still only saw me as the mentally ill disappointment. It used to make me feel even more alone and broken. It felt as though there was nothing I could do right in their eyes and that I would always be nothing more than their personal burden. Finding out about the monsters and learning how to fight them gave me a new purpose. These things are out there and now I know that they can affect anyone, at any time. Depression, anxiety, mania, psychosis, and a myriad of other disorders and symptoms suddenly had a true explanation and with that discovery, I realized just how human I was in having had these issues. I now wear the label of mental patient with pride as I fight back against my own demons and help those that cannot do the same.

        I remember this resolve as I stand with the bat in my hands. It’s not the most effective weapon to use, but it will have to suffice until backup arrives. I take my first swing and it connects with one of them, throwing blue slime against the walls. It will regenerate soon, the squelching blue sludge slowly joining back together. You cannot truly destroy them, but they will leave if you fight back hard enough. They need their hosts to be complacent in order to keep them miserable. I am not an easy target for them, but they like me for some reason. They always come back. Several more have taken shape in the room, their slimy silhouettes reflecting in the bit of moonlight streaming in from outside, making them appear as if they were glowing in the dark of the room. I hope the Boss gets here soon. If this many of them try to latch on to me, I don’t know if I will make it. They are usually not this aggressive. They don’t have to be. They get what they want just by staying close to their chosen host. They know that I can see them though and that I am capable of fighting back. That is why they must take such extreme measures to get me to submit. Their mere presence has already made me feel weaker, but I know if they win they will take over completely. I can’t give up now! I won’t let myself fall into that pit of despair again. I swing my bat around, spinning in circles, trying to keep them away from me. I take a swing at one of them and another comes up behind me. Only the reflexes I’d developed in training kept me from losing this fight.

        I back myself up against a wall so that I can focus on defending my front. I continue swinging my bat, starting to enjoy the sound it makes as it connects with them. Swing. Squish. Swing. Squish. A pattern develops as I continue to swing at them. This is actually easy. Too easy. I should not be able to fight off this many of them alone, especially with such a meager weapon. There is something more going on here. I keep fighting, feeling the energy drain from me with each strike I make. I can’t keep this up much longer.

        That is when I see it. The red figure on top of the platform looks as though it is staring down at me even though it does not have eyes. Its scarlet form terrifies me more than a hoard of its friends. Now I realize what was happening. The blue creatures have halted their attack, standing over me silently. I take the opportunity to break them all up, leaving the floor slick and the walls stained. The red creature continues to watch and everything makes sense now. It had probably been hanging around for a while, much better at hiding than its buddies. Its presence makes you feel happy and elated. Makes you believe that you are the most vibrant and interesting person in the room.

       I’ve had a couple run-ins with them since joining the crusade, each one taking more out of me and causing those around me to worry. When I first started seeing them, I naively thought that the red ones were good. They made people happy and excitable. They were nothing like the dreadful blue muck that slunk around corners. They stood beside people like a friend, whispering in their ears, telling them to spend their money, keeping them awake for nights on end, making them believe that they can do anything while slowly driving them mad. Then they back away and call their blue friends in to crush your spirit so that they can feed off of the seemingly endless supply of misery. The blue depression that comes after the red mania is far worse than any normal depression one could experience. The last time a red creature latched on to me, I went almost two weeks without sleep and wrote several hundred pages of a novel I never intended to write. I could not stop myself! I had so much energy and felt like I was truly alive for the first time in a while. I bought ridiculous things like fishing equipment, just in case the world suddenly ended and I needed to fend for myself. My sister ended up having to help me cover the expenses of all I bought and begged for me to go back on my pills. I was so embarrassed about the ridiculous spending but I did not want to go back to the pills because, while it would keep the creatures away, I also would not be able to see them anymore. What she was asking seemed like too much. But then the depression hit. The blue monsters were around every corner and every time I fought one off, more would come in the take their place. I soon found myself wanting to jump from the nearest building. The blue monsters were watching from the shadows as I fell apart. It was hard to get out of bed. It was hard to go to my job, and nearly impossible to help clients with their troubles when they brought even more blue shadows in with them. Even though theirs could not personally affect me, just seeing them brought a feeling of dread.

       I remember, one day, a mother whose children had been taken away was sitting in my office, crying and screaming about how unfair life was. Normally, I would do all I could to comfort her and help her take the necessary steps to get them back, but this time all I saw was blue. Everywhere I looked there they were, as those that were haunting her joined with mine until they occupied all the empty space. I could not fight them with her in the room. I just had to sit there in their overwhelming presence, hoping that she would leave soon. I made my decision then. I could not do this anymore. I went to the boss and got the prescription, knowing that it meant I was decommissioning myself. Life became somewhat normal and I was able to help the poor woman from that day reunite with her sons. I stabilized and got my finances back in order. I began spending more time with my family, realizing how far out of touch I had fallen while playing the martyr. I used to think that they all hated me for being the broken one in the family. This time around though, I found people that truly cared and worried about me. My mom started calling every day just to talk, my dad wanted to take me fishing with that equipment I bought while manic. Everyone wanted me to know that they still saw me as part of the family, that I was normal. I had been hiding behind my duties and behind blues and reds for so long that I tricked myself into believing that no one wanted me around and that I was better off not dragging them into this invisible war I was waging. The Boss became just Dr. Hugo and started monitoring my progress as I worked to find myself again.

       Sometimes, I found myself missing the fight and missing the euphoria that came when the red creatures came around. I kept arguing with myself about staying on my pills, thinking that maybe now that they had been chased away, I would be able to go back to the fight without being affected myself. So, one day, that is what I did. I told the Boss what I wanted, and though he tried to remind me of how much better things had been going for me, he still supported my decision. I went back to work. For a while it was fine, I had no personal blue monsters lurking around me. I could focus on helping others chase theirs away. Soon I grew obsessed though, which should have been my first clue that something was up. I was following clients home from work and fighting off their blues in the middle of the night. I’m just lucky that no one caught me and called the police. I took on more and more cases, thinking that I alone could help them. I should have realized that a red creature was nearby. It made me its host and now the blues were here for their turn.

       As I look up at it, with its amorphous form, I realize that I can’t continue this fight any longer. My sister has probably been calling the entire town trying to find me. My mom and dad must be beside themselves with worry. And here I stand, staring down a faceless enemy after breaking and entering. The blood is still dripping down my hand, reminding me of my reckless entry. I have had enough of this fight. There are other ways to help people fight off their demons, and there are better ways for me to fight off mine.

       The blue slime slowly reforms and I prepare myself to fight again when the doors to the building slam open. The Boss and a battalion of soldiers come in, ready to fight off the monsters that plague me. I feel myself slip to the floor in relief as I watch the blue creatures fall over and over again. The boss approaches me and stoops down to my level.

       “So it seems you got yourself into quite a situation here,” he says with a smirk on his face. I nod my head, too tired to speak. He has this look of understanding as he reaches to remove his bag. He digs around for a moment and I hear the sound of a pill bottle shaking.

       “This is not a job that can be done forever. There comes a time when every soldier has to choose themselves over the fight, or risk losing the battle. I think your time has come. You did a good job, son,” he says as he hands me the bottle. I take it in my hand and stare at the label, knowing that he is right. “Your family are all at my office. Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.”

       The Boss helps me to my feet and I see the young soldiers fighting off the monsters in the room. The sounds of their weapons creating a cacophony of noises. Part of me will miss this, but as I hobble my way from the room, I know that it is time to give it up. One day, all of those young boys in there will do the same. We walk out into the night and climb into the Boss’s awaiting car. There is a bottle of water in the console and I grab it as I swallow the pills that will make me normal again.

        “Thanks for the save,” I say as we pull away. The night sky stretches out above us, the stars and moon providing little specks of light in the dark expanse of blue. I wanted to be like them, bringing others light when blue was all they could see, but even stars eventually burn out.

        “ I just have one question,” I say to Dr. Hugo as we drive down the strip, “You claim that no one can do this job forever, yet here you are?” He glances over at me with a knowing look.

        “I was like you once, always fighting, trying to help others deal with the things they couldn’t. But I had my own problems to deal with, and my own demons to fight. It became too much. I took pills, just like those I gave you, and I quit for a while. But once I knew about what was out there it was hard to keep myself away. One day, I realized that there are other ways to help. I started training others, allowing them to get to know the enemy, until the day they decide they had enough, too. You don’t have to see them to know they are there. I haven’t actually seen one in over twenty years.” Dr. Hugo explained. He always seemed untouchable, like the perfect soldier. Knowing that he is just like me gives me hope. I want to continue to help, just as he has. My family has been trying to convince me to go back to school, and as I look at the man beside me I realize that I should take their advice.

        We pull into the office building and I see my family come rushing out. I feel guilty for having worried them, but as I get out of the car and they all rush in to hug me and check to see if I’m okay, I know that everything will be just fine. My personal fight is not over, but hopefully, their worries are. The dark expanse of the midnight blue sky stretches over our heads, peppered with beautiful stars, and while the color blue is not my favorite, even I have to admit how lovely a shade the sky is after the sun goes down. “Let’s go home.”  

[cometkittiesoriginalcontent]

My Life as a Background Character: My Best Friend is a Superhero

           About six months ago there was a strange fog that coated the city. It was green and seemed to glow as it enveloped everything. It was hard to see more than a few feet in front of you at any time, causing several accidents and general panic among the citizens. Most people tried to stay indoors out of fear. My parents locked the door and called into work that day. Within a few hours, the fog had dissipated, leaving no trace. City officials claimed that it was a harmless gas released from a nearby factory and that there was nothing to be afraid of and life returned to normal.

           About a week later; however, people in the town began changing. Those that worked at or lived nearest to the factory had begun developing mutations. Mr. Jenkins skin turned green and he started to grow a tail, Mrs. Holden could suddenly compute advanced mathematics in her head, and little Freddy Thomas could turn invisible! These new traits were attributed to exposure to the chemical and the town was placed in quarantine as they tried to figure out what had happened and just how many people were affected. A sort of vaccine was created and given to those that were exposed to dangerous levels of the toxins. Those that had already developed mutations were given a cure and returned to normal, even little Freddy Thomas, whose mom had to search the whole town to find. The crisis was averted, or so we thought.

            A small faction of the population, calling themselves the irregulars, refused to get the vaccine as they enjoyed their newfound abilities. They attacked the hospitals and destroyed the remaining vaccines, claiming that life was better as a mutant. They began terrorizing the town, looting and causing mayhem. The military was called in to deal with this new threat but they were unprepared for superhuman abilities. That is when she appeared! The Dragonfly swooped in from the sky and stopped the irregulars, saving the town from their wrath. Her translucent wings shimmered in the sun as she used her increased strength and agility to take out her foes! Greendale had its own superhero! After that day the irregulars vanished, but there were still members of the community that had never received a vaccine. Sometimes these mutant citizens decide to use their powers for selfish purposes, causing mayhem and destruction in our sleepy little town. Their troublemaking never lasts long though, with the Dragonfly there to save the day!

           We had all heard the story of the Dragonfly and her heroism many many times as we traversed the halls of Greendale High. She was the most interesting thing that had ever happened to any of us in our lifetime and everyone loved to talk about her. Some students were trying to turn the attention on the by claiming to know Dragonfly personally or claiming that they were saved by her once, or in the case of Bobby Fleckman, dating her. My friends and I tried to stay out of the conversation as much as possible, choosing to avoid the topic of superheroes and mutants as much as possible. My best friend Eliza hated the topic more than anyone else though. Her father was one of the mutants that did not receive the vaccine due to the irregular’s destruction, and by the time more was made the damage had been permanent. Mr. Jones now had an extra pair of arms sticking out of his sides, and was now considered a freak by the rest of the townspeople. Mr. Jones isn’t the only mutant that did not get cured, but he is one of the few that have a visible malady, making life much harder for him and his family. Eliza hates talking about all of it because it just reminds her of how horribly everyone treats her father now. I don’t blame her.

           Eliza had always been close to her father, ever since her mother died when she was nine. It had just been the two of them for years, facing the world together. Whenever she speaks of him now she seems sad. She knows how cruel people can be to those that are different, and despite Mr. Jones’ jokes about having an extra pair of hands around the house now, she knows that he is struggling to deal with his new reality. So whenever mutants or the Dragonfly get brought up I make sure to change the topic or get her out of the room as quickly as possible. I’m worried about her. She has been missing a lot of school and ditching classes lately. I just wish I knew how to help.

           It has been months since the Dragonfly first appeared, but she has made regular appearances since, taking down not only mutants but also petty criminals in the streets. While I avoid the topic when I am with Eliza, I can’t help but admire the Dragonfly and what she does. Like everyone, I am star struck by the idea of having a superhero in our own backyard. Whenever there is an attack, most people run as far away as possible, but I tend to hide in a nearby alleyway or store and just watch. It’s incredible to see her in action! Her wings fluttering and her azure suit shining. She is just so strong and brave, even though she can’t be much older than me. Eliza would never speak to me again if she knew I did this, but I can’t help it! She’s just so cool!

           Today is Saturday and the gang and I are all at my house playing games and unwinding after a particularly stressful week. Matthew is destroying us on his favorite fighting game, Warrior Bots. His red bot was only seconds away from destroying my blue one when mom comes in in a panic and changes it to the news. On the screen is a reporter, backed by burning buildings.

           “… There is still no sign of the Dragonfly. Several businesses have been robbed and set ablaze by the mutant that calls himself Flamethrower,” the reporter says, as we all stare at the screen in horrified fascination. Eliza quietly excuses herself to the bathroom, but we barely acknowledge her leaving. Mom starts to call everyone’s parents, suggesting that they all head home for the day. I head upstairs to find Eliza only to discover that the bathroom is empty and the window is open. Eliza is gone.

           The next day I wait anxiously in the classroom for Eliza to appear. She never answered my calls or texts after her disappearance on Saturday. I called her dad and he said she had made it home safely but had broken her phone. When I asked if I could speak with her he said she was busy and hung up the phone. I want to be angry at her for not telling me where she went or at least trying to call me, but I’m more worried. What if something is really wrong? What if she’s being targeted by one of the anti-mutant hate groups because of her dad? It would not be the first time she has received harsh treatment because of his condition. Just last month their house was broken into and someone had graffitied the walls with anti-mutant sentiments and crude drawings of Mr. Jones getting his extra arms chopped off. Their family has already been through so much that if something like that happened again I’m worried that Eliza might just break.

           She finally arrives in class, but one look at her face has me worried all over again. She has a visible black eye and several other scrapes and bruises along her neck and arms. She sits beside me with a smile as she greets me.

           “Hey Annie! What’s up girl? Sorry I didn’t call or text you this weekend. Phone broke and then I just got so busy with homework and stuff! You get it, right?” She says obviously trying to pretend that everything is okay.

           “ What happened to your face?” I ask quietly. She reaches up to touch the bruise and winces.

           “Oh that? Yeah, when I broke my phone I kinda tripped and, whoops clumsy me! I fell on the stairs going into the house. Scraped myself up pretty badly, huh?” she says as she shifts nervously, not looking me in the eyes. I can tell she is lying, which makes me even more worried. Before I can call her out on her lies, Mr. Diaz walks in and begins class. I look over at her as she listens intently to the lecture, planning on getting to the bottom of this later.

           After first period, Eliza is nowhere to be found and seems to be avoiding me. We don’t have class together again until the end of the day, but we usually eat lunch with Matt and the others. Today she sat with the rest of the cheer squad instead. I spent my time watching her as the guys all goofed off around me.

           “… And then I said I’d give him my pet llama George in exchange for his sandwich.” I hear Matt say, breaking through my inner turmoil. I give him a look to show that I am not impressed with his antics.

           “What’s up with you today, miss mopey? Did you embarrass yourself in front of ol’Danny boy again?” Matt teases. At the mention of my crush, I feel my face heat up as I tackle Matt and cover his mouth with my hands.

           “Shut up! Do you want everyone to hear you!?” I whisper-yell as he shakes with laughter. I release my hold on him with a grumble.

           “What’s wrong Annie?” He says in a much gentler tone, “I’ve never seen you this out of it before.”

           “Eliza has been acting weird and today she shows up with bruises and stuff and I swear she is avoiding me! I just want to know what’s wrong.” I tell him.

           “Ann relax. If something is wrong you know she will tell you on her own time. Obsessing about it is only gonna make her push you away. Let her come to you on her own time.” He says. I know he’s right but I can’t help but worry. Lunch ends and we all head to our next class. I stay behind and attempt to approach Eliza but once she sees me coming she quickly gathers her things and leaves. All except for her backpack, which she leaves sitting on the floor. I grab it and attempt to catch up with her but she is nowhere to be seen. Her bag feels weirdly heavy as I carry it with me to class. I know I should respect her privacy and leave it closed, but with how she has been acting I feel like I need to see what’s inside. I duck into the nearest bathroom and hide in the stall. I place the bag on the ground in front of me and slowly unzip it, hoping that Eliza doesn’t get too angry with me for doing so. Once the back is unzipped I peek inside to find a strange blue fabric and yellow boots. I stand and unfurl the material and have to keep myself from screaming as I stand in the restroom holding a very recognizable costume. Eliza is Dragonfly.

           I shove the costume back in the bag and rush out of the bathroom. I make a beeline back to the cafeteria and put the bag back where I found it. I’d rather her not discover that I had seen what was inside. When she arrives in our shared last period she has the bag again, obviously having gone back for it. I can barely pay attention to the teacher as I stare at it imaging the secrets that it holds. My best friend is a superhero and I didn’t know.

           After that day things went back to normal. Eliza stopped avoiding me and I pretended as if nothing had changed. Internally I was screaming. My best friend regularly risked her life to save the town. She had saved me before and I did not even realize it was her. It actually seems obvious now! Dragonfly and Eliza are identical – they have the same body type, hair, skin tone, everything! I actually feel stupid that I didn’t realize it sooner. It’s no wonder she did not like talking about Dragonfly’s adventures when it was her the whole time. I keep thinking back to every missed class or canceled sleepover, trying to figure out how I missed something this monumental. I call her my best friend, but if I didn’t notice something like this can I really say that? I feel like a horrible friend.

           I’m just so angry! At myself for not realizing sooner, and at her for not telling me. We are supposed to tell each other everything but she kept this from me. It really hurts. I’m also weirdly jealous. She is out having all of these great adventures while I’ve been stuck at school or home living my boring life. I could have been helping her somehow! I could’ve at least been covering for her at school but apparently, she doesn’t trust me enough… and the worst part is that I can’t confront her without telling her that I looked in her bag. Then she would really have a reason not to trust me.

           A few days pass as I struggle with my newfound knowledge of Eliza’s double life. Eliza, Matt, and I are all in my room doing homework together when Eliza’s phone rings. She excuses herself to take the call. A few moments later she returns and tells us that something came up and she had to leave. Not long after she left, my mom calls me downstairs to the living room where a news report is playing on the screen. I see Eliza in her Dragonfly costume fighting a guy with flaming hair. He kept shooting fire blasts at her and as she dodged the building surrounding her would catch fire. This looks bad. I don’t say anything as I suddenly rush out the door and run down the street. I can vaguely hear Matt and my mom calling for me but I keep running. I have to make it to Eliza. She needs help. I make it to Main Street to see the destroyed buildings. People are running away from the scene as fast as possible. Some are obviously injured as they hobble their way to safety. One man that passes me looks as though he took a direct hit for the villain, his clothes singed and his face marred with fresh burns. This villain is actually hurting people. Someone tries to grab me and pull me away from the battle, but I struggle away and run into a nearby alley to hide. I had to get to Eliza and I couldn’t let anyone stop me.

         I peeked out from my hiding spot to examine the damage. Main Street was burning. Everywhere you looked there were flames slowly engulfing the town, as smoke billowed up into the sky, making it hard to see – hard to breathe. I stood in my hiding spot with my shirt pulled over my face trying to filter out some of the smoke as my eyes burned. I couldn’t see Eliza anywhere and I refused to leave without her. She may be a superhero, but she is not indestructible and she is my friend. I slowly made my way out of the alleyway, ducking down to protect myself from the smoke. Dragonfly had to be here somewhere. Eliza had to be here somewhere. All around me are townspeople running and screaming as they try to escape the destruction. Never had a mutant attack been so devastating. It’s my fault. I distracted their hero just when they needed her the most. I have to fix this, but first I have to find my friend. A car slams into a building nearby and startling me out of my reverie. There. That’s where I need to go.

        I slowly make my way to the site of the crash, muffling my coughs the best I can so as not to draw attention to myself. There is a small clearing ahead that seems to be free of flames and smoke. As I approach I hear the sounds of a battle. I see my best friend in her shining blue suit as she tries to talk down Firestarter, her wings bent and mangled.

        “There is nothing to gain from this!” she yelled at the young mutant as he prepared another flame attack. “Look at all the damage you have caused! All of this needless destruction, all of the people you have hurt here today, they did nothing to deserve this!”

         He laughed as a maniacal grin lit up his face. “Done nothin’?! These people go about their normal lives and look down on mutants like me! They act like I’m some kinda freak like I asked for this or somethin’! You know exactly what I’m talkin’ about too! Don’t even try to pretend that you don’t!” He said with a sneer. I look over at Eliza and see the conflict on her face. She knows he’s right. She has seen how they treat her father and others like him. She knows firsthand how these same people that expect her to save them would treat her if she walked around with her wings on display. I see her hesitate. Firestarter notices too and takes the opening.

         Just before the flames engulf Dragonfly, something incredible happens. Another hero appears. His red suit looks hastily thrown together and crooked as if he had never sewn anything in his life. Four arms stick out from the sides, covered in red winter gloves that were probably found at the bottom of his sock drawer. He is wearing sunglasses instead of a mask, in an attempt to hide his identity. But it is obvious who has come to Dragonfly’s rescue. Mr. Jones rips the door from the wrecked car and uses it as a shield to protect himself as his daughter. He sees me and calls me over to take care of his little girl. I rush to Eliza just as he begins running straight for Firestarter, using the door as a battering ram. Eliza is on her knees, just staring at the spot her father once stood. She’s in shock, and I honestly don’t blame her but I have to get her out of here!

        “Dragonfly, listen to me! We need to get out of here!” I say, trying to get her to move. She just shakes her head, looking as though she wants to cry. “He will be fine, but if you stay here it will be a distraction! He needs you to be safe. So come on! Superdad over there has got this!” she finally looks at me realizing that I know. That I know who she is and I know who had come to her rescue. She nods in understanding and I help her to her feet. We slowly make our way back to the alleyway I had been holed up in earlier.

         “How long have you known?” she says looking me in the eyes. She’s covered in soot and her wings have gone limp. She doesn’t seem angry but she looks as though she could collapse at any minute.

          “I have suspected something was up since Saturday when you disappeared. It wasn’t until today that I discovered the suit in your bag. I am so sorry for invading your privacy! I was so worried that something had happened! You had bruises and you were being so secretive… I just had to do something!” I find myself in near hysterics as I try to explain my reasoning. I look at her to see her response to be immediately engulfed in a hug. She shakes as she sobs into my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her and tell her that everything is going to be alright as her tears seep into my ash covered hoodie.

           We hear footsteps rapidly approaching our hiding spot and Eliza pushes me back and takes on a battle stance, ready to fight to protect me. There is no need for it as Mr. Jones comes barreling down the alley, glasses eschew and costume ripped and wraps his daughter in a hug. He carefully examines her face and the cuts and bruises she sustained from her earlier fighting. He doesn’t look much better as I notice a large gash on his lower left arm. But they are both here and they are both safe now as they cry and collapse into each other’s arms. All is well.

           Later as Mr. Jones and Eliza clean up at their house, he explains what happened after we left. Apparently, he and Eliza aren’t the only heroes in town as a group of the displaced mutants that used to work at the factory appeared and helped him take down Firestarter. He explained that he and some of the other had kept in touch and once he realized that his little girl was in trouble he called on them to help.

      “They all love this town even if this town doesn’t love them. And I love my girl and would do anything to keep her safe,” he explained.

      “But what about Flamehead?” I asked as I sprayed Mr. Jones’ cut with disinfectant spray.

      “He’s being shipped off to a special research facility upstate. They are hoping to figure out a cure and fire boy should be a perfect specimen to do their research on.” He said with a smile.

Though I’m a bit uneasy about the prospect of them conducting research on the kid, I’m still happy that he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else and if they find a cure it could benefit a lot of people, including my friend and her father. I voice this thought out loud.

     “They can keep their cure! I may be a freak but I’m a freak that saved people’s lives today.” He said jovially while standing and striking a pose. “Besides… these extra limbs have kind of grown on me.”

Eliza Groans and shakes her head in dismay. “Really dad? Puns?” she says with a roll of her eyes as her father laughs at his own joke.

       “ Though If I’m going to keep saving the day I’m going to need a real costume and a cool hero name! How about Armistice? Get it? Arm? Or maybe Disarmament?” Eliza grabs my hand and we run upstairs as her father keeps shouting off more and more pun-filled names, laughing the entire way. My best friend and her father are both superheroes now, and they vow to protect the people of Greendale even if the people of Greendale might not always deserve it. Everything is going to be okay.

[cometkittiesoriginalcontent]

My Life as a Background Character: My Crush Cast a Spell on Me

        Greendale is a place that has seen its fair share of crazy happenings. You can walk down the street and see all kinds of people of all different backgrounds and colors. Some with more limbs than others and some may be hiding fangs but they are all a part of this town that I call home. Despite the craziness that is Greendale, we also have ordinary everyday people, like me. While the wild and scary things may stick out and capture people’s attention the world is made up primarily of the mundane and ordinary and Greendale is no exception. These ordinary people exist alongside the abnormal, sometimes in harmony sometimes not. Some seek out excitement and want to be extraordinary while others are content as they are. Greendale is a place unlike any other and you never know what is going to happen next.

       Going to school every day is a struggle. Sitting through classes, hearing the teachers drone on and on about whatever topic, while your classmates whisper around you is the most boring thing a person can be subjected to. The only things that make coming to this torture chamber bearable are my friends. I don’t know what I would do without them. The other thing that makes coming to this prison worthwhile is that I get to see Daniel Winters, the most wonderful and amazing guy I have ever met. He does not stand out much in the sea of faces, preferring to just stand back and let the louder voices speak. He is, however, incredibly kind and has the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen. But most importantly Daniel’s a normie like me. In the sea of crazy that is this town; Daniel and I are both plain and ordinary people, not destined for anything extraordinary or fantastic. As much as I love my friends and the rest of this crazy town, it’s nice to know that someone is just as boring as I am.

       Today is the day. I am finally going to go up to him and tell him how I feel. We do not talk much but we have been in the same class since pre-k. The only time in my life that I can remember him not being there was when he disappeared to his Aunt Sylvia’s house for a few months this last summer. Other than that his presence has been a constant in my life. I know what his voice sounds like as it travels over a crowded cafeteria. I know the path he takes to school every day and where he likes to go on the weekends. I know his birthday and his favorite type of cake. I know everything about him and it just makes me love him even more. Today, I am going to tell him that. My friends have been building up my confidence lately. I mean if I can face off against a super villain or a vampire, how hard can it be to talk to a boy?

        Very hard apparently. I have tried to approach him a total of seven times throughout the school day and every time something happens! The first three times were my fault because I kept chickening out, but the other four times were infuriating! Why is his friend chuck always with him? Doesn’t he have classes to get to? And why did today have to be spirit day? I finally got him alone and had actually asked if I could speak to him in private when the entire marching band and cheer squad started marching down the hallway. I tried to speak over them but he couldn’t hear me and then Eliza, being full of pep and cheer, grabbed my hand and forced me into the crowd as it made its way to the gym. I hate football season.

       So now I’m stuck standing in the bleachers at some lame pep rally instead of telling the boy of my dreams how I feel and running off into the sunset. Well maybe not the sunset, it is only 3 o’clock after all. Eliza is out there cheering with her squad as the football players get pumped for yet another Friday night. I have to remember to ask her how she hides her wings when she’s wearing her uniform. The cheers and shouts of the assembled students ring in my ears as my failure settles in and eats at me. Well, at least I tried.

        The pep rally finally ends and all of the students are dismissed. I walk out dejectedly with Matt trailing behind me talking about his date with Evan tonight. I wish I had a date tonight but the universe decided it was not to be.

       “Hey Annie, look who it is!” Matt says knowingly, pointing to Daniel. Maybe the universe is giving me another chance.

       “Hey Matty, listen, I’ve gotta go. It was nice talking to you and I’m sure you and Evan will have oodles of fun on your date. Talk to you later. Bye!” I say as I rush after Daniel’s retreating form. He seems to be going back in to the school instead of leaving like the rest of us. Weird. I follow him quietly, waiting for him to stop so I can talk to him properly. He finally does and I take a deep breath to prepare myself, but when I open my mouth to call out to him he walks into a nearby broom closet. Even weirder.

       I walk up to the door and listen to the sound of his voice as it travels through the wood. He seems to be talking to himself. I decide that it would be best to announce my presence, so I open the door. “Hey, Daniel we didn’t get a chance to talk earlier,” I say as I poke my head inside, just in time to see his blue eyes go wide and a green light emanate from the stick he is holding before it begins to envelop him. I close my eyes against the brightness and when I open them Daniel is gone.

        I sat on the floor of that broom closet for a while just thinking of all of the possibilities. Is Daniel a mutant? A vampire? Something else? Why is everyone around me something else? I thought I knew him. I thought he was like me. Normal. But normal people don’t have magic wands or vanish in a flash of light! The janitor eventually came along and kicked me out but I was not ready to go home. I took a detour through Emery Park where I have been pacing back and forth for the past two hours. I thought I knew him. I thought I knew everything about him. I know his class schedule, who his friends are, where he lives. I know that he often smells like lavender from his mom’s flower shop. I know that he likes to go to the arcade every Saturday and what games he favors. But I did not know this. I did not know that he has some kind of magical powers. Did I ever actually know anything about him?

       A pair of hands suddenly grabs me from behind as I’m surrounded by that same green light from earlier. I close my eyes tight and feel myself floating for a moment. When my feet hit solid ground once more I yank myself away, falling to the floor in the process. I look up and see Daniel looking down at me, his face unreadable. “You weren’t supposed to see that,” he says in a tired-sounding voice. I’ve discovered his biggest secret and now he has to deal with me. He begins pacing the room, rubbing the back of his neck and running his hand through his hair. I just stay where I am on the ground and take in the vial filled room around us. Is that a cauldron? I really hope he doesn’t decide to put me in there. I’m too young to become soup!

       He finally stops his pacing and muttering and heaves a big sigh. As he turns to look at me I hold my breath, scared of what he will say next. “I’m sorry” he says, as he comes over to me,” I should not have abducted you like that, but I really needed to talk to you about what you saw today. It’s kind of a big secret and no one is supposed to know.” He stoops down and offers me his hand. As he helps me to my feet I realize how ridiculous I was being. I may not know him as well as I thought, but I do know that he would never try and cook me. He’s too nice for that.

       “I’m the one who should be sorry. I should not have followed you into the closet like that. I promise I won’t tell anyone!”

       “Thank you. If my Parents found out that someone had figured me out I would be sent to live with my Aunt. Not exactly a pleasant thought.” He says with a laugh in his voice. The atmosphere is suddenly tense as both of us avoid eye contact. His hand has found its way to his neck again.

       “So I forgot to ask earlier, but what was it that you wanted to talk to me about earlier today?” He says as he looks at me again. For a second I lose my train of thought as my eyes catch his. His words sink in and I remember my quest from earlier today. It seems like so long ago now. I feel my face heating up and I know I’m blushing. This is my chance! We are finally alone together and his attention is solely on me.

       “It was nothing worth talking about,” I find myself saying. The truth is I can’t bring myself to tell him knowing what I know now. I thought I was in love with him, but I knew nothing about him. We hardly even spoke to each other and now I’ve gone and forced my way into his life. Telling him how I feel would be selfish at this point.

       “Are you sure?” he asks. I just nod and give him a reassuring smile. That is a conversation for another day.

        I ended up staying at his house until after the sun had gone down. He had not had anyone his own age to talk to about his powers and was excited to finally have a friend to discuss it with. He showed me around his workroom and let me flip through his spellbook. It was the most I had ever spoken to him. I went home with a smile on my face, realizing that we are actually friends now and that this meant I might actually get to spend time with him. I feel guilty about walking in on him like that but some good came out of it. I also think that if he spends some time with me then maybe he will grow to like me just as much as I like him. I could not wait to see him again the next day. I went home and got ready for bed. I went to sleep that night dreaming of blue eyes and magic potions.

        The next day I woke up early so I could get ready to go over to Daniel’s house again. He asked me to come back because he wanted to show me some big project he is working on. He seemed really excited about it and said he wanted my opinion on it. He actually wants my opinion on something! I spent the morning trying on everything in my closet. It may not be a date but I still want to look my best. Maybe he’ll see me all dressed up and realize that he wants to be more than friends. It’s unlikely, but a girl can still hope.

       I walk the three blocks over to his place and knock on the door. He answers immediately with a big smile on his face. He has such a pretty smile. He ushers me in and we make our way down into his workroom, laughing and joking around on our way down the steps. There is a stool set up in the middle of the room and he directs me to sit at it. I can help the giggles that escape me as I take in how dramatic he is being about this entire thing.

       “Good evening ladies and gentleman!” he says with a flourish, barely containing his own giggles as he swishes a cape around his shoulders. “Prepare to be amazed as I, the great Danini, present to you my life’s work!”

       “You know you are only 15, right?” I laugh as he nearly trips over his cape, which I now realize is a throw blanket he probably stole from his parents' couch. He shoots a sheepish grin my direction and I feel my heart skip a beat. This boy is completely ridiculous but he is also completely perfect.

       “I must ask the audience to save their commentary until after the show,” he says as he gives me a pointed look, his brown hair falling into his eyes. I mime zipping my lips and he smiles back at me.

       “About a year ago our little town was changed forever. The citizens were changed into mutants and the only known cure was destroyed! Until now.” He looks at me to gauge my reaction but I’m frozen. A cure? For mutants? What is he talking about? When I don’t react he continues. “Many believe that the cause of the mutations was scientific, a chemical spill or leak causing the changes we have seen, but that is not the case! The source is in fact magical. Some witch or wizard’s spell gone awry. The so-called cure that they gave out only worked because it contained a certain magical ingredient, an ingredient that was missing in the second batch of cures. I believe that I can create a potion that will cure all of the mutants in town, even after a year’s time! Isn’t that great!”

       “Yeah, it is,” I say without much conviction. All I can think of is Eliza and her father. All of the hate they have received and all of the good they have done with their powers. They could be cured, but after all of this time, would they want to be. Daniel continued on, explaining the process to me but I could not hear a word he said. My mind had flown far away. Maybe this is a good thing. Eliza and her dad could be normal again and if the cure works, the town won’t even need superheroes anymore. She could stop being Dragonfly and go back to being my best friend.

        I leave Daniel’s house a little while later, promising to help him with his project in any way I can. He says he needs to find a test subject to try out the potion on. My brain immediately goes to my best friend, but I know she would not agree. I still call her and Matt up and ask to meet them at Eliza’s house. I need someone to talk to about all of this.

       I arrive at Eliza’s and find the two of them upstairs, gushing about Evan together like a couple of regular teenagers. I can almost forget that the boy they are talking about has fangs and a penchant for blood. Their lives are so much more complicated than mine. I miss the days when we were all normal. I catch their attention and begin telling them about all I had learned. I just hope that Daniel will forgive me for revealing his secret.

       “So you are telling me that ol’ blue eyes is a witch and he wants to cure me of my mutanism?” Eliza says angrily. I knew she would not take this well. She loves being a superhero.

       “Yes. He has figured out a way to cure the entire town! Isn’t that amazing?” I say, knowing that my word would upset her. She looks as though she want to slap some sense into me. Matt’s hand on hers seems to be the only thing holding her back. Before I realize what I’m saying all of my thoughts about this spring forth from my mouth. I tell her that if there are no more mutants then she won’t have to fight crime anymore. I tell her that she can be normal again. I even mention that maybe we can find a cure for Vampirism too! Everyone can be normal again!

       “Why would anyone want to be normal? It’s so boring! I don’t even want to go back to that! I’m actually somebody now, I actually matter to people. I would hate to be just a normie!” Eliza shouts. Matt nods his head in agreement.

       “Annie, we like not being normal. Evan and I have even been discussing him turning me.” Matt says carefully. My brain is swimming. He wants to be a vampire now? I understand Eliza wanting to keep her powers, but this? This is too much!

       “You’re right. Who would ever want to be a normie? We are just so plain and boring and ordinary. I don’t even know how you are still friends with someone as pathetic as me!” I cry as I run out of the room. They try to stop me, but I just keep running. My tears are blinding as I run home. Back to my ordinary house with my ordinary parents. Back to my ordinary room. Why would anyone want to be normal? Why would anyone want to be like me?

        It’s Tuesday. Matt and Eliza kept trying to call me and even tried visiting. I turned them away. I convinced my mom to let me skip school on Monday, but she would not allow a second day. I make my way up the stairs to school and head towards my locker. Matt is still at his own so I keep walking. Throughout the day I avoid them. It’s for the best. They don’t need someone as boring as me holding them back. Daniel tries to talk to me too, but I quickly make an excuse and leave. He’s like them. He is special. No one wants a normie like me as a friend, let alone as a girlfriend. I never stood a chance.

        The school day ends and I prepare to head home. Daniel rushes up to me and grabs me by the hand. His wand is out before I can protest and I’m transported, once again, to his workroom. He does not even stop to make sure I was okay before he’s rambling on about his project.

       “I found it! I found the ingredient! I can make the cure!” He says as he walks around the room, pouring and combining different vials and mixtures. I almost want to tell him where he can shove his cure, but I refrain. I know I can never have him, but I still like him too much to be rude. “All I need now is a test subject to prove that it works!”

       His words settle over me like a cloud. I want to tell him that there is no one that would be willing to get rid of their powers. That mutants are fine how they are; that they would not want to go back to be normal after being mutants for so long. But another thought comes to me instead.

       “What about me?” I ask him. He looks at me for a second and laughs. I try not to feel hurt.

“Are you secretly a mutant now Annette?” he chuckles, “I kind of need a mutant to test it, you know, seeing as it is a cure for mutanism?”

       His voice is so condescending as he says this that I almost tear up. He doesn’t take me seriously. Of course he wouldn’t, I’m not special enough to even help him. “Then make me one,” I say with as much conviction as I can. The laughter instantly drains out of his voice. He is looking at me like I had grown two heads. It is a shame that I hadn’t because then he would have his mutant.

       “Annette, I can’t just make you a mutant. That’s crazy!” His hand is back on his neck, he’s thinking again.

       “You said so yourself that the mutations were caused by magic. Well, you’re magic! I know you can pull it off. And besides wouldn’t it be more beneficial if you knew exactly which spell you were countering with your ‘cure’?” He looks at me and all arguments die on his tongue. He knows I’m right.

       “Still I have no clue what kind of mutation you will get or how long you’ll be stuck like that. It’s too risky. I just got you as a friend; I would hate to lose you so soon.” He says this with a smile but I also sense pity in his voice. Everyone has pity for the normie.

      “If I wasn’t okay with the consequences, then I would not be offering. I know mutants in real life and I know all of the things that come along with it. I will be your test subject. I trust you to put me back when this is all over.” I say matter-of-factly. I really hope he agrees. Maybe if I’m not just a normal girl anymore I’ll be good enough for everyone. He has a look on his face and suddenly he takes off around the room, gathering the needed herbs and spells. He is muttering about all of the possible side effects and giving me a basic rundown of what he is doing. I don’t care; I just want to get this over with. He sets the vial down in front of me while he goes to upstairs to get the last few ingredients from his mother’s garden. I sit and look around the room wondering what kind of mutation I might get.

       “What do you think you are doing?” I turn at the sound of Eliza’s voice and see her, Matt, and Evan trailing behind Daniel. He looks flustered. Eliza probably yelled at him until he led them to me. I feel guilty about telling them his secret and I make a promise to myself to apologize later.

       “I’m helping out a friend. This does not concern you.” I say in a flat tone. I hope she gets the message.

       “By trying to turn yourself into a mutant? Are you nuts?!” Eliza stomps across the room to me and I see her eyes straying towards the vial beside me. She is going to destroy it! “You don’t need to change yourself! You are fine the way you are!”

       I glance at the vial and then to my friends. I am not like them. I am just Annette. I exist in the background. But what if I wasn’t? What if I was something more? In a split second, I grab the vial and drain its contents. I hear them all yell at me to stop and the ensuing panic, but I can say nothing. My body feels weak and I seem to be shrinking. At least I think I am. Eliza is definitely getting bigger. The feeling stops and I look up at Eliza.

       “Oh Annie, what have you done?” She squats down and picks me up. I am small enough to fit in her hands. I try to tell her that I am okay but all that comes out is a croaking noise. I’m scared. Just what did Daniel’s potion do to me? I hear him rushing around the room to find something to change me back while Eliza holds me close to her face. Matt and Evan walk up to her and they all stare at me in my new form.

       “I did not mean to say all of that the other day. There is nothing wrong with being normal, Annie. It’s just is not something I want for myself anymore. I should have realized that saying something like that would hurt you though, and I am sorry.” she says as she looks into my eyes.

       “Yeah, Annie! You are our best friend in the world. We like you just the way you are! You don’t need to change yourself to be our friend. Being normal is boring, yes, but there is nothing normal about you, you idiot!” Matt says this with a smile and I croak at him in confusion. I am normal though. I’m just a regular girl, well was just a regular girl, with a regular life. I don’t have powers or a vampire boyfriend. I’m just me.

       “How many normal people would run out into the middle of a fight with a supervillain just to drag their superhero best friend to safety?” Eliza says with a laugh.

       “What normal girl meets a vampire in an alley and lives to tell the tale?” Evan adds, recalling our first meeting.

       “What normal girl then proceeds to stalk said vampire to make sure he doesn’t eat his date?” Matt adds dryly. All of them laugh at that one. “Let’s not even mention where we are standing right now! There is nothing normal about you. You are amazing and we are all lucky to have you as our friend.” I feel myself wanting to cry. Can frogs even cry? I look up at my friends, my glorious, amazing, awe-inspiring friends and I realize that I love being their background character because it means I get to be a part of the adventures they have and I get to be there for them whenever they need me.

        “I hate to interrupt, but I think I’m ready to change our little friend there back into a princess,” Daniel says while walking over to our group. Eliza hands me over to him. My face would be so red right now if it wasn’t already green!

       “Is this the part where you kiss her?” Matt says jokingly. I swear I am going to hit him when I’m back to normal. I look up at Daniel in apology to see him blushing. Well, maybe I won’t hit Matt after all. Daniel pours the potion over my head and I begin to feel myself grow. I close my eyes as I wait for the feeling to stop. When I open them I see two bright blue ones staring back at me as Daniel cradles me in his arms. It takes me a moment to realize what is happening and I soon flail and jump, landing in a heap on the floor. My friends all laugh at me as I cross my arms in a huff. Daniel stands behind me with a confused look on his face. Everything turned out okay.

         I am Annette Turner and I am just a normal girl with a not so normal life. I live in a small town where crazy things happen every day. I recently discovered that one of my best friends is a superhero and my other best friend is dating a vampire! I also just found out that my crush is secretly a wizard that can cast spells and brew potions. All of the people in my life seem to have this crazy stuff going on around them, but to me, they are my friends. Sometimes it can get overwhelming having so many amazing people in my life when I am just a normal girl. Sometimes I feel like like nothing more than a background character in someone else’s story, but that is okay.

       Everyone has their own story to tell, whether they are larger than life or an ordinary person like me. More importantly, every story has background characters. We are all in the background in someone else’s story. Sometimes being in the background can make you feel small and insignificant, but you have your own story with your own background characters. If you spend all of your time worrying about who you are in someone else’s story then you stop noticing your own. My friends are incredible, but so am I in my own way. I love being their background character, just as much as I love having them as mine. There are billions of stories out there to be told and this is mine. I am a background character and this is my life.

[cometkittiesoriginalcontent]

My Life as a Background Character Intro

           My Life has always been normal. I go to school, I come home, I hang out with friends on the weekends. There has never been anything particularly interesting about me. I have always been just Annette Turner, daughter of Alyssa and Markus Turner. My Home life is average. I have two loving parents that work a lot but still, try to make time for me. At School, I am just another face in the crowd, not particularly athletic or artistic or popular. I still have some pretty good friends though despite my lack of talent or interesting qualities. I have always just been ordinary, and I used to be okay with that… until recently.

           Things have gotten weird lately and it seems like everyone is having these crazy adventures! Everyone except me. Greendale is supposed to be a quiet, normal, everyday town where nothing special ever happens but now I’m not sure it will ever be the same again. The lives of all of the citizens have been changed or their most hidden secrets have been revealed. Our sleepy little town is in chaos! But with all of this calamity happening, none of it seems to affect me directly. I am still just Annette Turner, an ordinary high school student.

           Everyone around me is out having adventures and finding themselves in extraordinary situations but my life has stayed the same. This is my life as a background character.

[cometkittiesoriginalcontent]

My Life as a Background Character: Matt’s Fangtastic Date

       Greendale is a place where fantastic, out of the ordinary things happen every day. This seemingly sleepy little place is home to strange occurrences and even stranger people. So strange, in fact, that an entire subset of people exists that we refer to only as mutants. Due to a chemical spill that left part of the town with strange mutations and abilities. Since then we have seen the rise of heroes and villains, as well as groups that wish to see all of their kind dead. The social climate here has definitely changed as a result, with neighbors and friends existing on opposite ends of the debate. Greendale has a lot of problems now.

      Another thing that Greendale has is a high number of disappearances. Within the last year, there have been at least twenty people and even more pets that have vanished without a trace. Many try and blame this on the mutants and use it as even more fodder for their hate-filled campaigns, but the disappearances started long before the chemical leak. The mutants are not the only strange thing about Greendale. There is something else, something much more sinister hiding below the surface.

       I was walking home from Eliza’s house one night after eating dinner with her and her father. He had made some overly complicated vegetable dish so that he could show off how fast he was at working with his four arms. I often went over there to speak to the pair of them about their adventures as the town’s superhero pair, being the only one that knows their secret. It was just after eight when I decided it was time to walk home. My parents had a strictly enforced nine o’clock curfew in place for me, especially with all of the crazy occurrences that have been happening lately.

       I was walking down Jefferson Street, just past Chuck’s corner store when it happened. Jefferson Street is a long narrow street filled with nearly identical homes, all with their own fenced in yards. Usually, the Davis’ dog, Roscoe, can be heard barking long before I turn the corner, but tonight all I hear are crickets chirping in the darkness. I continue my trek up the street towards the Davis’ house ready to see my favorite little buddy jumping on the fence in greeting. But when I get there Roscoe is nowhere to be found. Instead, I see little patches of blue fur lining the grass and sidewalk. Roscoe’s fur.

      Walking home alone suddenly seems much more dangerous than it did a few moments ago. I try to ignore my concern for the little mutant dog and continue up the street towards home. I still have several blocks to go before I reach my destination. Every sound I hear makes me jump and quicken my steps. A cat screeching in the dark makes me want to jump out of my skin. I finally hit Main Street and my fear starts to wane as more and more street lamps click on. That’s when I hear it. In between two small businesses is a barely lit alleyway, and coming from it I hear the sound of whimpering. Common sense tells me to just leave. To go home and lock the door. There’s blue fur on the ground in front of me. I go down the alleyway hoping that my mind is just creating worst-case scenarios and that I’ll find that stupid dog unharmed. Down the alley, there is a dumpster with a small pile of boxes beside it. The whining and whimpering seems to be coming from the stacks of cardboard. I begin to move the boxes to get to the source of the sound and soon I have found him. Roscoe. Except he is not unharmed as I foolishly hoped. There, where his collar used to be, are two small holes. His blue fur is streaked with blood. He continues to look at me as he whimpers, obviously in pain. I have to call for help!

      I take out my cell phone and begin to call Eliza. Having a flying superhero for a best friend can come in handy in an emergency. I could just hear the dial tone when suddenly I am thrown against the wall by an unseen force. My phone is ripped from my hands and I suddenly find myself staring into a pair of red eyes. Red. The color streaks his face and stains his lips. His skin is pale and his hands, which are pinning me against the walls, are cold. I barely hear Roscoe whimpering from his place on the ground over the sound of my own heart racing. Is this what it feels like to stare death in the face? I hope not.

      He stares down at me with a look in his eyes that almost looks like fear. What does he have to be afraid of in the situation? I’m the one being held against a wall by an actual vampire while his most recent victim lies on the ground near my feet! This is definitely not how I envisioned my own death. I planned on being old and grey holding the hand of my husband, Daniel Winters, as we fade out together like in some cheesy romance movie. Instead, I’m going to die in a dirty alleyway beside a dumpster. A blue dog as my only companion. On the plus side, if I die tonight I don’t have to take the geometry test tomorrow. Silver linings.

     He opens his mouth to speak to reveal sharp fangs and more blood drips down his face. I cringe and look away, unable to handle the site.

     “I’m not going to hurt you,” he says in a frantic whisper. My eyes are screwed shut as wait for the piercing feeling of his fangs entering my neck. Maybe I have seen too many horror movies, but considering the situation I am currently in I feel my assumptions are accurate. I hear him sigh, and his grip loosens slightly. This is my chance! Using every last bit of courage and strength I have, I kick him away and take off running away from the alley leaving Roscoe and the terrifying creature behind. He doesn’t follow.

       The next day I find myself sitting in class, a test in front of me with numbers that seem to swim across the page. I did not sleep last night for fear of him coming to find me. Geometry is even more impossible than usual. I look around the room, seeing Matt concentrating on his test at the desk beside me. He was really chipper when he entered class today and if I had even an ounce of energy today I probably would’ve asked him, instead his peppiness is annoying. How can he be so happy when vampires are apparently roaming the streets, ready to suck our blood? I want to ask, to tell him what I saw but I’m afraid he won’t believe me, or worse that he’ll assume I ran into a mutant and started crying monster. It happens and is a real problem Greendale faces and I don’t want people thinking that I believe that rhetoric. For all I know that was a mutant I saw last night, but most mutants do not go around drinking the blood from little doggies in back alleys. If he is a mutant, then he is a dangerous one that needs to be stopped. I plan on telling Eliza later. If anyone can do something to fix this it will be her. She fights wayward mutants on a regular basis so a vampire should not be much of a challenge. Maybe she will even use a wooden stake to do it?

       The bell rings and I realize that I had drifted off and left over half of my test blank. Great. Well, there goes my GPA. I gather my stuff and shuffle to the door to walk with Matt to our next class. He’s talking animatedly with Georgie Kline about the test, apparently, he actually feels good about this one. Is this what it feels like to want to stab your best friend? He looks at me and tries to get me in on the conversation, which is honestly the last thing I want right now.

       “So how do you think you did?” Matt asks with a smile. I want to smack it right off of his face. Instead, I just groan. Maybe I was attacked by a zombie last night and not a vampire because I certainly feel like one right now.

       “That bad?” he says with a grimace, Georgie wearing a similar expression beside him. “I’m sure it will be okay. Mrs. Womack is usually pretty nice about these things and I’m sure if you ask you can get some extra credit or something.”

       “Yeah! And it was only one test so it’ll be fine” Georgie says. I just groan again. I need sleep, not a pep talk. Georgie excuses herself as we approach the lockers. Matt and I are lucky to have ours beside each other. He quietly opens his and begins digging around while I stare blankly at my combination lock. This is going to be a long day. I hear the rattling of a pill bottle beside my head and turn to see Matt grinning with headache medicine in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Forget what I said about wanting to stab him, he’s the best friend a girl could have!

      “I figured you could use these, seeing as you are half dead today,” he says while handing them over to me. I take them from his hands and quickly swallow them. Matt has begun fiddling with my lock and within seconds it swings open. Normally I would question how he knew my combination, but today I am just grateful.

        “Try to wake up please, I have some amazing news to tell you but it’s no fun if you can’t get properly excited for me,” Matt says as he gathers his things and walks away, heading to his next class. I quickly get what I need and follow. Hopefully, the pills kick in soon.

          Classes continue in this manner until lunch time where we join Eliza and the others at our usual table. I have managed to wake up a little but now I keep remembering all of the little details of the attack last night. The way the blood dripped down his pale face as his blond colored hair seemed to shine even in the darkness. Maybe that one author got it right, maybe vampires do sparkle? I find myself actually smiling at the thought of the one I encountered last night covered in glitter. That would definitely make him less scary than the covered in dog blood look he was rocking last night.

          Once everyone had gathered at the table Matt stood up and cleared his throat, making everyone at our little table stop and listen. “I have an important announcement to make! So hear ye hear ye!” he says being dramatic as possible. He pauses in an attempt to increase our anticipation. Everyone turns away and goes back to their own conversations instead. “Fine. Fine. I won’t make you wait any longer! Over the weekend I, Matthew James Garrett, met someone!”

          “That’s great Matt! Where’d you meet him? What’s his name?” I say excitedly. This is a big deal for Matt. He has had a hard time in the very limited dating pool he has here in Greendale, so for him to find a guy he’s willing to talk about means that he’s actually serious about this one.

          “His name is Evan and I met him at Gina’s, you know the little cafe that stays open all night? Well, it was like ten and I decided to go get some coffee to help me get through the literature homework. Mom was still at work so she wouldn’t notice if I left. I walked in and there he was! Pale, blond, and gorgeous with brown eyes! I decided to drink my coffee there and we ended up talking until after midnight. By the way, I’m grounded for a week, but once the week is up we agreed to meet up for an actual date!”

          “That’s great Matt! He sounds great!” I say but I also feel the need to reprimand him for being out so late, especially after last night, “Just try not to go out so late at night by yourself, you never know who or what is out there.” He gives me a strange look before laughing at what I said, the rest of our friends joining in. Of course they wouldn’t take me seriously, I habitually stay out much later than I should. Things are different now though and I want the people I care about to be safe. Honestly, now that I think about it, it’s strange that we haven’t all been given stricter curfews and more rules since the factory incident. A guy set half of the town on fire a few weeks ago! What are our parents thinking letting us go out alone at night?!

          The bell rings and we all gather our things to leave the cafeteria. Matt and Eliza are staring down at his phone and talking in hushed tones. I walk over and look at the phone, noticing that it is open to someone’s online profile. My eyes take in the picture and I feel my blood run cold. There on the screen, beside the name Evan Doyle, is the vampire. His eyes are brown in the picture and his skin is less pale, but I know it is him. I guess the myth about vampires not showing up on film is a lie, or maybe he really is a mutant. Either way, one fact remains: My friend has a date with a vampire.

       School had finally ended for the day and I am headed back to my house with Eliza. I need to tell her about the vampire and about how much danger our dear friend Matt is truly in. I know she will listen to me and help me come up with a solution. Matt was so happy at lunch and I don’t want to take that away from him, but his safety comes first. I just don’t know how to tell him without seeming crazy. Why do all of my friends have to end up in crazy situations like this? One’s a superhero and now the other is dating the undead. This is not normal!

          I quickly lead Eliza up the stairs, not even stopping to greet my mom on the way up. I need to talk to someone before I burst. I secure the door behind us and press my back to it. Eliza is staring at me like I’ve gone insane. Hopefully what I’m about to say doesn’t confirm that I have. “Okay. Are you going to explain why you are acting so weird and why you made me come all the way over here instead of going home? I’ve got like a million assignments to catch up on, so this better be good.”

          I stare at her for a moment, trying to find the words. I can tell she’s getting irritated with me. She huffs and starts to walk towards the door. Prepared to push me out of the way so she can leave. I understand her irritation, as a superhero, her time is very limited. As she’s about to turn the doorknob I find myself shouting, “Matt’s new boyfriend is a vampire!”

          She pauses and turns to stare at me. “What are you talking about?” she says coldly. She doesn’t believe me. I soon find myself babbling, recounting all that happened last night while pacing around the room. She listens intently, only interrupting when I mention the fate of poor Roscoe. When I finish my story I collapse on the bed and she walks over to sit beside me.

       “Are you sure that it was the same guy?” she asks hopefully. I wish I could give her the answer she wants.

      “Yes. I’m sure. His eyes are brown in the picture but that’s the only real difference that I see.”

      She sighs and leans back to lie beside me. “What do we do?” she asks. I wish I had an answer.

        The rest of the week goes by quickly. I keep trying to get Matt alone but every attempt ends in failure. He is never alone at school, constantly telling anyone that will listen about his date.  If he wasn’t grounded I would visit him at home, but that isn’t an option at the moment. Eliza has begun doing nighttime patrols to see if there are any more sightings. There have been none. It’s Saturday and Matt’s big date is tonight. His weeklong grounding has been lifted. Eliza and I head over to his house, planning to finally tell him. Hopefully, he listens. We arrive and he excitedly takes us upstairs to help him pick out what to wear. I’m nervous and I can tell Eliza is too. He finally decides on an outfit, a red shirt and some nice jeans. Red. How appropriate.

       He finally sits down with us and starts to talk about Evan. About how they have been talking and messaging each other all week and how great he is. We need to tell him. I need to tell him. He’s in the middle of retelling a joke that Evan apparently sent him when I can’t take it anymore. “Your boyfriend is a vampire!” I shout, “A blood-sucking creature of the night!”

       The room goes quiet after my outburst. Eliza looks like she wants to hit me. While I admit that was not the most eloquent way of telling him, at least I said it. Matt starts laughing.  “That’s a good one, Annie!” he says through his chuckles, “a vampire? Really? Someone has been watching too much television lately.”

       “I’m not joking! I saw him in an alley covered in blood! He ate Roscoe! You have to believe me.”

       “First off, who is Roscoe? And second, what are you talking about? Covered in blood? You haven’t even met him yet!” Matt says with obvious anger and confusion. I begin to tell my story again, with Eliza interjecting occasionally. When I finish Matt is quiet and is looking down at the floor. He isn’t taking this well and I don’t blame him. He thought he finally found a decent guy in Greendale only to find out that he’s been talking to a monster. He’s realizing just what Evan meant when he asked him to dinner.

       “I can’t believe you would go this far to keep me from going out with someone,” he says with malice in his voice. “I thought you were my friends, but I guess I was wrong.”

      “Matt, we are not lying! We are trying to protect you! You are our best friend and we just want what is best for you!” I say with tears streaming down my face. Why won’t believe me? He’s known me for years; he should know that I would never try to hurt him unless there was a good reason.

       “Get out,” he says coldly. “Just go.” I can feel my heart breaking. He doesn’t believe me and now I’ve ruined one of the best friendships I’ve ever had. Even worse is that I might lose even more than that if he goes on that date tonight. Eliza grabs my hand and drags me out of the house. Matt says nothing as we walk out. His date starts in a few hours and I failed.

       Eliza and I decide to stake out the date. If Matt won’t listen then at least we can be there if anything happens. We are stationed across the street from the restaurant with a pair of binoculars. Matt and Evan have just arrived at the door and are being led inside. Seeing him now in person confirms what I already knew. It is definitely the same person.  Matt has a huge smile on his face and is laughing at something Evan said. Apparently, vampires can be funny. I wonder if he’ll still be laughing when Evan’s teeth are piercing his throat later.

       The date seems to be going well and they stay in the restaurant for a couple of hours before finally getting up to leave. They emerge from the restaurant holding hands. If he wasn’t a killer I would say they make a cute couple. I gather my surveillance equipment so that I can move to a new location. Eliza, wearing her blue super suit, takes to the air. She can get a better vantage point from above and if she gets caught she can just say Dragonfly was patrolling the area. Thankfully Matt doesn’t know about her double life yet. We have our phones so we can keep in contact. I trail them from the ground, hiding behind plants and in alleys the entire way. Definitely one of the stranger things I’ve found myself doing, but if it’s for a friend I will do whatever it takes! They stop and head inside of the movie theater. Eliza rushes down beside me. We have to follow them inside. Movie theaters are dark and the perfect place to hide nefarious activities. Eliza quickly covers her suit and removes the mask. We walk up to the window to get tickets, trying to keep a low profile. We manage to make it into the movie and sit in the back, several rows behind our targets. They seem to be having a lot of fun. It’s a shame we have to end it.

       The movie we are watching is some ridiculous horror flick about a doll that comes to life. Interesting that these two would choose a horror movie to watch, though I suspect Matt did that on purpose expecting his date to be easily scared. I swear that boy is a walking cliché sometimes. From where I sit I can see his arm around the back of Evan’s seat. I roll my eyes at the predictability and Eliza is trying to stifle giggles beside me. The movie reaches its climax and I find myself getting invested, so much so that I stop paying attention to our little couple. The lights come on as the credit roll. We were supposed to exit before the movie ended so we wouldn’t be seen. Too late. Matt has noticed us and he looks like he could murder us. The mission is a failure.

          He grabs me by the arm and drags me out to the lobby, Eliza and Evan following. He turns me to look at him before he starts yelling. I see Evan behind him with a look of absolute terror on his face. I think he recognizes me. Good. “I can’t believe you! Just stay out of my business and leave us alone.” Matt says, but I’m paying him very little attention. Eliza is speaking to Evan, but his eyes keep wandering to me. He knows that I know.

          “Why don’t you tell him the truth, Evan? If that is your real name?” I remark, ignoring Matt’s anger for the time being.

          “Annette stop!” Matt shouts.

       “You recognize me. I know you do. You had me pinned against a wall earlier this week!” I say accusingly. Evan visibly stiffens his eyes looking back and forth between Matt and I. Matt reaches over and grabs his arm, leading him away with a glare and an angry scoff.

       “Don’t you dare follow us.” He says over his shoulder as they walk away. Eliza and I just look at each other before taking off after them.

       We find ourselves traveling down Main street towards the alleyway where this all began. Evan apparently has a favorite dinner location. Eliza flies us both up to the roof of one of the building so we can look down and watch. They are talking in hushed tones. Matt seems to be apologizing for my behavior earlier. Evan stops him though. We can only hear bits and pieces of the conversation, but when even flashes his fangs I knew it was time to intervene. Eliza and I jump down in between our friend and his would-be attacker, preparing to fight if need be. Evan jumps back in surprise and Matt is visibly shaking behind us. “Don’t worry Matt we are here to protect you!” Eliza says as I try to calm him down.

       “I told you not to follow,” Matt says quietly. “I’m okay. Just leave. Please.”

       “But Matt!” I say trying to talk some sense into him. This is a real-life vampire we are talking about.

       “He won’t hurt me,” Matt whispers as he pushes me aside. “He isn’t dangerous. I know he’s not. So please go home and let me finish my date.” He grabs Evans hand and starts walking out of the alley. Evan looks just as surprised as us as he is led away. Eliza and I stand in the alley, shock on our faces. Matt chose to continue his date with a vampire.

       Matt does not respond to any of our messages the next day; however, he does change his relationship status online. He’s alive. He also has a vampire boyfriend now apparently. I want to be happy for him but I’m still scared. Evan may not intend to hurt Matt, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous. I make it to second-period geometry. Matt is there but he hasn’t looked my way at all. I guess I did end up ruining our friendship. The bell rings and I head to my locker hoping to talk to him. Matt continues down the hall.  This feels awful and I want to apologize, but also I don’t feel like I should have to. I was right about Evan, even if I was wrong about his intentions. I did see him in that alleyway that night. I did see Roscoe’s blood on his face. I needed to save Matt from the same fate.

       Lunch has finally arrived and I expect to see an empty spot at our table where Matt usually sits. Instead, I hear him laughing and see him and Eliza laughing about something on his phone. I hesitantly approach and set my stuff down. Matt grins at me and hands me his phone. On it is an open chat with Evan. The two of them have apparently been sending vampire puns and jokes to each other. The most recent one, from Evan, is a picture of him with a cup of coffee with the words ‘don’t worry, it’s decoffinated’ written over it in red lettering. I found myself giggling along with my friends as I hand the phone back. Everything seems to be okay. We laugh and joke throughout lunch and Matt explains what happened after we left. Apparently, Evan has only been a vampire for a few months. He got attacked while visiting the city and found himself with red eyes and need for blood. So far he’s been dealing with this craving with a diet of very rare meat products and the occasional stray animal. Matt explains that the night I caught Evan red-fanged, Roscoe had already escaped the fence. He apparently cut himself on the way out and Evan followed the scent. He had no idea that Roscoe had an owner. I remember the little tufts of blue fur on the fence and at the entrance to the alley. It made sense. The stupid dog hurt himself in a ridiculous escape attempt. Evan saw an opportunity, and though I am not sure how okay I am with the idea of him sucking the life out of little cats and dogs all over the city, I can understand why. Matt invited me and Eliza to hang out with him and Evan later this week so that we can get to know him properly and so that I can apologize for outing him without his permission. I have my friend back and I couldn’t be happier.

      I went to Eliza’s again that night to study for a geometry make-up exam. Mrs. Womack took pity on me and is letting me retake the test. On the way home I stop in front of the Davis’ empty backyard remembering the stupid blue dog that used to inhabit it. Mrs. Davis comes outside and smiles and waves at me as she holds the door open behind her. A little blue creature comes running outside and starts jumping on the fence. Roscoe is alive! I find myself laughing and petting the little menace as he excitedly licks at my hands. If I notice that his teeth seem a little sharper than before, I don’t say anything. Some secrets are best left unsaid.

          I continue my trek home, passing the dark alleyways and watching as the streetlights come on. I am just an ordinary high school student heading home after a long day. My life is still ordinary. There is nothing that special about me. Those around me, however, have a much more interesting story to tell. My best friend is a superhero, fighting crime and saving the world. My other best friend is dating a vampire. Sometimes I’m glad nothing exciting happens to me. I think I’d rather just stay in the background for now.

[cometkittiesoriginalcontent]

My Life as a Background Character: My Best Friend is a Superhero

           About six months ago there was a strange fog that coated the city. It was green and seemed to glow as it enveloped everything. It was hard to see more than a few feet in front of you at any time, causing several accidents and general panic among the citizens. Most people tried to stay indoors out of fear. My parents locked the door and called into work that day. Within a few hours, the fog had dissipated, leaving no trace. City officials claimed that it was a harmless gas released from a nearby factory and that there was nothing to be afraid of and life returned to normal.

           About a week later; however, people in the town began changing. Those that worked at or lived nearest to the factory had begun developing mutations. Mr. Jenkins skin turned green and he started to grow a tail, Mrs. Holden could suddenly compute advanced mathematics in her head, and little Freddy Thomas could turn invisible! These new traits were attributed to exposure to the chemical and the town was placed in quarantine as they tried to figure out what had happened and just how many people were affected. A sort of vaccine was created and given to those that were exposed to dangerous levels of the toxins. Those that had already developed mutations were given a cure and returned to normal, even little Freddy Thomas, whose mom had to search the whole town to find. The crisis was averted, or so we thought.

            A small faction of the population, calling themselves the irregulars, refused to get the vaccine as they enjoyed their newfound abilities. They attacked the hospitals and destroyed the remaining vaccines, claiming that life was better as a mutant. They began terrorizing the town, looting and causing mayhem. The military was called in to deal with this new threat but they were unprepared for superhuman abilities. That is when she appeared! The Dragonfly swooped in from the sky and stopped the irregulars, saving the town from their wrath. Her translucent wings shimmered in the sun as she used her increased strength and agility to take out her foes! Greendale had its own superhero! After that day the irregulars vanished, but there were still members of the community that had never received a vaccine. Sometimes these mutant citizens decide to use their powers for selfish purposes, causing mayhem and destruction in our sleepy little town. Their troublemaking never lasts long though, with the Dragonfly there to save the day!

           We had all heard the story of the Dragonfly and her heroism many many times as we traversed the halls of Greendale High. She was the most interesting thing that had ever happened to any of us in our lifetime and everyone loved to talk about her. Some students were trying to turn the attention on the by claiming to know Dragonfly personally or claiming that they were saved by her once, or in the case of Bobby Fleckman, dating her. My friends and I tried to stay out of the conversation as much as possible, choosing to avoid the topic of superheroes and mutants as much as possible. My best friend Eliza hated the topic more than anyone else though. Her father was one of the mutants that did not receive the vaccine due to the irregular’s destruction, and by the time more was made the damage had been permanent. Mr. Jones now had an extra pair of arms sticking out of his sides, and was now considered a freak by the rest of the townspeople. Mr. Jones isn’t the only mutant that did not get cured, but he is one of the few that have a visible malady, making life much harder for him and his family. Eliza hates talking about all of it because it just reminds her of how horribly everyone treats her father now. I don’t blame her.

           Eliza had always been close to her father, ever since her mother died when she was nine. It had just been the two of them for years, facing the world together. Whenever she speaks of him now she seems sad. She knows how cruel people can be to those that are different, and despite Mr. Jones’ jokes about having an extra pair of hands around the house now, she knows that he is struggling to deal with his new reality. So whenever mutants or the Dragonfly get brought up I make sure to change the topic or get her out of the room as quickly as possible. I’m worried about her. She has been missing a lot of school and ditching classes lately. I just wish I knew how to help.

           It has been months since the Dragonfly first appeared, but she has made regular appearances since, taking down not only mutants but also petty criminals in the streets. While I avoid the topic when I am with Eliza, I can’t help but admire the Dragonfly and what she does. Like everyone, I am star struck by the idea of having a superhero in our own backyard. Whenever there is an attack, most people run as far away as possible, but I tend to hide in a nearby alleyway or store and just watch. It’s incredible to see her in action! Her wings fluttering and her azure suit shining. She is just so strong and brave, even though she can’t be much older than me. Eliza would never speak to me again if she knew I did this, but I can’t help it! She’s just so cool!

           Today is Saturday and the gang and I are all at my house playing games and unwinding after a particularly stressful week. Matthew is destroying us on his favorite fighting game, Warrior Bots. His red bot was only seconds away from destroying my blue one when mom comes in in a panic and changes it to the news. On the screen is a reporter, backed by burning buildings.

           “… There is still no sign of the Dragonfly. Several businesses have been robbed and set ablaze by the mutant that calls himself Flamethrower,” the reporter says, as we all stare at the screen in horrified fascination. Eliza quietly excuses herself to the bathroom, but we barely acknowledge her leaving. Mom starts to call everyone’s parents, suggesting that they all head home for the day. I head upstairs to find Eliza only to discover that the bathroom is empty and the window is open. Eliza is gone.

           The next day I wait anxiously in the classroom for Eliza to appear. She never answered my calls or texts after her disappearance on Saturday. I called her dad and he said she had made it home safely but had broken her phone. When I asked if I could speak with her he said she was busy and hung up the phone. I want to be angry at her for not telling me where she went or at least trying to call me, but I’m more worried. What if something is really wrong? What if she’s being targeted by one of the anti-mutant hate groups because of her dad? It would not be the first time she has received harsh treatment because of his condition. Just last month their house was broken into and someone had graffitied the walls with anti-mutant sentiments and crude drawings of Mr. Jones getting his extra arms chopped off. Their family has already been through so much that if something like that happened again I’m worried that Eliza might just break.

           She finally arrives in class, but one look at her face has me worried all over again. She has a visible black eye and several other scrapes and bruises along her neck and arms. She sits beside me with a smile as she greets me.

           “Hey Annie! What’s up girl? Sorry I didn’t call or text you this weekend. Phone broke and then I just got so busy with homework and stuff! You get it, right?” She says obviously trying to pretend that everything is okay.

           “ What happened to your face?” I ask quietly. She reaches up to touch the bruise and winces.

           “Oh that? Yeah, when I broke my phone I kinda tripped and, whoops clumsy me! I fell on the stairs going into the house. Scraped myself up pretty badly, huh?” she says as she shifts nervously, not looking me in the eyes. I can tell she is lying, which makes me even more worried. Before I can call her out on her lies, Mr. Diaz walks in and begins class. I look over at her as she listens intently to the lecture, planning on getting to the bottom of this later.

            After first period, Eliza is nowhere to be found and seems to be avoiding me. We don’t have class together again until the end of the day, but we usually eat lunch with Matt and the others. Today she sat with the rest of the cheer squad instead. I spent my time watching her as the guys all goofed off around me.

           “… And then I said I’d give him my pet llama George in exchange for his sandwich.” I hear Matt say, breaking through my inner turmoil. I give him a look to show that I am not impressed with his antics.

           “What’s up with you today, miss mopey? Did you embarrass yourself in front of ol’Danny boy again?” Matt teases. At the mention of my crush, I feel my face heat up as I tackle Matt and cover his mouth with my hands.

           “Shut up! Do you want everyone to hear you!?” I whisper-yell as he shakes with laughter. I release my hold on him with a grumble.

           “What’s wrong Annie?” He says in a much gentler tone, “I’ve never seen you this out of it before.”

           “Eliza has been acting weird and today she shows up with bruises and stuff and I swear she is avoiding me! I just want to know what’s wrong.” I tell him.

           “Ann relax. If something is wrong you know she will tell you on her own time. Obsessing about it is only gonna make her push you away. Let her come to you on her own time.” He says. I know he’s right but I can’t help but worry. Lunch ends and we all head to our next class. I stay behind and attempt to approach Eliza but once she sees me coming she quickly gathers her things and leaves. All except for her backpack, which she leaves sitting on the floor. I grab it and attempt to catch up with her but she is nowhere to be seen. Her bag feels weirdly heavy as I carry it with me to class. I know I should respect her privacy and leave it closed, but with how she has been acting I feel like I need to see what’s inside. I duck into the nearest bathroom and hide in the stall. I place the bag on the ground in front of me and slowly unzip it, hoping that Eliza doesn’t get too angry with me for doing so. Once the back is unzipped I peek inside to find a strange blue fabric and yellow boots. I stand and unfurl the material and have to keep myself from screaming as I stand in the restroom holding a very recognizable costume. Eliza is Dragonfly.

           I shove the costume back in the bag and rush out of the bathroom. I make a beeline back to the cafeteria and put the bag back where I found it. I’d rather her not discover that I had seen what was inside. When she arrives in our shared last period she has the bag again, obviously having gone back for it. I can barely pay attention to the teacher as I stare at it imaging the secrets that it holds. My best friend is a superhero and I didn’t know.

           After that day things went back to normal. Eliza stopped avoiding me and I pretended as if nothing had changed. Internally I was screaming. My best friend regularly risked her life to save the town. She had saved me before and I did not even realize it was her. It actually seems obvious now! Dragonfly and Eliza are identical – they have the same body type, hair, skin tone, everything! I actually feel stupid that I didn’t realize it sooner. It’s no wonder she did not like talking about Dragonfly’s adventures when it was her the whole time. I keep thinking back to every missed class or canceled sleepover, trying to figure out how I missed something this monumental. I call her my best friend, but if I didn’t notice something like this can I really say that? I feel like a horrible friend.

           I’m just so angry! At myself for not realizing sooner, and at her for not telling me. We are supposed to tell each other everything but she kept this from me. It really hurts. I’m also weirdly jealous. She is out having all of these great adventures while I’ve been stuck at school or home living my boring life. I could have been helping her somehow! I could’ve at least been covering for her at school but apparently, she doesn’t trust me enough… and the worst part is that I can’t confront her without telling her that I looked in her bag. Then she would really have a reason not to trust me.

           A few days pass as I struggle with my newfound knowledge of Eliza’s double life. Eliza, Matt, and I are all in my room doing homework together when Eliza’s phone rings. She excuses herself to take the call. A few moments later she returns and tells us that something came up and she had to leave. Not long after she left, my mom calls me downstairs to the living room where a news report is playing on the screen. I see Eliza in her Dragonfly costume fighting a guy with flaming hair. He kept shooting fire blasts at her and as she dodged the building surrounding her would catch fire. This looks bad. I don’t say anything as I suddenly rush out the door and run down the street. I can vaguely hear Matt and my mom calling for me but I keep running. I have to make it to Eliza. She needs help. I make it to Main Street to see the destroyed buildings. People are running away from the scene as fast as possible. Some are obviously injured as they hobble their way to safety. One man that passes me looks as though he took a direct hit for the villain, his clothes singed and his face marred with fresh burns. This villain is actually hurting people. Someone tries to grab me and pull me away from the battle, but I struggle away and run into a nearby alley to hide. I had to get to Eliza and I couldn’t let anyone stop me.

         I peeked out from my hiding spot to examine the damage. Main Street was burning. Everywhere you looked there were flames slowly engulfing the town, as smoke billowed up into the sky, making it hard to see – hard to breathe. I stood in my hiding spot with my shirt pulled over my face trying to filter out some of the smoke as my eyes burned. I couldn’t see Eliza anywhere and I refused to leave without her. She may be a superhero, but she is not indestructible and she is my friend. I slowly made my way out of the alleyway, ducking down to protect myself from the smoke. Dragonfly had to be here somewhere. Eliza had to be here somewhere. All around me are townspeople running and screaming as they try to escape the destruction. Never had a mutant attack been so devastating. It’s my fault. I distracted their hero just when they needed her the most. I have to fix this, but first I have to find my friend. A car slams into a building nearby and startling me out of my reverie. There. That’s where I need to go.

        I slowly make my way to the site of the crash, muffling my coughs the best I can so as not to draw attention to myself. There is a small clearing ahead that seems to be free of flames and smoke. As I approach I hear the sounds of a battle. I see my best friend in her shining blue suit as she tries to talk down Firestarter, her wings bent and mangled.

        “There is nothing to gain from this!” she yelled at the young mutant as he prepared another flame attack. “Look at all the damage you have caused! All of this needless destruction, all of the people you have hurt here today, they did nothing to deserve this!”

         He laughed as a maniacal grin lit up his face. “Done nothin’?! These people go about their normal lives and look down on mutants like me! They act like I’m some kinda freak like I asked for this or somethin’! You know exactly what I’m talkin’ about too! Don’t even try to pretend that you don’t!” He said with a sneer. I look over at Eliza and see the conflict on her face. She knows he’s right. She has seen how they treat her father and others like him. She knows firsthand how these same people that expect her to save them would treat her if she walked around with her wings on display. I see her hesitate. Firestarter notices too and takes the opening.

         Just before the flames engulf Dragonfly, something incredible happens. Another hero appears. His red suit looks hastily thrown together and crooked as if he had never sewn anything in his life. Four arms stick out from the sides, covered in red winter gloves that were probably found at the bottom of his sock drawer. He is wearing sunglasses instead of a mask, in an attempt to hide his identity. But it is obvious who has come to Dragonfly’s rescue. Mr. Jones rips the door from the wrecked car and uses it as a shield to protect himself as his daughter. He sees me and calls me over to take care of his little girl. I rush to Eliza just as he begins running straight for Firestarter, using the door as a battering ram. Eliza is on her knees, just staring at the spot her father once stood. She’s in shock, and I honestly don’t blame her but I have to get her out of here!

        “Dragonfly, listen to me! We need to get out of here!” I say, trying to get her to move. She just shakes her head, looking as though she wants to cry. “He will be fine, but if you stay here it will be a distraction! He needs you to be safe. So come on! Superdad over there has got this!” she finally looks at me realizing that I know. That I know who she is and I know who had come to her rescue. She nods in understanding and I help her to her feet. We slowly make our way back to the alleyway I had been holed up in earlier.

         “How long have you known?” she says looking me in the eyes. She’s covered in soot and her wings have gone limp. She doesn’t seem angry but she looks as though she could collapse at any minute.

          “I have suspected something was up since Saturday when you disappeared. It wasn’t until today that I discovered the suit in your bag. I am so sorry for invading your privacy! I was so worried that something had happened! You had bruises and you were being so secretive… I just had to do something!” I find myself in near hysterics as I try to explain my reasoning. I look at her to see her response to be immediately engulfed in a hug. She shakes as she sobs into my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her and tell her that everything is going to be alright as her tears seep into my ash covered hoodie.

           We hear footsteps rapidly approaching our hiding spot and Eliza pushes me back and takes on a battle stance, ready to fight to protect me. There is no need for it as Mr. Jones comes barreling down the alley, glasses eschew and costume ripped and wraps his daughter in a hug. He carefully examines her face and the cuts and bruises she sustained from her earlier fighting. He doesn’t look much better as I notice a large gash on his lower left arm. But they are both here and they are both safe now as they cry and collapse into each other’s arms. All is well.

           Later as Mr. Jones and Eliza clean up at their house, he explains what happened after we left. Apparently, he and Eliza aren’t the only heroes in town as a group of the displaced mutants that used to work at the factory appeared and helped him take down Firestarter. He explained that he and some of the other had kept in touch and once he realized that his little girl was in trouble he called on them to help.

      “They all love this town even if this town doesn’t love them. And I love my girl and would do anything to keep her safe,” he explained.

      “But what about Flamehead?” I asked as I sprayed Mr. Jones’ cut with disinfectant spray.

      “He’s being shipped off to a special research facility upstate. They are hoping to figure out a cure and fire boy should be a perfect specimen to do their research on.” He said with a smile.

Though I’m a bit uneasy about the prospect of them conducting research on the kid, I’m still happy that he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else and if they find a cure it could benefit a lot of people, including my friend and her father. I voice this thought out loud.

     “They can keep their cure! I may be a freak but I’m a freak that saved people’s lives today.” He said jovially while standing and striking a pose. “Besides… these extra limbs have kind of grown on me.”

Eliza Groans and shakes her head in dismay. “Really dad? Puns?” she says with a roll of her eyes as her father laughs at his own joke.

       “ Though If I’m going to keep saving the day I’m going to need a real costume and a cool hero name! How about Armistice? Get it? Arm? Or maybe Disarmament?” Eliza grabs my hand and we run upstairs as her father keeps shouting off more and more pun-filled names, laughing the entire way. My best friend and her father are both superheroes now, and they vow to protect the people of Greendale even if the people of Greendale might not always deserve it. Everything is going to be okay.

[cometkittiesoriginalcontent]

My Life as a Background Character Intro

           My Life has always been normal. I go to school, I come home, I hang out with friends on the weekends. There has never been anything particularly interesting about me. I have always been just Annette Turner, daughter of Alyssa and Markus Turner. My Home life is average. I have two loving parents that work a lot but still, try to make time for me. At School, I am just another face in the crowd, not particularly athletic or artistic or popular. I still have some pretty good friends though despite my lack of talent or interesting qualities. I have always just been ordinary, and I used to be okay with that… until recently.

           Things have gotten weird lately and it seems like everyone is having these crazy adventures! Everyone except me. Greendale is supposed to be a quiet, normal, everyday town where nothing special ever happens but now I’m not sure it will ever be the same again. The lives of all of the citizens have been changed or their most hidden secrets have been revealed. Our sleepy little town is in chaos! But with all of this calamity happening, none of it seems to affect me directly. I am still just Annette Turner, an ordinary high school student.

           Everyone around me is out having adventures and finding themselves in extraordinary situations but my life has stayed the same. This is my life as a background character.