Page 127 of The Not So Super Hero
The first item that greeted them was a picture of a woman so beautiful he couldn’t believe it to be his mother.Zane always thought he looked like Antoine.Seeing her changed his mind completely.She had long straight silver hair, like his, that reached to her mid back.The woman sat on a bench in a park wearing a white baby doll dress.Even from the picture, it was obvious she was tall.She had a soft and warm smile, the very definition of comfort.While her eyes were a deep green, they held the same shape as Zane’s.Rather, he had the shape of hers.She was breathtaking in every sense of the word.
“She’s beautiful,” Bailey said.He gently took hold of the folder.Zane’s hands shook so terribly, he almost dropped the folder.“You look like her,” Bailey continued.“Except she actually looks like she’d be fun to be around.”
Zane snorted, the sound coming out choked like he was on the verge of tears.Truthfully, he was.He turned the picture over, unsure of what he searched for.The picture hadn’t been taken offline.Someone had found it because there was writing on the back.Where?How?Whose was it?Why did they have it?Sadly, the writing was in another language.French, he thought.But there was a numbered date from 24 years ago.
“Will you read what’s in here?”Zane asked because, for whatever reason, when he turned the photograph over again, he couldn’t stop staring at her.
“You sure?”
Zane nodded.Bailey cleared his throat and looked over the little information they were given.Judging by the brief sentences, it seemed someone had compiled the information that they could and set it up.Bit by bit, Bailey told Zane about his mother, Celeste Levitt.She was born and raised in a small town in France.Her family and friends adored her.She never got into trouble, and her grades were immaculate.She wanted to be an interior designer and even seemed pretty nifty in art and carpentry.Everything about her seemed so normal.He stopped in his reading when he came across the one thing about Celeste that was absolutely extraordinary, but in an almost terrifying way.
“What?”Zane asked when Bailey grew quiet, finally looking away from the photo to peer at the boy.“What is it?”
Bailey wondered if he was supposed to be reading this.Did someone accidentally include it or did they assume they wouldn’t talk?
“Bailey,” Zane called, causing Bailey to look at him with a confused expression.“What is it?”
Bailey’s heart twisted because he knew how Celeste got involved with Rebirth.He felt, for certain, it wasn’t willingly.
“It says she was a late bloomer.Her mutation didn’t manifest until she was sixteen.She was the first mutant whose level couldn’t be read.She was the first Level 11 kept off the records,” Bailey whispered, watching the color drain from Zane’s face since he, too, knew what happened.“It doesn’t say anything else about her mutation, though.”
Zane’s breathing grew heavy.Bailey asked if they should stop but he refused and quietly requested Bailey to continue.There wasn’t much more to tell, especially when it was nothing good.Celeste was watched like a hawk.Somewhat for her own safety, but also because she was considered a threat.News never broke out due to what people knew would happen; fear.Fear of mutants growing too powerful to control.Celeste’s grades dropped.She didn’t apply to any colleges her senior year.She went missing, disappeared on her way home from school a little more than a year after the results.Police thought it was her boyfriend, a man her parents were unaware of, but based on social media and what her friends said, she was talking with an older guy.Bailey was fairly certain who that guy was.She was only 17.
“She was seventeen?”Zane asked with a furrowed brow.Bailey hated repeating himself, but that was what it said.He wasn’t surprised by Zane’s reaction, which was to repeat it like he thought, somehow, that would change it.“She was only seventeen.Seventeen.”
Zane turned the picture over, looked at the date again, and realized it was likely one of the last pictures taken of her.And even after all the shit she likely went through, she was smiling.
How?Why?Why her?
“She was only seventeen,” Zane repeated, getting up from the couch, which had Bailey jumping up as well.He watched Zane walk into the kitchen, photograph still in hand.He wasn’t sure what Zane was going to do, so he followed silently after him.
“You can’t blame yourself for what Antoine–”
“I probably lived longer than her,” Zane hollered, spinning on his heel to stare at Bailey with wide eyes like he somehow just realized that.Bailey too.He realized that he probably lived longer than her.“She...she wasn’t even out of high school.She didn’t go to college, didn’t get to do anything that she probably wanted to do.Because of me.”
“It’s not because of you.”Bailey rushed over to Zane, taking the picture only to set it aside so he could take Zane’s hands in his.They were shaking, as was his whole body.“Antoine did it.Rebirth did it.You and your mom, you were pawns in their game, and it was not your fault.”
Zane kept his eyes lowered, focused on the floor.
“Listen to me.What happened...it’s horrible beyond words.She didn’t deserve what happened to her, but you didn’t deserve any of it, either.Rebirth hurt others because they didn’t care.They hurt Celeste and they hurt you.”Bailey reached up to press his hand against Zane’s cheek.“But you are nothing like what Antoine wanted you to be.You’re not a monster like he hoped.You’re a hero and you stopped something like this from happening to anyone again and you will continue to do that, so doesn’t that mean that you and your mom beat him?”
Zane finally looked up, finding Bailey smiling at him, warm and comforting and everything he needed.It took a moment to let that sink in, but, after flipping it over in his head, Zane knew Bailey was right.It still hurt.He was still mad.He wished his mom were with him today.He wanted to know what she thought of him.Would she be proud?Would she have loved him?He hoped so, but he was confident in one thing.She would be happy that Antoine didn’t get his way.
“You’re pretty good at these lame speeches,” Zane whispered, causing Bailey to purse his lips.
“It wasn’t a lame speech.”
“It was pretty lame.”
“Pretty cool, you mean?”
Zane’s lips twitched into a smile.He didn’t admit it, but his kiss was answer enough.
“Come on, there were a few more pictures of her in there.”Bailey grabbed Zane’s hand and pulled him back to the living room.There, Bailey set aside whatever else they had in order to look at the pictures.Some were from Celeste’s youth and they discovered she had blonde hair as a kid.The silver must have come into play after her mutation manifested.Other photographs were clearly selfies.Some of which where she was making a silly face that had them laughing, but one in particular really caught Zane’s attention.
It was Celeste, probably around fifteen, standing between a man and a woman.Her parents.Zane’s grandparents.Her dad was actually shorter than her, while her mom was around the same height she was.It was damn adorable.She took after her dad, who also had blonde hair, but blue eyes, while her mom had deep brown hair and green eyes.
When Zane wouldn’t stop staring, Bailey finally said, “They’re alive.Your grandparents.The file says they’re living in the same home that Celeste grew up in.”
