I was disappointed. After all this time and anticipation there was nothing I could do to change it. Absorption? Who had ever heard of such a ridiculous power before? How could that help me? Compared with a power like super strength or speed I wouldn't have a chance! Even if I was able to enter the military, what good could I do?
Seeing such a useless power, I could barely drag myself off the stage without bursting into tears. When I made it back to my seat, I just sat silently, struggling to retain the tears that were fighting to be set free.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur. In what seemed like an instant, the ceremony was complete. Still struggling to come to terms with the waste that I had become, I pulled myself out of my seat and walked towards the crowded entrance where my mother had instructed me to meet her.
Once I neared the entrance my progress drastically slowed. Normally such traffic would irritate me, but now I felt indifferent. I rather appreciated the traffic. It allowed me to prepare for the struggle that meeting back up with my mother would be. I knew that I would inevitably be questioned and forced to make a decision as to what I would do to make a living throughout the rest of my life. Now that the military was out of the question it wouldn't be a simple conversation, I hadn't done a lick of research into any other field!
While I was lost in thought, I reached the front of the crowd. Finally coming back to my senses, I rushed out the door and began the search for my mother. After a moment of searching I saw her sitting about ten yards away from me on a bench impatiently waiting. I pushed through the crowd in her direction and as soon as she saw me she leaped up and gave me a hug.
Rather than staying by the bench in the crowd we made our way to the poor excuse of a vehicle we drove here in. I hopped into the driver seat, giving my mother a second to hop in as well before starting the engine. The air conditioning blasted on and we started the lengthy process of leaving the crowded parking lot full of families just like ours who were still making their way out of the building.
Just as I was starting to think I was momentarily off the hook, the questioning began. My mother started of the interrogation with a simple question, "So, what do you think of your new power?"
I replied, "It sucks! What am I supposed to do with such a useless power?" At this point she attempted to calm me down, but I wasn't about to stop my rant! As we pulled out onto the main road I didn't even slow, continuing, "What's the use? Absorb a bear or something and ge"
SCREEEEEEEEE!
That hurt! I struggled to see what hit us, but it was simply impossible. Whatever had hit us was big though; it had smashed my door shut and turned the car on its side. It was really a relief that my mother and I were relatively unhur
BOOM!
AGH! It burned! What had we hit? There was fire everywhere! I screamed and screamed, hoping anything would make the pain stop. Then it all went dark.