At some point, I must've nodded off since I woke up drooling in my bed. After a good night's sleep, I went to the cafeteria. It's a nice cozy place few people visit even though it's built for the students.
We greeted each other at the cashier's desk when I went to pick my coffee. When I turned around, I located a nice, quiet corner with a small table.
On my way there, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to a tall, muscular person with a face I've never seen before. "Yes, can I help you with something?"
That burly man flexed his muscles and growled. "That's my table!"
Weird! What's this guy's deal? Let's see how it goes. I pointed at a table to test him. "Oh, you mean this one?"
He bounced his pecs and growled. "Yeah!"
Oh, I don't wanna do this next part. Gorilla here is gonna jump me! "Cool, I'll get that one then!"
The moment I turned around to leave, he growled and placed his heavy hand on my shoulder. He halted my movement and made some weird noises. I wasn't looking at him, but I imagine he must've flexed again or something.
"That's my table too..."
The weight on my shoulder increased and pushed me down. If I don't do something and fast, he's going to crush me.
I let the black smoke out of my body, and his hand went through me. He must've placed too much strength on that because he fell on his face and broke the tiles on impact.
The ground even shook a little.
Our brief bout filled the cafeteria with curious people that came to watch the show.
The burly man, red from anger, stood up and flexed his muscles. He let out a roar like an animal and charged at me with a punch. He once again went through me and landed that gigantic hand of his on a column.
Pieces flew in all directions, and the column cracked all the way to the ceiling.
Where did that guy come from? Sheesh. I have class in a while so I will not waste more time on him. "Sorry 'bout that, buddy. Gotta go!"
I rushed out of the cafeteria and glanced back. I could hear his yelling as he looked around and searched for me. "Come back here peanut!"
Peanut? Really? That's how you insult me?
A sigh escaped my mouth. Another Hero misused his abilities to start a fight with a stranger. At least my coffee didn't spill.
All this running got me tired. I found a bench in the garden and rested while I enjoyed my cold coffee with lots of ice and some sugar. The coast is clear, and no more trouble coming my way.
While I sat and waited for time to pass, I couldn't help but think of how the situation at the cafeteria took such a turn. 'It's likely someone put him up to it. He wasn't too bright, to begin with.'
Whoever sent that guy after me will surface, eventually. I'll carry on and wait. No need to overthink it at this point.
I took a sip of my bittersweet coffee and dawdled in the garden. The fragrant flowers brought back some memories from my past.
Specifically, a certain night when thunderous clouds hovered over our city for several days before rain flashed everything away. The pleasant smell reminded me of my mother's garden.
She really took care of those flowers. Every morning she would walk to them, nip the withered tips, and pet the petals. She watered them and removed the weeds that rooted next to them.
When the storm hit, those flowers took it face on. They eventually lost the battle, but we couldn't be more proud. We couldn't do anything to protect them. Even their superpowers were inadequate against the force of nature.
After that, she planted nothing for quite some time. We bought her flowers and pots, but she just couldn't go through that process again. It pained her still that her garden flooded.
It took a while, but we got her to care again and her garden is as beautiful as ever. Everyone in the neighborhood praised her for it, but she didn't care for all that. It's a hobby that soothed her and that's what mattered.
Watching this fragrant garden with its blossomed flowers reminded me of that. I found solace thinking about home, even though these past few weeks have been anything but peaceful.
I'm about done with my coffee, and class is about to start. I got up and stretched my legs before following the corridors towards my new classroom.
On my way there, I kept thinking about how they put me in a class with possible future villains. I'm not complaining. It's rather refreshing. Being in the same room with the Heroes disturbed me to my core.
I found the classroom and walked in. All students sat in different directions, and stared at each other, like predators gauging out their prey. The moment I stepped in, all eyes were on me.
Their gazes were like sharp knives trying to drill into my head. They tried to intimidate me with just their piercing glares. I tried my best to not let it bother me and sat in my own uninhabited corner of the room.
It's not a good idea to show off powers in a room full of psychos, but I thought it best to do so and get it over with. Therefore, I joined this intimidation game and oozed out black smoke. I purposely deepen my voice. "One chance!!!"
I glared at every one of them. Every time my eyes met theirs, they averted them and returned to their seating positions, looking at the front.
I got really anxious when I thought that my overconfidence at that point could lead to a death scenario, but I powered through it. In the future, I won't be able to lead them if chickened out now.