At 2 AM, the city of Asheville feels quiet. People are fast asleep, resting after a day of activity. The sky is fairly clear, adorned with the twinkle of stars. The night's chill penetrates the skin. Finn, still with a weak body, stares at his palms. The painful sensation from the release of a burst of light from his skin lingers vividly. His hands appear fine, but what Finn feels is as if they're already shattered.
"What has just happened?" The question still haunts him. He woken up from a dream, his hands felt hurt, and moments later something exploded from his palms. No matter how hard he thinks, there's no rational explanation for this event.
Finn raises his gaze, his blue eyes observing the chaos in front of him. The white garden chair is now only half intact, the rest shattered and scattered. The garden lamp standing beside it is in a similar state, its black pole cut in half, and its white glass sphere shattered. What a mess.
Finn gathers his strength, trying to get up from the ground. His knees tremble like an old man. He then scans left, right, and behind, making sure no one has witnessed what he had done. With shaky but determined steps, he leaves the park and returns to Alex's apartment. His whole body feels so weak, as if all his life energy has just been drained. Finn is certain that he will fall asleep soundly after this. So, upon his arrival at the apartment, he immediately collapses onto the sofa.
"Where are you from?" Alex suddenly appears.
"Shit!" Finn jumps from his position. "You startle me, Man."
"No, YOU startle me. I thougt there was a thief breaking in."
"Oh, sorry," Finn says. "I went out for some fresh air."
Alex rubs his eyes, yawns, then closes the door to his room and goes back to sleep.
Finn does the same, lying down and closing his eyes. As expected, he falls asleep quickly due to his tired body. So fast that when he wakes up, he finds that it is already nine in the morning. Finn checks the apartment, and Alex is no longer there. Where is that guy? From the furniture he has, it seems like Alex is a college student. Today is Wednesday, which means he has classes.
Finn suddenly feels a pang of regret, remembering how he has missed his scholarship interview. If only he has woken up on time or if the streets in Asheville were not congested, he might be in college now, just like Alex and Lily.
Wait, are they both attending the same university? If so, they probably spend a lot of time there. Meanwhile, Finn is alone here, unsure of what his future holds. Should Finn pretend not to know about their relationship in order to continue staying in this apartment?
"Argh, I should just take a shower."
*****
Finn was truly considering ending his life, so since that failed, he has absolutely no plans now. When he thinks about it, the first thing he needs to do is find a job. Living in a city as big as Asheville without any money is like seeking death. It is impossible for him to have to ask Lily even for food. Is Finn's self-esteem that low? However, Finn knows just how tough it is to find a job nowadays, especially as a high school graduate. What skills does he possess? Literally nothing. So, he can't do much. Anyway, Lily has said she will let him know if there are any job openings for him. He hopes that news will come soon.
After taking a shower and having a banana for breakfast—which he takes from Alex's kitchen, Finn decides to visit his former apartment. He hopes that there might be some of his things left there. A piece of clothing, a pair of shoes, some loose change, or anything he can take.
"Finn! Oh, thank goodness you're okay." Mr. Roy welcomes him as soon as Finn arrives. His wrinkled hands hold Finn's shoulders, patting them gently.
"Morning, Sir. May I go upstairs?" said Finn straight to the point.
"Nothing can be seen there, Boy. Everything burned. But of course, I'll take you there."
The two of them head towards the stairs. It's a lower class apartment; so no wonder if the elevator has been broken for who knows how long. It's ironic to see its owner, Mr. Roy, climbing each flight of stairs. Finn feels like to suggesting Mr. Roy to repairs the elevator, but he don't want to offending the old man.
"Look, the fire consumed your room and the one below it," Mr. Roy says once they arrive there.
Finn observes the scene before him. What Mr. Roy has said is true, nothing remains at all. The door to his room is still there, but every inch of the floor inside has disappeared. From their potition on the second floor, they can see the condition of room number 8 below. That is where the debris from Finn's belongings has fallen. Everything is charred and unrecognizable.
A feeling of emptiness suddenly fills Finn's chest. He wants to be angry, but who can he be angry with? Surely, Mr. Roy doesn't want this to happen either, nor the occupant of room number 8 which she is another victim of this incident.
"If there were any other vacant rooms, I would offer one for you to stay temporarily, Boy. But sadly, all of them are occupied."
Finn forces a thin smile. "Thank you, Sir. But it's alright, I'm currently staying at a friend's apartment."
"Good to hear. Do you need anything? I can help you as much as I can."
"Oh, no, Sir. Don't worry about me." Finn feels touched by Mr. Roy's kindness. They haven't interacted much, but it's clear that the old man is exceptionally good-hearted. At this age, he shouldn't be working. Where are his kids? At this age, he shouldn't be working anymore. "Alright, I'll take my leave now. Thank you for allowing me to see the condition here."
"Don't mention it." Mr. Roy replies.
Finn leaves the apartment and intends to return to Alex's place. However, as he crosses Haywood Street, he passes the old building. Finn stops there. The memories of that night are still fresh, the night he stood here for quite a while before deciding to go in and head to the top floor. If those four strangers hadn't come simultaneously, he might not be here anymore.
"Watch out, Dude! A meteor fell there a while ago." A guy with a baggy style yells at him. Finn gives a sardonic smile. If only you knew.
Finn approaches the entrance, and it's quite surprising to find that the glass door isn't shattered after that incident. The first thing that catches his eye is the concave floor, a result of the meteor impact. However, the meteor itself is no longer there. Finn is sure Lily mentioned that it was here that day. Perhaps it's been secured by the authorities. If that's the case, why didn't they evacuated this building? There have been two major incidents here: a successful suicide attempt and the failed one because of the incident where a meteor hit the building.
TAP... TAP... TAP
Finn's reverie is interrupted by footsteps coming from above. Just as he looks towards the stairs, he spots a man he recognizes. He's probably around the same age as Finn. A tall man with black hair. Finn easily identifies him because of his thick eyebrows that always seem to merge due to his cynical expression. "You?"
The man suddenly starts running up the stairs.
"What—?" Finn instinctively chases him. "Hey!"
TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP
Their footsteps echo louder and louder. The man seems to be desperately trying to get away from Finn, which only puzzles Finn more and makes him want to catch up with him. It has been a while since Finn has worked out, so by the time he reaches the first floor, he is already out of breath, while the other man gets further away.
"NO, NO. ARGGGH!" The man above yells loudly.
"What's wrong?" Finn calls out. But there is no response. "You okay, Man?"
Silence.
Strange. Finn hurriedly climbs the stairs. Judging by how the man has shouted, something has happened to him. Has he stumbled? Or has he jumped?
Finn goes through each floor one by one, but he doesn't see any signs of the man's presence. Maybe he has already reached the rooftop? That seems impossible because Finn hasn't heard his footsteps anymore after the man has shouted. He must have stopped on one of the floors. Finn searches each room on every floor, even going back and forth between floors to make sure. But it is in vain, he truly doesn't find anyone in the building.
"Where is he going?" Finn mutters to himself. He is frustrated. Maybe he is hallucinating? No, he is sure about what he has seen and heard. He has genuinely seen the man who has tried to kill himself with him on that night.
Finn decides to leave the building. He is covered in sweat. So many strange things have been happening lately. Finn can't even think about it.
As he steps outside, ready to cross the street, a car startles him with its deafening horn.
"Finn!" The driver of the car yells through the partially open window.
"Lily?" Finn approaches her. "Babe, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
Lily opens the door, inviting Finn to get in. "It's Wednesday; I only have a class at eight. Did you forget?"
"Right." Finn doesn't forget; he remembers her class schedule by heart. It's just that his mind has been preoccupied lately, and he doesn't think about small details like this.
"What about you? What are you doing here?" Lily starts her compact sedan.
"I checked on Mr. Roy's apartment, just in case there's anything of mine left. But there were none."
"I saw you coming out of that building. Why did you go there?" Lily says. "Oh, you promised to tell me about what happened that night. Go on, tell me!"
"Not now."
"What? When?" Lily looks puzzled. "What's going on that you need time to tell me? Oh wait, are you ... doing drugs?"
"No way!" Finn denies. "It's just ... hard to describe. I'll tell you, I promise, but give me more time."
Finn isn't sure if he should tell Lily that that night he has tried to commit suicide. What would her reaction be? Finn has caught her being intimate with another guy, but he still feels that this ponytailed girl cares about him.
"Okay, take your time." She gives a slight smile. "Have you had breakfast? Let's go to Over Easy Cafe!"
"No need, I already had breakfast from Alex's kitchen."
"What do you had?"
"A banana." He answers embarrasedly.
"Oh, my poor baby, breakfast with just a banana!" She laugh. "Let's go for brunch then."
Finn is about to decline, but he can't, really. He is hungry, and the energy from that one banana is already gone after running up and down the stairs to chase the strange man in the building.
Some time later, the couple arrives at their destination. They have visited this cafe often. It isn't very big but is quite comfortable. It has a simple design, painted white, and a U.S. flag hanging near the cafe's name. The waiters promptly approach them.
"What can I get you today?" She asks.
"I'll have eggs benedict and a cup of mocha." Lily orders her favorite.
"Me too." Anything for the hungry Finn.
"Right away."
As soon as the waiter leaves, Finn's attention turns to the local news displayed on the cafe's television screen.
"Breaking news! A jewelry store owner in Asheville, Mr. Henry, has just experienced a unique incident. This morning, he had a customer with magical abilities, the power to create diamonds in an instant. It's hard to believe, I know, but the store's CCTV footage proves that what Mr. Henry claimed is indeed true." The female reporter explains.
The TV screen displays a clip from the store's CCTV footage. It shows a young man entering the store and being greeted by an older man, presumably Mr. Henry. The young man takes something out of his pants pocket and hands it to the store owner, after which they engage in a conversation. Shortly afterward, the customer starts behaving strangely. He appears to writhe and shake his body vigorously. The store owner, from behind the cashier counter, looks confused and shouts at him. A few seconds later, tiny diamond particles start to emerge from the young man's wrists, falling to the store's floor.
"It was around 9 a.m. I had just opened the store when the young man arrived." The CCTV footage ends, and now the face of the store owner is shown. "He wanted to sell diamonds, so we negotiated the price. He seemed satisfied with the amount I offered. But suddenly, he acted strangely, waving his hands in the air as if something had possessed him. I was left utterly astounded when diamond particles started falling from his wrists. He didn't seem to be in pain, I guess, just surprised by his own body's ability. That boy immediately fled after that."
"Is that real?" Lily murmurs, full of confusion.
Finn remains silent, still fixated on the TV screen. Yes, he is intrigued by the fact that there is a person who can generate diamonds from their skin. However, something else troubles him. The man in the CCTV footage doesn't look unfamiliar to him. Even though the recording quality isn't very clear, Finn can recognize his body proportions, bald head, and his mannerisms. There is no mistaking it, it's the man who has been with him on the night of the meteor fall, the man who arrived last.
"The CCTV footage seems real to me," Lily says after sipping her mocha. "So, superpower is real?"