Chapter 8 – Michael, Michael, Burning Bright!
Soaring high over the city, Michael couldn’t imagine a more amazing experience. All his childhood interest in airplanes had paid off. He had read so much about the mechanics of basic flight that controlling his body in the air seemed like second nature. He banked his body into a wide lazy turn. Far below him, the city was coming alive. As the sun started to set, lights from the city started to turn on. Toronto was a beautiful city at night! Looking inside himself, he could see that he was starting to run low on energy. It was time to head home. Turning back north, he headed for Markham.
Tonight was Halloween. The lie he told Serena was actually a half-truth. There was indeed a dance at Markham High. Michael had decided long ago not to go. The only person he would’ve liked to take to the dance probably thought he was a dumb moron. Feeling a perverse notion to see the dance up close, Michael aimed for his school and started his descent. Outside the main doors, parents were dropping off their kids. There was a steady stream of ghosts and goblins, witches and ghouls all headed for the front doors. Just in front of the doors was a roofed structure, covering the entrance to the school. Michael landed on top of this structure and watched the parade of people. A large limo suddenly pulled up in front of the school. A driver dressed in a tuxedo got out and opened the passenger door. First out of the door was Tracy Adams. She was dressed like a female vampire out of an antique video game, complete with a bat-like tiara and six-inch spikes on her boots. Her outfit – if it could be called that - barely qualified as an costume, as it had only two strips of black cloth that were about four inches wide running down the front of her chest. A short high collared cape completed the image. Next came her date, a tall young man dressed as a warlock.
Well, well, the
rumours were true! Tracy is dating
George Jones, the grade 12 captain of the senior football team. Gee, I wonder what he sees in her!
Catherine O’Hara was next. She was dressed to kill in 6-inch pumps, black leather mini skirt and a leather top. Fishnet stockings and knee-high leather boots completed her ensemble. Her date was an extremely tall young man whom Michael didn’t recognize.
What’s she supposed to
be dressed up as? A hooker?
Next to come out was Linna Summers dressed as a witch. Her black pointed hat covered her newly dyed hair, which now featured blue and red streaks. While Tracy and Catherine had dressed to show their most prominent assets, Linna dressed to show that her two vivacious friends would not outdo her. Where Tracy had her voluptuous figure, and Catherine had her mile-long legs, Linna had somehow squeezed into a tight micro skirt of sheerest black. Her date had his arm protectively around her waist, with his hand drooping dangerously close to her rear, as if he were laying claim to a prized territory. He was dressed in a red devil costume that looked as if it had been bought at the local Wal-mart. The hooded cap with the devil horns did nothing to hide a familiar looking bruise on his face. Michael chuckled to himself when he saw it.
Well, I don’t know his
name, but that’s one face I’ll never forget!
The last girl to step out of the limo caught Michael’s attention. It was May. Unlike her best friends, she did not dress to reveal any of her physical attributes. In fact, the only thing she revealed was her active sense of creativity and imagination. Her costume was not one you could find anywhere in any stores. She was dressed up like an elf in a forest green and brown outfit. She even had pointy ears! It was obvious that she had put a lot of time and effort to create her costume. She wore a brown mid-length skirt over green panty hose, and a brown vest over a green blouse. A green cap reminiscent of Robin Hood topped her head. A dagger at her hip, a bow in her hand, and a quiver on her back completed her costume. While May had captured Michael’s complete attention, her date almost made Michael fall of his perch. It was Dan Harper.
The jerk didn’t even
bother dressing up! He’s just wearing
his varsity sweater. Man, that’s like
snubbing his nose at everyone in the school!
Michael watched until the last of the students filed into the school. All in all, there were probably around three hundred people attending the dance. There was a rumbling of motorcycles and Michael watching as three large figures pulled up on Harley Davidsons.
Oh shit, it’s Mark and
his gang!
Mark had a bandage around his head, and both Tony and Butch had one on their nose. Their eyes were bloodshot and Michael could smell alcohol and pot as they walked under him and into the school.
There’s going to be
trouble tonight! I’d better stick
around!
Michael resumed his human form and jumped down. A breezy feeling around his nether regions made him look down. He was naked again!
Crap! When did this happen? Oh, right.
Back in my backyard when I took on my Shiza-haran form. I didn’t even feel my clothes falling
off! Damn, what do I do now? I can’t just go waltzing in, in my birthday
suit!
<<Perhaps if attire is what you need, then perhaps you should go home and acquire it, young one.>>
Only problem is, I
don’t have a costume.
<<I am sure that
if you put your mind to it, young one, you will think of something.>>
Michael looked
around to make sure he was alone and then closed his eyes and prepared to
change back to his new form. As his
body blurred and shifted, he was aware of two new things. First, the change to his Shiza-haran form
was becoming easier, and second, his reserve of power was becoming increasingly
low.
<<Beware, young
one. Your energy reserve is low. You need to absorb more soon.>>
No worries, I’ll
recharge when I get home.
Michael drew his
transparency camouflage around himself and pushed off into the air. He angled his flight path so that it was on
a direct path to his house. In a couple
of minutes, he was back in his backyard.
On the ground, by the patio door, were the remains of the clothes he had
worn home from school. Damn, there goes another set of clothes! He
resumed his human form, grabbed his tattered clothes and ran into the house.
Michael stormed
into his room and threw his clothes on the bed. There would time enough later to get rid of the evidence. He was so pre-occupied with getting back to
the Halloween dance that he barely registered the fact that his bedroom window
now sported a large sheet of plastic. Hmmm, what to wear, what to wear…I’ve never
gone to a Halloween dance before, and I haven’t been out trick or treating
since I was nine! He rummaged through his closet but no ideas
jumped out at him.
Turning around in a
full circle, he surveyed his room. On
one of his walls, something caught his eye.
Once, long ago, Michael had been enraptured with the Hollywood ninja
movies. He had sat through the cheesy
American Ninja movies, and worshipped the better ones starring Sho Kosugi. Because of his obsession, he had begged his
father to hunt for ninja props on one of his frequent trips to Los
Angeles. Michael was never sure how his
father did it, but his father had come through in a big way. On a wooden stand that was mounted on the
wall were two of Michael’s most prized possessions. The first was a replica of the ninja helmet used by Sho Kosugi in
the movie Pray for Death. It was light
enough to be worn, and the faceplate even opened down the middle to either
side, just like in the movie. Next to
the helmet was a replica ninja sword.
Michael walked over and took down the sword. He pulled out the blade in one motion and looked at it
thoughtfully. The handle was ten inches
long, and the straight single edged blade was just over two feet in
length. He had paid a bundle for the
sword, not knowing at the time that it was really just a cheap stainless steel
knock off. Later surfing of various
sword forums on the Internet had revealed that many hard core sword enthusiasts
believed that the straight ninja sword was not historically accurate. In fact, they believed that if a ninja were
to use a sword, they probably pried a katana from a dead samurai’s hands. Still, it wasn’t as if he would really use
it on anyone. As a wall hanger, it
looked great beside his ninja helmet.
Hmmm, I bet I can use this tonight! I guess it really doesn’t matter that the
ninja sword in this form is really just a myth fabricated by Hollywood. No one at school is going to know, much less
care that ninjas didn’t really use swords like this!
Moving with sudden
inspiration, he sheathed the sword and set it down. He then pulled out the bottom drawer of his chest and dug deep
until he pulled out what he was looking for.
At the same time that he had bought his “ninja sword”, he had also
hunted down a website that sold “authentic” ninja outfits. When it came in the mail, Michael had
virtually ripped open the packaging to reveal one of his greatest
disappointments. The “ninja” outfit was
made for someone well over six feet in height.
Barely topping five and a half feet himself, he had looked as if someone
had squeezed out his hands and feet when he had put on the outfit. The only thing the makers of the outfit had
done right was that the outfit was very form fitting. In fact, on Michael’s adolescent body, it had fit perfectly
except for the extra long appendages.
Into the bottom of his chest it had gone, waiting for the day he would
grow into it.
Oh well, why wait
until I grow taller? With only the smallest of hesitations,
Michael grabbed a pair of scissors and quickly trimmed the outfit. When he pulled it on, it was an almost
perfect fit. He slung the sword onto
his back and put his helmet on. He then
walked over to his mirror and examined himself. Not bad, not
bad! Uh oh, no gloves and no
shoes…hmmm, black dress socks and my black Roots canvas shoes should do the
trick, and I think I’ll forgo the gloves.
I can’t stand wearing gloves anyway! Michael slipped on the last
two pieces of his impromptu costume and headed out the front door. As he pedaled his bike to school, he
couldn’t shake the nagging notion that he had forgotten something important.
Back at the school, a bored looking teacher opened the door for Michael. At the doors to the gym, a student was there taking down names. Michael gave his name and walked in. The gym was dark, with patches of light flaring up all over. Music was booming from giant speakers near the stage. Immediately inside the door was a giant paper mache statue of a witch on a broomstick. It was huge, standing at least fifteen feet. The witches’ broomstick was about ten feet long and someone had used dry sticks bundled together to use as a sweeper. Next to the witch were several other large paper mache statues, featuring various ghosts and goblins. All along the walls were various Halloween decorations as well as dozens of old banners and pennants.
Mark and his gang were standing close to the row of statues. Michael skulked through the shadows and did his best to avoid the trio. His senses let him hear their conversation as he passed by them.
“That fucking little prick! I’m going to pound his face in next time I see him!” Mark was virtually yelling at his henchmen. In his right hand was a small brown paper bag. Mark was gripping it tightly and brought it to his lips every few seconds. Michael suspected that it wasn’t a water bottle in the bag!
“Don’t worry, dude, we’ll be ready for him next time!” Tony, the more articulate of the two henchmen was trying to placate his leader. “We’ll call in some more of the boys and corner him in a deserted alley.”
“Fuck that! I’m gonna kick his ass in front of everyone! Nobody gets away with making a fool out of me!” Mark must have had a lot to drink already. He was a little unsteady on his feet and was gesturing wildly with his hands. He didn’t even notice when some of the contents of his bottle splashed onto himself as well as the witch’s broomstick.
Having heard enough, Michael walked away. His eyes were looking for one particular person. He found the fantastic four and their dates easily enough. They were dancing in the middle of the floor to the beat of some unknown fast beat song. Tracy, Linna and Catherine looked like they were doing their best to imitate the Lambada with their dates. They were ripping up the dance floor, shaking their “thangs” at their respective dates. All the guys had a smile on their faces. All but one. May apparently either didn’t know the Lambada or she didn’t care for it. She was dancing a respectable distance away from Dan. Dan kept making motions with his arms to try to get May to dance closer, but she wasn’t having any of it. The fast song ended and the speakers blared out a slow soft romantic song. As one, all the couples in the gym moved in close together. Many of the couples looked like they were in a clinch. Michael backed away until his back was against the wall. Losing sight of May, he stretched out his senses until he found her. While the other girls in the fantastic four were practically glued to their dates, May was trying to get Dan to keep his hands on her waist. George, Tracy’s date even had his hand running up and down her side and periodically, would move his hand up to the front of Tracy’s outfit and then back down on her back, well below the waistline. A few feet away from them, the drama between Dan and May was reaching a climax.
“Hey babe, what’s wrong with you?” asked Dan, clearly confused as to why May wasn’t falling over herself to offer her body up to him.
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you!” retorted May. “I told you, I’m not that type of girl!”
“Come on, everyone else is doing it!” pleaded Dan. “Look at George and Tracy. They’re practically doin’ it on the dance floor!”
“I don’t care what they do. That’s their business. If you like me as much as you say you do, you’ll respect me!”
Dan tried a different tact. “Look, I know you don’t have much up there, I don’t mind, but I’ve always thought that you have a great ass!” He punctuated his remark by reaching down and grabbing May’s ass.
May pulled out of his grasp. Swinging with her right hand, she slapped Dan across the face. “Get lost creep!”
Startled, by the sudden slap, Dan did the unexpected. He slapped her back. “You cheap slut! You’re such a tease!”
May held her hand to her face. All around her, people had stopped dancing and were staring at them in amazement. “Drop dead asshole!” she shouted.
May turned to go, but Dan wasn’t finished yet. He grabbed a hold of her arm and spun her back around. At this point, Michael had seen enough. Making his way quickly through the crowd, he reached scene of the unfolding drama just as Dan was drawing back his hand for another slap. Michael reached up and grabbed Dan’s hand before it could descend. May’s face was turned away and her eyes were tightly shut.
“I think that’s quite enough, Dan!” growled Michael in a very low tone.
At the sound of the menacing tone, Dan turned to look at the person who was holding his hand in a vise-like grip. Before him, dressed all in black, was a figure he didn’t recognize. The figure was wearing black clothes, and a metal helmet with rectangular face pieces that joined together and jutted outward in a triangular shape. On any other day, in broad daylight, the figure would’ve looked ridiculously funny. Here, on the darkened dance floor, the figure looked deadly and dangerous. Dan felt a shiver of fear trickle down his back, but he rallied and shook it off. “Who the hell are you? Some kind of retro techno-ninja? Get outta here freak! This isn’t your business!”
Michael reached up with his other hand and whipped off his helmet. “The name’s Michael, you schmuk, and I’m making this my business!”
At the same time, May, who had been expecting another hard slap to her face tentatively opened her eyes. It was unbelievable! Someone was standing up for her? Not just anyone either. May recognized Michael from her classes, but had never really spoken to him. She had always thought that he was rather shy. However, shy or not, he had intervened on her behalf when no one else had dared. His opponent, however, had at least 30 pounds over him. He was going to get pounded! She couldn’t let Michael’s brave act get him beaten up. She had to stop this! She stepped to the two straining figures and shouted “Stop it! Stop please!”
At the sound of her voice, Michael relaxed his hold and
turned to look at May. Sensing his
distraction, Dan pulled his arm out of Michael’s grasp, twisted his torso, and
lunged with his other arm and delivered a picture perfect right cross to
Michael’s face.[T1]
Dan sneered at Michael’s reaction. He looked around and noticed that many people had stopped dancing and were watching the fight. Blood raced in his veins and excitement fueled his contempt. He remembered vividly what had happened in the gym that afternoon. This was pay back! “That’s right, wimp man! You wanna piece of me? Come on! Let’s see what you’ve got!”
Michael slowly turned back to face Dan. That punch had caught him off guard, but it seemed to have awakened something within him. Adrenaline flashed through his body, and his blood boiled. All of a sudden, he felt something inside of him break and suddenly his body was infused with power. The fight with Mark and his gang had happened so fast that he didn’t notice it before. But this time, he felt it. He reveled in it! With this power at his command, there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do! He felt god-like and all-powerful. Gathering his power around himself he advanced towards his enemy.
Dan’s sneer faded from his face as Michael came towards him instead of backing off. What was wrong? Why wasn’t the wimp cowering and running away? Michael’s mouth was moving, and Dan realized that he was saying something, but all that he could hear through the music was a low guttural, almost primeval growl. The shiver of fear he had felt earlier was back. Every instinct in his body cried out to him to run away. Desperately, he jabbed a left to Michael’s face. Dan felt a brief instant of elation, as Michael made no attempt to block and his punch connected with Michael’s face. With a sudden cry of pain, Dan recoiled. It was like punching solid concrete! With fear racing through his body, Dan tried to back pedal. Michael suddenly reached out with both hands, and Dan fell back with his hands covering his face. He felt an iron vise clamp onto his belt, and another gripped his sweater. Dan felt his world go topsy-turvy as Michael hoisted him up into the air like a sack of potatoes.
Dan’s face was clearly showing his fear. How the hell was this little shrimp doing this to him? “Let go of me, you freak!” He turned his head to find some help. But every face he looked at returned his gaze with hostility.
May watched the fight with growing amazement. Was this the same shy Michael who couldn’t even meet her gaze at school? Who mumbled a shy greeting if approached? This new Michael had shrugged off Dan’s punches like they were nothing. Having been on the receiving already once tonight, May knew how strong Dan could be if he wanted to. Michael suddenly moved in close and in fluid, cat-like motion, grabbed Dan by his belt and sweater and lifted him up into the air. May felt a sense of delight at Dan’s squawk of surprise and fear. But, that delight soon turned into horror as she realized Michael’s intent. Michael was holding Dan up in the air as if he were a triumphant hockey player brandishing the Stanley Cup. May rushed over and grasped one of Michael’s arms. It was like holding onto an electrified steel pole. A wave of emotions washed over her like a tidal wave. Grimly, she pushed the emotions to one side and pleaded to Michael, “Stop it, Michael! Don’t do it! He’s not worth it!” Over and over, she pleaded, but Michael’s face was set in a hard mask. The emotions kept coming like a locomotive and she had the close her eyes in deep concentration. With all her might, she thought of nothing but calm thoughts, all the while praying that she wasn’t too late.
The fight was starting to draw more and more attention. More than one teacher was already making their way to the centre of the gym. Over by the paper mache statues, someone else had noticed the fight. Butch nudged Mark with his elbow and said, “Hey boss, check out the action.”
Blearly eyed, Mark glanced drunkenly in the direction Butch was pointing. A shock of recognition snapped through the fog in his brain. “It’s him!” His body stiffened, and he jerked the hand holding his drink to the side, splashing more alcohol onto the witch’s broomstick. “C’mon boys, let’s get him!” Though slurred from the pot and the alcohol, there was still a faint quiver in Mark’s voice as he threw his drink to the side and reached into his jacket for a cigarette. Unnoticed, his bottle hit the witch’s body and splashed more of its contents on her body. Upon hitting the floor, the bottle splashed the rest of its contents out onto the floor. The alcohol pooled by the feet of the witch. Mark lit his cigarette with a large wooden match and flicked the match off to the side. By the unseen hand of fate, the match fell, still lit, into the very pool of alcohol by the witch’s feet.
Dried paper mache, coated with liberal amounts of alcohol had zero fire proof ability. The witch went up like a roman candle. People started screaming and running away from the witch. If the witch had been standing all by itself, it would have been the only casualty tonight. Instead, as the fire spread, its wooden support also caught fire. This caused the witch to sway unsteadily. Again, by the same hand of fate, the witch swayed not away from the other statues, but towards them. In an instant, the next statue caught on fire as well, and it too fell towards the next one in line. Like a fiery domino set, all the statues were soon aflame.
Michael was suddenly aware that the music had stopped and people were screaming. May’s voice seemed to be echoing in his head. His feelings of rage and hatred earlier were now replaced with a calm breezy feeling. Was I just thinking about soft waves lapping at the beach? He looked around, but May was no longer beside him. The rush of people running away from the fire had separated them. He dropped Dan instead of throwing him like he originally intended. Dan crawled gratefully away. When he was several feet away, he got up and ran as if the devil himself was on his tail.
Michael looked at the conflagration that used to be row of
paper mache statues. The flames burned
higher and soon the old banners that hung around the gym caught fire too. In seconds, the gym was filled with smoke. Where are the sprinklers? Why haven’t they come on?
The row of burning statues was directly in front of the doors. The exit was blocked! The fire reached the wiring for the lights in the ceiling and soon the fire blazed out of control. People were screaming and running everywhere. Michael tried desperately to think of what to do. Obviously the doors were out of the question. He turned and ran for the emergency door. There were people already there, pounding of the door. Michael recognized Tracy. Her outfit had ripped at some point but with panic in her eyes, covering herself up was the last thing on her mind. She saw Michael coming and screamed to him. “The door’s jammed! We’re trapped! Do something!”
“Where’s May?” demanded Michael.
“I don’t know! We lost sight of her in the crowd!” shouted Tracy.
Michael quickly examined the door. His Shiza-haran senses confirmed what Tracy said. Someone had moved a large dumpster on the other side of the door - probably in preparation for cleaning up after the dance. “Move aside! Let me try!” Michael shouted.
The door was open by about an inch, but it wouldn’t budge more than that. Several people were trying in vain to push the door out. Michael felt someone tug on his back. Before he could turn to look, a tall man with a teacher’s sash brandished his ninja sword. The unknown teacher wedged the sword into the gap and tried to lever the door. Being only stainless steel, the sword snapped in two. Michael shoved the teacher roughly out of the way and put both hands on the door and pushed with all his might. The door creaked open by about another inch. He sent his senses out again, and this time, imagined pulling the dumpster away from the door. His newfound telekinesis ability was coming in handy tonight, but it was taking a lot out of him. He grunted with effort and his face screwed up in total concentration. Summoning all of his reserves he pushed the door and pulled the dumpster at the same again. This time, the door slid open some more. The dumpster was moving! Gaining momentum, Michael pushed and pulled until the door was all the way open. With a roar of relief, the students rushed through the door. It was all Michael could do to prevent himself from being trampled. Looking around, he couldn’t find May. He used his senses and broadened the search. He found her passed out not far from where she was dancing with Dan. Running over, he picked her up in her arms and ran back to the door. Outside, fire trucks were just appearing. He passed May to a man in a paramedic’s uniform and ran back into the gym. When he had picked up May, he had seen several other people who had passed out from smoke inhalation. Digging deep once again into his reserve of power, he headed deeper into the smoke filled gym. Trying to keep low and to hold his breath at the same time, Michael located another still form. He slung this person over his shoulder and ran outside. He passed the person to another paramedic and ran back in before anyone could stop him. Michael was working like a man possessed. He had only one thought in his mind: Get these people out! Three more times Michael ran in and pulled someone out. The last time he came out, a fireman stopped him.
“It’s ok now, son, let us take it from here. We’ll put out the fire and get anyone else left!” said the burly fireman. “You did a great job! Now hand over the young man on your shoulder and go sit down.”
Michael gently eased the still form off his shoulder. This person was badly burned. Despite the burns to the face, Michael could see that it was Mark. All of his hair was burned off. In fact if it hadn’t been for his leather jacket, he could very well have been burned alive! Michael looked down at the face of his former enemy. He couldn’t summon any emotion. A paramedic led him away and wrapped a large blanket around him. The paramedic led him to a group of people who were also wrapped in blankets. Michael recognized the faces of many of the members of the football team as well as many of the cheerleaders.
“Where’s May?” he asked.
Tracy came over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “They’re taking her away to the hospital right now. They say that she’s inhaled some smoke, but she’s going to be ok.”
Michael sighed in obvious relief. “Thank god! Are you guys ok?”
“We’re all fine, thanks to you! You saved our lives!” Tracy hugged him to her. All around, the boys and girls of the “social elite” came and personally thanked him.
Another paramedic came around to check on them. “Is everyone ok here?”
All around the group, heads were nodding. Tracy spoke up for the group. “We’re all ok, thanks to Michael here! He got the door open and kept going back in for more people!”
The fireman who had stopped Michael came over. “That was a very brave and foolish thing to do, young man! You could’ve been killed! But you saved a lot of lives tonight, and I wanted to be the first to shake your hand!” With that said, the fireman took Michael’s right hand and shook it vigorously up and down.
Later, after a paramedic checked him out and pronounced him fit, Michael was allowed to wander off a bit. His body ached with exhaustion. A familiar voice called his name, and broke him out of his reverie.
“Michael, Michael, are you alright?” Michael looked up and saw Serena looking back at him. Concern for his well-being was clear in her eyes.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just want to go home now. I’m so tired!”
“Awww, come here, baby. I’ll take you home!” Serena hugged Michael to her, and led him to her car.
The drive home was just a blur to him. Before he knew it, Serena had him upstairs and into the master bedroom. She took off his blanket and urged him into bed. Before he knew it, Serena was taking off his singed ninja costume. He tried to protest, but she just shushed him. “Anything you have to say can wait until morning, luv!”
She tucked him in, and closed the light as she left the room. Tired beyond belief, Michael closed his eyes and passed out.