The Secret

by Oliver O’Rourke

The boy sat in class, a thousand thoughts running through his mind. They were regretful, angry and everything but good. He stared down at his hands. “What have I done?” thought the boy. The events kept running through his head, repeating and torturing him with guilt. The teachers voice faded away, the sound of silence ringing in his ears. He was still reminiscing about when he was normal.

Joseph woke up to the sound of his dad making breakfast. He felt a surging pain through his head. He fumbled around until he found the light switch and it flickered on. The warm yellow light lit up his room and revealed all the posters on his wall. He slipped his feet out onto the cold, hard, wooden floor of his bedroom. He wobbled over to the door, his head spinning. “Why am I so dizzy?” he thought to himself. He sat down on his bed and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his pillows were floating.

Joseph jumped backwards, falling off his bed. He heard a thump as they hit the ground. He rubbed his head at the spot where it had smashed against the ground.

He found some ice in the freezer and pressed it on his head. He went and sat down at the old, stained wooden table. His Dad emerged from the kitchen, carrying the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon into the dining room.

“What’s the ice pack for?” his dad questioned.

“I…” he stopped himself. He was probably just imagining it. But something told him not to tell his father. But maybe that was because Frank Smith had a history of bragging to the whole world about his only child.

“Just fell out of bed.”

He ate his breakfast and got ready for school. He was wrapping up his burrito he had made for his lunch, when he decided to test something. He sat on the kitchen floor and imagined a knife floating. When he opened his eyes, he heard the clang as the knife hit the floor.

School felt like it was going on forever. Finally, the ringing of the bell freed him from history class. He sat down on the bench at the back of the school, next to his no friends. He ate his lunch lonelily as he saw them. Jake and Tommy. The school bullies. The ones who made his life miserable.

“Hey Jo-Jo,” said Jake.

“How was the nerd fest?” teased Tommy

“It was a..” Joseph started

“No-one cares, Jo-Jo!” yelled Jake

He pushed Joseph against the hard, metal fence. Pain gushed through his body, blood running down his back. He collapsed to the ground, tears streaming out of his eyes. The salty droplets of water run down his face and he created a wall of hate. He stood his wobbly legs up and imagined his foes, six feet in the air. His muscles tensed and he focused. Jake and Tommy hit the ground hard. Very hard.

The ambulance took the two unconscious boys away. The boy sat in class, his heart telling him to fess up but his brain saying a clear no. It was a secret. So were his powers.

Joseph’s name came over the loudspeaker. He stumbled all the way up to the principal’s office. He sat in the old green chair and waited to hear what he had to say.

“Tommy told me that you used ‘superpowers’ on him and Jake. Know anything about it?” asked the confused principal.

It felt like his powers were telling him to say no. So that’s what he did. It was a secret.