Sky High Fan Fiction ❯ Maroon Heart ❯ Candy's Early Days ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

He looked around, waiting eagerly for Leyla to return with the diary that she was looking for in Candy’s room. He spotted Leyla coming up to the hospital, holding two books, one with a black binding and red marks and a dark brown one.

“Leyla, what’s up?”

She shook her head and held them both out. “Do you want to start from her time at the high school or before then?”

“Um, before.” She withdrew the black and red one. “Leyla, what’s wrong?”

“Just read it out loud.” Leyla sat beside Maj and Zach. Warren had just come out of the hospital, so, he leaned against a nearby pillar.

Will cleared his throat and started reading from the page Leyla had marked.

‘When I was growing up, we had a tree in our backyard. I could climb it and sit in it all day if I wanted to. The problem was that I wasn’t aloud outside all day or all month, only once a month. My brother built a small tree house for me.

‘Oh, that’s right! My brother’s name is Camron, Cam. He calls me “Can”. He’s a super brother and hero. The world calls him either “LightningRod” or “Cammy”, as is his stage name when we sing. He’s a great guy and he and his boyfriend are the sweetest thing.

‘But he’s the complete opposite of my mother and father. My father is what you’d call a “super villain” and my mother is a woman who’ll hit me without warning. Yes, a broken family. But my parents loved each other more than they loved me or my brother. Of course, they loved my brother before he protected me.

‘I always wished for a guy who was like my brother, sweet and caring and would always protect me. Nobody gets what they want in this world. I thought, after all that time, I’d find him with ease. Not so in my life.’

Will stopped, staring at the pages, at the scribbles and the black splotches, the pictures of her as a baby, the notes that were illegible. Candy had always been neat and kind to every one of them. Was she in love with Will, Zach, or Warren?

“Will, what’s up?” Warren called from his pillar. “Why’d you stop.”

“Oh, nothing.” Will cleared his throat and flipped the page. His hands were shaking as he sank back into a bench.

‘When I found out I had my powers, it was a cold, winter day. I was walking around the front lawn of my house when Jetstream came by. She asked if I was cold, what a nice lady she is. I watched her come closer and a hunger for her blood arose in my throat. I held my breath and waited for her to come closer. If she was just a bit closer I could.... I could what? What would I do?

‘She left me a coat and flew away. I still have the coat. It was big enough for me now and I wear it as a reminder why I’m a hero and not a villain. A few days later, an elderly couple was walking by and I snuck out to follow them. I did it a lot; follow people when they passed by my house. But this time was different.

‘A gang came up to mug them. They were rich, I could tell by their cloths and the gold bands on their fingers and the smell of perfumes. I watched in horror as they were attacked and I wished I could help. I did, actually. I stopped the attack pretty quickly with my powers. I killed the five men without laying a finger on them. I was frightened of my own power and how easily I suffocated them. How I did it, I never knew.

‘My mother found out the next morning, however. I don’t know how. She told me that I was going to have to decide between the family and my silly dreams. I chose my “silly dreams“, in hopes of finding love. So, I prepared to join Cam at Sky High. Cam would be a senior and I would be a freshmen when I got there.

‘In the meantime, I spent my time figuring out what I did to kill those men and save the elderly couple. They’d given me a gift and told me not to open it until I fell in love. I kept it in my tree house that was becoming my room. I spent all my time in my tree house, looking out, across the land that was my neighborhood and would fiddle with the box as I did so. A few times, I saw a boy walking around or Jetstream flying over-head. I wanted to be them, free to roam.

‘When I turned fourteen and prepared for Sky High, something happened to me. Well, several things happened.

‘I moved in with Cam. He lived beside an ordinary family and the Peace family. I met the mother, she was sweet.

‘I found a park that I could stay at and look at all the people. I do believe that was where I met Mr. Peace. They said he was a dangerous guy, but I thought he was actually quite nice.

‘My father was almost captured and it was my brother, LightningRod, and some woman that I can’t remember. I cheered them on. It was the least I could do for my brother for all he’d done. I think it’s pretty cool when your family is awesome.

‘I discovered that Sky High was an amazing place. My brother told me about the classes, the teachers, the people, the principal, and the Power Placement.

‘But I met Mr. Peace again, before I went to Sky High. He told me that I should always keep an open mind. He told me that he didn’t want to be a villain anymore, but bad habits are hard to break. I don’t blame him.’

Warren stiffened at that. He looked back at the hospital windows, looking at what might be Candy’s window. The doors opened and a doctor came out and the five of them watched as he came over to them.

“Hello.” He smiled. It was Cam. Despite doing music in his spare time, his career was a doctor at this hospital. “Don’t worry. I just came to get you because Candy’s all alone. Is it okay if you guys stay with her the night?”

Warren stood up straight. “I’ll stay.”

Pretty soon, they were all seated or leaning in Candy’s room.

Her brown hair was still splayed across the pillows. Her eyes were covered by bandages and the tube was taped to her mouth. Her copper-ivory skin was covered by white bandages and the hospital robes. The machines beeped and hissed and flashed all around her, illuminating her with all kinds of colors.

It was hard to believe that this was the girl they’d all met in the Track Course. It was hard to believe that someone so amazing, so indestructible, could be so human and be broken so easily. Candy never seemed to be human, she was always amazing to the five of them.