"What the hell were you thinking, John?!" Father shouted. "Flying off without our permission, and taking your brother with you?! Have you lost your mind?!"
"How dare you drop your brother?! You almost got him killed! What are you, a murderer?! Do you want to be a supervillain?! Because if you do, then get the hell out of this house!" Mother scolded.
"It... It was just a joke. I said sorry," John said quietly.
Mother gasped. "A joke?! Attempted murder is a joke to you?!"
Tears started welling up in John's eyes.
"Oh no, you don't get to cry, young man! You're grounded. Go to your room!" Father declared.
"Screw you guys!"
Mother and Father were stunned. "Excuse me?!"
"I literally have superpowers! I could be out there doing so much! I could be saving people like Spider-Man, but no — I always have to stay in this boring house where I can't do anything!"
Father laughed bitterly. "You think it's easy? You think saving people is just swooping in and stopping danger? It's a whole lot worse out there, son. This is real life, not a comic book! It's a cruel world!"
"Now go to your room!"
John didn't move.
"Go!"
John clenched his jaw. "Make me."
Mother shook her head, disappointed. "Does that make you feel good, John? Knowing we have no physical power over you? Should we be your slaves and do everything for you? Is that what you want?"
She spread her arms wide. "Come on, John. Teach us a lesson. Show us who's the real boss here. Beat the crap out of us."
They were met with nothing but a powerful blast of wind to their faces as John sprinted to his room.
Father turned to Jacob and hugged him tightly. "It's okay, buddy."
Jacob wiped his tears. "Can I sleep with you guys tonight?"
"Of course you can!" Father lifted him up.
---
MORNING
Mother walked toward John's room to wake him up for school. Before she entered, she heard him crying softly.
She knocked gently.
John quickly wiped his tears. "I'll be there!"
"Can I come in?"
John fixed himself and cleared his throat. "Ye-Yeah!"
Mother sat down beside him. "You okay, bud?"
John scoffed. "I'm totally fine!"
Mother immediately understood and pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing his back.
John broke down in tears. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry I said those things to you and Dad. I'm sorry..."
"It's okay... it's okay," she whispered. "We know you didn't mean it. You're a good kid." She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Tell you what — after school, we'll take you to Disneyland."
"Really?"
"Sure." She gently fixed his hair. "Now wipe those tears and come down for breakfast."
"Is Jacob still mad at me?"
"Don't worry, we talked to him yesterday. He said it's alright."
---
IN SCHOOL
They were walking together during recess like usual.
"Hey, John. I just thought of something random. Imagine a world where everyone has powers just like you. It'd be amazing, wouldn't it? No crimes or anything like that."
"That would seem cool, but it'd probably be a disaster."
"Disaster?"
"Yeah, dude. If everyone had superpowers, they'd probably destroy everything."
"And how do you know that?"
John chuckled. "Everyone's not the same person, bro."
Jacob nodded. "Yeah, you're right."
John looked at him. "Sorry about yesterday."
"Don't worry, I forgive you!"
---
AFTER SCHOOL, DISNEYLAND
Jacob screamed in excitement. "We're actually going to Disneyland! I thought you were bluffing, Mom!"
Mother laughed. "I would never!"
Father scoffed. "You just did!"
Mother nudged him. "Oh, shut up."
They had the time of their lives — riding roller coasters, watching parades, eating delicious food, and swimming.
John and Jacob stuck together the whole time, enjoying every moment.
"Let's try this one! It looks extra scary!" Jacob tugged on his mother's shirt.
"Alright, let's do it."
They all got on. John and Jacob were buzzing with excitement. Father recorded while Mother held his hand tightly.
The roller coaster climbed toward the peak, then dropped.
Everyone threw their hands up, screaming with adrenaline.
"Whoo!!!"
Suddenly, the tracks ahead snapped and fell away. The excited screams turned into horrified ones.
The roller coaster was over 200 meters high. Falling would mean certain death.
Jacob screamed in terror and looked for John — but he was gone.
As the roller coaster plunged through the broken track toward the ground, it suddenly came to a halt.
At the front of the ride, John was holding the entire coaster up with all his strength.
He hugged the structure and slowly hovered down to the ground.
Everyone watched in awe as a child had just saved 32 people. A real-life superhero.
The roller coaster landed safely. The passengers got off, still in shock.
Then the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Even the workers were cheering.
John looked toward his parents.
"Look away, John. Act like you don't know us," Father whispered.
But John was too far to hear. Father gave him a clear "shoo" gesture. John understood immediately.
He shot into the sky and flew off to a hidden spot.
"That... That was awesome!" John celebrated to himself.
---
IN THE CAR
Everyone was silent.
"Did I do something wrong?" John asked nervously.
Father groaned. "Yeah, John. The whole world knows you have powers now."
"What? I saved you guys and everyone on that ride!"
"We know, John. Saving people is a good thing, but now..." Mother smacked her lips. "We're never going to have a quiet life again. You're going to be under a lot of stress."
"I'm sorry..."
"It's not your fault, honey. You wanted to save people, and you did." Mother smiled softly. "Be happy about that."
Father didn't say anything.
Mother pinched him.
Father snapped out of it. "It's completely fine, John! You did a good thing, buddy."