Chapter 1

Picture a superhero. What do they look like? What do they sound like? What are they wearing? Most people would think of a tall, good-looking and strong person. They have a loud, booming voice, they're young, and they wear a bright and shiny suit. But is this really what makes a hero a hero? David Griffin was a scruffy-looking old man and most would've thought he was homeless. He had been like this ever since his wife died three years ago. He sat alone at home, staring at a picture of Jeanette with watery, drooping eyes. David missed her very much but knew that God had decided to bring her back home. He sniffled, clenching his fists loosely and rubbing his eyes. He looked out his window at all the stars, contemplating what he'd done in his own life. He had come to learn that God could take you home at any moment, on any day and to make the best out of life. He looked at one, very bright star in the sky, sighing deeply.

He contemplated what he had done in his life and nodded slightly. He hadn't accomplished much and he had made many mistakes, but his life had been filled with such happiness and goodness so he was satisfied. He grunted softly, laying down on his firm, white pillow and closing his gentle eyes. That night he dreamed of the days when he was so very young, inexperienced, and yet, still so very full of life...

David Griffin stood at the front of the classroom, gulping nervously. He was in ninth grade. His assignment wasn't ready, and he knew it. David decided to improvise on his speech, smiling at his classmates with a sudden confidence. He stood up straight and began to speak. His words came out of his mouth smoothly and clearly, drawing the attention of everyone in the class. Soon he was finished. David strode back to his seat, sitting down and listening to his classmates make their own speeches. He sighed softly, walking out of Literature class and into the small hallway.

It was finally break time. David walked outside, pushing the heavy door open by using his body weight against it. The sun's rays shone onto his face and he took a deep breath. He sat down on one of the concrete steps, halfway down and closed his eyes, just relaxing and savouring the warmth. His school was very cold inside so he enjoyed sitting in the sun when he could before he had to go back inside. Suddenly David felt firm hands push him from behind and he fell down the remaining stairs, splitting the skin on his forehead. He cried in pain, rolling around as the two juniors laughed at him sadisticaly. His eyes watered and his blood slowly leaked out onto the pavement. The boys left, leaving him there. Thankfully, there were other kids around who ran to him and see if he was okay. David felt like he was going to throw up. He felt sweaty and dizzy. David whimpered in fear, thinking this is where he'd die. Soon enough, the ambulance came and the EMTs lifted him carefully into a stretcher.

He grew afraid as his vision darkened. To David, it looked like the sun was setting quickly, making the lights dimmer and dimmer. His eyes were open, and yet he couldn't see. He thrust his hand into the darkness, reaching for comfort. For anyone to rescue him from drowning in this dark ocean. He felt a strong hand grasp his and heard a friendly voice speaking reassuringly to him. Instantly, his world lit up like a candle. He stared at the man holding his hand. He was wearing a clean, dark blue uniform with a silvery badge and a friendly smile. Was he an officer? David didn't think so. This man had a different disposition to him. David had nothing against police officers, as they protected him everyday, but he still prefered to avoid them. They were intimidsting to him. He hadn't done anything wrong. David looked back I-into the man's kind eyes, "S-sir...may I ask who you are? I-I remember h-hitting my head." The EMT gazed back at him, "You did indeed hit your head, my boy. You're fine now though."

David sighed softly, "Thank you for helping me..you've made my day much better."

"Thank you, that's my goal. What is your name?"

"I'm David."

"What happened to you, David?"

The freshman lowered his head slightly, looking up at him, "Well uh..as I said, I hit my head."

"How? You seem like a healthy, stable young man.."

"Well, one of the juniors pushed me down the stairs."

The EMT sighed softly, looking at David sympathetically, "I'm so sorry that happened to you. My name is Benjamin." His blue eyes sparkled. Just at that moment, David realized that there was a needle in his arm. He looked at Benjamin accusingly, "What is this for? Why didn't you take it out?" The EMT chuckled softly, "Just be glad I did it when you were mostly unconscious. It'll help you feel better."

The medic driving the ambulance glanced back at them, the edge of his mouth turned up in a smile, "Benjamin is good at being sneaky."

"Hey!"

"It's true."

David felt comfortable around these people. He felt as if he belonged somehow. But soon they arrived at the hospital and he was forced to say goodbye to Benjamin and the driver (who he learned was Evan). He felt a bit sad when he realized he'd probably never see them again. He soon forgot about it after the doctors stitched up his head and sent him home. David's parents had been freaking out over the whole thing and it annoyed him. He knew it was because they cared about him, but it still continued to torment him. He did enjoy their extra attention though, as he had four siblings. Plus, he was granted access to the TV and could rent any movie he wanted.

David laid in his bed that night, eyes closed. He thought about the events of the day. Especially, he thought about the EMTs. They were his heroes. He made a choice that night. He wanted to do the same for other people, he wanted to be an EMT. He woke up, stretching and looking out his window towards the rising sun. It was Wednesday. He got ready for school, catching the bus. He sat in the seat, unzipping his green backpack and pulling out his homework. He forgot to finish it the night before and began scribbling the anwsers down frantically. The bus went over a bump and jerked him. David drew a long, black line of pen all over his finished paper. He growled, pulling another piece of paper out and writing the awnsers down. He knew his teacher was very strict about having the paper perfect and organized. David sighed, setting the paper down and rubbing his eyes. He was exhausted and his head still kinda hurt. The person next to him accidently spilled their coffee and it dripped all over his paper, causing the ink to leak out and onto

the chair like blood. He began crying, overwhelmed by eevrything in his life. It was hard to deal with his parents getting divorced and getting bullied constantly. His tears fell onto his paper, mixing into the ink and causing swirls to form. It looked like a stormy ocean, swishing and flowing and spinning and smashing. A girl he had seen at school walked over to him, sitting down before the bus started up again to go on to it's next stop. She was like an angel that fell from heaven. She was beautiful. He looked up at her with red eyes. She smiled, speaking, "Are you okay, David?" He nodded slightly, " Y-yeah..I'm okay. I've just had a bad week." She sighed, looking into his eyes, "I saw what happened to you yesterday...are you okay? You should tell someone what those boys did to you."

"Nah, I can deal with it."

"If you say so, David."

"I say so."