Ed & Arwyn

The Party You Left

''I woke up in the alley in a pool of blood. My hands were shaking, my body was shaking. I don’t remember how I got here. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I’m not in pain. Why am I not in pain? All this blood and I feel fine, other than the shaking. ''

''I remember the party. I remember it was…is Halloween. My face…I still have the mask on. So, the party…a few hours ago? Yesterday? I was sitting on Arwyn’s couch. She changed her name after seeing the Lord of the Rings movies. She used to be Sara. Sari. Sori. Whatever. She had some dumb idea about a costume party; “Come as you are. I’ll provide the masks.” ''

''I look around. There’s someone over there, barely moving. I reach out to him and my arm shakes like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It’s like my heart is beating so hard, it’s vibrating my entire body. I keep thinking that we’re having an earthquake, but I remember the last earthquake I was in, six years ago, in Seattle. The ground moved like water, and I felt like I was riding a wave. There’s no wave. It’s just me. I’m the earthquake. I’m the only thing moving in this alley. ''

''They all bounded into the alley, cackling like witches on Samhain. Sara Arwyn and the rest of the party. She asks if I’m ok. I try to speak, but no words come out. I clear my throat and I say, “Whose blood is this?” but no one understands because I’m still shaking. I force myself to stand and funny enough, my legs are steady. The ground is steady. I say it again and all Sara can say is, “Not yours.” ''

''They start to pull me away and I can’t help but look back at that other person in the alley. I can see now that he or she wasn’t moving at all. It was the shaking. I know this because the person, he or she, no longer has a head. Sara Arwyn takes my hand, and she says something that once I heard, I know I must commit it to memory. ''

“Welcome to the wonderful world of superheroes, baby.”