Isaac Lopez is a child that rushes into things without thinking. It is no surprise, with a Blessing like his. Taking the Ego Theory into account, I might ask myself this: Like the paradox of the chicken or the egg, Did Isaac’s Blessing give birth to his personality, or vice versa?

  -Roger Hill’s Notes

  This had to be the scariest game of Frogger that Isaac had ever played. Not that he wasn’t having fun or anything. His Blessing felt like a thousand dopamine injections when he used it. The problem is, he was still speeding through Downtown Seraph during one of many rush hours.

  One wrong move, and it’s Game Over.

  Isaac becomes paste.

  When he broke away from the other two, he would have caught up to the robber easily if not for oncoming traffic. Isaac followed the rock he fired, only canceling his Blessing right before the projectile hit the side of a moving truck. Isaac cursed as he watched the robber—now separated from him by two lanes congested with moving cars—hop onto a motorcycle without a license plate.

  “Come on, come on!” Isaac shouted, looking back and forth from the stoplights to the robber.

  As if answering him, the stoplight turned red. Isaac rushed down the crosswalk as the motorcycle revved up. Just a little closer! Isaac let loose a clumsy rock at the back of the robber. A muffled grunt escaped the criminal, as he looked back with widened eyes at Isaac. The thief snapped his head forward and began zooming down the street.

  With Isaac on his tail, blurring at the exact same speed.

  Isaac’s grin grew manic as the rush of using his Blessing swept through him. Now that he was in the zone, or as Teach called it, the ‘Speed-Space’ he could properly think of what to do next. The boy could never explain how it felt, but a runner’s high couldn’t compare to the clarity of his Blessing.

  I got three more rocks to sling, Isaac thought. As long as I have ammo I can keep chase if he breaks away from me, but I also gotta apprehend him. Then I’ll pass the test.

  He didn’t really know for sure if this was a test or an old-fashioned granny robbery, but it didn’t matter. In fact, he was sure this wasn’t a test anymore. That changed nothing, though.

  Isaac was going to be a superhero, and this was something superheroes do.

  With that in mind, Isaac readied his slingshot as he blurred behind the motorcycle and its rider. The robber hesitated before looking back to see Isaac somehow keeping pace with his ride, and visibly shivered before leaning in and speeding up. And of course, Isaac sped up as well. As they went further into Downtown Seraph, Isaac waited for his target’s next move.

  What are you gonna do now, buddy?

  The robber did exactly what Isaac hoped against.

  He swerved onto the highway.

  Isaac suddenly remembered one of his first talks with Roger Hill. The guy was weird but he knew his stuff. In fact, Roger knew more about Isaac’s Blessing than Isaac did.

  “Your Blessing is extrasensory,” Roger said, “There’s a small field around you that allows you to activate your Blessing with anything inside that field.” He was scribbling in his notebook even then.

  “Let’s call it the Speed-Space for now. If the object whose speed you are copying leaves the Speed-Space, then you can’t continue to speed along with it.”

  Isaac didn’t see the problem.

  “But Teach, how can anything leave the Speed-Space if I’m always copying their speed? They can’t outrun me if I’m as fast as whatever I copy.”

  Roger sharply closed his notebook.

  “It’s simple, Isaac. You copy the speed of a chosen object in your Speed-Space, but you also copy its initial direction at the time it begins to move.”

  Isaac didn’t take those words too seriously at the time. Why would he care if he couldn’t make sharp turns? But now that he’s chasing something that is more than capable of making sharp turns, Isaac finally took the lesson to heart. The Speed-Space wasn’t visible but Isaac could feel the motorcycle leaving his grasp. What now, Isaac? We can’t let this prick go!

  Isaac found himself wondering what Roger would do. A Blessing is only worth as much as you can squeeze out of it, Roger told him once. Strive to find more about it, so it can better serve you.

  With the last moment the motorcycle remained in Isaac’s Speed-Space, he quickly loaded his slingshot and instead, fired alongside the bike rather than directly at it. Then, Isaac blurred after the rock.

  A Speed-Space within a Speed-Space.

  Genius, Isaac. Genius.

  The motorcycle slowed to enter the highway, giving Isaac enough leeway to move himself, and his Speed-Space side-by-side the robber.

  And he was still copying the speed of the motorcycle!

  Roger would have a fit right now if he saw this! Isaac thought.

  Now they were on the highway proper, and the two stared at each other, one with a look of triumph, the other with disbelief.

  “Give it up, man! You aren’t outrunning me!” Isaac shouted.

  “The fuck is with you!” From the motorcycle helmeted robber.

  Isaac smirked through the sweat, but he was panicking. From what he felt in his pockets, he was running out of pebbles. Only a few more opportunities to change trajectory. The highway wasn’t congested enough to stop vehicles, but it was busy enough for someone like Isaac to have multiple chances of getting splattered on a windshield. Still, he couldn’t back down now. His Blessing bolstered his courage more than ever.

  The robber leaned in, speeding up on the highway. Isaac was only inches away from the robber. Isaac attempted to hit the brakes, but the robber caught on. Freeing a hand, the man threw out vicious backhand swings against the boy. To his dismay, he saw Isaac effortlessly bob and weave the attacks with the same speed he chased him with. To Issac, it was practically slow motion.

  “Don’t tire yourself out, man!” Isaac laughed.

  The robber cursed and attempted to ram the boy, but that didn’t work either. Isaac maintained the same distance from him as long as his motorcycle maintained the same direction.

  As Isaac went for the brakes again, the robber went to ram him once more. Isaac figured he was getting desperate, until he realized the robber was smarter than he thought. There was a van to Isaac’s left that the motorcycle was catching up to.

  No way. . .

  He was trying to crush Isaac against the van!

  “Holy crap!”

  Isaac readied his slingshot and made a split-second decision. He canceled his Blessing, slowing down just as the motorcycle rammed against the honking van. Isaac watched as he narrowly escaped the spot where he would have been dented in the van. The robber lost control of his motorcycle with his maneuver and wiped out on the highway.

  Unfortunately, Isaac also wiped out with his own maneuver.

  Isaac covered his head as he skidded across the ground. The rough highway served no cushion for Isaac. This wouldn’t be the first time he had to take a fall. He could almost feel when and where each bruise and abrasion on his body would appear: both elbows by tomorrow, left knee in an hour, upper thighs by the weekend, and definitely the tailbone by tonight.

  It’s always the tailbone.

  “Ow ow ow, this sucks!” Isaac yowled. He struggled to pull himself up and off the asphalt, rubbing at his new wounds. The van made a wise decision to keep driving, so Isaac faced the fallen criminal. Except the criminal wasn’t on the ground anymore. He was back on his motorcycle, facing Isaac. The revving of the engine felt like a lion’s roar. Isaac dove out of the way as the thief nearly ran through him. Already preparing to continue the chase, Isaac twisted mid-air and activated his Blessing.

  The danger of the situation wasn’t lost on Isaac. He had this guy on the ropes, but that only made the criminal more desperate, more reckless. Now they were on the wrong side of the road, speeding against the rush hour. I’m having too much fun, Isaac realized. He had never been able to chase a thrill like this. Just a little longer, until the thief gives up. Just let me enjoy this a little longer!

  And so Isaac readied his slingshot with a smile, following the motorcycle as it began to enter the horde of rushing cars. With a cacophony of honks, screams, and curses, Isaac and the criminal made a mess of swerving cars on the Downtown Seraph highways. There were a few close calls where Isaac had to break away from the motorcycle, dashing around cars in a combination of straight lines, like a Tron bike. As much as the thief tried, no matter what daring, nigh suicidal maneuvers he made to evade his pursuer, his rear view mirrors displayed a blurry brat with messy hair and a wide open smile.

  Isaac watched as the motorcycle swerved back onto the entry to the highway that started this adrenaline rush and gleefully followed. Looks like he’s giving up. That sucks. I was just getting started.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The motorcycle slowed down, weaving through the streets. Isaac didn’t even need to change trajectory with his slingshot. He could just cancel his Blessing, turn, and then activate again to keep up. Nearby, Isaac heard police sirens, which only boosted his skyhigh confidence.

  He followed the criminal to a concrete neighborhood near Hunting Park as the sun rested on the edge of the sky. The motorcycle pulled into a dingy, cramped alleyway. Isaac stopped just outside the entrance, listening to the motorcycle’s engine cut off. He peered into the dim alleyway, barely getting a visual on the all-black thief. Isaac could almost feel the hatred coming from this guy with just his body language.

  “Who are you with?” The thief asked, muffled anger bubbling from his helmet.

  “Just a future Agent of T.H.R.O.N.E. snagging a Heroic Deed before classes start,” Isaac said, stretching. “Nothing personal, man. Go ahead and sit tight for the police, yeah?”

  Isaac watched as the thief slowly pulled out a switchblade.

  “Oh come on, man! You saw me dodge your hits earlier. That ain’t gonna work.” Isaac smirked, doing his best to remain calm. Sure, he dodged those swings earlier, but that Speed-Space high is gone and there’s a knife now.

  Once again, Isaac was looking at an early death. He really wished that adrenaline high could come back right about now.

  “Keep talking, little shit.” The thief backed up into the shadows, and Isaac’s jaw dropped as the criminal simply vanished. It was properly dark now, with the only source of light being a lamppost bleeding into the alleyway. Isaac suddenly felt cold as fear began to grip him.

  Of course the prick has a Blessing, Isaac screamed in his mind, This is a trap Isaac! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

  Isaac backed away from the seemingly empty alleyway in front of him, and felt his back against a wall.

  Except, it wasn't a wall. He turned to face the thief, now behind him. The glint of the switchblade flashing in the near pitch black alleyway.

  Isaac managed to activate his Blessing, narrowly avoiding a slit throat by blurring backwards. Despite that, Isaac brought his hands up to his throat, eyes widening in panic. When he accepted that he wasn’t a dead man just yet, Isaac had to dodge another brutal swing.

  Perhaps in a moment of hopeless resignation, Isaac put the pieces together. This alleway was so narrow, the motorcycle had little space to move around. Isaac could only back away from the switchblade as moving left and right wouldn’t protect him. With two more swings, Isaac found himself backed against both the motorcycle and the dead end just behind it.

  “H-hey. . . look! I’m not really an Agent of T.H.R.O.N.E! I’m just a thrill-seeker. I won’t tell anyone a thing!” Isaac began to blabber, shocked at how scared he was. Shocked at how his bravery seemed to be nowhere in sight. This isn’t happening, not when I was finally being a hero!

  Isaac suddenly wondered how painful it was to be cut to death, to be stabbed and gutted. Why would he wonder now, when it was about to happen? Now, even without his Blessing activated, everything felt in slower motion than ever before. As he watched the thief prepare his swing, Isaac solemnly decided he wasn’t cut out for this kind of work.

  As if in agreement, sirens erupted from just around the corner of the alleyway.

  “Shit.” The thief said, monotone.

  Once again, Isaac watched the thief back away and disappear into the darkness. Isaac tensed up for a moment, but he soon realized the thief had booked it, leaving the motorcycle behind. Not like he really needed it. Isaac slowly sank against the wall, paying no mind to the puddle of who-knows-what he found himself sitting in.

  In a few seconds, the source of the sirens were just at the alleyway. Isaac averted his eyes as red and blue lights painted the once dark alleyway.

  “What’s going on here!”

  Isaac’s shock was quickly overwritten by confusion. That’s a pretty young sounding cop. . .

  Squinting through the bright lights, Isaac didn’t see a cop car with a uniformed officer. He saw a boy his age on a cheap bike with an amp and a light bar attached. The dark-skinned kid with a military haircut hopped off the undersized bike, folding his arms as he pierced Isaac with an unearned aura of authority. In fact, this stick-in-the-mud, bossy, militant behavior was oddly familiar to Isaac.

  “Wait, do I know you?” Isaac muttered.

  “Huh? Don’t answer my question with a question!” He barked, furiously rubbing at his buzzcut. “I heard a scuffle going on around here! You do know this neighborhood has a curfew, right?”

  “How could you even hear. . . wait!”

  Isaac suddenly shot up from his spot on the ground. He remembered this military brat! This was the same guy that yelled at me for my haircut back when I registered at Myriad! Small world.

  “No way! Thomas, is that you?”

  “I said stop answering my questions with a—” Thomas’ outburst was quickly snuffed out as he recognized Isaac. Isaac felt a rush of relief. Not that he was saved, but that he recognized someone. It felt like the soundest proof that he was alive.

  “Man, it is you! Yo, I have never been so happy to see that stiff face you got!” Isaac found himself grabbing onto Thomas, who dwarfed him by several inches.

  “Hey, let go of me! Don’t think this act of yours is getting you out of this!”

  Isaac looked at him innocently.

  “Out of what?”

  Thomas almost looked happy to list all the infractions Isaac has made.

  “First of all, you live on Myriad High grounds but you’re offbase well past curfew, you have clearly been in some kind of fight, and—” Thomas gawked at the motorcycle.

  “I can actually explain.”

  “That’s the same motorcycle they described on the police scanners!”

  “I said I can explain, man!”

  By the faroff gaze in Thomas’ eyes, Isaac could tell he wasn’t even listening. It was the same look he had when Isaac first got a talking-to from him.

  “Underage driving? With a stolen vehicle? And no license plate?” Somehow, Thomas seemed the most distraught about the last one. Isaac sighed as he remembered one last thing about Thomas. The kid’s a one man volunteer neighborhood watch. Thomas somehow managed to brag about that as he chastised Isaac’s messy hair.

  “I’m notifying the authorities.”

  “Man, let me explain! I was chasing a thief and I cornered him here, and then he somehow disappeared and then uh, reappeared and um,” Isaac stumbled over his words, “And then I was cornered and almost died, but we heard sirens and so he disappeared again because he thought the cops were here but it was you!” Isaac inhaled a shaky breath, nearly running out of air. He realized he was blinking back tears, and hoped it was too dark for Thomas to notice.

  Thomas' face relaxed as he tried to understand Isaac’s panicked ramblings and just shook his head. He slowly pried Isaac off of him and sighed.

  “Calm down, Isaac. I’m calling the cops, but not on you. You don’t fit the description of the thief. You’ll just have to answer some questions at the P.D.”

  “I’ll still get destroyed by Myriad, though.”

  Thomas sighed again, a sign of actual sympathy.

  “Yes. Most likely.”

  Isaac nodded. This was okay. It was fine. Getting kicked out of Myriad High might be for the best. Isaac already knew he was an idiot, but today he learned he was also a glory-hound, and needed a speed-high to not be a coward. Sure, he was green, but Isaac could tell he was practically cannon fodder in a horror movie. The kind of guy who dies early just so the audience knows the bad guys are no joke.

  Instead of keeping pace with this and getting himself killed, maybe he should quit while he was ahead.

  “Well, go ahead and call—”

  The two both jumped at the sign of screeching tires. Startled, the two watched as a van pulled up, blocking the entrance to the alleyway. Isaac instantly noticed the side door sported a sizable dent. No way. . .

  The side door opened, and Isaac saw two more people he knew. Jeremiah and Ashley scrambled out of the door. Jeremiah nearly fell on the way out, narrowly dodging the responsibility of being Ashley’s floor mat. They both clamored around Isaac.

  “Are you ok? Where’s the thief?” Jeremiah began simultaneously checking for wounds and checking for hostiles.

  “Don’t ever do something like that again,” Ashley shouted. “You could have totally died!”

  “Yeah. I know.” Isaac softly replied. He hung his head low. If these two are here, so is Roger.

  With a slam of the car door, Isaac’s teacher loomed over him. Isaac kept his eyes low, staring at Roger’s shoes. Thomas seemed prepared to speak, but the beginning of his words petered out quickly. Jeremiah and Ashley also went still and silent.

  “To be honest,” Isaac mumbled. “I did all of this expecting a different ending.”

  “Is that so?” Roger’s voice was softer than normal. Isaac couldn’t tell if it was meant to comfort or intimidate. There was a soothing menace to his tone.

  “Yeah. I told them I thought it was a test, but I figured a Heroic Deed would have convinced you I deserved to be in your class.”

  “I see.”

  The silence maintained in the alleyway became unbearable after a moment. The silence was eventually broken.

  Broken by laughter.

  Roger Hill laughed with enough mirth to brighten up the alley alone. Roger tousled Isaac’s hair and patted his shoulders.

  “Goodness, if I knew bravery was this easy to find in the new generation, I’d figure criminals wouldn’t dare to try anything in this city!” Roger continued laughing.

  “Teach?” Isaac asked.

  “When I ran into your two peers, they were screaming about you chasing a thief! Now, I cannot say I was purely confident in your safety, but I didn’t expect to hear of a highway chase on the police scanners! And the stunt you pulled to stop yourself from being rammed into this van? Excellent!”

  “Teach. . .” Isaac found himself pleading.

  “Hm? What is it?”

  “I’m sorry, man.”

  Roger’s smile disappeared. He nodded.

  “Don’t be. I’m sorry for being late.” There was genuine remorse in Roger’s voice that nearly got a physical reaction from Isaac. The guilt didn’t disappear. It only grew. I’ll make this up to you, Teach. Isaac thought.

  “I think it’s time for this day to come to an end, yes? Hop in, you three.” Roger began walking back to the van.

  “W-wait, Instructor Hill!” Thomas stammered. His voice quickly shed its authority now that there was actual authority. Roger turned to face the boy, reeling back in surprise. He acted as if he only just noticed Thomas’ presence.

  “Why, is that Thomas? A pleasure seeing you again!”

  “Sir, Isaac is a witness to a robbery with a criminal still on the run! Don’t you think he needs to deliver a testimony to the S.P.D?”

  “How is your father doing? He won’t answer my calls anymore. Did he change his number?”

  “Well, he’s doing fine but please don’t answer my question with another question!” Thomas whined.

  “Oh, and how come you didn’t show up for Waiting List Training?” Roger asked.

  The trio gasped.

  “You’re Miscellaneous?!” They shouted in unison.

  Thomas made a small sound while stifling his embarrassment and outrage. His perfect posture ended as his shoulder shot upward, his fists clenching.

  “I’m too busy making sure my neighborhood is safe!”

  And not having to deal with Teach’s weird methods, huh? Isaac thought.

  “I see.” Roger sounded disappointed. “Well, you can always show up when you are ready! I’m sure your peers would be quite impressed by your Blessing.”

  It looked as if Thomas didn’t plan to give up just yet, but a strange cawing came from above the alleyway. Isaac jerked his head up, but didn’t see a bird or anything on the rooftop. Thomas seemed to exhale slowly, then his posture drooped.

  “Alright, alright. Fine.” He squeezed past the van and sullenly rode his bike down the street, muttering to himself about things being ‘out of regs’ and ‘unsat.’

  As the Waiting List Classroom piled into Roger’s van, Isaac sank against the seat and closed his eyes.

  Slow and steady wins the race.

  That had to be the dumbest saying Isaac had ever heard.

  Until now.

  Isaac knew he had to dial it back. Those were the last words he heard as he let the exhaustion he ignored for hours finally take over.

  Dial it back. . .