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Opening the door was all it took. Putting a single foot in the house, Casper was immediately greeted by the girl he called a sister. She ran as quickly as her small body could carry her and nearly tackled her big brother to the ground though was abruptly stopped her father. "Take it easy, sweetheart. Casper is fragile right now."

"Casper! How are you? What happened? Are you okay? Does it hurt? Do you still have your arm!? It looks really painful!" She nearly started to hyperventilate but placing his good arm around her shoulder was enough for Casper to grant a hug she melted into. So much worry for the kid from the slums. It was almost like a fairy tale, like Casper actually had a happy ending in this catastrophic story. 

[color=00aeef]"I'm okay, Freya..."[/color] A soft whisper made its way to the girl's ears, making her tighten the embrace. What could have happened to this child? If Casper lost that fight, she would have been ripped apart. After feeling that man's power head on, Casper knew what he was capable of. In fact, thinking about it still gave him shivers. Though quite mature for his age and now regarded as a savior by a handful of people, the boy was still only fourteen years old, something he himself had a tendency of forgetting. The world had no age restriction on misery, however. It doesn't matter how young you are before your life is turned upside down. 

"I'll prepare dinner." Miles playfully ruffled his daughter's hair before continuing into the kitchen.

"You should get some rest, Casper." Donna continued, hanging her coat up. "We'll come and get you when dinner's ready." 

[color=00aeef]"Okay...thanks..."[/color] Taking one step after another, Casper managed up the stairs and started towards his room. If things were only so simple.

"Hey, 'hero'" A mocking voice entered the scene to reveal James, Casper's older brother stepping out of the bathroom. "Because of you, Freya almost died."

[color=00aeef]"I know..."[/color] True, he had saved her but it didn't ease the worry. The alternative was a huge possibility every second of that fight and she could indeed have died, painfully so. [color=00aeef]"I...tried my best to keep her safe."[/color] 

"If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't have been in danger in the first place." James barked at his little brother, forcing Casper into the wall as he grabbed hold of the boy's damaged arm. 

Flinching from the pain, Casper clenched his teeth but didn't fight back. He knew that this could only end badly if he did. [color=00aeef]"You wanna' hit me...? Go ahead, if it makes ya' feel better..."[/color]

"The only thing that would make me feel better is if you left my family alone, [i]my[/i] family. Mom and dad took pity on this crumbling world and decided to help one of the countless miserable wretches out there, [i]you.[/i] Freya doesn't know better because she's just a child but I see you for what you are, a ticking time bomb." Hurtful words but nothing Casper would put past his brother. James displayed an incredible level of resentment towards the boy from the moment they met. The only thing Casper could do was to deal with it until James eventually grew a consciousness.

[color=00aeef]"Sorry for makin' things difficult for ya', James. I didn't ask for any of this...but I've already lost one family...I don't wanna' lose another. Believe it or not, these [i]are[/i] my true colors. I actually [i]care[/i] for you guys. Maybe one day you'll get it..."[/color]

"Heh yeah, right. We'll see when that day comes, or if you end up killing us all before then." Letting his grip loosen until his hand eventually fell to his side, James took a step back before heading down the stairs. Was it even possible to get a good relationship with this guy? It didn't seem like it but Casper had been surprised more than once throughout the past week. 

Sitting down on the office chair by the desk in his room, Casper flipped the laptop open and headed towards the local news site. In truth, he wanted to see if news coverage had been established for his little endeavor but what he found made his stomach turn. [color=00aeef][i]"My fuckin' God..."[/i][/color] One headline after the other, one disaster after the next. He saw how a school of Evos had been shot up by a maniac convinced by a religious crusade, meanwhile Texas was in complete uproar and some giant Evo went on a rampage against anti-Evo protesters and killed several. There were rallies throughout the country and it was safe to say that America was falling apart. It didn't end there. An Evo prison facility had been attacked and it lead to the release of countless Evos, one of which Casper got very well acquainted with. [color=00aeef][i]"What the hell...? America's burnin' down..."[/i][/color]

Scrolling down, he saw that it had recently been reported that a girl was kidnapped, shattered glass from the window found across her bedroom floor. [color=00aeef][i]"Who the fuck would kidnap a little girl...?"[/i][/color] With a heavy sigh, he continued reading. The girl's room was filled with paintings, and paint of all kind was smeared against both wall and floor, several pictures appearing vaguely similar to recent disasters. [color=00aeef][i]"Weird..."[/i][/color] 

Taking a deep breath, he continued to scroll, now heading back up to the top of the site where he laid eyes on what he came for. This was the first headline that didn't make him want to ram his head into the keyboard. [i]'Local Evo saves fifteen people.'[/i] Clicking the link sent him to a block of text ending with a video put up with a warning of graphic content. 

'Local inhabitant Mr. Casper Everose of Los Angeles, Newberry Springs came in contact with a Mr. Gordon Blunt earlier today (insert date). It would appear that Mr. Blunt was an escapee from the recent prison break caused by an unidentified perpetrator. He made his way back to the town of his birth on what is quoted as 'Joining the System.' Mr. Blunt went on to state that humanity had taken everything from him and he would return the favor, starting with human children as a response to his daughter having been taken by the authorities four years prior. Mr. Blunt entered the park which would have been the scene of a massacre if it wasn't for fourteen year old Casper Everose who not only stopped Blunt's advance, but managed to neutralize Mr. Blunt long enough for the police to detain him. Mr. Everose was sent to the hospital as a result of the brawl but he has not sustained any critical injuries. The following segment is an interview with Mrs. Mila Summers, a potential victim of Mr. Blunt.' 

Casper couldn't help but manage a soft smile, his cheeks warming up as the text continued before his eyes. They used his name without permission, but perhaps Donna and Miles had allowed it. This was after all good publicity but it wasn't over yet. The police still wanted to talk with him.

'I thought I was going to die,' Mrs. Summers states, continuing, 'That crazed man charged at me and my child but before I knew it, this boy was standing between us and saved my life. I didn't stick around to see what happened but I've seen the video and all I can say is that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that boy.' 

[color=00aeef][i]"I actually helped people...I...never thought I'd ever do that..."[/i][/color]

'It has been debated if Mr. Everose will be charged or apprehended for using his powers but as it states in the law, an Evo is allowed to use their powers in life threatening situations. Since this situation was clearly life threatening for sixteen people, Mr. Everose included, the police states that it falls under the law and Mr. Casper Everose hasn't commited a crime. However, the police would like further words with Los Angeles, Newberry Springs own local Hero in the near future.'

"Casper! Dinner's ready." Freya ran up to the desk, her light footsteps bouncing across the floor until she reached the boy and smiled brightly at him. "What are you reading?"

[color=00aeef]"Just...some good news."[/color]