[center][color=0054a6][b]Eli Reyes/Spellbound[/b][/color][/center]

When he first started attending the Academy, Eli couldn’t be happier. He bragged to his Abuela, and was bouncing up and down with joy. Now, the first weekend of Superhero Academy was halfway over, and the excitement of being here was starting to lose its shine under the weight of drills, lectures, and the constant reminder that he was technically too young to do any of this on his own.

The lessons were fine. The written test wasn’t too bad. But the hand-to-hand stuff? He’d tried to keep up, but he was lanky and awkward. He had never been good at fighting with his fists, and being graded on it made his anxiety worse. Even though no one said it out loud, he could feel some of the other recruits already saw him as the squishy magic kid who needed backup. He didn’t like that feeling.

Eli slumped down onto a bench in the courtyard, letting out a sigh. [color=0054a6][i]Maybe they’re right. Maybe I’m not cut out for this superhero stuff.[/i][/color] He tugged at the edge of his sleeve. [color=0054a6][i]But I don’t want to quit. I can’t.[/i] [/color] He had powers. He had potential. That had to count for something… Right?

Eli looked around and spotted Judah in the distance, heading toward the vending machines alone, after talking with Supercop, looking unamused. Eli stood and jogged over. [color=0054a6]“Hey,”[/color] he said, catching up. [color=0054a6]“You good?”[/color]