14 September 2012
Not all heroes are like the ones they tell us about in school, not all of them defeat monsters or fight with superpowers or a sword. Some just survive and hope that one day everything will be okay.
Samuel Grace is one of those heroes.
Samuel Grace will never know that he is.
They tell me that love and death come hand in hand. To not fall in love there’s too much to risk.
Samuel Grace proved them right.
His parents will never miss him; they abhorred him, never cared. But he doesn’t hate them in return. He could never hate anyone.
Every morning I waited by locker, watched him walk down the hall, though defaced and bruised he still smiled that brave smile. I was zenith of his day. The feeling was mutual.
“Hey.” He would say.
“Hey.” I repeated. And without another word, we would abandon the hall, avoiding the peppy and garrulous teens.
We used to wander around the school campus, getting lost in what each other had to say. I would tell him about my family, the boyfriends my mother would bring home. He never said anything about his, and I never pried.
We were connected in every way, yoked together. Nothing could tear us apart.
Three wasted men proved me wrong.
The day before yesterday nobody cared about a lonely girl walking home. Yesterday three wasted men and Samuel grace cared.
My house is in juxtaposition to bars and other places where children are banned.
“Hey.” A man shouted, “Hey girl!” I pretended not to notice.
“Sweeeetie! We won’t hurt you!” He tried to beguile me. I kept my head forward. My house is only two blocks away.
That’s when another set of footsteps echoed behind mine, matching my speed.
When I hit the one block mark, a hand grabbed my shoulder. Not the thin of Samuel, not the yellowing nails of my mother. It was a new set of hands.
“Darling.” His face was right next to mine. The stench of his breath nauseated me.
“Come here. I promise I’ll be the perfect gentlemen.” He slurred, and his two companions laughed. He smiled at the attention and slid his hand around my waist.
I hope he didn’t realize how scared I was.
“Leave her alone!” The familiar voice of Samuel Grace eased me a bit, but the arm around me tensed and a heard a gun click. “Don’t be dumb boy.”
“Sam! Don’t!” I shrieked and the man relaxed.
“Oh, you know each other?” He turned me around so I could see Sam. “Look boys, he’s playing the fearless hero, acclaim him!” The men cheered.
Then the man released my waist and moved to hold my head in place as he kissed my cheek. Sam bawled his fist. That’s exactly what the man wanted.
“Does that make you mad?” Mockery slipped from his tongue. He seemed less than drunk than he did a few seconds ago.
Sam and I locked eyes. The next part was so blurry, yet so clear.
“Let. Her. Go.” Sam looked terrifying. His eyes were narrowed and dark, plus you could just see anger radiating from him.
Sam pulled out something silver and charged. At that same moment my capturer pulled out his weapon. Bullet beats knife.
I watched Sam fall. I screamed. The two other men ran off and the gun hit the ground beside me. He had vanished as well.
I held Samuel Grace, tears spilling from my eyes. My world laid dying. I
Samuel grace may not have had superpowers like the ones in comics, but he was my hero.
Samuel Grace • Opuss № I