Young Writers Society

Three years ago, New York City got its first and only hero: The Actor, a shapeshifter who specialized in little heroic deeds and occasionally big ones. The Actor is exactly the kind of person you'd expect to be a real-life superhero: a strong, powerful man in his twenties that broods as well as Batman.

But The Actor is actually a junior in high school named Wren Carter. Wren's not ominous or mysterious - she's just really shy and quiet. She's so quiet that she hasn't made a true friend since she left Sundale when she was only a few years old.

Then Jeff Jonsin moves to the city from Sundale.

Jeff has a secret, too - he's actually an incredibly fast superhero named Jewel, but has never really made it big thanks to living in a small town. Now he's living in the city and can finally meet the hero of his dreams. But little does Jeff know that the childhood friend he had long forgotten - and his partner for a theater class project - is one and the same as the hero he can't believe he's working with.

With the threats of a major class project and the occasional villain attack, being a hero isn't easy for either one of them.

But, at the very least, they can face down their foes with what all good heroes need: a friend.

Jeff Jonsin

Jeff scrolled through his phone, on Tumblr of course because he found hearting pictures kind of relaxing, and he needed a relaxing activity right now.

He was new to Hamilton High, missing the first week of school because his family had packed up from out of town and moved further into NYC.

All of his classes so far seemed fine, except for his “visual arts requirement” that he now called Arts Appreciation. Jeff didn’t want to admit that he had forgotten the actual title of the class, so he went with that name in his head.

Could he appreciate music and movies and the like? Sure. Did he want to ever go on stage and perform? Absolutely not.

Not to mention he really didn’t know anybody yet in his classes which was his usual luck, and that made him more nervous than ever.

His teacher walked through the door, clapping her hands together.

“Who’s ready for a partner project?”

Good lord. No.

He didn’t listen to many other words that Ms. Skylar said, too busy thinking of what kind of horrors could come from working with a stranger.

Besides her last statement. “Each of you have been given your partner’s name, so just look at the paper in front of you all.” She smiled. “Good luck!”

Jeff read the words Wren Carter on the instructions page.

Maybe she was nice?

Wren Carter

Most students had a very strong, rational fear of pop quizzes. There was just something terrifying about being given a quiz without any forewarning - or chance to review mostly unfamiliar material.

Wren, on the other hand, had a very strong, partially irrational fear of pop group projects. Pop quizzes were terrifying, too, but Wren hated being paired up with a stranger. Even being paired up with a classmate she did know could be terrifying. She hated having to take charge of a situation when everyone else knew how shy she was, and she hated being given the majority of the work when her partner(s) inevitably failed to do their part.

She looked down at the paper in front of her.

Jeff Jonsin. She didn't recognize the name, but Hamilton High School wasn't a small school. The pit in her stomach grew. She didn't know anything about how Jean worked - how was she supposed to get through this? Wren was a planner. Even though most of her life had an element of surprise to it, she still had plans for what to do. She didn't have a plan for doing a partner project with Jeff Jonsin.

Ms. Skylar finished her explanation. Wren had barely been paying attention to it. But when she saw everyone pairing up around the classroom, Wren took the cue and got to her feet as well. Her gaze traveled around the room until it landed on the only other person still alone - he had to be Jeff.

Taking a nervous, shaky breath, Wren walked over to him.

"Hi," she softly said, giving him a quick look before ducking her head back down.

Jeff peeked at who he assumed was Wren, as why else would someone approach him in class. She seemed quiet, too, which might be good because maybe they could just remain silent for a while and get all the work done that way.

Or maybe that was bad because neither of them would want to take the initiative and want to start talking. He could at least say hello back to her though, as she braved walking across the room which was way more than he could handle.

“Hi,” Jeff started, trying to close his mouth then, but more words fell out, “I’ve got-no-idea what we’re — supposed to-be-doing.”

He palmed his face from instant shame. One chance for a first impression and he just absolutely ripped apart all chance he has making a friend or seeming something else than an absolute lunatic. Maybe he should quit school.

Or he could just go home? Maybe they’d take him back. And no one would ask questions about why his parents weren’t living in the town anymore.

Jeff rested his forehead gently on the edge of his desk. He was so dumb. This poor girl was probably confused to no end.

When Wren heard her partner stumble over his words, she hesitantly looked up from the assignment in her hands. She knew it was a silly thing to think, but it was harder to feel afraid when she wasn't the only one. It looked like Jeff was awkward like her, too.

Wren glanced back at the description.

"I think we have to research a play," she said as she raised her head, "and then we have to go see it. We probably have to write a report afterwards..."

She faltered, not sure if she was saying too little or too much. She tried looking at Jeff's face for some clue of what he thought, but she had never been good at reading a stranger's face unless she was under pressure.

...Or maybe a stranger?

The longer she looked at his face, the more familiar it became. Even his name - Jeff - reminded her of someone she couldn't really put her finger on. Little memories from her childhood flickered in and out of her mind.

"...Have we, um, ever had class together before?" she asked. She fiddled with her glasses and looked away - she didn't want to see his face if she was wrong. "I...I thought this was our first time meeting, but I feel like I know you..."

Researching a play, okay, that seemed like something Jeff could manage. He realized he should probably look over the actual assignment and not just freak out over how weird he was.

Then he thought over what Wren was talking about. Had he met her before? Jeff didn’t think he would have forgotten meeting another quiet person, but he did kind of remember a girl with glasses sometime from when he was young?

“Well, I dunno. I just transferred, like, a week ago here, but, uh,” he tried to answer her question. “I’m from Sundale originally.”

Which was a somewhat small town with lots of embarrassing memories for him, like most areas that he spent any amount of time in. He had a couple of childhood friends, at different years, but he hadn’t seen anyone in a while.

“Where, uh, are you from then?” Jeff added.

Her eyes lit up.

"I grew up in Sundale!" she exclaimed, body alert with excitement. The memories were still hazy, but she was sure of it now - she knew Jeff! She couldn't believe it. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, grateful that she wouldn't have to face this partner project with a stranger.

Then she saw how some of the nearby pairs had glanced at her when she spoke. Ducking her head back down, she tried to ignore how red and warm her cheeks were.

"I lived in Sundale when I was little," she said. "We moved when I was in elementary school."

"Really?" Jeff answered, almost as loud as Wren had been. "I -- never thought I'd meet someone from there after ya know, all this time."

He tried to sigh with relief when Wren looked away, not wanting to seem even weirder than he already had.

Maybe it was time to pull out an old yearbook when he got home to look her up.

"I've lived there until just last week, really." Jeff scratched at his scalp, but then sat up straighter in his chair. "I'm glad we moved then," he added, with as much sincerity as possible.

"...I never thought I would meet someone from there, either," Wren said, giving him a shy smile when she finally lifted her head again. "Most of the other students at this school grew up together - I'm one of the few students who moved here."

She paused for a moment.

"And now you're one of them, too," she added.

Jeff nodded, smiling back. He looked over the assignment again, trying to think of possible productions he would want to see.

The bell rang a few minutes later, leaving Jeff to wave to Wren before heading for his class class of the day. Thankfully the history lesson passed in a few minutes, and he was soon walking out of the school’s doors.

Maybe he’d be able to test out Jewel’s newest suit that night, as he didn’t actually have a crazy amount of homework like he did this entire past week.

Jeff stretched his arms out with a little sigh. Decisions, decisions. He figured he would head home regardless.

The moment the school day came to a close, Wren rushed home. Her family's cafe and apartment above were thankfully a walk away from Hamilton High - and when she ran, the time it took to get home was even shorter. She was darting in through the cafe's back entrance within the hour.

Her parents did the majority of the work there, but she gave some quick greetings and waves to the employees working their current shifts. She said hi to her parents, too, when she saw them through the doorway that peeked into the rest of the cafe.

Then she was bounding up the stairs to their apartment and her room. Throwing her bag down onto her bed and locking the door behind her, Wren finally came to a stop. She took a few more steps until she was in front of her mirror.

She gave a little nod - satisfied with what she saw - and then climbed out through the fire escape with her extra phone in tow. Her parents knew what she did after school, but she always wanted to play things safe in case someone else stopped by.

Wren made sure she found an abandoned alley a few blocks away before she tapped into the superpower she had been itching to use all day. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to envision what she wanted to look like just right, or else one of the details would look wrong.

She let the breath out.

When she opened her eyes again, she had become The Actor.

She pulled out her spare phone and checked her appearance in the camera app. Black hair, brown eyes, and a face that was decidedly male and in his twenties - check. Black and red superhero spandex suit and mask - check. A bright, cheerful smile that always put civilians at ease - check.

Wren nodded to herself before putting her phone back into her pocket.

It was time to be NYC's first and only superhero.

Jeff made the long way home, greeting an empty house. His parents both worked late, so he was usually free to wander so long as he stayed in touch with them whenever they had the chance. Which ended up being not often, so he could leave his new home whenever.

Running around, pun not intended, as Jewel back in Sundale was an experienced to say the least. His younger cousins had told the entire town within a week, and everyone would gather outside their doors to watch him go by, and to tease him later at school or community events.

He kind of was their best, worst kept secret since everyone in town knew, but they kept his identity safe from any possible out-of-the-city people and also online, which was a challenging feat.

He was lucky to call a few classmates his good friends who stalked the internet for him and kept most of his shenanigans out of the public eye.

His Jewel outfit was mostly dark-colored, tight-ish fitting long-sleeve and leggings. And he tried to cover up his usual look with contacts, but he had yet to come up with a mask or anything besides wearing a scarf that he would use to cover his mouth when he remembered.

But now, Jeff stood in New York City dressed in weird clothes that he wore as a makeshift superhero uniform, and he definitely knew of the superhero here - the Actor, who he had always thought looked really cool - and oh no was that him right there?

He stopped in his tracks, skittering to a rough halt behind a trash can. Jeff face-palmed for the second time that day. He looked so dumb. He was so dumb. Maybe he should just try to leave without the Actor noticing.

Except his foot caught on a chunk of plastic and cracked with a loud noise. Great.

When Wren heard a sound from near her, she faltered.

It had been a few minutes since she had shapeshifted into the Actor; she knew that whoever had made the sound hadn't noticed her. Still, sounds in alleyways were always suspicious - it was a rule in both real life and the comic book realm.

But when she turned to face the source of the noise, she found herself looking a person that could have only been another superhero.

Wren stared.

And stared.

When she finally found her voice again, she managed to slip out a quiet hello as she waited for some kind of mental explanation for what was going on. She had always been NYC's only superhero. Had someone else gotten powers here, too?

Even though Wren was the one who looked older right now, they were definitely the same age. One being the other's sidekick was out of the question - and Wren had mixed feelings on that practice, anyways. But superhero leagues only needed a few founders, right? If they found one, or maybe two more people, they could start up their own little superhero group!

...Assuming that the superhero across from her was nice.

Oh, the Actor was coming closer.

Oh no.

Jeff gulped, clutching at his ankle, and tried not to scream. Not in pain or anything, just sheer panic and embarrassment.

He glanced up to see the Actor standing a few feet away from him. Jeff blinked at the greeting.

Well, maybe the Actor wouldn't mind another superhero that obviously failed at everything he possibly did.

"Hi-hi-hi," Jeff opened his mouth, and then couldn't close it quick enough.

Maybe he could move to another new city and not have to worry about meeting with superheroes that he admired.

"I'm - new."

Never had he wished so hard for a lightning bolt to strike him down.

Wren, who had been so excited at the thought of meeting another superhero, had completely forgotten that meeting other people meant interacting with them. When the other superhero started talking to her, she felt her heart skip a bit - and not in the "I just fell in love" kind of way. It was in the "oh no oh heck why did I do this?" kind of way.

Why did she think this was a good idea? What if this other superhero really didn't like her once they started talking? That would be even worse than if they had never interacted at all! What if he was better at being a superhero than she'd ever be, and he just knew it the moment she opened her mouth?

"I'm not," she squeaked - although things she squeaked out as the Actor never came across as a squeak. They always sounded like quiet, solemn comments. It was like she was Batman. She didn't want to be Batman, but at least it wasn't really obvious that she was totally flustered.

(If anything, she wanted to take after Nightwing. Nightwing was nice and kind. Everyone always liked him. And he was so confident, too. Wren wished she was that confident in and out of her suit.)

I'm not? she thought. What kind of response was that? It was obvious she wasn't new! Anyone who had ever looked at the news saw her name on it - her parents had even shown her a newspaper article from Australia that was talking about something she had done.

"I'm-" she started to say, only to pause when she realized he probably knew her name already. Stiffening, she looked around the alleyway in search of something that would give her an idea of what to say next. Her gaze landed on how he was clutching his ankle; he hadn't gotten hurt, right? "Are you okay?"