Meet Harper Youngblood

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

It's inspired by the movie "Hancock" and follows the life of Harper, a seemingly average teenage girl who isn't average at all due to her superpowers.

She doesn't feel like being a diligent student at school. She doesn't feel like being a superhero. Hell, she doesn't feel like being anything or anyone at all.

No, Harper is just someone who acts on impulse, leaving the citizens of her hometown to deal with the consequences.

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"That'll be, ah let me see… yes, $16,27, Harper," Dirk – the 34-year-old nerdy-looking store clerk with no prospect of getting any better salary than the scanty wage he was receiving, which he mainly used to pay the rent of his rundown apartment and his collection of comic books – said as he gave a nervous glance at the youthful lady standing across from him at the counter.

Harper ran her fingers through her untamed, shoulder-length hair reminiscent of a starless night sky. It had been a few days since she had given it a proper wash, and it looked slightly disheveled.

Its shade contrasted heavily with Harper's pale face, which was still a treat to look at mainly thanks to her striking blue eyes that seemed to shine their own light, smooth skin, and her full lips, which looked envy-worthy, as most women were only able to gain something like that through cosmetic procedures.

Harper's eyes grazed over the counter, where a pack of Camel Menthol cigarettes and a family-size M&M bag sat side by side.

She extended her delicate hand, the faint remnants of old nail polish still clinging to them from an application long ago, and it hovered over the M&M's before moving to the pack of cigarettes, then back to the M&M's.

Harper aimed her bright blue eyes at Dirk. "I'm afraid I can't decide," she said with a sheepish smile, causing the people in line behind her to groan in annoyance.

"What do you prefer more, candy or a smoke?" Dirk said in a calm tone.

Harper paused thoughtfully, placing her finger on her lips. "Mmm, I think I prefer them both."

"Do you have enough money to buy both?" Dirk said.

From the back pocket of her loose-fitting and slightly worn denim shorts that hung around her slender legs, Harper retrieved a small handful of crumpled bills. Her eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment as she counted the money in her hand. She pouted at Dirk.

Dirk forced a tight-lipped smile, his large fish-like eyes glancing at Harper's sparkling blue eyes framed by oversized glasses. "It seems like a decision needs to be made, Harper."

"But I don't wanna," Harper said, the volume of her voice rising slightly.

"What?" Harper snapped, turning around when she felt a hand on her shoulder. A woman in her middle years smiled at her. "Could you possibly pick up the pace? I have a flight to catch, my dear."

"Yeah, get cracking, girl." A boy standing further in line shouted from the back.

“What did you say?” Harper's eyes sparked with fury. A small shockwave emanated from her body, causing the clothes and hair of those nearby to flail about as she looked back behind her. A shelf fell to the ground, creating a loud clatter and scattering magazines everywhere. "I'll crack you if you don't shut up his instance!"

The boy gaped back like a weasel who just endured the full rage of a lion with anger issues. He zipped his lips close.

Dirk held his hands up in a soothing manner. "Hey, let's not get too worked up, Harper. The kid is staying silent, okay? Now, what do you want – the M&M's or the cigarettes?"

Harper's face twisted with irritation as she locked her piercing blue gaze on Dirk. "As I've already stated, I want both of them!"

"But you don't have enough money for that," Dirk said, refusing to budge. "And no, don't give me that look. I'm not going to give you one of these items for free."

"But you did so last week!" Harper said, feeling more than justified in her argument.

"He did?" The middle-aged woman said, fluttering her eyes, astonished that a customer was allowed to get something for free.

"Yes, he did. And he will do so again, won't you, Dirk?" Harper stated, her gaze not accepting any resistance.

Dirk tugged at his collar, a clear sign of discomfort, and forced a strained smile. "I-I'm sorry, I can't, Harper. My boss found out and will fire me if I do so again."

Harper leaned in, placing her hands on the counter as she searched Dirk's face with probing eyes. "And whose problem is that?"

Dirk opened his mouth to respond, determined to stick to his decision of saying no. But before he could speak, both he and the other customers let out a collective scream as the coffee machine behind him exploded, followed by the lightbulb above his head.

"Seems like everything is malfunctioning in this decayed store, don’t you agree?” Harper said as her eyes landed on a big beverage cooler, filled to the brim with soft drinks and beer.

Dirk's eyes widened, and he lifted his hands in a sign of surrender. "No, stop it, please! Here, take it! Take it all!" He hastily pushed all the items on the counter towards Harper.

Harper giggled, leaning over the counter to kiss Dirk's cheek. "I knew you'd come around eventually. Love you, you big ugly bear you."

Without hesitation, Harper threw all of her belongings into a bag and rushed towards the exit.

"And don't forget to…!" Dirk started but stopped when a powerful shockwave shattered all the storefront windows and those of several cars as Harper launched herself into the air. "…launch yourself carefully, Harper."

The wind slammed in Harper’s face as she flew above the bustling city, seeing thousands of citizens teeming in the tiny streets below like ants from her perspective.

A feeling of contentment and fulfillment flooded through her veins, knowing she had once again achieved her desired outcome.

Without delay, she dug into her bag and pulled out the packet of M&M's, already salivating at the thought of eating them. She quickly stuffed the pack of cigarettes into her bag pocket. A fleeting look at the now empty bag led to a shrug before she let it fall to be carried away by the wind.

Harper fumbled with the bag of M&M's, causing a few to spill onto the busy city streets below. But that didn't bother her - there were plenty more where those came from. She popped a handful into her mouth and smiled as she waved at some onlookers gawking up at her, some hurling insults and gestures her way.

Labeling Harper as unpopular was inadequate to describe the true gravity of her unpopularity. The entire town despised her for constantly getting away with things that ordinary citizens would never be able to.

It was common knowledge that the police were hesitant to enforce the law on Harper due to her powers. They feared provoking her short temper, knowing it could result in a disastrous outcome.

In hopes of controlling Harper's impulsive actions, the city officials declared her to be their superhero, seeming that she possessed superhuman abilities such as flight and energy projection from her fingertips. However, her stint as a hero was brief and filled with chaos and destruction, resulting in numerous injuries and near-death experiences for those she tried to rescue.

Harper's school also expelled her, and not because the principal had the balls to kick her out, but simply because Harper had no interest in attending anymore.

As a result, the city was now burdened with a 16-year-old girl with a reckless nature and a lack of empathy, who also happened to possess powers that should only be wielded by a god with an unwavering sense of morality.

"What do we have here?" Harper said as she floated above the city's stadium where a renowned pop group was performing, their music blasting out for miles.

It wasn't long before the audience started to notice the young girl hovering in the air above the stage, enjoying the show without having to pay a cent while they had likely paid a hefty price to be there.

It didn't take long for the crowd to start booing her, signaling Harper to get lost.

Initially, the band members believed that the audience was expressing their disapproval of them until they also noticed Harper smirking from above, munching on M&Ms while floating effortlessly in midair with her legs crossed.

"You hear that? You play awful!" Harper called out to the band while stuffing her mouth full of M&M's.

The lead singer held the microphone to his mouth and spoke into it. "They're talking about you, sweetheart. They don't want you here."

Harper's expression soured as the booing grew louder, and even the band members joined in and amplified their voices through the microphone and the powerful speakers on stage.

"Well, I don't like any of you either! Take this!" Harper began flicking M&M's with her finger to the crowd below, seriously injuring some as the nuts were propelled at them with dazzling speed due to Harper's superpowers.

Harper couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the panicked crowd as they transformed into a stampeding herd of buffalos, frantically rushing towards the emergency exits, trampling over anyone in their way, and shrieking like they were enduring the force of a roller coaster.

Harper wasn't finished yet. She took aim with the M&M's, using them as makeshift bullets to attack the pop band's instruments. A blue M&M flew past the lead singer's startled face and struck his electric guitar, causing irreparable damage. More M&M's followed suit, whizzing through the air like bullets and landing on the drum set with impactful precision, piercing its drum skin.

The sudden explosion of one of the speakers was the signal for the pop band to scramble off the stage, dodging M&M's that were whizzing by like bullets.

The following day, Harper sat perched on top of the mayor's residence, casually smoking a cigarette that she hadn't bothered to pay for. As an important meeting took place inside, she couldn't help but chuckle as she scrolled through news headlines on her phone that wrote about the concert of the day before she attended for free.