Book 01 - HUE - Chapter 01 - You're Him

Twelve Years Later - Present Day

The most powerful man alive just wanted to have breakfast in peace. 

Utensils clinked around the small diner as Pinn chewed slowly on his French toast, exploring the taste with a sense of irritation. He’d consumed the same breakfast every day for months, but he never tired of the routine, always saving the sliced strawberry for last. It usually brought him a sense of calm and muted satisfaction to carry him through the day, but today was different. 

Someone was staring. Sensing him before he saw him, Pinn slowly raised his gaze to check who was entranced with him. From outside the large window, a kid no older than seventeen was beaming at Pinn, placing his hand on the window in wonder. He had short brown hair, striking green eyes, and a hint of a darker complexion. His attire was athletic, and he held an easy smile that showed off all of his white teeth. Pinn lowered his head, trying to get out of the feeling of his intense sight.

“Everything going okay today?” the waitress refilled his mug of coffee. 

Smile infectious, her dirty-blonde hair sat tied up on her head above her uniform. The diner provided her with a black shirt and long black skirt which she slid in with ease. A few pins were tucked into the hip of her uniform and she waited on her customer patiently. 

Pinn didn’t reply, keeping his face low. 

“Well, it’s good to see you, as always,” she said sweetly. 

Pinn cracked a smile, then hid it away in the same moment. Grinning slightly, the waitress went on her way. 

The kid entered the diner, his smile somehow stretching even wider as he approached. Eyes locked onto Pinn, he strode over, looking too eager. Closing his eyes, Pinn ground his teeth and sighed. 

“You’re him!” the young man exclaimed, taking a seat across from Pinn. 

He looked Pinn up and down, scanning from his black hair, to the hint of age on his face, to the lightly salted goatee with disheveled stubble across the rest of his chin. Pinn suddenly felt self conscious about his button-down shirt and khakis, feeling like he was being judged by the one dressed for athleticism. The two words were already too much enthusiasm from the stranger.

“Kid, no one invited you to sit down,” Pinn intoned.

“My name’s Sami. I thought you were dead,” he said, getting comfortable in the seat and placing a gallon jug of water on the table.

Pinn squinted at it, then tried to give Sami a contemptuous stare to scare him off. Sami seemingly ignored him and pulled out his phone. For an instant of dread, Pinn tensed up, ready to crush the device and throw Sami a hundred miles away. 

“What’s good?”

With confusion turned to relief, Pinn realized Sami was looking up the diner’s menu. Pinn relaxed, unbending his fork that he had just folded in half and setting it loudly on his plate. Sami continued to scroll undisturbed.  

“Hey, kid…” Pinn sighed.

“Sami.”

“We’re not friends. You’re close to half my age. I never invited you to sit down. I’d like to be left alone.”

“I’m good, thanks.” His attention was back on the menu. “Ew, gross, who would eat French toast? Do they not have crepes?” Sami leaned into his screen as he continued to scroll. 

Pinn set his teeth together and looked around with his eyes alone. No one was so close that they could overhear anything said. Heart beating nervously, he breathed deeply and steeled himself to be assertive.

“Kid, leave me alone, okay?” Pinn ordered quietly. 

Sami shuddered and glanced up, his smile faltering. Looking sheepish, he blinked before speaking. 

“Oh, my bad, you got the French toast? Embarrassing. But also gross. Who wants French sauce on their toast? Actually, is that where your powers come from?” Sami asked eagerly, speaking in rapid fire. 

Pinn blinked, stunned. It was clear at that point that the kid was Awakened.

“French sauce?” Pinn repeated. 

“Also, how come you’re not dead?” Sami asked, neck craned back to his phone. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. But I gotta know!”

“Kid, whoever you think I am…”

“Name’s Sami!” Sami said happily, looking up from the screen as though introducing himself for the first time again. 

Pinn paused, closing his eyes and letting out a long stream of air. 

“I’m not who you think I am,” Pinn said, opening his eyes and sounding sincere. 

“Okay, then, who are you?”

“I’m the guy who wants to be left alone.”

“That means you are who I think you are. Unless you’re someone else. Are you? No. Right? I don’t think you are. Otherwise, you would probably be out there,” Sami said, flicking his head to the doorway.

Pinn said nothing, frowning at the boy. 

Sami was unperturbed, lowering his phone and placing it on the table to give Pinn his full attention. 

“I get it. You’re probably confused because we keep talking around it, but you’re Lightcrown, right? Actually, don’t answer that. It would ruin my image of you if you lied. Unless you were gonna confirm that you’re Lightcrown. Which I already know.” Sami smiled eagerly.

Pinn thought through his next set of words carefully. 

“What makes you think I’m someone you recognize?”

“I got three powers. Oops, I mean… I’m a Grade 3. I think? I don’t remember how HUE’s grade system works. It’s still kinda fresh.”

“You’re in HUE? Or that other one?” Pinn couldn’t help himself from asking, an eyebrow raised. And three powers so young? Not that he was one to talk. 

“No, not yet. Actually, I was on my way over to HUE.” Sami pulled a card out of his pocket and slapped it on the table. An invitation to try to become a member of the Hero Unification Entity. Depending on the angle of view, the card would change color, its edges shining with a holographic, prismatic effect. “Wait, this is a great opportunity! What should my name be? Lightcrown is cool. I want something like that!”

“A friend?” The waitress had returned, and Pinn lowered his head in mortification. 

Sami sat up straight and grinned politely. Leaning forward, he read the nametag on her uniform.

“Hi, Kelly! I’m ready to order! Do you guys have crepes?”

“Sorry, sweetie, but we don’t. If you wanna take a look at our menu…” Kelly began, but Sami was quick to jump in.

“Yeah, I already checked your menu, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have a secret menu. That’s cool, can I get a bowl of grapes and a side of whipped cream?” 

Kelly tilted her head to the side, puzzled by the order, and took note. Almost automatically she looked like she would move away, but her brain caught her like a hook and she glanced between Sami and Pinn. Then she raised her eyebrows as an idea came to mind. 

“Would you mind telling me his name? He’s been coming daily for at least the past month, but won’t say! And he only pays in cash!” She pointed to Pinn with her check pad.

Pinn’s face was flushed red, eyes wide as he stared in horror at Sami. His cover was blown. He’d have to leave. Or do something more drastic. 

“I dunno. He hasn’t told me yet. But I’m paying, so maybe he’ll tell me,” Sami said good-naturedly as he pulled out a debit card. He stopped just shy of placing it on the table, looking at Pinn with concern. “You didn’t order like a hundred things before I showed up, right?”

“He didn’t,” Kelly assured him. 

“Then this one’s on me!” Sami’s grin returned at full force, slapping his debit card next to his HUE invitation card. 

Kelly took the card and walked away, smiling to herself. Swallowing hard, Pinn cleared his throat and kept his eyes on the strawberry next to his French toast. 

“Thanks,” he muttered. 

“Don’t mention it. I have at least twenty dollars in the bank,” Sami said, sounding as though he was genuinely bragging.

“I meant about…” Pinn trailed and checked around with his eyes again. “Not telling her your hypothesis about who I am.”

“Oh, no, it’s not a hypothesis. You’re Lightcrown. I noticed how you quietly freaked out when I pulled out my phone. You thought I was gonna take a picture, right?” 

Pinn remained stone faced, but Sami was absolutely right. The young man continued as he slipped his phone into his pocket.

“That’s what really sold me. One of my powers is to see the number of powers someone has. It’s like… I dunno, like clouds over people’s heads, kinda. Bubbles of thick mist? It’s usually like a bubble or two, one for each power. And they vary in color and size, some are brighter than others. And I think the bigger it is, the more powerful? I’m not sure, I only just gained this power. Well, anyway, I saw the stuff over your head and you freaked out over a potential photo, which means you’re famous. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. You probably have your reasons.” Sami sounded so sincere that Pinn believed him. 

Pinn raised an eyebrow. There was no hiding now. But he was still curious to know more about Sami’s assessment of him. It might help.

“How many of those clouds do you see above me?”

“Oh, I have no idea. It’s a storm up there, just a straight-up hurricane localized right there.” Sami stared somewhere just above Pinn’s dark hair. “Dozens. Hundred? More? Like I said, no idea.”

“I see.”

“Also, I thought you were like a curmudgeonly old man, but I think you’re just bad at talking to people. Are you really shy? Or do you have social anxiety? Wait, that might be the same thing. Even then, you’ve been coming here forever and never told Kelly your name?” Sami asked, amused. 

Pinn pressed his lips tight, looking around with his eyes to make sure Kelly didn’t overhear what Sami just said. 

“I’m not old,” Pinn muttered. 

“Dude, you’re like… forty. That’s super old,” Sami assured him. 

Pinn’s eyebrows flinched in offense. “I’m a decade younger than that and forty isn’t old.”

“Why haven’t you told her your name? She clearly likes you. Well, maybe not likes you, but definitely likes you, you know?” Sami took a swig of water from his jug with a knowing smile on his face. 

As his face warmed in embarrassment, Pinn was having a hard time following what the kid wanted from him. Pinn wasn’t really sure what he wanted, beyond chatting. With narrow eyes, Pinn was looking for the angle, now that the kid held the knowledge of Lightcrown in front of him. Sami didn’t even dwell on his questions very long, jumping from subject to subject. It didn’t feel like he was getting grilled for more information. More like the kid was a fan and just wanted the chance to talk to him.

Despite himself trying to remain distant, Pinn was warming up to the kid. 

“I can’t tell her,” Pinn said finally. 

“That’s cool. You can tell her some other way,” Sami said, perfectly understanding. “You could accidentally drop your platinum status credit card and show her you’re loaded.”

“I don’t have a platinum card.”

“You can drop your gold credit card.”

Pinn said nothing. 

“Regular credit card?” Sami asked, starting to sound concerned. 

Pinn still said nothing. Though his face remained emotionless, amusement at the young man’s antics flickered within him. Sami’s eyebrows had descended, deep in consternation. He was clearly having a hard time thinking of another flashy way to reveal the name.

“We can go with the original plan. You just tell me and I’ll tell her,” Sami said, finally. 

“No.”

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Sami shrugged and began chugging his water, Pinn watching warily. 

When he was halfway through the gallon of water, Kelly returned and placed a bowl of grapes, whipped cream, and Sami’s debit card in front of him. Without missing a beat, Sami slammed some water down and grabbed the bowl of grapes, upending it and dumping its entire contents into his mouth at once. Kelly giggled lightly and Pinn cracked a smile, closing his eyes to prevent laughter at the display of fruit bulging at Sami’s cheeks. 

“Any luck with the name?” Kelly asked. 

“Mmm-mmm.” Sami shook his head, smiling as he chewed. 

“That’s a shame. Maybe next time,” Kelly replied with a charmed eyebrow raised to Pinn. 

Pinn dashed the smile from his face and turned away, abashed. Sami swallowed down the food with a loud gulp and scooped the entirety of the whipped cream into his mouth with a spoon he grabbed from Pinn’s side of the table. Washing it all down with more water, Sami checked the time on his phone. His eyes widened, and he stood to leave, grabbing his cards and scribbling thirty-three cents under the “tip” portion of the receipt. Together with the bill, the total was an even twenty dollars.

“Next time!” Sami agreed, wiping his hand across his mouth as he exhaled contentedly.

“Next time?” Pinn asked. 

With a mock salute of two fingers tapped against his temple, Sami spun and left Pinn without another word. Kelly waved goodbye and went to address other customers. Pinn blinked, astonished at Sami leaving so soon. 

Nothing more than plain conversation. Possibly even pleasant conversation. Where Pinn was certain the intrusion would leave him annoyed, he instead found himself wishing it would have lasted just a bit longer. He stared down at his unfinished French toast, then popped the strawberry in his mouth, savoring it. Eating it earlier made it taste even better than usual. 

Next time.

For the first time in years, Pinn thought he may have made a friend.