Meet Harper Youngblood - Chapter 3

Harper is eager for some candy at the expense of many.

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Regina stood at the bustling intersection, her eyes fixed on the blinking red traffic light. She reached out and pressed the pedestrian signal button, a faint beep echoing through the air. Turning to face her class of 3rd graders, she instructed them to stay in line until she gave the go-ahead. The sound of engines revving and tires screeching filled the air as cars zoomed by on the busy crossroad.

On the other side, a line of yellow taxis idled at the stoplight, their drivers tapping impatiently on their steering wheels. A motorcycle whizzed by, its engine purring like a contented cat. And a large truck rumbled past, leaving behind a thick cloud of exhaust fumes that danced in the wind.

Just as Regina's class was about to cross, one last car sped through the intersection, barely making it before the traffic light turned red again for motorized vehicles.

"Look, it's green!" one of Regina's class students exclaimed, his finger pointing excitedly at the traffic light.

"It sure is, Kevin! Alright, follow me, class!" Regina said, taking the hand of one of her students and looking both ways before leading them across. As she stepped onto the asphalt, a sudden rush of air and a loud whoosh caused her to shriek and stumble backward, landing on her butt.

As she tried to recompose herself, Regina followed the gazes of those around her, all looking in one direction with expressions of surprise and amazement.

Regina's eyes narrowed to slits, showing the anger that burned within her. She saw the culprit responsible for this nuisance hovering in midair at the crossroads ahead. Black Menace, the notorious brat with superpowers, had caused havoc by flying too low over Regina's neighborhood and wrecking the roof of her parents' house. The memory of their damaged home still seared through her mind like a fresh wound. No compensation had been given, as their insurance did not cover damage caused by superhuman individuals. Even the police had shrugged off their pleas for justice, refusing to arrest Harper for intentionally destroying their property.

Just like the name indicated, Regina saw that this teenage girl, who could not have been older than 17, was wholly cladded in black—leather pants that hugged her legs, a sleeveless shirt revealing slender arms, and pitch-black hair pulled up into a haphazard bun, giving her an edgy and rebellious appearance. The girl floated confidently, exuding an air like she owned the place.

The girl floated in the middle of the bustling crossroad, utterly unaware of the chaos her presence was causing. She gazed around as if searching for something, causing cars to honk and people to yell at her to move out of the way.

The once-flowing traffic had come to a standstill, all because Harper had decided to take a moment to contemplate her next move in the most inconvenient location possible. After a while, she grew visibly frustrated with the constant noise and interruptions, her train of thought constantly derailed by the blaring horns and angry voices.

With an elegant flick of her wrist, she effortlessly pushed a few cars away from her without even touching them. The red-faced and shouting drivers climbed out of their vehicles and stormed to a nearby police wagon, demanding action against the supposed offender. But the police officer, who seemed unaffected by the chaos around him, merely shrugged and explained that he had been given strict orders not to engage with the infamous "Black Menace."

Echoes of gasps and exclamations rippled through the crowd of students behind her, a symphony of wonder and awe. "Hey, look! It's her!" A boy's voice rang out, full of excitement and disbelief. "The Black Menace!"

Others joined in, their eyes wide with fascination as they watched the girl effortlessly floating in the air, making fun of the laws of gravity. "She can fly! She can actually fly!" a girl's voice squealed with delight.

Another chimed in, "I know her true name...Harper Youngblood." The name was spoken with reverence as if it held some secret power. "A niece of mine sits in the same class as her brother, so I know these things."

And then a young girl's voice piped up, filled with longing, "I wanna do that too!"

Regina managed to regain her footing with a quick scramble as one of her students approached her. The young boy's eyes were filled with hope and wonder as he looked up at her and asked, "Ms Smith, can you teach me that?" His small finger pointed towards the floating figure of Harper Youngblood. "I want to learn how to fly like her so I can sell my bike and use the earnings to buy a bucket full of candy!" His voice was filled with determination and eagerness.

"I…" Regina's sentence cut off abruptly when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Harper standing there, giving her a quizzical look.

"Excuse me for interrupting," Harper said in a most polite voice. "But could you possibly tell me where the nearest candy store is? I thought there was a big one around here, but I can't seem to locate it."

Before Regina could even open her mouth to reply, a small voice piped up from the group of students surrounding her. It was the same young boy who had been eagerly asking her just moments before if she could teach him how to fly. "The Pink Paper Lane is right around the corner, miss!" he exclaimed, his finger pointing enthusiastically in the direction of the candy shop. His excitement for helping the girl with extraordinary powers was palpable. "They have the most delicious Hershey bars, and let me tell you about their Twizzlers - pure heaven!" The other children nodded in agreement, adding their own praises for the sweet treats at the beloved store.

Regina rested a hand on the young boy's shoulder, sensing his desire to approach Harper with awe in his eyes.

The rest of the class also watched in amazement as Harper floated effortlessly in midair.

Harper noticed the boy's admiration and smiled at him. "Thank you, kid! I'll take a look right away."

The boy called out to her just as she was about to fly off. "Miss!"

Harper turned around, raising her eyebrows inquisitively. "Can I like… have your autograph, please?"

"Miles!" Regina said, her voice stern. "The lady doesn't have time for that, nor do we. We're already running late–"

"Got it, kid!" Harper landed gracefully on the ground. She crouched in front of the boy. "Do you have a pencil? Shall I put it on your shirt?"

"I have a pencil right here, miss!" A girl eagerly pushed past her teacher and the boy to offer Harper a pencil. She seemed excited and asked for an autograph as well. Harper smiled, basking in the admiration of these children who saw her as some famous figure. "Absolutely, my dear!"

The floodgates opened as the entire class pushed forward, forming a tight circle around Harper and pleading for her autograph. They didn't care that the whole town disliked her for her troublesome behavior that made life difficult for many. To these kids, she was a celebrity with superpowers, capable of doing things that others could only imagine. And that was reason enough for them to idolize her and crave her attention.

Regina was pushed out of the way by her students, leaving her awkwardly outside their circle. She scratched her head and shifted uncomfortably as passersby stared at the spectacle. "That's the last one," Harper announced, finishing signing an autograph on a young boy's shirt. He looked up at her in awe as she said, "Gotta fly, kids!" She playfully ruffled a little girl's hair, exchanged fist bumps with some of Regina's students, and then gracefully swooshed off.

Harper stuffed her mouth full of candy, chewing it loudly and without any sense of decorum. With a burst of energy, she blasted out of the store, shattering a few windows in the process, and flew off, startling a group of pedestrians. Just like before, Harper managed to get this candy for free from the store owner after some persuasive arguments. She hadn't paid a single penny for her bag of sugary treats.

As Harper nibbled on the candy, she soared through the city with a dreamy look, absorbed in her surroundings. She didn't realize until it was too late that a bridge was looming ahead, rising up to meet her face in a matter of seconds.

Harper shrieked as she was too late to evade it and barged right through it, leaving the bridge wholly demolished, while Harper herself did not have a scratch.

While floating in midair and throwing a handful of M&Ms in her mouth, Harper observed the scenery below, where people helped each other get out of their wrecked vehicles. Cars were honking, and people called Harper names. When Harper saw that no one was severely injured, she simply shrugged and blasted off, leaving these people with the mess she had created.