Super Born: Seduction of Being Read Free

would run off with my life.
    And so it went, night after night. I would wear
a mask and some black clothes and cruise the city. There was always
pain or disaster to find. I was shocked how much went on during
those “quiet” nights I never had taken notice of before. Once you
knew the suffering and violence around you, your view of life was
changed forever. Whether it was an accident, crime, or just the
simple cruelty of mankind, I was a busy woman.
    But the more I changed the fates of the people
of Scranton, the more it forced me to hide in the shadows. No one
could find out, I knew, or they would find a selfish use for my
powers. My life would no longer be mine. And worst of all, Paige
and the rest of my family would no longer be safe. It was a
horrible, helpless feeling that even all my power couldn’t contain.
I was torn between my two lives; the only one I had known, and the
new, attractive one where I felt I mattered. Sure, every single mom
is already a superhero, considering the mountain of things we
juggle daily, but for the first time I felt like I was making a
diffence. I was moving the world, and not it me.
    Batman wouldn’t last a day in my
world, I thought bitterly, feeling the
strain that these newly manifested superpowers had brought to my
life. Gone was my known, controllable existence, quietly raising my
daughter and making ends meet. Gone were the simple days of
drinking, dancing, and partying with my friends. Being “real” and
being a superhero made for a unique combination. Sometimes it was a
real bitch.
    My new powers were confusing and
frustrating, yet wildly seductive, opening
my mind to a new world. T hey filled me with
questions and challenges but, worst of all, forced me to face them
all alone. I could trust no one with my secret.
    How should I use these powers? How
to deal with all those who would search for me, wanting to share
in, use my strength? Who to trust? What really was right and wrong,
when the laws of man no longer applied to you? Yet through the dangers and the challenges, more doors opened
than closed. Perhaps there was a route to a new level of
being—perhaps even a new level of romance.
    Oh, by the way, as you get to know me better,
you’ll probably hear people call me a bunch of different names (or
expletives) but for the record, my name is Allie, and Paige calls
me Mom. (Call me Ishmael, but I won’t answer.) I’m known as the
B.I.B.; the bitch in black. And please don’t say, ‘bib.’ It’s
‘B-I-B.’ Just say every letter and there won’t be any trouble.
Remember that, and remember I can break you in half if you don’t.
(First one I hear saying ‘bib’ gets it. Don’t make me hurt
you.)
    On my birthday, the big thirty three, I just
wanted to feel “normal” again. I was hoping some shopping and
errands would help—those open-toed Italian shoes I had been wanting
would be a good birthday gift to myself. But after I was told, at
my first stop, that the phone Paige had dropped in the pool at swim
club would not be covered under the warranty—and getting a new one
drained my checking account down to nothing—the joy of being
“normal” somehow felt pale. There would be no money left for a
birthday celebration for me, and no one with whom to share
it.
    As I stood outside the shoe store with Paige’s
new phone, staring down at those open-toed beauties I could have
worn Saturday night, I thought about my empty wallet and
nonexistent checking balance. Then I thought of flying and catching
that truck—and felt like two different women, tearing away from
each other; one so powerful, and one so powerless.
    As I left the store window, I was feeling alone
and sorry for myself. It was my birthday. Not that I expected a
national holiday or a parade, but someone who cared, other than my
crazy sisters, would be nice. Maybe I would just go home. Maybe
that black poodle from upstairs wasn’t busy. Instead, I walked into
O’Malley’s Bar for a drink.

Chapter 2
    The