Five Heroes: The First Savior

By Kelechi Iwudibia

Settling into life in Atlanta had been pretty uneventful for twelve-year old, Alexander Wilson. That is, until the accident.

Soon after Alex discovers that the explosion he witnessed at REPEL labs had given him extraordinary powers, he fortuitously finds out that just like him, there are several others affected.

Before long, he is entangled in a secret mission to stop a powerful villain that threatens the safety of the residents in the city. He teams up with Brady, Evelyn and Lucas, and with the expert help of Dr. Williams, a nerdy physicist, they become the ‘Five heroes,’ sure to save the day. However, they soon discover that things aren’t always what they seem......

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796075113

Kelechi Iwudibia

Kelechi Iwudibia is a twelve-year old British-Nigerian child author, who began writing at the age of eight. He was inspired to write by his grandfather, who is also an author. Kelechi got the idea to write 'Five Heroes' from his love of reading sci-fi and superhero narratives. Whenever he isn't writing, Kelechi likes to spend his time running track, riding his bike, playing his cello, and spending time with his family.

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 by Valni Inc..

Library of Congress Control Number:     2019919539

ISBN:                  Hardcover                        978-1-7960-7508-3

                            Softcover                           978-1-7960-7509-0

                            eBook                                978-1-7960-7511-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 12/04/2019

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Dedications

To all my grandparents, thank you for your love and support over the years. I love you all.

To Grandpa, whose lifework in academic literature inspired me to pursue my own love of writing.

To my parents, who believed in my dreams and made this book possible.

To my brothers, who provided much-needed fun distractions over the two years it took me to complete this novel.

Alexander Wilson, a twelve year old boy gains extraordinary abilities from an explosion at REPEL Labs. He has been given powers, and is no longer what he used to be. Now it is up to him to decide how he uses his supernatural abilities. Soon afterward, he discovers other people with powers like him. They team up, becoming the five heroes, destined to stop a dangerous villain. They battle, and soon realize their newest threat is more powerful than they ever imagined.

Contents

Dedications

Chapter 1     Alex

Chapter 2     The Accident

Chapter 3     Different

Chapter 4     The Robbery

Chapter 5     The Attack

Chapter 6     Museum

Chapter 7     The Island

Chapter 8     Power Drain

Chapter 9     The Kidnapping

Chapter 10   Breaking In

Chapter 11   Dysfunctional

Chapter 12   Halloween

Chapter 13   Dr. Griffin

Chapter 14   The Theory

Chapter 15   San Francisco

Chapter 16   Impact

Chapter 17   Explosion

Chapter 18   The Game

Epilogue

Chapter One

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Alex

I WALKED DOWN THE gray stone-cladded steps and sighed in relief. I felt the wind blow in my face as I hauled my heavy school bag over my shoulder. Autumn leaves danced in the wind around the school courtyard. The tall trees from which they fell swayed from side to side, shedding what remaining leaves they had in the process. The skies were filled with overcast clouds. I prayed it wouldn’t rain today. I adjusted the bag on my back, bent over to tighten my shoelaces, and embarked on my journey home.

It was half-past four, and students began leaving the school grounds. The bell rang only moments ago, and as always, I was the first student out of Dayton Walker Middle School.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, feeling really glad that I had my coat on today. My shoes kept my feet warm. It was unusually cold today, even though it wasn’t winter yet. If you ask me, I thought the weather was so unpredictable.

It was way too cold for the middle of autumn. The temperature was dropping rapidly, and today was probably the coldest day in October.

Hey, Alex! yelled a voice from behind me.

I turned around to see my best friend in the whole world, Quinn Warren.

Quinn’s the smartest student in seventh grade—and maybe even the smartest kid in the whole school. He’s had straight A’s since first grade and was the only student in my homeroom smart enough to skip a grade. That made him a year younger than me, and I often felt protective of him for that reason. We got on like a house on fire.

Oh, hey, I said in my deep, manly voice. OK, just kidding. My voice is not deep at all, and if you heard me, you’d know what I’m talking about.

Do you think you’ll do well on the test tomorrow? he asked.

Test? What test? I asked with a puzzled look on my face.

You know what, never mind.

Speaking of school, I can’t wait until it’s over.

Alex, we have three more quarters of school left. That’s approximately twenty-seven weeks of school—which is a hundred thirty-seven days of school to be precise.

Yeah, I cannot wait that long until summer.

Cheer up. Tomorrow’s a Friday, and we’re one day closer to fall break.

Well, you’re not wrong.

Oh please, I’m never wrong.

I chuckled. Sure.

Quinn eyed me as I chuckled again.

Ever since I moved to Atlanta eight months ago, Quinn has been my best friend. My family’s always moving because my mother is a consultant for various pharmaceutical companies. So every once in a while, we have to move to a new city and sometimes even to a new state. Unfortunately, that means that I have to say goodbye to all my friends and leave.

This was my first autumn in Atlanta, and most likely my last. I probably won’t see Quinn any longer because Mom has talked about moving to New York in the summer. That’s eight months from now, so I better enjoy my time with my friends. Sure, I have his phone number, but it won’t be the same just sending text messages back and forth without ever getting to see each other and hang out.

Anyway, are you really moving?

Unfortunately, I replied.

On the bright side, we can always be pen pals! he yelled excitedly.

Quinn, this is the twenty-first century! Who writes letters these days? We can always email and text on our phones.

That works too.

Plus, writing letters and sending them to people takes days and costs money.

I see where you’re getting that from.

Sometimes I wonder about that boy. He’s a pretty smart kid, but when it comes to common sense, I worry about him.

Anyway, see you later.

Yeah, see you.

We took our separate paths. Quinn and I lived in the same neighborhood, but he took the long way home, around the woods. I took a shortcut through the woods even though my mom strictly forbade me from doing so. Apparently, a couple of kids my age have gotten lost when they went through the wooded area. But I’m careful, and I bet it was just hearsay to try to stop kids from going through there anyway.

I walked over to the metal fence, tossed my bag over, then climbed over the barrier. It wasn’t a rough landing and as usual, I was fine. I grabbed my bag and started heading toward home, following the narrow path.

About fifteen feet in, I heard a voice call my name.

Alex, it said creepily. Alex.

It sounded deep and desperate.

This was too weird. I looked around, wondering what could’ve made the sound. I found nothing and figured it could’ve just been my imagination. I had walked through the woods every day after school but heard nothing like this before.

I ignored it and walked faster, but something wasn’t quite right. After a few minutes of walking and frantically whipping my head from side to side in an attempt to find where the voice was coming from, I finally got to the other side of the woods. I hopped over the fence and crossed the street. Soon enough, I was in my neighborhood.

I continued to walk until I got home and opened the front door with my key. As I placed one foot inside, I was greeted by my overprotective mother.

Hey, Alex! she yelled in a happy voice. She was wearing a dark-gray jacket and a pencil skirt. It looked like she’d just gotten back home from work.

Oh, hi, Mom, I greeted her.

She hugged me, even though she knew I didn’t like it. You probably think I’m a mean person, but this woman hugs me all the time—before I go to school, after school, before I go to bed, when I wake up, before I go to soccer practice, after soccer practice, you get my drift. Believe me, it can be pretty intense at times.

So how was school?

School was… My voice trailed off. Mom gave me a look.

Like it always is! I winked.

Alex, tell the truth.

Mom, seriously, I’m not lying. I listened to Mr. Lionel’s lectures, followed by Mr. Brown’s instructions, paid attention in Mrs.—

Alex, I get it. You had a perfect day at school. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, right?

Not at all.

Hey, kid, greeted Frank as he walked into the living room.

Oh, hi, Frank.

He patted me on the back, holding a can of ice-cold soda. What a weird choice on such a chilly day. But then again, that’s typical of Frank. He’s always doing things out of the ordinary.

Leaving already? he asked Mom.

Yeah sorry honey, she said. It’s just that I have a lot of things to do.

Well, see you tonight. We waved as Mom left.

Aside from his weird choice of beverage, Frank was actually one of the most perfect people I’d ever met. He was a great guy all in all, and he wasn’t strict at all. Whenever Frank babysat us he would let my little sister, Georgia, watch television up until midnight and allow Margaret, my older sister, to go to teen parties, even on school nights.

Frank was going to be my stepdad. He trained with me at the high school track. We’d train there for hours, running around the track and getting ready for my upcoming race. When we finally got back home, Mom would get mad at us for staying past my curfew, but Frank would always cheer her up with a treat or a small gift.

Even though Frank was very nice, I still missed my dad. He passed away when I was ten. It was just my father and me when the accident happened. It was a horrible evening—one that I’ll never forget. I don’t want to talk about it because it was one of the worst days of my life. Nevertheless, Frank was really generous and selfless. He has really cheered my mom up since they met a few years ago.

I’ll look after the kids! he yelled before Mom shut the door.

He turned around and looked at me. So, Alex, wanna go train for your race or play outside with your football? You know, pass the ball in the backyard. You always like that.

I’m a little tired. I had a rough day at school. I sighed.

Really? What happened? he asked.

I was not going to go into the details. Let’s just say I had some troubles during third period.

C’mon, Alex. You can tell me anything.

There are just people at my school who are mean, all right.

Bullies? You need to stand up to them! In fact, I’ll even teach you a few self-defense moves later on.

Thanks, Frank, I said.

I dumped my school bag in the hallway and hopped up the stairs as Frank turned on the TV. He didn’t live with us, but he streamed Netflix while Mom was at work. He wasn’t lazy or anything. It was just that he took advantage of opportunities like this.

Once upstairs, I opened the door to my bedroom and walked in. Rather than changing my clothes and doing my homework, I took out my unfinished novel and began writing on my desk. I have always loved to write; it was the only thing that came naturally to me. My mother said I got it from my father—he loved to write stories and used to tell his old tales to me at bedtime.

As I was writing, I accidentally knocked over an old picture album. I picked it up as pictures fell on the ground. Old memories were scattered all over the carpet. I saw a picture of my father and I side by side in a soccer field. I recalled that day like it was just yesterday. It was the day I scored the winning goal at a tightly contested game, and my whole team had a party in celebration of our victory. It was one of the best days of my life.

As I admired the beauty of these memories, I thought about my dad. I wished he were here today.

Chapter Two

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The Accident

T HE NEXT MORNING, I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. The third time it rang, I knocked it off the shelf and reluctantly got up. I brushed my teeth, showered, and got into my school clothes.

I went downstairs and into the kitchen in search of some breakfast. Both Mom and Frank were there, sipping on their coffee. I greeted them, and Mom gave me a hug. Frank had brought over yet another gift for my mom this morning. It was a box of delicate handmade chocolate truffles. Even I knew what was going on between them; they were in love, and Frank was going to propose sooner or later.

I ate my breakfast slowly as Mom and Frank chatted about their jobs and the day ahead. Frank tried to change the subject, but he just made it awkward and made the two of them laugh.

I’ve never understood adult humor, and I probably never will.

I finished my pancakes, then headed for the door. As I twisted the door handle, I turned around as I felt Frank’s gaze on me. I eyed him cautiously as I said goodbye. He was warming up my mom until the right time to propose.

I ignored these facts and proceeded to begin my short walk to school.

Alex, what’s up?

I turned around then high-fived Quinn. We did our secret handshake, which wasn’t all that secret because we did it all the time. In fact, we did this about twelve times a day and basically every time we saw each other between class periods. The other students thought it was pretty lame, but we thought it was cool.

Oh, nothing much.

You seem miserable today.

Unfortunately, Frank is getting closer and closer to my mom. Soon enough, he’s going to propose. He’s a great guy and all, but he can’t replace my father.

I guess you’re right.

I gave him a look.

You’re right.

We continued walking but stopped talking for a moment.

Anyway, are you OK? Quinn asked, interrupting the silence.

"What do you mean by ‘are you OK’?"

Alex, your father died just two years ago. That experience must’ve scarred you for life.

Yes, I’m fine.

That must’ve been a traumatic experience. It must’ve hurt, right?

Of course, it did. If one of your parents died, wouldn’t you be sad?

OK, maybe the answer was a little obvious.

A little?

The answer was obvious. Of course, it hurts.

We walked into the school grounds and entered the building. The minute I walked in, I felt a chill go down my spine.

You think you’ll do well on the Spanish exam?

How come every time we have a test, I’m the only one who hasn’t been notified?

I don’t know, maybe it’s because you don’t pay attention in class.

I do pay attention in class.

Yeah, right.

Hey, losers!, an all-too-familiar voice yelled out from afar.

Just then, a basketball bounced off the back of my head. Quinn turned around and stared at something. He had a sour look on his face. When I looked behind me, I saw Jack Quimby, the biggest and tallest seventh-grader of all time—at least as far as I was concerned. Jack was a bully who picked on kids like Quinn and