A SIDEKICK STORY

It all began on my first day at hero school. I was nervous, scared and down right petrified. The school was bigger than any other building I ever saw. I was a gawky teenager, nothing to be impressed about. I didn't know what I was doing here. This place was all about the heroes, the sidekicks were an after-thought. No one paid any attention to us. Then one day everything changed. My name is Winifred. This is my story.

Everyone talks about heroes. Heroes are brave and strong, unyielding in power and strength. They are the ones children and adults love and want to be. While the world talks about heroes, there is another group of people no one talks about and that is me, the sidekick. Who are the sidekicks?

From the moment, I entered hero school, I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I felt like I had the most important job in the world no one noticed or knew about and that is to keep our heroes from getting killed, keeping our heroes weapons organized, keeping their uniforms clean and making sure the bad guy is right where they are supposed to be.

Heroes have superpowers, abilities that make them invincible. Some can fly, others have super human strength and speed. Some have x-ray vision. While others can shape shift into anything humanly possible. What about us sidekicks? What powers do we have? Some of us have powers but none that rivaled the heroes.

At hero school we were taught to do whatever our heroes wants or needs us to do. We were taught all about how to build different types of technology. How to build weapons. How to fix them even how to use them. We were taught about the different heroes and their powers. We were taught their hero name and their real name so we know how and when to protect them in and out of uniform.

I learned a lot in school. I made a lot of friends. We were also bullied by the heroes. Some of us worse than others. There were heroes that were kind and helpful to us. One hero in particular was kind and very helpful to me and the other sidekicks. His name is Oliver. His hero name is Shockwave. He was one of those rare people that took the time to help me and the sidekicks. I was grateful and so were the others.

Being shy in hero school is not a good thing. So, when Oliver, perhaps the most popular guy in the entire school notices you and you only, you start to believe things are going to work out for the best, that's what happened to me, the shy girl.

Oliver, the future Shockwave was very different from the other heroes. He never bullied anyone. He helped the sidekicks especially me. I didn't understand why he was doing this or why he chose me. As I got to know Oliver, I found out interesting things about him like his parents built this school as a way to mold and protect future generations of heroes and sidekicks. His parents are a one, two punch of the greatest superhero and sidekick combination of all time. Not many people know that about Oliver. I know because Oliver's parents are my all time favorite team but I didn't let that interfere with Oliver helping me.

So as my first day of hero school was progressing, I met a lot of new and interesting people. Some have become close friends. Each one of us is getting help from Oliver. He taught us all about the ins and outs of hero school. What to do and what not to do. Oliver taught us about the rules of hero school. The most important rule is never to use your powers on any hero or sidekick. If you use your powers, you get kicked out never to return. Next, we got our class assignment. I found out me and the sidekicks were in the same class expect for Oliver. Sidekicks and heroes were in separate classes.

What can I say about my classes? They were fun and entertaining. I had a blast. The teachers at the school were a combination of hero and sidekick. I learned a lot from both teachers. The sidekick teacher taught us what it means to support and help the hero and the hero teacher taught us all about when to help the hero and do as the hero tells you to do. A lot of information crammed in all at once.

During the classes it was just us sidekicks that's the way we liked it. There were no bullies no getting scared of what the heroes might do to us. The only time us sidekicks and the heroes were in the same place was during lunch time. We were scared to go to the cafeteria. When we mustered up enough courage to go in, we went in together. We walked in as one all the while the heroes looked at us. We were fresh meat.

I did't let the stares of the heroes get to me. I finally told myself I belong here just as much as they did. I sensed something bad was going to happen and I was spot on. The same heroes who were eyeballing us got up from their seat and began to circle us. I began to get nervous as did the rest of my friends. The heroes began taunting us and calling us names. They wanted us to come at them, we didn't. They kept on taunting us until Oliver came to our rescue. He stood up for us and protected us. From that day on no hero ever messed with us.

During after school hours Oliver taught us more about being a sidekick. He showed us his powers and we showed him ours. He never laughed at the kind of powers we had. My powers are not great but Oliver made me feel good about myself and my powers. I can build things at a rapid pace. Oliver told me my powers are what superheroes need. He made me smile.

Every day after school Oliver taught us sidekicks, he took more time to help me hone my powers. I was grateful for the extra attention. I wondered a lot of times about what my life would be like when I'm assigned to a hero. I prayed I would get assigned a hero like Oliver.

When it was just me and Oliver, we talked about things not related to school like what kind of music we liked or what food is our favorite. I never felt shy or awkward around Oliver. He slowly became my best friends. I had a little crusher on Oliver but it never went that far. As the years went on me and Oliver grew closer. I couldn't wait to get to school and see him. It was the best time of my life all thanks to Oliver. I never thought I would make it to the end. I did.

The last year of hero school came along, we found out the heroes would be picking their sidekick. I began to get nervous and scared all over again. I worked even hard with Oliver. At times he would tell me to slow down which I did. Days before our final day at hero school when the heroes choose their sidekick Oliver sat me down and we had a good talk. He told me to calm down, take deep breathes and the last thing he told me was "Whoever chooses you as their sidekick would be lucky to have me." Little did I know something unbelievable would happen to me.

The day of the ceremony came. Me and all the sidekicks were sitting in the front row. As it is accustom at every ceremony Oliver's parents were there to conduct the ceremony. The first hero is called and to my surprise it's Oliver. Oliver is asked by his parents who he chooses as his sidekick. He looks at all the sidekicks, he calls my name, Winifred. I was shocked but inside I was jumping for joy. I walked up to Oliver and his parents. They congratulate me and Oliver. We walked off the stage together. That my life changed forever.

Me and Oliver, Shockwave and my sidekick name Horizon. Oliver let me chose my own name. My life changed forever since the ceremony. I was no longer the scared kid I once was. I am a grown woman, a damn good sidekick and Oliver's equal in everything we do. Each villain Oliver took down, I was right by Oliver's side. The weapons Oliver used was my very own design. So was every piece of technology he used. Oliver trusted me enough with making his weapons that he also asked me to design weapons for myself which I did. I was happy by Oliver's side.

The friendship me and Oliver forged in hero school grew into something more. We fell in love. We didn't let our love get in the way of what we needed to do and that is saving lives and saving the world. The name sidekick never applied to me. Oliver never referred to me as his sidekick. I was and still am his partner, his equal, his wife. We are Shockwave and Horizon.