Broken Prophecies, Part 1

“Sam,” Thunder’s voice cut through the din of silence that had lain between them since the Uber ride began, “do you remember your Blessing Day?”

This was a deeply personal question to ask someone for it was a very private moment in a gifted’s life. But Sam didn’t mind answering the woman who’d changed his world and made it possible for him to grow as a hero.

“Yeah,” he answered. “I remember it… I was eight years old, a year late compared to most kids that get the gift.”

For Sam, the memory of his Blessing Day might as well have been just yesterday. He expected this was true for all gifted. After all, how could anyone forget the day they met a god?

It was the warmth on his skin that he remembered best. Like a hot summer day on the beach basking in the glow of extra-warm sunlight, as if the sun itself had moved closer to Earth just to visit Sam—and it did.