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“… make your lives a living hell. Do you know what Seth did? Do you know the courage it took? Because I don’t think you do. Even now, you’re sitting there, some of you gaping at me, others muttering under your breath—you,sir, yes, you. Care to say that a little louder? No? That’s what I thought. You say you’re trying to protect the other kids in your district, but if you’ll look at the folders I provided, you’ll see the signatures of over sixthousandof these same kids in the Nova City School District, all of whom are demanding that Seth Gray be allowed to return for his senior year. We may be young, but our voices are important. It doesn’t matter who is or isn’t an Extraordinary. In addition to Seth being allowed back at Centennial High, we demand a full apology not only to Seth and Nick Bell, but to Lola Gibson, too, whom you railroaded out of her rightful spot as valedictorian of her graduating class under the guise of an investigation, the results of which have never been made public. And before you accuse me of taking something away from someone else, you’ll see a note attached to the petition from Matthew Rogers, who was made valedictorianover Gibby. He writes that had he been in possession of all the facts, he would have refused the title of valedictorian. You’readults.Do your damn jobs.”
(I clapped so hard, I thought my hands would fall off.)
A week later, the school board released the following statement:
Against a tide of misinformation, we want to be clear that we value each and every one of our students. Though we typically avoid commenting on individual students given that privacy is paramount, we are making an exception today. Seth Gray will be invited back to Centennial High for his senior year. We will not be making any further comments at this time.
Did you see the apology in there? An acknowledgment that Gibby was wronged? Yeah, me neither. But wait, there’s more! Half the school board resigned fifteen days after their nonapology. Trey and Aysha Gibson—parents to Gibby—were appointed to the board for the foreseeable future, along with a few other parents who are ready to fix what’s broken. Things are going to change and while it won’t be easy, if anyone can do it, it’ll be them.
Remember these names: Jasmine Kensington. Lola Gibson. I have a feeling you’ll be hearing about them quite a bit in the future.
Which brings me to Seth Gray, AKA Pyro Storm.
I can write thousands of words about him. Hell, I already have—seeA Pleasure to Burn(yes, I will finish it!).
Seth’s my hero. He’s always been there, holding my hand, helping me breathe. He’s lifted me up when I was at my lowest. And even when I get certain…ideas,he’s never made me feel stupid, or that my opinions didn’t matter.
I could tell you so many things: How he looks when he’s sleepy (sosoft). How he tries to be strong for the rest of us, and sometimes needs to be reminded that we can be strong for him, too. I could tell you how smart he is, how brave, how selfless. A leader. A trailblazer. A man who is going to change the world.
I’m the luckiest queer dude in the world, because he chose me. If I may get a little sappy (fair warning: it’s probably only going to getworse from here, and I regretnothing), Seth Gray is the better part of all of us. I love you, dude. Always.
This manifesto is calledThe Truth,which is what I will give you. About us. About Simon Burke. About Patricia Burke. About Owen Burke, who was once my friend.
That being said, Owen was a villain. He killed people. He hurt many others, including me, my friends, my family. You won’t hear me making excuses for him. The families of the people he harmed are owed better than that.
But Simon and Patricia Burke bear an equal amount of responsibility. They did things to their child that no parent should ever do.
I have no doubt that some of you reading this are angry with me. Some of you might even fear me. Burke didn’t create the divisions between us; they were already there to begin with. He merely harnessed them to further his message of hate and vitriol, stoking the fears that many of you were already feeling.
If you were a supporter of Simon Burke—of which there are still many—I’ll say this: if there ever comes a time when you need a hero, we’ll be there.
And last, a message to Extraordinaries, both known and unknown: We see you. We know you’re scared. We know you think you have to hide, and if that’s what’s best for you, then do what you need to in order to protect yourselves. I wish I could tell you it’s going to get easier from here, but that would be a lie. There are always going to be people who hate you for what you are, what you represent.
But there are more supporters than you think. We’re here. We’re with you. We have your backs. You don’t have to go through this alone. We will be the lighthouse, the beacon, guiding you home. One day, the world will see you for just how extraordinary you really are. But until then, reach out if you need to. I promise we’ll listen.
(Unless you’re evil, then we’ll just kick your asses, so.)
Next week, the real story begins in Chapter 2 (unless I’m slammedwith homework, ugh,why). There will be danger! Romance! Skwinkles Salsagheti and crickets smashed against pillows! Heroes born, and villains rising! I hope you’re ready, because I’m just getting started. Stay tuned!
