W2: "The Day I Woke Up with a Superpower"

If someone had asked me before what superpower I wanted, I might have said flying or teleportation. But I never would have chosen mind reading until the day I got it.

That morning felt normal until a voice exploded in my head: “Get up! You’re going to be late!"

I jolted awake. My room was empty, but the voice it was my mom’s.

Seconds later, my door swung open. "Why are you still in bed?" she said. 

I froze. I had heard those exact words before she spoke to them!

I focused, and suddenly, I could hear my sister’s thoughts from downstairs, my neighbour's complaints about his sleepless night.

I could hear everyone’s thoughts.

At first, this power made me feel unstoppable.

At school, I knew which student the teacher would call on and avoided tricky questions. During tests, I picked up answers from top students. I even heard my friends' real opinions about each other.

Then I discovered something even more shocking I could change thoughts.

During basketball practice, Jack always got the best shots. I focused on him and thought: Miss the shot. He threw the ball—clank! It bounced off the rim. I smirked.

Then, I tested something else. My teammate Mike always doubted himself. I whispered in his mind: “You’re the best shooter here." He took the shot—swish! A perfect basket.

After that, Emily was panicking she had lost her wallet. Her thoughts were a mess. I focused. Suddenly, I saw the past her memory rewound like a movie, a bench and library.

"Check under the library bench," I said.

She hesitated but ran off. Minutes later, she returned, holding her wallet. "How did you know?" she asked, wide-eyed. I just smiled.

That night, I tested it. I stared into the mirror, focused on tomorrow and I saw it.

An accident. A car screeching. Someone falling. Blood. I gasped, heart pounding. I had to stop it.

The next day, I followed the vision, standing at the intersection. A girl was about to step into the street.

A truck was coming, she didn’t see it. "Stop!" I screamed in my mind. She halted mid-step, eyes wide. The truck thundered past, inches from her. She turned to me, confused. "Why did I stop? "I just shook my head.

It was too easy. Too powerful. Too dangerous.

That’s when I realized—I wasn’t just reading thoughts. I could trace time itself and rewriting them.

If I kept going, could I see the future?

My mind became a constant storm of voices: "If I don’t get money soon, I’ll lose everything," "She’s my friend, but I actually hate her," or "I want to make them regret everything."

I heard everything, secrets of people would never admit, dark thoughts they buried deep.

Should I change them?

I could erase crime before it happened, make politicians honest, shape a better world. But if I kept pushing, would I still be me? Would anyone still have free will? And then, one night I saw something I should never have seen.

I caught a glimpse of my own future. A face in the mirror that wasn’t mine. Eyes hollow, filled with power. A voice that echoed: "You are not human anymore." I stumbled back, shaking. Was this what I would become? I had to stop.

I discovered everything I changed and prevented had backfired, either on myself or on someone else. The butterfly effect is similar in that what is going to happen will happen.

So, I determinedly stared at my reflection. My mind pulsed, radiating invisible ripples. I took a deep breath and whispered: “Forget everything."

I didn’t know if it would work. But the next morning is silent, no voices, no hidden thoughts and no glimpses of time.

At school, I got a question wrong. I missed shots on the court. My friends still laughed and joked, unaware of what I had lost.

For the first time in days, I felt free.

But sometimes, I wonder did I truly lose my power, or did I just convince myself to let go? Because true strength isn’t about controlling everything. It’s about knowing when to stop.

References :

Image :

Reddit User (u/NightCafeAI). Androgynous Skinny Teenage Boy with White Hair. r/nightcafe, Reddit, 27 Mar. 2023, 

https://www.reddit.com/r/nightcafe/comments/126nikm/androgynous_skinny_teenage_boy_with_white_hair/.