Nick Bell lives in the world of his fan fiction, online, where, just like in real life, he has ADHD, terrible migraines and lets his dad down with terrible grades. But, here he has his own superhero, an Extraordinary, called Shadow Star. Despite the fact Nick does not know Shadow Star’s real identity (in his fanfiction world, as well as in real life, not able to unmask his character anywhere) the connection between the two, well, even the villain of the story, Pyro Storm thinks they are soul mates. But, in Nick’s world of fan fic, Shadow Storm has been hurt in the past and he is afraid of love. He is scared to let someone in, even Nick, even with their strong connection.
Nick’s online fans have been waiting for a big reveal for a long time and he can’t seem to make them all happy, always leaving his fans with cliffhangers, never able to quite find an end to his own online story. For the most part though, it’s the straight people he can never seem to understand. Though just a regular kid in the real world, his fan fiction and the character Shadow Star his claim to fame. The real problems he has are the things his dad happens to find online, after Nick posts rather risque drawings of the Extraordinary. This leads to the most uncomfortable situation for any teenager with a parent, the big sex talk and the one question you don’t want a parent to ask. “Have you had sex?” And, even more uncomfortable, “Do you know what condoms are?” And, as a cop, his dad was always reminding him to protect himself, now (it seemed), in every way. But, after the whole ordeal everything Nick did on the Internet was now “Tumblring.”
Now it is just Nick and his dad. Having lost his mother, long enough now that people were no longer thinking Nick would break down and cry, things without her were becoming almost normal in the home. The Bell men had always followed Jenny. But, now that Jenny is gone the two men are left alone to take these next steps without her. And Nick, he takes after her, uncoordinated, skinny, with gangly limbs who could be downright dangerous on his worst days. Now, only photos remain and when Nick looks in the mirror it is her looking back, through him.
The other woman in his life, Rebecca Firestone, is just as real to Nick as Shadow Star. Rebecca is a television reporter and, if she is on screen it only means one thing, there is a report on his favorite Extraordinary because that is the only thing the woman ever talks about. Nick thinks she is the “gnarled barnacle” who is only attached to Shadow Star to make a name for herself. There are, however, many fans who think Shadow Star and Rebecca are an “item”. Nick would never want to believe this was true even though she was once saved by the superhero. He saw the photo.
The police in Nova City, Nick’s dad, Chief of Police, Rodney Caplan, are just as unhappy with the Extraordinaries, including Shadow Star, as they are with Pyro Storm. They say they do not need superheroes in capes and masks to help them catch criminals. But, it seems like everyone else thinks otherwise, especially Nick. And, when a third attempt to break into the Burke Tower is thwarted by the cape crusader of Nick’s dreams (and Etsy’s pillow) will anyone find out what is going on inside? Will Shadow Star always be able to stop them? And, if the police do catch the Extraordinary what will happen if anyone does finally get inside Burke Towers? Most of all, will Shadow Star show viewers that he really is in love with Rebecca Firestone? Has Nick been right all along and the pair, when they finally meet, will sparks fly as they do on his fan fic? Or, is this all just a fantasy from afar that will always stay that way?
Happy Reading!
Nick’s online fans have been waiting for a big reveal for a long time and he can’t seem to make them all happy, always leaving his fans with cliffhangers, never able to quite find an end to his own online story. For the most part though, it’s the straight people he can never seem to understand. Though just a regular kid in the real world, his fan fiction and the character Shadow Star his claim to fame. The real problems he has are the things his dad happens to find online, after Nick posts rather risque drawings of the Extraordinary. This leads to the most uncomfortable situation for any teenager with a parent, the big sex talk and the one question you don’t want a parent to ask. “Have you had sex?” And, even more uncomfortable, “Do you know what condoms are?” And, as a cop, his dad was always reminding him to protect himself, now (it seemed), in every way. But, after the whole ordeal everything Nick did on the Internet was now “Tumblring.”
Now it is just Nick and his dad. Having lost his mother, long enough now that people were no longer thinking Nick would break down and cry, things without her were becoming almost normal in the home. The Bell men had always followed Jenny. But, now that Jenny is gone the two men are left alone to take these next steps without her. And Nick, he takes after her, uncoordinated, skinny, with gangly limbs who could be downright dangerous on his worst days. Now, only photos remain and when Nick looks in the mirror it is her looking back, through him.
The other woman in his life, Rebecca Firestone, is just as real to Nick as Shadow Star. Rebecca is a television reporter and, if she is on screen it only means one thing, there is a report on his favorite Extraordinary because that is the only thing the woman ever talks about. Nick thinks she is the “gnarled barnacle” who is only attached to Shadow Star to make a name for herself. There are, however, many fans who think Shadow Star and Rebecca are an “item”. Nick would never want to believe this was true even though she was once saved by the superhero. He saw the photo.
The police in Nova City, Nick’s dad, Chief of Police, Rodney Caplan, are just as unhappy with the Extraordinaries, including Shadow Star, as they are with Pyro Storm. They say they do not need superheroes in capes and masks to help them catch criminals. But, it seems like everyone else thinks otherwise, especially Nick. And, when a third attempt to break into the Burke Tower is thwarted by the cape crusader of Nick’s dreams (and Etsy’s pillow) will anyone find out what is going on inside? Will Shadow Star always be able to stop them? And, if the police do catch the Extraordinary what will happen if anyone does finally get inside Burke Towers? Most of all, will Shadow Star show viewers that he really is in love with Rebecca Firestone? Has Nick been right all along and the pair, when they finally meet, will sparks fly as they do on his fan fic? Or, is this all just a fantasy from afar that will always stay that way?
Happy Reading!