Special Number 3

"Do what you think is right. The gift has been passed on as well as all the knowledge I'm at liberty to divulge. My time here is almost reaching its term for now, but I hope we get a chance to see each other once more. Whether that happens or not, I'll know what choice you made."

Its imitation of human skin irradiated the full light spectrum from within and compressed itself into a little grain of dust that fell quietly on the wooden floor. From the room behind the counter, Rose heard the muffling sound of someone about ready to get up and sprinted back home.

* * *

That very night, she climbed to the top of the highest building of the city and sat on its edge, lost in thoughts of what exactly she was supposed to do. The Master Tailor's answers hadn't been entirely conclusive but hinted at the importance of her role in many decisive moments that were to come. Nonetheless, she wasn't sure she was ready for such a mantle.

Every superhero has an origins story and, in a way, she had had hers the moment she put on the outfit and gradually began to understand the extent of its powers. The experiences of the previous day had been undoubtedly awe-inspiring, but not all stories need to reach a satisfying conclusion. Sometimes, they just begin and are easily forgotten, its pages buried in the flow of the History until the weight of all mundane events chokes what life they still have left.

The night was cool and clear, allowing her to see the spectacle of constellations in all of its splendor. The way the stars twinkled ever so slightly was a soothing vision, and she needed one of those to reach a conclusion.

All things considered, there were only two possible choices, two immediate outcomes: one was to slowly remove the magnificent outfit, dress the civil clothes she had brought in a plastic bag, take the elevator down to the plane of normal human beings and carry on her life with Josh as if nothing had happened to begin with; the other was to keep the green temptation on, jump down and accept the fact that she was now heading towards an unexplored path, one where she would have to continuously grow as a person to overcome the massive obstacles that would surely present themselves, sooner or later.

The first choice was the safest, and playing it safe was no shame at all, because of her now strengthened relationship. The second was dangerous for its chaotic ramifications, for defying the principles of predictability and turning everything she took for granted upside down.

After more than two hours of conflicting ponderations, she felt a touch of coldness beginning to settle in and got up. Once standing, Rose looked at the stars, then at the service door, and once more at the endless sky. There were no messages coming from above, nothing at all except the ultimate rule of free will.

Teary-eyed, she took five steps backward, followed by another five, and stopped. Turning around, she, little by little, approached the point where human-built materials gave way to the vast richness of Mother Nature, took a deep breath of fresh air and then...

... she jumped.