chance_visitor

Fifteen-year-old Rhonda has made up her mind. There's no one to stop her.

She steps to the edge of the roof and looks down. It's a long way down. She wonders if she'll feel anything when he hits the ground, or if it'll all be over in a flash.

She doesn't want to spend a lot of time debating this. If someone sees her, then there will be police, and people trying to talk her out of it. She doesn't want that. She doesn't want anyone to know.

She steps to the edge, and closes her eyes, steeling herself for that last step over.

"Hey there," a gentle voice calls. Rhonda opens her eyes to see a woman in a blue and white costume and electric blue hair sitting on the ledge next to her.

Rhonda blinks at this strange visitor. "I... I didn't see you there."

The woman smiles at her. "I wasn't here until a moment after you closed your eyes. I sensed someone in need of help." She looks into Rhonda's eyes. "Seen anyone around who might meet that description?"

Rhonda pauses, considering denying it... but it's rather obvious what she was about to do. "I... I'm beyond help," she finally says.

The blue-haired woman shakes her head, still smiling gently. "I don't know about that," she says. "What makes you think that?"

"It doesn't matter," Rhonda replies. "I... I just am, okay?"

The strange woman shakes her head again. "I can't believe that. What did you do that makes you beyond help?"

"I don't want to be like this!" Rhonda bursts out, tears suddenly running down her face. "I've tried to be like everyone else, but I just can't!"

The blue woman wraps her arms around the teenaged girl. "Hey," she says softly. "It's okay."

"No!" she sobs into the stranger's shoulder. "It's not! I have to spend every day pretending to be someone I'm not, and I... I just..." She breaks down, no longer able to make coherent sentences between sobs.

The blue woman just spends a long moment, holding Rhonda and smoothing her hair. After a long moment, she speaks. "Look... I don't know your name, but I know one thing. I know that there is no one else in the world like you. Not a soul. And to try to be someone you're not... well, that'd be just as great a tragedy as if you'd taken one more step forward." She pulls back a little and turns Rhonda's face towards her own with one finger. "I know what it's like to find out you're not what you thought you were... who you wanted to be. And it's scary, especially when you try to keep living your life like you're not who you really are." She looks deep into Rhonda's eyes. "But I found out... when you stop pretending and live life for who you really are... it gets so much better."

Rhonda takes a moment to catch her breath between sobs. "There's no way... my mom or dad... would..."

"I wish I could guarantee that they'd accept you," she admits. "Maybe they will. Maybe they won't. But if they don't, there will be other people out there who will. And... maybe while you live under their roof, that can be one secret you can keep from them, until you know you have a backup in case things do go badly with them, if you're afraid of things turning violent, or that you'd be forced out of your home." She smiles. "But you can be honest with yourself, even if you keep a few secrets to yourself. Maybe you can find some friends you can trust enough to tell. Or maybe you can just talk to someone else who understands."

She wraps her arms around Rhonda again. "It's not going to be easy. But doing the right thing often isn't." Rhonda sobs into her shoulder for a long time, even as she's led away from the ledge step by step.

_____________________________

After Rhonda's been given contact information for Crisis lines and emergency shelters, Sharon sits on the edge of the building, watching the sun go down. She knows that her sense doesn't always catch every crisis. But she's grateful for those she can catch. She hopes things work out for that young girl, though she knows she has a tough path to face. Still, hopefully, she won't try to repeat this activity again. She smiles to herself, watching the last of the sun's rays fade over the city of Metropolis. A good day's work.