"the next day, when we went to school, ali realized that i had never said what superpower i wanted. so she asked, and i lied and said i wanted super speed."
"why did you lie?"
"because i was afraid i'd cry if i told the truth."
"what would you have wanted to say?"
"i wanted to be able to stop time. so my mom would never lose my dad, so joar wouldn't get beaten by his old man, so... so i would never run out of people."
ted said that an antihero was a good person who sometimes did bad things, but joar thought it was the other way around, a villain who does good things is still a villain.
so while his friends lay on the floor, so close together that only dreams could fit between their bodies, ted read out some of his favorites: spider-man's "with great power comes great responsibility." the flash's "life doesn't give is a purpose. we give life purpose." wonder woman's "which will hold greater rule over you? your fear or your curiosity?" then he thought for a little while, searching for his memory for the words, before he came out with iron man's "heroes are made by the paths they choose."