Leann sat at the front of the room, watching as the crowd settled in. Some of the faces were familiar - Jennifer and little Georgie, Reginald in his wheelchair, Yolanda and her girlfriend Mary. Others were new, which saddened her. It seemed there were always new additions joining the group. The amount of pain that the Curse could inflict on the world was, evidently, limitless.
As the last of the stragglers found available seats, she spoke.
"Good evening, everyone. Welcome to FABS - Families Afflicted By Supers. As most of you probably know, I am Leann Riverton. My mother was Rosemarie Riverton - the first known Super." In the past there had been autograph seekers - people who were obsessed with Supers and all those impacted by them-but they had become much rarer over the last 8 months, as humanity as a whole adjusted to what was going to be the new reality of having random superheroes among them. Still, her personal bodyguards were always nearby. Some folks held grudges against the Supers, after all. And since they might not be able to take their anger out on the Supers themselves, striking out against their families was seen in their minds as the next best thing.
Some of those attending these meetings knew all that, of course. When a person became a Super, it was rare for it not to have some sort of impact on those who knew them.
Leann gave the crowd a very quick history lesson - she doubted any of them truly needed it - the entire world knew Rosemarie Riverton's story, after all. The single mother of one living in Ontario had woken one day with the ability to fly. And god-like strength. And super speed. She had several other abilities as well, all of which were straight out of the comic books, and all of which had been tested and confirmed by scientists studying other Supers.
Rosemarie may not have been the first human to have been "Suped", but she was the first who made her abilities known to the public. The videos recorded by shocked onlookers of her flying 40 feet in the air and then showing off by juggling (empty) buses went ultra-viral. The world very very quickly discovered who she was (it was not uncommon for later Supers to don disguises, or to simply try and lay low) and all of Rosemarie's family were suddenly beyond famous.
Realizing too late her error in letting the media find out about her family, Rosemarie hid them. She came home, grabbed Leann, and flew her to a remote island in the Bahamas. (Leann had had very little time or inclination to argue. She had more or less been in shock since waking up to see her mother splayed on CNN.com) Rosemarie also took her younger brother, Richard, and his wife, Marta, to the same remote island. It was there that the family finally had a chance to talk about what was going on. Rosemarie informed them that she was going to hold a worldwide press conference, and would ensure that they would all be safe. Richard was dubious.
It turned out that he had every right to be. Within a week, Rosemarie, Richard and Marta would all be dead.
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