The Origami Question

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The Origami Question

By Superfolder Guillermo

INTRODUCTION

By Charlie Robinson

Over the last week, or should I say days, I have experienced some truly interesting things that got me to where I am right now.

Ever since I had the accident, I haven’t been the same, life changed for me, and I have felt like a new person since then. 

But with further ado, here is the incredible story of how I became one of the protectors of Kane High. 

MY LAST NORMAL LUNCH 

By Charlie Robinson. 

What better way for communication with other people is there than lunch? It’s basically the only time-other than probably the period in between classes–where we get to speak with other people and see what the boys are up to. 

It was a normal Friday just as any other, and Mr Dalton, our maths teacher, who weeks back used to also teach the Novick Detention Hallway, but ever since this rich guy, Alan Wade, made the school a great favor delivering us from those maniacs, beg your pardon, he decided to devote his life to people with, eh, let’s say a ‘brighter’ future. Unfortunately for us, he’s the most disciplined and hard maths teacher, so no foolish pen waving or silly logarithms in his class. 

He had just finished his lesson and was packing his books from the other classes in a neat pile and then setting them in his ‘Batman: The Dark Knight’ bag 

(yeah, he really loves his classics) when I came closer to him to ask him a question. He didn’t mind, after all, I think it was because I’m a great student and never caused his classes any harm, so he didn’t mind dedicating a few more extra minutes to me. 

A few moments later I gasped,”Oh, I see.” I said, understanding everything. “Thanks for your help, sir!” I said. 

“Cheers!” He exclaimed while holding his left hand up, as he always did as a way of saying ‘bye’. 

On the way out I found my friends waiting for me. 

Normally people would complain about me staying to ask the teacher something, we all knew that the smartest thing to do after classes was to ask if you had any doubts, after all, I’m sure Mr Dalton would take it into account once he had to put the end-of-term marks. 

And if I hadn’t asked, another one of my group would have, because we’re all a group of young talented minds, and learning is just our Tuesdays. 

The bad thing: we had arrived late for lunch, and the last few people were getting served while the ones that were always early were leaving. 

“Beat you to it!!”  Kelly Wentworth hit me in the back of the head and started running towards the line, that meant a race. 

 The five of us left ran towards the line, but were quickly stopped by the lunchman. 

“Oi boys, no running! The school law forbids it! You can trip… or.. something”. 

And once served, we sat down and discussed everything that had happened during the day. 

I can’t say I hadn’t enjoyed that time, because I certainly had. 

Laughing every single time one said something funny was a typical thing for me, and for some reason it also made others start laughing too, and in a matter of minutes we were laughing and couldn’t stop, and the teachers were looking at us weird, but we didn’t care, or at least I didn’t. 

AND THEN, I HAD THE ACCIDENT

By Charlie Robinson 

I came to a stop near the closest traffic light near Kane High, barely three hours and a half from the previous chapter’s events. 

Needless to say I was still in that light-always cheered up mood. Wearing my dark blue sunglasses with black plastic crystal, worth 150 dollars.

I stopped at the crossing for some time, when a young guy wearing a light yellow jacket, who was probably a postman of some sort, came at a flash next to me and almost spooked me, giving me a jump where I stood. 

I thought he was stopping, but he didn’t, he just kept on going right though the crossing, and didn’t stop. 

I wasn’t surprised when a car ‘bonked’ him, making an old trumpet sound with his car while he lowered his speed and thankfully stopped right in front of the guy, who was deadly scared. 

“You need to be more careful!” He shouted at him while the other left as fast as he could. 

I remember thinking to myself at that time, what if that guy had been me, and the car hadn’t stopped? 

Well, firstly, it wasn’t me, and I wouldn’t go springing around like a fool.

Also, the possibilities from that happening are remote, it’s practically impossible for that to happen to me, I’m a cautious person, and that doesn’t normally-

Something stopped my thoughts, while thinking, the traffic light had turned green, and people started to move, and by instinct, even if I wasn’t conscious, I had also started moving.

But the light had turned red again, and to my bad luck, a crazy car just happened to be around the neighborhood. 

I was petrified when I saw the car was less than a meter away from my legs, and they were hit with a bang, that made me fly and land right on my face. I suppose I passed out, probably, because I can’t remember anything else before I woke up in the Hospital.

A bright, green walled room surrounded me when I woke up, as did my parents.

I tried to lift myself up, but I couldn’t, my legs were hit badly, and I was so tired.

” You don’t have to explain” Said dad, “We heard what happened.”

“What, what happened to me?” I asked. 

It hurt a lot when I talked, my entire face hurt, to be exact. 

I touched my face, now covered with scars. 

” I’m not sure I’m the most reliable source, I’m not a doctor, but the doctors said you have broken both of your legs-these will take time to heal-and also.. You.. You have a light face deformation… But I’m sure it will heal in time, along with your legs.” 

I was so freaked out by this I wanted to take a look at myself in a mirror, but again remembered I couldn’t lift myself up, and decided to give myself time, and hope.

MY TIME AT THE HOSPITAL

By Charlie Robinson

Thankfully, the time and days I spent at the hospital weren’t half as bad as I expected them to be. 

For instance, the doctors and nurses were nice, and kept me company all the time that could. 

They asked me questions and I gladly answered them, and that seemed to keep my spirits up just fine.

But after a while, I received notice that I was gonna have to stay ‘in bed’ longer than expected due to something I don’t quite understand (I’m not quite fluent in medicine). That was when my father popped in, and decided that keeping me occupied was one of the most important things now.

I did my homework and studied in the mornings, because Kelly was nice like that and sent me the work all the time.

In the afternoons, dad decided to bring me DC comic books from then on, making them one every two days.

He started by Blue Beetle #1, in which, I took a special interest in a superhero called the Question, whose face one cannot see.

And as the days went by I couldn’t help but realise how much this character and I had in common. 

We both had a stage face- I wasn’t so happy about it though–we were both interested in science, mystery, and, if it counts, we both wore blue and black sunglasses at the best of times.

When I saw that my position in the Hospital was becoming a normal one, and that things were not getting better, one afternoon I called my dad, who was still at work, and told him about getting Netflix, to see if I could also find some entertainment there. Fortunately, he agreed, and I was able to create an account and watch some rather interesting series like ‘The Flash’, which I especially liked.

And, during those times where you don’t know what to do, and I lied in bed with nothing to do whatsoever, I always got my phone out and watched YouTube videos.

Until one day, I came across an origami instructions video, and bored as I was I tried it, and loved it. 

Ever since then I made anything out of Origami, a dog, a box, a crane, frogs that actually jumped… gosh it was amazing.

And after a while, I started making people out of Origami too! I made myself, and others from movies or comic books.

BACK TO SCHOOL 

By Charlie Robinson 

I was so glad when a doctor came in and told me the most important knews I had ever heard since I got hit in the legs and face, it was finally time to leave. 

My face was a little different from what it had been before, but I didn’t care, because getting out of the hospital I had been for a month and a half was the only thing that mattered to me then. 

On the first day at school after the accident, I was surprised to see Kelly, Brian, Fred, Ryan, Robert and John in the main entrance to Kane High.

Judging by the look on their faces, they hadn’t expected to see me there, and I accelerated because the distance between us was awkward, and rushed to get as close to them as possible to bro fist them. 

“What’s going on man?!” Ryan Franklin asked, while Fred high-fived me there. 

The rest saluted me, and welcomed me back at last.

“What have you been up to these days? We heard about the accident.” Brian said.

“Oh, you know,” I said with a sly smirk “the usual.”

He cackled and I noticed he had been bleeding from somewhere on his face. 

“Dude, what happened to you?” I asked him

“I don’t know what you mean.” He said without letting the laugh go. 

“You’re right,”  I agreed, “Forget it.” 

Maybe he had just hit himself or something, I thought to myself. 

The bell rang, and we were forced to go inside along with some other students who had just arrived, and Fred came next to me. 

“I know what you meant about Brian” Fred said to me. 

“What happened, then?” I asked. 

“Let’s just say he messed with the wrong sort some days ago,” Fred tried to explain. 

“Who was he?” I asked him. 

Fred looked concerned, “Have you ever heard of Markus Raims?”

MARKUS RAIMS 

By Fred Hughes 

“Really?” I continued trying to explain to Charlie over and over, “That guy hasn’t been sent to Novick yet because he’s been lucky, you don’t know what he does.” 

We stopped at his locker to pick up some books he would need. Thankfully I already had mine tucked in my arm. 

“I’m not planning on doing anything!” He exclaimed, although I could swear he was lying, he was just trying to confuse me, “I just wanted to know what had happened!-ah dang it!” 

While trying to pick up his books, they had all dropped to the white- and probably cold- floor, making a loud bang, and also making everyone glare at him. 

He rose up once he picked up his dropped books. 

“Oh yeah, that didn’t happen,” Charlie said innocently. 

“Yeah, right ” I rolled my eyes. 

I looked at my watch, sure enough I should start to get to class.

“Gotta go! See ya bro!” I told Charlie, who high-fived me, and I was off.

I sat down in my usual seat: next to a window that led my vision to a little green field on the side of the school, but cut by the road. It was the perfect place for a quick thought. 

If Charlie had had that expression on his face and I thought he was about to kill someone, and then suddenly, when he knew I had noticed, he changed it remarcably. I’ve got to say, that scared me a bit. 

Had he rapidly changed his point of view? Or had he hidden his thoughts to himself?

I decided not to think about it, I just hoped he wouldn’t try anything stupid. 

But one thing was clear: if he really had tried to confuse me, he had developed an ability he didn’t have before.

REVENGE 

By Charlie Robinson 

First period had ended, and mostly everyone had gone to pick up their stuff for their next classes. 

Mostly everyone. 

I, on the other hand, was out to look for Markus Raims, this bully I had heard from before, and I had also seen him, and I could recognize him because I remember he also stood out in the crowd.

And I did find him, next to a door that I think led to the school’s storage storage room. 

“What did you do to him?!” I asked, coming closer and walking WAY too fast, I think he was intimidated by me for an instant, but when he saw how small I was compared to him, he laughed as I grabbed him by the shirt and tried to push him against a locker. 

” What in the world! ” He said, laughing it up, “Which one are you talking about? The one from yesterday? the one from today?”. 

“That’s it!” I punched him as hard as I could, but that was a bad move. 

He stopped laughing and opened the door to the storage room, and got out what looked to be a Big Slingshot. 

“Out! Now!” He yelled, firing a rock at my back.

I could’ve charged him, but that would’ve got me in trouble. 

I should be ready next time I confronted him, if I did. 

That very same night I was folding another origami of myself, and left a little room on the bottom so I could place my finger inside. 

Amazing! It could also work as a finger puppet! I thought to myself.

I got up from my seat and almost tripped with a comic book on the floor. 

” How did this get here?”  I asked. 

 I picked it up and saw the cover for Blue Beetle #1, the first comic book I was ever given, in which I discovered a superhero who was like myself: the Question. 

Wait a sec, we all knew now that Alan Wade had the origami Batfold, and that, along with him, many other people did too.

I sat down and got some origami paper, blue, black and white, and using my origami skills, made the most awesome origami piece I have ever made. 

That guy had not only messed with my friend, but now he had also messed with The Origami Question. 

THE FINAL FIGHT 

By Charlie Robinson 

With the help of my new puppet, I overcame my fear (that had risen since he got that slingshot out) to step up to the guy. 

It was a sunny day, although it seemed like it might rain later. 

The halls of Kane High were filled with students when I came in, it was one of the things that never, ever changed. 

It wasn’t my first time fighting this guy, and I knew where he was: Near the storage area, where he hid his slingshot. 

And indeed I did find him, right there. 

” What the?” He started ” Alright, I’m already sick of you.” 

I got The Origami Question out, and put him on my finger. 

I charged at him, and my elbow hit him right on the back, and he failed to get his slingshot out while he dropped to the ground against another locker ( this guy certainly has something with lockers). 

He turned around and pulled up what looked like one of DC’s villains, Alexander Polys, expert plastic gun dealer, which, I guess Markus was dealing slingshots and other damaging projectiles.

“I present to you Alexander Pleats, may you like him as much as I do,” He said laughing. 

But the metal clanking sound from the lockers  made the rest of the school aware of what we were doing, and fortunately, Mr. Dalton was just coming by right when the guy was about to punch me. 

 

“Jeez!” Mr Dalton exclaimed ” Can’t this school ever get rid of you guys?” 

Markus stayed away from me as the maths teacher came and got him, and took him away. 

INSPECTION 

By Charlie Robinson 

I was soon questioned what had happened there, and I told them all the story of how Brian had been hurt by Markus, and so had I. 

They were also told of how he used the storage compartment to hide plastic guns and slingshots, and they thanked me for my efforts and I was sent back to class. 

I saw my friends at lunch, and I sat with them.

Brian was thankful for my attempts to help him, and congratulated me on my success. 

” So!” Kelly said, surprised ” Are you our new ‘defender’ of the school?”. 

I laughed. 

“Well, I suppose so!”

TO BE CONTINUED…

CHARLIE ROBINSON WILL RETURN IN JUSTICE PLEATS: THE SCISSORS CUT.

Click here to read “SuPaperMan: Genesis”, the next story of the DCOU!

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