Evan never used to be so withdrawn. In his younger days, he enjoyed the company of his family, his twin sister Evelyn, and his classmates. This all changed during his third year of high school, for it was that year that his sister was diagnosed with an advanced type of acute leukemia. She had always been one for bruises and cuts, but nobody had ever recognized any symptoms of the disease. Now, Evan's world began to fall apart around him.
First, there was the all-too-common case of misunderstanding, distrust, and fear of the unknown. Evelyn's school friends left her midway into the school semester, the same year she began chemotherapy treatment for her disease. Evan saw that she felt abandoned and hurt at school and at home, and tried to do his best to cheer her up in his own ways. For a time, it seemed to be working, even as the leukemia progressed. Evan never forgave the people who left his sister during the time she needed them most. He never forgot their names.
When the twins graduated high school, he chose not to attend college immediately. His family needed the financial support he could bring in, especially to help pay for Evelyn's steadily growing medical bills. And so, he took on a number of odd jobs over the next two years. Finding employment as a janitor, a baker, and a warehouse worker, Evan put his heart into it, trusting that he was helping to make a difference. And, for a while, he seemed content. Unfortunately, Evelyn's leukemia was one day found to have progressed too far, even in spite of the numerous treatments and medicines.
The day was December 30, 2016. The time was five o'clock in the afternoon. Underneath a rumbling grey sky, Evan silently shut the warehouse door, turned the key in its lock, and walked away through a growing wind. Unseeingly, Evan passed before a shop window crammed with New Years' fireworks and other supplies, stacked amid remnants of Christmas goodies. He looked up to cross the street, and blinked. Directly across was a coffee shop that had been Evelyn's favorite to visit. Evan stared for a moment, then turned about and headed in a decidedly different direction.
Descending a steep hill as he entered through the west side of town, Evan could see the steeple of the church on the far east side, but he couldn't or didn't see the festive air of those surrounding him. It was all too much; too much, too many reminders, too much feeling. Evan didn't want to think or feel anything except ice-cold. It was still too soon.
Nearly an hour later, the soft click of a turned handle echoed through the antechamber of the steeplechased church, as Evan entered its foyer. Passing silently through the halls, he paused for a moment before a particular exit, breathing heavily. He quickly pushed through the door, and came upon the standing headstones of a graveyard. Resolutely, Evan ignored them all except for one, a smaller stone, set on its own in the shade of an evergreen cluster. Upon the stone, the words could be read: "Evelyn Rowell. 1997-2016. Rest without pain."
Fighting to keep the tears away, Evan sat crosslegged upon the frozen ground before the headstone. The image of his twin sister came to him again and again, for all the times she had been happy, or worried, or laughing, or struggling, or in need. Evan wished again with all his heart that he could have done something to take her pain away, so now he wouldn't have to live with his own. It wasn't fair that he should be healthy and she should be gone. They were supposed to have a happy life together, twins in a glorious world. And now... that happy life had been stolen from him.
Shivering, Evan rose from his spot some time later, as the wind picked up and the sky grew ever darker. He left the church, stopping only to purchase a hot packaged meal from a corner store on his way toward a certain forested hill overlooking the town. Evan ate his meal on a picnic table here as the evening marched onward, and streetlights flickered to life. He guessed that it was nearing midnight, on the day before New Years' Eve. Evan simply couldn't return home tonight, where a Christmas tree was still up, with presents labeled "To Evelyn" set beneath it. She'd never had the chance to open them, having to stay in the hospital all the way to the end.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Evan stood and approached the overlook's fenced edge, gazing up into the now-clear sky. When had the clouds disappeared? The moon could be seen far above, brightly shining, and reflecting off a half-frozen river quite a ways at the base of the cliffside overlook. Evan frowned, and muttered to himself, stooping to scoop some frozen snow. He flung this into the sky, and it arced down gracefully. Evan repeated the motion again and again, speaking louder each time.
"Fuck off, space egg."
"Fuck off, space egg."
"Fuck off, space egg!"
Evelyn had died on Christmas Day, 2016. Evan was called back to work the day after, and a funeral service held that evening. His mourning period had by no means been long enough. For that reason, Evan had spent the last week doing the same actions he'd done tonight. It did little to help him emotionally, but he saw nothing better to do than howling at the moon.
"Fuck off, space egg!!"
The sky was strangely cloudless, for New York in winter. Stars were beginning to come out, twinkling in the early night sky. Above the city, the stars could be seen much easier.
"Fuck off, space egg!!"
There was a strange cluster of sparkles in the sky, moving ever so slightly across Evan's field of vision. He couldn't care less.
"Fuck off, space egg!!!"
It was too far; with this last throw, Evan's feet slipped in the snow, too near the cliff's edge. He crashed into the weak chain-link fence barrier, tumbling and careening down the cliffside, head over heels. He felt several hard impacts on his elbows and his legs, and a rock struck his head, blurring his vision. Several seconds later, Evan's body halted in a crumpled heap on the bank of the frozen river. Weakly, he tried to keep his eyes open, just long enough to see the onset of several streaks of light across the sky.
A meteor shower, he thought, before slipping out of consciousness.
Evelyn would have loved that.
In the morning, Evan opened his eyes, unharmed, to his astonishment. He was still lying upon the cold riverbank, and could not understand what had taken place. Why wasn't he injured, or dead, even? His clothes still showed signs of tearing, and so he headed home to offer a weak explanation of where he'd been overnight to his parents, before changing and heading to work once again. Subsequent inspection and experimentation over the next fortnight would give Evan insight to his new powers. He still has not come to terms with Evelyn's death, although the chance at a new, strange life with his powers could perhaps begin to help him heal, with time.