Isn't It Past Your Bedtime

by J L Ender

  “Fox saved us!” Iron Wraith said as we walked up to our friends.

  “Your name is Fox?” the Bluejay asked.

  “Steel Fox,” I said. The name felt silly now, but I would use it one last time, to conceal my identity.

  “We can’t disband,” Katrina said suddenly. “They need us.”

  “We… need you?” the Bluejay asked. “That’s absurd.”

  “That’s crazy,” I added, agreeing. “They don’t need us. We don’t have superpowers.”

  “You just saved the world, Steel Fox,” Iron Wraith said. “I couldn’t do it. Bluejay couldn’t do it. We could definitely use your help. You’re good at thinking things through and seeing all different angles. Not something I’m good at. Forget everyone else. Forget any kind of team. I want your help even if no one else does.” He paused. “Plus, I’m Iron and you’re Steel. Our names will sound so cool together!”

  “I souped up that suit for you! You better use it!” Stuffmaker added. “Not that I want any part of this ‘team’ crap. I work alone.”

  “I… don’t know what to say.” This was exactly what I had always wanted. A chance to be a superhero. I hadn’t thought it was possible, but now the opportunity was here. Could I really turn it down?

  “I do. I’m out of here,” the Bluejay said. “You turkey sniffers can have fun playing patty cake together.”

  “Turkey sniffer?” Katrina asked.

  “I’m not allowed to swear or I have to put a quarter in the jar,” the Bluejay said. “So I make up my own words.”

  “Wait, wait, wait.” Iron Wraith said. “You made up turkey sniffer? I’m never saying that one again!”

  “Ha! Whatever.” Bluejay glanced up at the sky, squinting as she looked toward the rising sun. She was about to fly away again.

  “Wait,” I said. “We need you.” I couldn’t believe what I was saying. I was agreeing to all this craziness? “A team won’t work without the Bluejay,” I said. “She played a role in this, too. We all did. So… if we’re going to form a team, it has to be all of us.”

  The Bluejay hesitated, studying us with her bird’s mask, eyes wide and unmoving. I couldn't tell if she was frowning or smiling or blank. But then she nodded.

  We had our team.

  Assuming we could survive one thing.

  I had to tell my mom.

  - - -

  I walked up the stairs so I would have time to think.

  My mind felt full to bursting. Tony’s betrayal still stung. The pain of that was mingled with my success, making our victory something adults call bittersweet. Bittersweet is good mixed with bad. That’s life so often. Good mingled with bad. I had fought through the night. Bad. I had won. Good. My best friend had turned against me. Bad. A new day was dawning, and there was a chance that someday we could fix our friendship. Good.

  I stepped out onto our floor. The hallway reminded me of Sandman’s building. I’d left my armor there. It was just me now, a boy in a T-shirt and gym shorts. A boy about to tell his overworked mother he had become a superhero. I couldn’t hide what I’d done from her. I would tell her the truth, lay it all out at her feet, and just see what she said. That was all I could do. I couldn’t lie… in addition to it being wrong, I just plain wasn’t good at being dishonest.

  You remember when this all began? I told Sandman exactly what I thought about his silly outfit. That’s how I do things. Honestly.

  I stepped up to our door and used my key to unlock it. The sun was streaming in bright through the living room window. Good or bad or both at once, it really was a new day.

  I could hear my mom getting ready for work. Soon enough Katrina and I would be expected at school. I was going to have to figure out how to balance that—school and superhero work. Or not. It all depended on how the next few minutes went.

  I walked up to my mom’s bedroom door. It was ajar. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, putting on a pair of sneakers. I knocked lightly on the door and walked inside.

  “Hey, Mom? There’s something I need to talk to you about…”

  STEEL FOX INVESTIGATIONS WILL CONTINUE

  BOOK TWO: THE RISING LIGHT COMING SOON

  About the Author

  Hello, my name is J.L. Ender. I wrote the Steel Fox series for my little sister. We were struggling to find any superhero stories written about kids that didn’t feel gimmicky and weird. I hope you enjoyed it! This is my first completely independent middle-grade novel. I’m so excited to finally begin releasing this series. It’s been a long time in the making, and I’ve got some epic plans for the future.

  I’m also currently working for Havok Publishing, where I edit and write flash fiction, stories 1000 words or less. For more Steel Fox, check out Rule #1. For more stories across a number of genres, click here. You can also find me on Instagram where I regularly punish myself by attempting to write even SHORTER fiction at 150 words or less.

  If you have any questions, comments, llamas, or coffee recipes, you can write me at enderauthor@gmail.com

  Looking for more books? Keep an eye on my author page on Amazon. You can find some stories I’ve already released with more hopefully soon to come!