by R. J. Ross
"We only signed over guardianship to you because raising Jetta to be—"
"It doesn't matter why you signed it over, what matters is that you did, little sister," Aunt Barbara says sharply. "You chose this, now you must deal with the consequences."
"It's not like it's going to make any difference," Jennifer mutters, scowling at the wall rather than looking at the others. "I'm just going to be a charity case for the school, just like I am for Aunt Barbara." Life has gone downhill since the whole issue with Ace. Matt had ditched her for a brunette, she'd lost her place on the cheerleading squad, and now everyone stares silently at her whenever she walks past—as if that whole situation with Ace breaking Matt's hand was her fault, somehow. She should have NEVER confessed to Matt that she was a super, she thinks for the millionth time. It still makes her feel sick to her stomach that she had.
"You are NOT a charity case," Aunt Barbara says with exasperation. "You are a wonderful blessing to me, and you always will be. I want what's best for you, Jennifer," she goes on, walking over and taking Jennifer's hand. "Will you at least try?"
"How do we know that it was because of the weird lady?" Jennifer asks instead of replying. "He's THE Justin. They could just be trying to get him because he's famous."
"Because the neighbors were wailing about 'giving Mother Justin Gregory'?" Aunt Barbara says dryly. "We're a handful of states away from him."
"Yeah… but—"
"I've already signed you up for a school tour and registration," Aunt Barbara says. "There will be a group, because Technico is a very busy man. I just called your family here to tell you all at the same time. Jennifer is going to Cape High," she tells them, looking from one to the next until they all look away. "This subject is not up for debate."
"A group?" Jetta asks. "What other morons are sending their kids to that lame school?"
"Isotonic, for one," Aunt Barbara says. "And some other rather impressive names—I haven't gotten the full list, but it’s my duty as an HTV reporter to find out. But more importantly, this tour will be on Friday. Your paperwork has already been processed—"
"What? How did SHE get in so easily?" Jetta demands, almost jumping off of the couch.
"Technico told me that one of the students vouched for her—a boy named Ace," Aunt Barbara says.
"Ace vouched for me?" Jennifer asks.
"You know him, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well you won't be going to school this week, so we're going clothes shopping tomorrow."
She doesn't know what to say to that, and her mother is gaping at Aunt Barbara, searching for words, so Jennifer does the only thing she can think of. She nods.
Coming Soon:
Cape High Book 13:
Windy Girl
The past is the past, and this might be Ace's school, but I don't have a choice, right? That's the line that keeps repeating over and over again in my mind. Sure I might have made fun of him—Ace was CREEPY when he was pretending to be a norm! He's obviously a freak, right? Well, okay, his whole going super villain thing makes it better—I mean, if you're freaky and you know it, OWN IT. He has definitely owned it. Every time I walk down the street I see someone wearing a "Dragon" shirt, or a hat, or even a tattoo once in a while.
You're probably wondering what I'm talking about huh? Well, it's either focus on Ace, or focus on the fact that I am definitely the oldest kid standing here by like, four years, almost. I dare to glance around, seeing the other kids watching each other curiously. Three of them seem to know each other—two boys and a girl. They're trying to hand her things—rocks, toys, all sorts of weird things, and she keeps yelling at them to go away.
"That's Isotonic," Aunt Barbara whispers, making me look at the man standing behind the group. "That's his right hand man, Hard Knocks, beside him—I believe the two boys are his," she says. "Prisma is going to DIE when she hears I got first dibs on this story—"
"I'm going to what?" someone asks from behind us. I turn, giving the beautiful black woman a large smile.
"Aunt Prisma!" I say, eagerly accepting the hug she offers. "I didn't know you were coming!"
"Jen-Jen!" Prisma says, always excited to see me as well. "You look more beautiful every day, sweetie!"
It's totally a lie. Look, at one time I might have been the picture perfect blonde cheerleader, but I've had a rough go of it since Ace outed himself. I look stressed. I'm no longer a cheerleader—I also chopped my hair off super short, with only long bangs framing my face. And I swear I've gained five pounds. Probably all that stress eating. My sister NEVER gains weight, that lucky—
"I don't see why I'm getting dragged along for this," Elidee says, making me look over. "You're just using me as story bait, aren't you? All of a sudden they have open house for people with super kids and BAM I'm dragged out of my school and shoved into this one!" Elidee is Prisma's daughter—beautiful, boy crazy, and only thirteen years old. That would be bad enough, but she’s also a pheromone manipulator. Yeah. It's THAT bad. "Jen," she says, looking at me. For a second there's a worried expression on her face. She walks over, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the group. "I REALLY don't want to go in there," she whispers.
"I know why I don't want to go," I say, hesitating, "but what's your problem?"
"Adanna goes here! She's got a boyfriend and EVERYTHING, and he's a freaking SUPERIOR," she wails. "How am I going to beat that?"
I groan inwardly. "Elidee," I say patiently, touching her shoulder, "boys are nothing but trouble. You're better off single."
"Jennifer!" Aunt Barbara says in exasperation. "Don't tell her that!"
"She's thirteen, she should learn it in one way or another," I say shamelessly. "It's better that she learns it from someone that loves her!" I add with a cheeky grin.
"So how IS Matt these days?" Elidee asks evilly. I give her a dark look.
"Dating a brunette," I say dryly.
She's about to respond when a large man in a t-shirt appears out of nowhere in front of us. He steps over the tattered yellow police tape that surrounds Death Canyon. Norms still think it's radioactive—I did as well, until recently. "And you are?" I hear the big black man behind us ask.
"That's Technico," Isotonic says. "Technico, good to see you again," he adds, stepping forward and offering his hand.
"My new little sister says hello, Gin and Tonic," Technico says blandly, only briefly shaking his hand.
"I thought his name was Isotonic," Elidee whispers to me silently. The flustered look on Isotonic's face tells me he hadn't expected that.
"Tell her hello for me, as well," he says after all of a second. "I'd like to introduce you to my daughter, Olivia," he goes on, turning and motioning the girl with the two boys forward.
The expression on Technico's face lightens and he gives the girl a smile, holding out his hand. "Olivia," he says, offering it to the daughter. "Call me Nico, I'll be your principal."
"Who's your new little sister?" Olivia asks, hesitating over the hand.
"Skystep. She's deliberately a trouble maker. Don't worry—I'm fully human—well, no, actually I'm only half human, but nothing that'll change you," he adds quietly. She takes the hand he offers. "And you two would be Hard Knocks’ boys," he goes on, looking at the boys. "Have they inherited your animation abilities?" he asks Hard Knocks.
"They actually haven't come into their powers yet," Hard Knocks says, "but there's a good chance."
"So this is just a tour for them?"
"For now," Hard Knocks agrees.
"Why are you wearing a Panther shirt?" one of the boys asks.
"He's a super villain," the other says. "You're a hero."
"Actually, I'm not," Nico says, looking around at the adults in the crowd. "My name is Technico—I'm an ex super villain, in case you hadn't heard. I spent fifteen years in the Cape Cells for the use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction. I forgot to fill out all the paperwork first."
"Wait—a weapon of mass destruction?" I ask. "What did you des
troy?"
"I'm the one that created all of this," he says, motioning to the massive canyon behind him.
I feel a little light headed. I look at Barbara, but she doesn't even react. I get the feeling she knew all of this already.
"Now's the time to back out if that bothers you," Nico prompts us. His hand shoots out, stopping the boys from running past him—towards the canyon. "No you don't," he says. "That's dangerous—especially for you two," he tells them.
"Is this the infamous dome?" Isotonic asks. "I really don't see it," he adds with a hint of surprise.
"I'm sure you would if you got closer," Nico says, reaching down and picking up a stone. "Throw this at the canyon," he tells one of the boys. He throws it, and they both cheer as it explodes and laser lights spark. All of a sudden they're throwing every rock they can find. "Enough," Nico says. They stop. "There is a laser protective field surrounding the entire canyon. It's enough to turn back even an S-class super. I tweak it on a regular basis, upgrading it in my spare time. That is why I'm going to have to scan each of you before allowing you in."
"Scan?" I ask. "Like—like you'll know everything about us? Even our class levels?" I do NOT want that! The entire world will find out that I'm a D-class hero! It's almost worse than being a norm!
"Don't worry, I don't share your information," Nico says. "But it does mean you have to trust me. Again, here's a chance to turn and run."
"I get the feeling you don't want new students very much," Hard Knocks says.
"I like to get all of this over with—sending the kids here means you have to trust me with the training programs for your kids. Everything they do out on the field will be something I taught them. Do you really want that?" Nico asks.
"You trained Kid Liberty, Fire Hazard, and Divine Justice," Isotonic says. "They're excellent examples of teen capes. You're also the founder of the cleanup system in Central Hall. Everyone's pushing to get that in our Hall, as well."
"I knew that no good deed would go unpunished," Nico mutters. I choke on a laugh, surprised at just how irritated he looks. "You," he says, motioning me forward. "You get to go first. You've been putting this off long enough, don't you think?"
I look at Aunt Barbara, who just smiles slightly and motions me forward. Nico pulls out a cell phone, aiming the camera lens at me. A green light scans me, and I wait, unable to breathe, as he stares at the screen. "Do you want to see?" he asks.
"No—I—yes," I finally say, walking over next to him to look. The letter "D" stares at me in bright blue. I feel the urge to cry, honestly. Jetta hadn't been lying. I jerk as his hand comes up, dropping on my head.
"Do you have any idea what I can do with this?" he asks me quietly.
"Not much," I mutter.
"I'm a genius technopath, Jennifer," he says silently, leaning down next to my ear. "I make machines that can compete with B-class heroes. I'd make them stronger, but Double M would yell at me. But he can't yell if they're assisting a super, now can he?"
My eyes widen. So THAT'S why he was willing to let me in! That's why I keep getting little notes from the school, reminding me I've got a standing invite!
"You ARE a super villain," I accuse him silently.
He gives me a wicked little grin. "He won't ask questions if it's a girl that's helped us out in the past," he adds. "Next, Olivia, step up, let's get your bios. Do you plan on staying after the tour or do you need to go home and pack?" he asks as she quickly races forward, standing next to me. She's a pretty little thing with long dark brown hair and big hazel colored eyes. She looks at me a bit shyly for a second before belatedly answering Nico.
"I'm packed. My mom wants to come see the campus, but with Dad out of state, she says she needs to stay with the Hall. Can she come next week?"
"Sure, just send a heads up through the Halls," Nico says as the green light flickers over her. "Not bad, you've got a lot of promise," he says as he looks over the phone. "You are your dad's kid, after all. You—it was Elidee, right?" he goes on, motioning to Elidee. "Let's get your stats."
She has this look on her face that tells me she's going to try something stupid. Look, I've known Elidee for years—ever since I came to live with Aunt Barbara. I can tell when she's about to do something stupid. I glance over at the boys, first, seeing their faces go slack and their eyes glue on her as she walks towards us. Yep. She's doing that thing of hers.
"Hiii," she says, moving closer to Nico. He looks at her, raising an eyebrow before glancing at Prisma.
"She takes after you," he says as he scans Elidee with his phone. "You promise to be quite a pain," he says, much to Elidee's shock.
"Wh—what?" she yelps.
"It might be entertaining, though, so I'll allow it," Nico finishes. "Adults next. A quick scan should be all I need from you—you're all in the Hall records. Once we're done with that, we'll start the tour."
The adults fall in line and I watch him scan them quickly.
"How can he call me a pain?" Elidee whispers as she moves to my side.
"You tried to seduce him," I whisper back. "Are you crazy? He's an adult—not only is he an adult, he's an ex super villain!"
"I just wanted him to let me do what I want!" she whispers back, as if that was a perfectly good excuse.
"You ARE crazy," Olivia whispers, making us both look at her. "He's the son of Superior—that's what my dad says."
"He's the WHAT?" I yelp, too loudly.
"SHHH!" both girls hiss at me as everyone else turns to look at me.
"Before we go in, I need to make sure none of you are brainwashed," Nico says, completely ignoring us. He shows each of us a quick video, one that I'm not quite sure I caught all of, and then motions us to touch a metal panel. "You're all clear," he says. "Touch the screen and follow the footsteps on the ground. Wait on the platform for the rest of us to join you when you get inside."
"Is Fire Hazard going to be here?" Olivia asks excitedly.
"Unfortunately most of the class is out on a mission. You'll only get to meet a handful of the students," Nico says.
"Hiiii." I look at Elidee, who seems to have been flanked by the boys when I wasn't looking. "You're pretty," one of them says.
"You smell good, too," the second says.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" the first asks, shoving his brother away.
Elidee looks at them, notes that they're shorter than she is, and walks away. Or at least she tries to walk away, I note with amusement. They follow her like puppies, trying to get her attention. I can't help but glance back at Hard Knocks. He shakes his head, looking amused. "Looks like Olivia lost her fanboys," he says quietly to Isotonic.
"She will forever be grateful," Isotonic agrees. "If your kids weren't intent on showing their love by bugging the crap out of them, they might have better luck with girls, you know."
"I keep trying to tell them that," Hard Knocks says, letting out a laugh.
Yes, I'm D-class, but I'm also a wind manipulator. I can hear really, really well. I glance over at Olivia, who's staring at the twins, and then at Elidee, who's trying to escape them without actually running away. I can't help the hint of a grin that crosses my face. This is actually REALLY amusing. I mean, here's Elidee saying how much she wants a boyfriend, trying to avoid two boys that will probably grow up to look like their Dad—and Hard Knocks is really good looking for an old guy. And Olivia is—if I'm hearing her gritting her teeth properly, extremely irritated by all of this.
But none of this is my business. I'm being forced to leave school in my junior year, and tossed into a school of kids that are WAY more powerful than I am—and probably younger! I step into the line blindly, feeling sorry for myself again, and jerk as I realize Isotonic is standing behind me.
"I noticed, Nico seemed most interested in you of the new group," he says silently as I look at him. "What are you?" he asks me.
I swallow, wondering why I have the sudden urge to tell him everything. He's one of the greats. He's the leader of the North Branch Ha
ll. "Nobody you need to notice," I say quietly.
"My daughter promises to be at my level when she grows up, yet all he said was she had a lot of promise. I didn't get to be a Hall leader by being stupid. If Technico seems interested in a kid, it's for a reason."
I turn, glaring up at him.
"Jennifer," Nico says, making me look up. "It's your turn."
I almost yelled at a Hall leader, I realize in shock. Blindly I head forward, pressing my hand to the hand print on the screen and following the glowing footprints inside. I'm actually a bit shocked as the campus comes into sight. It only covers a portion of the massive canyon, but it's still impressive.
"Welcome to Cape High," Nico says from behind us. "It's only the beginning for our school. With groups like you coming in, we're already starting to expand. That structure over there will be more dorms," he tells us, motioning to a group of norm clothed supers working on a large building. "And soon the classes will have to be split by grade level. That means, Isotonic, if you have any retired supers that are qualified to teach, we're welcoming applications.”
There’s a distinct lack of teenagers below, but before I can ask, Nico is answering. “Right now most of my kids are out trying to rescue the outed healers. You might have already heard about them. That's another thing you have to realize—once you've gotten past a certain level of training, I won't hesitate to send you out into the field." He pauses for a second and lets us soak in that statement. "Now head on down the steps and we'll begin the official tour."
***
~About the Author~
R.J. Ross has been writing since junior high, when she discovered that it could help her keep an A in English Class. She lives in Missouri, and spends most of her time reading, writing, and teaching Sunday School. If you would like to see more of her work, you can find several short stories at amazon.com/author/rjross!
Like her on Facebook for bonus material such as character profiles, unpublished information, and status updates at https://www.facebook.com/capehigh! Or check out her blog for free Cape High short stories at https://capehigh.wordpress.com or follow her on twitter @nosidekickhere