by Zoe Quinn
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh. Yikes.”
“Yeah. These were made by the tech guys at the Federation.” She giggled. “But my mom thinks I bought them at the mall with my birthday money.”
“What's your power?” Megan asked me.
“Well, I have superstrength, but I'm finding out that that's pretty common. And I can shoot laser beams from my eyes, though I've only done that a couple of times, and never by accident! My real specialty is speed.”
“Ah…so you're fast.”
I smiled. “Superfast.”
“Good,” said Casey.“Then you'll be the one we send ahead to get us a good seat at the campfire.”
I grinned, already feeling much less lonely.
“How about you?” Melanie asked Casey. “What's your specialty?”
“Superhearing. I can hear a mouse sneeze from like, twelve miles away.”
“Doesn't that make it hard to sleep?” I asked, silently hoping, for Casey's sake, that none of us snored.
“Nah. I've gotten pretty good at turning it on and off. So it's not usually a problem.”
I started unpacking; since the other girls had had a head start, they were nearly finished.
“Why don't you use your superspeed?” Melanie suggested. “You'll be unpacked in no time.”
I felt a flutter of nerves. This would be the first time my new cabinmates would see my powers in action. What if I couldn't make them work? Or what if I started going so fast I tripped, or burned a hole in the floor, or started flinging clothes around the room uncontrollably? That had happened once at home, back when I had just found about my powers, and it had taken ages to clean up! But I guessed that was what I there for—to get good at using my powers.
“Um…okay.” I began pulling clothes out of my suitcase at warp speed, dashing back and forth from the dresser. It was kind of strange to be able to use my power in front of other kids and not have to worry about it. Actually, it was very liberating.
“Zoe, that is so cool,” said Megan. “You're, like, a blur.”
“If I could move like that,” said Casey, “I'd never be late for school again.”
Minutes later, we were on our way to the lake.
We found Amanda waiting for us, pacing up and down on the shore.
“Okay, Intrepids,” she said, clapping her hands and flashing a big, confident smile. “Let's get down to business!”
I looked out over the beautiful blue lake. Campers were splashing in the shallow water; farther out, some boys were having a diving contest off a raft. Kids were racing paddleboats and wobbling in canoes. I found myself wishing we'd thought to change into our bathing suits. Maybe we could have gotten “down to business” while splashing and diving and racing.
Amanda gave a sharp blast on her whistle. “When I came to Camp Courageous as a new superhero,” she began, “I had one goal and one goal only: to win the Courageous Cup! So, for one solid week, my cabinmates and I trained as hard as we could…and we did it. We won! You should know, it's not always easy, and sometimes it gets downright dangerous. You're Supers, after all, so we hold you to very high standards. Now, Intrepids, it's your turn. I can tell just by looking at you that you girls have what it takes to win! And from the looks of the boys' cabin you've been teamed with…”
“Boys' cabin?” Melanie smiled at Amanda and her eyes lit up. No…I mean they literally lit up. Her pale blue irises seemed to become blue flames, glowing with heat. “I like the sound of that.” Her dreamy gaze had fallen on the metal whistle in Amanda's hand, and I watched in amazement as the whistle began to turn a blazing red!
Amanda dropped the whistle, shaking her burned fingers. “Ouch!”
“Sorry!” cried Melanie.
“No problem,” said Amanda. “You can't fight what comes naturally.”
I grinned. “Maybe you should keep your sunglasses handy when we meet those boys,” I suggested.
“What's your power, Amanda?” Casey asked.
“Supervision,” Amanda said. “I can see for miles, so if you're thinking about slacking off during practice, forget it.” She laughed, then went on talking about teamwork, tradition, and the thrill of victory. I tried to stay focused, but my attention kept drifting to my fellow campers, having fun in the lake.
The afternoon sun was low in the sky by the time Amanda finished with her pep talk. “So…are you girls ready to work?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Sure thing.”
“Absolutely.”
“Definitely!”
A loud clanging sounded in the distance.
“That's the dinner bell,” said Amanda. “Go on up to the mess hall. I'll meet you there once I've dropped my stuff off.” Scanning her clipboard, she walked away.
“I think the mess hall is over that hill,” said Megan.
We started up the steep path. When we reached the crest, we could see the large main lodge, which housed the dining room. The wide windows were glowing warm in the dusky light, and I could smell the rich aromas of saucy baked beans and tangy macaroni and cheese.
Suddenly, I realized I was starving.
Apparently, my bunkmates were, too. As if we could read each other's minds (which we couldn't—at least, not as far as I knew!), we all began to run at once. For kicks, I turned on my superspeed. I could hear them laughing as I left them behind.
My plan was get into the mess hall first and save us a good table, and I was heading for the entrance at a good clip when something caught my eye.
It was Bertram, the camp director, with Simon, the shaggy-haired hottie. I did a double take, then dug my sneakers into the stony path and came skidding to a halt.
I wasn't stopping to admire the cute counselor. I was stopping because Bertram and the cute counselor were deep in conversation with someone I knew.
That someone was Gil Hunt, Howie's grandfather.
And standing nearby, looking completely confused, was Howie.
THERE had to be some sort of mistake. Howie Hunt…at superhero camp?
No way! No…way!
Howie was standing a few yards away from his grandfather and Simon, ignoring their whispered conversation as his eyes scanned the campgrounds. He looked curious but also sort of disappointed. There was a duffel bag at his feet.
I was still standing there staring at Howie when my bunkmates caught up to me.
“Something wrong?” Megan asked.
“Very wrong,” I said.“See that kid over there? He's a friend of mine from home. He lives next door to me.”
Casey looked over at Howie. “Wow, that's so cool that you have someone from home who's a Super like you. None of the kids in my neighborhood are super.”
“That's just it,” I said.“Howie isn't super. I can't imagine how he even heard about Camp Courageous.”
“I wouldn't worry about it,” said Melanie.“If he's not super, then he won't be on the official camp roster. And if he's not on the roster, Bertram will tell him he can't stay and send him home. It must just be some mix-up.”
But I was surprised to see Bertram throw up his hands, turn on his heel, and walk away. As he came closer to where we were standing, he called over his shoulder, “There's just no reasoning with you, Gil. Simon, you handle this. Whatever you decide is fine with me!”
When Bertram disappeared around the bend, Mr. Hunt went back to his conversation with Simon. Howie's grandfather looked very upset, gesturing urgently with his arms as he spoke to the counselor. By now, Howie had wandered a few feet away and was examining the bark of a tall pine tree.
“Who's that man talking to Simon?” Melanie asked.
“Howie's grandpa,” I said, watching as Mr. Hunt stamped his foot and shook his finger at Simon. “It doesn't look like he's going to take no for an answer.” I frowned.“I wish I could hear what they were talking about.”
“I can,” said Casey.
“That's right…you can!” I turned to her with a desperate look. “Oh, Casey. Would you mind? It doesn't make a
ny sense that Howie's here!”
“Well, I try not to listen in on private conversations unless someone is in danger, but since you're friends with this Howie kid, I guess it'll be okay.”
“Mel and I will go in and save you guys some seats,” said Megan, “and we'll grab you some mac and cheese before they run out.”
“Yeah,” said Melanie.“You two stay out here and eavesdrop— superstyle!”
They continued toward the lodge. Casey pushed a curly lock of blond hair behind her right ear and tilted her head in the direction of Howie's grandpa and Simon.
I held my breath while Casey listened.
Mr. Hunt continued to stamp and gesture, and Simon nodded, looking patient and understanding. Finally, they shook hands. Mr. Hunt called Howie back over and said something to him, then patted him on the head and walked off toward the parking lot. Howie stared after his grandfather until Simon gave him a friendly nudge and led him up the path to the cabins.
“What did they say?” I asked eagerly.
Casey looked a little confused.“I thought you said that Howie kid wasn't super.”
“He's not,” I said.
“He is,” said Casey.
My mouth dropped open.
“At least, he will be. According to his grandpa,” Casey said. “He told Simon that Howie's powers haven't shown themselves yet, probably because he doesn't turn twelve till next month. But he's sure that being here at camp will bring them on. He said he was a full-fledged superhero back in the day, and that means it's almost a lock that Howie will be super, too. Simon started to tell him that there are no genetic guarantees, but the old guy would have none of it. He told Simon that as a member of the Camp Courageous Alumni Association, he had every right to enroll Howie.”
I felt a little dizzy. Gil Hunt…Grandpa Zack's business's next-door neighbor…Sweetbriar's premier florist (at least, according to him)…a superhero? And Howie? It was just too unbelievable.
But now that I thought about it, there had always been some things about Mr. Hunt I'd never understood. For as long as I could remember, he and Grandpa had seemed sort of competitive. And Gil made Howie train over and over for the Little League team when everyone knew there wasn't a hope of Howie's being picked; Howie wasn't totally useless, he just seemed to have some sort of repelling-magnet thing going on where catching balls was concerned. I also remembered how Mr. Hunt had been so anxious to have Howie work with the police during our school internship project—it must have been because he expected Howie to become a superhero one day and he thought that would be good practice!
“One more thing…,” Casey went on. “I definitely got the feeling that your pal Howie has no idea what's going on. From what Simon was saying, Howie has no idea that this is a camp for superkids or even that he is…well, might be…a superkid himself.”
“His grandfather didn't tell him before he brought him here?” I asked in disbelief. “Poor Howie. He's gonna be totally freaked out when he sees kids flying and melting things and who knows what else.”
Casey looked sympathetic. “I think you should be the one to break it to him, Zoe. The sooner the better, too.”
She was right, of course. I'd have to tell him. I had no idea if that would be breaking the Superhero Federation rules, but I knew in my heart that Howie needed to know the truth.
“I'll tell him right after dinner,” I said.
The only question was…how?
By the time Simon brought Howie in to dinner, my friends and I were starting on dessert. Simon led Howie to a table of boys who I guessed were his bunkmates. They seemed welcoming enough; I just hoped nobody used any superpowers until I had a chance to talk to Howie and explain. I was so busy watching Howie—and making sure he didn't see me—that I didn't even enjoy my chocolate pudding.
After dinner, I tramped around camp looking for Howie. Kids were hurrying from cabin to cabin, meeting up with friends before going to the campfire. Finally, I spotted Howie sitting on the front steps of the Bravery cabin, leaning against the wooden railing. As I made my way through the trees, I saw his bunkmates come out of the cabin and join him on the little porch.
“Ready for the campfire, Howie?” asked one. He had dark hair, and even from the trees I could see that his eyes were a dark chocolate brown. He looked like a football star or one of those hunky guys you'd see on a wall-sized poster in an expensive clothing store. He offered his invitation with a big smile, but Howie just shook his head.
“C'mon,” urged his second cabinmate, a red-haired boy, pulling on a sweatshirt.“It'll be fun. I saw some cute girls at registration. Maybe we can meet some of them.”
“No thanks,” said Howie. “You guys go ahead.”
“Okay,” said the third kid, who was lanky and wore his light hair in a buzz cut. “Want us to bring you back some s'mores?”
“No, thank you,” Howie said politely. “I'm allergic to marshmallows.”
The three boys looked at one another; they seemed to understand that Howie needed to be left alone for the moment. They probably thought he was homesick.
When they were gone, I approached the porch.
“Hi.”
Howie looked up and his eyes went round. “Zoe?”
“Yep, it's me. Surprise.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Same as you. Going to camp.”
“This isn't the camp I signed up for,” he said glumly.“I wanted to go to science camp.”
“Science camp, huh?” I couldn't help grinning; Howie was about to find out that he was in for the experiment of a lifetime!
“This morning, I was all set to go to the best science camp in the county when Grandpa Gil stormed in and told us there had been a terrible accident. One of the counselors-in-training had forgotten to turn off a Bunsen burner and the entire place burned to the ground. No one got hurt, but the camp had to be closed down for rebuilding. Then he said not to worry, because he had found me a better camp. A supercamp.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “He told you it was a supercamp?”
Howie nodded.
“Oh.” I wrinkled my nose. “So…you know, then?”
“Know what?”
“Know that Camp Courageous is, well…super.”
Howie looked around. “That's what Grandpa Gil said. But I don't see what's so super about it. I mean, it's all right, I guess. Trees, cabins, canoes—typical camp stuff. Nice enough, if you're into that kind of thing. But I don't think I'd call it super.”
Now I understood. When Mr. Hunt said the camp was super, Howie just thought he meant it was great or terrific.
“Uh…Howie…,”I began. “I have something to tell you. And you might find it very hard to believe, but I promise you, it is absolutely, completely, and totally true.” I took a deep breath. “The good news is that the science camp didn't burn down.”
“What? I mean, that's good. But why would my grandpa—”
“This camp isn't a regular camp,” I said, interrupting him. “Not at all. It's special. Very special. For very special kids. And by special, I mean…super.” I swallowed hard, trying to think of how to say what I needed to tell him. “And by super, I mean…well, I mean…”
He looked at me, waiting.
I leaned down, grasped the corner of the porch step with one hand, and lifted the entire Bravery cabin off the ground.
Howie shrieked, grasping the railing and holding on for dear life.
Gently, I lowered the cabin back to the ground.
“That's what I mean by super,” I said. But Howie didn't hear me.
He'd fainted.
I sat down on the porch step and waited for Howie to come to. Resting my chin in my hand, I watched the fireflies twinkle in the darkness, listened to my fellow campers singing silly songs in the distance, and thought about the gooey, sweet s'mores I was missing out on. I probably could have run down to the fire at superspeed, grabbed a s'more or two, and been back before Howie woke up, but I couldn't just leave him. It would b
e very unsuperhero-like of me, not to mention plain inconsiderate.
After a minute or two, I heard him groan. “Where am I?” he asked, blinking.
I decided to give it to him straight. “You're at Camp Courageous,” I told him.“It's a camp for kids with superpowers. I have superpowers. My bunkmates have superpowers. Your bunkmates have superpowers. The counselors have superpowers, and, if your grandpa's theory is correct, by the time this week is over, you'll have superpowers, too. That is, if you can manage not to faint every time somebody does something super. See, it's all about the super, Howie. Me, you, everyone else…super, super, super. Got it? Good. Now, let's go on down to that campfire pit and melt us some marshmallows, shall we?”
Howie looked at me as if I were crazy. I'd expected as much. I sighed.
“I know it sounds nuts, but it's a fact. I was pretty amazed when I first found out, but I got used to it. And you'll get used to it, too.”
I knew I wasn't doing a terrific job of explaining to Howie. It was just such a huge, crazy concept. It occurred to me that this was the first time I'd had to put it into words for someone—and it would probably be the last, since telling Ordinaries about superpowers was forbidden.
A cool breeze rippled through the trees. The stars winked in the velvety sky. Howie's eyes were locked on mine for what seemed like forever. And just when I thought he would never say another word to me in his life, he said, “Okay, Zoe.”
It was my turn to blink. “‘Okay, Zoe’? That's all you have to say? ‘Okay’?”
Howie shrugged. “Well, here's the thing. You've been my friend for my whole life, and in all that time, you've never lied to me, so I have no reason to think you're lying to me now. Plus, I saw you pick up this cabin with one hand. If I were to apply logic to this situation, I would have to say that the data you just presented provides conclusive proof of what you're saying. So I believe you. I believe this camp is for superkids, and that you're super, and that maybe I'll be super, too. And I believe you when you say I'll get used to it. I may not understand it, but I definitely believe it.”