by R. J. Ross
“After we pull it off, I’ll join you, okay?” I say. “Then you can point out Elidee to me, okay?”
“Absolutely not,” she says. “She plays dirty. She’s far too young for those tricks of hers!”
“Honey, you can’t blame a pheromone emitter for that--at least not when she doesn’t have full control,” Amara says firmly. “I highly doubt she even realizes what she’s doing.”
“Oh, she realizes it,” Adanna says, crossing her arms over her chest. She’s acting so... girly. I actually think it’s funny, but I can’t let her know that. She’d be mad for DAYS.
‘Wait, so you two know each other?” I ask. “I thought cape kids were supposed to be kept away from each other until they’re older.”
“Unless there’s a connection that can be explained in your alter ego life,” Pan says. “Amara and Prisma were models together when they were younger. No one would think a thing of the two getting together for visits now, and that includes introducing their equally beautiful daughters to one another.”
I hear Adanna snort almost silently, but I’m positive the others heard it as well. I know for a fact they did when Amara says, “Adanna, you will behave yourself, young lady. Really, you’ve never been so against seeing Elidee before!”
“Before this she didn’t have a boyfriend,” Pan drawls with amusement.
“Papa!” Adanna says.
“Sorry, kitten,” Pan says, but he doesn’t sound very sorry. “Sunny, this is where you get out. Try not to get yourself killed with this little prank of yours.”
“We aren’t planning on it--plus, Dad and Mom will be there, right? They’ve got my back if it backfires.”
“As do I,” Pan says as I slide out of the car and head into the back entrance of the Hall. Jack is leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, a little grin on his face. Next to him is his metal surfboard.
“I get the ceiling,” he says.
“Yeah, like I would fight you for it?” I say, shaking my head. “Is Ace ready?”
“He’s got it all drawn up,” he says. “All we have to do is take our places.”
“And Max?”
“Finishing up the final stuff. Vinny’s doing the greeting, along with Carla. Nobody outside of family will know we’re the ones behind it--well, family and Taurus’s dad.” We head inside, touching a panel to go through the security, and into the room set up for the party. Ace is standing in the middle of the room, pointing to one wall and then the next.
“Sunny, you’re there,” he says, pointing to one of the walls. “Jack, you’ve got ceiling, Max, are you ready?”
“Did you ask Pan if we can get extra points for this?” Max asks me, still on the phone.
“I forgot--but I bet if we pull it off we will.”
“If you’re wrong, I’m taking yours,” Max says shamelessly. “Yes, so they’re on their way? Good. We expect you in half an hour.” He hangs up, looking to us. “Let’s get this party started, shall we?”
“YEAH!” we cheer. This is going to be AWESOME.
CHAPTER NINE
“Welcome to Capes of Ethnicity!” Carla says with a huge smile as she hands yet another pamphlet to one of party-goers and his wife. He’s a large black man in a green formal uniform, from the North Hall. His wife is in a more traditional dress. She’s likely a norm.
“And a little one like you is a super?” the cape asks her, looking indulgent.
“I’m a speedster!” she says proudly. “I go to Cape High--I’m the fastest in the entire school,” she tells him, leaning forward and stage whispering, “but don’t tell them that--it would embarrass them when I proved it.”
“We already know,” Vinny calls over to them, causing those standing in line to laugh. “Welcome to Capes of Ethnicity--I’m Fire Hazard,” he says in a bland tone as he hands out pamphlets as well. He’s in full uniform, unlike Carla. Carla is dressed in an adorably fluffy white dress and tiny heels. “We ask that you follow the signs once inside, there’s a room with double doors--you’ll enter there. We hope you enjoy the party.”
“Welcome to Capes of Ethnicity!” Carla says as another group comes forward after the hero in green goes on in. “Adanna! Adanna, HI!” she calls suddenly, jumping up and down to wave at the older girl. “I’m a hostess!” she yells proudly.
“I can see that,” Adanna replies, much to the party-goers’ amusement. “You look beautiful,” she says, getting out of line and walking over to the other girl. Carla blushes brightly, looking shy all of a sudden.
“Is your date getting ready?” Vinny asks.
“We dropped him off just now,” Adanna says, sighing. “Really, in a room like this, why they decided to do something this ridiculous, I have no clue,” she complains under her breath.
“It’ll be fine,” Vinny assures her. “Welcome to Capes of Ethnicity, please follow the signs. You’re heading for a room with double doors at the end of the hall,” he says blandly to the next group going in, handing out pamphlets. “I actually hope someone records it--it should be really entertaining.”
“Dare I ask what you’re discussing?” Prisma asks as she steps up to them. Her daughter, Elidee, is right next to her, wearing a beautiful dress--and looking straight at Vinny. “I was wondering why the party date was moved up so abruptly--I didn’t expect the Central Hall to just take over.”
“They haven’t, exactly,” Adanna says, her eyes on Elidee. She seems to force herself to look at Prisma. “This is a... joint effort, of sorts. You’ll find out soon enough.”
Prisma looks at her closely. “Adanna, I’ve known you since you were a bump in your Mama’s belly,” she says, suddenly looking amused. “I trust this will be extremely entertaining,” she adds with a brilliant smile.
“I heard you got a boyfriend,” Elidee says. “Is he famous?”
“Not at all,” Adanna says mildly. A sharp look enters her eyes, belying her tone. “In fact he’s never going to be.”
“You’re kidding me, right? You go to a school full of famous supers and you pick one that ISN’T?” Elidee asks, looking stunned.
“Fame isn’t that important!” Carla says, almost visibly bristling.
“Carla,” Adanna says.
“Sunny is Nic--” Adanna covers her mouth before she can finish that sentence.
“That’s something she doesn’t need to know,” Adanna whispers into the other girl’s ear. Elidee suddenly looks far too interested for her tastes. Carla nods, though, relaxing.
“Sunny’s a short little narcoleptic,” Vinny says as he hands out another pamphlet. “I caught him napping at least three times the other day--did you know he can sleep with his eyes open? Follow the signs, please,” he adds as another group goes in.
“Yes, actually I did,” Adanna says, rolling her eyes. “He sleep walks, as well--I dragged him around half of the mall before I realized he was half-asleep.” Vinny and Carla start laughing, no doubt picturing it way too easily. They have classes with him, after all. It’s only Elidee who looks at her like she’s insane.
“Why would you WANT a boyfriend like that?” she asks. “You have really bad taste in boys, don’t you?”
“Elidee, you’re thirteen,” Adanna says, “how can you have ANY taste in boys yet?”
“You’re thirteen?” Carla asks, looking excited. “So am I!” She grabs Elidee’s hands and for a second there’s a matching look of excitement on their faces. Elidee hides her own quickly, trying to look superior.
“I’m a mature thirteen,” she says, snottily.
“Oh go to the party already,” Adanna says, pushing the girl through the doors. Then she looks at Vinny, a bit curiously. “Why didn’t her pheromones work on you?” she asks him.
“Pheromones?” he repeats blankly.
“I believe we’re the final ones,” Pan says from behind them. “Why don’t we all go together?” he asks, placing a hand on Adanna’s shoulder. “Nico should be here later.”
“Yes, Papa, I want to see this,” Adanna says
as the group heads in. “Did Taurus’s father already set up cameras inside?”
“He did,” Pan says.
“This should be entertaining,” Vinny says, grinning slightly.
They reach the large room soon enough, watching the curious, and somewhat confused expressions on the party-goers’ faces. There are several staring at the murals on the walls. She’s seen the ones of Taurus and her father, so she automatically looks for the new ones. She looks up, seeing a silver surfboard painted on the ceiling, with an image of Jack staring over the edge, looking down at the group. Then she heads straight for a massive mural of trees on the far wall.
It’s almost hard to see the brown clad male painted in the middle of the scene--but she can see enough to realize he-- “They painted him sleeping,” she says, shaking her head with amusement.
“Who is he?” Prisma asked from behind her. “I mean, I can almost understand the Maximum and Dragon murals--other than the fact they’re super villains, but this one...”
“There’s a Cold Steel one, too,” Adanna says, pointing up.
“This is some sort of joke, right?” she hears someone ask from the crowd. “Why would they use super villains as paintings for a Capes of Ethnicity party?”
“Not done in the best taste,” another agreed.
“I like the forest one, though,” someone said, “it’s amazing.”
“You haven’t answered who he is,” Prisma says pointedly, looking at Adanna. Adanna lets a little smile pull at her lips as she reaches up, touching the face of the painting.
“He’s my boyfriend,” she says quietly, pulling her hand away.
“Does that mean your boyfriend is a--” Prisma says, her eyes widening as she looks at the various murals, and then at the trees that the boy in the painting almost disappears into, “an elementalist?”
“He’s the son of Lady Rose,” Adanna says silently, pulling the reporter away from the wall.
“Why haven’t I heard about this yet?” Prisma demands, her eyes bright with excitement. “Your mother is going to get SUCH an earful,” she goes on, heading straight for Amara.
“Did--did that painting just move?” Adanna hears someone ask. She heads to her father, standing beside him and just waiting, turning to watch the mural of Maximum--as Maximum steps out of it.
“I would say this is a stick up,” he says over his mic, “but I think in this case the term should be ‘stand down,’” he finishes. The pressure comes down on all of them, so strong that Pan has to grab Cubby and Amara before they fall to the floor. “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Capes of Ethnicity,” Max goes on, absently lightening the load on those that look close to fainting. His abilities have gotten more fine-tuned thanks to school and age.
“Where we just want to say how much we appreciate all your hard work,” Ace says as he steps out of his own painting. He’s in full uniform, as well, complete with an illusion of a dragon’s head. The crowd is completely shocked--it shows on their faces.
“And how big of fans we are,” Jack says, making everyone look up as he sinks down out of the ceiling on his board. He stops, though, looking at the final mural for a long, silent moment, before going, “He fell asleep, didn’t he?”
The sound of muffled laughter from the group breaks the tension completely, but Jack makes it worse, pulling a small metal ball and flicking it at the painting of the forest.
The entire room hears a snort and a muffled yelp before the fourth teenager steps out of the wall. He stood there, looking at them all with a wide grin. “I forgot my line,” he said after a count of five. “Hi, everybody!” he says, waving at them cheerfully. “We threw you a party!”
Max’s heavy gravity disappears, leaving those that can fly floating slightly as they all turn to the nearest villain. “Actually,” Max says, letting out a sigh, “he’s right. But we had a totally cool super villain vibe going on, Sunny! You blew it!”
“Sorry, Max,” Sunny says. The entire room starts to laugh.
***
Honestly, I’m glad they’re not trying to kill us, I think as Max moves to the flower I put in the front of the room. Thankfully I doubt they’d expect us to do anything serious right here in the middle of Central Hall.
“I’d like to thank you all for coming,” Max says, making everyone turn to him. Absently I lean down, plucking one of the orchids from the crate display and growing another. I head through the crowd, stopping next to Adanna and holding it out. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, we’re part of the Cape High school system. That means we’re actually affiliated with Central Hall--and that Taurus is one of our teachers.”
“We’re also in a summer camp program taught by Panther,” Jack says, still floating over everyone’s heads. “Thanks to two of you, we’re becoming the best super villains we can be.”
“If you consider that a good thing,” Ace adds with amusement.
“I have a question,” one of the super heroes says, pointing directly at me, “we all know who you three are, but who is he?”
I hesitate, caught offering my girlfriend flowers in the middle of the room. Awkward. “That is...” Max starts out, looking thoughtful, “honestly, Sunny, I don’t know what all you want getting out, so why don’t you introduce yourself?”
“He looks like a mini-Technico, doesn’t he?” someone asks quietly.
“The twins!” I hear Prisma say in excitement. She just figured it out--a little too loudly, I notice, because everyone is now looking at me expectantly. The doors open and Dad and Mom come in, followed by Zoe and the rest of the family--including Grandpa and Grandma. It sends a hush through the entire room, since they obviously recognize Grandpa Superior even out of uniform.
“You’re right,” Dad says. “Sunny, why don’t you introduce yourself?”
I look at them for a moment, and then turn back to Adanna, holding out the flower again. “I replaced it,” I tell her as she takes it. She looks like she’s going to laugh, but she takes the flower--only to get it stolen by Cubby. “I’ll, um, grow you another later,” I whisper before heading for the flower that Max had stepped away from. “Zoe?” I ask, holding out my hand to my twin. She comes over, taking the hand offered.
“I... We, I should say,” I start out slowly, seeing every eye in the room directed at me. Even the ones that were looking at Grandpa Superior are now looking at me, “we’re the kids of Technico and--” I look at Mom, who nods, “Lady Rose.”
“You can go on,” Grandpa says as the crowd starts to murmur.
“You sure?” I ask him.
“We’re showing just how much we appreciate and trust the people here,” Dad says. “As thanks for their hard work and dedication, we’re willing to let them in on the biggest secret of the century.” He doesn’t raise his voice, but I’m positive everyone hears him, they all go silent.
“Well, see,” I say--so sue me, I suck at speaking in front of a crowd, “I got invited because I’m dating Adanna, she’s Panther’s daughter, right? So I was in the middle of Super Villain Summer Camp, not that I’m planning on being a villain, don’t worry, but--”
“Sunny, you’re rambling,” Adanna calls up to me.
“Sorry! Well, I’m sort of the reason you’re getting hosted by super villains, sorry. Oh, and Superior and Tatiana are my grandparents--and they’re not, exactly, dead. They’re just retired. Grandpa does a lot of fishing and Grandma knows how to, uh, bead stuff.” I motioned over to them, but I hardly have to. The entire crowd is cheering. “But we’d REALLY appreciate if you didn’t let that out outside of the Super community. The last thing we want is to force them out of retirement--I mean, this way we get to talk to them once a week, and they’re pretty happy, right? And Grandma would probably have to go back to Russia, which wouldn’t be good.”
The room nods. “Trust us, Sunny, a lot of us have retired family members,” Taurus says. “I’m sure we can all agree to keeping this a secret--on both sides,” he adds, looking at Pan.
“Technico was my
college roommate,” Pan says, “and is still a man I consider a very close friend.”
“What’s interesting is that Sunny hasn’t made a debut,” Prisma says.
“Oh, that. I’m not going to,” I say with a shrug. I can literally hear the shocked gasps that echo through the room. “Are you going to, Zoe?” I ask her.
“I’ve actually been thinking about taking over Cape High when I’m old enough,” she says, “or at least being one of the teachers until Dad actually retires.”
“So no debut, huh? Yeah, that sounds good,” I say, completely forgetting that we have an audience.
“Wait, wait, waaaait!” Prisma says, waving her hands. “You can’t do that to us!”
“Can’t do what?” Zoe and I ask in tandem.
“Drop a bomb like TWO teenagers in the Superior family not going into the business!” the large super in green says. What was his name... Hard Knocks, or something, I think. “Especially one that’s dating a member of the Panther family!”
“I’m not planning on debuting, either,” Adanna says all too casually. “Cubby will take over the family name. At the moment, Sunny and I plan on doing behind the scenes work, right, Sunny?”
“We’re gonna save the big cats and Rain Forests of the world,” I say. “We can do a lot more work out of tights than in--although this outfit might actually work really well,” I add, looking fondly down at the baggy pants and shirt I’m wearing. “Just because we don’t plan on being in the news doesn’t mean we can’t be heroes. A lot of the world’s heroes never even get noticed, right?”
“Lady Rose, Panther, do you agree with their decisions?” Prisma asks. She actually pulls the mic out of Max’s hand for this. She’s absolutely gone into interviewer mode.
Mom walks over, since she’s still a super and that means automatically responding to this, and speaks into the mic, “I agree with whatever my children decide to do--as long as it’s not self-destructive. I really don’t see how saving the Rain Forest can be anything BUT helpful to both him and the world. I’m proud that he’s decided on it at such a young age, actually. As for Zoe, I think she’ll make a wonderful teacher.” She gives Zoe a brilliant smile. Zoe grins back.