by Lisa Yee
“…and so,” Harley was saying as she bounced on her just-made bed, “every school in the galaxy wanted you, and everyone at Super Hero High wanted you to come here!”
Wonder Woman turned off her computer. Not everyone, she thought.
If Wonder Woman’s mother had taught her anything, it was to never feel sorry for herself. Though she was a princess, Wonder Woman didn’t act like one—or live like one. She was used to eating a simple breakfast of roasted berries and nutritious plants. That morning in the cafeteria, a wall of color stopped Wonder Woman in her tracks.
“If you look at it long enough, it’ll talk to you,” Cheetah murmured as she passed Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman stared hard at the colors. What would they say to her, she wondered? Maybe she should say something first.
“You’re so pretty,” Wonder Woman gushed.
Poison Ivy looked around, unsure. “Me?”
“No, that,” Wonder Woman said pointing to the bright colors in fanciful shapes that were housed in a huge wall of glass containers.
“What? Oh, the cereal?” Poison Ivy asked, looking momentarily crestfallen. She handed Wonder Woman a bowl. “Fill it up,” she said. “Well, if you want to. I mean, you don’t have to. Oh, never mind. Sorry. Just forget I’m here.”
“Why would I want to do that?” Wonder Woman asked. “I like your idea of filling up the bowl!”
Poison Ivy smiled.
Not sure which cereal to try, Wonder Woman decided to eat them all. For research, of course. She took her place at the table, balancing eight full bowls. The talk was lively, and ranged from the new custom weapon Lady Shiva had ordered online to the plight of the indigenous life-forms on the planet Rann to whether Barry “The Flash” Allen was really as fast as he claimed to be.
“HELLO!” All heads turned to Harley. “Who wants to see my latest HQTV video? All of you? Yes! Thought so. It’s already racked up hundreds of hits. Watch!”
Everyone squeezed in to see a sleepy and confused Wonder Woman wake up to a camera in her face and mumble. The short video was titled Sleeping Beauty. As the girls laughed, Wonder Woman smiled awkwardly. Did they think she was funny? Did they think she was weird? Wonder Woman wasn’t sure what they thought, so she kept smiling, even though it was starting to hurt.
Wonder Woman had thoroughly enjoyed the colorful sugary cereals. She ate them all, not wanting one bit of crunchy goodness to go to waste. By the time breakfast was over, she was chock-full of energy and raring to go!
Wonder Woman’s first class was Flyers’ Ed. The Flight Track was housed under a huge clear dome that opened with the press of a button. That way, when the Supers wanted to fly even higher, or when they were doing side-by-side formation stunt flights—always a favorite on Parents’ Night—they had that option. On the sides of the dome, missiles, assorted asteroids, and various projectiles stood by for defensive flying practice. Up above, storm, hail, and lightning machines were at the ready.
“Wonder Woman! Welcome, welcome,” cried the famed flyer and flying teacher, Red Tornado. “Such an honor to have the daughter of Amazon Queen Hippolyta in my class. You know I met your mother once at Super Summit CLXXVII, and though I doubt she’d remember me, I sure remember her.” Red Tornado stopped to catch his breath and seemed to float into a momentary daydream as he looked off into the sky. He coughed and brought himself back down to earth. “Do tell your dear mother that Red says hi!”
Wonder Woman made a note on her to-do list.
“Teacher’s pet,” someone whispered so loudly that the whole class heard.
Wonder Woman looked around eagerly for an animal or alien pet, but didn’t see one. She had always wanted a Wallaroo, but her mother said they were too hard to take care of.
“I will be training the flyers for our Super Triathlon team. Though no one is guaranteed a spot, I can only guess who might make the cut,” Red Tornado said. “It might even be someone in this class!” He winked at Wonder Woman.
Unsure what to do, she winked back. Some of the other students gave each other sideways glances. Frost and Cheetah winked at the new girl, and Wonder Woman winked at them, too, and then winked at the rest of the class, who all winked back at her.
“Eyes on me!” Red Tornado ordered as he spun into the air, creating an actual red tornado. “Nonflyers to the side!”
“Why are they splitting us up?” Wonder Woman asked Hawkgirl, who had just flexed her impressive wings.
“Nonflyers are here to observe and gain insight into flight patterns, aerodynamics, and navigation,” Hawkgirl whispered. “It could help them in battle.”
As he’d heard, Red Tornado said, “Always be on the offense. Know your enemy and anticipate what they will do! Okay, first up! Who will volunteer?”
Beast Boy began to step forward, but he wasn’t as fast as Star Sapphire. “Harness!” she commanded. The violet ring on her finger began to glow.
Instantly, Miss Martian, who was the harness helper for the day, hooked her up to the special safety belt that was controlled remotely by Red Tornado. As Star Sapphire gracefully rose into the sky, she struck midair glamour poses. Even from a distance, Wonder Woman could see the glow of her ring, which sent a wash of purple pastel onto the students below.
“She’s so amazing,” Wonder Woman said, not able to take her eyes off Star Sapphire and the haze of purple around her. “I wish I were more like her.”
“I think I love her,” Beast Boy said, staring up. “And I’m fairly certain that Star Sapphire loves me, too.”
Katana, who was standing in the shadow of an old stealth bomber, shook her head and snorted. “You’re both delusional. Star Sapphire is so full of herself. Rumor has it that she’s trying to convince her parents that she belongs on the cover of Super Hero Super Model magazine and has been begging them to buy the company.”
“She’d look good on the cover,” Wonder Woman mused. Beast Boy nodded in agreement.
Next up was Hawkgirl. Wonder Woman, still full of sugary cereal goodness, bounced in place. This is so much fun! she thought. Hawkgirl did a precision flight and landing, proving herself to be an advanced flyer.
As the class continued, there were some spectacular accidents. If not for the safety harness, a full 50 percent or more of the flyers would have ended up in the emergency room. While most students applauded the efforts of their peers, nonflyers Frost, Cheetah, and Golden Glider were more content critiquing their classmates.
When it was Bumblebee’s turn, she made a flawless lap around the flying course. Wonder Woman jumped up and down and cheered, while Frost and Cheetah stayed noticeably silent.
“Our next flyer,” Red Tornado announced, “can probably teach you a thing or two. Take notes, class. Take notes!”
Wonder Woman took out her notepad and looked around, eager to watch and learn. When no one stepped forward, she felt the awkward silence in the room.
Red Tornado cleared his throat and nodded at her. Wonder Woman cleared her throat and nodded back. He tilted his head toward the flying course, and Wonder Woman did the same.
“You’re up, Wonder Woman,” he finally said, straightening his cape.
“Me?” she asked, surprised. “Okay, here I go,” she said.
Just as she was about to take off, a loud alarm sounded. Wonder Woman stepped back. What had she done? The alarm wouldn’t stop.
“Save the Day alarm!” Bumblebee shouted. She flew down the hallways, alerting everyone.
“Save the Day!” a voice intoned over the PA system.
Before Wonder Woman could ask what they were supposed to do, everyone had disappeared, leaving her alone on the Flight Track.
Wonder Woman went outside to see what all the commotion was about. She only saw a flood of Supers heading toward her. They were all talking animatedly. From what she could pick up, Golden Glider was about to skate to victory, when The Flash swept in and saved the day.
“It’s a test,” Bumblebee explained as she linked her arm with Wonder Woman’s
on their way back to class. “Save the Day is a drill to see if we know what to do in an emergency. Today the teachers hurled poisonous projectiles toward a vacant bank. It was just for practice, but you never know when a real alarm is going to sound.”
Wonder Woman hoped that sometime she’d be able to save the day. In the meantime, she still needed to show Red Tornado what she could do.
As Wonder Woman approached the takeoff pad, Cheetah gave her a slow smile. “No pressure,” she said, “but your mom is famous for flying, and if you don’t fly flawlessly, you’ll let her down. Oh, and look—there’s Harley!”
Harley waved to Wonder Woman and held up her camera.
Wonder Woman thought of her mother. She had promised her that she would make her proud, but she’d never flown this course before. The sugar from breakfast suddenly wore off, and instead of a sugary high, Wonder Woman was faced with a crashing uncertainty.
“Take your mark, Wonder Woman,” Red Tornado called. “Ready to be spectacular?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “Okay, let’s show them how it’s done! Three, two, one…take off!”
All eyes were on Super Hero High’s newest student, the one they had heard so much about. The one who was supposed to bring the school to a Super Triathlon victory. The one…the only…
Wonder Woman stepped onto the takeoff pad. She fastened her safety harness, even though she was certain she wouldn’t need it. Other than the low buzzing sound from Bumblebee, who had made herself tiny, there was silence on the Ferris Flight Track.
Red Tornado could hardly contain himself. He took a deep breath, then shouted, “TAKE OFF!”
In a heartbeat, Wonder Woman was flying. As she soared high into the air, her classmates look stunned by what they were seeing. Some gasped. Others gawked. It was spectacular.
Spectacularly bad.
As she ping-ponged back and forth on the Flight Track, hitting the clear poly-strength ultra-rubber sidewalls fortified with titanium trellis beams, Wonder Woman struggled to gain control. She had miscalculated her takeoff, rising far too quickly. But as she tried to adjust midair, a glint from below momentarily blinded her. Distracted, all Wonder Woman could think of was what Cheetah had said about her mother: “If you don’t fly flawlessly, you’ll let her down.”
From high in the air, it looked like everyone was twirling around on the ground. Or maybe I’m the one who’s spinning, Wonder Woman thought. The only person she could make out clearly was Red Tornado, and he looked like he had just eaten a lemon, or maybe two. The more she thought about her teacher and what he must think of her, the worse Wonder Woman’s flying became. Finally, he blew his whistle and reined Wonder Woman in with the remote-controlled safety harness. It was, as the whispers echoed, “a disaster.”
None of her fellow flyers would meet her eyes, and when she glanced at the nonflyers, only Cheetah and Frost looked back. Cheetah winked at Wonder Woman while Frost turned to her compact mirror and applied her blue lipstick.
Miss Martian unhooked the safety harness in silence, turning invisible to avoid having to say anything to Wonder Woman about her ill-fated flight.
“It’s happened to all of us,” Hawkgirl said, trying to comfort her friend.
“I mess up all the time,” Bumblebee assured her, even though Wonder Woman knew she was just trying to console her. Harley had told her that even though Bumblebee’s parents were not super heroes, the super hero suit she’d built—coupled with her unique DNA—made her an excellent flyer. “And with everyone watching,” Bumblebee continued generously, “well, it’s no surprise that you’d get nervous.”
The weird thing, though, was that Wonder Woman hadn’t been nervous. Sure, she’d ascended too quickly, but she had done that in the past when miscalculating headwinds, migrating birds, and low-flying spacecraft. But this time, Wonder Woman had been unable to self-correct, and she’d let self-doubt take over. How was she ever going to save the world if she couldn’t even fly straight?
Just then, Wonder Woman noticed Harley waving to her and holding her camera in the air. “Got it!” Harley shouted. “The W-Threes are gonna love this!”
“The who?” Wonder Woman asked. Her shoulders slumped.
“The WWWs, the W-Threes—the Wonder Woman Watchers. I’ve got millions of them! Or maybe hundreds, but that’ll change. They love my exclusive videos of you. My goal is to bring my numbers up, and with your help, HQTV will be a media darling! You are my not-so-secret weapon!”
Wonder Woman didn’t want to be a not-so-secret weapon, but her mother had told her that as a super hero, she was a role model, and being in the news was just part of the job.
“It’s information and entertainment,” Harley explained, executing a double backflip while still holding her camera. “I’m doing a service for the community with my videos. If you can’t attend Super Hero High, at least you can watch what happens there!”
Wonder Woman noticed a serious-looking girl standing on the sidelines, taking notes. Her black hair ran past her shoulders, and she was wearing a crisp white T-shirt and clean, cuffed jeans.
“I like your necklace,” Wonder Woman said. When the girl smiled, she didn’t look serious at all. She looked warm and friendly.
“Thank you,” she said, “but do you want to know a secret?”
Wonder Woman nodded.
“It’s not a necklace…it’s my press pass.”
While Wonder Woman pondered that, the girl extended her hand. “I’m Lois Lane. I’m a reporter from Metropolis High, and I cover the super hero beat. You can find my articles on my Super News website. Whoa!” Lois suddenly exclaimed. “That’s quite a handshake you have there. Maybe you should go easy on us mortals!”
As she blinked back the pain, Lois asked, “Would you be up for an interview sometime? Metropolis citizens want to know all about the new super hero who’s going to school in the middle of their city. What do you say? I’ll treat you to the best fruit smoothie and sweet potato fries you’ve ever had.”
Wonder Woman really didn’t want any more media attention, but Lois Lane seemed nice and, well, she’d never tried sweet potato fries. Would they taste sugary, like her cereal? “Sure,” Wonder Woman said, then paused. “Are you going to write about me messing up in flight class?”
Lois Lane shook her head. “I’m sure we can come up with more interesting stuff than that.”
“Thank you,” Wonder Woman said gratefully. She wished she could tell Harley to stop airing her videos. But Wonder Woman wasn’t one to boss someone around…unless, of course, it was required for saving the world.
Trying to put her disastrous flight behind her, Wonder Woman was looking forward to her Heroes Throughout History class. “Knowing the past can help us prepare for the future,” her mother always said.
“Over here!” Katana called out.
Wonder Woman made her way toward her friends, careful not to trip over the weapons that were left in the aisles. As she sat down, she was surprised to find a note on her desk. She looked around, not sure what to do with it. She hoped it wasn’t a message like the one she’d received that morning, telling her she wasn’t welcome at Super Hero High.
“Open it,” Poison Ivy mouthed.
Wonder Woman cautiously unfolded the piece of paper. She smiled when she saw what was inside—a drawing of the five of them: Poison Ivy, Hawkgirl, Katana, Bumblebee, and Wonder Woman, with the caption FABULOUS 5!!! And when she looked around, her friends were smiling back at her.
“Fabulous Five?” Wonder Woman asked.
“It could be our team name. Um, maybe,” Poison Ivy said, her cheeks turning a shade of pink that matched the flower pin she was wearing.
“Eyes up here, class!” Liberty Belle said, ringing a miniature Liberty Bell that sat on her desk.
Wonder Woman tucked the piece of paper into her pocket. She wanted to keep it forever.
As her teacher talked, Wonder Woman admired her mass of blond hair and the Liberty Bell emblem on her sweater.
“It is wit
h great delight that I welcome Wonder Woman into my classroom,” Liberty Belle was saying. Her voice rang loud and clear. “In honor of your being here, I’ve got a special lesson plan for today!”
Wonder Woman took in a sharp breath when she saw whose picture was projected on the screen in the front of the room.
“Hippolyta is the celebrated Queen of the Amazons,” Liberty Belle said, placing her hands over her heart and adding, “and a personal favorite historical figure in my eyes. As legend has it, she rules over an island populated by female warriors, and has one daughter. Wonder Woman, please stand.”
There were pockets of applause, most enthusiastically from her corner of the room.
“I am your mother’s biggest fan,” Liberty Belle gushed, “and have read all the myths and legends ever written about her!”
As her teacher continued to sing her mother’s praises, Wonder Woman began to doubt that she could ever live up to the Amazon queen’s legacy. Growing up, Wonder Woman had always thought that her mother was the greatest person in the universe. Smart, strong, kind, and giving. But she didn’t realize that everyone else felt the same way—and expected Wonder Woman to be just like her mom. That was asking a lot. Maybe too much.
As Liberty Belle continued, the only person not taking notes was Wonder Woman. She didn’t need to. She looked down at her notepad and was surprised to find another folded piece of paper on it. She smiled. Another drawing of her and her friends, she hoped.
It wasn’t.
Inside, in block lettering, a note read:
Crash much? I’ll bet your mother never did when she was flying.
Wonder Woman looked around the room. Everyone was facing forward, looking at the teacher. Everyone but Cheetah—who was looking straight at her.
After class, Cheetah was at her locker when Wonder Woman and Katana walked by.