DC Super Hero Girls #1

by Lisa Yee

“Wonder Woman?” Cheetah said too loudly. “Isn’t calling yourself a woman a bit premature?”

  Katana pivoted. “Chill out, Cheetah,” she said in a low and menacing tone.

  “You chill out, Katana,” Cheetah purred.

  They glared at each other. Neither was going to back off. Both were ready to pounce.

  Wonder Woman slipped between them. “Time for our next class!” she said brightly, pulling Katana away.

  Cheetah smirked.

  Katana’s glare was as sharp as her sword. “She’s not to be trusted,” she said as Wonder Woman hurried her down the hall. “My grandmother always said to listen to your instinct, and my instinct tells me that Cheetah is bad news.”

  “Are you close to your grandmother?” Wonder Woman asked. She had never known her own grandmother, and her mother never spoke of her.

  Katana’s eyes grew soft. She nodded. Suddenly, instead of looking like an awesome Asian warrior, Katana looked lost. “I was close to her,” she said, nodding again. “She was the one who convinced my parents to let me come here. My grandmother was the first female samurai super hero. I hope to be the second.” She paused. “Sobo died in battle, singlehandedly fighting the army of an evil warlord who had been ravaging our hometown.” Then Katana pulled her shoulders back and shook off her sad memories. “I’m here to honor her.” She sighed, and then confided, “but I don’t know if I can live up to my grandmother’s legacy.”

  Wonder Woman nodded. She knew how it felt to have to live up to a legend.

  That night in the dining hall, the kitchen workers were beaming. “You’ve got fans here,” Parasite said as he mopped up a container of tapioca pudding that had splattered on the floor. No one had ever told them how much they loved their food. But Wonder Woman truly loved the chicken cubes with thick gravy lumped over toast. It was unique. And Jell-O? “Hello, Jell-O!” she kept saying when she poked it. Who knew that food could be so fun—or so wiggly?

  As Wonder Woman carried her tray and weaved in and out of the tables and other students, she almost collided with Star Sapphire again.

  “Sorry!” Wonder Woman said, raising her tray high in the air to avoid a crash. She looked at Star Sapphire’s ring. “Pretty,” she said, unable to stop staring at it.

  “It was a gift from the Violet Lanterns,” Star Sapphire told her.

  “That was nice of them!” Wonder Woman said.

  “I know,” said Star Sapphire as she motioned Golden Glider over.

  “That’s dazzling, too,” Wonder Woman said, pointing to the brooch Golden Glider wore on her right shoulder.

  “Live?” Wonder Woman asked, still looking at Golden Glider’s pin. “Does it stand for anything, or is it just, you know, ‘Live!’?”

  “Who can say?” Golden Glider said, shrugging and skating away with Star Sapphire.

  Wonder Woman was perplexed. She said, “Where can I find this ‘who’?”—but the two were all the way across the dining hall.

  “It’s because she’s a Violet Lantern,” Katana explained later. She threw a sheet of paper into the air, sliced it up with her sword, and handed Wonder Woman a string of paper super heroes. “Star Sapphire’s got that ring. It makes you like her.”

  “Please pass the popcorn,” Bumblebee said. She poured more into her bowl and then drizzled honey over it. For someone who could get so small, she had a big appetite.

  Wonder Woman’s friends had all gathered in her room. Some were sitting on her bed, others were on Harley’s, and every now and then someone would stretch out and float in the air.

  “Cookie?” Hawkgirl asked, opening a tin of home-baked chocolate chocolate chip cookies that her Abuela Muñoz had sent in her weekly care package.

  “My grandmother used to bake between battles,” Katana said.

  “My abuela was a stay-at-home hero,” Hawkgirl said.

  Wonder Woman took a bite. The cookie was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and buttery through and through.

  “She put her heroing duties aside and has raised me on her own since I was a baby,” Hawkgirl continued.

  There was an awkward silence. No one asked what had happened to Hawkgirl’s parents. At Super Hero High School, there seemed to be an unusually high number of dead parents. Occupational hazard.

  “I’m so sorry,” Wonder Woman said. The mere thought of losing her mother made her blink back tears. “Does it hurt?”

  “Of course it hurts,” Katana snapped. Wonder Woman remembered that Katana had lost her beloved grandmother in battle. “But it makes what we do all the more serious. We know the risks, unlike some wannabes. Being a super hero isn’t just fun and games. It can be life or death.”

  “Let’s remember why we’re here!” Bumblebee said brightly, attempting to sweep away the gloom that threatened to ruin the day. “We all agreed to help come up with a nickname for Wonder Woman.”

  Wonder Woman had asked for suggestions. Sure, Cheetah had probably just been trying to rile her up when she’d made fun of her name. Still, it got Wonder Woman thinking about the possibilities.

  “Where I come from, there’s no difference between a girl and a woman,” Wonder Woman tried to explain. “Every girl is a woman, and every woman is a girl. But a nickname would be pretty cool!”

  With the cookies almost gone, the brainstorming began in earnest. Everyone had ideas….

  Bumblebee: “WoWo?”

  Katana: “Double-Double-You?”

  Hawkgirl: “Amazombie?”

  Poison Ivy: “Wonderama?”

  As they continued to throw out suggestions, the door was flung open and Harley rushed in.

  “Hey, all! Gotta go!” she called, after grabbing the last cookie and her camera. “Don’t say anything fascinating unless I’m there to video it!” And then she was gone.

  Katana was about to speak when Harley leapt back in the room. “Wondy! We should call her Wondy!” she called before disappearing again.

  There was a silence while everyone mulled it over.

  “Wondy? Wondy! I like that,” Wonder Woman finally said. As the girls chanted “Wondy! Wondy! Wondy!” it started to sound better and better.

  “Looks like you have a nickname,” Katana told her.

  “Thanks to all of you. And especially Harley,” Wonder Woman—Wondy—said, feeling like she really belonged.

  Later, after the girls left, Harley came back and put her camera down. “I had heard a rumor that some of the Supers were going to move the Amethyst Tower just for fun. But apparently that was just a rumor,” Harley said, sounding disappointed. “Did you decide on your nickname?”

  “Wondy!” Wonder Woman replied.

  Harley lit up. “That’s the one I came up with!”

  Wonder Woman nodded.

  “Great!” Harley shouted, bouncing off the walls. “I’ve got another exclusive for HQTV. I’ll interview both of us! Yes! I’m building the biggest video empire in the world, and you’re a part of it, Wondy!”

  “Do I have to be?” Wonder Woman asked. “I mean, do you really need me?”

  “Of course I do,” Harley said. “Don’t worry—I’d never leave you out.”

  “Oh, okay,” Wonder Woman said. She didn’t want to upset her roommate’s plans for world media domination.

  That night, despite the comfort of her pillow, Wonder Woman had trouble falling asleep. She had read about how quickly Harley’s video channel was growing. Lois Lane’s Super News did a whole story on it. Now that Harley was about to go all out on HQTV, Wonder Woman knew the pressure on her would be even greater, with the whole world weighing in on her every move.

  What if she wasn’t up to it? What if she let people down?

  Yesterday she’d woken up as Wonder Woman. Today she woke up as Wondy. Thanks to Harley’s “exclusive,” everyone at Super Hero High and beyond already knew about Wondy’s new name. When she logged in to her email, her mother had written, Wondy? At first I wasn’t sure about the new moniker, but the more I think about it, the more I lik
e it. You are carving out your own identity at Super Hero High. I will support it.

  Daughter, the email continued, may I tell you a secret? When I was your age, my friends called me Lyta.

  Lyta. Wonder Woman said it aloud: “Lyta.” It was so beautiful, like her mother.

  Wonder Woman emailed back to thank her for understanding. She left out the expectations everyone had for her as the only daughter of “Lyta,” Queen of the Amazons. She didn’t want her mom to worry.

  A vibrant palette of color swept into Intro to Super Suits. Wonder Woman gasped at the spectacularness of it all. The teacher was draped in a brightly colored ensemble—European-cut slacks, a multicolored patchwork vest, an outrageously purple shirt with matching ascot and a pair of glasses with—impossibly—lenses that were three different colors. Wonder Woman was particularly entranced by his hair. It looked fake, like he was wearing a helmet. Maybe he is, she thought. How clever! Using one’s hair as a shield.

  Katana, whose sleek long hair was casually draped over one shoulder, nudged her. “You’re gawking,” she whispered.

  Wonder Woman closed her mouth and sat back down.

  “Welcome, Wonder Woman,” the teacher said. “I am known to the world at large as Crazy Quilt! Yes, that Crazy Quilt!” He struck a pose to give the class time to admire his outfit. As they did, Crazy Quilt looked around the room, shaking his head until he got to Star Sapphire, who was wearing an elegant violet smock over silver leggings and custom-made silver glitter high-tops. Crazy Quilt nodded appreciatively. “Not bad,” he said to Star Sapphire. “Not bad. Not good, but not bad. Bad, yes. Good, yes. I’d say good-bad. Yes, I’ve come up with a new phrase—good-bad!”

  Wonder Woman wrote good-bad in her notebook.

  “Wonder Woman, the other students have already created their own iconic super hero costumes, so you have some catching up to do. As I have told the class, your style is your first impression. It’s not just look, but function—super hero function—that’s graded. Plus, accessories are important. They can make or break a super hero. You may find this impossible to believe, but I wasn’t always the fashion maven that I am now. So as I look around the room, I think, yes! There is hope for all of you.” He paused, then added sadly, “Some more than others.

  “My shoes can hide any number of weapons,” Crazy Quilt continued as he bent over to retrieve a mini-blaster from the sole of his shoe. When he fell over, several students snickered. “Therefore,” Crazy Quilt said, jumping back up and pretending nothing had happened, “as you can all see, fashion and function can work together for your super hero costumes!

  He applauded himself and then announced, “Now let’s get started, shall we? Super heroes, continue with your costumes—make sure they pass the fire, water, weather test. Wonder Woman, teams have already been selected, but I’m putting you with Star Sapphire and Golden Glider. They will assist you, giving you input and creative criticism. At the end of two months, everyone will model their own costume. The top grade will receive the coveted Crazy Quilt Award!”

  Wonder Woman smiled and waved at Star Sapphire, who always looked like she had stepped off the pages of Super Hero Supermodel magazine—from her sleek, sparkly clothes to the way she carried herself. Star Sapphire gave an almost imperceptible nod to acknowledge her.

  “Welcome to our team,” Golden Glider said as she executed a perfect pirouette, stopping inches away from Wonder Woman. “We want to win, so just make sure you don’t mess up, okay?”

  “Okay,” Wonder Woman said. She had no intention of messing up.

  As Crazy Quilt circled the room talking about the dangers of ice storms versus dust storms versus moth storms on costumes, Wonder Woman surveyed the other teams. Katana and Hawkgirl sat side by side. Wonder Woman noted that Hawkgirl’s clothes were as conservative as Katana’s were modern and daring. Bumblebee and Cyborg were chatting happily, unlike Cheetah and Harley, who both were trying to talk at the same time. Meanwhile, Green Lantern and Frost were busy ignoring each other.

  “All eyes on me!” Crazy Quilt cried as he showed Super Hero Dos and Don’ts on the screen. Wonder Woman took notes and photos.

  “Your style speaks volumes,” he said. “You either have it or you don’t.”

  Cheetah leaned toward Star Sapphire and said, “And clearly our partners don’t have it!”

  As the two laughed, Wonder Woman wrote on her to-do list, Get it. “Unlike other schools,” Crazy Quilt was explaining, “Super Hero High prides itself on encouraging its students’ freedom of expression. Not only is it okay to mix it up and wear your super hero top with jeans and a mask, it is encouraged! Capes are the current trend for flyers and nonflyers alike. Last year, masks were all the rage, and the year before that, you couldn’t even find a decent pair of laser-deflecting gloves, they were so popular,” he informed them.

  Having worn a skort most of her life, Wonder Woman wondered if they would ever be in style. They were the height of comfort, but perhaps pants would be a nice change. And boots. With boots you could avoid some of the pitfalls of sandals, like getting a rock stuck in them. Plus boots would be better for kicking down doors and disabling enemies!

  Yes, a total costume makeover was in order, she decided.

  That night, as Harley practiced backflips and sidewinders, Wonder Woman was busy wielding the sword she had borrowed from Katana. She had to make up for lost time. How hard can it be to create a costume? Wonder Woman thought. She had studied those videos that promised, “In three easy steps, you, too, can create an outfit that will be the envy of all your friends!”

  With great enthusiasm, Wonder Woman began slashing the cloth she had brought from class. She stood back and looked at the material in front of her. Satisfied, she lassoed something from across the room, barely missing Harley, who, of course, was videoing her with interest. Wonder Woman opened the sewing kit and took out some long, deadly-looking needles. “And all I have to do is sew the pieces together!” she explained.

  Harley put her camera down. “What is that?” she asked.

  “Preliminary ideas are due tomorrow for Crazy Quilt’s class, but I thought I’d take some material and actually try out a few things. What do you think?” Wonder Woman proudly held up her costume.

  Harley squinted and blinked. “No words can describe that,” she said truthfully.

  Wonder Woman let out a big, happy sigh. “Thanks, Harley! I was worried that it looked funny.”

  The next day, Wonder Woman couldn’t wait to get to Crazy Quilt’s class. She had left her makeshift costume in her room, but came armed with pages and pages of sketches based on her design. Katana was working on fireproofing her costume, and in her notebook were only three drawings. They all looked the same to Wonder Woman.

  Star Sapphire refused to let Wonder Woman see what she had done. “The element of surprise is best for this kind of fashion,” she said. Golden Glider stood behind her, nodding.

  Wonder Woman nodded, too. It was so nice to be part of a team. Her mother had always told her that the element of surprise was best for battle. She hadn’t realized it was the same for clothes.

  Crazy Quilt clapped his hands together. “I am hoping we’ll see some groovy designs today!” he exclaimed. “When I was your age, we wore tie-dyed shirts, fringe vests, headbands, and sandals. I can’t wait to see what you have to show me.”

  Hawkgirl and Katana went first. Holding up a pencil sketch, Hawkgirl showed a simple one-piece costume.

  “What do you think of your partner’s design, Katana?” the teacher asked.

  “It’s very functional. Aerodynamic. There’s not a lot of flair, but that’s in keeping with Hawkgirl’s under-the-radar style. Great job!”

  Crazy Quilt nodded. “Yes, yes, to go understated is a bold move. Bold move! One that I’ve never had the nerve to make,” he mused. “All righty, Katana, show us what you’ve got.”

  Katana displayed the designs from her notebook as Hawkgirl stood up and said, “Simple and sleek, and the layers of black
on black make it perfect for being stealthy in the night.”

  “That’s what I was going for!” Katana said, smiling at her partner.

  Crazy Quilt pored over the sketches, nodding. “Good, bad, good-bad!” he said. “Hmmm. But soooooo much black? This is not a funeral. Well, maybe your enemy’s, but not yours. Next!”

  The teams went up two by two and showed their designs. After each critique, Crazy Quilt offered his expert opinion. Never had there been so much good-bad in one room. Finally, it was time for the last team to show what they had.

  “Nervous?” Star Sapphire asked.

  “No,” Wonder Woman answered. “Are you?”

  Star Sapphire smiled sweetly. “How could I be, with you as my partner?” she said.

  “Don’t forget me,” Golden Glider said.

  “Right. You too,” Star Sapphire replied, offering both a warm smile.

  Wonder Woman smiled back. School was even more fun than catching comets!

  Between Crazy Quilt’s observations and frequent reminiscences, the other pairs had managed to find something nice to say about each other. Even Cheetah admitted that the sketch of Harley’s blue shorts and red-and-black leggings was “not awful.”

  At last it was Wonder Woman, Star Sapphire, and Golden Glider’s turn. “You go first,” Star Sapphire said generously to Wonder Woman.

  “Oh! You can go first,” Wonder Woman said, even though she couldn’t wait to hear what her team was going to say about her design. After all, it had left Harley practically speechless, and that rarely happened.

  “Yes, you go first,” Golden Glider insisted to Star Sapphire.

  With a flourish worthy of a runway supermodel, Star Sapphire began. While other students had held up notebooks and sketchpads with loose drawings on them, Star Sapphire had an Inspiration Board, complete with fabric samples, color charts, and professional photos of herself wearing different designs.

  Wonder Woman smiled and faced the class. “It’s super great! The colors! The style! The cut and the coolness factor! I think Star Sapphire should be our fashion ambassador,” she said as Star Sapphire blushed.