by Lisa Yee
Wildcat called out a warning. “Supergirl, be careful! I think you’ve proven yourself.”
Supergirl couldn’t hear him, instead focusing on the cheers from her classmates. Buoyed by their encouragement, she was determined to really give them a show—something to remember her by. Taking in a deep breath, she began to zip across the sky still holding Beast Boy Dino aloft on her pinky. Students all across Super Hero High stopped to look out their classroom windows to witness the spectacle. But then, when Supergirl passed the Deadly Double Dutch willow trees Bumblebee had just planted, Beast Boy Dino’s nose began to twitch…
Supergirl felt his sneeze coming on and then…ACHOO!!! Before she could say “Excuse you,” Beast Boy Dino began to topple and plummet to the ground!
Just before he was about to crush Miss Martian, Wonder Woman bulleted into the sky and caught him, giving him a chance to morph into a tiny bird. He let out a squeaky sneeze and flew away, embarrassed. Beast Boy landed on his feet and hopped away to catch his breath and recover while Supergirl skidded into Wildcat, knocking him over.
“Supergirl,” he growled. “Your antics put everyone in danger. That’s not what we do here. You’d better learn to control your powers before an innocent person gets hurt!”
Supergirl hung her head. Cheetah purred. Harley got it all on video.
Sure enough, the video of Supergirl dropping Beast Boy Dino broke viewing records. Harley was ecstatic. “Thanks, Supergirl,” she gushed, doing a triple backflip. “My ratings are sky-high! You’re the best!”
Supergirl didn’t feel the best. She felt the worst. Even worse than the worst. The worst-est. Was that even a word? If it wasn’t, it should be, Supergirl thought. Maybe in the dictionary it could say “worst-est” and have her photo next to it.
“Are you okay?” Barbara asked. “Um, I saw the video on ‘Harley’s Quinntessentials.’ ”
Supergirl didn’t feel like smiling, but she did anyway. “I’m fine! I feel great! Everyone makes mistakes, right? And did you see Wondy? Wow! She really saved the day when she caught Beast Boy Dino before he crushed Miss Martian.”
“You have a great attitude. I like that about you,” Barbara said as she pored over Supergirl’s strength charts. “Say, do you know that you got a D-minus on the strength test?”
Supergirl nodded. She knew, and so did the rest of the school. It was times like these that she wished Super Hero High were more like Korugar Academy, with no tests, no pressure, no “Harley’s Quinntessentials.” There was enough talk of her mess-up everywhere else.
On the ever-popular Super Hero Hotline TV show, which spotlighted all the super hero and super-villain gossip, the host patted her tall orange hair and leaned into the camera, whispering, “Is Supergirl all washed up?”
Before she finished winking, her cohost twirled the tips of his impressive mustache and in a faux whisper said, “I won’t name names, but people are wondering about her. She came out of nowhere, and suddenly she’s supposed to be the most powerful teen in the world?” He wagged his finger. “I don’t think so!”
“But she did popularize the chicken dance!” the woman added.
Both hosts leapt up and began dancing and clucking right into the commercial break.
“Well, let’s get to work,” Babs said, as she switched off the two dancing TV hosts on her phone. Supergirl nodded with relief. “I want you to practice your midair stops and starts,” Barbara was saying. “Your climbing could use some work, too. Try this,” she continued, scaling up a rock wall in record time.
For a non-Super, Barbara had some serious skills.
“Babs, I don’t feel well,” Supergirl said, honestly. “Do you mind if we skip training today?”
Barbara looked surprised. “Oh, okay. Sure, no problem. I hope you feel better soon.”
“Little chance of that,” Supergirl muttered.
“What was that?” Barbara asked.
“I said, I’m sure I will,” she said, giving her friend a small smile. “I gotta go. See you later.”
That week, Supergirl barely muddled through her classes. When her teachers asked, “Any questions?” everyone waited for Supergirl to say something. But she didn’t. It seemed like the entire world and beyond had seen Harley’s video of Supergirl’s airborne disaster, and that, of course, included the student body of Super Hero High. Supergirl watched from the old bell tower as teens congratulated Wonder Woman on her spectacular save.
PLOP!
The kindly cafeteria lady ladled some unidentifiable food onto Supergirl’s plate. Normally, she would ask how it was made and compliment the chef. But not today. Today she kept her head down, hoping no one would notice her. She even wore a disguise, albeit not a very good one—a baseball cap with her blond hair tucked under it, a blanket draped over her shoulders as a toga, and dark sunglasses.
Supergirl picked up her tray and headed to the far corner of the dining hall. Looking down at her lunch, she recalled Aunt Martha’s amazing meals. She wondered if the Kents had seen the video of her epic fail. Probably not. They could barely figure out how to set their electronic alarm clock…good thing for roosters.
As she pushed her food around her plate, Supergirl’s ear began to itch. She scratched it and heard snippets of conversations around the room. Cheetah was saying, “Who is that Barbara Gordon girl anyway? She’s hanging around the school so much, if you didn’t know better you’d think she goes here.”
At another table, Bumblebee and Hawkgirl gathered around The Flash, who was showing them something on his tablet and saying, “Too many things are going wrong…I think Super Hero High may be a target…valuable books are still going missing…but no time to…and now, three weeks later, the Boom Tubes security breaches have started again.”
Near one of the five emergency exits, Katana was saying to Miss Martian, “This is not criticism, but maybe you should go invisible a little bit less often. Hey! Where’d you go?”
Supergirl was surprised that she didn’t hear anyone talking about her.
Without warning, a loud buzzing filled the air, threatening to burst Supergirl’s eardrums. She silenced her super-hearing.
“ALERT! ALERT!” the PA system boomed. “This is not a test. Super Hero High is on ALERT. Everyone report to the auditorium immediately.”
In less than a half second the dining hall was empty, and in two seconds, everyone was seated in the auditorium. Principal Waller stood onstage with her hands behind her back, looking serious as she paced.
“Students, as some of you may already know, there has been an increase in suspicious activity here at Super Hero High,” Waller said. Supergirl observed the Junior Detective Society members nodding grimly. “We have reason to believe that an outside force is trying to infiltrate our school. That’s why we’ll be on Level Seven Alert—Level Ten being the highest—until notified otherwise.”
There was a discernible shift in the room. Level 7 Alert! Though few would admit it, most students at Super Hero High were anxious to try out their powers in real life. Enough of this testing and practice stuff—bring on the super-villains!
Supergirl peered over the top of her sunglasses. With the school on alert she felt silly sitting in the auditorium wearing her blanket. Perhaps there were more important things to think about than her viral video.
“Each Super will be assigned to a homeroom,” Waller announced. “We’ll forgo math and a couple of other classes for now and in the near future, instead focusing on Weaponomics, Flyers’ Ed, and phys ed. Please check the homeroom sheets in the hallway and head there immediately. Your teachers will fill you in on more.”
There was a rush out the door as the students ran around her. Left alone in the empty auditorium, Supergirl whipped off her baseball cap, sunglasses, and toga to reveal her iconic costume underneath…the one that made Crazy Quilt cry. The one she now wore with confidence. Supergirl flashed back to her first day at Super Hero High, and to her training, her friends, and to what lay before her. Standing tall with h
er hands on her hips, all became clear.
More than anything in the world, Supergirl wanted to be…a super hero.
As Supergirl joined the Supers in the hall, she passed Waller, who was talking to Barbara.
“I don’t mind the overtime,” Babs was saying. “I look forward to it. Anything I can do to help Super Hero High.”
“Great,” Waller said. “I’ll talk to your father about it.”
Soon, Supergirl was listening with rapt attention to everything Liberty Belle was saying. “We don’t know who or what it is yet….”
Off to the side, she could hear Cheetah holding court and whispering. “I heard from Green Lantern, who heard from Frost, who heard from Adam Strange, who heard from Bumblebee, who overheard Ivy telling Hawkgirl and The Flash that it’s the Boom Tubes again….”
“I can’t wait to go into battle,” Supergirl heard Cyborg announce. “I’ve never been more ready!”
“I’m going to sharpen my swords as soon as we get out of here,” Katana told Harley, who replied, “I’m going to do a special on this called Super Hero High Super Security Task Force. It’ll be a reality show!”
As her fellow students talked excitedly about testing their powers in a real fight, Supergirl found she couldn’t join in the bravado. Though she had a keen sense of right and wrong, she wasn’t looking forward to heading into battle. Instead, Supergirl wanted peace and justice, and hoped that it could be achieved without fighting. She wanted to help, not harm.
After all, Supergirl knew firsthand what destruction could do.
For the next few days Supergirl kept mainly to herself. Katana and Bumblebee tried to include her in their conversations, and Wonder Woman insisted that they sit together in class. With all that was going on at school, everyone felt bonded together—but Supergirl just wasn’t feeling it.
As she walked through the dining hall gripping her tray, Supergirl was having trouble controlling her super-hearing again. Conversations began swirling around her, mixing in with memories of conversations past.
“The tests are back. It’s a guadua longifolia!” Poison Ivy said, knowingly.
“What test?” The Flash asked. “Guad lo foli who? What language are you speaking?”
“Testing that leaf,” Hawkgirl reminded him. “From outside the Boom Tubes door.”
“My numbers are through the roof,” Harley boasted.
“We need to keep an eye on everyone,” Waller said.
“Guadua longifolia!” Poison Ivy said again. “That’s the scientific name for bamboo.”
Supergirl looked over at Vice Principal Grodd, who was sitting at the far end of the faculty table munching on a big bowl of bamboo and wiping his sweaty brow with his red handkerchief. The Junior Detective Society members were eyeing him, too.
With the school on alert, their super hero training was even more important than ever. Supergirl knew that she had to regain her dignity during the upcoming speed test. She’d been training hard with Barbara, who told her, “Believe in your super self.”
“I believe in my super self,” Supergirl repeated as she stood at the starting line. “I believe in my super self.”
Wonder Woman stood nearby for moral support. “You can do it, Supergirl!” she cheered. Katana, Hawkgirl, Poison Ivy, and Bumblebee nodded as the red light on Harley’s video camera lit up so she could start filming.
Supergirl took a deep breath.
Wildcat called out, “Three…two…one…go!!!!”
Before anyone had a chance to blink, Supergirl took off running. Her legs were going so fast they were a blur, and her arms pumped to gain more speed. She felt good. In control. Nothing could stop her!
“Ninety-five!” Wildcat called out as Supergirl streaked past the finish line. “You got a ninety-five on the speed test!”
But Supergirl didn’t have time to bask in her glory. Just then, the security alarm sounded, and without breaking stride, she instinctively headed toward the Boom Tubes door.
The first one there, Supergirl was soon joined by Principal Waller. Though The Wall didn’t possess any of the traditional superpowers, she could seem faster, smarter, and stronger than most of her students by sheer willpower.
Brushing past Supergirl, Waller bent down. “Dents and scratches,” she said, astonished. “These doors are supposed to be damage proof.”
“What do you think happened?” Supergirl asked. Could someone have broken into the Boom Tubes? she wondered. Was there someone else at school as curious about the Boom Tubes as she was? Someone who was willing to risk breaching security? Or did someone have a more sinister plan in mind?
Waller shook her head. “This is a mystery.”
The Junior Detective Society arrived. Without speaking, the trio set to work. The Flash dusted for prints. Bumblebee used an X-Acto ruler to measure the indents. Hawkgirl took photos.
“Give me a full report,” Waller said to Grodd, who stood nearby awaiting orders. “Continue with super hero training. We’ve got this under control for now. Keep Barbara Gordon in the loop. She’s on her way. I’ve got to make sure the rest of the campus is secure!” The Wall ordered as she marched down the corridor. Vice Principal Grodd went in the other direction.
“Animalistic,” The Flash noted, still staring at the scratches.
“Gorilla-istic?” Hawkgirl asked.
“Another one,” Poison Ivy commented, holding up a bamboo leaf.
“Gorilla Grodd!” they said in unison.
“He is a reformed villain,” The Flash said.
“And there was that bamboo leaf left here last time there was a security breach,” Hawkgirl added.
“He gets nervous when anyone talks to him,” Poison Ivy pointed out.
“Is that enough evidence to go on?” Supergirl asked.
All the Supers looked at her, surprised she was even there.
“Just asking,” she said. “Never mind.”
“…so, in conclusion,” Principal Waller told the assembly, “Super Hero High will continue to be on alert until otherwise noted. Wonder Woman will be organizing a group of volunteers to monitor the Boom Tubes door around the clock, and…Yes, Beast Boy?”
“If we volunteer, does this mean we can get out of class?” he asked. Several Supers crossed their fingers.
Waller sighed. “Wonder Woman is in charge of scheduling. This is nothing to joke about. The security of Super Hero High is in question! That is all—you are dismissed!”
With speed and efficiency worthy of an Amazon princess, Wonder Woman organized the volunteers. Most everyone wanted to participate. Some Supers even volunteered for multiple shifts. The teachers agreed to monitor the monitors. Granny Goodness offered to supply cookies and hot chocolate to those who took the night shift.
Excitement was in the air. Everyone had a theory. This wasn’t like when the teachers’ cars were found in trees, or when someone melted all the lockers. This was no joke.
ALERT!!!!
When the Save the Day Alarm rang, the students hesitated, waiting for Bumblebee, or someone—anyone—to tell them it was just a drill. Only no one did, and in the nanosecond it took for this to sink in, every student at Super Hero High was ready to go. This was what they had been training for. Suddenly, everyone was serious. Even Beast Boy.
Wonder Woman led the charge, barking out orders. There was no time for social graces. Supergirl jetted up in the air and joined Wondy as they flew to Metropolis side by side. As they rounded the roof at the corner of the Ace Athletic Supplies building, Wonder Woman pointed to something. Using her super-vision, Supergirl homed in on a ten-foot-tall woman punching a hole in the window of Eclipso Jewels. The woman grabbed a fistful of diamond necklaces and shoved them into her oversized handbag. Before anyone could intervene a security guard showed up. The woman grinned and punched him hard, sending him flying. As he fell to the ground, Miss Martian cried, “It’s Giganta!” before turning invisible.
Instantly, Wonder Woman yelled, “Supers on the ground—Harley, Che
etah, Katana, Ivy, The Flash—surround the store in the Secret Snake maneuver. Supers in the air—Bumblebee, Hawkgirl, Beast Boy, Green Lantern, and the rest of you—split into four quadrants and form the Danger Diamond formation, ready to attack….”
As Wonder Woman continued calling plays like a quarterback, Supergirl waited for her instructions. It seemed like every Super from Super Hero High was given an assignment but her. Was Wondy upset that she had tried to upstage her with the strength test, using Beast Boy the way she had? Or perhaps she’d been presumptuous to fly next to Wonder Woman on this dangerous mission. With everyone getting into position, Wonder Woman looked at Supergirl and wrinkled her nose. “What are you waiting for, Supergirl? You’re with me!”
Supergirl’s heart soared as the duo sped toward the Eclipso storefront. “Giganta! Put the jewels down right now!” Wonder Woman called out, her voice strong.
Giganta looked up, surprised to be surrounded by an army of teen super heroes on the ground and in the air. Slowly, she grinned and began to grow bigger and bigger until she eclipsed the Eclipso building, her shadow almost making it look like day had turned to night.
“When she grows, she gets more aggressive,” Supergirl shouted. All her research on heroes and villains had finally come in handy!
Giganta picked up a minivan and hurled it at Wonder Woman, who blocked it with her shield. Using the nearby parking lot as her personal arsenal, Giganta flung car after car as Wonder Woman deflected them.
People on the streets were cheering, but Supergirl knew it wasn’t safe for spectators. A man fainted when an electric car barely missed him. Instantly, Hawkgirl swooped in and carried him to safety.
“Bumblebee!” Wonder Woman called out. “Get into position!”
Bumblebee nodded and shrank down to the size of an eraser. “Three, two, one…go!” Wonder Woman ordered. On command Bumblebee flew directly toward Giganta, then let go a stinger blast. Shock turned to pain as Giganta ripped a streetlight from the ground. She thrashed the light like a fly swatter at Bumblebee, who buzzed around her head, gleefully dodging and dancing, and singing, “Being a super hero is fun!”