by R. J. Ross
"I won't lie to you," Mastermental says. "For some time, Trent was a bit frustrated being a super, much like you are now."
"Was?" Emily asks. "How do you know he isn't, still? I don't think I want to risk it--"
"He won't hurt you," Mastermental says. "I won't pretend to know what happened to you, child, I will offer my help if you ask for it, though."
Can she trust him? She steps back, feeling uncomfortable with him placing images in her head. It’s strange, disturbing, even. It doesn't hurt, or even feel intrusive which makes her even more wary. He drops his hand. "You will, of course," he goes on, "have to go to church on Sunday, school daily, and follow curfew laws. Ken is a preacher in his daily life."
She looks away, not saying that she doesn't trust religion anymore than she trusts anything else. Most likely they will be even more condescending and judgmental than the family she'd stayed with before. They'll probably beat her with the bible.
"Fine," she lies. "I'll stay with this family." At least a part of her will.
"You," Mastermental says, "not your doppelganger. It's too dangerous for you to split yourself for that long, you know. At your age you should be more careful--"
"I said I'd do it, I'll do it," she snaps.
"If there are any problems--any conflicts of any sort--I want you to call me first," Mastermental says. "I'll find a different family to put you with. Had you been in my district I would have done so a long time ago," he admits. "But you are under my protection now, thanks to the school." There's a hint of satisfaction in his voice and she abruptly wonders just how many other kids he's getting with this school.
"Trying to make little Hall members?" she says.
"No, my dear, if you desire to be a super villain I will arrange for it, as well," Mastermental says. "As long as you continue to observe the basic rules of being a cape, that is." He looks up, turning and looking at a group walking past. "Ah, there they are," he says. "Come with me, Emily, your new family is right ahead."
She hesitates, then steps forward. She can run at any time, after all. No one except for this man in front of her would possibly know the difference.
CHAPTER TWO
"He's a lot tougher than I thought he'd be," I say, grinning from ear to ear. The basketball game had been a blast. For such a shorty, Sunny could jump! He was fast, too. "Did you see that dunk?" I ask Dad.
"Yes, I saw the dunk--I'm surprised you did, since you were the one who was supposed to be guarding him," Dad drawls.
"He caught me off guard," I admit. "I mean, he could have asked to use me as a step stool before doing it." My parents start laughing, completely unsympathetic. Before I can say anything, though, Dad is holding up a hand to stop us as Double M steps into view.
"Ken," Frank says. "Nice to see you. You as well, Jeanie. And I believe I have congratulations to offer to you, Trent?" he asks. "I'm looking forward to your joining our ranks." He holds out a hand to me and I step forward, taking it.
"It's nothing huge," I say a bit sheepishly. "Just an arranged brawl with Max."
"Max is looking forward to it, I'm sure," Frank says with a slight smile.
"More than Trent is, I think," Mom admits, wrapping an arm around my waist with a proud look. "Oh, we left Liz with Nico--I think she's planning on moving in."
"So she's finally visited?" Frank asks. "Ah, forgive me, but this isn't a mere social meeting. I need to ask a favor of you. You have a guest room, correct?"
"Yes, of course," Mom says, looking a bit surprised. "Can I ask--"
Frank steps to the right, revealing the girl from the picture. "This is Emily Dreyton. She'll be going to Cape High as soon as it's officially open. I believe that will be next week?"
"Should be," Dad says. "I take it we're going to be the foster family?"
"If you don't mind," Frank says. It's an order, pretty much. Even I get that fact. Thing is, though, I was the one that mentioned signing up for something like this after I found out about Sunny and Zoe. It was barely a week ago, actually. Right after Zoe and Max had to deal with one of Zoe's ex-housemates from her foster home getting super powers somehow and almost dying because of them. It's dangerous for supers to be too close to norms, I figure.
Frank is looking at me. "You don't mind, do you, Trent?"
I look at Emily. She seems tiny to me, barely taller than five feet, skinny and delicate looking. She's cute, just like Max said, but she's glaring at me as if in challenge. Interesting, I think, that I'm the one being asked. I glance back at Dad, then at Mom, both who nod.
"I don't mind," I say, shoving my hands into my pockets. "I mean, after what happened with Zoe and Sunny, y'know? It's safer if she's in a super home--but do you mind?" I ask her. "I mean, it's kind of... I would have stuck a guy with a guy's family," I admit, looking at Frank. "Not a girl. Not that I'm going to do anything, of course," I add quickly. "It's just... a little awkward."
"You have a point," Frank agrees. "But I'm afraid your family is the only one that's volunteered for this job," 'and the only one I feel will be able to deal with this one.' For a second I think that he's said that second sentence aloud, but I realize that no one else is responding to it as I glance around. I look at him, cocking my head slightly. 'She has a habit of running off and leaving a doppelganger in her place,' he goes on silently, even as he makes idle chat with my parents. I wonder if they can hear his explanation, but they aren't showing any reaction.
'Why?' I ask.
'As far as I can tell without reading her mind, the family she was in before this were abusive in some manner. And since there were only females around her age I can only assume it was them--or the parents. I will be looking into it, of course.'
'Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be telling my parents instead?' I ask.
'Oh, I'll tell them soon enough, but you're the one that will be spending the most time with her,' he says. 'Treat her gently, boy, or I'll deal with the problem myself.' That's a warning, and we both know it.
"I'll keep her safe, I promise," I promise, looking him straight in the eyes. "On my honor as a Liberty," I add, lifting my hand in the air, the oath as serious as I can get. My parents look at me in surprise. Using the family's super name in a term like that is something I've been taught to do only in the most serious situations. It's something that's considered a binding oath as a super.
"Put a clause on that," Dad says.
"Until she no longer lives with me or my family," I add obediently, noticing the shocked look on Emily’s face out of the corner of my eye.
"Good," Dad says, patting me on the shoulder. "You've got your promise, Frank. My son's word is as good as mine."
"And mine," Mom adds.
I... really hope I can hold up my promise.
***
Mom takes Emily to the guest room as soon as we get home and I look at my Dad. "Sorry," I say. "Seriously sorry--I know I shouldn't have--"
"No," he says. "You know our rules. Yes is yes, no is no, we don't swear by anything, but a promise is different, I think." He walks over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking me in the eye. "I'm not sure what Frank told you, but if it was serious enough to make you bring out the family's honor, it's serious enough to promise to do."
"It is," I say. "She--even Frank doesn't know exactly what happened, but he thinks the last family she stayed with wasn't... good." I feel a bit lame for using that simplistic way of explaining it, but I can't come up with another way. "And since I'm a teenage guy that's staying under the same roof as her, well... I figure she needs that assurance. I don't know how seriously she'll take it, but I..." I shrug, looking down and feeling like a little kid all of a sudden. I'm almost six feet--I promise to get a lot taller, even, but this is serious stuff. Hero responsibility.
Yeah, I said it. I know a lot of norms probably don't think of it--we're harder to hurt, can fly, etcetera, so it's taken for granted that we do dangerous things. We're built for them. Thing is, it also takes a certain mindset to be a
good hero. It takes the belief that someone else's safety and wellbeing is more important than your convenience. It takes... a lot of stuff that I haven't been tested on, basically. I blink as Dad grabs my face and kisses me on the forehead.
"You're a good kid," he says. "I was worried there for a bit when you kept losing your temper, but you're turning out to be worthy of the name I've got planned."
"I will absolutely NOT become America's Grandson," I say quickly. "Never. I'll run off and join the circus before you try tossing that one on me, got it? That's got to be one of the stupidest names I've ever heard--"
He's laughing. Not just a little snicker, either, he's laughing so hard that tears are falling. "But it'd be so fitting!" he hoots, holding his stomach. "America's Son and America's Grandson working side by side--"
"Moooom!!" I shout, "Tell Dad I'm not becoming America's Grandson!"
"Tell him yourself!" she shouts back.
"I would but he's laughing too hard to hear me!"
"I'll see if they can fit it on the cape!" she yells.
"NO!" I yell. "I'm moving in with Sunny!"
"Not on a school night!"
"Then I'm moving in with Aunt Liz!"
"Okay!"
"Noooo, don't leave me," Dad says dramatically, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and putting all of his weight on me. I ignore it, dragging him along with me as I start digging through my closet. I stop, though, as I feel someone watching us, and turn to look at the stairs that lead into my room. Emily is there, crouching in the shadows and staring at us--but the moment she sees me looking back she disappears. "Huh," Dad says.
"She's a duplicator," I say silently. "She can be in two places at once."
"I see." He stands up straight, messing up my hair (which is hard because I keep it so short) and looking at me fondly. "You don't mind being tossed up against Max, do you?"
"I'm looking forward to it," I admit freely. "I figure neither of us will get seriously hurt and I'll finally be able to go head to head with someone other than you, Mom or Liz. But I think he's looking forward to it more than I am, actually. Max has this big spiel on teenage supers and how we need to step up to the plate already."
"Max was born with his gravity powers," Dad says. "He didn't have to wait until puberty. That's why he's so impatient."
"Dad... about flying--"
"It'll come," he says. "Don't worry about it. Now you've got school in the morning, so get to bed already."
"Yeah," I say, changing into my pajamas and wondering if Emily is going to appear again without me noticing. That's a bit disconcerting, actually. I mean, yeah I'm a guy, but having someone that can spy on you at any moment? I'm not quite sure what to do, honestly. It's got nothing to do with gender, I guess.
I'm tugging a tanktop on (thankfully I've already got my boxers on) when she speaks. "I don't need a bodyguard, you know." I turn to see her standing in the middle of my room with that same defiant look from earlier. "I'm perfectly fine without your stupid little boy scout oath."
"Yeah?" I say, trying to look as if she hadn't just walked in on me half dressed. I drop down on my bed, feeling rather exposed, and cross my arms over my chest.
"I figure you just want to look good in front of the real supers," she says. "Well too bad, I'm not going to be your ticket into the big leagues, so stop trying to walk over me--"
"America's Son's son," I say. "I'm a walking tank, best friends with an elementalist and already lined up to be nemesis of Maximum. I don't need a babysitting job to get into the big leagues." Okay, that might have been too harsh, I admit. "Look, Emily, I don't know what happened in your past--I figure it's none of my business, but right now you're... I dunno, like my new little sister or something, right?"
"Your--your--" she looks as if I've slapped her, I realize. For a second she looks as if I've rejected her--but that doesn't make sense, right? I just invited her into the family-- "I don't need a big brother. You just stay out of my way," she tells me, storming over to poke me in the chest with that demand. "Don't get near me, don't try and play that whole 'we're a family now' crap, either. I've been down that road before. I'm just here until I can find someplace better, got it?"
I should be offended, but my mind gets stuck on something it claims is more important. "Is this the doppelganger?" I ask, staring at her finger. I can feel it. That means if it is the doppelganger, it's solid. I try listening more closely. I can hear a heartbeat, too.
"Wh--why should I tell you?" she demands, looking a bit red now. She jerks as my hand comes up, then stares at it blankly, and cross-eyed, as I hold it under her nose.
"You're breathing," I say. "Solid, breathing, heartbeat--this isn't the doppelganger, is it," I say. "It's too good."
"It is," she tells me. "This is the doppelganger. So you'll never know which is the real me. I fooled my old foster family for weeks."
I'm staring at her, trying to find something that might tell me which is the real one and which is the fake. "How long?" I ask abruptly. "Can you keep the doppelganger around for an entire day?"
"I don't need to tell you that," she says.
"If this gets hurt, do you?"
"I don't need to tell you that, either," she says.
"How tough are you? Do you have super speed? Strength?" I ask, ignoring her attitude. "Special abilities other than the duplication thing?"
"I didn't come in here to be grilled by you!" she snaps. "I came here to tell you to stay away from me. I don't need you, I don't need your family, or even your stupid school! I'm perfectly fine on my own!"
I should be offended, I think again, watching her poke me over and over again. On some level I think I might be, but there's this look in her eyes--one that looks a lot like fear.
"Hey," I say abruptly, "it's bedtime, and I've got school tomorrow, so why don't you prove that you want nothing to do with me and go to your own room?"
"I--I don't have to do anything you tell me to!" she says. This time I catch it for sure. That's definitely a look of fear in her eyes. "Even if you threaten me!"
"I'm not going to threaten you, but I'm also not giving up my bed," I say, heading for the bathroom. "Especially not to a doppelganger," I add before closing the door behind me. I brush my teeth and wash my face, then step into an empty room. Looks like she left, after all.
***
Little sister? The very term irritates the crap out of her, Emily decides as she angrily changes into her pajamas. He was so high handed! Bragging about everything, making her out to be a weakling that needed his protection--little sister!!
Here she had been thinking he was a little cute--and he's pulling the little sister card!
She tosses the excess pillows across the room before flopping down on the bed angrily. Then she stops, her mind going straight to her foster sisters from the old home. They'd been so nice at the start, she thinks, falling back and staring at the ceiling. They'd offered her some of their clothes, treated her to ice cream, gave her privacy when she needed to cry, little things like that--but then they'd started demanding things from her. Any money she got, any friends she made, anything she might even consider hers was soon theirs. And when she finally stood up to them, they'd ganged up on her.
She was only just coming into her powers at the time. She had gone to bed beaten, hurting, but her natural healing powers rid her of any telltale marks long before she could tell the parents. She fought back the second time, but they were older, they had their super strength, and more importantly, there were two of them. It happened again... and again... until she was desperate enough to get away that she forced her doppelganger to be perfect. The doppelganger took her abuse, took her pain, and Emily? Emily slipped out the back door with a bag of clothes and twenty bucks stolen from the foster dad. She hadn't looked back. Even starving on a street corner or freezing in an alley, she hadn't looked back.
Then Mastermental showed up as she was picking through the trash, told her that she was no longer a ward of the Southern Branch, and b
rought her here. A new school, a new family, and all the old worries left from her old home. She rolls over, curling into a tiny ball under the blankets and sniffling pathetically. She just hopes that Trent had been as serious as he looked when he promised to keep her safe.
No, she thinks, she can't expect anything out of him. That will only get her hurt more when he betrays her.
But a tiny little voice in the back of her mind is whispering, "Wouldn't they just hate me if they ever saw him?" For the first time she falls asleep with a little grin on her lips, dreaming of how jealous the two would be.
***
Morning comes. I stare blankly at the alarm clock that's screaming at me, make a fist, and crush it before yawning.
"Trent! Did you kill another alarm clock?" Mom calls from the kitchen.
"It started it," I say, rolling out of bed and heading for the bathroom. There's something I'm forgetting... I'm not sure what, I realize as I get take a quick shower and tug on a pair of shorts. I'll deal with the shirt later, I decide as my stomach grumbles. I'm starving.
Mom's at the stove when I get to the kitchen, cooking. She looks at me, waving her spatula. "Put a shirt on! We've got a guest!" she tells me.
"But I'm hungry," I say, scratching my stomach.
"Trent," she warns.
"Fine," I mutter, turning and heading back down to my basement to dig up a shirt. The only one I can find, though, is the Firefly shirt that Liz gave me for my birthday. Actually I've gotten a Firefly shirt for my birthday every year since I was born, thanks to her. Egotistical aunt. When I get back upstairs, Emily's sitting at the table.
That's what I forgot, huh? I shoot my mom a look of gratitude and head to the nearest chair at the table, which just happens to be straight across from Emily. "Morning," I say, just to see how she reacts.
She gives me a dirty look.
"When people say 'morning' you're supposed to say the same," I say, leaning on the table.
"Trent, behave yourself," Mom says.