by R. J. Ross
"Well, you know how it is with our hearing," he says. "She finds it rather too loud for her tastes."
"I was going to suggest that she became Justin's nemesis," Banshee admits. "But I've heard that her goals have changed?"
"Yes, I'm afraid her new boyfriend is a bad influence," Panther says, placing his hand on Sunny's head and getting a sheepish grin.
"I don't want to wear tights on a daily basis," Sunny says. "Plus she likes the idea of saving cats in their natural habitats."
This is the time I should ask Banshee about real guitar lessons, right? But she's in the middle of a conversation. I blink as a plate with a massive burger is shoved into my hands. "Here," Trent says as I take it.
"Thanks," I say, grabbing the burger off of the plate. I've got a mouthful of it when Sunny lets the bomb drop.
"Dad thinks that Jack should be Justin's nemesis." I almost choke as he grins at me. I can't even respond as Banshee and Panther look at me thoughtfully.
"It's a little imbalanced, isn't it?" Panther asks. "How sensitive are you to sound?"
"I dunno," I mumble after I gulp down my mouthful. "He just thinks it'd work because I'm thinking about going with the heavy metal look."
"And they hate each other," Sunny adds. "Justin ignores everybody else, but he's gotten into a couple of fights with Jack already."
"Well, it's an interesting idea, but I think you should pick a few others to go up against while you're doing it," Banshee says. "He's going to be busy all the time if he goes back to his music work. How about Trent?" she asks. "Although the amount of damage that might do when you're older might be a bad idea..."
"We're going to claim him publically, too," Ken calls from the grill, making me look over at him in surprise.
"Why?" I ask. "You're only going to have me for less than two years. You might as well call it another foster--"
"We want you to have a family name," Jeanie says, walking over and wrapping an arm around my waist. "Not a norm family name, a cape family name. If you don't mind?"
"You'll regret it," I say, looking her straight in the eye. "It's stupid to try and claim me. I'm usually the first one kicked out."
"He's trouble," Sunny agrees. I have a sudden urge to kick him. But I want them to be convinced, right? It's too late to try and get adopted, this is just retarded. I'm almost an adult. They're sixteen years too late.
"It's true, you're going to be a super villain," Jeanie says, still hugging me. "But you don't stop needing a family after you reach eighteen, you know. And just think of the drama we can toss into our family fights! We can try and convince you to come over to the right side!"
"And that would give you and Trent a great excuse to brawl somewhere away from people," Banshee says. "You two looked like you had fun the other night."
"It wouldn't be too bad," Trent says thoughtfully. "But he's going to have an advantage if we do it in the city. So I'll have to drag him out to the desert first."
"But you'll be able to fly by then, so both of you will have an advantage," Panther says. "Well, regardless, I look forward to seeing those fights."
As they start talking about other fights they're looking forward to, I shove the burger in my mouth. It's a good excuse to shut my mouth, plus I've been getting hungrier than usual lately. In fact the burger is gone before I know it and I'm heading for the grill to see if I can get another.
I wonder if I can get fat with metal skin. I'd look like a giant ball bearing, I bet. That'd be really stupid, especially since I'm picturing it now, a ball bearing wearing leather and riding a motorcycle--no, I gotta make sure I don't get fat.
"Want another one?" Ken asks.
"Yeah, but only one," I say. I'm a guy, I shouldn't be obsessed with gaining weight, right? Well normal guys don't have to think of being a ball bearing cape. I glance up as Emily steps up next to me, grinning and holding out her plate.
"I want a burger!" she says.
"Ditto," Ken says, flipping the burger he's cooking. "In a second."
"How can you tell she's Ditto?" I ask.
"You can't?" Ken asks.
"What's the difference?" I turn to stare at her, looking at her closely. Emily comes over, standing next to Ditto and draping an arm over her shoulders. I... have no clue.
"You can't tell?" Emily asks. "Awesome!"
"Why is it awesome?" I demand.
"Because we're going to go up against you once in a while," Ditto says cheerfully. "And if you can't tell which is which then we'll have the advantage!"
"How will you have the advantage?" I ask her--them.
"Because I can disappear," Ditto says, poofing out of existence. I hear a poof behind me and grunt as I feel her land on my back. "Gotcha."
"Burger?" Ken says, holding out a plate to me. I take it, walking over to the condiments with Ditto still hanging on my back, trying to choke me. It's not working.
"Why is your neck so hard?" she demands, tightening her hold.
"Metal," I remind her.
"Ditto!" Aubrey says, running over to us and trying to grab the girl on my back. "Get off of him!"
"I need to figure out how to take him down!" Ditto says, grabbing my ears. I feel more weight on my back.
"Get off, we're not fighting now," Aubrey says from behind me. Tell me she didn't just jump on top of Ditto. I squirt some mustard on my bun and put my burger together, taking a bite. It's either that or get seriously thrown off by the idea of girls climbing all over me.
Okay, maybe it's that AND getting seriously thrown off. I almost jump out of my skin as a pair of legs wrap around my waist. HOW does Trent handle having two girls climbing all over him all the time?
"You're blushing," Ditto whispers in my ear. "You're as big a pervert as Trent."
"You're the one climbing on a guy that's not your boyfriend," I point out, wondering how she can tell. I hear a poof and Aubrey let out a yelp before being grabbed again from behind.
"I almost fell off," Aubrey says, hugging me from behind. "Ditto, you jerk! Warn me next time!"
"You know," I say, "I ain't that tall."
I feel her go perfectly still before she slowly slides off my back. I glance back at her, just to see her face. She's looking down, but it's blatantly obvious that she's bright red. It's about time. Then she grins. "I beat Ditto," she brags.
"No you didn't!" Ditto yells from where she's hanging on Trent.
"Yes she did," Trent says.
"No she didn't!"
***
Derrick stares blankly at the brick wall in front of him, wondering if he should try and find a friend's place to crash at. He can't go back to his usual place, not tonight. Tony put out word that he was a wanted man, and as far as Derrick can tell, the word is still out. He even hesitates to go to one of his friends' places, knowing that most of them liked cold hard cash better than him, anyway. He knows he does.
He leans his head back against the bricks behind him, staring up past the towering apartment complex to the sky above. It doesn't look like it's going to rain, at least. Maybe he should find a bridge, though, just in case. There's one not too far away.
He stops as his cell phone rings, patting his many pockets to find it. "Yeah?" he answers finally.
"I was just wondering," Gina says, "do you want to go to the movies this weekend?"
"Sorry, this weekend's not going to work," Derrick says.
"Oh--I mean, of course you've got a date--"
"Not a date, I just need to... go to work." If he can find Jack, that is.
***
"I'll take the elevator with you," Aubrey says as we start back into the apartment. I look at her for a second, abruptly nervous. It's really hard to ignore the signs, okay? I mean, she's pretty obvious about liking me. I like that, honestly. I mean, it's a shock, sure, especially after having such a huge thing for Zoe, but--
She slips into the elevator as I step in, stopping a few feet away and blushing slightly as if only now getting embarrassed. I can't help but remember
the talk with Zoe in this very elevator. She looks... way out of my league. What in the hell am I thinking? I definitely need to get this over with. Sooner or later she's going to realize just who I am. A girl like this needs a nice guy, one with a future. And as much as this group talks about my future, they don't know me. I'm going to blow it sooner or later.
I don't need to drag Aubrey down with me.
"So," I say, moving closer so she's backing up against the wall of the elevator. "You wanna be alone or somethin?" I ask, leaning on one arm placed over her head. I've got her cornered and she knows it. There's a hint of worry in her eyes. That's what I wanted, right?
"Yeah," she says. "Um... Ditto says I should get to know you, and you're always surrounded by people, so it's hard to do."
"We're all alone right now," I say, looking her straight in the eye. She's going to panic, right? I mean, metal man looming over you--man she's cute. I lean down, tilting my head slightly and brushing my lips over hers. She's going to slap me. That's what usually happened in the past--it's not happening. In fact she leans forward, kissing me back. Her arms come up, resting on my shoulders as we kiss.
I dare to slide my fingers into her hair, pulling her closer. This--I mean, wow. Just... wow.
I barely hear the elevator doors open. The wolf whistles and clapping, on the other hand, are definitely heard. Aubrey jumps away as if she's been burnt, then races away like a cat chased by a dog. I look at the audience, Trent, Emily, Ditto and Sunny, and know I screwed up royally. That did NOT turn out how I planned it. But I can still taste her on my lips, I think as I walk past them and into the Styles' apartment, heading for my room.
I wasn't going to drag Aubrey into this, right? I was trying to scare her off. So why do I feel like the world just became a heck of a lot better? (And that I might suck as a super villain if I can't even scare off a teenage girl?)
***
He. Had. Kissed. Her. The thought is repeating over and over in her mind as Aubrey heads for her bedroom. She drops down on her bed, grabbing her pillow and hugging it to her chest. They'd kissed! They'd actually kissed! But--but wasn't this going really fast?
She goes still, suddenly worried that she had done the wrong thing by kissing him back. He hadn't even asked her out--he hadn't even said that he liked her! The closest he'd come to that was saying he didn't mind her talking so much! She buries her face in the pillow. She shouldn't have kissed him, she should have told him it was too soon, or that she wanted to go on a date or try being boyfriend and girlfriend first--
But that's pretty hard to do when the first person you've ever crushed on is about to kiss you. It had been close to impossible to even think, she admits, much less think of a line like that. She lets out a sigh, looking up from the pillow as a tiny smile pulls at her lips. It had been the perfect first kiss, she decides. Gentle and sweet, a little cool, sure, but perfect.
"So?" Ditto asks, popping up in front of her. "You're going out, right?"
"I... think so?" Aubrey says, flushing brightly.
"You think so," Ditto repeats. "You were making out with him in the elevator!"
"It--but--he--" Aubrey stutters.
"Was it like kissing a pole?" Ditto asks curiously. "You probably shouldn't kiss him in cold weather, you might get stuck." Aubrey feels her ears burning as someone in another room starts laughing. She's almost positive it's because of the pole comment. She bats Ditto with her pillow.
"That wasn't funny," she complains as Ditto laughs.
"But she's got a point!" Emily says, coming in and climbing onto the bed as well.
"Of course you think she's got a point, she is you," Aubrey says.
"She doesn't know if they're dating," Ditto says to Emily.
"You just need to make him admit it in public, maybe?" Emily offers. "If you want we can pass the word around that you two were kissing, that way nobody gets any ideas about trying to get him."
"They won't," Aubrey says. "I don't think he's even talked to the other zoo kids, and everyone in your group is taken... except there's the whole Zoe thing, still."
"It's in your head," Emily says. "Zoe wouldn't trade Max for anyone, I mean, she actually picked him over TRENT."
"Only a crazy person would pick someone over Trent," Ditto agrees. "She's got to be crazy."
"Absolutely," Emily agrees.
Aubrey stares at them both. "You two are so biased," she points out when it doesn't do the job.
"No we aren't!" Emily says.
"Well, maybe a little," Ditto admits.
***
The beeping is steady for the moment, which is a relief, Star thinks as she runs a hand over her face. For a while there it had been touch and go. She glances back at the man on the table, seeing his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm and lets out a sigh. She hasn't slept in days. Not when it's just her and him in this gloomy, drafty basement. Their test subjects are gone, left behind with the last hasty move, their equipment the bare minimum and that was only because of the Collector. Who is, she had found out, still in intensive care at the moment, stuck in a coma. Who knew when he'd come out of it?
Which, honestly, she admits now, is a good thing. Without Distort backing her up there's no way she'll be able to capture all of his precious pets. Not when they're under Hall care. But she has all their information, since there was always the chance that she would be expected to fulfill her side of the promise. For a norm, Collector isn't one you wanted to get on the wrong side of. Not when you need the money.
Absently she brings up the files on the kids in question, wondering if there is anything worth checking out. The first file is Collector's most precious child, the power stealer. Morgan is interesting, Star admits to herself. She's without limits, in a way, but in another way, she notes, she's extremely limited. Fifteen minutes before losing the stolen powers. Star scrolls down the file, reading quickly. Unable to control what powers she does steal, as well. It's to be expected, though. Morgan is young, just coming into her powers. They could easily be used against her.
The next one, then. She clicks her mouse and brings up the next file. A pyrokinetic. Typical, she thinks, barely glancing at the information. Nothing she needs, especially since the boy can't even create the flames yet. She clicks the next file, looking at the rather non-heroic looking female's picture for a long, long moment. There are usually certain tells in hero children. They tend to be beautiful or sharp in appearance, thin, with striking coloration--but this girl isn't. She's pretty, yes, in a soft, almost chubby way, but she's the type of girl that wouldn't stand out even if she were the only one in the room.
"Aubrey Shetler," Star reads, feeling that something quite interesting is about to come up. "Healer, possible Specialized S class with time," she says, her mouth going dry, her hands going clammy. An actual healer... she had never thought she'd find one. It's no wonder that the girl looks like a typical teenager, she realizes. What better natural camouflage could there be for the most important type of hero there was?
"Distort, honey? I think we found ourselves a new friend," she says to the inert man behind her. Her heart is pounding with expectation. Perhaps it's too soon to give up on Distort, after all.
***
So... think it was her first kiss? I'm stuck on that question, okay? I'm actually awake before Jeanie knocks on the door and I hear Trent curse in the room next to mine, followed by a definite crunching noise that cuts off that annoying beeping sound. So she'd been telling the truth. How many alarm clocks do they have to buy?
Yeah, well, anyway, back to the important question. Did I dream that Aubrey kissed me back? I don't think I did. I reach up, touching my mouth as I remember what happened. She absolutely had kissed me back. Does that mean we're dating? Hell if I know. Maybe she just likes making out with bad boys, or maybe she's messing with my head because I tried to mess with hers, and now she'll act like it never happened.
"Jack, time to get up!" Jeanie calls.
I groan and toss my sheets off, not bot
hering to get dressed. I seriously don't think Jeanie will care if I'm running around in boxers, considering the rest of the family. Besides, I want to grab a shower. You know, one of the most awesome parts of living in a small family is the bathroom time. At Marge's place we had a timer set up in the bathroom, and you had to get it all done before it rang or you had extra cleaning duty that day.
I step out of the room, yawning loudly. "I'm grabbing a shower," I call to them as I head for the bathroom. You know, I never see Ken in the morning. I'm pretty sure he's awake, though. I wonder what he's doing. Not that I care. I totally don't care, okay? Just making small... thought... oh shuddup already. You'd wonder too.
I close the bathroom door behind me, ignoring Trent starting to laugh. I've got no idea what he's laughing about, but I don't care. I've got a shower to take--a HOT shower. You have no idea how awesome it is not having to worry about the water going cold all of a sudden.
***
"Well," Jeanie says, ignoring how Trent is dying from laughter. "I'm so glad you girls could come over for breakfast!" Aubrey is absolutely bright red as she stares at the bathroom door, and Emily has a curious look on her face.
"So is EVERYTHING metal on him?" Emily asks.
Trent stops laughing. "Emily," he says in a warning tone.
"Is his butt metal?" she asks Trent. "Then he'd have buns of steel!"
"He's got a six pack of steel!" Aubrey announces with a hint too much pride.
"Well yeah, I saw that part," Emily says.
"Can we stop talking about Jack's--Jack?" Trent demands. "And I've got an eight pack, beat that," he adds in a mutter, looking jealous.
"All we've got is your word on that," Emily says, heading over to poke him in the stomach. They start wrestling as Aubrey looks for something to keep herself occupied with. Finally she gives up and heads for the table to sit down and wait for Jack to get out of the shower.