by Lee Bacon
“Hi,” I said. “Have we—”
“Met before?” The girl shook her head. “We haven’t.”
“Well, my name’s Joshua.”
A mischievous grin formed on her face. “I know.”
I stared at her. First the out-of-control bus without a driver, then the tanning salon employee who could change her appearance, and then a complete stranger who knew my name.
There’d been way too much craziness packed into one morning.
I opened my mouth to ask what the heck was going on, but my voice was drowned out by the sound of the returning pod.
“I’ll go next!” the girl volunteered. She fixed her mysterious smile on me for a moment longer, then climbed into the tanning bed.
Once the pod had whooshed out of the room again, I glanced up at Brandy. “The way you transformed back there—that’s your power?”
Brandy nodded. “It’s called Shifting.”
“So that means you can be anyone you want to be?”
“Pretty much,” Brandy said in a dull voice.
“That’s awesome! The first thing I’d do would be to change myself into someone taller. And stronger. Or maybe I’d impersonate the president for a little while, just to see the looks on people’s faces.”
Brandy smiled knowingly, like she’d done all that and a lot more. “Shifting can certainly be fun. The unfortunate thing is you spend so much time pretending to be other people, you start to forget who you really are.”
I guess we had more in common than I’d thought. Like Brandy, I’d spent a lot of my life pretending to be someone I wasn’t. Maybe I couldn’t alter my appearance, but I’d been through enough false identities to last a lifetime. Several lifetimes, actually.
When the tanning bed reappeared, Brandy said, “Your turn.”
I still wasn’t 100 percent sure, but after seeing the others go before me, I couldn’t back out. I climbed inside the tanning bed and settled onto the soft cushion.
“See you soon.” Brandy smiled down at me. Then she lowered the top, and everything went dark.
Something clicked near my head: the sound of the pod locking closed. Next came the humming sound that I’d heard before—except louder now, pulsating all around me.
I waited with my sweating hands clasped by my sides. And then—all at once—everything kicked into motion.
It was like I was on one of the roller coasters back at AwesomeWorld. Except this time I was on my back, sandwiched inside a tanning bed. The pod swayed—first right, then left. The force pulled my body with each turn, but I was too tightly packed inside to slip around.
After following a sharp curve, the pod began to slow down. Just as it seemed to be coming to a stop, an eerie feeling came over me. There was a moment of nothingness.
And that was when the floor dropped away.
My stomach shot up into my throat as I plummeted downward. The pod veered and twisted. All I could do was clench my teeth and wait for it to be over.
When everything finally leveled out and the pod coasted to a stop, I let out a relieved breath. My entire body felt jittery from the ride.
With a sharp click, the top of the tanning bed was unlatched and lifted upward. Light washed into the enclosed space. I blinked, waiting for my vision to adjust. All I could see was the dark silhouette of someone standing above me.
8
“Welcome! You must be Joshua!”
The man standing beside the tanning bed was small and stocky, with a stomach that bulged out in front of him. He was mostly bald, but a dense thicket of hair poked out from beneath the collar of his shirt, as if all the hair on his head had migrated downward and eventually settled on his chest.
“My name’s Gavin,” he said in a gruff voice. “Gavin Garland.”
I climbed out of the tanning bed and wobbled in place on unsteady legs. Looking back where I’d just been, I was suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment. A charred black burn mark stretched across the inside of the tanning bed. It was shaped exactly like my body.
Spontaneous combustion. You never quite know when it’s going to kick in.
“S-sorry,” I said. “That happens sometimes when I get excited.”
“No need to apologize,” Gavin said. “The journey to headquarters tends to provoke strong emotions. And strong emotions trigger the powers of Gyfted children. I had to cover my eyes when I opened the pod and saw your friend Sophie inside. She was glowing quite brightly.”
The mention of Sophie made me realize that she wasn’t there with us. And neither was Milton.
“Excuse me,” I said, “but I was just wondering—”
“Where your friends are?” Gavin smiled. “Not to worry. They’re in the main room.”
I had a lot more questions, but Gavin was already moving at a quick pace. “Come with me,” he called without turning around. “We have a busy morning ahead of us.”
I jogged to catch up, following Gavin down a twisting corridor. Along the way, I noticed a series of tiny video cameras attached to the ceiling. They swiveled to track me everywhere I went.
Gavin led me through a doorway and into a vast open space. The walls and floor were completely white, stretching out in all directions, making it tough to tell where the floor ended and the walls began. There was nothing else in the room—no furniture, no windows. A sea of white that looked endless, even though I knew it couldn’t be.
In the middle of all this were Sophie, Milton, and the weird know-it-all girl. Beside them was a guy who looked a couple of years older than the rest of us. There was something oddly familiar about him. He had a confident smile and light brown hair that swept over his forehead.
Gavin gestured to the group. “I believe you already know Sophie and Milton. And this is Miranda.” He pointed to the dark-haired girl. She waved, shooting me another mischievous grin.
Next Gavin turned his attention to the older guy.
“And this is nFinity.”
That was why he looked so familiar. nFinity was one of the most famous superheroes in the country. Although he was only fifteen, he showed up regularly on YouTube videos and daytime talk shows. He was a regular in the pages of Super Scoop, the magazine devoted to superheroes and supervillains. Super Scoop covered hard-hitting news like “Which Evildoer Was Spotted Kissing Her Archnemesis in a Nightclub?” or “How Raven Fury Lost Twenty Pounds by Exercising with a Mutant!”
The reason I hadn’t recognized nFinity was because he wasn’t wearing his usual uniform and mask. Instead, nFinity was sporting a more casual look: a fashionably wrinkled T-shirt and blue jeans.
As we approached the group, I cast a puzzled glance around the enormous room. “Where’s everyone else?”
“There is nobody else,” Gavin replied. “Gyfted and Talented is a very selective program. We only invited the best of the best.”
“But …” I thought back to the brochure, the images of happy kids sitting around a holographic campfire. “I guess I kind of expected something more like—”
“Summer camp?”
“Well … yeah.”
“The highly confidential nature of this program requires a certain amount of misleading advertising. The truth is, Gyfted and Talented goes far beyond any ordinary summer camp.”
Gavin must’ve noticed the hesitation that was still gripping me.
“No need for concern.” His face formed into an assuring smile. “If you aren’t happy here, you’re welcome to leave anytime. I only ask that you stick around long enough to find out what we’re all about.”
I felt a little of my reluctance fall away. “All right.”
“Excellent!” Gavin clapped his hairy hands together and ushered me to join the rest of the group. “Now—before we proceed, I believe this would be the best time to dismiss our uninvited guest.” Gavin’s gaze shifted toward Milton. “I’m terribly sorry, my boy, but this meeting is only for those who’ve been chosen.”
“But—but I had an invitation,” Milton stammered.
&n
bsp; “Your forgery may have convinced Brandy, but it’s not going to work on me. This is an elite group. And unfortunately, Milton, I’m afraid you weren’t selected to be a part of it.”
Milton’s face dropped. His bottom lip quivered. I’d seen him get skipped over when teams were being picked. I’d seen kids tease him and call him names. But I’d never seen him look this devastated before.
“You were able to make it this far,” Gavin said. “Which shows that you’re quite clever. But I’m afraid that isn’t enough to be a part of this group. Now, if you wouldn’t mind waiting in the corridor until we can escort you back to ground level—”
“If he can’t join, then I’m not joining either!”
I heard my own voice echoing across the room before I realized that I was the one who’d spoken. Gavin swung around to stare at me. His genial grin dropped away, revealing a sharp glare. For a short, bald man, he could be really intimidating when he wanted.
The look lasted only a second before his features returned to what they’d been before. As he opened his arms, his eyebrows rose over a glowing smile, making him look like an amused uncle.
“It’s admirable to see such loyalty for your friend! But I assure you, Milton wouldn’t fit in this group. He doesn’t possess the same … abilities as the rest of you.”
My eyes darted over to where Milton was standing. “If Milton leaves, I’m out of here.”
Gavin continued smiling, but I couldn’t miss the vein throbbing on his forehead. “You know, there are plenty of other Gyfted children out there. Perhaps I should contact one of them instead—”
“I’m not joining either!” Sophie interrupted.
Gavin blinked at her as if she’d just spoken in another language. “What?”
“The only way I’m staying is if they stay.” Sophie pointed at Milton and me.
The strain of keeping his smile going seemed to be turning Gavin’s face a shade of purple. “But the boy doesn’t have a Gyft! And if he doesn’t have a Gyft, that means he’s—” Gavin stopped speaking suddenly. His hand clenched into a fist, like he’d just grabbed an idea out of the air beside him. “If he doesn’t have a Gyft, he’s just like everyone else.”
Rubbing his stubbly chin with his hairy hand, Gavin paced back and forth in front of us. His feet clicked against the hard white floor.
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner.” He spoke quietly, mumbling the words as if talking more to himself than us. “This may be precisely what this group needs. Someone ordinary children can relate to. Someone who’s just … average. Yes, it’s perfect!”
Gavin spun around and faced Milton.
“Welcome to Gyfted and Talented, my boy!”
The look of relief on Milton’s face was instantaneous. He still didn’t know what Gyfted & Talented was, but at least he knew he got to be a part of it.
The dark-haired girl—Miranda—spoke up. “Would you mind telling us what Gyfted and Talented is?”
“Of course. Perhaps we should all take a seat.”
Gavin reached into the front pocket of his shirt and pulled out a black remote control. The device was small, about the size of his thumb (but much less hairy). He pressed a button on the remote, and I heard a whirring noise under my feet. Several panels of the floor opened like trapdoors. Chairs rose into the room, forming a semicircle around our group.
Once we were all seated, Gavin began speaking again. “With the exception of our friend Milton here, each of you has been selected because you are uniquely Gyfted.”
“How’d you find us?” Sophie asked. “I mean … how do you know that we’re Gyfted in the first place?”
“I had my employees seek you out,” Gavin replied.
“Employees?”
“There are many individuals working for me,” Gavin said. “You will get to know some of them very well. Others you’ll never meet. A few of these employees have the power of Tracking. To put it another way, they can detect the powers of others. They created a database of the Gyfted and their powers. From there, we narrowed it down to only the unique and most talented. And after all of this research, you are the result. You are the chosen.”
The phrase echoed in my mind. You are the chosen. The same words on the first slip I’d found a week earlier.
Sophie’s voice rose up to speak the question that was ringing in my mind. “Chosen for what?”
Gavin paused, his eyes passing over all of us before answering the question.
“You have been chosen,” he said, finally, “to form the greatest superhero team of all time.”
I gripped the edge of my chair more tightly. He wanted me to become … a superhero?
I could think of about a million reasons why this was a crazy idea. Superheroes were supposed to be popular and athletic. I was neither. Not to mention—I was just a kid. Shouldn’t you at least be old enough to get a driver’s license before you signed up to fight evil?
And then there were my parents. They’d devoted their entire careers to becoming two of the most feared supervillains in the world. If they discovered that I was even thinking about joining a team of superheroes, they’d probably ground me for life.
Gavin’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“The team will be called the Alliance of the Impossible,” he said, holding his hands out in front of him like an imaginary sign. “As a part of the group, you’ll have the chance to refine your powers in an environment that’s been engineered to help you understand who you are and what you can do. We’ll also put you through an intensive training process. Although, by the way you each handled your tests, I have complete confidence in your abilities—”
“What do you mean tests?” I interrupted.
“Before sending out my final invitation, I arranged a minor … challenge for each of you. As a way of evaluating your skills.”
A flash of realization burst through my mind. The library, the attack …
“You were the one behind the mutant librarian?” I said, rising from my chair.
“Yes,” Gavin admitted. “But keep in mind that I also sent you a warning beforehand.”
I recalled the note that we’d found just before the librarian had come after us. Prepare yourself. You are in danger.
Some warning.
“The Alliance of the Impossible is a very exclusive group,” Gavin explained. “Before allowing you to join, I had to make sure your skills were adequate.”
“So you sent a bloodthirsty mutant to attack us?” Sophie said disbelievingly. “That’s your idea of a test? What about you?” Sophie turned to face Miranda. “What kind of test did you get?”
“Zombie janitor tried to eat my brain,” Miranda said.
Sophie’s attention turned to nFinity. “And you?”
nFinity shrugged. “I got a call from my agent.”
“But still.” Sophie’s glare shifted back toward Gavin. “Someone could’ve gotten hurt.”
“I assure you, the attacks were carefully coordinated,” Gavin said. “The mutant that attacked you and your friends was well trained not to cause any major injuries.”
Milton gulped. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“If you think our little tests were upsetting, just wait till you get out there in the real world. You will face ruthless enemies, deadly weapons, and challenges you can’t even imagine.”
Gavin’s words echoed in my mind. He was right. Danger was lurking at the edges of my life, a threat that was far more terrifying than any mutant librarian. Phineas Vex.
“With my help,” Gavin said, “you will have the opportunity to sharpen your skills and gain real-world experience that will help you control your Gyfts.”
Gavin rose from his chair and paced in front of us. If we joined the Alliance of the Impossible, we would spend the next two months training in the headquarters, where we would eat, sleep, and spend pretty much every spare minute of the summer. There would be plenty of trips aboveground too. And there might even be opportunities to test our
skills against real villains. This part caused my stomach to twist into a knot. What if some of those “real villains” included my parents?
“As I said before, anyone who wishes to leave is welcome to do so at any time. Although it would be a shame to miss out on your chance to become a part of history.”
9
When nobody made a move to leave, Gavin said, “Good! We’ll be spending the morning getting you measured for your uniforms.”
“Uniforms!” Milton looked like he could barely contain his excitement. “Like, real superhero uniforms?”
“That’s right. Real superhero uniforms.” Gavin smiled down at Milton. “Even those of you without any real superpowers. I’ve hired the top uniform designers in the world specifically for this occasion. Trace will be picking them up from their hotel in a little while, won’t you, Trace?”
A man’s voice spoke. The same voice I’d heard coming from the empty driver’s seat on the school bus this morning.
“That’s right, boss. I was about to leave.”
The air shimmered in front of my eyes, and out of nowhere, a figure took form.
He was maybe thirty, with cropped brown hair. He had the pudgy body of someone who’d spent several years working out and several more letting all his muscle turn to flab.
“This is Trace,” Gavin said to us. “I suppose you never had a chance to properly meet.”
“One of them properly met my eyeball with his grubby little finger back on the bus.” Trace glared at Milton.
“I requested that Trace keep himself invisible this morning,” Gavin said. “If any of the wrong people were to see him with you, it might raise suspicions.”
“Right,” Sophie mumbled. “Because an out-of-control bus without a driver is way less suspicious.”
“It’s very important that my employees are never seen outside headquarters with any of you,” Gavin went on.
“Why?” Miranda asked.
“Because there are people out there—dangerous people—who would like to put a stop to what we’re trying to do. That’s why Brandy is constantly in disguise whenever she’s in public. It’s the same reason I had Trace deliver our notes to you.”