Super Girls (Cape High Book 13)

by R. J. Ross

  ***

  My name is Jennifer Berkley. Honestly, I'm not even sure why I claim that last name anymore. My dad, George Berkley, died before I ever met him. I mean, I guess he was a nice guy--he adopted Jetta, after all, she was from a previous relationship--one with another super. My mom remarried again when I was two. All I've known is my step-dad, and he's pretty much a puppet for Mom. I think I'll change my last name to Aunt Barbara's when I'm older, even if it is my mom's maiden name. Jennifer Gentry sounds good, right? Of course most people are going "You're a girl, you'll get married and change your last name soon enough." Whatever. I might have thought that back when I was interested in Matt, but no thanks. Romance is SO last season.

  But here's my story. It's a real simple one, and I'm sure it's been played out a ton of times before. I'm the second kid—the one that mostly took after my norm dad. I'm just the excess baggage. I have NEVER lived up to my big sister. I always had lower grades, lower IQ scores, lower everything. I heard the sentence "Why can't you be more like your sister?" so many times that it's burned into my eardrums. I was always a disappointment to Mom, and she made no attempt to hide that fact.

  Once Jetta came into her powers it really blew up in my face. She could do no wrong in the sight of Mom and my step-dad. Even when I started kicking up some wind they barely even acknowledged it. In fact I think Mom's words were, and I quote, "Honey, would you STOP THAT? I'm trying to listen to your sister!"

  I got frustrated. The more powerful Jetta grew, the more invisible I seemed. When I finally confronted Mom about it, she yelled at me. Like it's my fault I'm not the same person as my sister. Like it's my fault that I—

  Yeah, well, anyway, next thing I knew I was on a plane to Kansas City--alone. Mom didn’t even bother to come along, she just shoved me out of the house. When Aunt Barbara insisted on having the proper guardianship paperwork signed, Mom drew up papers handing all parental rights over to Aunt Barbara--she signed, notarized, and filed them all in the East Branch. She never even stepped foot in Kansas City during the process. As of that time, Aunt Barbara was my only legal family.

  It got better. I’m not that great as a super, but as a norm, well, I’m fantastic. I excelled at all of my classes, became a cheerleader, and started dating boys that were popular--all the best things in life, right? Sure, a part of me hated myself for just giving up on the cape--but the cape gave up on me first, okay? My FAMILY tossed me out and never looked back.

  And then Ace started talking. Sure, I had the feeling he might be a super, I mean, it’s kind of obvious if you watch him long enough. But he was quiet so I could just ignore him. The only reason I was stupid enough to make fun of him that one time was because he’d never done anything about it. Matt liked making fun of him, I liked Matt, and Ace didn’t care. It all worked out, until it didn’t.

  Things just kept getting worse after Matt broke his fist on Ace’s face. All of a sudden Ace was a big name and I was an idiot for sticking up for Matt. Then, even MATT became a Dragon fan! What a moron, right? But I’m even stupider--I thought, hey, he’s a fan of Ace now, right? So he’ll be a super fan of me if I tell him that I’M a cape too!

  Wrong. He just looked at me like I’m a freak--and all my insecurities from my family came rushing right back. I AM a freak. Not in a good way, and not just among the norms, either. I’m just as big a freak among the supers, a useless cape. A D-Class, like my sister told me.

  There is nowhere I fit in. I’m not going to fit in at this stupid school, either. I don’t even know why I’m here at this stupid tour to begin with--I’ll be flunked out of super school within a week.

  “Now, if you will follow me,” Nico says, jerking me back to the present, “I’m going to tell you about the other half of our training.”

  “And what would that be?” Aunt Barbara asks.

  “The super villain training. Now that we have three of the larger names in teenage villains on the streets, we’ve gotten a bit of a reputation for it,” Nico answers with an evil grin as he leads us past an archery field. “Listen closely, Jennifer, because I think you’ll fit in perfectly there.”

  The entire group turns to look at me in shock, but they’re not nearly as shocked as I am.

  “What?” I ask finally.

  “I’m thinking of making you a super villain,” he says.

  “Wait a second!” Aunt Barbara says, “that wasn’t in any of our discussions! My niece is NOT a super villain!”

  I’m still stuck in shocked mode. It must show, because Nico lets out a laugh. “Of course you don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” he says, “but I’d say you were passing up an interesting opportunity. Do any of you think you’d like trying out super villainy?” he asks the group.

  Both boys bounce on their feet, waving their hands wildly. "I'll note that for when you join," Nico says, his hands moving through the air as if he was typing on a keyboard. "Now, are there any questions?"

  "What does the super villain job even involve?" I ask. I can't help myself. Being a super villain is something that never even occurred to me.

  "You will be trained, outfitted and sent out to give newcomer heroes their debuts. You lose dramatically and run off to fight another day."

  "And I'm supposed to WANT to do that?" I demand.

  "The boys seem to enjoy it. Why don't you try the school out for a few weeks before deciding? You'll understand better. For now, why don't we go see our training areas—including those I use to train my villains on dramatic entrances and exits."

  ***

  The dining table is silent, save for the tiny clinks of our silverware on the plates. It's an unnatural silence, one of those "You have to speak first" silences that get awkward after a few minutes. This time it's Aunt Barbara that breaks it. She puts her fork down in her plate with a loud clink.

  "You're not going to that school," she declares. "There is no way I'm letting him take my beautiful girl and make her a—a SUPER VILLAIN!"

  I stare at my fork of lasagna, wondering why all of a sudden I don't feel like going along with her. "I'm going to get beat, regardless," I say, not looking at her. "I saw my stats, Aunt Barb. The only thing that looked even passable was my air manipulation ability. The rest of my abilities are in the single digits, speed, strength, basically anything good. I’m useless as a cape."

  "That is NOT true! You'd be a perfectly fine cape! And if you don't want to go into the super business, I can get you a job at HTV. They hire all sorts of classes for their business!"

  "Yeah, like I could be a reporter," I say, but the sarcasm is absent this time. "Actually… it wouldn't be bad working for HTV," I admit, playing with my fork. There are a lot of D-class capes working there, right? "But…"

  "It's GREAT working for HTV," Aunt Barbara says, her face lighting up. "Everyone that works there is amazing. You know Prisma! She's a prime example!"

  "Yeah," I say. She gives me a sharp look. "I just…" I start out slowly, far too intent on staring at my food, "it's like he offered me something Mom always said I couldn't have," I say. "Like, FINALLY someone thinks I can be a super. It doesn't even matter which side I'm on, it's still more than anything they thought I could accomplish."

  "So you're just going to let him turn you into a villain?" she asks. "You are BETTER than that, Jennifer," she says urgently. "You are more than a silly villain that has to take the fall every time!"

  "I would take the fall regardless of what side I'm on, Aunt Barb!" I say, standing. "I'm not hungry anymore," I add. I stop, too conditioned, and grab my plate to take it into the kitchen and put it in the fridge before storming off to my room.

  It's silent for a moment, until I hear Aunt Barbara dial on her cell phone. "Mr. Harrison? Hi, sorry for calling so late. Can I ask you something?" I jerk, almost heading into the front room again. I hear the door close, showing that she walked out of the house. I'm so tempted to follow, I think, but she left on purpose—there's no way she'll let me hear the rest of the conversation. Instead I drop down on
my bed, digging out my yearbook from last year and flipping through it. This picture is someone that pretended to be my friend. So was she, and her, and her, and him…

  None of them talk to me anymore.

  I slam the book closed and throw it at the wall, falling back on my bed and staring at the ceiling. Maybe it isn't the future I want, maybe it isn't going to be any better than what I have now—but it can't be worse. I'd rather be surrounded by people that hate me from the first. Being surrounded by people who used to be my friends is a million times worse.

  I hear the tiny click of a door closing and let out a heavy breath. "Aunt Barbara?" I call.

  "Yes?"

  "I want to go to Cape High."

  "I see. Then… I'll call the Hall and tell them your decision."

  "What did Mr. Harrison say?" I can't help but ask as she comes into my room.

  "He seemed very enthusiastic about you becoming a super villain," she says, frowning. "I'm sorry, Jennifer, I guess he's not looking for more workers right now."

  "Yeah, okay," I say, my heart dropping into my stomach. It looks like my future was decided for me, after all.

  ***

  "Barbara just called, freaking out over the super villain thing," Andre says, looking at the man on his computer screen. "I told her that it's a great idea, but now she thinks I'm a real jerk. I dislike my employees hating me, Nico."

  "I realize that, but you're the one insisting on absolute silence until you're ready to start hiring," Nico says, kicking his feet up on the desk. "She's a pretty little thing, she has decent grades, and even a D-class wind manipulator can be trained to be impressive. I think, though, that Elidee would be perfect for this project, as well."

  "She would, wouldn't she?" Andre says, a little smile pulling at his lips. "Her mother would try to kill me if I even suggested she go the villain route without explaining why. Barbara is easier to handle."

  "She's also too young to launch into the program. I can offer up a few others that might interest you, though," Nico says. A folder appears on the screen next to him and he flicks his hand. "Looks these over, I think Freddy, especially, should interest you. He'd make an excellent hidden camera operator. Of course Negatia's already put in a bid for him, but he's still technically up for grabs."

  "I'll look into it," Andre says. "Of course this is risking them actually choosing villainy full time, isn't it?"

  "That's a risk you knew you were taking when you decided to do this," Nico says easily. "But still, I think it'll be a nice addition to your channels."

  "I hope so," Andre says. "It’s a channel fully dedicated to the villains, rather than just interviewing them here and there. This is the first time any of the HTV stations have tried something like this—I want to do it right."

  "Agreed," Nico says. "But you realize this means I get a free subscription for life, right?"

  "When have you ever paid for a channel in your life?" Andre says. "Villain TV will be no different."

  CHAPTER TWO

  I glance back as the back door of the car opens and Elidee slides in. She doesn't look happy at all. When she sees me looking back at her, her expression turns into a flat-out glare. "This is all your fault, Jen," she accuses me. "I could still be in my REAL school. Do you have any idea how much time it took for me to get where I wanted there?"

  "A day?" I offer. "Trust me, Elidee, this will be better," I lie. I have no idea if it'll be better or not. All I know is that I hate the idea of going back to my old school more than the idea of going here. Pretty sad, huh?

  "I really can't be seen with you if you're going super villain, you know," Elidee says. "No offense, but if you could duck down and sneak out the other door when we get there—"

  I wave a hand and wind blows through the car, even with the windows up. "MY HAIR!" she yelps as it gets messed up.

  "You were asking for it!" I say, laughing. Yes, I'm older than she is by almost four years, but still! She totally asked for it.

  "We'll arrange for you to drive yourself when we get there," Aunt Barbara says as we pull to a stop in front of the canyon. "I'm sure we can find a place for you to park."

  "Do I need to pick up Elidee on the way?" I ask.

  "I can walk," Elidee says, crossing her arms over her chest.

  "You can pick her up," Aunt Barbara says firmly. "I don't think they have a bus, or anything, which I suppose makes sense. They can't exactly advertise where they are." She gets out and we follow suit, looking at the rather bare looking area and yellow tape. "So… um… if EITHER of you wants to come home, or anything, just call me, okay? If it gets too tough or they try to kill you, I'll be there before you can count to ten, I promise," she says, turning to us and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't hesitate to run, got it? Oh, but don't run into the lasers, that would be bad."

  "We'll be fine, Aunt Barbara," I say, sighing—and hugging her, just because she looks so pale. "We'll watch out for each other—and if it really gets bad, we'll just look for the nearest hero, right? They said all of the teachers are actually retired heroes."

  "I know, but you're my girls!" Barbara says, dragging Elidee into the hug, even though she's still trying to fix her hair. "I can't help but worry!"

  "We'll get them a ride," I hear someone say from behind us. I turn, looking blankly at a tall black man and his daughter. "I'd be more than willing to offer my services, if you're interested. I'm sure my wife would insist, actually," he says.

  I have no idea who he is, but by his build and the fact he's here, he's obviously a super. "Pa—Panther?" Barbara asks, looking pale. "I—I'm sure it'll be perfectly safe—"

  "We protect our children," he says, dropping a hand on his daughter's shoulder. She's beautiful—probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, I think, fighting jealousy. I glance at Elidee—she's not fighting her jealousy at all. She's glaring at the girl.

  "Elidee," the girl says.

  "Adanna," Elidee says, darkly. "Where's your boyfriend?" she demands.

  "He's coming," Adanna says. "And you are?" she asks me.

  "Um—I'm Jenn—Jennifer," I say, almost saying "Jenna." I hold out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

  "Adanna Panterus," she says, shaking the hand I offer. "Elidee's mother and mine know each other. She and your daughter would be perfectly safe coming to school with us, ma'am," she adds to Aunt Barbara.

  Why haven't I met her before? I glance at Aunt Barbara, and think about it for a moment. I suppose it's because she's overprotective. Knowing that I'm a weak cape, she wouldn't want to introduce me to a super villain she doesn't know or trust--even if a friend of hers trusts him. I guess I can't blame her for that, really.

  "I—um, well, I'll consider it," Aunt Barbara says hesitantly, still peeking at Panther. He's out of uniform, so he doesn't look all that scary, really. He's one of those super classy looking guys in pressed slacks and shiny shoes--you know the type. I could easily see him as a college professor or something.

  "'Daaaannnaaaa," I hear someone call from behind us. I turn, staring a bit blankly at the two guys heading for us. One is huge, blonde, and blue-eyed. He looks like a text book case of super hero. For a moment I'm sure he's the one that Elidee is so jealous of. He's got to be a Superior—but the smaller guy riding on his back drops off of him and heads straight for us. He stops right next to Adanna, looking at us all sleepily. "Who're you?" he asks.

  "You've already met Elidee, Sunny," Adanna says dryly.

  "Eli… Elidee… Oh! Right!" Sunny says, grinning at Elidee boyishly. "Sorry, we just got back from clean-up duty in Texas," he admits with a yawn. "Welcome to the school. And who's this one?" he asks Adanna, pointing at me. "Have I met her, too?"

  "You are…" the blonde teen says, heading for me, "Jetta's sister, right?" he says, offering his hand. I try to hide my wince at that description. "Jennifer. They told us you were joining the school a month ago."

  "I had some… family issues to deal with before coming," I say a bit blandly as I take the hand offered. It'
s probably the lightest handshake I've ever been given. I look at his hand, and then up at him. He gives me a sheepish smile.

  "I have to be careful," he says.

  "ADANNA!" the shout echoes through the air as someone rushes past me and tackle hugs the black girl in question. "You're home!" a petite redhead says excitedly, squeezing Adanna tightly.

  "I am, but why are you?" Adanna asks, blushing slightly.

  "Oh, we found our healer and then Justin got put on Mother's Most Wanted list, so we're out of the fieldwork game for now," the redhead says, still clinging. "But you could have CALLED me!"

  "We got home late last night, sorry, Emily," Adanna says. "But we really should go inside school before speaking."

  "Yeah, I guess. Nice to meet you, new guys," Emily says, letting go of Adanna and offering her hand. "I'm Emily Dreyton, the big guy is Trent Styles—he's my boyfriend."

  Elidee looks from Sunny to Trent, and I grab the back of her shirt, tugging her away. She's going to get us both hated before they even realize how pathetic a cape I really am. "We'll go first, since you guys seem to have some catching up to do—Aunt Barb, it'll be fine if we ride with Mr. Panterus, right? You need to get to work—you're late already."

  "Oh, right. Of course," she says. "Love you, honey, have a good day!" she yells over her shoulder, already to her car.

  "You too," I call back, blushing slightly. Most girls my age don't act openly affectionate with their guardians, right? Well, it's awkward for me, too, but… she's the only one that actually SAYS she loves me. I can't let awkwardness get in the way of hearing it. Not after how my life has gone.

  "You two are just SO sappy," Elidee says, rolling her eyes as we head for the panel. "It's just like one of those stupid TV shows from when my MOM was a kid. I'm surprised she hasn't put you in skirts and pigtails."