by R. J. Ross
"For my niece's boyfriend… mmm…" she taps her chin with a finger, looking thoughtful, "I suppoooooseee," she says with a sigh, "but no getting cocky about it!" she adds, appearing right in front of Trent and waving a finger in his face.
"I'm not that stupid," he says with a little grin. "I sort of see this as more MY challenge than yours," he admits a bit sheepishly. She's short and skinny and he's already twice as broad and a good foot taller than she is, but HE'S the one that considers it a challenge.
"Um, what am I supposed to do?" I ask, holding up a hand hesitantly.
"You get to push the button!" Skye says, turning to me with a huge grin. "I did it once myself, but then Century yelled at me and said that it's always got to be the woman behind the counter."
She pushed the silent alarm button herself? Why is it so easy to picture that?
"You pushed the button," Nico repeats, staring at her.
"It was a BUTTON," Skye says, as if that explains everything. "And that one was RED. Who wouldn't want to push it?"
I can't help the choked laugh that escapes me—especially when everyone else starts to fight laughter, as well.
"I would have!" Emily says, laughing openly. "That'd be AWESOME!"
"It does sound entertaining," Superior says with a faint smile.
"You're going to make her a button, right?" Skye says to Nico. "One that brings in the super hero and all the dramatic norms with megaphones, right?"
"Fine, we'll have a big red button," Nico says, pulling a handful of metal pieces from his pocket. "All for you, Skye. Now everyone set up a reasonable bank setting and I'll toss an alarm system together. Be ready in ten minutes."
***
Olivia is on the other side of the table, supposedly my current customer at the bank. She looks a bit confused, I note. "Do you think this school is always like this?" she asks, glancing around the large gym room. We've got tables lined up to signify the bank desk, and other tables to the left for bank workers to sit. Emily is occupying three of them. It's a little disconcerting. Two of the healers are at the doors, acting as security guards. Elidee is a few tables down from me, acting as another bank teller.
"Sometimes," Nico says as he walks over with a little button in his hand. Olivia's jerk shows she didn't plan on him hearing. "This is actually a big part of the training—when I don't just toss people out into the field to figure it out themselves." He crouches down next to me and attaches the button to the bottom of the table. "There we go. Push this when she comes in," he tells me.
"You haven't mentioned my… problem to anyone, have you?" I ask him silently. It earns me a blank look.
"What problem?" he asks.
"My—my lack of qualifications," I reply.
"You listened in on conversations even my kid couldn't hear from his seat," Nico says. "Just because you can't do what he can doesn't mean you're unqualified. Ignore the scores, Jen, they don’t really matter in the real world." He walks away, as if that made sense. It's NOT just a score—it's a summary of who I am as a super. And who I am is just barely above flunking. I know I'm obsessing over it, but every time I see Skye do something, it's a constant reminder. "Places, everyone! We want this to be realistic!" he says as he reaches the middle of the room. The staff is above us, watching with amusement—and popcorn.
I glance over at the double doors as a head comes through them—LITERALLY through them. They're still closed. "Are we ready?" Skye asks as she peeks around. "Is the button in place?"
"The button's in place, now get out and do it properly," Nico says, taking to the air.
"Okay!" she says, disappearing through the door again. Both doors burst open and she storms in—a foot off the ground. "This is a stick up!" she declares, pointing her finger at each of us. "Nobody move!"
I move, my hand sliding under the table as discreetly as I can. "Ah ah ahhhh," she says, pointing her finger at me. "You're going to push the button, aren't you?"
"Wh—what?"
"Hands up!" she says, waving a finger at me. "No button pushing until I say so!"
"I don't have a button," I lie. "She's got the button," I add, earning a scathing look from Elidee as I motion over to her.
"You doooo?" Skye asks, heading over to her table and leaning over so she's in Elidee's face. "You've got the button?"
I push the button.
The alarms start to go off and Skye's so distracted that she doesn't even look at me—it's probably because of the flashing lights that fill the room. I have to say, this alarm system is a bit over the top. I mean, did he really have to add in red and blue strobe lights—is that a disco ball coming down? That's totally a disco ball. WHY is it a disco ball?
"YAY!" Skye says, throwing her arms in the air and dancing.
The doors slam open and Trent comes flying in, looking quite dramatic himself. He jerks to a halt, though, when he sees her dancing in the middle of the "bank." You can actually see him take a second to recover from shock before he goes, "Put your hands in the air, Skystep!"
"They're already in the air, silly! It's a PARTY!" Skye yells, waving her arms happily.
"Skye, it's a bank robbery," I hear someone stage whisper, "not a party."
"But there are LIGHTS!" Skye says, pointing up.
"Nico, kill the lights, would you?" Trent says dryly.
The lights stop. As soon as they stop, though, Trent goes flying backwards through the doors behind him. Skye stands there for a second, her fist still in the air. "I liked the lights," she says to the still swinging doors. Trent comes back through a second later, tackling her. She goes translucent and Trent slams straight through her, falling into the table in front of me. If he had hit any harder, he would have crashed into me. I let out a little yelp and race away. I do NOT want dragged into this fight.
The button must have been hit when the table broke, I realize belatedly, because the lights start flashing all over again. "YAY!" Skye shouts, dancing for a moment until Trent slams into her again. This time he actually hits her. She has this patently shocked look on her face that I'm sure she's practiced in a mirror.
A loud whistle rips through the air and we all look up, even the two brawling. The lights turn off. "Okay, break it up!" Tatiana says, floating overhead. "A very lovely play, kitten! The entertainment value is perfect! Do you not agree, Nicolas?" she asks Nico.
"It'd be on every news channel in the country," he agrees with a grin.
"You realize, though, that banks don't have disco balls, don't you?" Trent asks dryly, letting go of Skye and stepping back.
"I had ten minutes, I reused a few of my old toys. So sue me," Nico says, lying blatantly. I can tell when someone lies like that—I have a lot of experience seeing it. I just shake my head at this one. "Nice work, especially you, Jen," he says, to my surprise. "Quick thinking and not losing your head is a great attribute for a super villain. Unless losing your head is part of the gig, that is."
"Did I pass?" Skye asks, looking a little vulnerable.
"Absolutely," Nico says.
"YAY!"
The lights come back on and I glance over at Nico. There's something going on here. I almost think he's deliberately spoiling her. I mean, how else can you interpret letting her talk about whatever she wants, and making this into a party? Look, I don't know Technico—I've only seen him on TV, but I HAVE seen him on TV. That interview with Prisma showed him as a guy that doesn't do anything he doesn't want to. So why is he going above and beyond for a girl he says is adopted? And newly adopted, at that. Can you even adopt someone that's a fully grown working cape?
Well, maybe you can if you're Superior and Tatiana.
It's possible that he did something to Skye that he feels guilty about, and now he's making up for it. Or… maybe he's just really indulgent with family? To the point where he'll spend an entire school day (the FIRST day for some of us) goofing off like this?
No. Shove it down, stop asking questions. I mean, just because I thought, for a moment, that it'd be cool to be
a reporter doesn't mean ANYTHING. Aunt Barbara as good as told me that Mr. Harrison isn't interested in hiring me. I mean, you can't be a Hero TV reporter if you've got a degree in super villainy!
But…
That doesn't stop me from writing a journal, now does it? Maybe it'll only be for myself, and maybe it's stupid, but… wouldn't it be really awesome to have a story about this? I could change the names and identities or whatever if I ever DID try to sell it. It'd be one way to make some money, since clearly my education is going to be useless. Well, useless unless I take up bank robbing or other illegal heists. Maybe I could even get a job as Ace's lackey.
Wow, that's a sad prospect.
The rest of the group has jumped into the party. There's even music playing now. Only Elidee and Olivia come over to stand next to me, looking a bit lost. Since when did I become the mother in this situation? I'm just as new here as they are!
Oh, right, I'm the oldest.
I look at Elidee, who's staring at Adanna. Adanna is dancing with her boyfriend, which doesn't seem that strange to me, but Elidee doesn't look like she agrees. "This school is crazy," she says. "It totally messed up Adanna—and we're next, aren't we?" she asks, looking at me.
"It's not that bad," Olivia offers. "Nobody's shoved strange objects at me, and nobody said anything when I turned plastic in class earlier."
"You turned plastic?" Elidee asks her.
"Yeah, but I don't think anyone even noticed," Olivia says.
"We noticed." I jerk, since I hadn't heard anyone come behind me, and stare blankly at a boy with green hair shaped like a lizard clinging to his head. He jerks in response to my move, and takes an utterly silent step back. "It's um—we—" he says nervously, "I can't do this," he says, turning to race away. He looks like a badboy punk—he's got earrings and gauges and everything, and the hair is an obvious sign, right? But he's running away from three girls.
Just… what is going on here?
"Freddy, don't be a chicken!" I hear the tiniest girl in class say. She's barely over three feet, but she's in high school. That means she's one of those little people, right? AWESOME! I really got into this television show about them for a while—they're so amazing. I mean, they have to overcome so much, and they DO IT. That's something I really admire. Sometimes I don't think I'll ever overcome my own problems.
"But—" I hear the green haired boy say.
"You can do it, Freddy, talking to three pretty girls is no big!" I hear Justin say. Maybe he thinks the music will cover it, but I hear every word.
"You just made it worse, man," Freddy says to him. "You might think talking to girls is no big, but the only ones I talk to are either taken, or my sisters."
"Malina turns me down daily, you know," Justin points out.
"Because you're just annoying me," the girl says.
"Harsh," Justin says, grasping his heart. "She's so mean to me, man, SO MEAN."
"You're an idiot," Freddy says, swallowing. I'm trying NOT to blatantly watch this, but it's fascinating. So Justin likes the little person girl? I did NOT see that coming. And by the way she just rolled her eyes, she doesn't take it seriously.
"He's not my type," Olivia says, making me look over at her. "I'm in love with Fire Hazard," she adds for my benefit.
"Fire Hazard isn't even here right now—and you don't even know his name," I have to point out. "How can you be in love with him?"
"Because he's dreamy," she says, sighing.
"I don't know... he's kind of cute, in a way," Elidee says thoughtfully. "And he knows this place a lot better than we do--I bet he'd be useful. And I DO want a boyfriend--"
Oh lord, I've got to save the poor guy before he winds up being Elidee's slave. She pulls a small mirror out of her pocket and checks her makeup. For crying out loud, she's only thirteen!
"No you don't," I say, covering the mirror with my hand. "He's our classmate and this is our first day. Behave yourself."
She gives me a pout. I just stare at her.
"You like that type?" Olivia asks me.
"It's about being friendly to our new classmates so they don't ostracize us, not about my 'type,'" I tell her. They both flinch and I know I've hit a nerve. "I'm not on your level and I had trouble—tell me, how many real friends did you have at your old schools?" I ask. "I said REAL, Elidee," I add before she can reply. She looks down, a hint of guilt in her eyes. "So be nice, no brainwashing the boys, no making the girls jealous, none of that."
"What IS your power, anyway?" Olivia asks Elidee suddenly.
"I'm a—" Elidee starts out, hesitating for a moment. I can almost read her mind. Olivia's trying to be our friend, since we're all new, but the moment she tells her, there's a chance she'll stop. "I'm a… a… I've got my mom's powers, okay?"
"What's your mom, then?" Olivia asks a bit irritably.
"She's a pheromone manipulator," I answer. "Elidee's ability is to make people fall in love with her. Remember what happened to the two boys from the tour?"
Olivia stares at Elidee. "Enemy of all women!" she declares, pointing at her, only to start to laugh. "You can have them, they're annoying," she adds. She hadn't felt that way at the time, but I don't mention that here.
"How old are they?" Elidee asks.
"Eleven and twelve."
"WAY too young," she says, dismissing them. She's barely thirteen, I think dryly.
"I'm going to fix this," I say, squaring my shoulders and starting for Freddy and the others. My eyes fall on Malina, who's now standing in front of the two boys, watching me with a little smile. There, I think as I head straight for her, that's where I'll start. "Hi," I say, holding my hand out to her. "I'm Jennifer. Those two are Elidee and Olivia," I add, waving a hand in their direction.
"I'm Malina," she says, her smile broadening as she takes my hand. "I'm sixteen, if you're wondering."
"Nope, I sort of guessed," I admit.
"This is Freddy, and this is THE Justin," Malina says, pointing to them in turn. "And I think you've met Emily and Trent, they're over there—" she starts listing off the kids that are still dancing, pointing to them each. Olivia and Elidee move over, literally bumping into me to stay close.
"Is anyone else hungry?" I hear Skye ask. The lights stop and the music dies. "I'm starving."
"It's lunch time," Nico says. "Let's get lunch and then resume classes for the rest of the day. We'll finish up your G.E.D. test later."
"Okay!"
"Vinny isn't here to cook, so Nico brought in some black suits to do meals for us," Malina says. "It's not as good, but it's passable."
"Who's Vinny?" Olivia asks.
"Fire Hazard," Malina says.
"He's, um, our brother," Freddy says, looking at me a bit shyly. He gives me a little smile when he notices I'm watching him. "He's really good at cooking."
"I see," I say. I don't know what else to say—this is a guy I can't hear when he moves. That fact is blaring through my mind right now. I've never met someone I can't hear moving. It's as unsettling as going to a silent movie for the first time.
All I have is my hearing and a tiny bit of wind control, after all. What do I have if you take one of those things away? Even norms can blow wind.
CHAPTER THREE
"She totally avoided me for the rest of the day," Freddy complains as they head over to the new dorms that night. He glances over at Justin, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets as he waits for some sort of assurance. Instead all he sees is the older boy glancing back at the newest dorm dweller—Olivia. She's the only one that hasn't had time to get to know the other dorm kids.
"It's hard being the new kid in these dorms," Justin says.
"Not her, man! The blonde! Jennifer," Freddy says. "Stick to the topic—and I thought you were in love with Malina."
"It's not love, it's just another one-sided thing," Justin mutters under his breath. "Besides, she doesn't take me seriously at all. And I wasn't talking about flirting with her! She just looks lonely," he admits, shrugging
.
"Carla will deal with that," Freddy says, blowing it off completely. "See? She's already moving in," he adds as the black girl heads for Olivia. "My problem is Jennifer," he says. "The more I tried to talk to her, the more creeped out she looked," he adds darkly.
"It's probably the hair," Justin says.
"But I like my hair," Freddy says, reaching up and patting the lizard on his head. "And she only stared at it for a moment. I dunno, it was weird… it was like, every time I approached her, she jumped."
"Wait, what's her power?" Justin asks, something clicking in his mind.
"I dunno, something about wind?"
"Oh. Then you're out of luck, man," Justin tells him, patting him on the back. "Try for one of the others."
"Is it because of how I smell?" Freddy asks, his eyes widening. He lifts one arm and sniffs. "That's it, isn't it? I took a shower two days ago! How picky can you get?" he demands.
"Two days?" Justin repeats.
"I took it on Friday," Freddy says.
"Man, I'M going to start jumping every time you come near," Justin says, sniffing. "You REEK."
"I'll take a shower after the meeting," Freddy mutters as red creeps up the back of his neck.
"It won't stop her from jumping," Justin says casually as they enter the new dorm building. The den room in the new dormitory is similar to their own, full of plush high-end couches and walls covered in flickering images. The biggest difference is the large oval table on the side. Superior, Nico, and several others are already sitting there, going through holographic images. To the right of the table, Skye and the healers are playing a game of Dance Dance Revolution.
"Why won't it stop her from jumping?" Freddy demands.
"It's a sound thing," Justin says. "I had trouble with it when I first met you, too—I just covered it better. Besides, I think she might—just MIGHT—hear better than I do, slightly," he admits.
"It isn't that she hears better," Nico says, "it's just she's trained herself better than you have."
"What?" Justin asks. "I spent years training to be a singer—I hear pitch perfectly!"