by Drew Hayes
“This is ultra-lame,” Nick complained as he and Alice meandered the halls. “I mean, seriously, dart throwing? Haven’t we all spent, like, the past couple of months training in ranged combat?”
“I think it’s quaint,” Alice disagreed. “It’s a reminder of the normal world. It’s easy to get so caught up in all this that you forget what it’s like for the rest of the humans. Or the rest of the Supers, for that matter. I have trouble remembering a time when the HCP didn’t seem to dominate a majority of my life. This is a pleasant break.”
“Yeah, except that for some people that break might be a bit more permanent than they’d like,” Nick said.
Alice looked at him, trying in vain to see past the sunglasses into the eyes that lurked behind them. “Worried?”
“Just aware. Not everyone makes the cut, and I’m not exactly a ranked combatant. There’s nothing wrong with a little focus.”
“Pfft, a little focus my butt,” Alice said. “This from the guy who spent the entire two weeks of training watching television on the couch.”
“It was a part of my training regiment,” Nick replied.
“Only if you’re training for a bad sitcom trivia game show.”
“And the lady has uncovered my backup plan if the HCP doesn’t work out.”
“Uh huh, whatever you say there, slick,” Alice huffed. “I’m sure you have some secret scheme to slide through these tests with a passing grade. In the meantime, there’s a more pressing matter facing you.”
“What’s that?”
Alice pointed at a game some yards down the hall.
“They have giant bears and you are going to win one for me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I’m not above guilting you into dancing with me and then stomping on your feet all night.”
Nick sighed. “A bear for the lady it is then.”
* * *
As time slipped by, the group dancing gave way to the inevitable coupling up of partners. Vince and Sasha were the first to slip off, followed not long after by Alex and Selena, then Hershel and Mary. Thomas did double duty, switching between Violet and Stella as dance partner at their whims. Stella would never admit it but she, along with several other girls, wished it was Roy making an appearance tonight instead of Hershel. They were hard out of luck, though, because with all the training and prep work Roy had been putting in for the test, it had been no contest giving this night over to Hershel. Besides, Mary had been very adamant that she get to spend the night with the boy she was actually dating and the wagers of their bet still held effect for the next two days.
Hershel noticed Alice and Nick wandering into the gym area, Alice clutching an oversized plush bear, as he and Mary stepped into the hallway to get a little space. This is where several of the games had been set up; however, there were also several classrooms left open, presumably for the purpose of those who wanted to get away from the racket for a while. It was in one of these that the duo found themselves resting after the better part of an hour they had spent kicking up the dance floor.
“Woo,” Mary said and she plopped down. “I have no idea how some girls do that in heels.”
“Practice?” Hershel ventured.
“I’d rather do a Coach George workout than practice that,” Mary said, shaking her head. “No question about it, I’m a flats girl.”
“I didn’t know that point had ever come up for debate,” Hershel said.
“It hasn’t. I’m just putting it out there preemptively, lest you expect me to start donning pumps on special occasions.”
“So you see us celebrating special occasions together then, I take it?”
“Well, yeah,” Mary said. Her eyes fluttered downward and an unfamiliar blush crept into her cheeks. “I mean, you and I are sort of... well, I mean, you’re my boyfriend, aren’t you?”
“I’d hoped so, but I never really wanted to press the issue,” Hershel admitted, a tomato coloration rising in his own face.
Mary tittered nervously. “You and I aren’t very good at this, are we?”
“Doesn’t look that way,” Hershel agreed. “I mean, we’ve been dating for a few months now, and I’m really enjoying it.”
“As am I.”
“And there isn’t really anyone else I want to be dating.”
“I’ll second that motion as well,” Mary said.
“So then, yes, I think we are in fact in a relationship.”
“You certain? I bet we can get a second opinion,” Mary offered.
“Nope, no need. I’m calling it officially. I am your boyfriend and vice versa,” Hershel declared.
“Well, when you say it with so much confidence, I don’t know how I can refuse.” The two had scooted closer during the conversation. Now they were locked into each other’s eyes, idiotic smiles splitting their faces and a slow twitch of nerves jerking through their skin.
“We are ridiculous,” Hershel said.
“But adorable,” Mary tacked on.
They leaned in and kissed, their first one since taking the next step forward in the relationship. It was familiar, scary, awkward, and overrun with joy.
It, along with the sharp crackle of electricity, was also their last conscious memory for the next several hours.
* * *
“Where’d the happy couple go to?” Nick asked as the music dimmed in volume. The DJ could be seen evacuating his booth in pursuit of a bathroom and a fresh water bottle, so dancing was tabled for the duration of his break.
“Off away from all these prying eyes,” Sasha theorized. “A sentiment I can get behind, if you know what I mean.” In case anyone didn’t know what she meant, Sasha took the opportunity to slap Vince firmly on the ass.
“I’m sure they just wanted to talk in private,” Vince said, eyes darting about as he searched inwardly for any strategy to hide his fresh embarrassment. Sadly, he found no such method: Vince had always been cursed with wearing the truth on his face.
“On that note, though, Alex and Selena seem to have left, too,” Thomas pointed out.
“I saw her slip out with him a few songs ago,” Violet said. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say they were definitely not just heading out to talk.”
“Alex and Selena, huh? When, and more importantly how, did that happen?” Nick asked.
There was a collective shrug. “They hung out a lot during the river trip,” Stella said. “I guess they found a connection.”
“Huh. Kudos to him, that girl is crazy hot. A toast to our buddy scoring some out-of-his-league tail,” Nick said, snatching up a few punch glasses from the table and handing them out.
“How about we just cheers to a great year instead?” Vince offered.
“Whatever,” Nick said by way of agreement. The friends clinked glasses and downed the cherry-flavored drink. A crackle from overhead indicated the DJ booth speaker was about to be used.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your fun,” said a new voice, half-strangled with its own excitement. “However, I’ve recently discovered some information that the entire HCP needs to be alerted to.”
Nick felt the muscles in lower back tense immediately.
“I just thought it should be known that despite what they have told us, the entire Melbrook populace - Nicholas Campbell, Alice Adair, Hershel Daniels, Mary Smith, and Vince Reynolds - are not Supers. They’re all Powereds. And I have proof.”
141.
“Sounds like somebody spiked their own punch,” Nick quipped, attitude cavalier and brain slammed into overdrive. His eyes swept the room at a fevered pace, thankfully hidden by the tinted frames as he assessed their situation. Despite what years of television had conditioned one to believe, the shocking announcement was not met with immediate riots. It was instead greeted with confusion as uncertainty rippled through the crowd. Some of the students were looking at the DJ booth, trying to figure out who had broken in to make such a strange declaration. Others were talking amongst themselves, likely trying to
figure out who all those names belonged to. The Melbrook students did, after all, only account for a small segment of the freshmen class, so they were not household names. It seemed some of the adults were making beelines for the booth, no doubt in attempt to find out exactly what was going on and regain control of it. All of which were factors Nick could have handled. The problem was, as it often is, with the people they counted as friends. Thomas, Stella, Violet, Will, and Jill were all staring at him, Alice, and Vince. Sasha was still holding her boyfriend’s hand, though her body language made it clear she was uncertain how to feel about such a strange declaration.
“No kidding,” Alice said. “I mean, I know stress is high, but that seems like a strange prank to try and pull.”
Nick could have kissed that girl. She might not have been the world’s best liar, but growing up around businessmen and diplomats had given her some acumen. Not to mention she was smart enough to follow the leader when the time was right.
“That does seem strange,” Sasha said. “Right, Vince?”
“Twelve years ago a Vegas paper called The Strip Beat ran a story about the collapse of a local restaurant, cause of which was ultimately determined to be a young Powered boy by the name of Nicholas Campbell,” the voice said over the crackling PA system.
“Sure, he can claim a fake news story, but did he go to the trouble of making a fake paper as well? You know that’s where the quality of a prank is determined: in the details,” Nick said.
“Aren’t you from Vegas, though?” Thomas asked.
“A fact that is readily available to anyone in our class,” Nick replied.
“This is really stupid, isn’t it, Vince?” Sasha asked again.
“Three years ago there was a police report filed against a Powered named Roy Daniels for underage drinking and destruction of property,” the voice continued. “Eight years ago there was a search ordered for a Powered named Alice Adair who floated out of the garden on a spring afternoon. And then there are the literally dozens reports of a young silver-haired homeless child shorting out and inadvertently destroying thousands of dollars in property across the country. All of which I have documentation of, along with locations of the original sources, in the booth with me.”
The tide of the crowd was turning. While initially they’d been waiting for a punch line to the gag, it was becoming evident that whoever had hijacked the booth intended to be taken seriously. That shifted the tone of the announcement greatly. Nick noticed more and more stares turning toward him and his dorm mates as identification was made and skepticism gave way to suspicion.
“While I enjoy a good witch hunt as much as the next guy, it is a lot less fun when you’re the one with a wart on your nose. Maybe we’d best take our leave until they settle that joker down,” Nick said, scanning the room for the nearest exit back to the lifts.
“No, there’s no need for you guys to go,” Thomas said. “Just because someone is making baseless accusations it shouldn’t ruin our night.”
“That’s right. Some guy is just being an asshole. There’s no way you guys could have lied to us all year. Right, Vince?” This time Sasha was practically pleading, her months spent with Vince allowing her to see the truth in his face and his silence before the others noticed. While Nick and Alice might be playing it off well, the guilt of having lived a falsehood for so long had suddenly crashed down upon Vince’s shoulders. His face was a tapestry of shame. As Nick looked as his friend the strategy immediately changed. There was no chance for damage control. The only course of action now was an immediate exit.
“I’m sorry,” Vince said softly, his eyes drawn to the floor rather than face Sasha.
“Alice, get the hell out of here,” Nick whispered.
“What about Hershel and Mary?”
“The whole place is wired for sound, I’m sure they heard our outing. Plus, Mary is a telepath, so if she’s listening to any of us she’ll know we’re making tracks,” Nick assured her. “Now hurry your ass up. Vince and I will be right behind you.”
Without another word Alice slunk off through the crowd, the giant stuffed bear acting as a buoy to mark her location.
Nick stepped forward and wrapped his hand around Vince’s arm. “Come on, buddy, I think we should get out of here while the air gets cleared. We don’t want anything bad to happen over some silly misunderstanding.”
“What do you mean you’re sorry?” Sasha asked, pulling her hand free of her and Vince’s shared clasp.
“I mean... I never meant to lie to you, Sasha,” Vince said. Though the words were meant only for her, the meaning was not lost of the rest of their friends. Nick saw shock, then uncertainty ripple through their faces. He knew it was only a short jump before that turned into anger and betrayal, so he dug his fingernails into Vince’s arm and pulled him close.
“Vince, if you have ever trusted in me or our friendship at all, then for the love of shit come with me right fucking now,” Nick said, abandoning all pretense and dragging his friend toward the exit.
“What about the others?”
“All taken care of. They’ll meet us at the dorm,” Nick told him.
“I meant our friends and classmates.”
Nick sucked in a tight breath through his teeth. “Vince, if we stay here I can just about promise you we won’t have any of those left when they’re done with us. We need to regroup in a safe place. Now stop dragging your fucking feet and hustle.”
“You’re sure this is the right move?” Vince’s big blues were wide and scared. The kid might be hell in a fight but he didn’t know to deal with things like subterfuge and discovery. He needed guidance and he was trusting Nick to provide it to him. To put him on the right path in this time of tribulation.
“Absolutely, things will be fine” Nick lied. “But we can’t be here when they find out that guy is telling the truth and the room hits a fever pitch. We get safe, we let things cool off, and we fix whatever is still broken when the dust settles.”
“Okay,” Vince said with a nod, finally picking up the pace as he and Nick cleared an exit at the south end of the room. Once they were out of the gym they broke into a flat out sprint down the halls until they hit the lifts. Alice was already in place, and as soon as they crossed the threshold she flipped the switch, sending them slowly back upwards to the real world.
142.
Mr. Numbers and Mr. Transport were enjoying a quiet cup of tea in the kitchen when they heard the front door slam open loudly. They exchanged a wary glance and Mr. Numbers tensed momentarily as a flood of possible attack scenarios played out in his head. Their concern was (briefly) alleviated when the voices of their charges reached their location. That reprieve lasted only until they ascertained of context of said discussion.
“Didn’t you see their faces? They aren’t going to forgive us,” Alice’s voice declared from the living room.
“They’re our friends. They’ll understand why we had to keep it a secret,” Vince disagreed.
“Forgive us? Are you two joking or just playing dumb?” Nick berated. “Do you not realize the full scope of what this outing means? Forget feelings of betrayal from our friends, that shit is nothing. We’re Powereds that have become and functioned as Supers in the HCP for an entire school year. Our existence challenges everything they know about the distinction between Supers and Powereds. Trust me, when that realization really sets in we’re looking at a lot of trouble. I’ll be amazed if they don’t have this house burned down by morning.”
Mr. Transport’s eyes had grown larger throughout Nick’s tirade. By the time it ended his eyes could have passed as twins to the saucer currently resting under his teacup. He and Mr. Numbers exchanged another look, this time fully aware of the situation and taking up their respective roles for how to deal with it. Mr. Numbers made an immediate exit into their room, shutting the door firmly behind him. Mr. Transport took one last sip of his tea and stepped out into the living room.
“It won’t be that bad,” Alice said. “I me
an, what do they care if Powereds can get control of their abilities? It doesn’t stop all the Supers from having theirs.”
“Alice, there are about nearly double the number of Powereds in the world as there are Supers. Powereds who have spent their whole lives being looked down on, belittled, and treated as second-class citizens. Powereds who, for all they know, will be turning into Supers with a pretty justified grudge by year’s end. How do you see that playing out? Because I promise you, they’re assuming the worst-case scenario,” Nick said.
“But that’s not going to happen,” Vince pointed out. “We’re the only ones.”
“What’s true doesn’t matter. Only what they’re afraid of is relevant,” Nick replied.
“I’m afraid Nick has a point,” Mr. Transport said.
“They’re going to burn the house down?” Vince asked.
“Not necessarily. But he is correct in that things will be getting worse before they get better,” Mr. Transport clarified. “This revelation will need to be handled carefully, and the public delicately managed. They will make peace with it, though. Eventually.”
“What can we do to help?” Vince asked, taking a step forward.
“At the moment, with things as uncertain as they are, the only thing we need from you is to stay safe. I’ll be extracting you all to a safe location once Mr. Numbers determines the optimum place for us to use,” Mr. Transport said.
“Wait, you don’t already know where we’re going?” Alice asked, a new flavor of fear pungent in her voice.
“No, but I assure you it will only take us a short while to make the determination,” Mr. Transport said.
“Yeah, that’s great, but if you don’t know where you’re taking us then I’m guessing you didn’t already take Hershel and Mary there,” Alice said.