Life Light (17 page)

My eyes scan the crowd, searching for the boy I’d seen in the window. Is he here? Is he inside, hiding somewhere? Can I blame him if he is? No, I can’t. I can’t find him, either--the crowd is too dense. There’s somewhere around two to three hundred teenagers packed together for this.

“We want to apologize for the little scene this morning,” Trent goes on, earnestly. “We didn’t mean to cause you to worry--our job as super heroes is to make you feel secure. We, of all the heroes, understand exactly how stressful high school can be, even without supers running around causing property damage,” he adds dryly.

Part of the crowd laughs, the other part just watches us with curious expressions. I hear a few tiny clicks of phones taking pictures and pull further back into the hood of my snowsuit. It’s getting a bit warm in this--where was that button... I bring up my left arm and tap on the hidden panel that Kim told me about, changing the temperature. I reach over, picking up Alyssa’s arm to repeat the process, not bothering to explain why. Okay, so I’m a bit mothering--it’s not a bad thing!

“What we’ve really come to do,” Trent goes on, “is to talk about hidden supers.” I jerk, staring at him in shock as he floats higher. “There’s a chance in every school, really, that there are people with special abilities--people that are different. Actually, who here would like to hear my story?” he asks.

There’s a resounding roar from the crowd. He lets them cheer for a moment, smiling slightly. “Is that a yes?” he asks. They roar again, louder this time. “I go to a private school, too,” he says, grinning. “In fact, the people behind me are all students there--you’re looking at future super heroes right now, everyone. One day you’ll get to see their faces on the news complete with their own uniforms and fan clubs. Pretty cool, huh? But I wasn’t always a Cape High student. For most of my life, I was in a normal school. I couldn’t join any of the sports teams, because people would notice that I don't go down—no matter how many people tackle me. And if I tackle someone else, I could really hurt them. I had to skip gym class, unless all they were doing was running around the gym. I had a slip from my doctor that got so much use I had to laminate it,” he says dryly. “Guys started to make fun of me, thinking I was ‘delicate.’ If they picked on me, or bullied me, all I could do was just take it.”

The crowd is silent, watching him with serious looks, some nodding. Even the teachers are listening intently. “You all know who my parents are, right? Maybe if I mention their names, it’ll ring a few bells,” he says teasingly. “My dad goes by the ridiculous name America’s Son. My mom goes by--shout if you recognize it--Star Spangled.” They roar so loud that I put my hands over my ears to block it out. “And here I was, considered too ‘delicate’ to take the standard health and fitness exams--that is seriously embarrassing. It isn’t easy being different, guys. For some supers, it can even be scary.”

The group is quiet, and I see them looking at each other with curious expressions. “What I’m saying,” Trent says as he floats over their heads, “is that sometimes the strange kid, or the one that you look down on, or the one that keeps to himself might just be a super in disguise. Don’t ask them, though, because it’s their secret to keep. Really, though, do you WANT to find out if they don't want you to know?"

“Like Dragon!” Carla says. Suddenly everyone looks extremely curious.

“Divine Justice’s nemesis--or so she calls him--had an unfortunate moment in his last school,” Trent says willingly. “He was being bullied by a norm at the time--and the norm punched him in the face.”

The looks of horror mixed with amusement are hysterical. “Who would be stupid enough to bully Dragon?” I hear someone in the crowd mutter.

“Oh, a few people at our school do,” Trent says with a grin, “Cold Steel tries, Maximum tries--they’re out to show who’s the biggest super villain in the school. But a norm trying, well, that’s a different thing entirely.”

“Did he kill him?” a girl asks.

“No, but the guy broke his fist on his face,” Carla says with a huge grin. There’s a little part of all of us that still enjoy that fact too much.

“But this isn’t a threat,” Trent says in an earnest tone. “We don’t want to hurt people, especially those of us that are hiding. We just want to survive high school, like the rest of you. We’re human, well, most of us are. We laugh, we love, we get scared, everything you go through, we go through, too. But unlike your pizza delivery, or grocery bagging, or whatever it is you do, my part time job involves a maniac super villain that brings his own mic to work,” he drawls with a shake of his head.

“Are you really dating Divine Justice?” a girl asks, waving an arm in the air.

“I am,” Trent says.

“Can I get her autograph?” she asks. “She’s awesome!”

“I’ll ask her, but she’s out on a mission a lot like this one,” he says. “One more thing, before we let you get back to your classes. If you do know a hidden super, or even ARE a hidden super, we’re going to leave some cards with your teachers. Teachers, I’d appreciate it if you put them somewhere people can get them without drawing attention to themselves. We’ll happily interview you or your friend for entrance into Cape High,” he finishes, looking over the crowd. He turns, looking at Nico. “Want to add anything?” he asks.

“You did just fine,” Nico says. “Thank you for your time, everyone,” he says as we grab onto him. Even Trent comes back, laying a hand on Nico’s shoulder.

We teleport away.

***

Isotonic rubs the bridge of his nose as he walks through the North Branch Hall. It had been a waste of time going up North--the only things he’d gained were the knowledge that Superior was kicking him out of a part of his territory, and that Cape High was aiming to train a bunch of healers from his branch. Of course, in order to get those students back, he needs to negotiate with them and actually have them JOIN the Hall--

That relaxed feeling he’d had when Aubrey healed him is completely gone. How is he going to explain that to the U.N.? No, he thinks just as quickly, he just WON’T because they’re so far up north only the polar bears will know, anyway. If a norm does find out, he decides, he’ll just let out the rumor that Santa really is real--and it’s not Superior or Cosmic that they saw, but the jolly old man, himself.

“I’m running away.”

“That’s nice, honey,” he says idly, still stuck on trying to talk the two into wearing red. Tatiana would make a great Mrs. Clause from a distance, right?

“I’m going to join a circus.”

“Make sure they have a good reputation,” he answers automatically. Wait. He looks up, finally realizing that Olivia is sitting on his desk, her arms crossed, her expression downright mutinous. “Weren’t you supposed to be staying with Hard Knocks?” he asks.

“Those irritating brats of his spent an entire night shoving things at me!” she declares angrily. “I spent TWO HOURS made out of RED PLASTIC, Dad! They thought it was hysterical! Their Dad threatened to spank them, but you know how heroes are--he got called off to some stupid crime, leaving their mom--who only took away their dessert! So I slept on your couch just so I could tell you to your face that I. Am. Running. AWAY!”

His headache comes back with a vengeance. “But honey, circuses just aren’t that... good for your education. How about something else?”

“I tried the zoo, they don’t take supers,” she mutters.

“Well... How about a different school?”

“I’ll still be stuck here with those two little brats bugging me!”

“How about Cape High?” he reluctantly offers. It’d been on his mind even before meeting the principal--and his extremely impressive family. “Of course we’d have to talk your mom into it, and God only knows how that’ll go--”

“YESSS! YES YES YES!” Olivia shouts, jumping off the desk and doing a victory dance. “Cape High!” she squeals, hugging him. “Did you see the YouTube video where Kid Liberty visited the high school? I think it happened either today or yesterday--it was amazing! And they had all these students behind him in uniform and everything! Maybe I’ll actually get some fieldwork! Maybe I’ll get a BOYFRIEND!”

“Aren’t you a bit young for a boyfriend?” he asks, feeling dread sink into his bones.

“I’m thirteen and a half!” she declares, as if that was an impressive number. He’s quickly creeping towards seventy, himself, and he knows for a fact he’s one of the youngest Hall leaders around. Negatia might or might not be younger, she’s never told. “Do you think Fire Hazard has a girlfriend? He goes there!”

“He’s too old for you, even if he doesn’t,” Isotonic says--only to inwardly scold himself. That’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. “Why don’t we talk to your mother--wait, they visited a school?” he asks, his mind catching up with his mouth.

“Yeah! Here, I’ll show you!” she says, hopping over his desk and grabbing his mouse.

The video plays and he stays silent, a slight frown pulling at his lips as he realizes what they’ve done. On one hand, as a super, he totally agrees. The hidden capes in school should be allowed the opportunity to step out. On the other hand, as a Hall Leader and one that deals with norm relations on a regular basis, he realizes just what a big can of worms could pop open over it.

Maybe he should hunt down Aubrey again--he could definitely use another stress fix.

***

“We teleported a block away,” Trent says, looking at Nico.

“Don’t complain, it’s Dairy Queen,” Nico says. People are staring and taking snapshots, some even ask for signatures, but he’s just happily lounging at an outdoor table, eating an ice cream cone. “Besides, there’s a chance the healer boy will come looking for us--whether or not he actually talks to us is another thing entirely. We need to look approachable.”

“Be honest, you just don’t want to go back to the Arctic Circle just yet,” I say, happily eating my cookie dough blizzard. These things are amazing.

“That too,” Nico says, only to nod slightly in the direction where Keliah is sitting as far from the group as possible. “Keliah,” he says, making her jump, “you did good.”

“I shot the tire out,” she says, not looking at him. “I’m the one that deserves a detention--they didn’t even think about it.”

“I could make you pay for the tire,” he says thoughtfully. “Or I could put you to work doing something else--what do you say, Trent? You're her team leader, you get the final say.”

“I think she needs to help Aubrey with her work at the ER for a week,” Trent says. “After you’re back from up north, that is," he says, looking at me.

We both jerk. I look at Keliah, who looks at me with a strained expression. Working with a girl that has a crush on my boyfriend for an entire week--I sigh silently. I hate confrontation! He’s pretty much just THROWN the poor girl at me, and he knows it! I give him a dirty look, only to get a shrug in return.

“Can’t I work with ANYONE else?” Keliah demands.

“How about Emily?” Trent offers evilly.

“NO! Anyone else except for her!”

“Your punishment’s already determined,” Nico says. “I suggest you be polite to your future boss, maybe she’ll go easy on you.”

“Yeah, right,” she mutters, looking down at her ice cream with an obvious pout.

“I’d like to work with her,” Alyssa offers. “What’s wrong with working with Aubrey?”

“She’s--she’s DATING--” Keliah starts out, pointing at me.

“I’m dating her crush,” I say calmly. I'm the almost-adult here, I need to take the high ground, right? “Which means we have similar taste in boys--maybe we have more in common.”

“That’s not a common interest!” Keliah protests. “That’s--that’s a reason to hate each other!”

“I don’t hate you,” I say, a bit shocked that she thinks that. “I don’t appreciate you luring him with food--he’s a bit stupid when it comes to that, but I don’t hate you.”

She has this look on her face that has me instinctively getting up and moving to her side. “Listen,” I say gently, “you’re thirteen--he’s almost eighteen. You know that, right?”

“We’re supers, age doesn’t matter.”

“When you’re grown, it doesn’t matter--right now, though, it does,” I tell her. “But I'm not letting my boyfriend be stolen, regardless of how cute or talented the girl might be. Jack is mine, see?” I say, pulling my necklace out and showing her the rose.

She blushes, a look of shock crossing her face. “I’m—I'm not talented," she mutters, "I’m just starting to be able to use my power.”

“You’re thirteen and you’re already forming weapons that actually work,” I tell her. “I didn’t even realize I HAD abilities until I was almost fifteen. You’re amazing, Keliah, you have such a promising future ahead of you, regardless of what side you choose. You’ll be a great super villain, or a great super hero,” I praise her. It seems silly, praising a girl that’s after your boyfriend, but she’s just so--so young. There’s a vulnerable look hidden in her green eyes, one I saw in the police bus, and that showed up again the moment I called her cute. She's CARLA'S age, I remember abruptly. She's just a kid! What she really needs right now isn't a boyfriend—it's affirmation. I'm good at giving affirmation.

“The arrow thing was REALLY cool!” Carla says, popping up behind Keliah and hugging her. Keliah lets out a shocked yelp. “I really, really wanted to go down there and give them a piece of my mind, but you did that! Thank you!”