Chapter I:
In a world full of superheroes, there are two that stand above the rest: The Commander and Jetstream. His super-strength makes him pretty much indestructible. She has the power of supersonic flight along with a total mastery of unarmed combat. By day, they live as Steve and Josie Stronghold, the top real estate agents in the metropolis of Maxville. But whenever duty calls, they are the Commander and Jetstream.
Me, I have my own names for them: Mom and Dad. You look at them and see the defenders of the world. All my brother and I see is our dad wearing tights. Don't get me wrong. It can be cool to have superhero parents, like when Mom picks up awesome takeout on her way home from work. On the other hand, living up to the family name means that Will and me are supposed to save the world someday.
Ugh, I hate pressure!
But right now, it's the morning of our first day at Sky High. I dressed in a blue sleeveless dress that reaches my knees in a flowy skirt and white ballet flats with small heels. I put my shoulder length, wavy auburn hair into a ponytail to keep my eyes free. I slipped my dark blue metal rimmed glasses over my crystal blue-green eyes. I looked into my full length mirror and smiled; I liked how I looked.
There was a knock on my door.
"It's open!" I said, grabbing my green apple chapstick and applying it. My door opened and I smiled when I saw Dad enter the room. "Good morning, Daddy!"
Daddy smiled at me. "My dear Madison, you look just like your mother."
I turned to him and giggled. "Do I really? I know my dress color isn't quite the same as your uniform blue and it's much darker than my normal ice color." I did a simply twirl, my skirt flowing out like chiffon fabric it is. I wore a pair of small black shorts under the dress. "I want to look nice, but not so much that I attract people."
Daddy laughed. "Sweetie, you look gorgeous in anything. I think you look just fine. Now, I just saw your brother. I want you to know that I am proud of you and Will, attending my alma mater. I know that one day, you and Will are gonna be there to save the world one day."
I smiled shyly. "I don't know if I can live up to you and Momma, Daddy."
He kissed my forehead. "You don't have to be a hero right now, Sweetie. Just enjoy high school, Maddie."
I nodded. "Okay, Daddy."
"Steve, send Maddie down for breakfast!" Momma shouted from downstairs.
"Oh, you best get down there and eat some breakfast before your mom has a fit." Daddy laughed.
I laughed with him and grabbed my white messenger bag, rushing down the stairs to the kitchen. There, Mom and Layla were talking. "Morning, everyone!" I said, sitting down at my table place to drink my orange juice. Daddy sat at the table as well.
"Sweetheart, you look just beautiful!" Momma cooed at me.
"Thanks, Momma." I took a sip of my juice. "Hi, Layla!"
Layla smiled and waved at me.
"I can't believe the three of you are starting high school," Momma lamented. "It seems like just yesterday that Layla and Will were swimming naked in the kiddie pool."
"Mom!" Will complained as he entered the kitchen. "Hey, Layla. Morning, Little Sis."
I playfully rolled my eyes. "You are only thirty seconds older, Will." I stood up and skipped to the kitchen bar to snatch a piece of bacon. "Yummy deliciousness!"
And then the morning was interrupted when a cell phone started ringing. I looked to Daddy while Momma was checking the normal phone. "Josie, it's the other one." Daddy held up the red blinking cell phone. He answered it. "Hello? Yes. Understood, Mayor." He hung up and looked to Momma. "There's trouble downtown. Big trouble. Downtown."
"Aw, and I wanted to see Will and Maddie off to the bus," Momma complained. She looked to Layla. "I remember the first day of preschool; Will wouldn't let go of my leg…"
"Mom!" Will whined, receiving a kiss on the cheek. Momma placed a kiss on my cheek as well and ran out of the kitchen.
Daddy went to follow Momma, but he turned back to us. "Will, Maddie. Most students at Sky High only have one super parent, not two, so take it easy on them, huh? No showing off."
"No worries, Daddy," I said.
"We will keep it low key," Will promised.
"Steve!" Momma shouted from the parlor.
Daddy winked at us. "Gotta go." He went to the parlor.
We turned the TV on in the kitchen and watched Momma and Daddy meet a giant attack robot attacking downtown. Momma circled around the robot before launching Daddy straight into the chest of the robot, which then collapsed into itself and fell onto its back. Daddy pulled its eye out as the news anchorman ended his newscast.
Will sighed. "They are good." He turned the TV off.
"Let's get going!" I stated, grabbing my bag off my chair and skipping to the front door. We left the house and walked down to our bus stop.
"I know it's our first day," Layla said, "but I can't wait to graduate and save mankind. And womankind."
"And animal kind," I added.
"Not to mention the rainforest," Will chimed in.
"Of course!"
"Morning, kids!" the elderly lady from down the street said as she watered her flowers.
"Morning, Mrs. Kibbitch!" We three said in unison.
We came up to the bus stop and I watched for the bus, biting my lip. "Why do I have to ride the bus?" I asked. "Can't I just fly up to school?"
"Mom said she wants you to ride the bus for today so you know the way," Will stated.
"How hard is it to find a school floating in the sky?" I sweetly sassed him with a smile.
Layla laughed. "She's sassing you."
"I know," Will huffed.
The bus pulled up and I followed my twin and Layla onto the bus. Rather than wait for Will to ask if the bus was taking us to Sky High, I headed to the back of the bus and found an empty seat. I scooted into seat, settling next to the window and pulling out my latest book: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. And being the genius I am, I was reading it in the original Russian. I was learning Russian and could only read and write in the language; speaking was a whole different manner.
Anyway, the bus picked up the final couple of kids. When the kids were settled, the bus driver was being a little funny.
"That's everyone." He closed the bus door's and removed the patches off his shirt and hat to reveal the Sky High logo. He then turned to look at us teens. "Next stop: Sky High!" he started driving and we headed to a closed off section of the highway. I kept my eyes on my book, taking in the drama of the plot until I heard Layla ask, "Where are we going?" I looked from the book pages to the bus window. We were headed to an off ramp that had a 'No Driving' sign on it…and the bus driver was heading right for it. To my surprise, belts crisscrossed over my chest. I sighed and closed my book, putting it back in my bag. "Hang tight, everyone. We're going off road."
The bus traveled off the ramp and seemed to be falling, everyone in the bus was screaming. When it seemed like the bus was going to crash, wings and an engine came out of the bus and it was flying towards the sky. Now, I love to fly and being in the sky was awesome but I didn't care for being strapped to a bus seat.
"I am definitely flying to school on my own from now on," I whispered to myself as Sky High came into view. "Wow…"
The bus driver, whose name I heard is Ron Wilson, landed the bus and we all disembarked. I rejoined Will and Layla, giving them a smile.
"So, how was your guys' flight experience?" I asked.
Will hit his shoulder against mine while Layla laughed. Our group of freshman walked toward the entrance of the school, looking at all the upper classman feel so comfortable with the floating school in the sky. I saw that the entire cheer squad was made up of one girl who had replication power. I saw another girl who had cryokinetics just like me! Our enjoyment of looking around was interrupted when a blur herded us into a very tight bunch. The blur stopped to show a guy in a Sky High sweater and was a little chubby. I then saw a guy stretch like Mr. Fantastic down next to the chubby guy.
"Freshman, your attention please," the chubby boy said.
Stretchy landed on his feet and did a twist stretch. "I'm Lash. This is Speed. And as part of the Student Welcoming Committee…"
"We'd be happy to collect the $15 new student fee," Speed added while Lash stretched his hand to a boy in bright orange.
"Um, there was no mention of a student fee in the handbook," Orange boy said.
'He actually read that?' I thought to myself. I then groaned when a girl in full pink, brunette, and really pretty shooed the two bullies away.
"Hi, everyone. I'm Gwen Grayson, your student body president…" She started to just drone on and on. I tuned her out until she said, "If you just follow those simple rules, I assure you won't fall off the edge of the school."
The freshmen walked into the school going to the gymnasium. I noticed a very pretty lady in white at a podium designed with the Sky High logo. "Good morning. I am Principal Powers. On behalf of all the staff and faculty, welcome to Sky High."
"Yeah!" Will's friend Zach cheered.
"In a few moments, you will go through Power Placement and your own heroic journey will begin," Principal Powers stated.
"Power Placement?" Will asked.
"Sounds fascist," Layla bluntly said.
"Power Placement. It's how they decide where you go," the one orange boy-who I learned was named Ethan-said.
"The hero track or the loser track," the purple girl named Magenta added.
"There - there's a loser track?" Will stuttered in fear.
"I believe the preferred term is 'Hero Support,'" Ethan tried to comfort.
"That doesn't make it any better," I muttered.
"For now, good deeds and good luck. Let the adventure begin." Principal Powers moved from out from behind the podium and raised her hands. "Comets away!" She turned into a comet and blasted away.
I giggled. "That was so cool."
With the exit of Principal Powers, a small stage raised from the middle of the gym and a man wearing gym clothes and holding a clipboard. "All right, listen up. My name is Coach Boomer. You may know me as "Sonic Boom. " You may not." At least he wasn't expecting us to worship the ground he walks on. Here's how Power Placement is gonna work: You will step up here and show me your power. And, yes, you will do so in front of the entire class. I will then determine where you will be assigned. Hero or sidekick.
"Now, every year there are a few students or, as I like to call them, "whiner babies," who see fit to question and to complain about their placement. So let's get one thing straight. My word is law. My judgment is final, so there will be no whiner babies. Are we clear?"
The class quietly agreed with him.
"I said are…we…CLEARRRRRR?!" Boomer shouted at us.
That scared us just right. "Yes, Coach Boomer!" The class shouted in fear.
Coach Boomer blew his whistle, signifying it was time to begin. I watched a nerdling turn into a stone made, a shape-shifter, a girl with acid spit, Zach tried to glow, Magenta turned into a guinea pig, and Ethan melted. The first three were named heroes while Zach, Magenta, and Ethan were dubbed sidekicks. Soon, it was my turn.
"You, girl in the blue dress." Boomer pointed at me. "Front and center."
I glanced at Will before walking up the stairs and standing in front of Boomer.
"What's your name, Blue?" he asked.
"Madison Stronghold," I answered.
He nodded. "Let's see which parent you take after."
I gave him a look before going up into the air and shot a shard of ice at him.
He dodged it and grinned up and me. "Flight and Cryokinetics. HERO!"
I flew to the back of the group and landed next to Will, hiding behind him to get people to stop looking at me.
"You, flower child, let's go." He motioned to Layla.
"I believe in only using my powers when the situation demands it," Layla stated.
Coach Boomer shrugged. "Well, you're in luck: This is the situation, and I'm demanding it."
"But to participate in this test would be to support a flawed system. I think the whole Hero-Sidekick dichotomy only serves to..." Layla tried to stand up for her beliefs.
"Let me get this straight. Are you refusing to show me your powers?" Boomer questioned her.
Layla let out a small chuckle. "Well, it's more complicated than that, I mean..."
Coach Boomer yelled very loudly, causing all glass in the vicinity to shatter and makes everyone brace themselves. "SIDEKICK!" The lunch bell rang. "All right, we will pick this up after lunch. Starting with you." He pointed directly at Will.