Author: War Admiral out of Man O' War by Brush Up
Archive: I would seriously love you forever if you did, but just ask me first.
Disclaimer: None of the characters from Sky High belong to me. Grumbles
Rating: PG-13, or T
Setting: After the movie, starts on the first day of their sophomore year.
Guest starring: Michelle Trachtenberg as Hannah Cromwell
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colors gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down on Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott
The Lady of Shallot
Sir Alfred Tennyson
Prologue
Of all of those with super-powers, the elementals are by far the most complicated. Allow me to explain.
When one has say, super-strength, that's it, they can hit things really hard. It doesn't mean that they are automatically going to have a bad disposition, or even a good one.
But the elementals are different. When their powers are activated, they become that power. For instance, it doesn't matter if they enjoyed running bunnies over with lawnmowers, if they become an earth elemental, they will feel the uncontrollable need to protect nature.
Many don't understand this. They fail to see the true lack of control that elementals have over their own personalities. Because of this, they are often looked down upon for various reasons, depending on their power.
Earth: The earth elemental values all life, no matter what. Because of this, they rarely if ever use their powers to harm others. Even if they do, they will chose to disarm, or detain in some way, rather then cause physical damage. They are peaceful, kind, and sensitive, even though their pacifism has been known to cause problems.
Water and Air: Water and air elementals are so similar that they can be spoken of together. The nature of both is to be happy, light-hearted, and gentle. But very few have a true grasp of the strength of their abilities, and may often harm unintentionally. Even as the storm makes the gentle ocean a powerful destructive force, a weather manipulator working with an air or water elemental is a force to be reckoned with.
Ice: Contrary to some belief, water and ice are quite different elements. Granted, they are the same component in different forms, but their abilities and personalities are extremely different (Though it should be noted, while rare, there have been several water elementals who could create ice). They are calm, thoughtful, and often cold, if you will pardon the pun. While strong, they prefer to think things through before making a decision. However, their reserved persona is often off-putting for those who don't know them well.
Fire: If earth is the food of mankind, water the drink, and air the breath, then fire is the soul. The fire elemental, or pyrokinetics, as they are more commonly called, is by far the most destructive of them all. Known for their harsh tempers, when they aren't try to roast someone alive, they seem to 'smolder', waiting for someone to upset them, and the flame bursts to life again. Not that they are all bad. They are known, though not so widely, as being fiercely protective of their friends (When they manage to find someone who isn't scared silly of them). These elementals reflect the strength, intensity, and beauty of the flame.
There are some, however, who have control over all the elements. There is no real name for them, so we will simply call them 'elementals'.
The average elemental will spend the first six to ten years of their life living a normal childhood. But everything changes when they 'power up'. They will usually begin with something small, accidentally calling something to them, a rush of air, a puddle of water, or making a small flower grow from a seed.
All of these are quite harmless, and can be done fairly easily, as these elements are quite docile, and tend to listen to one more often then… well… that's where things get sticky.
You see the elementals power is not as all encompassing as one who can control a single element. In order for it to work they must, in a way, 'ask' the element to do whatever it is they want done. In order for this to work, they can't make whatever element do things that are technically impossible. Water can't appear out of nowhere; plants can't grow without seeds, etc.
Soon enough the young elemental will realize that in order to keep the elements around them under control, they must keep themselves under control. See, for single-ments, a personal joke, it is easy to control their element because they essentially are that element. For the others, it is much harder because like most weather controllers, they control them with their emotions. Plants, with gentility, water and air with joy, ice with calmness, and fire with anger. They learn that they must be constantly aware of their feelings or people around them will get hurt.
Later on things only get better. As they get older the elemental may eventually try something more challenging, like controlling fire. That's when everything goes south. You see, fire doesn't listen to people, and it doesn't obey, no matter how nicely you ask. To control it, a person would have to be able to turn their negative feeling on and off like a light switch, and while they may be able to do this easier with feeling like happiness, it's just not possible when it comes to anger and rage.
After finding out that trying to use fire will only get their eyebrows singed, they will go on a crusade to find a way to control it. They know that there must be some way, there is a way to control everything, isn't there?
I say this with such certainty because I have seen it so many times before. There is a pathological need born into every elemental to find a way to regain the easy control over their lives that they had before their powers surfaced. As of now, no one has ever found a way, except for the blessed few who managed to rid themselves of their abilities.
What happens if they don't, you ask? Simple, they go crazy. And I don't mean crazy-angry or something like that. At best they will just be a little now-now, at worst they will go all out homicidal in their mad quest for peace.
I imagine all of this sounds very strange to you. I can understand why. But hey, at least we don't turn into a puddle of goo, or have acid spit like some lily-livered gits I know.
To conclude, I urge anyone who reads this to re-think his or her view on elementals. Why? Because we have it a heck of a lot harder than you think.
September, the month looked forward to by some and feared by most. When children around the nation are pulled from blissful laziness and forced back into the hostile, unforgiving environment known as school. To Leyla Price, the only thing that was worse then that was the fact that her particular school had yet to ban the barbaric tradition of 'power placement'.
"Fascism at its best." She thought to herself as she sat at the table in her boyfriend's kitchen.
Will Stronghold, able to lift just about anything, fly, with brown hair and puppy-dog brown eyes, as well as his unshakable kindness and sense of justice, was just about everything a girl could want.
And he was her boyfriend.
Not that Leyla was into the whole possessive, self-centeredness that prevailed in the world, but she was still a fifteen-year-old girl, and she loved to say that.
She turned her attention back to the other occupant of the room, Josie Stronghold, a.k.a 'Jetstream', and 'Will's mom'.
"So apparently they've changed things since I went to Sky High. Now instead of waiting for graduation, heroes pick their sidekicks in sophomore year."
Josie turned and smiled affectionately at the redheaded earth elemental.
"Of course, Will is going to pick you."
Leyla nodded. "Probably."
It didn't really need to be said. Will and Leyla had been attached at the hip since preschool. They had started dating just after the rather… ahem… eventful freshmen homecoming dance.
Just then, Will came bounding down the stairs at full force. She loved him, but even Leyla had to admit that his sense of time lacked something to be desired. He made up for it with a quick kiss hello.
As they began to talk about the new school year the phone rang, and Josie went to pick it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Josie. This is Brook."
Josie smiled. Brook Cromwell was the wife of an old friend of her husband's. She hadn't heard from her in months, as she had apparently had a rather nasty bout of post-partum depression after the birth of her first child.
"Brook! How nice to hear from you! How are you?" She asked.
"I'm good."
"And Peter?"
"He's good too. We've been a bit overwhelmed with the new baby, but we're doing quite well."
Peter, her husband, was the son of a super-hero, and though he himself didn't have any powers, his father had been a powerful shifter, being able to change into a lion.
"But Josie, I have a small favor to ask of you. You remember Peter's daughter?"
Josie thought for a moment. "Yes, a little. She's in England isn't she?"
"She was at a boarding school for girls with powers, but after I was diagnosed Peter sent for her to help take care of me and the baby. She's going to be going to Sky High now."
"Ah." She replied. "What is it you need?"
"Well, she's a little shy, and I know your son is going to be in the same year as her, so I was hoping that he could keep an eye on her, help her out so she isn't all alone there."
"Of course. And Leyla Price is here too."
There was a soft laugh at the other end.
"Yeah. I can't believe that little Will has a girlfriend, much less little Leyla Price!"
"I know. He's growing up so fast. He's fifteen now, and he just shot up to 5'9" over the summer."
"Hannah, Peter's girl, will be sixteen in December. I can barely believe how much she's grown since her last visit. Anyway I have to go, baby's being fussy. I think Hannah is going on the same bus as Will. He'll know her right away; she has her father's nose. I'll talk to you later."
After hanging up, Josie explained what she had discussed.
"Her father's nose?" Asked Leyla.
The other woman laughed. "A personal joke. He has this cute little nose that's the bane of his existence."
"Hey! I remember him!" Will said with a laugh. "He's the son of umm… what's his name…"
"Leo." Leyla supplied. "Also known as Jonathan Cromwell. Retired superhero, and deceased."
Josie nodded. "Peter never got any powers, but he has a lot of influence, and has done a lot to help out superheroes in the past."
Under his breathe, Will muttered, "Owning half of the businesses in Maxville Metropolis will do that."
"I heard that." His mother scolded.
…
On the bus, Will and Leyla took the seats behind their friends, Zach and Magenta, and across from their other friend, Ethan. They briefly told them about Hannah.
"A Brit huh?" Asked Zach.
"Actually," Leyla corrected. "She was born here, but she was sent to a boarding school in England three years ago."
"What for?" He replied.
Will shrugged. "No one knows. They say that the school she went to is specifically for girls who can't control their powers."
"Is she hot?" Came a voice from the back, far back, of the bus.
"Shut up, Larry. Hey, I don't think we've ever gone down this road on our route before." Magenta said.
The houses they now saw where all the older houses left from when the city was first built. But unlike other parts of town, where the Victorian mansions were all rundown, the people in this neighborhood had taken painstaking effort to keep them in top condition. Well-tended gardens, freshly painted exteriors, and period lawn furniture abounded. The bus pulled to a stop in front of a particularly nice one. It was a robin's-egg-blue, with a single turret, and a spacious porch going around the front.
On the porch stood a young girl. When she saw the bus, she grabbed a lavender colored backpack from beside her, and half skipped, half ran down the pathway. As she stepped on, she stopped momentarily to look at all the strange faces. When she caught sight of the five friends, she gave a shy smile, and walked over hesitantly.
Looking at Leyla, she asked, "You're Leyla Price aren't you?"
Her accent was not quite the cultured sound of the upper class, but still far from the harsher sound of the Cockney, or Liverpool accents. In a word, it was relaxed.
Leyla nodded in response. "Yes. Are you Hannah?"
"Yeah." The girl replied with a smile. "But you can call me Anna, or Ann, or any derivative thereof that strikes your fancy."
She smiled as well. "Great. This is Will Stronghold, that's Zach and Magenta, and over there is Ethan."
Ann shook hands with each of them, asking a polite "How do you do?" to each. Ethan scooted to the side so she could sit next to him, and she smiled her thanks.
Looking her over, she was an interesting looking girl. She was about 5'7", her straight, light brown hair was braided and pinned back in a bun, her eyes were large and a blue-gray color, her mouth was a little too wide, with full lips, and her nose was, in fact, cute and little. Her choice of dress was simple, black jeans, black hiking boots, and a pale blue mock-turtleneck. She wore no makeup, and her only jewelry was a small, pale gray-blue stone on a delicate silver chain.
"So." Will said, trying to make conversation. "I hear you just came over from the UK?"
"Yeah. I was staying at a school over there for girls who can't control their powers very well. Mine went kind of bonkers three years ago, and so my Father had me go over there to help me learn to work with them better."
Zach leaned over the back of the seats.
"So what are your powers?" He asked.
She grinned in response. "You'll see. Don't you worry, I haven't seriously injured anyone for months now."
"How long have you been here?" Asked Leyla.
"And how long are you staying?" Larry added from the back of the bus.
Ann turned around in her seat to look at him.
"I don't believe we've been introduced."
There was a resounded "Ooh" from around the bus, and another girl leaned over to whack Larry upside the head.
"Don't you know you can't talk to someone unless you've been introduced in England?" She reprimanded.
Ann cleared her throat. "Er, yes, well. I have been here for about four months now, and as far as I know I will be staying."
At that precise moment, the seat belts came into place, plastering them against the back of their chairs, and the restraining bar came over their laps.
"Oh yeah." Leyla said. "There's something you might want to know about this bus."
Ann looked over at her, her eyes now impossibly wide.
"No way." She emphasized each word clearly, her eyes begging for someone to tell her that her fear was unfounded.
And then they fell.
Freshmen screamed with fear, everyone else shouted with glee, and Ann gripped the bar in front of her so hard her knuckles went completely white, as did her face. When they finally landed, they had to gently pry her hands off. By then, she was shaking softly.
"I… hate… flying." She chocked out.
Leyla patted her shoulder and crooned over her until the other girl calmed down enough so that she could stumble off of the bus.
"You'll get used to it." Will tried to reassure her. But she just shook her head.
"I don't think so. I've been on quite a few flights in my life, and I still hate it. Heights I can stand, speed I can stand, but put them together and…" She trailed off, waving her hands in a gesture of helplessness.
"No way."
They all looked at where Zach was pointing. Ann cocked her head, squinted, and added.
"I second that. Will you please excuse me?" Before scurrying off in that direction.
…
"No way." Ann Cromwell kept repeating to herself in her head as she ran to catch up the retreating figure. But as she got closer, she realized that it was exactly who she thought.
"Andy!" She called. The figure stopped. There was only one girl who still called him that. As he turned around, his eyes widened.
"Hey!" He called in surprise.
"Andy." She said again as she came up to him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in prison?"
Andrew Baker shrugged. "They let me out on parole for good behavior."
"You?" She asked in disbelief.
He shrugged again. "Would you believe it? What about you? I thought you were still in boarding school."
"They let me out on parole for good behavior." She quipped.
"You two know each other?"
The two turned around to find Will staring at them. She nodded.
"Yeah. Guys, this is Andy, he's an old… em…" She looked at him curiously. "What would one call you?"
"I don't know. Surrogate brother? Self-appointed-protector-of-the-cuteness?"
Will frowned. "We've already met."
Ann grinned. "That's right. Will and his friends are the ones who busted your bum for helping out that villain."
He nodded. "They did. And she was a super-villain."
"Whoa." Zach said as he caught up. "I was right. Lash is back."
"Lash?" Ann asked, turning to her old friend. "I thought we had a little talk about gitty nicknames."
"I don't understand." Leyla said. "How can you be friends with Lash?"
Ann drew herself up to her full height and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I was friends with his sister back in England. She was the only other American there. When Andy came to visit, he helped me with a… problem I had. I owe him quite a bit."
"But he's a jerk!" Leyla protested. "He spends his time bullying sidekicks!"
The other girl fought back a smile. " I would guess as much. He hates sidekicks."
"And your still friends with him?" Asked Zach.
Before Ann could respond, Lash leaned over and tugged on her arm.
"Come on, Em. You don't want to be late for power placement."
She sighed, letting him lead her toward the school. As they walked away, she sadly looked back over her shoulder, silently apologizing.
So, what do you think, too much talking and not enough description perhaps? Absolute drivel? Comments and suggestions are always helpful and appreciated.