This one is a bit short, but the others will be longer, I promise. I'm always open to comments and suggestions, and I absolutely loved the feedback I got on The Beginning! You guys are awesome!! I should be updating about once a week :)
Oh, and if you happen to speak Cantonese, and I am butchering the language, I sincerely apologize. I'm doing the best I can with a phrasebook and the internet, but I'm bound to mess up every once in a while.
Disclaimer is in The Beginning.
The bad thing about living above a Chinese food restaurant is that you can smell it all the time. There is no escaping it. It fills your dreams, your life, and worse, your clothes.
The first couple of nights I was left perpetually hungry, and probably would have gained about ten pounds if Aunt Wu didn't keep screaming at me every time I entered the kitchen. It was always in Cantonese too. I can speak the language pretty good, and knew nearly all of her insults, but I'm no where near fluent. Having it yelled in my face doesn't do much for my comprehension either.
There are some good things though. I have my own room, which is bigger then I had in the apartment back in the city, and I have my own bathroom. Aunt Wu usually ignores me, which is actually pretty cool, since she freaks me out. She only talks to me to give me chores and yell at me, calling me a thief and a freak. She's definitely not as happy about the super thing, or me being here, as my folks are. But other then that I'm pretty much on my own whenever I'm upstairs, since she never leaves the restaurant.
But today I had bigger problems than Aunt Wu. Way bigger problems. In less then an hour I would be roaming the halls of Sky High, surrounded by hundreds of kids I didn't know, and could probably kick my ass in a second once I'm branded a Sidekick. My dad had told me about Boomer and his crappy power placement deal, and I was so not looking forward to it.
I mean come on, I can control colors and little balls of light. Like that will get me anywhere in the Hero world. The replicas took to long to be able to do in placement, and the only other somewhat cool thing I can do is make the balls of light blindingly bright. And I don't think Boomer would really appreciate me blinding him.
"Hūi fāai dì!" Go faster! Aunt Wu yelled, and banged on my bedroom door.
"I am!" I called back as I got up off my bed and got dressed. I slipped into a pair of black jeans and a lime green tank top. I stood in front of the mirror and brushed my hair, blending into my glossy black hair one thin bright streak for every color of the rainbow as I did. A smiled grazed my lips as I inspected my work. I had to admit, if I completely failed at the hero stuff, I could always make good money as a beautician.
I made myself a bowl of cheerios in the kitchen while I watched the news on Aunt Wu's small portable television. Maxville's local station was running some story on the Commander and Jetstream, whoever they were. I didn't really follow other supers.
"Hūi!"Go! Oh great, she's back.
"I'm not done with my cheerios, Aunt Wu!" I protested.
"Yi gà!" Now! I stashed my bowl in the sink and practically ran from the kitchen. You would think that a 5'2 skinny old lady couldn't scare someone who was five inches taller and had a good twenty pounds on them.
But of course, you'd be wrong.
I grabbed my back pack and headed out the side door, down the staircase to the street below. My bus stop was supposed to be two streets down on to the left, so I started walking. There were a couple kids there when I arrived. They looked pretty young, freshman probably. They ignored me, so I returned the favor and leaned against a telephone, waiting.
The bus arrived a few minutes later. I was the last to get on, and there were only two seats left: One next to Mr. I'm-Going-To-Eat-Your-Soul-If-You-Come-Near-Me and the other right across the aisle, next to a guy in an orange t-shirt with glasses. I chose to sit next to the latter.
"Hey, I'm Ethan."
"Kira." I told him as the bus started moving. "Nice to meet you."
"You too. Freshman?"
"Sophomore. I'm a transfer kid."
"Cool, you're in our grade then." He turned around motioned to a few kids behind me, and I gave them a smile before I was forced down in my seat by safety straps. My dad had warned me that the bus flew, but I was totally not ready for it. My stomach hopped into my throat as we blasted off from the ground.
"Chiu!"Dammit! I muttered as I looked at the other kids on the bus so I wouldn't look out the window. Mr. Igteysiycnm's head whipped around and he looked at me funny.
So I flipped him off. Really not a smart thing to do, since, you know, one of his hands lit on fire.
"Cool it, Warren." The patriotic kid in the row behind him said. "Leave the first time flier alone."
I glared at the kid. So what if that kid could burn me to a crisp? I'll fight my own battles. I looked back at Warren, formerly known as Mr. Igteysiycnm, and noticed the red streaks in his hair. Cotton candy pink looked so much better on him.
"Hey, how do you get to Principal Power's office?" I asked Ethan.
"Go in the front doors, make a right, and it will be down the hall a ways on your left." He instructed. The bus arrived at the school much faster then I anticipated, and I said goodbye to Ethan before I rushed off the bus. I had to go meet with Principal Powers before my day started.
I followed Ethan's instructions and managed to find her office. She rushed me inside and I sat on a chair in front of her desk.
"Hi Miss Roberts. How was the bus ride?"
"Hello Principal Powers. It was good."
"Good, good. I have your community service assignments ready for you. Right after school on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday a bus will pick you up from the side of the school and bring you to whatever location your group is assigned. You will work until 6:00, when the bus will pick you up and return you to your home. You will also work on Sunday morning, 8:00 to 3:00. It being Wednesday, you'll start today." I gulped. That's 14 hours a week, on top of the hours I'll be putting in at the Lantern. So much for having a life.
"What exactly will I be doing?"
"Trash collector."
"Màt yë ā?"What? I squealed, horrified. "I'm going to be a garbage man?"
"No, you'll be picking up trash along the highways."
"Oh. Er, wonderful. Better then jail."
"Yes, Miss Roberts, I do believe it is better then jail. But I must warn you to be on your best behavior here. Do not give us a reason to send you to back to prison."
"Well, I was never technically in..." She gave me the evil eye. "I won't! I swear." It kind of irked me how she could sound so nice while threatening my freedom.
"Good. Officer Michaels will be checking up on you occasionally, yes?" I nodded. "Very well then. Let me walk you to power placement."
She stood up, and I followed her out of the room. The halls were empty. I guess the bell had rung without us noticing. She led me to what I presumed was the gym, where a girl in a Red Hot Chili Pepper t-shirt stood on the platform next to Boomer.
"Name and Power."
"Anna Smith, and..." She leaned into Boomer and whispered her power. Even from where I was standing I could see the blush working its way up his face.
"Power up." Anna's transformation floored me. She went from a fierce looking, brown-haired teenager to an adorable little blond girl in a frilly white dress, who was about 3 years old.
"POWER DOWN NOW!" Boomer screamed at Anna, and she shifted back to her normal self, looking sheepish. Boomer looked absolutely pissed, and I felt bad for the girl. I really didn't expect him to label her a Hero.
Principal Powers shook my shoulder, and pointed to the group of freshmen standing before Coach Boomer. They stared at me. I joined them.
"Coach Boomer, can you please place Miss Roberts here so I can get her to her classes?"
"Fine, Principal. Girl, up here, now!" I stared at Coach Boomer, who's name suited him really, really well, as I walked up onto the platform. He didn't have sunglasses on. Oh well.
"Name and power."
"Kira Roberts, and I can create and manipulate light and colors."
"Power up."
"Um, sir. Just tell me to stop before I blind you, okay?"
"POWER UP!"
I squealed and formed a ball of light about the size of my head in between my hands. I sent it flying around the gym, over the heads of the freshman and Principal Powers, continuously shifting colors as it went. Then it started to get brighter. I called it back and poured power into the now glowing white ball of light. The brightness intensified, and I closed my eyes as it continued to grow. I heard some of the freshman start to moan, so I made it even brighter. With Powers here he couldn't make me a Sidekick for blinding him, right?
"POWER DOWN."
The light disappeared. I opened my eyes and blinked away the purplish dots as I waited for my answer. Boomer was blinking rapidly and rubbing his eyes.
"Hero!"