Sky High: Teens In Tights
Chapter 2: My Gym Teacher Drops A Car On My Head

Sky High?

One word: OhmygoshI'mthousandsofmilesintheskywithabunchofsuperheros.

Super-powered teens were everywhere. Technopaths were disassembling and reassembling their cell phones on the front steps. A water manipulator caused the fountain jets to dance in the air, and an ice manipulator froze it over. Four girls appeared out of thin air, and a cheer leading squad of identical twins chanted a welcoming-cheer at us over and over again.

"Welcome freshmen, don't be shy. Welcome students to Sky High! Juniors, seniors, all the rest, we're back at school. Sky is the best!"

"Alright freshies!" a loud voice boomed at us. "Group up!"

What felt like a blue and yellow comet circled around us, herding us into a tight-knit clump of sweaty, terrified adolescents.

The comet came to a stop, and I saw that it was really just a heavy-set upperclassman in yellow shorts and blue t-shirt. Another upperclassman in stripes slinky-d over to us and smirked.

"Welcome to Sky High," he drawled. "My name is Lash, and that was Speed. We're the Freshman Orientation team-"

"What did I tell you about messing with the freshmen?" an annoyed voice demanded.

We turned to see Will Stronghold, Layla, and Zach standing next to the bus. Ron Wilson, bus driver, and three other teenagers were behind them.

Lash rolled his eyes and turned to face him, striped arms crossed. "Not messing with them, Stronghold," he sneered. "As 'retribution' for our actions during Homecoming last year, Speed and I are being forced to take care of these losers by Principal Powers. Not to mention that we've had to start over in the same grade as you freaks."

"It sucks," Speed added.

"Are you kidding me?" a small kid in all orange demanded. "She trusts you with this?"

Speed shrugged. "For some reason," he replied. "Now get out of our way, sidekicks, we've got better things to do than talk to you guys."

Will eyed Speed and Lash warily. "Alright then. Go ahead," he muttered.

Lash snorted and sprung over to the front of the school. I blinked, and Speed had appeared beside him. "Come on freshies," Lash yelled. "Keep up!"

They sniggered as we followed them into the halls.

Sky High was full of futuristic windows that gave us a great view of the one thousand mile drop that awaited us if we fell out of one. The floors were orange linoleum, lined with white, and the lockers were steel gray to match the door frames.

"Orientation is in the gym," Lash told us. "Pick up your name tags right... here."

We came to a stop next to a table beside two double doors. The table was stacked with paper pins.

"Name tags?" I snorted. "What is this- third grade?"

A striped arm appeared out of no where, my name tag in its hand, and slapped it onto my chest. The pin dug into my skin.

"Ouch!" I yelped, jumping back.

Lash retracted his arm. "Anyone else have any complaints?" he asked, whipping a quick smirk in my direction. No one said anything. "No?" He shrugged. "Good. Head on in for power placement. Catch you losers on the flip side."

Speed waved a hand at us before dashing off. Lash smirked at me one last time and sprung away.

"I really don't think I like them," I commented.

Robin rolled his eyes. "Who does?" he asked pointedly.

I shrugged as we walked into the gym, which was about a mile long and full of state-of-the-art equipment, most of which looked extremely dangerous and possibly life threatening.

There was a sound like a jet engine whirring to life, and a pulsing ball of shining white light soared over our heads and came to a stop on top of a raised portion of the shining wooden floor. The ball of light solidified, taking on the shape of a woman in a white pantsuit with golden brown hair and red lipstick.

"Good morning," she greeted us, like nothing had happened. "I am Principal Powers. On behalf of the staff and student body, I would like to be the first to formally welcome you to Sky High. In just a few moments, Coach Boomer will take you through Power Placement, and your own heroic journey will begin."

I felt something like a lead weight drop into my stomach.

"For now, good deeds and good luck," Principal Powers continued. "Let the adventure begin."

I turned away this time as she shifted into the ball of light and soared back out of the room. When I opened my eyes, she was gone, and a tall man in a baseball hat and shorts with a whistle around his neck and a clipboard in his hands had taken her place.

"Alright, listen up," he barked. "As Principal Powers has already told you, my name is Coach Boomer. You may know me as Sonic Boom. Here's how Power Placement is gonna work." He moved a few steps closer to us, not removing his sunglasses. "You will step up here and show me your power," he told us. "And yes, you will do so in front of the entire class."

Robin shifted nervously next to me. I sympathized with him- big time.

"I will then determined where you will be assigned. Hero." He looked at my brother. "Or sidekick." I felt his gaze rest on me. Did everyone just assume that's how things were gonna turn out?

"Now," he snapped, motoring forward. "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."

Coach Boomer whipped off his sunglasses and glared at each and every single one of us in turn. "My word is law." He raised his voice to super-human levels. "My judgement is final."

What felt like a tidal wave of sound rushed over us, nearly knocking me off of my feet.

"Are we clear?" Boomer shouted.

"Yes Coach Boomer!" we yelled back at him.

He grinned in satisfaction, replaced his sunglasses, and blew his whistle shrilly. "First up," he called, looking down at his clipboard, "Jamal Beck!"

A short, dark boy with broad shoulders and shaved hair stepped up onto the stage. Coach Boomer sized him up.

"Power?" he asked dubiously.

Jamal grinned, showing off pearly white teeth. "Got any water?" he asked.

Someone from the crowd tossed him a plastic bottle of it. He smiled bigger and placed it on the floor in front of him. Boomer groaned.

"Kid," he asked, "what're you-?"

With a roar like a tidal wave, the bottle burst into a million shards of plastic and the water sprung out of it, dousing Boomer in a hurricane of wet.

"Hero," Boomer muttered, spitting out a mouthful of water and making a note on his clipboard. Jamal grinned and stepped down. "Vienna Beck."

Vienna was taller than her brother, with darker hair than his and no smile. "I talk to fish," she stated lamely. "Can I go down now?"

Boomer raised an eyebrow at her. "Sidekick then," he said. "Next! Clarisse Bedford!"

A tall girl, thin as a rail, with mousy brown hair got up on the platform. There was a slight pop, and an oak tree had taken her place.

"Good gosh- sidekick!" he shouted.

Clarisse turned back to herself, pouting, and stepped off the stage.

"Greg Burrell!"

"Your real name is Francis," Greg, a slightly pudgy boy with straight brown hair told Boomer when he stepped onstage. "You had waffles for breakfast this morning, and right now you're thinking that you want to kill me." Greg grinned and crossed his arms. "I'm a mind-reader," he told us.

Boomer scowled at him. "Hero. Now get off the stage!" he growled. "Skylar Carson!"

Skylar, a grumpy blond girl with the perfect body, summoned a thunderstorm that soaked all of us to the bone, complete with thunder and lightning, and was immediately announced a hero.

"Aidan Channing!"

Aidan was the most attractive man I had ever seen in my life. He stepped on to the platform, and my only thought was: Gorgeous man is gorgeous. Aidan's hair was messy and dark brown. His eyes were shining hazel and he had the sweetest smile ever.

With a clap of his hands, the lights went off. Electricity surged out from him in glowing blue, white, and purple lines, and he restored the power with a bang like a cannon blast. When the lights came back on, we saw Boomer, face streaked with ash, hair standing on end.

"Hero," he squeaked, making a check on the clip board. "Next! Cory Crowel."

"I'm indestructible," Cory announced proudly when he reached the platform.

"Let's test that theory, shall we? Car!" Boomer called.

Several of us screamed- myself included- when a car dropped from the ceiling and landed directly on top of Cory. It fell apart on impact, leaving him standing there, with barely a rip on his orange t-shirt.

"Hero! Jake Delaney, you're up!"

Jake waltzed onto the platform, smiling charmingly, dressed in all-white with red hair, gelled to perfection. "Car," he called smugly.

Once again, a vehicle dropped from the ceiling. Jake waved his hand and a glowing barrier wrapped around it and carried it to the opposite side of the gym.

Boomer nodded his approval. "Hero!" he announced. "Ivy DiLuca, you're up."

Ivy blushed bright red when she saw all of us staring at her and brushed a hand through her long black hair. "Uh," she squeaked, not meeting Boomer's seering gaze, "I'm a lie detector."

"Sidekick," Boomer replied automatically. "Eponine Hughes!"

Eponine waltzed onto the stage, dressed in all pink with matching hair. "Hey," she said in a soft voice. With a wave of her hand, she reduced us all to tears, and then had us in hysterics a few seconds later.

"Hero," Boomer announced, wiping at his eyes. "Josselyn Hutchins, next!"

"Sidekick," he announced, after Josselyn had spent nearly an hour reciting the entire Declaration of Independence for us, thanks to her super-memory. "Sakura Kim."

A tall Asian girl with red and yellow streaked hair walked, literally, through the stage, and came to a stop half in front of Boomer's torso, half behind Boomer's torso. Her middle was phasing through his body. Boomer shuddered and sent her offstage.

"Hero! Bernard Littleton!"

A lanky skater dude with messy red hair and a beanie stepped onto the stage and smiled at us. He took a deep breath, cracked his knuckles, and grew so big that he had to crouch to avoid smashing through the ceiling.

"Hero," Boomer announced, craning his head up to see Bernard's face. "Elliot Locke!"

Elliot, it turned out, could eat literally anything, and was assigned to the sidekick route after swallowing Boomer's whistle.

"Alfred Marone, you're up!"

Alfred really was up, and walked to the podium with his feet yards above the floor. He then proceeded to turn the room upside down, all without taking his eyes away from the book he was reading.

"Hero," Boomer announced once the room was right-side-up again. "Camilla Quick!"

I took a deep breath and pulled away from Robin, walking up the steps to the platform hesitantly.

"Well come on, we haven't got all day," Boomer snapped at me once I had come to stand next to him. "Power?"

With a quick, guilty glance at Robin, I responded, "Cat-like reflexes."

Boomer raised an eyebrow at me and flipped through the papers on his clipboard. "You Nightshatter and Sharpshooter's daughter?" he asked.

I nodded in response, totally unprepared for him to call, "Car!"

Shrieking, I flipped out of the way just in time, only for Boomer to yell "Platform!" and for me to go flying off of the stage and soaring high up in the air.

My mind was whirring at a million miles a second. Wind rushed past my face as my hands searched uselessly for something to grab hold of, only for them to clamp down on an orange banner hanging over the doors to the gym. The fabric started to tear beneath my weight and I held on for dear life as it came crashing down. I bounced a bit when I landed, and splayed my legs to balance myself out.

I didn't look up to see Robin's reaction, knowing that my powers were a sore spot for him. The rest of the freshmen were staring at me with appraising looks.

Boomer sounded thoroughly unimpressed when he said...

"Hero."