Chapter 3: In Truth and Trust

Connor and I hopped off the bus, while I waved to my new friends. Freinds. Wow. My first friends ever and it felt great.

"How was your first day? Do I need to beat anyone up?" Connor's eyes clouded over with seriousness, though his smile indicated he was teasing too.

"It was amazing! So many people, so many conversations, and the boys! That Warren Peace is so hot!" Connor chuckled as a rambled about how awesome it was. "Hey, why didn't you sit with us at lunch?" I swiveled round to face Connor who's eyes cast downwards.

"I got a detention." He mumbled, but it was enough for me to hear.

"Why?"

"That science guy with the big head kept questioning me on you know what. Long story short, I got annoyed and punched him through the wall." I hadn't seen anyone with a big head, but I knew talking about how we came to be was a sore subject for him. It was one of the things that made him, as my friends described at lunch, a 'social outcast'. Apparently just like Warren.

Oh this is brilliant! The outcasts coming together and hanging out all the time. Then, we will slowly fall in love.

Grandma was right. I was more like a teenage girl than I imagined...

We walked into the homely cottage to be greeted by the scent of something wonderful. Cookies lay in the oven while our grandmother cleaned the already immaculate, livingroom.

She isn't really our grandmother. Neither is our grandfather. Jetstream had dropped us here and the couple had been more than happy to let us stay. They had no children, so they were quite lonely. They were the ones to name us. I couldn't think of any one who would take in two outcasts like us. They were your typical movie, TV type of grandparents. Who laid out pie, and even in all the years they had been together, had only grown to love eachother more.

Grandma looked up and smiled that warmly smile that anyone could trust. Our pa, as he insisted we called him, looked up from his paper and winked, patting the seat that faced diagonally to the old TV.

"How was your first day kids?" Pa's paper was folded and passed along to Connor who thanked him, while placing it in his bag.

"It was amazing! So many sights and smells. It really is as great as you said." I smiled warmly.

"I can imagine it's been modified since when I was there." Pa chuckled. He was a shapeshifter, like Magenta. Except he could shape into anything he wanted. Though the color was always green. His superhero name was BeastBoy. He worked alongside our genetic 'parents'. He always told such wonderful stories.

"The detention room stops powers." That was Connor's way of gentling the blow when he had bad news. Work it into the conversation. Grandma came in with a stern face.

"I know. Your principle called. Said you punched Medulla through the wall! Connor, we bought you up better than that." Though she could be stern at times, she would always take the right side.

"I'm sorry," Connor's head cast down, while his fists clenched. "he was asking about the incident and wouldn't let him go. When I told him to stop he wouldn't. I just got so angry." I rubbed his back soothingly. He smiled gently at me.

The next few days passed by fairly quickly. I had no classes with Warren, and I hadn't seen him either.

That night we were all at Will's, including Connor who I had convinced to finally make friends with the gang.

"Ok, number one. A radioactive zombie is charging at your hero. Do you hand him A; his silver tipped crossbow, B; a wooden spike, C." Will questioned while Zach furrowed his brow and looked up.

"Yo, that's so weak man. I'm holding his crossbow. Why can't I just shoot him myself?" Zach really hated being a side-kick. Oh I can just hear Ethan whispering 'hero support' at me...

"Cause we're hero support. And if your hero asks you for a crossbow, you hand it to him." Ethan seemed a little glum...

"Or her." Ah Layla. All for feminism.

"By the way Zach, you can't kill a zombie, only re-kill him." Layla repeated her last sentence as Ethan didn't hear her point out 'Or her'. Or he's just ignoring her.

"If you kids are all in here, who's out there saving the world?" Oh my God. It was the Commander. Wow he looks strong. I can see a lot of Will in him. Or A lot of him in Will... Either way. Zach looked starstuck, with a big grin on his face that could out shine his outfit. He looked to Ethan who gleamed just as brightly.

"Dad. Why are you home so early?" Will had a smile on his face, but his eyes gave away a hint of fear. Does his dad not know about him not having powers?

"After I stopped the Superdrome from collapsing, I was watching the game and got to thinking, 'It's been a while since Will and I tossed the old pigskin around'. I thought I'd hustle back home, but I see you and Layla have already made some friends." The Commander must be a really cool guy. If Connor and I had a dad, I was certain Connor would have loved to football with him. Pa did, but Connor was too worried about his health to be able to relax and enjoy the game.

"It's an honour to meet you sir." There goes Ethan and his, what Coach Boomer described as, kiss-buttery.

"What's your name, your power?" Commander was straight forward. Wow. Just like Will.

"I'm Ethan, and I melt." You could feel the disbelief and confusion come off of the Commander in waves. It was hitting you like the sea. I'd only felt it once though, so I can't really compare it that much.

"Ok."

"Zach. I glow." He didn't look too impressed.

"I see."

"Magenta. I shape-shift." His eyes lit up at that.

"Shape-shift!"

"Into a guniea pig." Dissapointment littered his face again.

"Great. Great! Really great." He looked to Connor and I next, assessing us.

"I'm Alex Kent, this is Connor. We both have super-strength, and I can hypnotize aswell." He looked cheerful as he looked at the only people with a useful power. I wasn't insulting anyone, I hadn't paid attention to Power-placement, and from what they just said, hey didn't sound so spectacular. I didn't know Layla's power.

"Think you two could beat me in an arm-wrestling competition?"

"We might. We'll have to come round with a table we can't break. Last time Connor and I arm-wrestled, our grandma wasn't too happy with having to buy a new table." My face contorted with horror as Connor and I remembered the scolding we got. We were still getting used to our powers, and the one thing grandma warned us about, we didn't listen too. We were grounded for a week.

"Well! I make a mean tuna fish, salad sandwich. Anbody want want?" A chorus of no's littered the room. Mainly coming from Zach. Not a tuna fan huh? Or salad. "Pleasure meeting everyone." He clapped his hands together and walked into, what I assumed, was the kitchen. Will followed closely by, and everyone strained to hear the conversation.

"They're a good bunch of kids Will." Commander said, rustling a bag of something. We're good. Not that good.

"Can I ask you something, though? Does that one kid really glow?"

"Sometimes." Zach looked like he was about to object, but I quickly silenced him with my hand around his mouth. He mumbled something into my hand. It sounded oddly like 'such a cool power'...

"Boy they have really lowered the bar some for superheroes at that school since I went there." Everyone looked down, while Connor and I patted there backs in an attempt at saying 'you're great'. It seemed to lift there spirits a little.

"Well, actually, he's a sidekick."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense." Zach mumbled again, but I didn't catch it as, I was far to engrossed in the conversation.

"Yeah. Actually they're all sidekicks. Well, apart from Alex and Connor, but..." Will trailed off.

"Good for you, son." The rest of the conversation was boring. Until Will told his dad he was a sidekick. So I was right. He never told him. That's why he was nervous.

"Dad, I'm a sidekick, ok? I washed out of Power-placement." Uh oh. I hear an argument on the horizon.

"Washed out!" I was right. "Boomer." That was difficult to hear as Commander lowered his voice. Connor mouther what he said. A bang was heard from the kitchen, the table I presume. "Couldn't make the big time, so now he thinks he can pass judgement on some real heroes' kids, huh? Oh, it's a power trip, Will. That's all it is. Sonic Boom? Try 'gym teacher man'."

"No, dad! What are you doing?"

"I'm calling the school. The tuition we pay them!"

"Dad, don't. Dad! It's not Coach Boomer." And the truth in three, two... "It's me, ok? I don't have any powers." Poor Will. Sensing the conversation was nearly over, and feeling bad for eaves-dropping, we all turned back to our work. Everyone looked up at Will as he walked in, acting natural, though clearly upset.

"Uh, so I, uh, think we pretty much covered the undead. What's next?" Will realised we were all staring in admiration at the fact he stood up for not only himself, but his friends, and every sidekick in the world, probably. "What?" An embarressed smile crept on his face as he put two and two together and realised we'd heard. Layla signalled to us to continue.

"Your hero flies north at three-hundred miles per hour for fifteen minutes. His archenemy is tunneling south at two-hundred miles per hour for ten minutes. Assuming your hero has X-ray vision, how long before he realizes he's going the wrong way?" Well done Will. You may not have powers, but you have the biggest heart I know. I think I trust them enough to tell my secret...