Chapter Nine
"Um, maybe as soon as I find my Chums, though," Erika managed to stumble over her own words as she answered Samantha question awkwardly. Recently she hadn't actually thought about becoming a hero. All she wanted was to control her speed, but maybe becoming a hero was just the answer to her problem.
At least this question meant that her siblings were okay with her being a meta-human. One of her concerns had been how her family – namely her brother and sisters – were taking to these changes, but it was all for not. Apparently, they were thrilled with Erika being a speedster.
"Hey, I'm so sorry for missing you guy's birthday," Erika said, suddenly remembering that her speeding had upset that balance. "I wish I'd remembered to get you something."
"That's okay, E, you didn't have to," Elizabeth told her.
"Yeah, E, you're already the best birthday present ever," Samantha responded giving Erika another hug.
"Uh, thanks … I think."
Yep, her siblings definitely liked Erika being a meta-human.
After a few quick words with Hayden, Erika's mom broke up the short lived reunion and sat the speedster down on the couch once she'd shooed the youngling to their rooms.
Erika had a sinking feeling in her stomach, the feeling reminded her of the time her mom had laid down the rules of what she could or could not do with the mountain bike her dad had given her for her last birthday. A knot of anticipation and fear slowly formed, drowning out the happiness of her siblings' approval and encouragement.
Her suspicions were confirmed when her mother walked in and started talking.
"Erika, you're a speedster now, and because of this you will have to follow these rules…"
Erika's eyes grew wider than her glasses as her mother went over a lengthy list of rules that she'd had to have brainstormed during Erika's absence because of their numbers and diversity.
For the most part they dealt with using her powers and how or when she used them. Some of them were things that Erika's common sense wouldn't let her do like speeding in the house or using her powers while riding bikes, skateboards, and other such vehicles.
Right after never running while at school or during school sponsored events, things started getting outlandish. Rules such as 'don't use your speed when a super villain is attacking' started appearing.
"So, in general you don't want me to use my powers period?" Erika sullenly asked once her mother was finished. A shameful feeling swelled within her. It was almost as if she had done something wrong when she'd become a speedster.
"Erika, honey, it's for your own safety," her mom said in a comforting tone.
"Yeah, I hear you." She sighed dejectedly before slowly walking to her room.
Erika let a sigh of content escape her lips as she entered her room. Though she was still discouraged because of all the new rules she had to follow, she was happy to be home.
Samantha and Elizabeth had been playing with their Zhu-Zhu pets when she'd walked in, but they quickly turned their attention back to Erika.
The twins began bombarding and generally pestering her with questions about where she'd been, whom she'd met, and what the people whom she'd met were like.
"So, are you going to be a superhero, like Uncle Barry and Kid Flash?" Samantha asked towards the end of their Q and A session.
Erika stared at the bunk above her own as she lay in her bed, mulling over all her possible responses. She didn't want to tell them flat out no and diminish their hopes, but she wasn't sure about what to say as an alternative.
"Are you going to be a superhero, E?" Elizabeth asked, apparently she'd paused for too long.
Erika made a nanosecond decision and replied, "Maybe, but we'll have to wait and see."
"Well, if you are, Erika, we found these for you." Elizabeth carefully handed Erika her Chums.
"Uh, thanks," she fumbled over her word as she held it. For some reason she felt all the more guilty for not telling the twins that she was all but forbidden from using her powers.
Because, oddly enough, the pair of Chums had little yellow bolts of lightning on a red background decorating them. Of course her sisters would find the Flash themed Chums.
Aside from the still air and some occasional stories from Barry, dinner was uneventful. The pizza had been filling, so Erika wasn't even slightly hungry when she went to bed.
During the meal, though, she couldn't help but notice that her mom and Barry weren't talking, which was rather unusual considering that they rarely saw each other except on a few occasions during the year.
She wondered if her newly found speed was yet again the cause of something.
The next day turned out to be Saturday, so as per Saturday routine Erika and Hayden battled it out in an Xbox Hot Wheels battle.
Surprisingly, Hayden was quite eager to challenge her to said battle despite her being a speedster. She was glad of this, because it meant that her bother didn't feel intimidated by her new meta-human powers.
"I'm gonna win …. I'm … not gonna win," Hayden moaned as Erika beat him to the finish line by a split second.
While he was bemoaning over his loss, Erika frowned. She found that the Xbox wasn't enough stimuli as it used to be.
Her speed gave her an unfair advantage against her siblings and she didn't like it. Erika wanted to feel the excitement again, but unfortunately she couldn't run or anything and she probably wasn't going to see Wally again anytime soon.
"Hayden, the Xbox is all yours, I'm gonna quit now," she told her brother before he could chose the next event.
"Oh, come on, E. This is fun. You've never beaten me before," he protested. "You're speed is making you awesome."
Erika sighed. "Slow Bro, that's just it. I'm using my speed and it's making this whole game unfair for you."
Saturday went by at a moderate pace, but it felt pretty slow to Erika. She played on the Xbox for a little bit by herself, but it still felt too slow.
To pass the time, Erika dug up some of the books she hadn't read in a while.
By evening, Erika had been able to finish The Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride, and at least half of The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.
She was thankful that her mom didn't realize that her speed transcended her body and into her mind, because if her mom knew Erika was sure that she wouldn't be allowed to read books anymore.
Sunday came and passed quickly as thing shifted back to as normal as it could be. Her family went to church and Erika found that her alibi for being gone so long was that she supposedly had gotten hurt badly enough to where she had to be in Phoenix.
The afternoon turning into evening with the same routine that she had made up the day before. Her siblings tired to get her to use her speed, but she had declined, giving a reason of that she was reading.
She went through the rest of The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series and had begun The Chronicles of Narnia by dinner.
At dinner, though, things turned interesting.
"Thirty ten out dug," Hayden whispered in Erika's ear when the adults were distracted by something.
She gave him a questioning look as if to ask him why her siblings were planning a Kid Council.
"Just be there."
Evening slowly turned into night and Erika couldn't help but fidget and wonder why her siblings had called a Kid Council. Why did they so desperately need to meet that they intended to break curfew and sneak out to their substitute for a tree house.
Aside from Erika gaining super speed, there hadn't been any sort of family crisis or dilemma that her and her siblings needed to discuss. If this meeting was because of her speed, then there was no need for it, what would happen in that area of her life was already prescribed.
Erika set aside her questions when her wrists watch read ten twenty-five. As per their sibling tradition, Erika was the last to head for the dugout.
The dugout was their underground hangout. Since there weren't any trees that could hold a tree house up anywhere near their house, they'd talked their dad into digging out a place to hang out one summer and it had served many purposes since. It was the official place of meeting when someone called a Kid Council.
Erika looked over her shoulder to make sure that her parents hadn't seen her. Once she was confident that no one had seen her, she pulled the tarp off the opening of the dugout and entered.
An electric camping lamp illuminated the face of her siblings. Hayden sat at the far end of the dugout looking serious, Samantha had her usual bright smile, and Elizabeth happily had Spot – their pet cat – in her lap as she petted him.
"So, what's this all about?" Erika took her place in the dugout.
"You and your speed," Hayden stated.
"Yeah, what about it?"
Hayden looked at the twins, almost as if to check if they were in agreement, before saying, "We're decided that you should be a superhero."
"Wait, what?"
Erika surveyed her siblings' faces, it was apparent to her that this had been their verdict ever since they had witnessed her run like the speedster she actually was.
"We want you to be a speedster," Hayden repeated.
"Yeah, E, you couldn't sit still even before you were a speedster, but now … well, let's just say that the couch was vibrating while you were reading," Elizabeth pointed out.
"Uncle Barry could train you, any superhero could use more sidekicks," Samantha added.
"But mom -" Erika started to say, but stopped herself short in order to keep from telling the twins what their mom had ruled about her speed.
"We know about Mom's rules," Hayden responded. "But you need to be a hero, you can't sit still and you can't stay cooped up. At the least, Mom should let Barry give you some training so you can run without getting hurt."
Erika glared at Hayden, it wasn't unlike him to eaves drop, but to bring it here before addressing her was unlike him. He'd usually talk to her about stuff then together they would decide if they needed to talk to the twins about the topic, and not the other way around.
"Then, what do you suggest I do? You know Mom, when she makes up her mind its set in stone unless a literal volcano goes off," she replied.
"I really don't know, E, but try talking to her and make sure that both Bad and Barry are there."
Erika sighed. The weirdest and most effective Kid Council had come to a closure. Her siblings had decided to talk to their mom about the rules that had been set in place. That would be an interesting and difficult conversation, but at the moment Erika and her siblings had another situation to deal with.
Together her and her siblings had to get into the house.
Normally, they wouldn't have too much trouble getting in at night because their parents were usually getting ready for bed and they'd be able to go through the living room. But tonight that wasn't the case.
"Guys, get back. Back!" Erika urgently whispered, shoving Hayden back so as to keep them from being seen.
"Holy crap, Batman's in our living room." Hayden gaped at the looming figure framed in the window of their living room.
"He is?"
"Can we see?"
"No," Erika commanded the twins, pulling her siblings behind the aged wooden fence that outlined the patio. "We've got to find another way in."
"Got any ideas, E?" Hayden asked. Of course, her siblings always turned to her in a tight situation.
She peeked around the creaking wood fence and quickly assessed the patio side of the house for any entry way.
In less than five seconds Erika turned back to Hayden and the twins with a smile. "Maybe, just maybe."
"Hayden, have you ever tried fat free ice cream or yogurt? It's delicious," Erika groaned.
"Well, maybe, you could've found a different entrance," he snapped at her.
They'd successfully gotten their sisters into their parents' bedroom through a window, but Erika was having trouble getting Hayden in. Erika found that lifting her brother up to where he could reach into the window sill was much harder than she'd thought.
"Just a little higher, E," encouraged Elizabeth from inside.
"He's almost … he's got it, E. He's got it," Samantha informed her.
Hayden clamored in and then asked, "Now, how are we gonna get Erika in?"
"I don't know, maybe we could pull her in or something," suggested Samantha.
"I don't think that's gonna work," Hayden countered.
"Guys, get away from the window, I've got a better idea," Erika confidently stated.
Determinedly, Erika backed up to the fence. She hoped that there was room enough to do what she planned to attempt.
She took a deep breath and braced herself, before sprinting as fast as she dared towards the window and when she felt that she had enough speed and momentum Erika jumped.
Erika somehow managed to get her upper body into the window and quickly hoisted the rest of her body into her parents' room.
"You did that in less than five seconds, E," an astonished Hayden informed her.
"No duh."
The Ericson siblings quietly slipped through their house, with Erika in the lead. All of them knew the risk of being caught: grounded for two weeks or more.
Amazingly, they'd managed to get past the door way leading to the living room without anyone noticing them, or at least acknowledged their prescience.
"Hey, E, they're talking about you," Hayden whispered to Erika.
"What?" Erika was so intent on getting back to their room without getting caught that she'd completely ignored whatever was being said in the living room.
"The adults, they're talking to about you. I think you oughta listen in."
"No, I've got to get to my room, and so do you."
"Erika, you really oughta listen in on this." Hayden grabbed her wrist before she could do anything about it.
She glared at him for a moment before conceding to his suggestion. "Fine, I'll listen, but only for a few minutes."
Erika and Hayden listened to the conversation for a few minutes before and it wasn't long before they were joined by their pajama-ed sisters.
The conversation was indeed about her. Both Batman and Barry were trying to convince her mom to let her join "the team." Erika guessed that this "team" was the group of sidekicks she'd met.
Normally, Erika wouldn't join Hayden in spying on their parents, but tonight she made an exception. This had to do with her well fair and she would know how it ended.
"Mariah, please, this may be one of the best things for her. A speedster cannot sit still for very long and with your rules, Erika won't survive for very long like that," Barry stated.
"It's for her own safety, I've seen what you look like after a show down with Captain Cold or any other of your super villains and I will not allow my daughter to be in a situation that would have her come home like that," protested her mom.
"Mrs. Ericson, the team is never sent into a situation that they cannot handle by themselves. Your daughter would be partnered with well trained individuals," informed the Dark Knight.
"The individuals she would be partnered with may be well trained, but Erika isn't. In that situation, Erika would not only be a danger to herself, but to those she is with," her mom responded and Erika thought she could hear some stifled laugher.
"This isn't going well," Hayden whispered.
"If the Batman can't convince mom to let E be a superhero then how are we going to?" hissed Elizabeth.
"I don't know, but if we don't do something now E's never gonna be allowed to run again," Hayden responded much to Erika's annoyance, she wanted to hear the rest of the conversation.
"On the team, Erika will receive combat training before she would be assigned to any mission. And of course, she would gain control of her powers and field experience with Barry beforehand if he were allowed to train her," Batman said.
"No, I will not permit my daughter to join my brother on his escapade," her mother snapped.
"Maybe you should let Erika decide that," Batman intoned, almost as if he were in on her siblings' conspiracy and were signaling them.
"E, it now or never," Hayden whispered before giving Erika a strong push into the living room.
"Guys, no!" she managed to yell as she regained her footing.
Erika felt extremely awkward as she noticed how everyone's eyes were on her, plus her mom's glare really made her nervous.
"I'm not the only one up," she said in her defense, but immediately realized that was the worst thing to say in this situation so she quickly covered it up with the obvious fact, "You're kind of loud, Mom."
"Erika, exactly why are you eaves dropping on us?" her mom questioned.
"It's really hard to fall asleep and stay that way when you're ranting, and …," Erika paused trying to find both the confidence and the right words to voice what she felt. "And when said rant is about me don't you think that I would be interested in what was being said?"
"Yes, Erika, I suppose you would, but would you and anyone else up please go back to bed," her mom requested.
Erika sighed. This was turning out to be more difficult than she'd ever imagined, especially with her uncle – the Flash – and the Batman watching, but she at least had to try.
"Mom, I would like to go to bed, but I need to say what I feel about this first.
"I know that you only want to protect me, but those rules you put in place, I think they're only gonna end up hurting me. I understand why you don't want me to become a superhero, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't use my powers.
"I only want to learn how to control them, Mom. I got seriously injured from my first run, and that was because of my inexperience.
"All I want is training enough to know now to use them without hurting myself. Is that so much to ask?
"And if learning how to use my powers means being a superhero for a bit then so be it. But Mom, I'd rather do it with your approval than without it."
