AN: Thanks to you all who have come back to this story. I really appreciate the responses you guys/girls leave.
10.
Titan Tower
September 18
18:53 UTC
"Oh man, I think I have a dodgeball stuck in my back." Taking his shirt off, Zachary groaned from his muscles refusing to cooperate with him. The dodgeball game against Raven was intense as the Titan really did not take it easy on any of the teens. The result was the massacre of the new generation.
"It wasn't that bad," Carter told him as he rested with his back against the lockers.
"Being Kryptonian with invulnerable skin would help, but not all of us were born with alien DNA." The magic using teen slipped a shoe off. "Ooh, that feels better. A pedicure would feel so good right now."
No sooner had the two began to rest when Carter's phone went off. Looking at his locker with an odd stare, he had no clue who it was since he assigned each of his contacts a specific ringtone. Since this was the standard 'ring', he thought about ignoring it, that is until he remembered the number he used was only known to a select group of people, AKA others like him and his friend, Carlos.
"I got it." Snapping his fingers, Zachary had the smart phone disappear from Carter's locker and reappear in his friend's hand.
A quick thanks later and Carter answered. He was surprised when he heard a feminine voice on the other end greet him by name and curiously asked who it was. To this, Zachary became interested as he heard the voice and scooted closer.
"Hi, it's, uh, it's me. Um, Ma, Mar'i? The girl you bumped into at school."
"Mar'i?" Carter asked, which drew Zachary's attention even more.
"Ye, yeah. Um, I hope you don't mind me calling you, but I found your number when I went to the office for an after school class. I'm taking an elective where they teach me to file paperwork and when I saw your name, I just wanted to talk to you some more. I, is that okay?"
Receiving a push form Zachary, Carter saw him mouth 'Tell her yes!' and motion for him to hurry and reply.
"Um, yeah, that," he cleared his throat and developed a deeper voice, "yeah, that's okay."
"Oh good," Mar'i said relieved. "I was worried if you would think I was crazy or something." She giggled slightly on the other end.
"Dude, dude, is she hot?" Zachary asked In a whisper. "One to ten with ten being smokin'. No, better yet turn your skin red if she's hot. Blue if she's not. Come on, give me something to go on like if she's blonde or brunette."
Frowning, Carter returned to his conversation. "I don't think you're crazy. But I'm kinda busy right now. I just got through working out and heading home."
"Oh, I'm sorry I bothered you. I was just wanting to know if you could perhaps, maybe show me around Happy harbor? I really have't gone anywhere and you're the first in our school to not freak out because of who I am. It's hard enough being rich, but being a Luthor on top of it."
"Well I don't care if you're a Luthor. You're not your dad."
"A Luthor?!" Zachary whisper yelled and got to his feet. "A Luthor?! She's a Luthor?! What are you thinking even talking to a Luthor?! You know who her dad is, was, whatever, you know what I mean! You even talking to her is bad! It's like Batman having tea with The Joker! Superman and Lex discussing carpet samples! Wonder Woman and Circe sharing an ice cream! Like..."
"I totally need an ice bath."
Down to a sports bra, Carrie flexed her back muscles where a light bruise was forming from Raven nailing her with a dodgeball midway through the exercise. Raven held almost nothing back as she stayed in the center of the gym floor with the teens running around her in an attempt to tag her with their rubber balls. The result was one sided as the Majick user made it almost impossible to hit her unless the teens used teamwork. This concept was lost on them until Garfield shouted for them to work together as one instead of individuals. It was then and only then when they managed to graze their opponent to end the first part of the exercise.
"Just tough it out," Lorena told her friend. "You will need to do that in the field anyway."
"But we're not in the field, LoLo," Irey told her. "Besides, not all of us have tough as nails skin. You and Carter have us on that."
"Speaking of whom," Carrie said as she grabbed a towel for the showers, "you two worked great out there against Raven. You've still got the moves."
"Why wouldn't she? She and CK spent a lot of time underwater. They know the motion of the ocean," Irey teased with a slight dance.
"Wanna drown on dry land?" Lorena warned.
"Easy, barracuda. We know the story. Besides, you're with the prince now, right?"
"Ooh, Lorena and Arthur sitting in a reef. K-i-s-s-i-n-g," Carrie sang then laughed when the dark skinned girl shot a look at her. "But, whatever. Garfield's right. We really don't have too good of teamwork. We did mostly go on our own to win and paid for it. Raven used that against us."
"What we should do next time is have Carter provide a distraction with us while we have Zachary sneak around with you, Carrie," Irey explained. "With his magic, I bet he could hide you long enough to get the drop on Raven and tag her before she knows what's happening."
"Nice plan. But remember that next time." Standing, Lorena headed for the showers, a towel draped around her neck, and disappeared into the wash area.
"Too bad it didn't work out between them," Carrie said as she reached into her locker and retrieved a bottle of muscle coolent to be used while taking a shower. "But at least they're still friends."
"Ah, who cares. We're on our way to becoming the next greatest thing since the League put the 'Boom' in Zeta Tubes." Grabbing her bottles of shampoo and wash, Irey juggled the plastic containers while reaching for a towel when she stopped shy of the showers. "Hey, I just thought of something. I know we've all seen each other in our birthday suits before, even the guys when we were kids, but do you know if CK has X-Ray vision?"
Looking with wide eyes up at her three year senior friend as she realized what she as really asking, Carrie shook her head. She had never thought of that before since they had never trained together. But now that they shared a wall with the boys' row of shower heads... "Umm..."
Facing where Lorena ventured off to, Irey gave a huff. "Gonna have to wash fast then."
"What about me?" Carrie asked. "I don't have super speed!"
"Meh, what's to look at, mosquito bites?"
Irey then laughed as her best friend threw a bottle of body wash at her and missed.
Metropolis
September 18
21:07 UTC
In a luxurious apartment, about the size of a house, over looking Metropolis Central Park, Mar'i Luthor ignored the breathtaking view and instead focused on a set of pictures strewn out on an ivory coffee table decorated with engravings of cherubs on the corners. Images of Carter taken from satellite in Happy Harbor, the North Pole, and around Titan Tower. Closed circuit photos of the teen in school were stapled along with his class schedule and lack of after school activities.
Kicking her feet up onto the leather couch, Mar'i studied the list of known likes and dislikes according to papers he filled out in class, from simple things like his favorite band or his favorite food, to more in depth things such as how he gets along with certain types of people, she studied it all and was only interrupted when her doorbell rang.
Tossing the files onto the coffee table, the teenage girl literally floated into the air and flew over to the door, landing on the small tiled area and looked to see who it was through the peephole. To a 'normal' person, the elaborately decorated apartment would be cause for admiration with its off white, ivory, and cream colors. Mar'i ignored all of this, treating her accommodations like a regular room instead of a million dollar apartment free of charge to her.
A quick glance through the peephole revealed the upper torso of the 'Southern Gentleman' she had known for the last couple of years. The sight of him made her eyes roll.
"William," she greeted annoyingly. Of all the 'friends' she and her half brother had, he was the most annoying of the bunch.
"Night, Mar'i," the Southern teen answered. "How's things goin' with ya?"
"Cut the familiarities and tell me what you want." Heading back to the couch, the dark haired girl went back to studying the files and photos with her guest behind her.
"Just want ya to know me and the twins'll be headin' out for the third part of Alex's plan." Pausing momentarily, the cowboy gently touched a bouquet of red roses. It was one of several large arrangements in the apartment living room as the teen girl fancied them.
"And why tell me?"
"He just want's to make sure you ain't gonna mess this here project up."
"Alexander knows what I'm capable of," Mar'i growled.
"I know." He took note at how his friend was in the middle of studying her target. "And that's all fine and dandy, but he went on with saying how this is for Ol' Lex and all that." Reaching out, William grabbed an apple from the crystal bowl on the coffee table and polished it before taking a bite.
"Wax fruit," Mar'i told him without looking up from a paper.
Moaning disappointment, William spit the fake bite of food into his hand and looked for a trash can. "Thanks for tellin' a fella before he takes a bite."
"You're welcome. Now if that is all, please, leave. And if you talk to my brother before I do, tell him I'll carry out my part and make sure out father's killers pay for what they've done to him."
Nodding, William headed back to the door, tossing the inedible treat in the garbage. "And one more thing. It's just a friendly reminder really, but you might want to check a mirror before answering the door next time. Your epidermis is showin' there, sweetie pie."
A moment after closing the door, Mar'i looked herself over. Sure enough, her skin tone had changed with a light orange spot on her thigh just below the hem of her shorts. She huffed and tossed her files back on the table then stood up, checking for any more similar spots on her body with a few being found on her arms just under her shirt sleeves.
"Stupid makeup. Won't even stay on the twelve hours like it's supposed to."
Leaving the files behind, Mar'i entered the bathroom and turned the shower on figuring if a little makeup was gone, then why not remove the rest? Looking herself in the mirror, she looked her face over for any signs the makeup may be disappearing before putting her hair back and tied it loosely.
"Hate this part."
Reaching up, she held one of her eyes open and proceeded to take out a contact lens with the other. The covering completely covered her eye and was a pain to remove, but it did its job well, making her look like any member of the human race. She then did the same to the other eye and slipped them both into a glass of contact fluid. Popping her neck, Mar'i hung her head down, her hair loosening and falling forward to semi conceal her face behind black locks. Her eyes opened, letting out a green glow as she looked at herself in the mirror while the steam from the hot water filled the room.