Disclaimer: You know what's coming... "The Incredibles" is copyright of Pixar and Disney.

Chapter 1: Ordinary

She answered the door reluctantly. It had been months since her husband had gone missing. She was worried, if not for him, but for their one-year-old daughter. The solemn man in the black suit sat down on the couch. She sat down in a sofa chair. His baritone voice was the only thing she heard, and when it stopped… she cried long and hard.

15 Years Later…

It had been a month since Abigail Paladino and her mother, Marie Paladino, had moved into their apartment in Metroville. Abigail, often called Abby, was entering her junior year of High School in less than two weeks. They were still unpacking the last few boxes. And the air conditioning was broken. Again.

The 16-year-old sat on the couch, fanning herself with one of her mother's magazines. Why did the air conditioning always have to break on the hottest day of the year? It was like some kind of unwritten rule. Abby sighed. At least the AC repairman was already here. It would be another "painfully" hot hour until she would be comfortable, but at least she had a nice cold glass of water within reach. Speaking of which, she was thirsty. Maybe it had something to do with the heat, or maybe it had something to do with dehydration.

She reached for her glass only to realize that it had been moved. The nerve! Now she had to peel herself off of the almost comfortable couch to look for it. She sat up to find her mother holding her glass of water as well as a thick paperback book.

"Mom! It's hot; I need water! Please don't bribe me and make me read some stupid book." There wasn't much of an uproar from the teen. 'Unbearable' heat tends to drain one's energy.

"You've hardly touched that reading list, Abby. With school starting so soon, you need some… neurological stimulation" Her mother smiled, handing Abigail the glass of water.

Abby took a few gulps of water before speaking, "But look at how long that book is! It must be, what? A thousand pages long?" She stared at the book, "There are only two weeks of summer vacation left! Let me enjoy them while I still can."

"All you've been doing this summer is sleeping, eating, and playing video games. Not much of a summer, if you ask me."

"Well… No one asked you."

"Your smart aleck remarks will not be tolerated, young lady." It was interesting how quick Mrs. Paladino could jump into strict-parent mode.

"I was only kidding, Mom," The teen chuckled. Sometimes, she thought her mother had no sense of humor, "What's the book's title, anyway?"

"'Les Miserables'. You might like it, if you give it a try.

Summer vacation always goes by faster than one would want it to. By late August or early September, the kids are shipped back to school, minds drained by the sun's heat. They hardly remember anything when they come back, so it always takes an extra two or more weeks for the teachers to get them back on track. By the time that happens, the students are already bored with school.

"A month into school, and we're already getting projects! 'Heroes of the Glory Days'! I get enough of it at home," Jack Parr complained to his project partner, "Can you believe it, Abby?"

"I'm not surprised." Abby looked out the window. The last thing she needed was some pretty boy as a partner. She'd probably end up doing all the work, securing the guy with a head start on his GPA.

"You're not even listening," Jack rolled his eyes, "Anyway, we've got a list of heroes here, and five minutes to choose who we want to do our report on. Figures."

Abby scanned the list, surprised. She raised her hand, prepared to ask a question. "Mrs. Farlin? Is there any reason why all these names are names of superheroes?"

"If you had been paying attention, Abby, then you might not have asked that question. You're to do a report and presentation, be it a skit or a slideshow, on the contributions to society that superheroes have made without their super powers. There are more details on the project sheet, such as the grading rubric and how long your presentation should be." Mrs. Farlin moved onto her other students once she had answered the question.

"Without their super powers? What a drag that'll be," mumbled Jack.

Just as Abby was about to discuss with her partner whom they were going to do their report on, an irritating beeping noise sounded from the front of the classroom.

"Okay, class, time's up. We'll be drawing names from this hat to determine who chooses first." She drew a slip of paper from a sleek, purple top hat, and said the name aloud. It was almost immediately followed by a voice shouting, "Mr. Incredible!"

Jack smiled; Abby rolled her eyes. She just knew the next one would be—

"Elastigirl!"

And then…

"Frozone!"

"Dynaguy!"

"Thunderhead!"

"Abby and Jack, you're next."

Abby stuttered before Jack shouted out, "Gazerbeam." He smiled at Abby as though he knew something she didn't, his blue eyes twinkling. Or rather, assumed that she knew as well as he. His partner gave him a funny look.

"That boring guy? All he had was laservisi—" She whispered to him, but was cut off.

"We're not doing a report on their super powers, remember? Gazerbeam did a lot more than you think he did."

She gave him another funny look as they exited the classroom together.

"You're doing what!" Abigail's mother wasn't too happy with the history assignment, to say the least.

"Mom. It's just a report on Gazerbeam. It's not like I'm smoking cigarettes behind your back," Mrs. Paladino gave her daughter a cold stare, "Which I'm not."

"I just don't want you doing a report on someone as… irresponsible as a superhero." Her mother chose her words carefully, as if she was trying not to offend anyone.

"Then go to the teacher to complain about it, don't shout at me over the dinner table. Sheesh." Abby couldn't see what was wrong with a simple report. Or what was wrong with superheroes, for that matter. Unless there was something her mother wasn't telling her. Don't be so silly, she thought, that only happens in the movies or on television. Never to someone as ordinary as myself.

Author's Note: If you've already figured out just who Abigail Paladino's father is, then please keep it to yourself. It's great that you figured it out so fast, but I don't want the story "spoiled" if everyone knows who the father is. (Though most "hardcore" fans have already figured it out.) Thank you and see you next week.