CHANGES
Disclamer. This story is written purely for enjoyment. I'm not making any money.
I do not own any of these characters.
Josie Stronghold had settled herself comfortably into her favorite easy chair. An afghan was tucked cozily around her legs, a steaming cup of tea was within easy reach. She'd just closed on a two story brick colonial and signed off on the laatest villian containment protocols. She was planning a well deserved rest with nothing more strenuous than flipping the pages of a tawdry paperback and ordering pizza.
Some may consider such a day boring, but for a busy career woman, superhero, wife, and mother, boring could be a relief.
She was just reaching for her book when a soft throat clearing noise captured her attention, a definate feminine sound.
Josie looked up. "Hello Layla," surely this wouldn't take more than a few minutes.
As usual the teenager looked beautiful. She had vibrant red hair, warm brown eyes, and a coplexion that could grace any makeup commercial. She was dressed simply in jeans and a green sweater.
"I was hoping I could ask for your advise about school?"
Despite the interruption of her precious free time, Josie was intrigued by Layla's request. Sky High had been the hottest topic of conversation at the office aqua filtration system. Nothing quite like nearly flattening five miles of suburbia to make Desperate Housewives old hat.
Layla handed Josie a piece of paper. The Sky High logo was prominently emblazoned on the upper right corner. It was very official looking.
Josie read the letter twice to make certain she hadn't missed anything. If Steve had read it, he'd wonder just what the problem was. But then, Layla hadn't asked Steve.
"They want to transfer you to Hero classes. I'm not surprised. You have a very impressive power.
She trained those intense brown eyes on Josie. Even as a little girl she'd been able to stare at you as if seeing into your soul. "Is that the only thing that matters?"
"No, but it is a high school for Super Heroes."
"I don't like labels."
"I think you're being a little hard on the school. Their job is to educate you and prepare you for a career in the industry. They place you where they think your skills will be best challenged. It's natural for you to be a little scared of this."
"I'm not scared," Layla protested.
"Are you sure?" Josie asked carefully. If Layla got angry with her, she was pretty sure Will would sulk for weeks.
Layla opened her mouth, then closed it. "Maybe a little," she admitted. "So much about the school seems wrong to me. Hero support is pushed to the side constantly. The teachers act like we should be grateful to be terrorized between classes. It's much worse than you realize. Will and a few other hero kids help out, but it's still a problem. Do you think that's the best way to prepare Heroes?"
"No, of course not." Josie was a product of Sky High. She's always thought the school had been good for her. She'd sent her son there without a second thought. Of course, at the time she'd thought he'd had his father's superstrength.
Boy had she missed the boat on that one.
"Do you know they dropped a car on Will during power placement?"
"In my day it was a big metal box. The school made them in shop class." Josie smiled, "I remember Rachel Black . . . " the stormy look on Layla's face caused her to pause. "Each car has been modified to stop before impact."
"Will didn't know that. It scared the beejeezes out of him. And you know, it didn't do any good. Will's power was triggered by his fear of his friends being hurt, not himself."
It is so much easier to reason with Will. His brain just doesn't work as fast. Josie didn't know how to tell the girl that in ten years she'd look back on all this drama and angst and shake her head in equal shares embarrassment and amazement. It didn't even matter too much for the majority of Superbeing what their classification was in high school. She and Steve were the exception. Heroes tended to wash out, burn out, or go postal. It was a tough business. The sidekicks did most of the day to day work of managing their world.
Layla's eyes were downcast. She took the paper and carefully folded it up. "I shouldn't have bothered you with this."
"Layla. It's high school. It's suppose to suck. You're growing up, growing into the people you are going to be. That is not a painless process. That is the real reason Sky High has problems. It would be better for you to deal with that instead of looking for a perfect world."
Layla stood there for a minute. Josie wasn't certain if she was going to answer her at all. "I'm not looking for perfection or justice or wisdom. I'd just settle for a little hope."
She left, headed upstairs. Josie stared after her.
Hours later, Josie and Steve were talking in bed. Or rather Josie was talking. Steve was answering. "Do you think she's right?"
"Josie," the last thing Steve Stronghold wanted to do right now was talk about the kids. "We don't know anything about high school education? Neither does Layla. What I do think is that you have to push kids to get them to respond. You remeber when Will was eight and his team came in last place in league soccer?"
"Of course I remember, I thought I was going to have to put you on suicide watch." Team sports, or anything to do with athleticism had never been Will's strong suit. Instead he liked playing with Layla."
She didn't know what she would have done if Layla liked playing with dolls.
"They gave him a statue."
"They gave them all statues, Steve. They were little kids." It was an old argument. Josie sat up and punched her pillow. "Maybe we don't know much about education, but we do know something about parenting? What if Will had wanted to stay in sidekick class? Don't look at me like that," she snapped in exsperation, "I'm serious."
"Josie, Will in sidekick class is ridiculous. He's probably the most powerful student in the school." The way he said it, you'd think the word 'probably' was an afterthought.
"What if he didn't have any powers? Would it be okay for him to be treated like dirt."
"You think I'd keep Will at Sky High without powers. Josie, it's high school. It's suppose to suck. Layla just too . . . Laylaish to see that."
Josie sighed. "I guess you'r right, but don't you think she should be allowed to stay in hero support?"
Steve thought about it, "I guess, if that's what she really wants? I don't know why the school is fussing so much. You'd think they would have better things to do. Honey, did you check the answering machine?" Steve had just noticed the answer machine's blinking light.
"No."
He got up and walked barefoot to the machine. "One day off and you can't even be bothered to check for messges," he teased. He reached over and carefully pressed the listen button.
It was Principal Powers.
"Commander, Jetstream, It is good of you to meet with me on such short notice," Diana Powers reeked of the supreme self confidence of one who felt in total control of her surroundings. Past the first bloom of youth, she was still just as charming as when she coquettishly tried to capture the attention of Steve Stronghold's father. Steve knew her as competant, articulate, and dedicated to the school and her students. Though not overly perceptive (or dense as a plank of wood as his wife thought on occasion), Steve had a feeling Ms. Powers's smile was going to be a bit forced by the end of this meeting.
Layla had made more of an impact on his wife than the teenager realized.
Josie Stronghold jumped in before Steve could completely exaggerate the trouble it caused them . . . no, the burden to the city of Maxville . . . no, the calamity to the entire human race. Her roots were showing and Pierre was a bitch to reschedule.
"It's no imposition, but please my husband and I are not here as superheroes," Josie hoped she get the hint that her burgundy and gray tailored suit with matching handbag and shoes hadn't conveyed.
Diana Powers had not risen to her current position by being blind to subtle conversational clues. "My apoligies, Mr and Mrs. Stronghold." She gestured toward two chairs in front of her desk. The married couple sat. "I'm certain you're wondering why I asked to speak with you. First off, let me say that William is a delightful student, a true joy to teach." She continued to chatter incessantly about Will's adorable brown eyes and good manners and why she felt positively giddy to be in his mere presence. Even Steve stifled a yawn.
"Does this meeting have anything to do with Layla Madison?" Josie asked. "She told me she doesn't want to change her class schedule."
"Yes it does," Powers seemed relieved. "I was hoping you could help me with Ms. Madison. Sky High's true colors have shown a little dim recently and my time is spread thin." A rather diplomatic way to describe the student body president and three other hero seniors capturing the school, incapacitating both teachers and students, and very nearly creating a five mile crater along the Georgetown beltway. The superhero community was small and even Jetstream wasn't as fast as gossip and bad news. With so many in the community and the government finger pointing and demanding explanations and reassurances, Principal Powers had no doubt been very busy. The last thing she needed was to deal with a recalcitrate student. Especially if that student had been involved in saving the school.
"As soon as we understood Ms. Madison's abilities we transferred her to Hero studies. I assure you I questioned Couch Boomer on how such a talented child was placed in hero support. He said she refused to show him her powers. You can't hold us accountable under the circumstances."
"So Boomer yelled, she got stubborn and off to sidekick class she went. How much time did he spend on her, five minutes?" Josie questioned.
Principal Powers briefly scowled. "Never in a million years did I expect her to object. At first I thought it was loyalty to her classmates, but when I asked her why she didn't wish to change classes she told me that she didn't agree with the hero/sidekick dichotomy and other such psychobable. Sky High strives for excellence. Would either of you have come into your full potential if you had been mollycoddled? Held back so as not to hurt the feelings of less talented students?"
Steve shot his wife a smug look.
"A great many members of our community believe power placement is in need of overhall, and not just because of this last year. Will's powers were not stimulated. Sue Tenney's power was too advanced to be appreciated and you missed Layla entirely. That cheerleader girl, what is so impressive about duplicating yourself as a cheerleading squad. Maybe a five minute examination by one teacher, with his own set of preconceived notions may not have been the
best way to judge the potential of fourteen year olds. Look at Will after all. Did it occur to you that he is the second youngest student in his class? Or that statisically speaking children with two parent superbeings are 68 more likely to develop their powers three months later than children with just one superbeing parent."
Steve wondered when she had found the time to look all that up.
"I assumed you would have informed me if Will was not developing on schedule," Powers said archly.
Josie had the grace to look ashamed.
A little tick appeared at the corner of Powers's mouth. "I'm aware of that theory. It is too small of a population base to draw conclusions. The board has already met and will be releasing our proposed changes within the end of the month. Please, I have a very busy day and I'm sure you do also. I told Ms. Madison that her powers are clearly deserving of hero category and denying that benefits no one. I was hoping that you would speak to her. I understand you've known the girl for many years. Surely if two such exemplary members of our society spoke to her, she would be less stuborn.
Considering that Layla had never given up on Will, Josie doubted it.
"Principal Powers," Steve put on his best Commander expression. "If Will had not demolished the cafeteria, what would have happened to him?"
Powers was just itching to send the Strongholds a bill for the damage. She'd do it too but then she'd have to bill Anne Peace half. Ms. Peace had already bitten her head off about the school not protecting her son. Besides, if the Baron ever escaped from jail, she didn't want to be on his hit list. "The teachers are trained to look for fluctuations in a student's power. Late bloomers are not unheard of. It would have been unusual for a child such as your son to have no powers. We would have retested him at some point during the school year."
"And what if it wasn't Will Stronghold. What about a child with a less noteworthy parentage? The question hung in the air. The anxious knot was back in Josie's stomach. Slipped through the cracks," Josie thought.
"We retest students at least twice before graduation. I didn't ask you here to discuss school protocol. Your son has been rather vocal in support of Ms. Madison. One can understand why of course. Mr. Medulla has informed them that he is working on a solution to their age inappropriate behavior. I suspect it involves shrinking rays. They're his favorite. It is not good for the morale or the reputation of this school to have a member of the Stronghold family desparage the key subjects of study."
"What does Layla's mother thinks of all this?" Josie asked, pretty sure she already knew the answer.
"I'm sorry to say Mrs. Madison is allowing her maternal feeling to override her good judgement," Powers said stiffly. "I have a admit, I don't want a public airing of dirty linen but if Ms. Madison continues to be obstinant I don't see any other alternative."
"Then maybe she should be allowed to continue in si . . . hero support," Steve said "If she's happy there."
"It's not a matter of her being happy. Power Research is very interested in her abilities. We haven't had any botanical superheroes since Phillida Sprout. She is unique. Twenty years ago we may have indulged her, but not now. Ecoterrorism and eco supervillians are on the rise, 16 and 18 respectively over the last five years. Not to mention fears of global warming. Her powers are very impressive and public relations believes she could serve as the ideal spokeswoman for our committment to the environment."
"And she can't do that as a sidekick?" Steve asked.
"Oh course she could, but it is the heroes that take center stage. I can't believe you of all people would argue that fact. It is the heroes that we have promoted since the Great Emergence began. We can hardly change direction now," Powers was exasperated. Perhaps feeling she had been indiscreet, her voice softened. "You are probably not aware of this, but our current crop of hero student is less than desirable.
"I've heard rumors," Steve look at her closely. "Dry spells come and go."
"I've never seen such a drought of talent and leadership as the last ten years. It's worse than you've heard, I assure you. We've got the usual assortment of freezers and burners, electrics, and kinetics, but with two exceptions, one of them is Warren Peace, they are thought to be rather . . . limited. Our weather superhero likes rain and sleet. Our chamelion can't get beyond a fixation with lime green. A very promising shapeshifter is a flamboyant homosexual. His favorite shape is a a rainbow colored polar bear. I could go on and on."
"I heard you have a girl who can become invisible. Surely that's impressive."
"Don't say that to public relations. How can you promote a superhero you can't see? I've been in meetings with the High Command and the agreement is that William and Ms. Madison are both Triple alpha."
Josie and Steve understood the vernacular. It was an old term, not particularly descriptive, but still in use. They were triple alphas themselves. A triple A was the most desirable of the superhero community. First and formost, to be a T&A your powers had to be astonding, useful, and controllable Not as common an occurance as one might imagine. A great many heroes with powers just as impressive as the Strongholds never made it big time because they lacked control. Second, you had to be photogenic and mainstream. You couldn't resemble a rock statue, have a closet full of leather and bondage equipment or sprout extra arms. Finally, you had to have decent psychological test score.
Of course, faking a pass on the psycho test wasn't hard.
"Layla too," Steve asked. To his mind the girl was a tad to eccentric for alpha.
"That is what Dr. Silvers has said." Oscar Silvers holds the departmental chair of superhero power research. When determining the usefulness of a hero his word was indisputed law. "She is such a pretty girl. They think she will outgrow her teenage rebellion. Will you speak with her?"
"Yes, of course," Jetstream seemed a little hesitant. "but I think maybe I'll do something else also. Why do you split the kids up for English and Math?"
"We wish to main cohesion among the students?"
"What does that even mean? They're kids, not soap bubbles," Steve groused.
"Why can't heroes take one class in hero support. They will be dealing with hero support their entire professional life after all."
Principle Powers decided it was time to end this conversation. One had to be polite to parents, especially when the parents were held in such esteem within the community. But she would be damned before she allowed people with no educational background to lecture her and toss ideas around like a hot potato at the dinner table. Especially considering how the Commander had treated his own sidekick. If they could convince the Madison girl to see reason, all the better. As far as she was concerned, the matter was closed.
People were mad at the moment, but she could ride out the storm. A few changes would be made. Testing all students yearly. Having a panel judge the students instead of Couch Boomer. What had happened at homecoming was an aberation. She saw no reason to alter a proven program because of it.
She just wished she had a few more top quality Heroes as students. What she hadn't mentioned to the Strongholds was the emergenence of several talented sidekicks over the last few years.
Sensing the end of the meeting, the Strongholds stood up. "I understand Melinda Hawkins is stepping down from the board of Governors," Josie said.
Powers felt her stomach twist. "That is true."
"And Morgan Hawksight. Has he done the decent thing and resigned," she said archly. Hawksight had become a figure of public scorn by leaving his wife and cohabitating with a girl barely older than his daughter. Missing funds from his cover job hadn't helped any.
"I don't know."
After they'd left the room, Steve looked at his wife suspiciously. "What was that all about?"
The two teenagers were enjoying the late afternoon breeze. One tousled brown head bent close to a red one. They were the ultimate cute couple. Josie went out to greet them, oblivious to how closely they stood together, how naturally their bodies curved to each other.
"Guess what," she didn't notice that they had moved just a bit apart from each other at her approach. Going by his mother's learning curve, Will figured it would be about half a decade before his parents figured out he could fly out of his bedroom window. As long as he and Layla were not caught half dressed on horizontal furniture, (and he hadn't gotten there yet anyway) he could keep his parents in the dark. It wasn't that he wanted to deceive them. He loved his parents, but he loved Layla too.
"I have some exciting news."
"Really," Will asked, "you and dad won that real estate award. You're going to Hawaii?" Vsions of the house to himself began to dance through his passion befuddled mind. "Make sure you bring me back some molten lava."
She looked crushed, "Betty Sanderson won."
"Oh," Will said dejectedly. "That's too bad, but why wait for some award to travel. You and Dad should go anyway. You could use a vacation."
"I've got far too much going on around here to take anytime off."
"So, what is your good news," Layla asked, afraid Will was pushing his luck.
Unconsciously she assumed her Jetstream pose. Will winced. He didn't think he would ever be able to do that. "I've was just appointed to the Board of Governors of Sky High."
Her son's jaw dropped open. He figured his mother was going to announce she'd just sold her one thousandth house or she'd gotten Dad of get rid of his playboy stash or that her cousin Tony had finally ditched his gold digger second wife. "What is the Sky High Board of Governors?"
"Really Will, don't you pay any attention to your father and I when we talk about school," his mother reproached. "One would think you don't come from a superhero family. The Board of Governors is made up of twelve members of good standing in our society. We advise the school's faculty. Layla made me me realize I know very little about what is going on at school."
Will look at his girlfriend. "She did," he said weakly. Layla flashed a smile.
"I don't know if I agree about everything you said to me, Layla, but I think I need to learn more about the running of the school. I'm really excited. I think I'll go up to Sky High monday. I should meet the teachers, introduce myself."
"Wonderful," Will mummbled.
"I got an idea, your father and I could volunteer to chaperone school events. Will, this will be a great way for us to spend some quality time together." At the word, chaperone, the youngest Stronghold's eyes had widened to saucer size. "Principal Powers made the strangest comment about you, something about your science teacher and a shrinking ray. Do you know what she meant?"
Will shrugged and looked at his mother with puppy dog eyes. "No clue."
"I'm just going to call your father. Dinner is in an hour." With that, Josie left the teens alone.
It was very quiet.
"Layla, I could kill you."
"Will," Layla laid her hand on his arm and said soothingly. "It's not as bad as it sounds."
"Oh, just what word was good. Chaperone, quality time, meet your teachers. I have powers now you know, I could do it."
"Maybe your mom will get bored . . . "
Will cut her off. "Once she sinks her teeth into something there's no hope," his voice trailed off dejectedly.
"Well," Layla shrugged. "At least Warren will be happy."
Will scowled at her.
"He's going to find this hysterical."