Kali found a seat on the edge of a group of her classmates and endured the whispers and looks that went her way. She did want to make some friends, despite what people first thought of her but she just wanted to find out what these people were like before she tried engaging any of them in conversation.

So she ignored the whispers and watched the two seniors and freshmen go through Power Placement. She knew her power was pretty impressive and that was why people looked at her strangely. The black fire she created not only acted like any other fireball in existence but created sorrow; it sucked joy from people's hearts leaving them vulnerable to their attacker. Her grandmother had had this power, so strongly that she could see people's desires and the way into their hearts. Kali wasn't sure if this was something she wanted or not…people's hearts contained some dangerous stuff.

Looking around at her classmates she saw the usual types of people that had patrolled the corridors of her previous school. The freshmen who looked about ready to die they were so scared of what they could become if they crossed the wrong older classman; the sophomores who acted cocky and like they were all that because they were no longer the babies; the seniors who ruled the school and knew it and then there were the juniors, her classmates and those with whom she would spend 'the best years of her life'.

Examining the juniors she saw no one who jumped out at her as being remotely on her wavelength. Most of the girls were blonde, blue-eyed and decked head-to-toe in pink and white finished with pink and white converse. She hated people who latched onto stuff years late and then claimed that they discovered how cool this thing actually was.

Suddenly she became aware that someone was staring at her. There was no one she could see so she turned around and saw someone sitting at the back of the bleachers. A large, shadowy figure that she could barely make out through the darkness – the lights weren't working up there. Suddenly a small glow appeared as flames spouted from the tips of his fingers and she saw the face of this guy.

Good Lord he was hot, she thought but as the hand moved she caught a glimpse of his wrist and the flames that decorated it. She knew only of one person who had those and he was the reason… She shook her head, trying to displace the thoughts that had crept in and become rational. The person she knew with those marks was in jail and not likely to be in the bleachers of Sky High without someone noticing. So if he was there…then this must be…his son? And if that was the case, Kali was going to have nothing to do with this guy – her father spent enough time on that family for the both of them.

'JUNIORS!' bellowed Coach Boomer.

The chatter stopped instantly.

'Your first lesson after lunch is Power Perfection. Meet me here and we'll see what happened to you over the summer!'

They all trooped out to the cafeteria but once she'd got her food, Kali was unsure of where to sit. She hesitated at the front of the room, scanning the crowd for somewhere that she could sit; at least until she made a friend or two. Just then she was grabbed on the arm by a girl with waist-length brown hair, jeans and a band t-shirt on who dragged her over to the table she'd been sitting at with her friends.

'Hey! What the hell?' said Kali, flustered.

'I'm Sahara, this is Devon, Mary, James and Simon,' the girl said, pointing to the people sat around the table. 'We thought you looked lost and thought you might like to have lunch with us. I joined in sophomore year so I know it's hard to fit in, joining in the middle of stuff and everything.'

She said all of this in what appeared to be one breath and then beamed up at Kali. Kali shrugged her shoulders and sat down. She could do a lot worse and hey, at least she knew people now.

'So what powers do you guys have?' asked Kali curiously.

'I'm a telekinetic,' said Simon.

'I shapeshift,' said James.

'I can break things down into atoms,' said Mary.

'Technopath,' said Devon, 'It's not as cool now that Gwen wrecked it. Medulla watches me like a hawk.'

'And I control the weather,' finished Sahara. 'I haven't got it all down yet but I can do sun, rain, storms, that sort of thing.'

'What about you?' asked Devon. 'I get the whole fire thing but how did you make Boomer cry?' she said curiously.

'I don't know what it's called, or if it even has a name but the darkness does something to people and makes them vulnerable. My grandmother could see people's desires and the way into their hearts but I can't do that yet.'

'Wow,' said Simon, 'that's pretty cool.'

'Yeah but it only works if people look into the heart of the fire. Mind you, I can make walls of fire so then they don't really have a choice.'

'Kali? I don't mean to alarm you but you probably should know that Warren Peace is staring right at you,' said Mary in a low voice.

'Again?' she said in an irritated manner. 'That's the second time today!' She turned around and looked straight at him. He didn't look away.

'What is with him?' she asked.

'Well the last time he did that to anyone it was Will Stronghold and that was because he hated him. Do you know why he'd hate you?'

'No,' she said quickly and then regretted it immediately. Replying so fast was bound to arise suspicion but when no one said anything she guessed maybe not.

'So what's Power Perfection?' she asked curiously. They hadn't had anything like that at her old school.

'From what I've heard it's a class to hone your powers. Make them better, expand them, concentrate them, and control them, that sort of thing. So you can utilise them better in a fight,' said James.

'Well that seems like a good idea,' she said but when no one said anything she looked at them quizzically. 'So it's not a good thing?'

'No, it's not that. Its just Boomer hates our group of friends. We played a few tricks on him last year. He could never prove it was us but he knows and he knows that we know he knows. So he makes our life hell in every way possible. Sorry,' said Sahara.

'Well I'll just have to impress him so much that he stops hating on us!' Kali replied. 'It's kind of childish anyway – he really needs to get over it by now. He's a grown man and if he can't handle a few pranks then what is he doing wearing those shorts?'

They laughed and as the buzzer sounded for next period the cleared their trays and made their way back to the gym. They were greeted by Coach Boomer who pointed them in the direction of the changing rooms from which they emerged delightfully attired in orange, white and blue.

Kali looked at them disdainfully. Orange and blue were colours that she rarely wore and definitely not in the shocking shades picked out for the sports kit. She plucked at the clothes and stood at the back of the crowd with Sahara and everyone else from her lunch table and also Warren Peace, though he was a little way a way from them.

'Power Perfection is designed to help you perfect your powers. Throughout the year you will learn to do new things with your powers and have greater control over them. For me, that means I learnt how to make different levels of noise.'

'Though you'd never know it,' whispered Kali to her newfound friends who smiled.

'Is there something AMUSING back there that you'd like to share Miss Charman?'

'No Coach,' she called back.

'Well maybe you'd like to come up here and we'll see just how much control you have over your powers!'

Kali moved to the front. She didn't mind displaying her powers. She was proud of them and hey, if she made him cry again then it was worth it.

'Don't you remember Power Placement Coach? I think I displayed my power pretty well then.'

'You did display them well, yes. But I want to see you demonstrate control against someone who is attacking you. They're a lot more unpredictable than a falling lump of metal,' he said sarcastically.

'Ok, bring it on. Who have you got for me?' she asked. It was rare that she got to attack someone without getting into trouble for it.

Coach Boomer's eyes scanned the crowd before alighting on a particular individual standing at the back. 'Mr. Peace! If you would kindly join us up here.'

Warren sighed and made his way through his classmates. They were excited; two pyrotechnics had never fought each other in the years they could remember. And Kali didn't even know Warren was a pyro.

'Here are your suits,' said Boomer handing them a suit of attractive white pads that Kali supposed were to protect you from whatever hits you might take. A fighting arena rose from the floor and Kali and Warren made their way over to it while Boomer scaled the ladder to his umpire's chair.

Warren got there first and bent down the ropes for Kali.

'Ladies first,' he said indicating the way through.

She glared at him but stepped through anyway. Chivalry was the only thing he was going to have left by the time she was finished with him. They stepped to opposite corners of the ring.

'2 minutes, from when I blow my whistle,' called the Coach before sounding his whistle.

A black fireball appeared in the palm of Kali's hand just as regular fire engulfed Warren's hands. She looked at him, astonished to have met another pyrotechnic but soon got over it when two fireballs came hurtling towards her.

She ducked and threw her own at his knee but he dodged it neatly. Two more of Warren's fireballs came flying towards her and while she avoided one, the other caught her on the shoulder, grazing her, but she barely noticed.

Fireballs were flung both fast and furiously but the match progressed no further. Both of them were occasionally hurt but nothing serious. But Kali found herself actually wanting to hurt Warren Peace. His dad was the reason she hardly ever saw her father and whenever she looked at the dark-haired pyro, all she could see were the eyes of his father, the ones she'd seen in her dad's study countless times.

Right, if I'm going to impress a man in tiny white shorts and defeat this guy, I'm going to have to 'perfect' my power, she thought.

Concentrating, she shot a stream of fire from her palm and immediately Warren shot one back. Apparently he had good control over his flames too. The streams met in the middle of the ring burning brightly as they melded and formed a light that was almost unbearable to look at.

'Is this all you got?' asked Warren through gritted teeth. 'Or are you going to get your dad to come and help you defeat me? After all, he's looking to defeat my dad and maybe it would help him to defeat his son.'

'Shut. Up. About. My. Dad,' Kali growled. 'Nobody talks about my father like that.'

And with that she brought her other hand forward and created another fireball which grew so large that it seemed to give off some sort of vibe. She could see Warren was breaking down but so was she. Holding onto this connection with him was exhausting but she was determined to make him bow down first.

Suddenly bolts of white light surged through the stream of fire from Warren to Kali and then the two were thrown apart. The buzzer had sounded long ago but the match had continued as the students and Coach Boomer had gaped at the display.

Sahara clambered up to the ring and checked on the two of them.

'Coach?' she called. 'We should get the nurse in here – they're both unconscious.'