Episode 4: Charm
Note: The book quoted from memory is "The Land of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. It's the sequel to "The Wizard of Oz." That's right; it was originally a book series, and a really good one at that. And you know "Madeline." I don't own that either.
"Come on," Carmen Dillo said. "It's right in here."
"You sure about this?" Tarmac demanded.
"Hey, I got it from a reliable source, a brother of a recording artist. They got the CD a week in advance, and there are people who would pay good money to get it."
"Is that so? What about those people who download it for free?"
"I think the music industry has scared them away."
"I don't they'd look too kindly on this either," a wisecrack sounded from above them. It was Static. Tarmac grinned an evil grin as he started to mold a ball of fire in his hand, but then he saw another form just beyond Static's shoulder.
"The Muse?"
"Awwe, man!" Carmen Dillo yelled. "Nobody told me in jail that the Muse was back in town!"
The girl flew down to them and glared at the criminals. "Give me one reason why I should be afraid of you."
"You know what, sweetheart? You don't even need one." Carmen Dillo held out his hands (forefeet?) out to be cuffed. "I surrender."
"You know what?" Tarmac said. "For once, that doesn't sound half bad."
"What? You're taking all the fun out of it?" Static said.
"You want us to change our mind?" Carmen Dillo sneered.
"No, this is cool."
Gear sent a signal out to the police through Backpack immediately. Just then, they heard a thud. "All right, where are all the bad guys? You can't hide forever! Come on out!"
"Hi Shebang!" the Muse cried gleefully.
"Huh?" Shebang turned to see the young superhero waving at her. "Oh, hey Muse! How's it going?"
"Good, how about you?"
"OK, I guess. Can we continue this conversation later? I got to fight!"
"Don't worry about it, Shebang," Static said. "Funniest thing happened. Once the Muse showed up, they surrendered."
"Oh, really." Shebang did not sound thrilled.
"Yeah, you can rest up those muscles for next time."
"All right, great." She started to stalk off, while muttering under her breath, "They've been resting enough, thank you."
Suddenly, several reporters bombarded the three remaining superheroes. The Muse started to hide her face. Gear got up in front of her and announced, "OK, I know you're the paparazzi and this is what you do, but if you don't mind please stop crowding us and ask only one question at a time. The Muse is still nervous and shy."
But a certain TV reporter came up to the front. "Hi Miss Sandoval," the Muse cheerfully greeted.
"Hi there," she answered. "Can I ask you a few questions?"
"OK."
Shelly Sandoval said into the camera, "In an unprecedented event, the Muse's presence caused two metahumans to surrender without a violent confrontation. So Muse, how do you feel about this?"
"Amazed, astonished, astounded, blown away, bewildered, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, F-L-A-B--"
"Great, well said. I'm sure we all feel that way. Why do you think they surrendered?"
"I don't know, but I'm glad they did. They're one less nightmare on the streets."
"Well, was it more having to do with your skills as a superhero, or you reputation, or was it just luck?"
"Maybe a little bit of all three. Really all it comes down to is good is allowed once again to triumph over evil, and that's the important thing. We all should be thankful for that."
"How do you feel about your position?"
"My position? I don't understand. Could you please rephrase the question?"
"Do you feel like you're a better superhero than Static or Shebang?"
"Oh, of course not! We're a team. We play together."
Later that night, Shebang turned on a small TV in the gas station to the report. Then she started kicking and punching a punch bag. Every time the Muse said something, Shebang pounded harder.
Static and Gear came in for a break during night patrol and saw Shebang there. "Hey, what's up with you?" Static said.
"It's none of your business!" she snapped at him.
"We could have used your help," Gear said.
"I doubt it," she replied through gritted teeth. "Your precious little Muse would have taken care of it too."
"You know she's not with us," Static said. "She's doing her . . . other secret volunteer work."
"Oh, you make her sound like such a goody-goody two shoes."
"What?!" Gear practically screamed. "What is your problem?"
"Haven't you noticed it? She's a glory hog! We've done all the legwork for the past five years, and she's getting all the credit! It's not fair!"
"Hey, she doesn't get much glory at home," Static said. "I say power to her."
"But she doesn't deserve it! We've all practiced and worked so hard, but every time we discuss strategies, she's either reading a book, picking at that old poster, or (and this is the weirdest and most annoying) peeling foil off of old gum wrappers!"
"It's her stress management program!" Gear explained. "She needs to get that tension out before we go out."
"Yeah, but still, it's like she's putting no effort into this, and I say again it's not fair!"
"Hey, she's putting a lot more effort into this than you realize. I thought you of all people would understand what she's been through."
"Don't be ridiculous! She wasn't created in a lab. She hasn't had to run from the government. She--"
"Listen Shenice," Static said. "I know, she's got appeal and talent you don't have, but so what? Believe it or not, you got strengths that she doesn't have, and one day she's gonna need you."
"Yeah?" Shebang answered. She went up to Static and looked him dead in the eyes. "Well, when that day comes, I'm just going to look down at her and laugh." She held that defiant stare for a few seconds, then she walked out of the gas station.
"She needs an attitude adjustment bad," Gear said as soon as she was gone.
"Reality check," Virgil answered. "She's needed one ever since we first met her!"
"Yeah well, if she's going to keep talking smack about MY cousin, I don't want to be near her anymore. Have you told her about--"
"No, I didn't see a reason. They seemed to get along fine from the start. You've seen Shenice earlier. She was smiling and waving and carrying on. I guess Shenice is good at pretending. Besides, the only reason I told Adam about it is because the two of us have an . . . understanding, you know what I'm sayin'? There's not that kind of deal with Shenice. I think in this case it should be your choice."
"You sure? All right. Well, I'll think about what to say."
"Why don't you just tell her what you told me? That's what I told Adam."
"Well, there's a difference. You're my friend, and she's . . . well it's not right to say that she's not, but . . . I gotta think about it. Speaking of Adam, I think it's about time we pick up our little 'glory hog.'" Gear made the quotation marks with his fingers. "It's almost her curfew."
"Hey, that's one thing Shebang can do that Muse can't--the late night shift!"
****************
"'I transformed her.'" The Muse read slowly and suspenseful while pointing to each of the words.
"No way!" Adam said. "So Ozma is still around? What happened?"
"'I transformed her into . . . into . . .'" The rest of the sentence was on the next page, but the pages were stuck together. The Muse was having trouble turning them.
"Come on, lick your finger! Turn, it, quick!"
"OK Muse," Gear's voice said. "It's time to go home."
"Awe, come on Gear!" Adam said. "We're about to find out what wicked, old Mombi did to Princess Ozma. I'm on pins and needles here, and you know how torn up rubber gets when it's on pins and needles."
"Well, you got to bare it like Sheherizad's husband," Static said.
"Can't I just finish this chapter?" the Muse begged. "We're almost done."
"Sorry, it's just about time for you to go to bed," Gear said. "Mom and Dad will be worried if we're not home in half an hour."
"Well, ok," the Muse muttered as she shut the book. "But first, can I go to . . . to . . . just real quick?"
"She did have a couple of glasses of OJ," Adam shrugged.
"All right, but be quick." She ran out the room, and Gear followed her.
"Static," Adam said as he stood, and he lowered his voice, "I want to thank you again for letting me borrow her. I know she thinks she's teaching me how to read, but really she's doing so much more. She's showing me how to enjoy reading. When she reads, I'm seeing what she's saying going on in my head. It's the coolest thing. I've never experienced this, even when a teacher read to me. And I think my skills as a reader are improving. I can't tell you how much she's really doing for me."
"You're welcome, but really we should be thanking you. She needs more strong brothers around, you know? I think it's great that you're hanging out. You two might be the first superheroes who have to conquer one of the greatest foes ever--your own mind."
Gear and the Muse came back in. "Well, goodnight," Gear said.
"Hey, M," Adam said. As the Muse turned around, Adam pulled his wallet out. "I know we agreed this was going to be a volunteer gig, but you're a big girl. I mean, your big birthday's coming up pretty soon isn't it?"
"July 23," she answered.
"Well . . . that's in a few weeks."
"More like over a month."
"It'll be here before you know it. Anyhow, you so deserve this, so here's a buck for every year you're going to be." He gave her two fives.
"Ten dollars. Wow, that's a lot. Thank you so much."
"No problem. Don't blow it all in one place."
"OK. See you later, RB."
"Take care M."
As she walked out, the two other superheroes eyeballed him. "Are you sure that was a good idea?" Gear said.
"Why not? I got the money. My latest single doing pretty good. She deserves something nice. And Sharon's not going to mind if I angle for a cheap date. I'm doing it for the children after all."
"I don't know about that!" Static laughed. And then he quickly covered his tracks by saying, "Well, you know how women are."
"Hey, don't say that! And besides, Sharon likes M. She keeps saying we're a cute couple."
"Oooh, your girlfriend should watch her back!"
"Cut it out!"
"That's not what I'm talking about," Gear said. "I'm not completely sure if what you did is completely clear to her. It's difficult enough for a mentally normal person her age to understand money. It's even harder for her."
"Well, she's gotta learn the concept sooner or later. Maybe this is one thing I can help her learn."
"I guess all we can do is try," Static shrugged.
"All right, we'll give it a shot," Gear said. "Now, we really better be getting home."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Static started to leave, and then he turned around. "Hey by the way, what is this RB and M thing you guys got going on?"
"It's our secret code," Adam said with a grin. Then he stretched his neck over to Static. Adam pointed to himself and whispered, "Reading Buddy," then he pointed outside and whispered, "Mentor."
Static giggled. "Clever."
"Isn't it? It was her idea."
"Well, that explains it. She gets her cleverness from me." With that, he jumped on his flying disk and took off.
**************
An old black and white TV showed the ten o'clock news over at the local prison, but hardly anyone could hear it over a crazy inmate's screaming.
"YOU LET A LITTLE PIXIE PUSH YOU AROUND?!"
"It's not like that, Madelyn!" Carmen Dillo yelled. "She's powerful!"
"She's less than half your size! Why didn't you just knock her down?"
"Because last time I tried, she rolled me up into a huge ball and bounced me around! I couldn't get out, and I was sick for weeks."
"And last time I faced her, she cooled me off so much, I was as useless as a lump of coal," Tarmac said. "Thought I'd never be warm again."
"Come on, she can't be that powerful," Madelyn said.
"Oh, yes she can," Hotstreak said from down the block. "She can put me out like a candle!"
"And she can turn my acidic gas into perfume!" Puff yelled.
"And if I get any close to her, she can freeze me in midair!" Talon said.
"You guys are all crazy! You're getting worked up over nothing!" Madelyn yelled.
"Are we?" Ebon asked. "You underestimate her, but I saw it from the beginning. All those other superheroes are, let's face it, one trick ponies. With Static, you can expect something electrical or magnetic. With Gear, it's something technological. Shebang will push you around, and Rubberband Man will bounce you around. But the Muse may be the first superhero ever that's completely unpredictable. She doesn't announce what attack she's doing, it just happens. It's always different."
"Yeah, Madelyn," Hotstreak said. "It's like whatever's on her mind goes."
"You can't be serious," Madelyn said. "That's not even possible."
"Besides," Shiv added, "it's a big deal when we lose our power, especially to a weak, little girl."
Madelyn turned back to the TV. "Well, one of these days, I'm going to take her on, just to say that I did. And I'm going to win."
After Shelly Sandoval's report the anchors turned to each other. "She really is something, is she?"
"Yes, she's incredibly humble, unlike the other superheroes. She certainly has an irresistible charm about her."
Madelyn looked at the TV thoughtfully. "Irresistible charm?" A picture of the Muse came up above the lead anchor's shoulder, and Madelyn noticed a glowing pendant around the superhero's neck. "And I think I found the way."
***************
"Come on, Precious!" Richie called the next morning. "It's time to go meet Virgil."
"Just a moment," she muttered. "If I break the evil spell on the princess, she might join my party, and I could use another person right now."
Richie lowered his voice. "Precious, crime doesn't stop for your game. We got to get ready."
"I know. I'm just looking for a save point. Good, here's one." She saved the game and turned off his game station. "Let's go." She ran down the stairs. "Bye Uncle Sean! Bye Aunt Maggie! I'm going to play with Richie!"
"OK, have fun!" Mrs. Foley called back.
"You be back before dinner. We're having pizza," Mr. Foley added.
"OK!"
"So," Richie said as they got out of earshot, "are you getting any ideas from the RPGs?"
"I think I want to be an RPG writer when I grow up."
"Really? You know, most of them live in Japan."
"Japan? Cool. I'd love to live there."
"Yes, well what I meant is are you getting any ideas for new attacks?"
"Oh. Yes, I guess I could use some of them."
Not too long after, they picked up a call off of Backpack of a robbery. The perpetrators--Carmen Dillo and Tarmac.
"I knew their surrender was too good to be true," Static observed as they came upon the scene.
"Well, let's do it," Gear said.
Static and Gear went ahead, but something seemed to hold the Muse back. "That's funny," she mumbled. "I was able to move this morning."
The other two turned around. "Need help?" Static asked.
"No thank you, I'll figure this out. It may take some time. You just take care of the robbery; I'll catch up."
"Alright, but if you need help, just holler."
"Let's see," the Muse said to herself. "Move, move, move. Now one foot, and now the other. I can do this." She felt like she was fighting something pushing down against her. It was like how she felt when she tried, unsuccessfully, to ride a bike. Not even her powers seemed to help. "What's happening?" she cried.
"Hello, Muse," a sneering voice said behind her.
The Muse turned around, very slowly, to see a small girl with a dark complexion, short black hair, and wearing an outfit that looked like a crazy quilt. The Muse didn't pick up the nastiness in the girl's voice, so she said, "Hello. How are you?"
"My name is Madelyn Spalding," the girl answered.
"Oh, 'In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines / Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. / They left the house at half past nine / In two straight lines, in rain or shine. / The smallest one--'"
"Cut it out! I always hated that book."
"Are you from Paris?"
"No, I'm not from Paris! My name's pronounced and spelled differently!"
"Well, it is nice to meet you. I like your clothes. They're colorful. I like color."
"Oh, these? Well, you're the first superhero to compliment my costume. In fact, you're the first . . . person to compliment . . . anything about me."
"You don't have any friends?"
"I didn't say that!"
"You said nobody compliments you. It's the same thing, isn't it? You must be very sad."
"Forget it! Look, you get a couple of kudos, but it won't get you far!" Madelyn's eyes glowed purple, and she waved her arms. The Muse felt the latch of her necklace unlatch, and the necklace floated off of her neck and into Madelyn's hand. The Muse marveled at the feat for a moment. Madelyn just smirked at her.
"Oh, are you a bang baby?"
"Of course I am!"
"That was cool! Hey, I wonder why Static and Gear never told me about you."
"Good question."
"'Cause we didn't know you were still around!" Static said. He and Gear were coming up behind the Muse. "Say, young lady, is this person causing you trouble?"
"Static, this is Madelyn Spalding. She needs a friend."
"I don't doubt it, and I wish her the best of luck in finding one."
"You better think twice in attacking me!" Madelyn yelled. "I've got her necklace! You don't want to destroy it, do you?"
"I don't expect any problems with that." He tried to shock her, but somehow she caused his powers to backfire on the two superheroes and knocked them out.
"What did you do that for?" the Muse asked.
"We have business to discuss in private. I got your necklace and the source of your powers, and I'm not giving it back."
"Why not? Please give it back. It was a gift from a friend. Please!" She tried to reach for it, but Madelyn held it out of her reach and put her hand on the Muse's face.
"Uh-uh," Madelyn replied, shaking her head. "If you want it back, you gotta do some things for me."
"OK. I'll be your friend. Is that what you want?"
Madelyn grinned maliciously. "You could say that."
So Madelyn took the Muse down to a corner drug store. "This is the first task to prove your loyalty. I want you to go in there and get me a candy bar."
"But I don't have enough money to get a candy bar!"
Madelyn held the pendant up. "Do you really want this back? Then go in and get me that candy bar!" She raised her hand, her eyes glowed, and the Muse was forced in.
A few minutes later, the Muse poked her head back out. "Uh, what kind of candy bar do you want?"
"Oh for crying out--anything without peanuts!"
"OK." She went back in. "How am I going to do this?" Suddenly, she pulled out the two fives Adam gave her. "Oh, surely this will buy a candy bar, maybe one for me too."
She got a plain, chocolate candy bar for Madelyn and a peanut butter candy bar for herself. Then, she went to the counter. "Well, hello Muse!" the cashier said. "What brings you here?"
"I've come to buy a candy bar."
"OK." The cashier rung both the candy bars up and told the girl her total. The Muse gave the cashier both fives. "Oh, here young lady. I only need one. And you get sixteen cents back."
"Oh, thank you."
"No, thank you Muse. You have a good day."
As the Muse walked out, Madelyn looked at her impatiently. "What took you so long?"
"Well, I was deciding what to get, and then I was paying for it--"
"Paying for it?! I thought you said you didn't have enough money!"
"I forgot, I had ten dollars. She only took one five, and I got a little money left over."
Madelyn snatched the bag away. "What's this? Peanut butter? I told you, no peanuts!"
"That's for me. This one's for you."
"You got a candy bar for you?"
"Why not? I had enough money, and this way we could share something fun."
Madelyn used her powers to cast the peanut butter candy bar down at the Muse's feet. Then she snatched her own candy bar and took a bite. For some reason, it tasted sweeter than usual. This wasn't normally her favorite candy bar, but somehow it tasted like the best chocolate she ever had. She didn't want her captive to know this, though, so she threw it to the ground. "Come on. It's time for your next test. We better fly this time."
So they both got in the air. "Madelyn, I'm curious. How is it you can fly? You don't have wings or a flying disk or rocket skates. Is this part of your power?"
"My mind moves whatever I want wherever I want to go. And right now I want me to move through the air."
"Oh, so that's what it is? Cool."
"You think so?"
"Yeah."
Madelyn shook her head. "Quit talking to me! It breaks my concentration!"
"Sorry."
"There." She pointed down at a bank. "Here's your next task: I want you to go in there and get me some money."
"But that's robbery! R-O-B-B-E-R-Y, the act of stealing especially--"
"I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS! I'm no idiot!"
"Then you know it's wrong! It's everything I fight against! It's a sin!"
"Of course, but are you willing to sin to get your divine powers back?"
The Muse sighed.
"That's what I thought. Now get moving!"
The Muse felt pushed in again. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. People go get money at banks all the time. That's what banks are for. Precious just didn't understand how they worked. She just had to see.
She went up to the nearest teller. "Why hello Muse!" the teller greeted. "I must say thank you for stopping that robbery for us last week."
"Your welcome," the Muse said quietly.
"Sure. Now what can I do for you?"
"I, uh, I need money."
The teller looked at her questionably. "Pardon me?"
"But I don't want to steal! I don't want to do anything wrong, but I need money."
"How much?"
"I don't know! I wasn't told how much. So, how do I go about getting money?"
"Do you have an account with us?"
"I don't understand."
"Did you or your parents or legal guardians ever entrust your money with us?"
Precious thought for a minute. "I don't think so."
"Then I'm afraid there's no way I can legally make your request."
The Muse sighed. "Wait! What I gave you money now? Then can I get money back?" She put down her five-dollar bill and started pulling out the sixteen cents, but the teller started reaching for the bill.
"Sure. We can start a special savings account for you right here. Come back in a little while, and you can get your money back with interest."
"Why would I be interested to get it back?"
The teller chuckled. "Interest means you'll get back a little extra money, sort of our way of saying thank you for choosing us as your bank."
"That sounds good. So how long?"
"Oh, it may be a while, weeks, maybe months. Of course, the longer you leave it here the more interest you get."
The Muse looked back out the window. Madelyn crossed her arms. Turning back around, the Muse said, "I don't think I have that long."
The teller glanced out the window. "There's one other option I can think of." She took the five-dollar bill and exchanged it for five ones. "Does this help?"
"Oh yes! Thank you so much!"
"Glad to be of help. Have a good day."
The Muse ran out the door. "Here Madelyn! I got it!"
"Good going!" Madelyn said. She held out her open palm. "Give me what you got."
The Muse counted into her hand. "One . . . two . . . three . . . fo--"
"Wait a minute! These are all one-dollar bills!" Her eyes glowed, and the money scattered around the ground. "If they were one-hundred dollar bills, I would have been impressed, but this is worthless!"
"Well, I could take it back in and we could be interested to get it back in a while."
"For just five dollars? Even with interest, it will be years before it really amounts to anything. Man, you're terrible at this. Come on."
"Wait!" the Muse said. "We did two things you wanted to do, and they haven't been very fun."
"So? They aren't supposed to be!"
"But that isn't very friendly! Friends try to find things they can do that they both enjoy. Don't you want to friends? Then why don't we do something I want to do?"
Madelyn rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. What do you think of to do with five dollars?"
"Actually, I know something we can do for free. I think you'll find it interesting."
They flew until the Muse pointed the place out. "The library?" Madelyn scoffed. "I hate reading."
"Yeah, but we may find more information about your powers. I'm sure there are plenty of sci-fi books, or maybe some fantasy. Let's just see what they have." Yet as they came in, they found a surprise. "Hi Shenice! What are you doing here?"
The girl forced a smile. "Oh, hi there Muse. I'm just doing some research for my parents. And what brings you here?'
"You know, I like books. Oh hey, do you know Madelyn Spalding? Here Madelyn, this is Shenice. She's a friend of my cousin's friend."
"Yeah," Shenice said with distaste. "I've heard of her."
"Hey, maybe you two could be friends. You're the same age."
Shenice rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, sure, I've always dreamed of being friends with Madelyn."
"Great! Madelyn, did you hear that? You got another friend."
"Oh, for crying out--" Shenice spoke considerably louder than her library voice. "Do you know what sarcasm is?"
"S-A-R-C-A-S-M, a cutting, often ironic remark."
"Yeah, well that was huge sarcasm! I've never thought very favorably of Madelyn ever since she kidnapped Shebang that one time."
The noise was starting to attract attention. Sharon Hawkins, who was looking up something on the computer catalog, glanced over. "Hey Adam, look who's here," she whispered.
Adam looked up. "I knew she'd show up here! Don't worry baby, I'll take care of it." He gave Sharon a kiss on the cheek and slunk off.
The Muse looked at Madelyn. "Why did you do that?"
"I was trying to get to Static. He and I still have a score to settle. But that's not important now. Let's just find those books and get out of here." She pushed the Muse away.
"Bye Shenice," the Muse said quietly.
"Uh, yeah, so long." Shenice watched her go, and she said to herself, "So, that's what happened. Well, this is going to be interesting."
"Let's look in the science fiction section first," the Muse suggested. "Hey, what's this book? It's shiny." She pulled it off the shelf. "Heh heh, hey Madelyn feel this cover. I've never seen a book cover this squishy."
Madelyn squeezed the book, and for the first time that the Muse ever saw, she smiled and laughed.
"There's no title, though. I wonder what it's about."
She opened the book, and immediately Adam's head poked out from the pages. "Aha!" he said.
The Muse shrieked and dropped the book. Everybody around her shushed her. "Sorry," the Muse bashfully apologized. Meanwhile, Adam transformed to his Rubberband Man uniform. "RB, what are you doing here?"
"I had a feeling I'd find you here, M. Don't you know that Static and Gear are searching up and down for you?"
"Why didn't they call me on my Shock Box?"
"Why didn't YOU call THEM on your Shock Box?"
"I . . . I . . . I, uh . . . uh . . . "
"It's alright. They say some magnetic force or something is jamming your signal. You're not fiddling with it, are you?"
"Honestly, I've had too much on my mind."
"I see."
"Oh, have you met Madelyn Spalding?" The Muse pulled the teenager over. "Madelyn, this Adam Evans, better known as Rubberband Man. You can call him RBM if that's too long for you."
"I've heard of you," Adam answered. "I don't think we've met."
Madelyn stared him down. "Go tell Static that I've got his precious Muse and the source of her power. If he wants her back, she's got to do what I say. Otherwise, Dakota's going to have one less superhero and a supervillain with a little more emphasis on the super."
"Oh no, you're not going to hurt her anymore." But before he could move, Madelyn used her powers to tie him into a giant pretzel shape. "Hey! Ow!"
"See what I can do?" Madelyn said. "Better not tell me what I can't."
Sharon came up and helped untie him. Then Rubberband Man stretched his arm out, grabbed the Muse by the shoulder, and pulled the Muse back. "Come on M, you're coming back with me."
"No, I'm staying with Madelyn," the Muse said.
"You're just taking a dangerous risk. We all know your powers don't really come from that necklace."
"That's not what this is about. She's never had a friend, and I'm trying to be one for her. She's like the princess in my game; she's under an evil spell. I can break it with kindness and friendship, and maybe she'll join our party. See, you can tell Gear I have learned something from playing those RPGs. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. See you later RB." Before he could say anything else, she walked on. Adam looked up toward Shenice. She gave him one defiant glare and returned to her work.
****************
"Static, I found her!" Rubberband Man called up to Static once he found him.
"Good work," Gear said. "Where is she?"
"Well, you're not going to like this." He explained everything he saw.
"Don't worry RBM," Static answered. "Madelyn's no huge threat. I bet pretty soon that she'll realize the necklace has nothing to do with the Muse's powers. Then, it'll be too late, and Madelyn will be a jailbird again."
"Well, I am concerned about how M is interpreting the situation," Adam answered. "I think she's letting her guard down to be Madelyn's friend. M's never been good at picking up a lot of social cues. I've noticed it myself in our own conversations. There are a lot of times she can't tell when I'm joking or being sarcastic. I don't think she sees Madelyn's malicious intent."
"You got a point. Gotta admire her courage, though. Now what was that you said was going on when you saw her?"
"Well, there was this other girl yelling at her. I didn't recognize her. She's kinda short, and she had nice braids. She kinda looked like Shebang, but I'm not sure. I haven't seen her out of uniform, you know. Even if she was, she's not a lot of help. After she saw Madelyn with the Muse, the girl didn't lift a finger to help."
Gear spoke up, "I think Muse was right. There is a young woman under an evil spell that she needs to break. Unfortunately, our Muse chose the wrong one. Here, call this number if you see her again, especially if she's in trouble. You won't get an answer from us. It will send a signal to Backpack that will alert us and trace its location. Don't help her. I got an idea."
"Thanks. I'll do that."
**************
Madelyn and the Muse were sitting out on a park bench outside. "Look Madelyn, your power even has its own name. It's called tele . . . ki . . .nesis, or TK for short. Hey, maybe that could be your pretend name, TK. When you become a superhero, you'll want to go by something other than Madelyn Spalding."
Madelyn was hardly listening to her. She was thinking of a new job that she was sure the Muse would not mess up.
The Muse's stomach growled. "Oh my, I'm hungry. We haven't had lunch yet. You want to go to Burger Fool? I'm sure I can get something with the five dollars we have."
"You're hungry?" Madelyn said with a suave smile. "Well, we don't have to pay for food. Why you just go to your hideout?"
"Oh no, I couldn't . . . well maybe . . . alright." They flew together until the Muse pointed out the place.
"You idiot!" Madelyn yelled as they landed. "This is Adam Evans' apartment. Everybody knows where that is. I want Static's hideout! And I want his secret identity as well as Gear's, Shebang's, and yours!"
"I can't do that! I made a promise, compact, covenant, pledge, vow. I cannot tell anyone these things, not even Mommy. A promise, by definition, cannot be broken."
Madelyn once again held up the pendant. "You will tell me, or you will never be a superhero again."
"Sorry. You know, if you really are my friend, you could join us and become a superhero. Then maybe we will tell you our secret identities."
The idea evidently did not appeal to Madelyn. Her eyes flashed. Her grip tightened around the pendant's chain. She spoke again through clenched teeth.
"Tell me, or I will use your own powers against you."
"You wouldn't. You couldn't."
"Watch me." Her eyes glowed, and her hands shot a purple light toward the prism. The light magnified and shot in every direction. Then the ground shook, and the Muse fell into a freshly created, deep, rocky pit. Upon her fall, she heard a sickening crack and a sharp pain in the back of her head. Other than that, she did not feel badly hurt. Madelyn laughed as she looked down at the helpless Muse. She put the pendant around her own neck. "So much for our friendship. Who needs friends when you can have POWER?" She laughed heartily and left.
"Magic," the Muse whispered. "Magic! Why is nothing happening? Where are my wings?" She reached up and discovered that the Magic Hat had a large crack in the back. "Oh no." She reached into her pocket for her Shock Box, but it was also broken. "Oh no!" The rocks looked too steep for her to climb up. She could only think of one other thing to do. She screamed, "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"
Rubberband Man had noticed the new crater in his yard (he wasn't happy about it), and he already called the number Gear had given him. Static in turn contacted Shebang and told her they got a distress signal but as they were occupied with another one, they couldn't answer it. So Shebang went to the crater without hesitation. "Who's down there?" Shebang called down.
"Oh Shebang! Am I happy to see you!"
"Oh. Hey Muse," Shebang said in a dismal tone.
"Hi. Can you help me out of here? My Magic Hat is broken, and I lost my wings."
"Well, the mighty, powerful Muse has met her match, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess you can say that."
"Why don't you just climb up?"
"I don't think I can."
"Of course you can! You're the Muse; you can do anything!"
Shebang heard the Muse trying to climb up and falling down again a couple of times. Then Shebang remembered her promise to Static, and she began to laugh. The more she thought about the Muse's predicament, the harder she laughed. But even though she was laughing hard, she wasn't laughing as hard as the laughter she was hearing in her ears. She stopped to hear if there was an echo, but when she stopped the echo continued. Then she realized she was not hearing laughter. The Muse was crying.
"You too? What is so funny? Are you laughing at me? Why? Why won't you help me? I thought you liked me. I thought we were on the same team."
It might have been a brief feeling of guilt, or maybe the Muse's charm really worked and Shebang was convicted. Either way, after hearing the Muse cry, Shebang leapt down, scooped up the girl, and jumped back out of the hole.
"We are," was all she said.
The Muse hugged Shebang. "Thank you. You answered my prayers."
"Yeah, well, let's get you to the gas station."
**************
"It's just a crack," Gear said as he examined the Magic Hat. "Luckily, I have been working on a new invention to mend plastic. The circuitry isn't damaged terribly."
"What about the Shock Box?" the Muse asked.
"Girl, I've had to repair those so many times, it's not even funny."
"I'm more worried about you," Static said. "How do you feel after that fall?"
"Pretty sore," she nodded. "I don't hurt too much. I don't think I'm bleeding anywhere. Do you see?"
"She's fine," Shebang said. "Remember, I had to carry her the whole way. I didn't see anything serious."
"So when are you going to have the hat fixed?" the Muse asked Gear.
"In a couple of hours, probably. Why?"
"Well, we got to find Madelyn."
"You want to get your necklace back?" Static said. "Let it go. She'll find out soon enough that this isn't the secret."
"It's not that. I was her friend."
"That's still on your mind?" Gear said. "She kidnapped you. She took advantage of you. She doesn't want to be your friend."
"But she needs a friend because she doesn't have one. I will be one still, even if she doesn't want me."
"Well, alright, we'll find her," Static said. "But you're not going alone this time. We're coming with you."
"You want to come, Shebang?"
Shebang shrugged. "Sure."
"Let's talk about how we're going to do this," Static said. They planned out a strategy until the Magic Hat was ready. Then Gear searched for Madelyn with Backpack.
****************
Madelyn was sitting alone on a hill looking at the prism. The Muse came up the hill by herself. "Aha!" Madelyn said. "I was hoping I'd find you sooner or later. Tell me, how do you make this work? I can make my powers stronger, but I can't quite do it the way you do."
"Give it back, please, and I'll show you," the Muse answered.
"Uh-uh! I'm not falling for that."
"Please."
"Take one step closer to me, and I'll make a hole all the way down to China."
"Please don't. We're friends, aren't we?"
"That again? When are you going to learn? I don't want your friendship! I don't want to join your superhero group! I don't need friends!"
"Is that so?" Static came out of hiding. "Don't you remember the election? Think about it. Why were you trying so hard to get elected?"
"Because I wanted the power!"
"I don't think so," Gear said. "I don't remember much being in your plan. To you, it was a huge popularity contest, wasn't it?"
"You can't prove that!"
"Well, we can assume that's why you made everybody into brain puppets."
"Or why you tried to take over the Metabreed," Shebang added.
"It's all about power!" Madelyn asserted.
"And think about this," Static added. "You had to force those people into doing what you say. Here's somebody who's willing to give you friendship unconditionally. She likes you for who you are." He added under his breath, "Though it's anybody's guess why."
Madelyn was silent. "You know what? You're right. Man, that's never happened at all in my life. Maybe I should take it." She stood up with her head bowed. "Muse, I'm . . . sorry. I just wanted to beat you at your own game." Then she grinned. "And maybe I still can."
She looked at the pendant with glowing eyes, and it shattered.
"Oh no!" Madelyn said. "That was a gift from a friend!"
"I'm your friend now!"
The Muse closed her eyes. "Magic," she whispered. Then all the shards returned to her hand. She closed her hand around them and then opened. The prism was whole once again.
Madelyn was shocked. "How did you do that? You're powers--"
"I never told you? My powers don't come from the necklace."
"Then why did you never use them on me?"
"Because I didn't want to."
"Wow. You really were serious about this, weren't you? I got a lot to learn about this friendship thing."
"Well, you can think it over in prison," Shebang said. She went up and overtook Madelyn. The other superheroes stood by if she needed anything, but it was really her moment.
After they handed Madelyn over to the police, Gear remembered he had a job to do. He rehearsed again what he had practiced to say to Shebang, but then he overheard her speak to the Muse. "Muse, I have a confession to make. I've been feeling kinda jealous of you and how well you've been doing. I felt out of place. I know I seemed happy about it all, but I was really playin'. I shouldn't have felt that way. Static was right. We do have different strengths and weaknesses. It's cool. We need each other. I just want to say, I'm sorry and I always got your back if you need me."
"OK," the Muse replied.
"Give it here, girlfriend." She slapped a high five, nearly knocking the Muse over in the process. "Whoa! Don't know my own strength."
Gear smiled. Maybe he didn't have to tell her just yet. Things were cool.
***************
"You're back here again too, huh?" Carmen Dillo said as the warden pushed Madelyn in.
"Yeah, but it's ok. I didn't find the secret to her powers, but I got what I wanted. I had the upper hand, and I made a friend in the process."
"Made a friend?" Tarmac said. "I don't think you ever had the upper hand, Madelyn. She won."
Madelyn opened her mouth to protest, but then she thought again. "Oh man, you're right. I HATE THAT!" She screamed in anger loud enough for the whole prison to hear.
Next Episode: Mmoatia--Anansi comes to visit and meets the Muse, who knows a thing or two about the king of storytelling. But there's trouble in the horizon. A supernatural foe from an African folktale will stop at nothing to get the Muse's power.
I got to take a break for a few weeks. I have major papers due pretty soon, so I need time to work on them.
Note: The book quoted from memory is "The Land of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. It's the sequel to "The Wizard of Oz." That's right; it was originally a book series, and a really good one at that. And you know "Madeline." I don't own that either.
"Come on," Carmen Dillo said. "It's right in here."
"You sure about this?" Tarmac demanded.
"Hey, I got it from a reliable source, a brother of a recording artist. They got the CD a week in advance, and there are people who would pay good money to get it."
"Is that so? What about those people who download it for free?"
"I think the music industry has scared them away."
"I don't they'd look too kindly on this either," a wisecrack sounded from above them. It was Static. Tarmac grinned an evil grin as he started to mold a ball of fire in his hand, but then he saw another form just beyond Static's shoulder.
"The Muse?"
"Awwe, man!" Carmen Dillo yelled. "Nobody told me in jail that the Muse was back in town!"
The girl flew down to them and glared at the criminals. "Give me one reason why I should be afraid of you."
"You know what, sweetheart? You don't even need one." Carmen Dillo held out his hands (forefeet?) out to be cuffed. "I surrender."
"You know what?" Tarmac said. "For once, that doesn't sound half bad."
"What? You're taking all the fun out of it?" Static said.
"You want us to change our mind?" Carmen Dillo sneered.
"No, this is cool."
Gear sent a signal out to the police through Backpack immediately. Just then, they heard a thud. "All right, where are all the bad guys? You can't hide forever! Come on out!"
"Hi Shebang!" the Muse cried gleefully.
"Huh?" Shebang turned to see the young superhero waving at her. "Oh, hey Muse! How's it going?"
"Good, how about you?"
"OK, I guess. Can we continue this conversation later? I got to fight!"
"Don't worry about it, Shebang," Static said. "Funniest thing happened. Once the Muse showed up, they surrendered."
"Oh, really." Shebang did not sound thrilled.
"Yeah, you can rest up those muscles for next time."
"All right, great." She started to stalk off, while muttering under her breath, "They've been resting enough, thank you."
Suddenly, several reporters bombarded the three remaining superheroes. The Muse started to hide her face. Gear got up in front of her and announced, "OK, I know you're the paparazzi and this is what you do, but if you don't mind please stop crowding us and ask only one question at a time. The Muse is still nervous and shy."
But a certain TV reporter came up to the front. "Hi Miss Sandoval," the Muse cheerfully greeted.
"Hi there," she answered. "Can I ask you a few questions?"
"OK."
Shelly Sandoval said into the camera, "In an unprecedented event, the Muse's presence caused two metahumans to surrender without a violent confrontation. So Muse, how do you feel about this?"
"Amazed, astonished, astounded, blown away, bewildered, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, F-L-A-B--"
"Great, well said. I'm sure we all feel that way. Why do you think they surrendered?"
"I don't know, but I'm glad they did. They're one less nightmare on the streets."
"Well, was it more having to do with your skills as a superhero, or you reputation, or was it just luck?"
"Maybe a little bit of all three. Really all it comes down to is good is allowed once again to triumph over evil, and that's the important thing. We all should be thankful for that."
"How do you feel about your position?"
"My position? I don't understand. Could you please rephrase the question?"
"Do you feel like you're a better superhero than Static or Shebang?"
"Oh, of course not! We're a team. We play together."
Later that night, Shebang turned on a small TV in the gas station to the report. Then she started kicking and punching a punch bag. Every time the Muse said something, Shebang pounded harder.
Static and Gear came in for a break during night patrol and saw Shebang there. "Hey, what's up with you?" Static said.
"It's none of your business!" she snapped at him.
"We could have used your help," Gear said.
"I doubt it," she replied through gritted teeth. "Your precious little Muse would have taken care of it too."
"You know she's not with us," Static said. "She's doing her . . . other secret volunteer work."
"Oh, you make her sound like such a goody-goody two shoes."
"What?!" Gear practically screamed. "What is your problem?"
"Haven't you noticed it? She's a glory hog! We've done all the legwork for the past five years, and she's getting all the credit! It's not fair!"
"Hey, she doesn't get much glory at home," Static said. "I say power to her."
"But she doesn't deserve it! We've all practiced and worked so hard, but every time we discuss strategies, she's either reading a book, picking at that old poster, or (and this is the weirdest and most annoying) peeling foil off of old gum wrappers!"
"It's her stress management program!" Gear explained. "She needs to get that tension out before we go out."
"Yeah, but still, it's like she's putting no effort into this, and I say again it's not fair!"
"Hey, she's putting a lot more effort into this than you realize. I thought you of all people would understand what she's been through."
"Don't be ridiculous! She wasn't created in a lab. She hasn't had to run from the government. She--"
"Listen Shenice," Static said. "I know, she's got appeal and talent you don't have, but so what? Believe it or not, you got strengths that she doesn't have, and one day she's gonna need you."
"Yeah?" Shebang answered. She went up to Static and looked him dead in the eyes. "Well, when that day comes, I'm just going to look down at her and laugh." She held that defiant stare for a few seconds, then she walked out of the gas station.
"She needs an attitude adjustment bad," Gear said as soon as she was gone.
"Reality check," Virgil answered. "She's needed one ever since we first met her!"
"Yeah well, if she's going to keep talking smack about MY cousin, I don't want to be near her anymore. Have you told her about--"
"No, I didn't see a reason. They seemed to get along fine from the start. You've seen Shenice earlier. She was smiling and waving and carrying on. I guess Shenice is good at pretending. Besides, the only reason I told Adam about it is because the two of us have an . . . understanding, you know what I'm sayin'? There's not that kind of deal with Shenice. I think in this case it should be your choice."
"You sure? All right. Well, I'll think about what to say."
"Why don't you just tell her what you told me? That's what I told Adam."
"Well, there's a difference. You're my friend, and she's . . . well it's not right to say that she's not, but . . . I gotta think about it. Speaking of Adam, I think it's about time we pick up our little 'glory hog.'" Gear made the quotation marks with his fingers. "It's almost her curfew."
"Hey, that's one thing Shebang can do that Muse can't--the late night shift!"
****************
"'I transformed her.'" The Muse read slowly and suspenseful while pointing to each of the words.
"No way!" Adam said. "So Ozma is still around? What happened?"
"'I transformed her into . . . into . . .'" The rest of the sentence was on the next page, but the pages were stuck together. The Muse was having trouble turning them.
"Come on, lick your finger! Turn, it, quick!"
"OK Muse," Gear's voice said. "It's time to go home."
"Awe, come on Gear!" Adam said. "We're about to find out what wicked, old Mombi did to Princess Ozma. I'm on pins and needles here, and you know how torn up rubber gets when it's on pins and needles."
"Well, you got to bare it like Sheherizad's husband," Static said.
"Can't I just finish this chapter?" the Muse begged. "We're almost done."
"Sorry, it's just about time for you to go to bed," Gear said. "Mom and Dad will be worried if we're not home in half an hour."
"Well, ok," the Muse muttered as she shut the book. "But first, can I go to . . . to . . . just real quick?"
"She did have a couple of glasses of OJ," Adam shrugged.
"All right, but be quick." She ran out the room, and Gear followed her.
"Static," Adam said as he stood, and he lowered his voice, "I want to thank you again for letting me borrow her. I know she thinks she's teaching me how to read, but really she's doing so much more. She's showing me how to enjoy reading. When she reads, I'm seeing what she's saying going on in my head. It's the coolest thing. I've never experienced this, even when a teacher read to me. And I think my skills as a reader are improving. I can't tell you how much she's really doing for me."
"You're welcome, but really we should be thanking you. She needs more strong brothers around, you know? I think it's great that you're hanging out. You two might be the first superheroes who have to conquer one of the greatest foes ever--your own mind."
Gear and the Muse came back in. "Well, goodnight," Gear said.
"Hey, M," Adam said. As the Muse turned around, Adam pulled his wallet out. "I know we agreed this was going to be a volunteer gig, but you're a big girl. I mean, your big birthday's coming up pretty soon isn't it?"
"July 23," she answered.
"Well . . . that's in a few weeks."
"More like over a month."
"It'll be here before you know it. Anyhow, you so deserve this, so here's a buck for every year you're going to be." He gave her two fives.
"Ten dollars. Wow, that's a lot. Thank you so much."
"No problem. Don't blow it all in one place."
"OK. See you later, RB."
"Take care M."
As she walked out, the two other superheroes eyeballed him. "Are you sure that was a good idea?" Gear said.
"Why not? I got the money. My latest single doing pretty good. She deserves something nice. And Sharon's not going to mind if I angle for a cheap date. I'm doing it for the children after all."
"I don't know about that!" Static laughed. And then he quickly covered his tracks by saying, "Well, you know how women are."
"Hey, don't say that! And besides, Sharon likes M. She keeps saying we're a cute couple."
"Oooh, your girlfriend should watch her back!"
"Cut it out!"
"That's not what I'm talking about," Gear said. "I'm not completely sure if what you did is completely clear to her. It's difficult enough for a mentally normal person her age to understand money. It's even harder for her."
"Well, she's gotta learn the concept sooner or later. Maybe this is one thing I can help her learn."
"I guess all we can do is try," Static shrugged.
"All right, we'll give it a shot," Gear said. "Now, we really better be getting home."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Static started to leave, and then he turned around. "Hey by the way, what is this RB and M thing you guys got going on?"
"It's our secret code," Adam said with a grin. Then he stretched his neck over to Static. Adam pointed to himself and whispered, "Reading Buddy," then he pointed outside and whispered, "Mentor."
Static giggled. "Clever."
"Isn't it? It was her idea."
"Well, that explains it. She gets her cleverness from me." With that, he jumped on his flying disk and took off.
**************
An old black and white TV showed the ten o'clock news over at the local prison, but hardly anyone could hear it over a crazy inmate's screaming.
"YOU LET A LITTLE PIXIE PUSH YOU AROUND?!"
"It's not like that, Madelyn!" Carmen Dillo yelled. "She's powerful!"
"She's less than half your size! Why didn't you just knock her down?"
"Because last time I tried, she rolled me up into a huge ball and bounced me around! I couldn't get out, and I was sick for weeks."
"And last time I faced her, she cooled me off so much, I was as useless as a lump of coal," Tarmac said. "Thought I'd never be warm again."
"Come on, she can't be that powerful," Madelyn said.
"Oh, yes she can," Hotstreak said from down the block. "She can put me out like a candle!"
"And she can turn my acidic gas into perfume!" Puff yelled.
"And if I get any close to her, she can freeze me in midair!" Talon said.
"You guys are all crazy! You're getting worked up over nothing!" Madelyn yelled.
"Are we?" Ebon asked. "You underestimate her, but I saw it from the beginning. All those other superheroes are, let's face it, one trick ponies. With Static, you can expect something electrical or magnetic. With Gear, it's something technological. Shebang will push you around, and Rubberband Man will bounce you around. But the Muse may be the first superhero ever that's completely unpredictable. She doesn't announce what attack she's doing, it just happens. It's always different."
"Yeah, Madelyn," Hotstreak said. "It's like whatever's on her mind goes."
"You can't be serious," Madelyn said. "That's not even possible."
"Besides," Shiv added, "it's a big deal when we lose our power, especially to a weak, little girl."
Madelyn turned back to the TV. "Well, one of these days, I'm going to take her on, just to say that I did. And I'm going to win."
After Shelly Sandoval's report the anchors turned to each other. "She really is something, is she?"
"Yes, she's incredibly humble, unlike the other superheroes. She certainly has an irresistible charm about her."
Madelyn looked at the TV thoughtfully. "Irresistible charm?" A picture of the Muse came up above the lead anchor's shoulder, and Madelyn noticed a glowing pendant around the superhero's neck. "And I think I found the way."
***************
"Come on, Precious!" Richie called the next morning. "It's time to go meet Virgil."
"Just a moment," she muttered. "If I break the evil spell on the princess, she might join my party, and I could use another person right now."
Richie lowered his voice. "Precious, crime doesn't stop for your game. We got to get ready."
"I know. I'm just looking for a save point. Good, here's one." She saved the game and turned off his game station. "Let's go." She ran down the stairs. "Bye Uncle Sean! Bye Aunt Maggie! I'm going to play with Richie!"
"OK, have fun!" Mrs. Foley called back.
"You be back before dinner. We're having pizza," Mr. Foley added.
"OK!"
"So," Richie said as they got out of earshot, "are you getting any ideas from the RPGs?"
"I think I want to be an RPG writer when I grow up."
"Really? You know, most of them live in Japan."
"Japan? Cool. I'd love to live there."
"Yes, well what I meant is are you getting any ideas for new attacks?"
"Oh. Yes, I guess I could use some of them."
Not too long after, they picked up a call off of Backpack of a robbery. The perpetrators--Carmen Dillo and Tarmac.
"I knew their surrender was too good to be true," Static observed as they came upon the scene.
"Well, let's do it," Gear said.
Static and Gear went ahead, but something seemed to hold the Muse back. "That's funny," she mumbled. "I was able to move this morning."
The other two turned around. "Need help?" Static asked.
"No thank you, I'll figure this out. It may take some time. You just take care of the robbery; I'll catch up."
"Alright, but if you need help, just holler."
"Let's see," the Muse said to herself. "Move, move, move. Now one foot, and now the other. I can do this." She felt like she was fighting something pushing down against her. It was like how she felt when she tried, unsuccessfully, to ride a bike. Not even her powers seemed to help. "What's happening?" she cried.
"Hello, Muse," a sneering voice said behind her.
The Muse turned around, very slowly, to see a small girl with a dark complexion, short black hair, and wearing an outfit that looked like a crazy quilt. The Muse didn't pick up the nastiness in the girl's voice, so she said, "Hello. How are you?"
"My name is Madelyn Spalding," the girl answered.
"Oh, 'In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines / Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. / They left the house at half past nine / In two straight lines, in rain or shine. / The smallest one--'"
"Cut it out! I always hated that book."
"Are you from Paris?"
"No, I'm not from Paris! My name's pronounced and spelled differently!"
"Well, it is nice to meet you. I like your clothes. They're colorful. I like color."
"Oh, these? Well, you're the first superhero to compliment my costume. In fact, you're the first . . . person to compliment . . . anything about me."
"You don't have any friends?"
"I didn't say that!"
"You said nobody compliments you. It's the same thing, isn't it? You must be very sad."
"Forget it! Look, you get a couple of kudos, but it won't get you far!" Madelyn's eyes glowed purple, and she waved her arms. The Muse felt the latch of her necklace unlatch, and the necklace floated off of her neck and into Madelyn's hand. The Muse marveled at the feat for a moment. Madelyn just smirked at her.
"Oh, are you a bang baby?"
"Of course I am!"
"That was cool! Hey, I wonder why Static and Gear never told me about you."
"Good question."
"'Cause we didn't know you were still around!" Static said. He and Gear were coming up behind the Muse. "Say, young lady, is this person causing you trouble?"
"Static, this is Madelyn Spalding. She needs a friend."
"I don't doubt it, and I wish her the best of luck in finding one."
"You better think twice in attacking me!" Madelyn yelled. "I've got her necklace! You don't want to destroy it, do you?"
"I don't expect any problems with that." He tried to shock her, but somehow she caused his powers to backfire on the two superheroes and knocked them out.
"What did you do that for?" the Muse asked.
"We have business to discuss in private. I got your necklace and the source of your powers, and I'm not giving it back."
"Why not? Please give it back. It was a gift from a friend. Please!" She tried to reach for it, but Madelyn held it out of her reach and put her hand on the Muse's face.
"Uh-uh," Madelyn replied, shaking her head. "If you want it back, you gotta do some things for me."
"OK. I'll be your friend. Is that what you want?"
Madelyn grinned maliciously. "You could say that."
So Madelyn took the Muse down to a corner drug store. "This is the first task to prove your loyalty. I want you to go in there and get me a candy bar."
"But I don't have enough money to get a candy bar!"
Madelyn held the pendant up. "Do you really want this back? Then go in and get me that candy bar!" She raised her hand, her eyes glowed, and the Muse was forced in.
A few minutes later, the Muse poked her head back out. "Uh, what kind of candy bar do you want?"
"Oh for crying out--anything without peanuts!"
"OK." She went back in. "How am I going to do this?" Suddenly, she pulled out the two fives Adam gave her. "Oh, surely this will buy a candy bar, maybe one for me too."
She got a plain, chocolate candy bar for Madelyn and a peanut butter candy bar for herself. Then, she went to the counter. "Well, hello Muse!" the cashier said. "What brings you here?"
"I've come to buy a candy bar."
"OK." The cashier rung both the candy bars up and told the girl her total. The Muse gave the cashier both fives. "Oh, here young lady. I only need one. And you get sixteen cents back."
"Oh, thank you."
"No, thank you Muse. You have a good day."
As the Muse walked out, Madelyn looked at her impatiently. "What took you so long?"
"Well, I was deciding what to get, and then I was paying for it--"
"Paying for it?! I thought you said you didn't have enough money!"
"I forgot, I had ten dollars. She only took one five, and I got a little money left over."
Madelyn snatched the bag away. "What's this? Peanut butter? I told you, no peanuts!"
"That's for me. This one's for you."
"You got a candy bar for you?"
"Why not? I had enough money, and this way we could share something fun."
Madelyn used her powers to cast the peanut butter candy bar down at the Muse's feet. Then she snatched her own candy bar and took a bite. For some reason, it tasted sweeter than usual. This wasn't normally her favorite candy bar, but somehow it tasted like the best chocolate she ever had. She didn't want her captive to know this, though, so she threw it to the ground. "Come on. It's time for your next test. We better fly this time."
So they both got in the air. "Madelyn, I'm curious. How is it you can fly? You don't have wings or a flying disk or rocket skates. Is this part of your power?"
"My mind moves whatever I want wherever I want to go. And right now I want me to move through the air."
"Oh, so that's what it is? Cool."
"You think so?"
"Yeah."
Madelyn shook her head. "Quit talking to me! It breaks my concentration!"
"Sorry."
"There." She pointed down at a bank. "Here's your next task: I want you to go in there and get me some money."
"But that's robbery! R-O-B-B-E-R-Y, the act of stealing especially--"
"I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS! I'm no idiot!"
"Then you know it's wrong! It's everything I fight against! It's a sin!"
"Of course, but are you willing to sin to get your divine powers back?"
The Muse sighed.
"That's what I thought. Now get moving!"
The Muse felt pushed in again. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. People go get money at banks all the time. That's what banks are for. Precious just didn't understand how they worked. She just had to see.
She went up to the nearest teller. "Why hello Muse!" the teller greeted. "I must say thank you for stopping that robbery for us last week."
"Your welcome," the Muse said quietly.
"Sure. Now what can I do for you?"
"I, uh, I need money."
The teller looked at her questionably. "Pardon me?"
"But I don't want to steal! I don't want to do anything wrong, but I need money."
"How much?"
"I don't know! I wasn't told how much. So, how do I go about getting money?"
"Do you have an account with us?"
"I don't understand."
"Did you or your parents or legal guardians ever entrust your money with us?"
Precious thought for a minute. "I don't think so."
"Then I'm afraid there's no way I can legally make your request."
The Muse sighed. "Wait! What I gave you money now? Then can I get money back?" She put down her five-dollar bill and started pulling out the sixteen cents, but the teller started reaching for the bill.
"Sure. We can start a special savings account for you right here. Come back in a little while, and you can get your money back with interest."
"Why would I be interested to get it back?"
The teller chuckled. "Interest means you'll get back a little extra money, sort of our way of saying thank you for choosing us as your bank."
"That sounds good. So how long?"
"Oh, it may be a while, weeks, maybe months. Of course, the longer you leave it here the more interest you get."
The Muse looked back out the window. Madelyn crossed her arms. Turning back around, the Muse said, "I don't think I have that long."
The teller glanced out the window. "There's one other option I can think of." She took the five-dollar bill and exchanged it for five ones. "Does this help?"
"Oh yes! Thank you so much!"
"Glad to be of help. Have a good day."
The Muse ran out the door. "Here Madelyn! I got it!"
"Good going!" Madelyn said. She held out her open palm. "Give me what you got."
The Muse counted into her hand. "One . . . two . . . three . . . fo--"
"Wait a minute! These are all one-dollar bills!" Her eyes glowed, and the money scattered around the ground. "If they were one-hundred dollar bills, I would have been impressed, but this is worthless!"
"Well, I could take it back in and we could be interested to get it back in a while."
"For just five dollars? Even with interest, it will be years before it really amounts to anything. Man, you're terrible at this. Come on."
"Wait!" the Muse said. "We did two things you wanted to do, and they haven't been very fun."
"So? They aren't supposed to be!"
"But that isn't very friendly! Friends try to find things they can do that they both enjoy. Don't you want to friends? Then why don't we do something I want to do?"
Madelyn rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. What do you think of to do with five dollars?"
"Actually, I know something we can do for free. I think you'll find it interesting."
They flew until the Muse pointed the place out. "The library?" Madelyn scoffed. "I hate reading."
"Yeah, but we may find more information about your powers. I'm sure there are plenty of sci-fi books, or maybe some fantasy. Let's just see what they have." Yet as they came in, they found a surprise. "Hi Shenice! What are you doing here?"
The girl forced a smile. "Oh, hi there Muse. I'm just doing some research for my parents. And what brings you here?'
"You know, I like books. Oh hey, do you know Madelyn Spalding? Here Madelyn, this is Shenice. She's a friend of my cousin's friend."
"Yeah," Shenice said with distaste. "I've heard of her."
"Hey, maybe you two could be friends. You're the same age."
Shenice rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, sure, I've always dreamed of being friends with Madelyn."
"Great! Madelyn, did you hear that? You got another friend."
"Oh, for crying out--" Shenice spoke considerably louder than her library voice. "Do you know what sarcasm is?"
"S-A-R-C-A-S-M, a cutting, often ironic remark."
"Yeah, well that was huge sarcasm! I've never thought very favorably of Madelyn ever since she kidnapped Shebang that one time."
The noise was starting to attract attention. Sharon Hawkins, who was looking up something on the computer catalog, glanced over. "Hey Adam, look who's here," she whispered.
Adam looked up. "I knew she'd show up here! Don't worry baby, I'll take care of it." He gave Sharon a kiss on the cheek and slunk off.
The Muse looked at Madelyn. "Why did you do that?"
"I was trying to get to Static. He and I still have a score to settle. But that's not important now. Let's just find those books and get out of here." She pushed the Muse away.
"Bye Shenice," the Muse said quietly.
"Uh, yeah, so long." Shenice watched her go, and she said to herself, "So, that's what happened. Well, this is going to be interesting."
"Let's look in the science fiction section first," the Muse suggested. "Hey, what's this book? It's shiny." She pulled it off the shelf. "Heh heh, hey Madelyn feel this cover. I've never seen a book cover this squishy."
Madelyn squeezed the book, and for the first time that the Muse ever saw, she smiled and laughed.
"There's no title, though. I wonder what it's about."
She opened the book, and immediately Adam's head poked out from the pages. "Aha!" he said.
The Muse shrieked and dropped the book. Everybody around her shushed her. "Sorry," the Muse bashfully apologized. Meanwhile, Adam transformed to his Rubberband Man uniform. "RB, what are you doing here?"
"I had a feeling I'd find you here, M. Don't you know that Static and Gear are searching up and down for you?"
"Why didn't they call me on my Shock Box?"
"Why didn't YOU call THEM on your Shock Box?"
"I . . . I . . . I, uh . . . uh . . . "
"It's alright. They say some magnetic force or something is jamming your signal. You're not fiddling with it, are you?"
"Honestly, I've had too much on my mind."
"I see."
"Oh, have you met Madelyn Spalding?" The Muse pulled the teenager over. "Madelyn, this Adam Evans, better known as Rubberband Man. You can call him RBM if that's too long for you."
"I've heard of you," Adam answered. "I don't think we've met."
Madelyn stared him down. "Go tell Static that I've got his precious Muse and the source of her power. If he wants her back, she's got to do what I say. Otherwise, Dakota's going to have one less superhero and a supervillain with a little more emphasis on the super."
"Oh no, you're not going to hurt her anymore." But before he could move, Madelyn used her powers to tie him into a giant pretzel shape. "Hey! Ow!"
"See what I can do?" Madelyn said. "Better not tell me what I can't."
Sharon came up and helped untie him. Then Rubberband Man stretched his arm out, grabbed the Muse by the shoulder, and pulled the Muse back. "Come on M, you're coming back with me."
"No, I'm staying with Madelyn," the Muse said.
"You're just taking a dangerous risk. We all know your powers don't really come from that necklace."
"That's not what this is about. She's never had a friend, and I'm trying to be one for her. She's like the princess in my game; she's under an evil spell. I can break it with kindness and friendship, and maybe she'll join our party. See, you can tell Gear I have learned something from playing those RPGs. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. See you later RB." Before he could say anything else, she walked on. Adam looked up toward Shenice. She gave him one defiant glare and returned to her work.
****************
"Static, I found her!" Rubberband Man called up to Static once he found him.
"Good work," Gear said. "Where is she?"
"Well, you're not going to like this." He explained everything he saw.
"Don't worry RBM," Static answered. "Madelyn's no huge threat. I bet pretty soon that she'll realize the necklace has nothing to do with the Muse's powers. Then, it'll be too late, and Madelyn will be a jailbird again."
"Well, I am concerned about how M is interpreting the situation," Adam answered. "I think she's letting her guard down to be Madelyn's friend. M's never been good at picking up a lot of social cues. I've noticed it myself in our own conversations. There are a lot of times she can't tell when I'm joking or being sarcastic. I don't think she sees Madelyn's malicious intent."
"You got a point. Gotta admire her courage, though. Now what was that you said was going on when you saw her?"
"Well, there was this other girl yelling at her. I didn't recognize her. She's kinda short, and she had nice braids. She kinda looked like Shebang, but I'm not sure. I haven't seen her out of uniform, you know. Even if she was, she's not a lot of help. After she saw Madelyn with the Muse, the girl didn't lift a finger to help."
Gear spoke up, "I think Muse was right. There is a young woman under an evil spell that she needs to break. Unfortunately, our Muse chose the wrong one. Here, call this number if you see her again, especially if she's in trouble. You won't get an answer from us. It will send a signal to Backpack that will alert us and trace its location. Don't help her. I got an idea."
"Thanks. I'll do that."
**************
Madelyn and the Muse were sitting out on a park bench outside. "Look Madelyn, your power even has its own name. It's called tele . . . ki . . .nesis, or TK for short. Hey, maybe that could be your pretend name, TK. When you become a superhero, you'll want to go by something other than Madelyn Spalding."
Madelyn was hardly listening to her. She was thinking of a new job that she was sure the Muse would not mess up.
The Muse's stomach growled. "Oh my, I'm hungry. We haven't had lunch yet. You want to go to Burger Fool? I'm sure I can get something with the five dollars we have."
"You're hungry?" Madelyn said with a suave smile. "Well, we don't have to pay for food. Why you just go to your hideout?"
"Oh no, I couldn't . . . well maybe . . . alright." They flew together until the Muse pointed out the place.
"You idiot!" Madelyn yelled as they landed. "This is Adam Evans' apartment. Everybody knows where that is. I want Static's hideout! And I want his secret identity as well as Gear's, Shebang's, and yours!"
"I can't do that! I made a promise, compact, covenant, pledge, vow. I cannot tell anyone these things, not even Mommy. A promise, by definition, cannot be broken."
Madelyn once again held up the pendant. "You will tell me, or you will never be a superhero again."
"Sorry. You know, if you really are my friend, you could join us and become a superhero. Then maybe we will tell you our secret identities."
The idea evidently did not appeal to Madelyn. Her eyes flashed. Her grip tightened around the pendant's chain. She spoke again through clenched teeth.
"Tell me, or I will use your own powers against you."
"You wouldn't. You couldn't."
"Watch me." Her eyes glowed, and her hands shot a purple light toward the prism. The light magnified and shot in every direction. Then the ground shook, and the Muse fell into a freshly created, deep, rocky pit. Upon her fall, she heard a sickening crack and a sharp pain in the back of her head. Other than that, she did not feel badly hurt. Madelyn laughed as she looked down at the helpless Muse. She put the pendant around her own neck. "So much for our friendship. Who needs friends when you can have POWER?" She laughed heartily and left.
"Magic," the Muse whispered. "Magic! Why is nothing happening? Where are my wings?" She reached up and discovered that the Magic Hat had a large crack in the back. "Oh no." She reached into her pocket for her Shock Box, but it was also broken. "Oh no!" The rocks looked too steep for her to climb up. She could only think of one other thing to do. She screamed, "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"
Rubberband Man had noticed the new crater in his yard (he wasn't happy about it), and he already called the number Gear had given him. Static in turn contacted Shebang and told her they got a distress signal but as they were occupied with another one, they couldn't answer it. So Shebang went to the crater without hesitation. "Who's down there?" Shebang called down.
"Oh Shebang! Am I happy to see you!"
"Oh. Hey Muse," Shebang said in a dismal tone.
"Hi. Can you help me out of here? My Magic Hat is broken, and I lost my wings."
"Well, the mighty, powerful Muse has met her match, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess you can say that."
"Why don't you just climb up?"
"I don't think I can."
"Of course you can! You're the Muse; you can do anything!"
Shebang heard the Muse trying to climb up and falling down again a couple of times. Then Shebang remembered her promise to Static, and she began to laugh. The more she thought about the Muse's predicament, the harder she laughed. But even though she was laughing hard, she wasn't laughing as hard as the laughter she was hearing in her ears. She stopped to hear if there was an echo, but when she stopped the echo continued. Then she realized she was not hearing laughter. The Muse was crying.
"You too? What is so funny? Are you laughing at me? Why? Why won't you help me? I thought you liked me. I thought we were on the same team."
It might have been a brief feeling of guilt, or maybe the Muse's charm really worked and Shebang was convicted. Either way, after hearing the Muse cry, Shebang leapt down, scooped up the girl, and jumped back out of the hole.
"We are," was all she said.
The Muse hugged Shebang. "Thank you. You answered my prayers."
"Yeah, well, let's get you to the gas station."
**************
"It's just a crack," Gear said as he examined the Magic Hat. "Luckily, I have been working on a new invention to mend plastic. The circuitry isn't damaged terribly."
"What about the Shock Box?" the Muse asked.
"Girl, I've had to repair those so many times, it's not even funny."
"I'm more worried about you," Static said. "How do you feel after that fall?"
"Pretty sore," she nodded. "I don't hurt too much. I don't think I'm bleeding anywhere. Do you see?"
"She's fine," Shebang said. "Remember, I had to carry her the whole way. I didn't see anything serious."
"So when are you going to have the hat fixed?" the Muse asked Gear.
"In a couple of hours, probably. Why?"
"Well, we got to find Madelyn."
"You want to get your necklace back?" Static said. "Let it go. She'll find out soon enough that this isn't the secret."
"It's not that. I was her friend."
"That's still on your mind?" Gear said. "She kidnapped you. She took advantage of you. She doesn't want to be your friend."
"But she needs a friend because she doesn't have one. I will be one still, even if she doesn't want me."
"Well, alright, we'll find her," Static said. "But you're not going alone this time. We're coming with you."
"You want to come, Shebang?"
Shebang shrugged. "Sure."
"Let's talk about how we're going to do this," Static said. They planned out a strategy until the Magic Hat was ready. Then Gear searched for Madelyn with Backpack.
****************
Madelyn was sitting alone on a hill looking at the prism. The Muse came up the hill by herself. "Aha!" Madelyn said. "I was hoping I'd find you sooner or later. Tell me, how do you make this work? I can make my powers stronger, but I can't quite do it the way you do."
"Give it back, please, and I'll show you," the Muse answered.
"Uh-uh! I'm not falling for that."
"Please."
"Take one step closer to me, and I'll make a hole all the way down to China."
"Please don't. We're friends, aren't we?"
"That again? When are you going to learn? I don't want your friendship! I don't want to join your superhero group! I don't need friends!"
"Is that so?" Static came out of hiding. "Don't you remember the election? Think about it. Why were you trying so hard to get elected?"
"Because I wanted the power!"
"I don't think so," Gear said. "I don't remember much being in your plan. To you, it was a huge popularity contest, wasn't it?"
"You can't prove that!"
"Well, we can assume that's why you made everybody into brain puppets."
"Or why you tried to take over the Metabreed," Shebang added.
"It's all about power!" Madelyn asserted.
"And think about this," Static added. "You had to force those people into doing what you say. Here's somebody who's willing to give you friendship unconditionally. She likes you for who you are." He added under his breath, "Though it's anybody's guess why."
Madelyn was silent. "You know what? You're right. Man, that's never happened at all in my life. Maybe I should take it." She stood up with her head bowed. "Muse, I'm . . . sorry. I just wanted to beat you at your own game." Then she grinned. "And maybe I still can."
She looked at the pendant with glowing eyes, and it shattered.
"Oh no!" Madelyn said. "That was a gift from a friend!"
"I'm your friend now!"
The Muse closed her eyes. "Magic," she whispered. Then all the shards returned to her hand. She closed her hand around them and then opened. The prism was whole once again.
Madelyn was shocked. "How did you do that? You're powers--"
"I never told you? My powers don't come from the necklace."
"Then why did you never use them on me?"
"Because I didn't want to."
"Wow. You really were serious about this, weren't you? I got a lot to learn about this friendship thing."
"Well, you can think it over in prison," Shebang said. She went up and overtook Madelyn. The other superheroes stood by if she needed anything, but it was really her moment.
After they handed Madelyn over to the police, Gear remembered he had a job to do. He rehearsed again what he had practiced to say to Shebang, but then he overheard her speak to the Muse. "Muse, I have a confession to make. I've been feeling kinda jealous of you and how well you've been doing. I felt out of place. I know I seemed happy about it all, but I was really playin'. I shouldn't have felt that way. Static was right. We do have different strengths and weaknesses. It's cool. We need each other. I just want to say, I'm sorry and I always got your back if you need me."
"OK," the Muse replied.
"Give it here, girlfriend." She slapped a high five, nearly knocking the Muse over in the process. "Whoa! Don't know my own strength."
Gear smiled. Maybe he didn't have to tell her just yet. Things were cool.
***************
"You're back here again too, huh?" Carmen Dillo said as the warden pushed Madelyn in.
"Yeah, but it's ok. I didn't find the secret to her powers, but I got what I wanted. I had the upper hand, and I made a friend in the process."
"Made a friend?" Tarmac said. "I don't think you ever had the upper hand, Madelyn. She won."
Madelyn opened her mouth to protest, but then she thought again. "Oh man, you're right. I HATE THAT!" She screamed in anger loud enough for the whole prison to hear.
Next Episode: Mmoatia--Anansi comes to visit and meets the Muse, who knows a thing or two about the king of storytelling. But there's trouble in the horizon. A supernatural foe from an African folktale will stop at nothing to get the Muse's power.
I got to take a break for a few weeks. I have major papers due pretty soon, so I need time to work on them.
