Chapter 8.

The gym at Sky High was in need of more than a revamp, everything in it needed to be gutted and brought to a radioactive dump. The bleacher I was sitting on had once been a dull orange, but now it was so dirty that I doubted it had ever been anything other than a dark gray. I tried to remember to keep my hands off it, afraid that I might contract some fatal and little-known disease. The bleachers were still fenced in by a circle of plastic panels that would prevent injury to the crowd. After the perimeter the similarities to my dimension stopped.

The equipment that littered the old wooden floor of the gymnasium gave the whole arena a gladiator aura. There was a bin of weapons in one corner, securely locked and poised on a sheer metal platform. I assumed that the point was to break in and take as many as you could to help in the battle. In the middle, the familiar citizen, complete with yellow pigtails, hung from a rope over a vat of roiling green chemicals. Some sort of dangerous acid I would assume…though where this school fit that into their budget I didn't know.

There were several other obstacles littering the floor, hills and tunnels made presumably of some invulnerable material. I wondered how they could afford all the equipment and not a decent janitorial service. Sighing, I watched as a gym teacher, dressed in warm-up pants and a sweatshirt entered and climbed up to her raised seat. She looked down at her list as several people began whispering amongst themselves.

I looked to Warren who was sitting next to me, brooding, perhaps about the fact that I had talked to Will. Magenta had betrayed her post as my friend and ratted me out as soon as we had sat next down to the pyro. He hadn't reacted in the typical hothead fashion; instead he'd just proceeded to ignore me. I had thought that would be a relief, but somehow I found myself slightly miffed at his behavior. I tucked my short hair behind my ears for the third time in five minutes, almost every strand escaped immediately after.

A whistle blew shrilly, startling almost everyone and silencing the chatter promptly. The middle-aged woman who had replaced Coach Boomer in this dimension smiled grimly and shouted out her orders like a drill sergeant, "Stronghold, Chloris get down there, Tudor and Peace you'll be the heroes."

Warren gave me a glance that said, I'd see exactly why they didn't want me around Will, and got up. Surprisingly he reached out a hand and pulled me up alongside him, trying, I thought, to look away as he did it. The talk had started up again and as we quick changed and entered the arena, I heard Mr. Medulla and someone else exchanging bets above us, "Yes I suggested the match, should be quite entertaining," the melon-head man said with a nasal laugh.

I rolled my eyes and tried to think of what I could do since I had very little experience in doing well at this game. It seemed that only a couple days ago I'd first participated in Save-the-Citizen with Layla and Warren…this time the situation was drastically changed. The expressions on our opponents' faces were anything but friendly towards each other or towards us. My partner turned towards me as his hands lit on fire, the red highlights in his hair glowed slightly in the eerie light.

"Pause and go for the citizen, I'll handle the villains."

I nodded, thinking the plan sounded simple enough, except for the fact that I had no idea how save the overlarge doll without burning myself in the green broth below. Maybe I could find something in the bin of weapons, but there was no time to think, the whistle blew and I looked at the timer, only to discover the matches lasted ten minutes in this reality. Warren charged ahead, fireballs already decimating a few plants that Layla had sent towards us.

I ran to the nearest corner, the one with the weapons and paused time, hoping the extra years at this school had given me more control over my power. I knew it had worked immediately because of the silence. The sheer metal face of the platform was daunting but there was a fake hill nearby. I pushed it as hard as I could and found it would budge. Straining I brought it close enough to the metal platform and took a deep breath before sprinting up it. With a whoop I jumped and landed on the edge of the platform.

That small moment of physical exertion broke my control over time immediately. A vine pierced the wall directly behind where I had been and then fell. I ignored the buzzing in my head as I examined the lock. I wouldn't be able to break it, but within the bars stood a long plank of metal that I might be able to use to bridge the hole. I turned and watched as a fireball sent Will careening down from his flight.

"War! A little help here?!" I yelled. He turned as I gestured wildly towards the lock. That small distraction gave Layla the advantage and she took it.

The pyro was pushed violently into a wall by a leafy branch. Will and Layla smiled in unison as he slumped to the floor. I knew he wouldn't go down by just one hit, but both of the villains were headed towards me now. Warren stumbled to his feet and lit up again as Will swooped towards me. I jumped off the platform and tumbled down the hill, an idea come to life in my mind. If the equipment was invulnerable then it wouldn't be hurt by chemicals.

I paused time just as Stronghold's arms reached out to grab me. One second in that embrace could be fatal. Half-running, half-tripping, sweat dripping off my forehead as my headache grew worse; I began pushing at another hill near the citizen. It barely budged and I grit my teeth in determination. The grip on time began slackening as I moved it a foot and then a yard. Things were starting to move before I could push it close enough to the citizen.

My frustrated growl was cut short by a warning shout from Warren. A vine hit me in the stomach as Layla grinned. Air knocked out, I hit the ground and tried to breathe as the coppery taste of blood emerged in my mouth. Will was swooping closer now, but Warren had realized what I was trying to do and began helping me to push the fake terrain. "That's close enough!" I shouted and ran back to the other side as Will plummeted towards us.

I knew that I didn't have the strength to pause time again so I started running up the hill, towards the hanging citizen. A fireball whizzed past my head and hit the rope. The citizen landed on the pad and rolled down towards me. I tripped over her rag doll body and expected to fall. Unfortunately I was caught mid-step by Stronghold. His hand grasped at my arm and wrenched it nearly from its socket, sending me hurtling into a wall. The timer rang and the citizen was safe but the impact of my body against the solid material sent me crashing into black oblivion.

000000000

I resurfaced into the present with startled gasps for air. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over my head. As I opened my eyes and looked down I realized it had. Funny thing was the water was green. I realized with a laugh that the "chemical" was actually colored water. The gym teacher looked grim as I began to splutter and laugh. She put down the bucket she had been holding and held up her right hand, six fingers outstretched.

"How many fingers?" she asked with a light voice that seemed strange for her muscular figure.

I screwed up my eyes and then opened them again, still six fingers, "Uh you have six fingers on your right hand…" forcing my bruised face muscles into a smile I continued quietly, "Someone was looking for you."

"Very funny, like I haven't heard that one before," she rolled her blue eyes and backed away muttering, "Stupid movie."

I sat up ungracefully as my head swam and gently tried to flex all my muscles. Amazingly enough I hadn't broken anything, Stronghold must have been having an off day. Warren, Magenta and Zach stood above me, each face uniquely expressing worry. Warren reached out a hand and helped me off the ground. The gym was empty of students; this meant we all must be late for the buses. Then I remembered we didn't have buses at Sky High, in fact I'd have to drive home in this condition.

"Are you ok?" Maj asked, voice holding an edge I didn't recognize.

"Yeah I…hey!" I squealed as she pushed me back down onto the ground.

"Good, because you could have been killed."

Zach pulled me up with an apologetic smile as Magenta turned her back and strode away, "It's not like I asked for this! I didn't even do anything, it's not my fault Stronghold's a maniac!"

She turned around and walked back, eyebrows still drawn together in anger, "Yeah well, just don't be doing anything like that again."

"Ok," I agreed meekly, hoping I'd be back to my own dimension before I'd have to deal with Save-the-Citizen again.

"That was an awesome round Maj, you have to admit!" Zach said, his voice dripping with reverence, "I can't remember the last time the heroes won."

"Two weeks ago light bulb," Warren said suddenly his lip quirked in something resembling a smile. I realized how nice it was to see that expression.

My legs groaned in protest with each step I took, but I forced them forward and somehow stumbled out to the parking lot with the others. Almost everyone was out here now, socializing and being reprimanded by teachers. Magenta and Zach broke off and I waved goodbye as they left. I continued towards my car with Warren beside me. The uncomfortable silence that was becoming commonplace made me wince inwardly. I wondered how in this dimension Lydia had dealt with it.

It wasn't as if I couldn't see the attraction, he was tall, handsome, mysterious and seemed to be a pretty loyal friend…but how had we got past stupid arguments and seen the good in each other? It was a mystery I hoped to solve before I returned. Thinking about returning just sent my thoughts tumbling back towards my father. As soon as I was alone it'd be time to call the number…or more accurately Fintan, again. I hoped this school day hadn't been merely a ploy to distract me from the real goal.

We stopped at my beat-up vehicle and I unlocked the door. Warren reached past me and opened the door in a strange display of gentlemanly manners. I hoped he wasn't expecting a goodbye kiss because the thought scared me. Though, a small part of me wondered what it'd be like. I'd never been kissed, unless a sloppy smooch when I was in sixth grade counted. He nodded once, as if that meant bye and then turned to walk away. If ever I was to understand him I'd have to become an expert in reading body language.

I sat down in the driver's seat after shoving my things in and grasped the steering wheel. That's when I noticed the figure in my back seat and almost screamed. Knight leaned forward with a bemused look on his face.

"You know you really should make sure all your doors are locked, this parking lot isn't exactly the safest place to leave a car."

"What are you doing?"

"Uh, I thought you'd have some questions. Our conversation earlier wasn't exactly detailed."

"True," I responded, "So…I don't know where to start, how about everything?"

"Everything?" he sounded confused.

"You know, me and Will, me and Warren, me and Layla…"

"Ok, ok," he held up his hands stopping the forthcoming tirade, "I'm going to try to make this as simple as possible, but it's a long story."

"We have time, I'd rather not pull out until the parking lot is at least partially empty…I don't really know how to drive that well."