Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Three
...
Will tried not to feel nervous about the party. Chad hadn't exactly been forthcoming with details, and Will wondered if he'd even recognise anyone other than Magenta. Oh, and Chad, Tad, Brad, and Pad, of course. Five people had to be better than none, and besides, how big could this party get? His party last year had only had about fifty kids, after all, and Gwen had invited everybody. Besides, Chad had to be lying about the college kids, right? No college kids would really want to hang out with a bunch of high schoolers. Even if they were super rich.
"Is that the party?" Magenta squeaked from his suit.
Pulled out of his thoughts, Will looked down and saw coloured lights coming from a house. Well, 'house' wasn't an apt description. Even 'mansion' would have been an understatement. The building was a behemoth, and probably could have fit Sky High itself inside of it.
The coloured lights were actually spotlights and Will swore he counted fifty people in the pool alone. The outside entertainment area had people hanging around, drinking and talking, music blaring from the speakers that were as wide as the Commander's broad shoulders.
Will dropped a few feet towards the ground, his shock enough to make him lose control. "Wow."
"Uh huh," Magenta agreed, her eyes as wide as a guinea pig's eyes could go. "Do you think we should have invited some people? We're not going to know anyone there."
"Chad didn't say we could invite other people," Will said, heading down towards the front door.
The doorbell wasn't heard over the thump of the music, Will and Magenta both standing there awkwardly and wondering what to do.
"Oh, I've got Chad's number. I'll call and see if he's there."
"What do you mean if? It's his house!"
As Will unlocked his phone, the door opened and Pad looked at both of them, sighing in exasperation and waving them inside.
"Thanks, Pad. Where's the party?" Will asked, putting his phone away.
Pad shrugged and left without a word, noise cancelling headphones on firmly.
Deciding to follow the noise, Will and Magenta found the kitchen with several kegs of beer and buckets filled with ice and cans scattered between the throes of people. Chad was walking inside with Tad, and Will saw Brad sitting on a chair by the pool.
"Hey, Stronghold, you made it! Was starting to think you'd snubbed me."
Will gave an awkward laugh and shook his head. "Me, snub you? Yeah, right!"
Chad grinned broadly. "Good to hear it. You want anything to drink?"
"Do you have grape crush?" Magenta asked.
Tad snickered. "Sure, if you like that sorta thing."
Magenta frowned. It was a drink, and she did like it, what was so funny about that?
"Stronghold? There's alcohol, unless you want grape crush?" Chad asked, sounding as though grape crush was the sort of thing old people put their teeth in.
Will reddened. "Uh, yeah, sure. Whatever you're having sounds good to me."
"Good man."
Will smiled quickly and followed Chad through to the kitchen, Tad and Magenta following. Chad threw a can to Magenta, who caught it with a surprised yelp that she hoped was covered by the music. By the expression on Tad's face, she doubted it.
"Nice catch, Shifter."
Magenta's eyes widened and she looked around quickly.
Chad laughed. "Geez, paranoid much? It's no big deal; no one cares! If they did care, they're all too drunk to remember."
Magenta wondered if he was saying no one cared because she was only hero support. He hadn't outed Will, after all.
"Here you go, Tad," Chad said, grinning as he shook a can violently then threw it to him.
"Jerk."
Chad just grinned and held out a can for Will. "Go on; you wanted what we're having, right?"
Will nodded and took the can, hoping he didn't look as awkward as he felt. His parents rarely drank but he didn't know why, despite his mother's attempt at a 'drinking and drugs are bad' speech.
"You gonna drink it or just hold it?" Tad sneered.
"Oh. Right. Uh, I'll drink it," Will said, opening the can and sipping at the drink.
He tried not to gag at the thick taste on his tongue. Tad snickered at his expression and opened his own can, drinking down the foam that erupted.
Will watched as people around them laughed and cheered. He didn't get why his parents didn't drink alcohol when it made people happy and fun. Besides, he was seventeen and could totally handle one beer.
...
"I'm gonna puke."
"Keep it in your stomach, Cee."
"I'm trying," Craig said, looking out to the spotlights shining from either side of the pool. "Now, where are they?"
"They're in the kitchen. I believe Will is on his third beer."
"Doesn't he know what that does to supers?" Craig muttered, rolling his eyes.
"You want to tell him?"
Craig grinned. "Why would I do that?"
As he headed inside, a storm started to roll in overhead and the spotlights began to flicker. As he closed the door behind him, the light bulbs in the spotlights burst, terrified screams echoing.
The speakers began to skip, thumps of music coming from each at staggered intervals, several people shouting and covering their ears.
"How many of these kids are supers, you reckon?" Craig asked as he made his way through the crowd and towards the kitchen, shifting his features.
Will caught a glimpse of familiar black hair and Asian features out of the corner of his eye. "I... 'scuse me," he mumbled, leaving Magenta with Chad and Tad. "Ry? How'd you... is that you?" Will muttered to himself, following the person and cursing at the crowd of people that blocked his way.
"Fuck you, too," a college kid slurred at him, glaring.
The people around him no longer looked happy and fun. In fact, they all seemed to be angry and upset, and all of them were glaring at him.
Trying to use his power to get away from them and their glares, Will managed to hover for three seconds before he dropped to the ground again, his legs crumpling beneath him with the unexpected descent.
Lightning struck and thunder rolled and the power went out. A few people cried out in surprise, others in fear, and everyone forgot about Will. Climbing to his feet, Will tried to find his phone in his pockets. Others around him had the same idea, phones turning on and light spilling out.
"Shit, is it really 2am? I've got a class at eight. Fuck this."
Several people echoed the college kid's sentiment and started to make their way out of the party.
Was it really two in the morning? Will didn't feel like he'd been out for that long. Finally finding his phone, he unlocked it and saw that it was 2:35am. His parents had called and left messages, and Will was going to be in so much shit when he got home. He didn't need to be lectured on top of everything. He just wanted to find Ry and get out of here. With him, preferably.
Speaking of Ry, Will looked around the party and hoped he hadn't left already.
"This piece of shit phone," someone muttered, shaking their phone as though that would stop the battery from draining.
"I swear Apple's paying for a new battery. Again," another person snapped, their phone dying and the light blinking out in an instant.
"I heard the temperature can really affect these things. My friend went skiing once and their phone had a full battery. By the time they made it to the top of the mountain fifteen minutes later, their phone had died."
"Yeah, we're not on a damn mountain, are we?"
"Will? Will, where are you?" Magenta called, her voice taking on a hysterical note as her phone died.
Will looked out into the semi-darkness, trying desperately to find Ry before his phone died as well. There! Carefully making his way through the throng, Will reached the edge of the crowd where he'd spotted Ry only moments ago.
"There you are, son. Do you know how worried your mother is right now? Come home this instant."
"Dad? What are you doing here?" Will said in surprise, looking into the darkness and not seeing anyone. Not Ry nor his father.
"What are you doing here? Your father and I have been searching all over town for you! We are in a security lockdown and you sneak out in the middle of the night?" his mother's voice snapped, more anger than relief.
"I'm sorry, Mum."
"Who are you talking to, Stronghold? Your girlfriend's shifted and hiding behind the fridge. Tad's trying to get her out with a broom," Chad said, looking more amused than Will thought should be right.
But he was hearing voices, so who knew what was right anymore?
"Jesus, Stronghold, get ahold of yourself. You're a total lightweight, aren't you?" Chad said with a laugh, lifting Will off the ground and leading him away from the crowd and deeper into the house. "The power's out, but I still know my way around. Don't look so worried."
Will stopped trying to find Ry and nodded in response. Lightning crashed outside and Will saw a length of black hair disappearing into a room nearby.
"I need the bathroom."
"Guest bathroom is this way. If you're going to puke, let me know so I can take you to the room of ugly expensive rugs. My parents would thank you for destroying them, honestly."
Will did feel a little queasy but he stamped down on that feeling harshly. Ry was here and he was going to see him and corner him and make him see they were perfect for each other and he didn't have to hide.
The door that Chad led him to was the same door that Ry had gone into and Will blinked into the darkness. His phone was no longer in his hand but he didn't know when he'd dropped it. He couldn't help but feel relieved that he'd lost it; he didn't have to worry about replying to his parents now.
"Can I borrow your phone?"
Chad handed him his phone, the light still working. "Leave it on the basin. If you destroy it, you're paying for it. It's the newest prototype," he added in warning.
Will nodded distractedly and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. "Ry?" he hissed softly, looking around the large room to try to find out where he was hiding. Setting the phone on the basin, Will started to search the bathroom for Ry.
Stupid bathrooms that were bigger than his stupid bedroom, Will thought to himself, even as he started opening cupboards and looking behind doors. What sort of bathroom had multiple doors, anyway?
Opening a door, Will's eyes widened at the sight of Ry standing in front of him. Ry looked vulnerable and scared in the darkness, and Will smiled at the thought of comforting him. "It's okay, Ry. I'm right here."
Will stepped into the closet, stopping Ry from escaping. Ry's eyes widened and Will grabbed his shoulders, moving forward to kiss him. Ry's hair flowed over his hands and Will clenched a hand in the long locks firmly, his mouth moving against velvet soft lips, just like he'd imagined they'd be.
"Stronghold, are you finished making out with my mother's mink coat?"
Will pulled away from the kiss to see Chad behind him, the phone in his hand and pointed at Will. Will looked at the closet around him and found that he was gripping a fur coat tightly, his mouth marking the coat.
"I... what's going on?"
"I think that's my line, Stronghold. Can we go, already? People are leaving like you can't party without lights and electricity," Chad said, rolling his eyes. "Do you want to bring the coat?" he added with a snicker when he saw that Will was reluctant to leave.
His face burning, Will left the closet and followed Chad out into the hallway. They made it into the kitchen to find Magenta rubbing bruised arms and Tad laughing into his fist, a broom in his other hand.
"Where was Stronghold hiding?" Tad asked when he saw them in the dim kitchen light.
"In the closet," Chad said, laughing.
Will blushed bright red, glad for the darkness and wishing Chad's phone would die along with the rest of the party. "Glad to see you're not behind the fridge anymore, Magenta," he said, hoping to redirect their attention away from him.
Magenta glared as Chad and Tad laughed again, while Will pretended not to notice. Magenta forced herself to school her expression and as they laughed at her, Chad's phone died, the light turning off abruptly. She felt a vindictive pleasure at the instant karma, and moved across to Will in the darkness.
"What the fuck is going on?" Chad snapped, pressing several buttons on his phone without success.
"Will, can we get out of here? I want to go home," Magenta whispered as Chad and Tad discussed their phones.
Remembering his earlier attempt at flying, Will winced. He wasn't sure if he could leave right now. He had no way of getting back home if he couldn't fly.
"Do you guys have powers?" Will asked Chad and Tad abruptly, their discussion stopping and both of them looking over in the dark.
Chad and Tad looked at each other then to the couple across from them.
"Your phones are dead, aren't they?" Chad asked.
"Yeah, it died while I was behind the fridge," Magenta said.
Will frowned. "I don't know where my phone is. I must have dropped it."
"We'll check the closet later," Tad sneered.
"So, do you have powers or not?" Will asked, trying not to be annoyed at Tad; he hadn't even been there and didn't know what the closet referred to!
"Of course not. The Walton family's power was through radiation in the 70s and hasn't been seen since; the Dalton family hasn't had powers since the 70s when Tad's uncle died without an heir. The Colton super relative was through marriage and no one's had powers in that line since."
"Wait, what? Why are you at Sky High, then?" Magenta asked.
"Someone needs to head the family business and we need Sky High's education - as much as it can be called an education - to qualify. There are plenty of super businesses that are run by citizens."
"But the Walton and Dalton and Colton company is run by supers for supers. It's their tagline."
"Yes, and they only employ supers. It's close enough," Chad said with a shrug.
"You stayed at Sky High after you washed out at power placement, why are you so surprised?" Tad asked, rolling his eyes at Will.
"Ace, did you get that?" Craig asked from the lounge, super hearing in place to hear the conversation.
"Recorded everything. News or Honey? Never mind, she just text."
"Will anyone really care?" Zach asked curiously, lights flickering inside the house and a few people screaming.
"It could have a significant impact on their shares and stock prices. They advertise their business on the premise that they have super intelligent people running the show. If they're found to be lying, citizens won't trust them anymore," Ethan replied.
"I'm pretty sure my folks have shares with them. Can I tell them to sell?" Robin asked.
"Sure. I should probably tell my Ma, too."
"Anita's going to ask why."
"She'll do it and then ask why," Ethan corrected. "I'll tell her afterwards."
"Anyone else got shares with them? The exposé can wait until they're all sold in the morning," Adam offered.
"I have no idea. My folks don't really talk about that stuff," Justina said, returning her attention to the insects she was coaxing towards the mansion.
"I'll check and let you all know," Adam offered.
"Thanks, Ace. Frieda and Babs might, but it'll be good to know for sure," Layla said, trees swaying towards the windows and bushes scraping against glass.
"Are we ruining this party or talking shares?" Warren muttered.
"We can do both," Terrence said.
"Yeah, and if we lose focus and they get suspicious, we're all fucked. Concentrate!"
Craig laughed and quickly covered his mouth as a few people looked at him oddly. "I laugh when I'm scared," he said, branches scraping against the glass as if on cue, several people screaming at the nails-on-chalkboard sound.
"Fuck this. I'm not staying in this creepy haunted place. Everyone knows the black guy dies first," one person muttered loudly.
"It's haunted?"
People fell silent at the question, their emotions warring with their common sense. Childhood fears resurfaced and came to life as wind rattled the doors in their frames. A strong gust of wind blew the doors open. An arctic breeze made its way through the room, screams of fear increasing. People started to stampede and trample over each other to get out. Outside, the combination of blown lights, drop in temperature, and the increase of mosquitoes had ensured everyone had already left.
"C'mon, let's get back to the party. There's battery-operated lights we can put up. No one will even remember the blackout in the morning," Chad said, leaving the kitchen and returning to an empty room.
"Where'd everyone go?" Will asked, looking around.
A soft groan of pain had all four looking over to the front door where someone was lying on the ground, clothes torn and body bruised.
"This really fucking hurts. I'm not drunk enough for this. Fuck," they groaned, slowly standing and making their way outside, closing the door behind them.
"What the fuck happened? Why aren't the spotlights on? They're meant to have a generator," Chad snapped, heading outside to the pool. "Ow, shit!" He immediately slapped at several mosquitoes that landed on his skin.
"Told you to get citronella candles," Brad said from where he was sitting by the pool.
"What the fuck? What's going on?"
"Don't know. I blacked out and woke up when everyone was already gone," Brad said. "The beer's warm," he added, raising a red cup in salute.
"You bought the cheap kegs again, didn't you?" Chad snapped, glaring at Tad.
"I bought the ones you told me!"
Feeling awkward about the argument, Will looked around and saw light coming from the front door. His heart squeezed in his chest, hoping and wishing that it was Ry. Seeing Pad at the door, he frowned and hurried over, Magenta following. Will looked out to see a car arriving as Pad waved to the driver.
"Can we get a lift?
Pad looked from the arriving car to Magenta and Will. He sighed and indicated for them to go ahead of him.
"Thanks, Pad."
"Don't mention it. I mean it," Pad muttered, ignoring their looks of surprise as he walked to the car. "Sorry, Mam, these two are drunk and need a lift. Can ya help 'em out?"
"Sure thing, lad. Better than them driving home. Hop in," Pad's mother said, indicating to the back seat as her son got in the passenger seat.
Still stunned to silence, Will and Magenta got in the backseat and gave their addresses when Pad's mother prompted them.
The drive was quiet, Pad not saying a word, and Will and Magenta feeling too awkward to say anything themselves.
No wonder he hadn't responded to her sign language, Magenta thought, feeling like an idiot for her assumption. Now that she thought about it, Chad had sounded vaguely threatening when he said Pad couldn't talk. Maybe he was insinuating that he'd have an accident if he tried. She shuddered at the thought.
"You cold, Maj?" Will asked.
"No, I'm okay. Thank you for driving us home, Mrs. Morton," she said, relieved when she saw her house through the car windshield.
"Not a problem, lass. G'night," she replied, pulling up beside the house and waiting for Magenta to get out before continuing to Will's house.
"Did you enjoy the party, Pad?" Will asked, hoping the other teen would talk to him and make the time pass by faster.
"No, but I heard you did," he replied.
Will went red and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Silence descended but Will didn't dare try to break it again.
"Bye, Pad. See you at school tomorrow," Will said, waving goodbye.
He stopped short on realising he couldn't go in through the front door. He couldn't fly to his bedroom window, either, and he had no way of climbing up to the second storey without potentially breaking his neck. Indestructible or not, Will was fairly sure he would die with a snapped neck.
It was early and his parents were probably asleep, so he could sneak in the back door without waking them, surely. He'd only had three beers anyway, so he'd be totally quiet.
Making his way to the back door, Will reached the top of the frame to find the hidden key. Taking it from the totally secure hiding place, Will opened the door and replaced the key. Walking inside, Will felt a gust of wind blow the door closed, the slam loud enough to wake his neighbours, let alone his parents. He shushed the door loudly, glaring at the stupid piece of wood and glass.
Josie was downstairs in an instant, her super suit hidden beneath her bathrobe, depending on which alter ego she needed: startled housewife or Jetstream. "Will? What are you doing out of bed?"
Will stopped shushing the door and turned to face his mother. "I'm not out of bed! I'm in the kitchen."
Josie blinked and then frowned at her son's words and slurred speech. "Will, are you drunk?"
Will nodded. "No."
"Oh, for... Steve!" Josie yelled, Steve sitting up abruptly in bed at his wife's call.
"It was just a dream, I wasn't actually having an affair," Steve said, then realised that his wife wasn't in the room and not reading his mind. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked around and determined that Josie was downstairs. She'd heard a noise, hadn't she? There was an intruder in the house! "Coming, dear!"
Will yawned widely. "I'm gonna go to sleep."
"William Theodore Stronghold, you will stay awake for this, or so help me, I'll make you."
Her words were enough to send a cold shudder through Will's body and he blinked owlishly, hoping he could stay awake. He was already under house arrest; what else could they do to him?
Steve hurried downstairs before Josie could call out for him again, and looked between Will and his wife in confusion. "Where's the intruder?"
Josie pointed at Will. "Right there. I caught him coming inside. Your son is drunk, Steve."
Steve frowned. "But we've never drunk in front of him."
"That's not the point, Steve. We don't have sex in front of him, either, but he's sure doing that like a bunny on Viagra!"
Will laughed at his mother's words. "Good one, Mum."
"If you were drinking, you shouldn't have been able to fly home," Steve said slowly, starting to pace to help him to think.
He was sure Will wouldn't do something as stupid as get drunk; he just had to convince Josie.
"I got a lift home from one of the kids at the party," Will said, not comprehending just how far he'd put his foot in it.
And there went Steve's argument. Not to mention his wife's composure.
"You were at a party?! It's a school night, Will! You're under house arrest! We're already under enough scrutiny as it is! You let a stranger know where we live?"
"Yeah, Pad Morton's mother drove me home. Magenta, too."
Josie stopped ranting at her son's words. "Pad Morton... You mean Patrick Morton the Third of the Morton family?"
"Uh. Yeah?"
Josie adjusted her bathrobe self-consciously. "That was very kind of her. I'll have to thank her personally in the morning."
"Can I go to sleep now?" Will asked hopefully, his words ending on a yawn.
"We're discussing your punishment in the morning, young man," Josie said sternly. "And you have to be up early to catch the bus since you probably won't be able to fly for the rest of the week."
"That goes the same for your super strength," Steve added.
"Aw, that's not a fair punishment. Give my powers back!" Will whined.
"Go to bed, William," Josie snapped, fed up and exhausted herself.
Will ran as fast as his drunk-heavy limbs would allow. He only tripped up the stairs twice.
...
Magenta stared at her hands. She'd tried to shift three times and nothing had happened. She had arrived home only to be faced by her mother and father, both so disappointed at her sneaking out, and had been promptly grounded. She'd been sent to her room without dinner and Magenta had wanted to do nothing more than shift and hide in her nest. She had been trying to do that for the last fifteen minutes, but it hadn't worked. Her power wasn't working anymore.
"Mama! Papa!" Magenta called, feeling sick and not even caring if they told her off again, just so long as someone gave her back her powers.
Her door was opened in a matter of seconds, her parents wide-eyed and worried, and Magenta promptly burst into tears.
"Querida, what's wrong?" her father asked, looking to his wife in concern at their usually-stoic daughter's tears.
"I... my power... it's not working," Magenta cried, sobbing against his chest.
"Magenta Yolanda, were you drinking at this party?" her mother demanded sternly.
"No! I... I only had a grape crush," Magenta said, sniffling and wiping her nose on her sleeve.
"Did you leave your drink alone?"
"No... Well, yes, but I didn't mean to! I was scared and got stuck behind the fridge. I only had a little drink of it when I came back out; the power went out with the storm. It was only grape crush; why are my powers gone?" Magenta asked, looking between them in alarm.
"Someone may have put something in your drink, querida. Supers and alcohol don't mix," her father said as gently as possible. Beside him, her mother started rapid muttering of Spanish, cursing stupid boys for adding alcohol to her daughter's drink.
"What does that mean? Do I lose my powers forever? It wasn't even my fault! Papa, Mama, please!"
"Shh, querida. It's all right. I doubt you had much, so you should be fine in the morning. Right, Mami?"
"Yes. Yes, you will be better in the morning, querida. You just need rest. I will look after you in the morning and make sure you are all right. Do you know who might've poisoned your drink?" she asked, her hand gentle as she cupped Magenta's cheek, but her tone fierce and promising pain.
It had to be Tad. He'd been the only one in the kitchen while she was stuck behind the fridge, but Magenta knew that couldn't tell her mother that Tad Dalton had done it to her. She would make a huge deal out of it, and it was just one night, and it wasn't even a big thing anyway! Her mother couldn't go against the Dalton's and come out of it unscathed. Besides, it would be super embarrassing, and she didn't want to lose her new friends already.
She shook her head. "I don't know, Mama."
Her mother pursed her lips, obviously not believing her, but patted her cheek and nodded. "You remember, you tell me, okay, querida?"
"Yes, Mama. I'm going to sleep now," Magenta said, wishing it was morning already and her powers were back.
"Good night, querida. Sleep well," her father said, kissing the top of her head.
Her mother kissed her cheek and left with her father, returning to muttering under her breath about stupid boys and how Will should have protected her baby girl.
Magenta waited until the door had closed behind them to collapse on her bed, bury her head in her pillow, and groan loudly. She wasn't a baby anymore! She didn't get why her mother couldn't see that!
...
Will ran for the bus, his breathing laboured. After flying up to Sky High all the time, he'd forgotten how long it took to walk from his house to the bus stop. He'd only gone on the bus that first day back to school so he could keep Magenta company, but had soon reverted back to his usual habit of sleeping in until the very last second before flying up to school. Unfortunately, he'd woken up late this morning as well, and his parents had a staff meeting. While he'd tried to fly a few times, Will hadn't managed to fly more than a few metres, and knew he wouldn't make it to Sky High. He still felt nauseous and his head was killing him, despite falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow last night.
The only good thing about running late was that his punishment for going out on a school night would be delayed until the end of the day. By then, his parents would have cooled off and totally forgotten about it. If he needed to sweeten the pot with some home-cooking and finishing his homework without complaint or help, then Will could totally do that, too.
Seeing the bus up ahead, Will tried to run even faster, his lungs burning, his legs chafing, and his arms aching. Waving at the bus frantically, Will let out a sigh of relief when Ron Wilson, bus driver, waited for him.
"Thanks for waiting for me, Ron," Will said, breathing and voice ragged as he stepped up onto the bus.
"Take your seat, Stronghold; I've still got others to pick up and we're running late now," Ron Wilson, bus driver, said, glancing at the clock on his dash.
"Right. Sorry, Ron," Will said as he hurried to the back of the bus to sit down.
Ry's stop was coming up soon and he'd have time to see him before Magenta and Larry got on the bus. Getting out Lionheart's book, Will held it up in front of his face so the cover could be seen by everyone, and started to read.
He'd talk to Ry this morning, whether he wanted to listen to him or not!
"Hey, Will. You're really getting into that book, huh?" Larry asked as he sat beside him, almost ten minutes later.
Larry was going to make sure Will knew he was his friend before lunch so sitting with him and the Walton, Dalton, Colton, and Morton heirs wouldn't be as suspicious. Besides, he really did want to read the new Jetstream and the Commander vs. alien octopus comic, anyway. He'd made Will laugh by asking if the comic was signed last time and was sure he could pull it off again.
Will lowered the book and looked around in confusion. Where was Ry?
...
End of the hundred and twenty-third chapter.
