PART THREE

As told by Massie

Cam emerged from the flames, physically unscathed because of his ability, but pale faced and horror struck at seeing who had produced the fire. "Landon."

"Cam," Landon replied, in a likewise snide and resentful tone.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Cam asked. The flames behind him were beginning to grow, metaphorically accurate considering tempers were rising.

Momentarily ignoring his enemy, Landon extinguished the flames with a simple swish of his hand. He turned his attention back to Cam. "I don't die easily."

Then Cam looked to Claire and me. He regarded Claire with a sort of apprehension, as if he worried for her safety though she was visibly fine. Incidentally, he regarded me with disdain; perhaps because he knew I was previously associated with Landon (and by that I mean helped him escape multiple times) and seeing us together once more revived those unpleasant memories.

"Cam," I said softly. I knew Cam was experienced in the field of jumping to conclusions.

"Are you conspiring with him against Claire or something?" Cam demanded in a low voice, assuring my beliefs of his jumping to conclusions.

"I was just taking Claire here for a joke, I didn't even know he was alive!" I exclaimed, exasperated.

"What a coincidence," he spat bitterly.

Claire remained silent, as did Landon.

When I didn't respond to his potential accusations, he continued, somehow encouraged by my silence. "You know what this clearing means. This is where the school founders took Landon when they kicked him out of the school. I was there; you were too. It's not some coincidence that you wanted to take Claire here. If you were playing a joke, you wouldn't take her to a place so meaningful."

What Cam was saying made sense, and seemed plausible. But when I had teleported with Claire, my only intention was to take her far away from Cam. Somewhere desolate, dark, depressing, imprinted with ominous memories. I hadn't chosen a destination, I'd just let my ability guide me to a location I'd somehow chosen in my subconscious to be the darkest, most depressing place. This, incidentally, was the clearing where the founders had guided Landon and his friends one January night. They'd brought us friends, meaning Cam, Dylan, Kristen, Alicia and me, because they knew he wouldn't fight or kill if his friends were to witness it. At the clearing, they unlocked his shackles and shoved him to the ground. Landon was short-tempered. This act of aggression provoked him, and effortlessly and perhaps even unintentionally, he killed one of the founders. The founders all had magnificent abilities, but they were senile and old, and like life itself, powers expire eventually. They were unable to defend themselves as Landon attacked. Then Cam stepped in, more skilled and experienced with his ability then Landon was with any of his. Cam took down and restrained his own best friend to protect the founders. Thus end of their friendship; the beginning of their hatred for each other.

"I wasn't thinking," I said quietly; a weak excuse. I wished I hadn't ever gotten jealous of Claire and taken her to the clearing. I wished I still thought Landon was dead. Cam probably wished the same thing, and almost certainly Landon also.

Landon drew in a deep breath, then said, to cam: "So, shall we finish this now?"

I immediately placed myself in front of Cam. "Landon, just go away. No one's fighting here or now."

"It's okay, Massie," Cam said grimly, pushing me gently out of the way. "I'd like to finish this."

Claire spoke up for the first time since Cam's unexpected arrival. "Stop it Cam, you'll just get h…" she trailed off.

Landon laughed cruelly before hurt could register on Cam's face. "Even she doubts you, Cam. She knows you'll get hurt within the first few seconds."

"Cam, why are you even here?" I demanded, desperate to divert their attention from this imminent fight.

"When you teleported, I had a feeling you'd take her here," he responded noncommittally. "Not a feeling; I dreamt about it."

Months ago, when our friendship was still intact, Cam had confided in me that his dreams often told the future. They rarely were beneficial because of how vague and blurry they were, but evidently they'd developed a little.

"Dreamt about it," Landon said laughingly. "That's lovely. Let's determine how much these dreams can help you in a fight."

At that, shockingly, Cam smiled a little. "Well…" before he could complete that thought, Landon lunged at him. And Cam knew this was going to happen, because he easily dodged (using his ability, of course) Landon's approach and swung his fist at his face. Landon winced, though on a normal person the punch would've at least made them stagger backwards from the impact.

"If a bullet can't kill me, you can't for sure," Landon said, unfazed by Cam's punch.

They were pacing now, circling around each other, waiting for one another to strike. Cam didn't look as confident now. Clearly his past dreams weren't going to help him anymore.

"This is ridiculous!" I exclaimed. I planned on grabbing both Claire and Cam and teleporting us back to the school, but I knew Landon would jump through the teleportation scar I left behind and follow us. His eyes were wild and wide the way they got when bloodlust was on his mind.

Landon attacked. Cam was letting each strike phase through his body, but there was a certain expression of apprehension on his face.

Landon was grinning deviously. "I know your power very well Cam. You can only remain in phase mode so long if things are constantly passing through you."

Cam didn't attempt to deny this. Landon struck—again and again. Until finally, Cam couldn't hold up any longer, and Landon's fist made impact with Cam. Somewhere throughout Landon's short-lived time at the school, he had attained the power of super strength. His punch threw Cam at least six feet across the clearing.

"CAM!" Claire and I screamed in unison.

His crumpled form was motionless.

Landon was smug and satisfied, and I was contemplating grabbing his wrist and teleporting him to a desolate mountain peak when Claire stalked towards him—and punched him. Since she was able to suppress his powers, her weak punch did more damage than Cam's powerful one. Landon held his jaw forlornly. "You hurt me," he said, something I doubted he said often. "More than the bullets, more than the drowning, or cliff diving without parachutes…" his voice caught at the end of his sentence, and for a brief moment I suspected he would cry. But Landon seemed only mesmerized by her ability to throw a weak punch—and, well, to suppress his abilities.

Claire was miffed by his reaction, but without hesitation, kicked him in the shin. The violence seemed to be exciting her.

Landon yelped in hurt. "It's so weird," he said mildly, somewhat delirious, "to feel pain."

Cam had made progress in his slow recovery. He was presently trying to pull himself up. When he saw Claire beating on Landon like a rag doll, he had to steady himself before he collapsed once more.

He looked to me incredulously, expecting a logical explanation to come from my mouth as soon as I noted his confusion.

"Okay, stop, stop, please," Landon whimpered, shielding himself from her weak blows. "Pain isn't so fantastic anymore."

Claire punched him once more, then turned away and exhaled in satisfaction. "Let's go, Massie," she said, and I understood at once that she wanted to teleport out.

"It's not fair," Landon was murmuring, "that such a weak person can inflict so much damage on me."

Cam and Claire gathered around me and Landon watched. They all placed a hand on my shoulder (one needs to maintain physical contact with a teleporter if they want to teleport with them). But Landon wasn't ready to let us go. When he saw we were preparing to leave, his hands ignited. His eyes were set on Cam.

"Watch out!" I screamed just as the fire left his hands.

Claire turned and jutted out her hands in an awkward, shield like pose. The fire died and disappeared instantly.

Cam's jaw dropped open in surprise. "How…?"

"Later," I said, and we disappeared.

PART 3 (CONTINUED)

As told by Landon

I must say, after two visits from two of my least favorite people, I was not happy. Especially after the weak Claire girl suppressed me powers and beat on me like I was nothing. Their unexpected visit made me feel angry and unbalanced. In my careless rage, I did something very stupid. I left my cabin, the vicinity of my cabin, and wandered into a nearby town I'd never seen. I was smart enough to know that I was in public people from the school would catch me, but I was too angry to be careful.

Usually I stole food from cottages nearby, but I felt like a Good Samaritan eating in a restaurant—and subsequently slipping out of the restaurant without paying (I had no money) when no one was watching. When I was finished my stupid streak, I began making my way towards the forest's edge. I felt someone was watching me.

I entered the forest. I steered off of the path, trying to rid the ominous presence following me. It wasn't disappearing. Finally, I was at the clearing, my cabin in view. I sighed in relief. And then a shadow was over me. A boy, my age probably, with shaggy blonde hair and mischievous brown eyes landed in front of me. He had come from the sky. Involuntarily, I cried out in surprise.

He snickered. "You've never seen a flyer? How deprived you are."

"Who the hell are you?"

"No no no," the blonde boy said, dismissing my question with a wave of his hand. "Who the hell are you? And please say you're that kid who was sent away from the school for being too powerful." He made a show of crossing his fingers and biting his lips in anticipation of my answer.

"Um, yes," I replied hesitantly.

"Awesome!" he said. "I've been looking for you."

I turned and began walking away. "I don't associate myself with people who attend the school."

The strange boy placed a hand on my shoulder and whirled me around. "I don't go there, you idiot. I can fly, asshat. I'm not going to sit around it classes when I can freakin' fly."

"Then what exactly are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm like you, I guess. You could say I was inspired by you. Your dramatic escape from the school. I wanted to do the same. So I messed someone up then got kicked out. They told my parents, so I got disowned, so now I'm homeless; like you."

The kid spoke nonchalantly, as if being disowned and homeless was nothing important.

"All for the better, though, right?"

I tried to nod.

"So anyways, I presume you hate the school, right?"

"Um, yeah," I answered distractedly. Was it my fault he was currently in this position? Homeless, disowned…After all, my "dramatic escape" from the school had presumably inspired his.

"I was looking for you, man, for like, weeks. You know why?"

"Why?"

"You and I, we're gonna destroy the school together."

PART 3 (CONTINUED) As told by Claire

When we arrived home, I was only too grateful to have quiet and solitude in my dorm room. I cried at first, controlled, suppressed sobs, probably some sort of posttraumatic stress. Then I realized if I didn't want this kind of life I would've never enrolled in the school. Not all supers enroll in a school for supers. Most did, because they would be socially isolated, avoided, and mistreated at mainstream schools, but if I truly hated the life of a super the option of returning home was available. Of course, my life here was considerably better than life back in Akron, Ohio. There, my parents treated me as if I had incurable cancer, not as if I had a special and desired ability. There my friends left me as soon as I confided to them of my ability. There, I hardly could call home home.

Cam was here. That was a pro. And I wasn't sure if Massie felt the same, but I felt we were developing a friendship. Despite my characteristic weakness, I was powerful—at least with Landon. He was feared and omnipotent and I could easily overcome him. It made me feel more super than superman.

Since I hadn't yet been assigned a roommate, I was alone that night. The rooms were spacious and adorned with beautiful antique furniture and tapestries, but that didn't compensate for the absence of a friend to comfort me.

Somewhere around midnight, there was a knock on my window. Fearing it was Landon, seeking revenge, I buried myself in my covers and remained still.

The window clicked and slid open. I peered out from under my blankets and saw a dark figure standing over me. I fought the urge to scream. Instead, I turned invisible.

The intruder pulled off my covers and snickered boyishly. It wasn't Landon at all, but a thin blonde boy with disheveled hair in dirty traveling attire. And for whatever reason, the invisible trick wasn't fooling him.

"Landon warned me about your disappearing act," he said, but he didn't sound menacing or evil at all. His voice was warm and friendly.

I appeared and sat up. "Who are you?"

"Derrick, I'm a friend of Landon's." He extended his arm. I ignored it.

"He sent you to get revenge or something?" I assumed. I could've screamed for help, or ran, but there wasn't anything intimidating about Derrick. He seemed as harmless and adorable as a happy puppy.

"Just the contrary." Derrick explained briefly their plan to destroy the school. Then he said that Landon had requested that I join their crew. I laughed.

"I'm not like you two," I said. "I don't hate the school. I don't want to destroy anyone or anything. I'm not a villain."

Derrick looked genuinely pleased when I referred to him as a villain. "Well, it's not really an offer, actually."

"What?"

He seized my arms and dragged me towards the open window. This happy, harmless puppy had fangs.

I didn't scream. I feared he could execute me in a single second with whatever sick, twisted ability he had.

My room was on fifth floor of the castle like building, so when he started pushing me towards the window, I instinctively struggled against his grip.

"Death by heights?" I said.

"Not death. Not yet at least," he replied happily. With one last shove I was out the window. I flailed helplessly as the ground flew towards me. Then arms wrapped around me, and I thought "kamikaze?"

And then the ground was parallel to us, and we were soaring above the trees.

I tried to say "What?" or "Huh?" or anything else that would express my confusion. Then it hit me. Derrick could fly. Even though I was being kidnapped, I was abruptly overwhelmed by how awesome flying was.

"Oh my god," I said.

"I know."

As we flew over the forest, I thought to myself: you know, maybe being a villain wouldn't be such a bad thing after all…