Here's Maddox's chapter! Dedicating this chapter to ep120284 and ruthc93

*Disclaimer: I do not own JL, maybe just their kids in this fanfic

O~O~O

Chapter Thirteen: Some Sort of Conspiracy

"…And so, my dear students, it is the utmost of importance for you to study for your Geometry Chapter 6 unit test this Friday. I will calculate all of this marking period's tests/quizzes and add it into your final grade. Because tests and quizzes count for 35% of your grade, I am going to be generous. If you find yourself failing my class, if you pass this test I will give you a grade that will suffice," the AP geometry teacher, Mr. Radcliffe, concludes.

Ding, ding, ding

The bell rings, signifying the end of class.

"Oh wait, hold on students, I have your quiz from last Wednesday right here. Stay put in your seats and I will pass them out quickly…"

He passes them out and the students make their way through the door. He gave everyone their tests, except for one student in particular.

"Hey come on, Maddie, we don't want to be late for Global History class," Evangelia reminds her friend, Maddox.

"Yeah, hold on Angie, I still need to get my test from Mr. Radcliffe," he replies as he gets up from his desk and walks toward the front of the room. "Can you wait for me?"

"You mean he still didn't give your test back?" she questions.

"Nope…"

"Well, alright then. I will be waiting by the door."

"Thanks, Angie…"

Maddox gives her a small, grateful smile and then faces the chalkboard, where Mr. Radcliffe was erasing the notes from class. He clears his throat to get the teacher's attention. Once his teacher turned around, Maddox asks him for his test.

"Oh yes, your test my boy! I was meaning to talk to you about it, I apologize," the elderly teacher replies in a friendly tone. His white hair was combed to the side and his dark brown eyes had a twinkle to them. He straightened out his coffee tweed suit before he went rummaging on his desk.

While he was looking for his test, Maddox signaled Evangelia to leave. He wasn't sure what Mr. Radcliffe wanted to talk to him about, but something told him that it could take several minutes.

"Ah! Here it is, you should be proud of your grade," Mr. Radcliffe says as he hands him a sheet of paper with a 100% scrawled on top.

"Now about our talk," he continues. "Maddox, my boy, you are a very gifted student. I have been talking with your teachers and we all agree that you are very bright. You-"

"Wait, before you continue, Sir, Evangelia gets better grades than me in every subject. Not that your words aren't flattering but she's a much better student than I. Why aren't you having this conversation with her?" Maddox asks.

Mr. Radcliffe chuckles before he continues. "Modest as he is bright. Well, what you say is true. Miss Wayne is indeed brilliant and could possibly graduate at the top of her class, however, you are unique. It shows in your characteristics. You must have a photographic memory since your artwork has so many details it could pass off as a photo. You have a tendency to remember things word-for-word in the textbook. And Mr. Zelman, your debate team coach, agrees with me when I say that your mind works differently. You digest and analyze information to come to a conclusion that has a different angle than most answers."

Maddox was speechless. To have this kind of praise from one of the most highly recognized teachers in the entire school was an honor.

"Thank you, Mr. Radcliffe. Your words are too kind," was what he was able to muster as a response.

His teacher places a hand on his shoulder. "My dear boy you are gifted. You remind me of one of my past students from a long time ago. You seem ambitious and have a bright future ahead of you; however, I suppose you just need the right motivation."

"Well I suppose you should get going for your next class," Mr. Radcliffe concludes. "I have a pass written out for you. Give your teacher my deepest apologizes." He gives the young man a pat on the back and then they both exit the room.

O~O~O

Lunchtime…

Maddox, Valen, Billy, and Rex were sitting around their usual table in the cafeteria. The girls were sitting at their own table on the other side, most likely gossiping and talking about boys. Maddox was grateful for this routine. He still hasn't been able to control his deep envy of Damien and the last thing he wanted to hear come out of Ophelia's mouth was his name.

He was munching on an apple while trying to rewrite his notes with his left hand.

'I wish I was ambidextrous…' he thought with frustration. His sprained wrist was really beginning to get on his nerves. He couldn't write, draw, or do almost anything for that matter.

Valen wasn't in that much of a good mood either. After the fight he had in school the other day he was still edgy .

"Hey, c'mon Ox, don't sweat it alright. Val, cool it 'kay." Billy said as he sensed his friends' distress. "I know what will cheer you guys up. How about a couple rounds of Bullshit! I have a deck of cards in my bag. Everybody in?"

They all agree to play as Billy shuffled and dealt out the cards.

"I have the Ace of Spades," Valen says as he places the card face up in the center of the table.

"So that means that T-Rex goes next," Billy points out.

"Two-twos."

Billy looks through his hand as if he was looking for any threes. "Three-fours, I mean…three-threes," he says finally.

'He's faking it. The hesitation, the mistake, it's all a ploy to get someone to call him out. He really does have three-threes.'

"What? Three-fours? B.S.!" Valen says as he calls him out on his bluff. Billy smirks and taunts, "B.S.? The game's Bullshit, Boy Scout. Call me out like a man, Val."

'Don't do it Val. It's all a bluff, he really does have it,' Maddox thought. For some reason he knew that Billy was telling the truth. Recently, he has been able to tell whose telling the truth or lying and who's holding back information. He was also extra sensitive to distinguishing how people really felt. He didn't know how or why but he knew he was right. 'Maybe I'm just really lucky at guessing…' he reasoned to himself time and time again.

"Fine…bullshit," Valen called. His face drops when he realizes that Billy did have three-threes.

"Sorry, Val…" Billy says as he pushes the cards towards his friend. "You gotta learn to play the game," he laughs.

The game continues. Cards build up in the center of the table as each person places down their card(s). Maddox always called Valen and Rex out whenever they lied and he was right every time. Billy, surprisingly, must've had a good hand because he always told the truth. Maddox was able to get away with lying. He obtained a pretty good poker face from watching his father's stoic face whenever they played cards.

Billy and Maddox had the least amount of cards in their hands. Billy places down his last two cards. "Two kings…" he says, as he places them in the middle of the table. If no one was going to call him out before Maddox's turn then he was going to win whether he was telling the truth or not.

Luckily, Maddox sensed that he was finally lying. "Bullshit…"

"What?! Are you sure you wanna do that Ox? If you do that you'll have to pick up all of those cards and trust me you don't want to do that," Billy reasons.

'He's bluffing again…'

"Bullshit," Maddox repeats.

Rex flips over the cards to find a seven of spades and a jack of clubs. Valen and Rex laugh at Billy's predicament as their friend begrudgingly picks up all of the cards from the pile. Maddox smiles as he places down his final card.

"One ace," he confidently states as he reclines back in his chair. He wanted to see who was going to call him out.

Rex and Valen were hesitant. They've tried to call him before, but unfortunately for them he was telling the truth. Billy was getting annoyed. He usually won at this game. He wasn't going to let the person who ruined his chance of winning get away so easily.

"Fine! If you ladies won't call him out I will. Bullshit!"

Maddox grins from ear to ear as he flips over his own card, revealing one ace.

"Sorry, Billy…I win," he declares victoriously.

"What?! How could you win? I want a rematch-" Billy complains. Maddox drowns his voice out as he looks over to where the cheerleaders sit. He was able to see the long, loose, fluorescent light bulb hanging over one particular cheerleader's head. He saw the jocks at the other table throwing a football around. He had a bad feeling and had an idea of how the new few seconds where going to play out.

One of the jocks walks over to one corner of the cafeteria and throws the ball to his friend at their table. He throws the ball but his friend misses it because it was way over his head. As soon as the ball was released from his hand, Maddox got out of his seat and started running.

The ball continues to fly and hits the loose bulb. The bulb falls out and what seemed so quick to everyone else, went slowly in Maddox's mind. He saw the bulb flailing in the air as it was coming closer to the ground. Luckily, he had reached the girl in time and was able to push her away. One second later, the bulb hits the ground and shatters.

Maddox and the cheerleader were on the ground, with his good hand shielding the girl from the shards of glass. They both raise their heads and look at each other. They were unaware of the people surrounding them, including their friends.

"Are you alright?" he asks as he stands up and pulls her off the floor.

"Yeah, I'm alright…thank you," she says as she looks up to him. She had curly, light brown hair framing her heart shaped face. She had a delicate nose and deep set, bright, light blue eyes. She had rosy pink lips and cheeks, and she reminded him of a doll. She was indeed pretty.

He recognized who she was. She was Penelope King. She was the same age as them and was on the cheer squad like Ophelia.

"You're welcome," he says.

"How did you know that bulb was going to fall?" Penelope asked in awe.

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Lucky guess…"

She laughs and regains her composure from her ordeal. "Well, I'm glad you're good at guessing. I guess, I'll see you around…" she says as she and her cheerleading posse friends walk off.

He looks around and just realizes the crowd of people surrounding him, applauding him for his heroic deed. He gazes at each face, but notices certain person's reaction.

He sees Ophelia across the cafeteria in her seat just staring at him with her mouth agape. She was utterly shocked. Once she had caught him staring, she hardened her look and glared at him…

'Something tells me she's feeling hostile…'

O~O~O

Maddox's P.O.V

'Well, I certainly had an interesting day…"

I am lying down on my bed, pondering about the events that went down today.

Mr. Radcliffe, one of the most revered teachers at TUHS, praised me today.

I was able to win a game of Bullshit by "guessing" who was lying and who was telling the truth. All of my "guesses" were correct.

I was able to "guess" that the football was going to hit that light bulb and fall on top of Penelope before anything actually happened.

Ophelia seems mad at me…

The fourth one on my list seems to be bothering me the most. I had a reason to be upset at her but I don't know why she would be mad at me. A soft knock on my door brings me back to reality.

"Maddox, dear, time for dinner," Mother calls.

I get out of bed and walk over to the dining room in our one-floor condominium.

I find Mother and Father already seated at the dining table. I take my seat and fill my plate. We all sat in silence, eating our food. My mom is the first one to break the ice and attempt to start a conversation.

"So how was work, love?" she asks my dad.

'Father would say, "Fine, sweetheart," and end the conversation right there. Mother would then try to begin a conversation with me. Once our little conversation dries out, Father would finish his dinner and excuse himself to watch the game in my parents' bedroom.'

I don't need to be psychic to figure that out. That's how a typical dinner is at my house. However, it does scare me that we're that predictable. Dinner concludes in the exact fashion I thought it would. After I help Mother clear the dining room, I excuse myself to my room.

"Wait, baby doll, how about a quick game of darts?" she asks me sweetly.

This takes me off by surprise. I mean, we've played darts after dinner before, but it's just that I didn't expect her to ask me to play tonight.

"Oh c'mon sweetie, just one game with your mother, please? I'll even let you go first," she prompts.

'She's only letting me go first because she doesn't expect me to win so suddenly…'

Sigh. "Alright, Mother, one game," I emphasize.

I take all of the darts off the dart board and gave the red ones to my mom. I stand back and take a careful aim with my left hand. I wasn't expecting to get bull's eye, especially while using my left hand. I throw the dart anyway. It flies surely and we were both shocked to see it hit bull's eye. I turn to see mom's face, only to find pure shock written all over it.

I stifle a laugh and declare, "Game…"

I walk into my bedroom and walk towards the window. I open it and look out into the Gotham evening city skyline. I hear the honking of horns and the calls of people down in the busy streets below. I hear the alley cats crying out in the moonlight and the dogs barking at who knows what. I look down and see most people walking with a sense of purpose.

'The Batman must be patrolling the streets now,' I think of Gotham's dark, caped crusader.

Another thing crosses my mind as I think of something else to add unto my list of events.

I had just beat Mother in one turn at a game of darts with my weak hand.

Today had just gotten officially weird…it must be some sort of conspiracy…

O~O~O

Hehe…can anyone seem to figure out who he takes after the most?

Anyways, to make it easier on everyone's lives I'm going to explain each teen's powers after they've all discovered them.

Last but not least, Ophelia's chapter is next!

Read & review…