DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Mighty Med or any of its characters. Just my own characters and the idea for their stories.
Enjoy!
~Kaz's POV~
First day of school…you got this, Kaz, I thought to myself as I took a deep breath. Logan High stood tall before me, with its red double doors opened wide, waiting for me to step over the threshold. And with one last deep breath, I took that step, walking into the foyer of the high school. Students littered the halls, all of different colors and races, enjoying the company of their friends and partners.
And here I was…standing here…alone…wondering where Oliver was.
…
How did I get into high school? I wasn't academic or smart. All I was good at was comic books! How was I going to get through this? Yes, I had Oliver, but…
"Hey, cute necklace," I looked over, seeing Stephanie talking to another girl, a new girl with long black hair. She seemed shy, wearing a sundress and denim jacket with black flats. She even wore a small red ruby pendant.
That is a pretty cool necklace, I thought.
"Thanks," She spoke quietly, looking away from the girl I've been crushing on for quite some time now. I lost count of the years.
"You must be the new girl here," Stephanie continued. "I'm Stephanie. And you are?"
"I'm…" She paused, staring at Stephanie for a moment before taking a breath. "...not telling you my name. I've dealt with girls like you in my former schools. I'm not interested in being your friend."
…
Did she really just say that to Stephanie?
Stephanie gasped in hurt. "Oh, how rude! And here, I thought we would have an easy time in high school together. But here… I was wrong." And then she walked off. I walked over slowly, hearing the new girl scoff at Stephanie's comment.
"Good riddance," She said, turning to her locker and closing it.
"Uh," I spoke aloud like the idiot I am and made her look at me with wonder. And for the first time, I saw her face. Her eyes were the brightest blue I had ever seen and I found myself lost at the sight. Her face was spotless, not a blemish in sight and if there was, she hid it well with her makeup. Her skin was pale, like white as snow pale, making her look like she hopped out of Snow White.
She was beautiful.
"Hello?" She finally spoke up, making me shake myself out of my stupor and smile.
"Hi…hi! Oh, my, gosh, sorry," I stammered out. "I…uh…I'm…" She watched as I struggled, her eyes burrowing into my soul like groundhogs. Though… it didn't feel uncomfortable. It was like a welcomed gaze. And before I could pull myself together, she smiled, her giggles echoing in my ear like a forgotten song, beautiful yet familiar.
"It's alright," she said, leaning against her locker between giggle fits. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Genevieve, but you can call me Genie."
"Genie?" She nodded. "That's… very unique." She giggled again.
"Thanks," She said.
"My name's Kaz," I said, making her stare in wonder. "Short for Kazemirus. But don't tell my best friend." She giggled once more, though it was more of a soft scoff.
"Nice to meet you, Kaz," She said, holding out her hand for me to shake. I gently took it, letting the fireworks spring to life as they traveled up my spine and exploded in my mind and heart. Such a warm touch, gentle and caring.
"You too, Genie," I said, finally noticing a little white rubber bracelet on her wrist. I turned it over, seeing the word 'Celestia' on the side in gold lettering. "Who's Celestia?"
"Oh, that, um," She stammered as she let my hand go, looking at the rubber bracelet for a moment. "It's kind of crazy, but… she's a superhero."
"Superhero?" I asked.
"Yeah. She can control the elements of earth and light. She can fly and can create illusions that stump the most vicious of foes and she has this siren song that…" Genie was explaining before she noticed my smiling face and stopped her praise. "Sorry. I'm just… really into superheroes. I know, it's weird."
"Not at all," I said, my face still in a tight smile of excitement. Out of all the girls I could meet on my first day of school, I got to meet Genie, a girl with a unique nickname like mine who loves superheroes as much as Oliver and I do.
What were the odds?
"I personally am a fan of Tecton," I finally said, making her perk up with a smile growing on her face as well. "Maybe we could swap comics sometime?"
"Yeah, I'd like that," She said, that smile so gracefully painting her already beautiful face.
This was going to be a good first year.
~Genie's POV - Two Months Later…~
"Alright, Kaz," I looked up from the latest copy of 'Celestia' as Oliver spoke. "Would you rather have Freeze Frame's power to stop time… but you have to talk like a chicken," he made a chicken noise before continuing. "Or Tecton's immunity to pain… but you have to wear a diaper?"
"Oh! I'd wear the diaper. For two reasons," I looked at Kaz, my mouth upturned into a knowing smile as I listened. "Number 1… and number 2." The boys fist-bumped while chuckling, making me roll my eyes. This was a game they played from time to time. I, personally, didn't participate much.
"What about you, Genie?" Oliver asked, making me look at him with wonder. "Diaper-wearing painless world, or a time-stopping, chicken-talking one?" I thought about it, thinking over the answer when I just gave him a look, my lips pursed.
"Oh, I get it! You're saying neither!" He yelled, making me nod and giggle.
"I'm sorry! I'd much rather have Celestia's powers!" I exclaimed, hearing Kaz chuckling beside me. "She is the coolest! She can control all the elements of the earth and can blind you if you get on her bad side."
"Like you?" Kaz teased, making me look at him with an evil eye. He shut up after that before looking right past me. "Guys, look," I turned my head, seeing a meteorite on one of the display counters. "There it is. The Meteorite of Zandor. The source of Tecton's immeasurable powers!" I grinned at his excitement as I followed him with Oliver not far behind.
"It's incredible," I said. "They made it look so real!"
"Yeah," Oliver agreed.
"I've got to have this!" Kaz exclaimed as he picked it up. "Hidden in the earth's crust for millions of years. Forged from a supernova in the Balasar Galaxy."
"It says 'Made in Taiwan'," Oliver pointed out, making me snort in response.
"Oh. Well, I still want it," Kaz retorted. "But I'll never be able to afford it!" I looked at him and then at the price, almost ready to grab it from Kaz. I may have only known Kaz for two months, but he sometimes tended to act like a 5-year-old and didn't think before acting. I swear, I was like the mom in this group.
"Ah," Oliver exclaimed, making me look at him. "But we can still pose with it." I perked up, my smile widening. I knew what that meant.
"Commemorative Fake Photo?" Kaz asked as I raced around Kaz and stood between the two boys, posing with the best smile I could muster up while Kaz held out his arm, ready to take the "photo". However, I just saw from the corner of my eye that Oliver was doing this weird pose like he was trying to do telekinesis on his head!
The heck?!
Kaz "snapped" the photo and pretended to look it over, making me look right at Oliver.
"Oh, you blinked!" Kaz scolded Oliver, almost making me snicker at the comment. Almost.
"And what the heck was that pose?" I asked, making Oliver shrug.
"I don't know! It was the first thing that came to mind!" He defended as I scoffed in return. However, the sound of someone clearing their throat made me look over to see Wallace and Clyde, the twin shop owners of The Domain. One of them was wearing glasses.
"We'll be taking that, thank you," The one without glasses said, taking the meteorite from Kaz and putting it elsewhere.
"Boys," The one with glasses began before noticing me, "and girl," he added. "You know the rules in this shop."
"Yeah, Rule Number 1: No touching the merchandise."
"Rule Number 2: No mistaking us for each other. I'm Clyde," The one with glasses said.
"I'm Wallace," The one without glasses added.
"It's not that hard!"
"Huh… I always wondered that," I said, earning a stifled snort from Kaz.
"Rule Number 3," Wallace continued, seeming to ignore me, "if you HAVE to use the bathroom, please don't go in the Cauldron of Crepulan."
"That was one time!" Kaz exclaimed, making me look at him weirdly, though Wallace and Clyde just gave him that look a father would give his child if he was reprimanding them. "Okay, twice!" I sighed in defeat before walking away and seeing Jordan playing one of the games here.
"Hey, Jordan," I said, getting muted by the young blond.
"I'm trailing this majestic unicorn. It's the last one in the entire land," She said as I watched her play. I grinned at how sweet it looked.
But I knew better with Jordan.
"Wait for it…" I said quietly as I braced myself for what was to come when…
"BOOM! CUT OFF HIS HEAD!" She yelled, making me jump just a bit. Though, I still grinned. Only Jordan would find joy in killing a unicorn. But I never liked this game she played. Unicorns were creatures that if you saw one, meant good luck.
Don't ask how I know that. You'll learn in time.
"Aww, look! Its blood is made of rainbows!" Jordan said that with a mockingly cute voice.
"I can see that," I giggled as Kaz and Oliver walked over. Jordan had set the controller down at this point.
"Hey, uh," Kaz began, seeming nervous to talk to Jordan all of a sudden, "we wanted to talk to you about our robot project for Science Day tomorrow…"
"Yeah, the four of us are working on it, right?" She asked, making me look at the boys. They seemed a little worried about something like someone was entering the group without Jordan's permission.
…
Wait…
"I really need your help! I'm terrible at building things! I'm much better at tearing things down," Jordan said with a punch to her palm.
"Yep, it'll just be the four of us," Oliver said, nervously. "You, me, Kaz, Genie…" He paused and looked away. "…and Gus." I sighed in defeat. I knew that was coming.
"What?! Gus?! No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Jordan said, freaking out before looking at me. "Did you know?!"
"Absolutely not," I said, mimicking her as I crossed my arms like her.
"I'm sorry, but," Oliver began, "he is our friend and we just felt bad for him because no one else wanted him in their group."
"Yeah, for the same reason no one wants a dead fish in their bed," Jordan stated. "They both smell like dead fish." I tried my best to hold in my giggle, having it come out as a snort. "Look, if I don't get an A on this project, my parents won't let me play video games for a year! And if I can't chop off unicorn heads then… who am I?"
"We promise," Oliver started, with Kaz being oddly quiet now, "we'll keep Gus under control. He won't say a word."
"Really? Where are we going to get a muzzle?" Kaz asked. There we are!
"Fine. Just keep him away from me," Jordan said.
"Now we got to get a leash! This is becoming a nightmare!" I snorted again before I turned back toward the door, stopping at the cardboard cut-out of a girl with brown hair and eyes while wearing a pink super-suit with a lightning bolt on the front of her chest. There was a pink stripe of hair on the side of her head.
I smirked, nudging Oliver in the arm before gesturing to it. He looked and smiled dreamily.
"Guys!" He said as he moved towards the cutout with Kaz. "It's Skylar Storm! My favorite comic book superhero!" I nodded to Jordan as my way of saying farewell for now and headed after the boys.
"Don't you have all of her comic books?" I asked with a smirk.
"Yes, I do!" He exclaimed in return, making me giggle. Oliver sure was a fanatic when it came to this girl. I wouldn't be surprised if he only had standards for his future wife to look like Skylar Storm.
"She has 24 superpowers, including X-ray vision, so she can see how big my heart is."
I grinned, knowing that to be true. Oliver, when I first met him thanks to Kaz's introduction, accepted me and helped me navigate the world of Logan High. He was a true friend and I can see why Kaz stuck with him for so many years.
Kaz took the cutout and started talking like… a girl… I guess?
"Oh, Oliver, come here and kiss me, but be gentle because you know I'm made of cardboard." I giggled as he tried to have the cutout kiss Oliver, who immediately pushed it away.
"Kaz, stop!" He said. "You heard Wallace and Clyde. No touching the merchandise."
"Oh, it's fine! What's going to happen?" Kaz declared as he took the cutout and placed it somewhere else, out of the way of the door.
"Wait for it…" I said, seeing the looks the boys were giving me when the cutout fell over, hitting a toy gun and having a small foam bullet shoot out. It flew up and hit a flying saucer prop on the ceiling. It fell as I moved out of the way, only to have it…
…Kaz and Oliver were stuck together (back-to-back) thanks to that flying saucer falling on top of them. We were in the ER now, waiting for a doctor to come out and help them. I was sitting in one of the chairs, typing on my phone in Google Docs.
"And the award for the most humiliated patients in the Emergency Room goes to," Oliver began in a sarcastic announcer voice, making me sigh in defeat, "the boys stuck, in a flying saucer." I heard Kaz chuckle, making me look at him in wonder.
"Take that guy with his hand stuck in the gumball machine!" He retorted as I turned around in my seat and looked behind me. I stared in surprise as there was indeed a boy with his hand stuck in a gumball machine. Poor kid.
"This is all your fault, Kaz!" Oliver began as I saw someone wearing a trenchcoat and hat walking in and going toward the janitor's closet. Who was that? And why did he seem so familiar?
"This is so typical!" Oliver continued. "You always do these crazy things and expect me to just follow you!"
"Hold that thought. Follow me," Kaz said, making himself and Oliver move closer to the closet. I quickly locked my phone as I raced after them.
"Where are we going?" Oliver asked.
"The guy who just walked in the closet," Kaz began, "I think that was the Blue Tornado!"
"Wait, you saw him, too!?" I exclaimed, making Kaz nod eagerly.
"You mean the superhero who can spin at the speed of sound?" Oliver sounded excited… but I knew better. "And is make-believe?!" He added the last bit annoyed.
"I know it doesn't make any sense, but it looked exactly like him!" Kaz retorted.
"He had the same crooked nose, the same scar on his cheek," I listed, which made Kaz smile even more.
"He even had a wispy beard," Kaz added which caused me to nod in agreement.
"So does my grandmother!" Oliver yelled, still annoyed. I sighed as I opened the closet door and ran inside, the boys following behind me with only Kaz being the excited one. I looked around, trying my best not to knock them over, but there was nothing (or rather no one) in here besides us.
"I don't get it, I just saw him go in here!" Kaz exclaimed in shock.
"Same," I returned.
"Well, maybe one of his powers is to turn himself into a roll of 1-ply toilet paper," Oliver mocked, showing off a roll of the bathroom tissue. "You've done enough damage for today," He set it back down as I sighed. "And I don't want to hear it from you, Genie!"
"What did I do?!" I yelled.
"You could have pushed us out of the way so we wouldn't be like this, for one!"
"Oh, so now it's my fault?!"
"Oliver, don't blame Genie! This is all my fault!" Kaz stood up for me, making me grin in response.
"Fine," Oliver said. "Can we please just go?" Kaz nodded as we all started to head to the door, but Oliver tripped, grabbing the plunger as he and Kaz tried not to fall, and I spun around to the light that showed itself to us. It almost looked like one of those picture puzzles where you have to move the blocks around to form the picture.
"Whoa!" I said, getting Oliver's attention.
"Check it out!" He exclaimed once he saw what I saw. I looked over at Kaz, seeing him messing with a mop.
"Oh, I know, my mom has this exact same mop!" He said in return.
"No, look!" I turned the boys around so Kaz could see the image. His eyes lit up with wonder.
"It's some sort of puzzle!" Oliver said. "And I think I know what it is!" He turned back around, making Kaz look away from the image after I just had him face it. I raised my hands in defeat before dropping them back down, making them slap my thighs before I watched Oliver finish the image.
"Is it the maze where you have to help the rabbit find the carrot?" Kaz asked, making me give him a look. He just saw the image! Why would he ask that question? "Because if so, you're on your own. Those things are impossible!"
"Maybe for you," I said with a smirk as I got a glare in return from Kaz.
"Got it!" Oliver exclaimed as I looked back at the image, now surprised at the result. The symbol resembled an M enclosed within a circle, with swirling tendrils spiraling in opposite directions along a thin pole. It almost looked like a medical insignia, the kind you might see on a roadside sign.
"It's the symbol of Caduceo, the legendary healer of superheroes!" Now Kaz turned them around so he could see the image once again.
"Whoa!" He said as a green word appeared before him. "It says 'Enter'."
"I guess the big decision here is whether or not to push the button!"
…
"You wanna push it, don't you?" Oliver asked, emotionless for a split moment.
"Oh, he already did," I confirmed as light entered through the center of the wall before opening up to us.
I looked in as Kaz and Oliver walked forward, me now following behind them, as we stared in awe at what stood before us. It looked to be a hospital, with three different counters in the center and in front of the back wall that had a giant red double M logo hanging there (I'm sure it was a window). Hospital beds were scattered around and nurses were walking from one to the other, even patients were either in a wheelchair, sitting on a bed, or walking around in a hospital gown.
But here's the twist…THEY WEREN'T NORMAL PATIENTS!
"Look at this place!" Kaz exclaimed before pointing to a superhero spinning at the speed of light. "There's the Blue Tornado!" I looked and squealed quietly as I saw him stop spinning with his trench coat in his hands now.
"And there's Solar Flare!" I said, pointing to a blond woman with fire bursting from the palms of her hands as she sat Indian-style on a bed. The doctor beside her was wearing yellow gloves and a welding mask. I then looked over to see a doctor…checking the air? What?
"And there's Incognito with his power of invisibility!"
…
Oh! That makes sense!
"Okay, now this may be a little cold," The doctor said before putting his stethoscope on his chest (I hope) before hearing a shivering voice in the seated spot.
"This must be some kind of secret superhero hospital!" I exclaimed with excitement as I twirled. I could hear Kaz chuckling at my expression as I giggled out the emotion. I had never been so happy to find this place with my two best friends. And for my own sanity, knowing that powers and magic were real.
Could today get any luckier for me?
"No, that-that's impossible," Oliver started, breaking me from my thoughts. "Superheroes don't exist. That's crazy."
"Ollie," I began to scold him when I heard someone sneeze behind me. I turned around, seeing a rocket flying around the room before it aimed itself right at me.
"Genie, look out!" Kaz yelled as I did a quick back-flip out of the way and had the rocket hit the flying saucer the boys were trapped in. I looked at them with concern as the flying saucer broke into two halves and fell to the floor, releasing them.
"No…that's crazy!" Oliver corrected his previous statement by pointing to the guy who just sneezed out a rocket.
"Talk about a snot rocket!"
~Kaz's POV~
"And also, talk about good reflexes! Nice dodge!" I yelled to Genie as she walked back to us, a smile on her pretty face as her blond locks fell out of the braid she put them in today.
"Thanks," She said. "One good thing about taking gymnastics when I was 8."
"We've been reading about superheroes our whole lives," Oliver said, not hearing us it seemed. "Turns out they're real?! My whole world has been turned upside down."
"Not as much as hers," I said, gesturing to a woman who was hanging upside down in mid-air. I heard Genie giggle as I looked at her, grinning as her blue eyes sparkled to life and crinkled at the corners with her smile. Back when I first met her, I could feel that crush bubbling to the surface. It took control at times, basically screaming at me to tell her how I felt. But at other times, I was told that Stephanie was the one.
…
Then why was I feeling this way for Genie?
"Incoming! Incoming!" A nurse yelled, making us move out of the way quickly as we watched. "Make a path, people! I've got a non-responsive hero! Temperature's at 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit! And he's oozing weird, blue-glowing stuff! It tastes like hummus. This dude needs medical attention, STAT!"
"That's the Crusher, the strongest man in the universe," I said.
"Yeah, what's wrong with him!?" Oliver asked as the monitors started beeping.
"He's going into cardiac arrest people!" The nurse yelled as he ripped open the hero's shirt and immediately looked bummed. "Okay, he and I have the same personal trainer. How is that possible?"
"CLEAR!" The doctor yelled as he shocked the Crusher's chest, with nothing happening. "His heart's not responding! I don't understand!"
"He's dying! We have to do something!" Oliver yelled.
"Hold on, if the Crusher's real, then maybe everything we've read about him is real, too!"
"Okay! Let's see!" Oliver said as Genie looked on with worry, her smile no longer lighting up her face with excitement. I hated seeing her so scared and worried. I remembered one day after we just met how she got like this about the orphanage losing its funding. I would just take her hand and squeeze it just a bit to reassure her that everything would be okay.
So I did that. I reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it slightly and making her look at me. I grinned at her, nodding my head to reassure her as well, and she returned it with a grin.
"Thank you," She mouthed.
"In the latest issue, uh, the Crusher had just returned from the planet Ebrion," Oliver said, making me look back at him and get back on track.
"Where the gravity is 40 times that of Earth," Genie said as I spluttered in shock that she knew that. "What? He may not be my favorite, but I still read his comics."
"He's crashing! CLEAR!" The doctor yelled again, shocking the Crusher's chest once more.
"Uh, maybe the extreme gravity pulled his heart from his chest down to his feet!" Oliver exclaimed.
"They're shocking the wrong place!" I realized where my best friend was going with this. I turned around, letting go of Genie's hand, and quickly grabbed the paddles from the female nurse. "CLEAR!" I yelled as I shocked the Crusher's feet and made him bolt upright. I heard Genie sigh with relief as I smiled with pride. I watched as the Crusher high-fived the doctor, sending him flying backward and landing on the floor.
"Thank you, Nurse," I said as I handed her back the paddles. "I'll need the Henderson X-rays in my office. Oh, and I'll need an office."
"Kaz," I heard Genie as Oliver pulled me away from the nurse.
"What are you doing? We're not doctors," Oliver said.
"You're not?" The male nurse from before—the one who pushed the Crusher in on the gurney—exclaimed, "Guards!"
"Oh, no—we're not guards, either," I said, looking at him.
"Uh, guys?" I turned around at Genie's voice, seeing a couple of guards in black masks that covered their eyes and black and blue uniforms standing there.
"No, but they are!" Oliver yelled.
"Hi," Genie began with a sweet smile. "I don't suppose you can forget we ever came in here, right?" She was trying to buy us some time, I could tell. But I guess it wasn't working, for they shook their heads at her.
"I thought not," she sighed as the room suddenly got a bit darker. Was it always this dark, or was it just me?
"Commemorative "Terrified" Fake Photo?" I asked scared as Genie backed up into me, fear and worry on her face as well. I held up my arm and took a fake photo of us, holding our best terrified faces as we could with the guards now behind us.
As we were pushed into a darkened room by the guards – which kind of hurt – my mind kept reeling. What would happen to us? What will they do to us? We just found out that the superheroes we know and love are real, and we could be…I don't know what! But anything that comes to my mind doesn't sound nice.
"Take it easy," I exclaimed. "My mom just ironed this shirt!" The guards left, leaving us to our own devices while I reached out my hand, hoping to grab Genie's since she was right next to me when we were pushed in here. Plus, I knew how scared she got whenever we got into any trouble.
"What do you think they're gonna do to us?" Oliver asked with fear as I kept grabbing air.
…
Oh, no.
"Where's Genie?" I asked, concern tainting my voice. "Wasn't she right beside me?"
"Genie?" Oliver called, not getting an answer. "Genie, I know you're in here with us!"
"Dude," I was now looking at the sign above the door, making Oliver look at it as well. "It says 'Now You Die'!" I exclaimed. "What if–?" I stopped mid-sentence, feeling a delicate hand grab mine out of fear.
There she was!
I looked toward the source, my eyes finally adjusting to the dark, and I could see her, staring at me with worry and fear in those bright blue orbs of hers. I never liked seeing that fear on her face.
"It's okay, Genie," I whispered. "I'm right here. We're going to be fine." I squeezed her hand for good measure, making her grin at me for a few moments.
"Do you think they mean you or me?" Oliver asked, referring back to the sign, as I heard a splutter of surprise from Genie.
"Well, it says 'you'!" She yelled.
"SILENCE!" We jumped in fear at the distorted voice as I felt Genie hide her face in my chest. I never knew why she was always clinging to me when she got scared. Maybe since Oliver got just as scared as her sometimes she felt safer with me. Or maybe since I was the first one she met out of me and Oliver? I don't know and I'm not complaining.
"You have trespassed in my hospital," The voice continued, "and for that, the punishment is–"
"Alan?" Another voice spoke, making Oliver freak out.
"THE PUNISHMENT IS ALAN!" He yelled before the lights turned on, showing us that it was just the cafeteria.
"Stupid sign," The doctor who came in said as he banged on the wall, changing the sign above the door to say something totally different.
"Oh, 'Know Your Diet Facts'. That's far less scary," Oliver said with a smile, though Genie was still trembling a bit. I looked at her, concerned. She had never been this scared before. Yes, during a scary movie, she'd be like this for a few days after, but…this was real life.
…
Real-life…with superheroes now existing.
…
Now that I think about it…how is this real life?!
"Hey, it's okay," I said, making Genie look up at me. "It's alright now." She grinned and stood up straight, brushing some of her blond hair behind her ear with a swift movement.
"Sorry," She said.
"It's fine," I returned. "I'm always here." She kept grinning at me before her gaze turned to the doctor who came in…and her grin fell at the sight of him. Why, I'm not sure. But this doctor seemed like a creep almost because he was just staring at Genie, a look of surprise on his face as he stared.
"You got to be kidding me," Genie muttered under her breath as her expression changed from shock to something unreadable.
Eventually, he shook off the initial surprise and looked behind us.
"Alan, what are you doing in the cafeteria?" He asked.
"Uh…nothing, Uncle Horace," I heard, making me look over to see a boy in a sweater vest with short, curly black hair. He was holding a mug to his mouth to distort his voice.
"Is that my mug?" The doctor, I'm guessing Horace, asked with surprise. "Send it over." I watched as the boy, I'm guessing Alan, took the mug and sent it over with telekinesis. It soon landed in Horace's hand and he looked it over.
"World's Sexiest Chief of Staff and Vice-Chandler of Medical Administration," He paused, "Bought this at a gas station. What are the odds?"
"Huh, that's strange," Genie whispered as Horace went to place the mug on the table near him. "That's like…"
"Like what?" I asked her, making her look at me again and smile.
"Oh, nothing," She said.
"I'm Dr. Horace Diaz, head of this hospital," Horace declared. "Who are you and what can you do?"
"Well, I'm Kaz, and I," I started as I took a napkin from the table behind me, "can do this." I pressed the napkin to my face, unfolded, and stuck my tongue out through it. I heard Genie snort at the little joke, I guess you could call it. That's what I was going for…sort of. I wanted to hear her laugh, but I guess she was still a little scared.
"Anybody can do that!" Horace yelled as I removed the napkin from my face, as well as getting some of it off my tongue. "I mean, what are your powers?"
"Oh, we don't have any powers," I said in return, throwing the napkin away as I noticed Genie tense a little as I said that.
"WHAT?!" I jumped at Alan's annoyingly loud voice, momentarily forgetting how Genie acted to me saying we didn't have powers. Why would she act like that? "Your Normos?! Normos can't know about Mighty Med! I'm gonna get a Normo Cage!" Alan soon went to march out the door when Horace put up his hand.
"Not so fast," He said, freezing the boy in place and shocking all three of us in the process. "The Crusher is one of our most important heroes and you saved his life. How did you know that his heart wasn't in his chest?"
"Uh, well, I thought that the super-gravity on Ebrion might have pulled his heart down to his feet," Oliver explained, seeming proud of his quick thinking.
"Very clever," Horace said. "You figured that out faster than some of our best doctors. Even Dr. Brain Head and his entire head is a brain!"
"Yeah, we pretty much eat, drink, and sleep superheroes," Oliver said as I hummed in agreement. "Literally! This morning, I had a bow of Honey-Nut Blue Tornado-O's!"
"A true fan. I love this guy! We might be able to use someone like you around here." Horace said before his gaze went back to Genie, his eyes softening a bit. "Also, nice back-flip earlier." She smiled.
"Thanks," She said in return.
"Forgive me, but…you look strangely familiar to me," Horace continued, staring at Genie for a moment as I was getting some weird vibes from this. I mean, maybe Genie reminded him of someone and that's why he was acting this way. Who knew?
"Oh," Genie began, brushing her hair off her shoulder, "I guess I just have one of those faces. Who do I look like to you?"
"Oh, no one. Just…someone I knew a long time ago," He grinned, getting a similar one from Genie before someone grunting, though muffled, entered the air.
"What's that noise?" I asked confused.
"Oh, right, Alan," Horace made a gesture with his hand and unfrozen Alan.
"We can't have Normos here!" He yelled as he walked over to his uncle. "I heard that if you touch them, your butt falls off."
"That's not true!" Horace exclaimed as I walked over to a table with Genie following close behind me. I picked up a bracelet thing, wondering what it was. "That's not true, is it?"
"Um, no," Oliver answered annoyed.
"Good. Because without a butt, what would I shake on the dance floor?" I heard Genie snort at the remark.
"So, you want us to work here?" Oliver asked with renewed excitement. I wasn't paying attention much, though I could still hear bits and pieces of the conversation.
"Not us," Uh-oh. "You." I felt Genie's gaze was on Horace now, most likely shocked to hear this news. "Your friends over there seem a bit…off."
"I wonder what this button does," I said as the bracelet I was looking at was now on my arm. I pressed the button, and my arm turned into a chainsaw, making Genie scream with fear. However, something about it seemed off, almost like it was supercharged or something. It was so strong, I thought it would damage my hearing. Though my own scream was filling my brain, drowning hers out, as I reached over and pressed the same button as before. My arm went back to normal. Genie stopped screaming as well.
"That was," I started, smiling after a while, "...AWESOME!"
"No, it fricken wasn't!" Genie yelled, her hand on her chest. "That gave me a heart attack!"
"You're still breathing, right?" I asked, earning a glare from her.
"I think he just proved my point," Horace declared. "Though, she seems smarter than I thought." I heard Genie sigh with relief as she leaned against the wall, still trembling from the chainsaw fiasco. "You, with me. You," Horace said, making me look at him. "Do you happen to know if you take a small or medium Normo cage?"
"What?" Genie asked, sounding exhausted from the scream she let out.
"Whoa, whoa! I want to work here, too!" I declared. "I know just as much about superheroes as he does!" I gestured to Oliver. "Right, Oliver? Back me up." I had my hands in my jeans pockets, a nervous habit I picked up as I grew. It was better than any other habit I could think of.
"Yeah," Oliver started, coming over to me and putting his arm around me. "Kaz is great! And, well, we kind of come as a packaged deal." Horace hummed for a bit, thinking over what Oliver had said.
"Okay, I'll give you boys a trial run," He finally said.
"Yes! We get to work with real superheroes!" Oliver exclaimed with a giddy smile.
"Yeah, man, I can't wait to tell Gus and Jordan about this place," I returned with my own giddiness coming through.
"Are you crazy?!" Alan yelled, seeming to have annoyed Horace at this point. "You can't tell anyone about Mighty Med! It's a top-secret hospital!"
"Alan, stop interrupting," Horace said before turning back to us. "Are you crazy?! You can't tell anyone about Mighty Med! It's a top-secret hospital!"
…
Well, that just proved that Horace was indeed Alan's uncle.
"Uh, hi?" Genie spoke up, making us look at her with wonder.
"Oh, sorry. You're just so quiet, I keep forgetting you're here," Horace said sheepishly.
"Uh-huh," Genie had her arms crossed as she walked over to us.
"You're welcome to join them, dear," He said, a smile on his face that kind of reminded me of Genie's smile, just a little. Weird.
"I'd love that very much, thank you," She said, smirking at him like he didn't see her on purpose.
"Another thing," Horace said again, looking at Oliver this time. "If your friend here messes up, I'm holding you responsible." He patted Oliver on the shoulder before walking out of the room with Alan.
"You hear that, no goofing around," Oliver exclaimed. "Do not Kaz this up for me."
"Absolutely," I said, looking at the bracelet I used earlier. "Oh! I wonder what this–!"
"Nope!" Genie yelled as she snatched the bracelet away and tossed it onto a counter behind her. I just gave her a look.
"You're no fun!"
"I'm sorry, but I'm trying not to die from a heart attack at the age of 15!" She returned.
"I thought you already had one," I teased, making her glare at me again.
"Guys!" Oliver yelled, getting our attention. "Why is the room getting darker?" I looked around. It was! It was just like the lobby!
"The heck? Why does this happen in every room we're in?!" I asked.
"We've only been in two rooms," Genie pointed out, arms crossed over her chest.
"You know what I mean!"
…
Wait…I had thought of something at that exact moment. The crazy shade covering some of the lights in rooms, Genie tensing up when I mentioned that the three of us didn't have powers to Horace. Could it be…?
"Genie, what are you hiding from us?" I looked at her face, staring her in the eye as I watched them widen in surprise.
"Seriously? Out of you and Oliver, you are the one to pick up on this?" She quipped, her hands now playing with the ruby pendant around her neck.
"So you are hiding something?" Oliver asked. "What is it?"
She looked between us slowly, stopping at my eyes to see that I was actually being serious right now, which was very rare. But something was up with her, and I needed to know what. She was one of my best friends and I'd hate to find out that something is wrong with her too late.
"Genie?" I spoke up, seeing the debate going on behind her eyes. "Is something wrong?" Eventually, she took a breath and grinned at me.
"Nothing's wrong," She said. "The truth is…" She paused and took another breath. "…I'm not hiding anything."
"Genie…" I started to scold when she stopped me.
"No, I mean, I am, but…" She bit her bottom lip for a moment before sighing. "But I'm not ready to share it just yet. When I am, you two will be the first I tell. I promise, in the name of the moon."
"A promise using a Sailor Moon reference?" Oliver asked, making her giggle. "I guess that makes sense. You love the moon and that anime, so…I'll trust it."
"As you should," Genie said.
"Is it something bad?" I asked, getting worried for her well-being. If it was someone at school bullying her or if she was in trouble, I was getting ready to help her in any way I could. I was getting ready to go beat whoever it was up. But her smile eased the worry.
"Oh, God, no," She said. "At least, not to me. And I hope it won't be for you two." I looked into her eyes again, keeping a stern stare on them. The bright blue of her irises captivated me, an ethereal beauty with the light and sparkle of the stars shimmering between them. She was serious, sincere even. And if I knew Genie Arden, then I knew she would keep her promise. So, with a simple sigh and grin, I nodded.
"Okay," I said. "But whatever it is, we won't judge."
"Yeah!" Oliver chimed in. "You're like a sister to us!"
…
Yeah…sister…
"Thanks, you guys," She smiled as she rushed around the table and we all shared a group hug.
~Genie's POV~
I couldn't tell them yet. I just couldn't. It was a secret I kept for so long that fear kept creeping into my mind, saying that the moment I tell my best friends the truth, they'll leave me. So, I told Kaz what he wanted to hear: the truth.
Hopefully, I'd be ready to tell him and Oliver the real truth soon.
"Superhero News Network has learned the ongoing reign of terror is the world of supervillain Megahertz, who refused to be interviewed for this story," The news lady on TV said. We were in the ER lobby again. I was sitting up on a bed behind Kaz and Oliver while Horace started to show us around.
…
Maybe I could tell Horace first and get his opinion on this dilemma I was having.
"He did, however, issue this statement: Mwah-ha-ha, ha-ha."
"Superhero News Network. I've never seen this channel before," Kaz said.
"Of course you haven't," Horace said. "It's exclusively for superheroes. Whereas Supermundo is exclusively for Spanish-speaking superheroes."
"Puedo ver eso," I said, earning looks from my friends and Horace. I looked at them, confused for a moment before it clicked on what I said. "Oh, right…I sort of know Spanish. Not much though."
"¿Cuánto sabes?" Horace asked, speaking in the Spanish he knew.
"Suficiente para saber lo que dijiste," I spoke back, getting a look of surprise from Horace.
"Did you learn from your mom?" Oliver asked and I just shook my head. "Then how…"
"I took Spanish classes back at my old school," I then gave a glance to Horace. "And I learned from my father a little before he disappeared." And there was that look from Horace again, the one that said he knew me somehow. And don't ask how, because I'm not ready to know and don't want to know at the moment. But the look in his eyes was like a parent, showing care and love toward their child.
After a moment, Horace shook himself out of his thoughts and he grinned at me, making me do the same before he got into the tour.
"Now," He said. "Let me show you three around!" He gestured to a device behind him. "This is a Web Untangalizer for our arachnid-based superheroes."
"Spidey!" I exclaimed with excitement as I hopped off the bed, which earned me a snort from Kaz. "What? I love Spider-Man!"
"As do I," Horace whispered before continuing with the tour. "This is a Molecular De-Vaporizer. A lot of people get vaporized in this business." He then pointed to a picture on the wall. "And this is a picture of a bridge. I LOVE BRIDGES!" I gave him a look as he led us down the hallway.
He was a strange one, that's for sure…but who can blame him for liking bridges? I found them to be romantic.
We soon found ourselves following Horace into a room with a lot of exercise equipment. "This is our Rec Room," Makes sense. "It's where recovering superheroes work on strengthening powers and honing super-skills." I watched some heroes lift weights or use their powers to train and practice for battles ahead.
"Okay. So, if superheroes are real and out there saving the world, how come we never see you guys?" Kaz asked the obvious question.
"It's a combination of things," Horace began, "sometimes we erase the memories of Normos who witnessed our heroics. Usually, we don't need to because most of you are looking down at your phones all the time."
I looked over at Kaz and Oliver, seeing them looking down at Kaz's phone and making me roll my eyes.
"Guys!" I yelled, causing them to jump as they looked up at me and Horace.
"I'm sorry, what?" He asked. I couldn't resist the urge, I slapped his arm playfully, making him chuckle.
"Plus, some of us are invisible," Horace continued, seeming to have forgotten that Kaz and Oliver zoned out. "And sometimes we do this so fast you don't even see it. Like how you and I just switched outfits." He was looking right at Kaz, making me look at him confused.
Kaz looked down and back up, unfolding his arms. "No we didn't," he said.
"Or did we?" Horace held up a photo at this point, showing him and Kaz wearing each other's clothes. The heck?!
"But if you guys act in secret, then why are there superhero comic books and graphic novels?" Oliver asked, stepping forward as Horace put the picture away.
"We chronicle our adventures and sell them to the public to finance this hospital, the League of Heroes, and the Bowling League of Heroes," Horace answered, making me nod in understanding. It made sense to me. But the League of Heroes? I'd love to know who they are.
"Here are your MM-200 communicators," Horace said as he held out his hand, three tiny devices in his palm. "I'll contact you when I need you."
"Oh!" I reached out and took mine while Kaz and Oliver took theirs.
"Look at the size of these things," Kaz admired with a smile.
"I know, sorry they're so bulky," I gave him a look. "The MM-200-S will be much smaller. And have new funky ringtones." After that, he left the room, leaving us to look around ourselves.
"Man," Kaz began, "look at all this cool stuff!" I looked at him, trying to hide some laughter as he picked up something silver on a small table. "Oh! I wonder what this is, some kind of high-tech memory restorer?" He put it on his head…and I cringed.
"That's a bedpan," Oliver stated matter-of-factly, making Kaz freak out as he threw it off his head and repulsed in disgust.
"Ew, gross!"
"Wimp much?" I gave a sly smile, making him glare at me before he noticed someone walk in. I turned around and saw a young girl around my age walk in, wearing a black and pink super-suit that had a lightning bolt on her chest, brown hair with a pink stripe in it, and brown eyes. She just looked at Kaz with her arms on her waist.
"Sup, girl," Kaz attempted to flirt, making me sigh as the girl walked passed him and Oliver.
"Wait," Olive said, getting the girl to look back at us. "You're Skylar Storm!" She smiled at him, happy to be recognized by a fan. At least, that's what I'm guessing.
"Oh, dude! No way! You were just making out with a cardboard cutout of her!" Kaz yelled, making me slap his arm playfully for Oliver's sake.
"No, I wasn't!" He said through gritted teeth before looking back at Skylar, shaking her hand. "Hi, I'm Oliver. Big fan of your work. You have so many amazing powers."
"HAD so many amazing powers," Skylar said, making me perk up with the boys. "Yesterday, I was ambushed by the Annihilator."
"Oh, my!" I exclaimed. "Are you okay?" I got a grin from Kaz, making me look at him for a moment before going back to Skylar. What can I say? When someone gets hurt, I'm immediately asking if they're okay or if they need a doctor. That's just how I was.
"No!" Skylar yelled. "He neutralized my powers, took my invisible flying motorcycle, he stole my costume! He left me just standing there, in my underwear!" I looked at Oliver, seeing him trying to picture that when Skylar snapped her fingers in front of his face. He leaned over to me and Kaz.
"I will definitely be buying that comic book when it comes out," He said, making Kaz nod in agreement while I slapped his arm.
"Ollie! Mind out of gutter!" I yelled, getting a giggle from Skylar. I looked at her and grinned with a sympathetic smile. "No girl should be left like that."
"Thanks," She said. "Anyway, I came here to get my powers restored. Unless…EXPLODE!" She yelled as she reached her hand out to Kaz, making us jump in the process. But when nothing happened, she gave up and dropped her hand. "Nothing!"
"Bummer," Kaz said before it hit him. "Wait! If you did have your powers, wouldn't I have just exploded!?"
"Into a million pieces," Skylar answered with a dreamy far off look in her eyes. I looked at Kaz, glad he was okay. If he had exploded right now, I don't know what I would do. And Kaz looked to be offended by this, until…
"AWESOME!" He yelled, making me roll my eyes as he high-fived Oliver.
"You do realize you would be dead if that worked, right?" I brought up, making him look at me and his face paled.
"Oh, yeah," I just shook my head in amusement before thinking of something. I should go find Horace.
"Hey, I'll meet you guys later," I said. "I need to go ask Horace a question."
"Oh? What question?" Kaz asked with wonder. I knew he was trying to get me to tell him what I was hiding.
"Mind your own business," I playfully said with a knowing smile, making Kaz groan in defeat. Soon, dude. Soon. "Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Skylar. I hope you get your powers back soon."
"Thanks…" She paused, trying to recall my name that I never told her.
"Oh, Sorry. Genie," I said. "See you guys later!" I then raced out of the Rec Room and went to the E.R. lobby, finding Horace at the counter. He was looking over some documents and delegating tasks to other nurses and staff. I took a deep breath, thinking over my options: confront Horace…or walk away.
If I confront him now, then the word would get out that I, a supposed Normo, knows Horace Diaz. If I walk away, then the knowledge of our knowing of each other would stay hidden.
I weighed out each option, thinking of the pros and cons...
…
...and walked away.
GENIE: Puedo ver eso (I can see that)
HORACE: ¿Cuánto sabes? (How much do you know?)
GENIE: Suficiente para saber lo que dijiste (Enough to know what you said)