Chapter 4: When trees catch fire

Alicia works on her theory as Molly visits Kris. The group gathers together for the first time to practice using their powers.

“Come on, Kris!” Bang, bang, bang. “It’s noon! You need to get up!”

            Q put her ear to Kris’s locked door. She didn’t hear anything. Q knocked on the door again. “Please! You need to get up! We have practice tonight!”

            Kris didn’t respond, and Q paced in the tiny hall. “What am I going to do?” Q muttered to herself. “She won’t come out.”

            Q knocked on the door again. “What’s wrong?” She paused. “Is it about bar guy?” She asked more quietly.

            Listening, Q could here Kris shifting in her bed. Q sighed and walked away. She froze when someone knocked on the front door. “I’m gonna go get that, Kris,” She called lightly.

            She hurried to the door and opened it. Molly stood outside. Molly was surprised, “Hazel?” She said. “What are you doing here?”

            “Oh,” Q responded. “I didn’t tell you? I’m staying with Kris for a little while.”

            “Is that so?” Molly commented, peeking around Q. “Is she in?”

            “She’s in bed,” She answered. “She isn’t feeling well.”

            “Oh, my poor coz,” Molly said sympathetically, placing a hand over her heart. “Can I go see her?”

            Q shrugged, unsure of how much she should say. “She locked herself in her room.”

            Molly’s eyes widened. Then she nodded, stating, “We should make her some tea.”

            Q looked at her funny. “What?”

            Molly walked past her into the kitchen. She opened a cupboard and took out a grey mug; going to another, she took out a box of teabags. “Kris always feels better after she has some tea,” Molly explained.

            Molly added water to the mug and put it in the microwave. After the timer beeped, she pulled it out and placed a teabag in. “Earl Grey is her favorite,” She commented.

            She grabbed the mug and carried it to Kris’s door. Q followed, her brow wrinkling, as doubt set in. Molly knocked. “Kris?” She called through the door. “It’s me, Molly. Let me in, please. I brought you a cup of tea.”

            Molly and Q waited. They heard the door lock click. Molly opened the door slowly. Inside the room, Kris was lying in bed, curled up on her side. Molly walked in, trying to act casual; she set the cup on Kris’s nightstand, within reach Kris’s reach. She then sat on the bed, her back against Kris’s shins. “So, what’s wrong?” Molly asked.

            Kris looked at her and croaked, “I feel ill.”

            “Yeah, but where?” Molly replied. “In your stomach, in your throat, in your head?”

            “Mm, everywhere,” Kris responded.

            Molly patted Kris’s leg. “Come on,” She gently goaded. “Get up and drink your tea.”

            Molly pulled on Kris’s arm and made her sit up. Kris shifted, so that her back was on the wall and her knees were up. She held out a hand and Molly put the mug in it. Kris put the cup to her lips, sipping it slowly. Molly watched expectantly as Kris stopped and anxiously moved the cup between her hands. “So,” Kris said. “What are you doing here?”

            “I was worried about you,” Molly answered instantly. “When you ran off the other day, I knew something was really wrong.”

            Molly rubbed Kris’s leg supportively. “I came over to show that I’m here for you,” Molly continued. “Even if you don’t want to talk about it.”

            Kris ran and hand through her hair, and quietly started, “The guy you mentioned… the other day…”

            “The one that died?” Molly asked for clarification.

            Kris nodded. “What was his name?”

            Molly looked confused, glancing to Q, who was tense, then the roof. “I think it was Dylan Payne,” Molly answered, unsure. “Why do you want to know?”

            Kris closed her eyes for a moment before making a decision. “I met the guy the night before he died,” She admitted.

            Molly was surprised and instantly sympathetic. “Oh, Kris,” Molly sighed. “It wasn’t your fault. Whatever happened between you two, it wasn’t your fault that he died.”

            Kris smiled weakly, holding the mug tighter. “I know, but I can’t help feeling that it was,” Kris responded.

            Molly thought it over. “How about I stay,” Molly suggested. “And we have a movie marathon, just like we used to.”

            “We can’t,” Q spoke up before cupping her mouth.

            Molly looked at her, seeming put out, but not particularly angry. “Why not?”

            “We were planning on going out tonight,” Q admitted.

            Molly glanced back at Kris with a confused expression before facing Q. “But, if Kris isn’t feeling well-”

            “It isn’t just me and her going out for fun,” Q interjected. “She made a commitment with several friends to go out tonight.”

            Kris sat up further. “She’s right,” Kris said. “I have to go; I made a promise.”

            Molly stood up and Kris slid to the edge of the bed. Kris smiled at Molly. “That doesn’t mean we can’t watch a movie or two first.”

            Molly smiled back, and hugged Kris. “I knew you’d feel better after some tea.”

            Kris hugged her back but looked at Hazel. Her narrow-eyed glare and stony face were poignant, telling Hazel she shouldn’t have mentioned that. Referring to powers is not okay in front of normal people.

+++++

            “Darse prisa, Paulo,” Espe shouted, running ahead.

            Paul had decided to scope out Aspen Spring Park before the team met here tonight. He brought Espe along simply because she begged him too. They walked down a forest path. Paul looked behind him; all he could see was the narrow footpath that led them here and a wide canopy of trees. “I’m coming,” Paul called.

            He jogged to catch up to her. “Where does this lead?”

            Espe got distracted by a bird flying by. “It leads back to the front of the park, on the other side.”

            Paul nodded, recalling how the park was set up. The front of the park had a sports area on one side and a playground on the other; the rest of the park was a forest. The trail Espe picked out started by the playground. Espe mentioned that this trail had a clearing in the middle of it, which interested Paul.

            If the clearing was big enough, the team could practice their powers in it. “Are we near the end of the trail, yet?” Paul asked.

            “No,” Espe answered, skipping away. “We’re almost halfway, but the trail ends in a mile or two.”

            Paul kept walking with a sigh. Espe skipped along, stopping occasionally to pick a stone up or try to catch a squirrel. It was another several minutes before they reached the clearing. It was the size of tennis court and was sparsely decorating with large rocks, most of which were on the outskirts. Paul walked to the center of the clearing and turned around in a full circle. The forest was meager, but he could only see trees and ferns. The rest of the park could not be seen. “This is perfect,” He muttered.

            “Perfect for what?” Espe asked.

            “Hm?” Paul responded. “Oh, I was thinking that my friends would like to hang out here.”

            “Really? Can I come?” Espe frolicked over to pull on Paul’s sleeves.

            “No,” Paul answered. “It’s going to be us hanging out, as adults, doing adult things.”

            Espe pouted, crossing her arms and stalking away. She sat on a rock with a huff. Paul sighed and followed, squatting beside the rock. “I know I’m not an adult,” Espe said. “But that isn’t a good excuse for why you can’t…”

            Paul sat on the ground. “The truth is,” Paul started. “You can’t come because it is going to be dangerous.”

            “Why?”

            “Because me and my friends are…” Paul said, a smile growing on his face. “Superheroes.”

            Espe’s eyes widened before they suddenly narrowed. “You’re lying again.”

            “No, I’m not,” Paul replied. “Mira.”

            Paul rolled up his sleeve enough to reveal his wrist. “Look at my tattoo,” Paul said seriously. “Now watch as it comes to life.”

            The tattoo responded, a vine growing out of his wrist. Espe gasped as the vine bobbed and swayed, awaiting command. “See,” Paul said gently, “My superpower is the ability to bring my tattoos to life.”

            The vine waited. “Unfortunately,” Paul continued. “I haven’t learned how to control it with my mind. I have to give it orders out loud.”

            “Could I give it one?” Espe asked with hushed excitement.

            Paul shrugged. “You can try. Maybe, if I agree with you, the vine will do it.”

            Espe looked around. She pointed at an acorn attached to a branch, twenty feet above them. “Can you get that for me?” She requested politely.

            Paul lifted his arm as if to pluck the acorn and the vine extended up. Wrapping around the small acorn, the vine pulled it off. The vine quickly retracted and placed the acorn in Espe’s hand. “Guau!” Espe exclaimed. “Can you do this with your other ones?”

            Paul shrugged. “I don’t know,” He answered. “I haven’t tried it.”

            Espe bounced off the rock and looked excited, her hands shaking in front of her chest. “What if you get a new tattoo?” Espe asked. “Will it still work?”

            “Hmm, I don’t know,” Paul said. “But we could test that sometime.”

            “We?”

            “Yeah, now that I’ve told you, I’m sure I can let you spend time with us,” Paul said with a smile. “But not for a little while. I want to make sure that my friends can control their powers before you hang around them.”

            Paul stood up and held out his hand. The vine faded away as Espe took his hand. He led her to the other half of the trail. “What powers do your friends have?” Espe asked, swinging their joined arms.

            “Well,” Paul started, “My friend Q can transform into any person, and Kris can fly…”

+++++

            “Alright, Geiger counter says that you are currently emitting a little less than a millisievert, which is less than the average person emits,” Pagel said before adding, “Per year.”

            Alicia stood in front of Pagel, arms out, as he moved the Geiger counter over her body. The radiology department was empty for lunch break, and they thought this was an opportune time to test their theory. Alicia was in the middle of their large lab rimmed with metal counters and machines. “Is that bad?”

            “No, because you are emitting it,” Pagel answered. “The scary thing is how much radiation you’d have to absorb in the first place to emit this much.”

            “Well let’s see if I can emit some more,” Alicia said.

            “Let’s me get a vest first,” Pagel said, moving to set the Geiger counter on a nearby table.

            Alicia followed Pagel to a closet where he pulled out a lead vest, similar to one seen at the dentist office. “How did I compare to the environment?” Alicia asked.

            “The room produced a quarter of what you put out,” Pagel answered, “Which is on the higher end of the regulated amount of radiation a person can be exposed to in a work place per year.”

             Alicia looked concern, her brow wrinkling. Pagel tried to reassure her. “If your theory is right, the reason you emit so much radiation is to keep your body healthy.”

            Pagel slipped on the vest; it covered his entire torso down to mid-thigh. They went back to the lab and Pagel fetched the counter. Placing the reader close to her, Pagel instructed her, “Now use your power.”

            Alicia reach out to her left and touched a centrifuge that they hadn’t used in a while. “Turn on.”

            The machine beeped and experimentally whirred, testing its functions as it warmed up. “Well?” Alicia prompted.

            “Though your use of power was brief,” Pagel replied. “There was no change in emission whatsoever.”

            “So, my theory is wrong?”

             Pagel moved the Geiger counter over her body again and then around the room. “Yes,” Pagel answered. “Or this test was inaccurate.”

            “What do you mean?”

            Pagel removed the vest and pointed the counter at himself. Checking the reading, he responded, “Because I am emitting the same amount of radiation as you.”

            Alicia’s shoulders slumped. “Now what?”

            “To check that the theory is indeed inaccurate, we should examine several other people,” Pagel said. “The bigger the sample, the better.”

            “People will wonder why we are pointing Geiger counters at them,” Alicia commented.

            “We can tell them that we are researching the after effects of the nuclear meltdown… What?”

            Alicia’s face was frozen in shock, wide-eyed yet devoid of expression. “We actually had a nuclear meltdown? Here?”

            “Yes,” Pagel said, confused by her response. “Didn’t I mention that alpha particles were present in the orange clouds? How did you think they got there? Radiated particles were transported by water vapor and the radiation spread to the clouds…”

            “Perhaps, you don’t think,” Alicia snarked. “That the reason people have powers is because they have been completely irradiated by a nuclear meltdown!”

            “Yes, that is the primary reason,” Pagel said sheepishly. “But the research we are doing is to find a biological basis for radiation to cause powers to form.”

             “Because writing it off as ‘radiation’ isn’t good enough,” Alicia said with a dry laugh.

            “Yes,” Pagel answered, very serious. “Radiation is a diverse subject. Simply to say something is radiation and leave it at that is wrong. To be honest it would put me out of a job.”

            Alicia genuinely laughed. “Well, what is your theory for the biological basis of my powers besides ‘radiation’?”

            “My theory is radiation caused a gene to start being transcribed, and create RNA that creates a protein, or proteins, which results in changes being made to individual cells, tissues, and organs. This culminates into a power.”

            Alicia crossed her arms, unimpressed. “Then how do you explain my powers?” She pressed.

            Pagel went through a series of expressions, his face becoming increasingly furrowed as he tried to reason it out, however it smoothed out quickly when he found his answer. “Your power takes your cognition and will and forces it onto an object. Because of the virtue of the human consciousness and its tenuous connection to the actuality of the body, I have no clue, nor could begin to guess, how your powers work from a biological perspective.”

            “What a precocious answer,” Alicia commented.

            Pagel shrugged nonchalant. “You gave me a difficult question.”

            “Okay, we can test your theory, right?”

            “Yes, all we need is your DNA analysis back and compare it to the DNA sample the company has from when you first started here.”

            Alicia recalled the odd demand that the Institute had before she was able to work there; they wanted her DNA to add to their culminating research on the human genome. She had thought little of it at the time. Pagel glanced at his watch. “We need to go to check that out by the way,” Pagel said. “Lunch is over.”

            Pagel returned the vest to its proper place while Alicia checked in the Geiger counter at the storage hub. Pagel and Alicia met back up at their own lab where they found a lab tech waiting for them. “Hello,” She said, fiddling with a manila envelope. “I’m here to give you that DNA analysis you asked for, Dr. Pagel.”

            Pagel walked up to her and took the envelope, smiling and shaking her hand. “Thank you, Miss Erika,” Pagel said. “I appreciate it, really.”

            Erika blushed, a little to Alicia’s amusement. “It’s nothing, Doctor,” Erika responded. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get back to work.”

            Erika left the lab. Alicia watched her go. As soon as she was out of sight, Pagel ripped open the envelope. “Let’s see what we got,” Pagel said.

+++++

            “Lightner!” The speaker crackled from the ceiling. “Calling Nurse Lightner to the front desk.”

            Theo looked up, and then back down out the patient he was currently tending to. “Don’t worry,” He said, reassuringly smiling. “It should be your test results.”

            The patient was a young boy; he smiled at Theo. “Thanks, Mr. Theo,” The boy said.

            Theo glanced at the boy’s mother, who was sitting beside the bed and diligently holding the boy’s hand. There were bags under her eyes. “I’ll be back soon,” Theo told her.

            The woman nodded, and Theo left the room, heading down the hallway to the nurse’s station. Theo leaned on the counter and said the nurse at the front desk, “Yes?”

            The nurse was busy, typing away on a computer. “I have the test results for your patient,” The nurse said, handing Theo a file without looking up.

            Theo took the file and opened it. “Thank you, Tomas,” Theo responded. “Can you page Dr. Wilson?”

            Tomas pressed the speaker button, while typing with the other hand. “Dr. Wilson to the front desk. Dr. Wilson to the front desk.”

            Theo looked over the file; it was the patient’s blood test. “So, you’re off work in twenty, right?” Tomas asked.

            “Yeah,” Theo responded, distracted by the results of the blood test.

            It was good news. The child’s condition had bettered; his severe reaction had finally passed, and he could return home. Theo felt relief, knowing that his patient would be okay for a little while longer. He was so invested in his thoughts, he almost missed what Tomas was saying.

            “Do you want to go get dinner and a drink after this?” Tomas smiled. “I was thinking of inviting Jenson and Coda from Radiology.”

            “You can invite them,” Theo replied, not feeling particularly bad. “But I can’t go. I got a thing tonight.”

            “A date?” Tomas inquired, smirking.

            Theo shook his head. “No,” Theo answered patiently. “You know I’m not into dating.”

            Quirking an eyebrow, Tomas looked curious as he said, “Then what are you doing?”

            Dr. Wilson appeared beside Theo, ending the casual conversation. “Is this the blood test?” She asked.

            “Yes, Doctor,” Theo answered, giving the file to her.

            Wilson quickly read it over, a small smile forming on her face. “Do you want me to give him the news?” Theo inquired.

            “We can do it together,” Wilson decided.

            Wilson walked over to the patient’s room and Theo followed. “Hello, Doctor,” The mother said, standing up. “How’s the blood test?”

            “It’s good,” Wilson said. “The antibody count is down to regular amounts.”

            “Does that mean I can go home?” The boy asked.

            Theo smiled and approached the boy, kneeling beside him. “Yes, it does,” Theo said. “In fact, your mother can check you out right now.”

            “I can?” The mother said, sounding relieved.

            “Yes,” Wilson agreed. “Come to the front desk and we can get you out of here.”

            The mother left with the doctor. Theo turned to the boy. “I can help you collect your things.”

            The boy slid out of bed and walked around, picking up his video game and book. Theo handed him his backpack and the boy put his things in it. Theo checked around; the room was clear. “Alright, let’s go,” Theo said, leading the boy out of the room.

            The boy ran down the hallway, his backpack swinging. The boy ran up to his mother and hugged her. The mother returned it. Theo felt a swelling sensation in his chest; he smiled. “Come on, Andre,” The mother said.

            The mother and boy walked out of the ward. Tomas called to Theo, “It’s seven.”

            Theo faced Wilson, beaming, and shook her hand. “Then I’m off,” Theo said. “If you need me, call me.”

            “Goodbye, Lightner,” Wilson responded.

            Theo turned and left. “Goodbye, Dr. Wilson.”

+++++

            During a break, Tae stepped outside the theater along with a bunch of others who were leaving to smoke. He moved away from the smokers, deciding to take a short walk around the block. He eyed the sandwich shop beside the brick theater but knew he didn’t have enough time to order and eat. He continued to the corner, where a convenience store and street parking awaited.

            Entering the convenience store, he quickly examined its layout before gunning for the junk food aisle. He passed the chips and stopped in front of the variety of sweets and pastries all from the same brand. He grabbed a two-pack of chocolate cupcakes with cream-filling, thinking that he would give the second one to Felicia. He went to the counter and gave the dollar and change for the treat when the cashier asked for it before heading out the door.

            While opening the pack, Tae spotted an opened car hood in the corner of his eye. He turned to look as a man gazed back at him. “Hey,” The man called abashedly. “Are one of these cars yours?”

            Tae shook his head but walked closer. “What’s wrong with your car? Do you want me to take a look at it?”

            The man stepped aside to let Tae peek under the hood, replying, “I think it’s the battery… Must be out of juice.”

            Humming in response, Tae checked the fixtures on the battery. They looked a little rusty but were intact and touching the outlets. He scanned the rest of the engine, not spotting anything out of place. “I think you’re right,” He agreed finally.

            “Ah,” The man groaned in frustration, putting his hands on his head.

            He started walking towards the convenience store. “I’m going to go ask if someone can give me a jumpstart.”

            Tae watched him go while opening and closing his hands. Having a thought about his powers sent prickles through his hands. Sticking one hand on each outlet, he thought that he could jumpstart the car himself.

            He took a deep breath before letting the tingling sensation flow out of his hands. He felt one hand itched and burn as a circuit was completed and flowing. His heart raced, and he imagined the current was flowing right through it, going from one arm to the other. Maybe it just scared him that was doing something dangerous.

            Seconds later, the car lights flashed, and its alarms began to blare. Tae jumped back. Then, he checked his hands; they looked fine, though they felt like they were being poked with pins. He clenched them as the man ran back outside, pressing a button on his car key. “What did you do?” He asked excitedly, approaching Tae.

            Tae shrugged and lied. “I just adjusted the clamps on your battery… Maybe I got them to align just right.”

            “Well, thank you,” The man said, holding out his hand.

            Tae met the man’s hand with his right before realizing that that hand was the one that was burning only moments earlier. The man flinched a little before laughing. “You got me with some static.”

            Tae smiled and apologized.

+++++

            Theo stood at the front gate of Aspen Spring Park, thirty minutes before eight. He scoped out the scene. The park wasn’t crowded, but it wasn’t empty. A few dog walkers and a pair playing tennis were the only people there.

            Theo thought it would be best if he waited for the researchers at the gate. Kris hadn’t offered much information about the specific location, but she assured him that it was going to be here and that they would meet at the entrance. Only when Theo arrived did he realized that he doesn’t know what Kris or the other researcher, Paul, looks like.

            It wasn’t long before someone new approached the park, a man, well dressed and anxious. He approached Theo and asked politely, “Are you Theodore Lightner?”

            “Yes,” Theo said. “But you can call me Theo.”

            The man smiled. “Okay,” He said, holding out a hand. “I’m Paul, the one in charge.”

            Theo shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Paul,” Theo responded. “I hope I can help you.”

            Paul shook his head humbly. “No, no,” He said. “I hope I can help you.”

            Theo grinned, and they went quiet. Paul looked around, growing uncertain. “Who else is coming?” Theo asked, looking as well.

            “Kris, Q, and Alicia,” Paul answered. “You’ve met Alicia.”

            “Yes, the nice receptionist that told me about you guys,” Theo replied. “She has powers?”

            “That’s the only reason she knew about this… experiment.”

            “Well, what can she do?”

            Paul perked up as two women appeared around the corner, walking toward the park. “I’m sure you’ll find out,” Paul answered, sidetracked.

            Paul waved at the women and they started moving faster. “Kris, Q,” Paul greeted. “Come meet Theo.”

            Theo was faced with two women, one looked like that one famous musician people always talk about and the other looked… sick. She was exceedingly pale with dark brown hair that covered half of her face. “This is Kris,” Paul said gesturing to the sick one, then to the blonde one. “And this is Q.”

            “Nice to meet you, Theo,” Q said, glancing uneasily at Kris.

            Kris smiled weakly. “Yeah, nice to meet you,” She said.

            Theo responded warmly, “It’s nice to meet both of you.”

            Paul stared at Kris, seemingly surprised at her condition. He didn’t mention it. “Did you get a call from Alicia?”

            Kris nodded. “Yeah, she’s still at the Institute. Said something about having a breakthrough.”      

            “Really?” Paul said. “What about?”

            “Don’t know,” Kris answered with a shrug. “You can ask her when she gets here.”

            Theo scuffed his shoe on the ground and looked around. No one was nearby; the closest person was a woman across the street. “So, what can you guys do?” He asked in a hushed tone.

            “Not here,” Kris said, glancing at the woman. “We can talk about it when we get there.”

            Kris looked at Paul, meeting his gaze. “That reminds me,” She continued. “Where are we going?”

            “There’s a clearing in the middle of a trail, about a mile in,” Paul responded. “It’s secluded, but big enough for all of us to practice.”

            “That’s great,” Q said, smiling.

            “Yeah, it was my little sister’s idea,” Paul commented.

            “You told her?” Q replied, surprised.

            Paul glanced down and an awkward, crooked smile that didn’t reach his eyes formed on his face. “Yes?” He said with an upward inflection on the last sound.

            Kris looked at him like he was crazy. “Why?” She exclaimed.

            “Because my sister thinks I lie too much,” Paul answered. “When I told her she couldn’t come, she told me I don’t spend enough time with her…”

            “So, she guilt-tripped you,” Kris interjected.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Paul said. “I even told her she could watch us practice when we have a better control of our powers.”

It seemed impossible, but Kris appeared to get paler. “Bring her to practices?”

“Hey, guys!” A voice called.

The clacking of heels distracted the group. They watched as Alicia ran towards them. “Hey,” Alicia said, when she reached the group. “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s fine,” Paul responded. “Let’s get going. We can talk when we get there.”

            Paul led the group through the park, past a dog owner walking his malamute, and the pair of tennis players completely consumed by their game. They walked to the trail’s entrance that was marked with two trees bending into an arch. They started on the trail one after the other, Paul in the front and Alicia at the end.

            Twenty minutes later and they reached the clearing, fanning out to explore the space. “It’s perfect,” Alicia commented, brushing her hand on a boulder as she passed it.

            Paul led them all to the center of the clearing and they faced each other. “So, now what?” Q asked. “We just practice?”

            “I think we should talk about it first,” Kris put in. “What are we planning on doing tonight?”

“You’re going to focus on flying,” Paul instructed. “Q is going to focus on transforming. I will focus on projecting my tattoos, and Alicia will do… whatever it is that she does. Theo will do… well, what can you do?”

Theo held up his hands, palms pointing up. “I can shoot energy beams from my hands, but I don’t know how it works.”

“Great, we can work on that first,” Paul replied, stepping closer to him. “What happened the first time you used your powers?”

Theo tapped his foot as he thought. “I was opening the emergency exit on a bus after we crashed,” Theo answered. “I was frustrated with the door because it was jammed shut. Then my hand started glowing and blasted off the door.”

“Hm, so frustration, or anger, triggered your power,” Alicia reasoned. “That’s not a healthy trigger because you won’t always be able to control when you’re angry.”

            “Most of us can trigger our power via vocal command,” Paul said. “Like me, I ask my vine tat to grow and…”

            He trailed off as his vine tattoo emerged from under his sleeve. “I have to talk to them to get them to do things,” Paul continued. “Like Alicia who has to talk to objects to get them to do things.”

            Paul held his vine out to Alicia, gesturing that it was her turn. Alicia picked up a large oak leaf from the ground. She held it between two fingers and ordered it, “Burn.”

            A hole started burning where her fingers were; she quickly shifted her grip to hold the leaf on the edges. “Stop,” Alicia commanded.

            The circle of ash stopped spreading. Alicia looked up at Paul and smiled, feeling proud about her fine display. “Alright,” Paul said, clapping his hands once. “You try, Theo.”

            “Okay,” Theo responded, rubbing his hands together. “What should I say?”

            “On?” Q suggested. “Light up?”

            Picking a phrase, Theo looked at his hands and said, “Light up.”

            They waited for a few seconds before a blue glow surrounded Theo’s hands. “Good, good,” Paul said, excited. “Try firing off a round, into the sky for safety.”

            Theo lifted his hands, palms up to the sky. “Blast,” Theo said halfheartedly, feeling silly.

            Two twin light beams blasted off into the twilight sky. The beams hit the edge of the canopy and charred some branches. Alicia hurried to the trees as they started to burn. “Stop!” Alicia shouted, holding her hands out.

            The fire died, releasing a small amount of smoke into the sky. “Ha!” Alicia commented delighted. “Did you see that?!”

            “Yeah,” Q said, facing Theo while jumping. “That was amazing, Theo!”

            Paul patted Q’s shoulder. “I think she was referring to what she did,” Paul replied. “Alicia used her powers without touching the trees.”

            “That’s not to say that that wasn’t impressive, Theo,” Paul added.

            “Thanks,” Theo mumbled, a little shell-shocked. 

            The light covering his hands faded. Paul turned to Q and Kris. “Well, let’s see what our other friends got,” Paul said.

            Kris ran a hand through her hair, leaning away from the group. “No, you first, Paul,” Kris replied. “Let’s see what you can do with that vine.”

            Paul smiled as his vine retracted under the sleeve. “I wasn’t planning on practicing with my vines,” Paul answered. “You know I have other tattoos.”

            “Mi abuelo was a granjero,” Paul explained. “I used to work on his ranch cuando fui un niño. Después de que él murió, I got a tattoo in honor of him. Una hoz en mi hombro because whenever I visited him, we would siempre harvest hay a mano juntos.”

            Q blinked slowly, expressing a confusion that her other friends didn’t seem to have. Kris nodded, but didn’t seem moved. “Cute story, bro,” Kris commented. “So, you’re going to pull a sickle out?”

            Paul nodded. “Should probably take off my shirt first,” He jested, unbuttoning it.

            He slipped it off and threw it at Kris, who flinched but caught it. He showed the group his right shoulder; on it was a heavily traced sickle with a silvery blade and a warped wooden handle. Paul put his left hand on the handle. “Please work,” Paul said before, “I choose you, sickle!”

Q and Alicia laughed, but it worked. A foot-long sickle came off his skin. That’s when Kris laughed and remarked, “That is a great weapon. A teeny, tiny sickle.”

Paul frowned briefly, grabbing the base of the blade and the end of the handle. “Get bigger,” He commanded while pulling the two ends further apart.

The sickle did grow slowly from its previous size to five feet in length. “It worked,” Theo commented. “You guys know what you’re doing.”

            “Well, some of us do,” Kris said, smiling at Paul.

            Paul fiddled with the sickle, unsure what to do with it. “I think I do,” Q responded, her phrasing intentionally odd. “My turn now.” She looked between the four people. “Who should I be?”

            Q stepped closer to Alicia. She started to ramble, addressing their new member, “Usually, Theo, my power works when I am talking to the person I am trying to transform into. Alicia, do you think having a twin would be fun? Oh, with that face, I would assume I did it.”

            Q looked at Kris and Paul, now as an exact copy of Alicia. “Didn’t I? Usually I need to touch the person, maybe I’m getting better at this.” Q continued.

            “Can you go back to your previous form?” Theo asked.

            Q made a face. “I don’t know, I’ve tried, but…” Q scrunched up her face, concentrating. Everyone waited for a minute until Q huffed and declared, “Ugh, no, not yet. I’ll keep trying.”

            Paul faced Kris. “It’s your turn,” He said. “Everyone else has gone. Time to man up and face your fears.”

            “Woman up,” Kris replied, glaring at him. “Fine, I’ll try.” Kris threw Paul’s shirt back at him. “But I need to be under some trees, so I don’t float off into space.”

Kris stalked over to the edge of the clearing. The group followed her curiously. Kris faced them, didn’t say anything, and jumped. Her ascent was rapid, reminiscent of videos depicting zero gravity in space. She kept going up until she hit a tree branch. “To be honest,” Kris admitted. “It’s been kind of hard to keep my feet on the ground.”

            Paul took a moment to put his shirt back on, while staring up at Kris. “How are you gonna get down?” Q asked, craning her neck to see Kris.

            “I don’t know,” Kris answered. “Last time, I think I told it to stop, and I dropped.”

            “Do you think you can move forward?” Paul commented. “Or any direction besides up?”

            Kris snapped, “I’m sure I could if I tried, Paul.”

            Kris muttered something to herself, and her body started moving. She clung to tree branches as she slowly turned around and moved forward, further into the forest. Kris shouted, “Hey, I see someone!”

            Kris flew out of the trees and tumbled to the ground in the clearing. “Someone was out there! In the woods!” Kris hissed loudly.

            Alicia froze up. “We should leave,” She whispered.

            Paul and Theo agreed. “We should split up,” Paul suggested. “Two of us go one way; three the other.”

            “Q and I will take the way we came,” Kris said. “We can’t have two Alicias coming from the same trail.”

            Paul nodded. “I’ll go with you. Alicia and Theo head through the other way, act nonchalant.”

            “When should we meet up again?” Theo asked.

            “How about here, next week, same time?” Alicia offered.

            “Sounds good,” Paul said. “Now let’s get out of here.”

            Q spoke up, “Good bye you two.”

            She hurried to hug both of them before turning back to the trail. “See you soon,” Paul said to the pair.

“Yeah,” Kris agreed, staring into the forest where she last saw the person.

“Bye,” Alicia responded, grabbing Theo’s wrist and pulling him to the path.

            Theo and Alicia disappeared after a few steps into the path. “Right, let’s go,” Paul repeated.

Paul followed behind Q and Kris as they walked through the narrow path. They were silent for a few minutes into the trek before Paul commented, “I think that went great.”

“It couldn’t have gone better,” Q replied cheerily.

“Well,” Kris said. “It would’ve been better to not be spotted by a random person in the woods.”

“That can’t be helped.” Paul responded defensively.

            They were quiet again. He was right after all; they can’t control every aspect of their practice when it’s in a public space. “So, step one is done,” Kris said before calling back. “What’s the next step to forming our team, Paul? Making costumes?”

            “It’s too soon for that,” Paul answered seriously. “But I have been thinking up some costume designs. Unfortunately, I can’t draw or sew, but I know a guy…”

            Kris laughed, but didn’t comment. It was quiet until Q placed a hand on Kris’s shoulder in front of her. “You did really well,” Q said. “With your flying… Maybe you could tell Molly like Paul did-”

            “No,” Kris interrupted. “I’m not going to tell her.”

            “Why not?”

            Kris turned around, stopping the group. “Because I don’t want her to know. I don’t want to put her in danger, or make her worry… I don’t want her to think of me as a monster.”

“You won’t know that until you tell her,” Paul said.

Kris turned back and kept walking, picking up the pace. “Is it wrong for me to not want to tell her?” Kris huffed.

“No,” Paul said, reluctantly. “You have good reasons… Maybe if Molly starts to get suspicious.”

            “She already is,” Kris retorted. “It’s not every day I have an anxiety attack and lay in bed all day.”

Paul frowned in thought. He knew she must’ve gone through something like this before, just like he did with his orientation. All her responses reminded him of the excuses he would hear, that he would tell himself. But, he knew it was unreasonable, so he felt compelled to ask, “What are you afraid of?”

“Hurting her,” Kris answered immediately.

“How could you hurt her?” Paul asked as his brow furrowed. “Your power is flight. You can’t unintentionally hurt her with flight.”

Q patted Kris’s back. “Tell him,” She said.

Kris’s shoulders slumped. “What is it?” Paul asked, getting closer.

“I have another power,” Kris admitted quietly. “I have venom in my nails… The man that died the other day from coral venom; I stabbed him with my nails when he grabbed me…”

            Silence pervaded the group. “The slightest scratch and I could kill a person,” Kris continued. “How can I tell Molly that?”

            “Well, you should tell her, so she can…” Paul realized what he was saying.

            “So, she can avoid it?” Kris finished. “Avoid me? If I tell Molly, she’ll avoid me like the plague.”

            They were quiet as they emerged from the trail beside the fenced-in tennis court. Paul moved closer to Kris, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “That sucks,” Paul commented.

            Smirking, Kris nodded. “I’ve been thinking about wearing gloves,” She said. “And saying that I’ve developed a rash on my hands, but that will only work for so long.”

            Paul’s face lit up as he got an idea. “What if Alicia’s scientist guy can help?”

            Kris looked at him, unimpressed. “How?” She asked dryly.

            Paul shrugged, but a smile was on his face, showing his feelings of hope and confidence. “I don’t know,” Paul replied. “But maybe they could make an anti-venom or something. Find an alternative that would make you less than deadly.”

            Kris thought it over while Q offered her opinion. “I think you should do it, Kris,” Q said quietly. “It doesn’t hurt to try. At worst, you learn about the condition and ways to manage it; at best, they can cure it.”

            Kris finally nodded. They reached the front gate of Aspen Spring and lurked by it. “Fine, I’ll ask Alicia,” Kris responded. “But we don’t know if her scientist guy is capable to do this… I’m pretty sure he’s a radiologist, not a... venom-ologist.”

            “That’s not a word,” Paul commented.

            “That’s not the point,” Kris retorted.

            “You know,” Paul said, his optimistic tone changing the conversation. “I think that would be a perfect codename or, if you don’t mind, hero name.”

            “What?” Kris asked.

            “Coral,” Paul answered as if it was obvious. “Because coral snake venom. Coral snakes even have distinct colors that would work great as a costume…”

            “You’re not serious,” Kris said.

            “Come on, Coral,” Paul replied. “You say that every time I have a good idea.”

            “Yeah, because all of your ideas aren’t as great as you think they are.”

            Paul shrugged and backed away. “It doesn’t have to be great, as long as it’s good enough for you.”

            Paul started to walk away, calling behind him, “Have a nice night, ladies.”

            “Bye, Paul,” Q called, waving although he couldn’t see it.

            Kris scowled at his back until she noticed Q smiling at her. “What?” She said sourly, turning to head the opposite direction.

            Q bouncily walked beside her as she innocently said, “Oh nothing, Coral.”

            Kris rolled her eyes. Picking up the pace, Q had to jog to catch up. “Hey, hey, wait up! Alicia has short legs, you know.”

            Kris didn’t respond but slowed down slightly. Q sighed, wondering how someone could change moods so suddenly. She stared at her hands. “Have you been thinking more about this superhero thing?” Q asked impulsively.

            “Yeah, I have.”

            “Well, what’s the verdict? To be or not to be?”

            “I don’t know if I would make a good hero. I mean, I’m not in it for saving people.”

            Q frowned, feeling that there was something missing from what she was saying. “But?”

            “But it got me out of bed today,” Kris answered, hiding her nails in fists. “And I got to talk to people, my friends. That’s something.”

            “I’ve felt this weight on me since you know who died. I have felt this weight before and I know what it takes to get rid of it.”

            “What does it take?”

            Kris turned to her, forcing a smile. Wrapping a close-fisted arm around her shoulders, Kris declared, “Friends.”