Chapter 5

As I walked into school I could tell things were different. Everyone was stopped in the hall staring at me as I walked past. I have never been stared at. I was usually ignored at school. The girls had stopped at stared at me with a look of love in their eyes. They had a look of awe in their face. They boys had a look of jealousy and fear. Did I really have that much muscle?

I kept on walking, taking in all the attention and trying to ignore everyone's looks at the same time. I knew today was going to be a good day. Nothing could get in my way today. I was becoming popular, something I've always dreamed of becoming. Everyone wants to be popular and have the whole school loving you and wanting to be like you. It's amazing that I needed muscle to be popular.

I tried avoiding Eric today at all costs. I really didn't want to have a fight today. I hurried as fast as I could to my locker and on to class. I got to class five minutes before the bell rang. I really didn't want to be somewhere Eric could get to me.

As class started and everyone filed in I could feel everyone's eyes glancing at me. Jordyn came and sat by me. It has been a while since I have talked to him. I feel bad about that. I've been so busy with Eric and discovering my powers that I haven't talked to him in a while.

"Hey Dan!" he said as sat down, "How have you been?"

"I've been alright," I replied.

"You're looking good, since when have you gone to the gym?"

"I haven't gone to the gym. I think I have super powers."

"That's ridiculous! Having super powers is impossible."

"What about Xander then? How did the city get named after him if he's not a super hero?"

"That was at least 30 years ago. For all we know it could be a made up story."

"Why would they name a city after a story?"

Jordyn didn't answer me. He just got up and left to go sit by Robyn. He whispered something to her and she glanced over at me.

When class got over I packed all my bags and headed out the door. I hadn’t seen Eric at all today and I wanted to keep it that way. I snuck through the halls the best I could. I kept an eye out for Eric or the football team. Oddly, I haven’t seen any of them today.

       Just as I reached my locker, a group of cheerleaders come up. They stop me in my tracks and start touching me.

       “Where have you been all my life?” one of them asks.

       “You’re hot. Are you new here?” another one asks as she runs her hands through my har.

       “I just wanna kiss those lips…” the last one says and she touches my chest and moves in for the kiss. I push her off me and back away. I take a few steps back and bump into someone. I turn around to say sorry only to be thrown across the hall. I slam into the ground with a thud. Dirt and rocks go flying everywhere. I knew who it was right away. Eric.

       I pick up a rock and find Eric. I chuck it as hard as I could at him. It speeds towards Eric with a ton of force. Anyone standing in it’s was would have been killed at impact. I didn’t mean to throw it that hard, but being thrown across the hall everyday would make anyone mad. Just before it hits Eric it stops in mid-air. I cannot believe what I am seeing. The rock starts moving towards me again, gaining more and more speed as it flies through air. The rock breaks into a million particles and become sand before it hits me. I fly through the air and slam into the wall.

       I feel as if I just got picked up by a tornado and thrown half a mile. What ever force made that rock come flying towards me just picked me up and threw me. Dazed and confused, I look for Eric. He is standing in the same spot as before. He takes his right hand and points his palm to the ground. He slowly raises his hand up and below it sits a boulder. He brings his hand up above his head to where the boulder is head length and he throws it towards me.

       I brace myself for the hit by putting my hands out. The boulder smashed into my hands and breaks into pieces. What is going on? Does Eric have powers too? Is anyone else seeing this? I look around for people and I find that we are all alone. Where did everyone go? How is no one in the way?

       I don’t have time to look around for anyone, because Eric is making another move. He holds his hands like he is holding a basketball and produces a water ball out of this air. Both his hands slowly turn outwards and he jerks his hands forward, causing a wall water to come towards me. I know I can swim, but not in water rushing towards me. The wall hits me and I am picked up instantly by the current. I try swimming, but the current is too strong, and instead I toss and turn with the tide. As quick as the water was produced, it disappears, leaving me suspended in mid-air

       This time, I was ready for it. I gently glide down to the ground, ready for another attack. Eric is already making a move. He stands with his left hand extended and his palm facing me. In the center of his palm, a red mark starts appearing. His whole hand quickly starts bubbling and it appears as if his skin in melting away. A jet of fire soon flies out of his hand and come flying towards me. I grab a garbage can sitting near by hoping it will stop the flame. The fire hits the garbage can and incinerates on impact. I scream as the heat reaches the handles. I look at my hands to find them unharmed. The flame went out before it reached my hands.

       As soon as I look up, Eric had jerked his head forward. I stand there, wondering what that was for and I begin to hear a whistle. The whistle turns into a breeze, and the breeze turns into a gust. A wall of wind is coming towards me. The garbage and other debris we’ve left behind gets picked up by the wind.

       I am tired of standing here doing nothing, so I decide to try to jump over it. The wall starts moving faster and faster towards me, and by the time I jump, the wall was almost on me. I glide through the air and feel my feet move forward. The wind currents going toward the wall pulled me in. I hit the middle of the wall and start moving backwards. I jump and find the air current, moving against me, but not as strong. I move my feel like I am skating and sail through the air. I get close to Eric and I jump, put my foot out, and fly towards him.

       My foot makes contact and I hear a crunch and a muffled grunt and my foot hit his face. Eric flies back and slams against the lockers. This is my chance to get away. I turn to run, but Eric throws wind at me again. The dirt from the floor lets me see this one. It looks like a snake slithering towards me. It reaches me, wraps around my foot, and sends me flying. I try to flip in the air, only to land on my back. I look around. I can’t see Eric. The only thing I can see is Chloee standing with her arms held up.

       I look by her hands to see what she is doing. A thin sheet is coming out of the center of her hands. The reflection of light helps me see that it is a really big bubble. I look around for Eric, but all I can see is the other side of the bubble. I look around for students, but Chloee and I are the only people here.

       I look up at Chloee again and she looks towards me. She has the caring look on again and she continues looking at me. I feel warmth go through my body. It feels like I just drank a cup of hot chocolate. It feels like sunlight it touching my skin and warming me through. The feeling moves from my stomach and radiates out. I feel peaceful and numb at the same time.

       “Dan,” Chloee says, “you’re safe now. Go to class before Eric realizes what has happened.”

       “What is going on?” I ask.

       “I’ll explain later, just go!” I get off the ground and grab my backpack that is on the ground. I hear a small pop and as soon as I turn around the hustle and bustle of the hallways in between class is back. I look for Chloee or Eric, but I find no sign of them. Why couldn’t all these people see what was going on? I hope this is all a dream, because there is no way Eric, or Chloee, or even I have super powers. Chloee told me she had super powers, but this is all a dream. I’m going to wake up soon and everything will be back to normal.

       I heard the tardy bell ring and instinctively head off to class. It’s history class, and Mr. Johns does not like tardiness. He has us draw a slip from his punishment jar. I don’t want to draw a slip. I decide to run to class. I start running, and I realize I’m going really fast. I slip into class just as the door shuts behind Mr. Johns and I sit in my seat next to Jordyn. Mr. Johns stopped and turned around.

       “Did anyone else feel that draught of wind?” He turns back around as he asks the question and jumps when he sees me in my desk, “You weren’t there a second ago!” The whole class laughs as Mr. Johns dramatized this whole thing. He is such a cool teacher. He doesn’t get mad very easily; he just gets even. He goes to the front of the room and starts class. Everyone in the class keeps looking over at me. They all know something went on, but they really don’t care.

       “Dan, you’re really acting strange lately. When you told me earlier that you had super powers I though you were crazy, and now when I turn to talk to someone and turn back a second later to find you sitting down makes me wonder about you,” Jordyn says.

       “I told you, I think I have super powers. I ran from my locker to here right as the bell rang and I got to class right as the bell stopped ringing. I think I have super speed, super strength, and flight.”

       “I don’t know what is going through your head, but it’s impossible for anyone to have super powers.”

       “Then how do you explain all that’s been going on with me. One second I’m not here and the next I’m gone. I flew over town today. Everyone is becoming more curious about me. I ‘magically’ start growing muscle over night. Jordyn, these things don’t just happen. There has to be an explanation.”

       “Dan. Get it though that thick skull of yours. No one, let me repeat that, no one has magic powers, or super powers for that matter. You have been so different lately. Always coming in late to class, sometimes you look like you’re almost dead, other times your as happy as can me. Something is wrong with your head. Everyone looks at you because they think you are going crazy. They thing you are going through depression, although I don’t know why, you live the best life out of everyone here.”

       “Wow, this is so unlike you. What happened to my best friend?”

       “Who said I was your best friend?” Jordyn snapped back at me as he faced forward and started taking notes. I cannot believe he just said that to me. After everything we’ve gone through and all the years we’ve been together and he says that. I know who the problem of this is: Robyn.

       The rest of the class I sit in silence on the verge of tears. I have never been betrayed before. My own best friend throws me in the trash for his girlfriend. I know Robyn had something to do with this. She hates me, and now she has turned my best friend against me. If only I was a confident as Eric, I would use my power and hurt her.

       The rest of the day flies by as the weekend draws near. I don’t even know what the rest of my classes were about today. Losing a best friend is never easy for anyone. I didn’t talk to anyone at all during the day. At lunch I didn’t eat anything. I just went and sat in my car. I thought about the duel with Eric. What if there is such a thing a super powers? I have to train so I can defeat Eric.

      

       When the bell rings for school to be out I rush to my car. I wait impatiently for my siblings to get here. I sit in the car thinking as I wait for them. I need to get training if I’m going to be any good at this, that is, if I even have powers. I have a feeling my parents are hiding something from me. When I talked to mom about this she seemed kind of mysterious about the whole thing. I need to get home and ask them one more time.

       When my siblings finally arrive, I drive home as fast as I could legally go and almost forgot to turn off the car as I rushed inside. I throw my backpack onto the bench by the doors and go to find my mom.

       “Mom, dad, where are you?” I call out. I walk into the kitchen, only to find Braeden eating his “breakfast”. He looks up briefly only to see who called out before he returns to his bowl of Reece’s Puffs cereal.

       “They aren’t here,” he says in between his next bite.

       “Where are they?”

       “Dad is at work, duh, and mom is out shopping.”

       “When will she be home?” I spit out.

       “Why do you need her so badly? Does baby Dan miss his mommy?” He teases.

       “Yes, I do,” I joke back, “I just need to ask her something.”   

       “She should be back soon,” he says as he finishes his cereal and picks up the bowl and drinks all the milk. I sigh and walk towards my room. I take out my cell phone and open a text message. I need to talk to Chloee and see if she can help me figure things out.

       I open the door to my room only to find Eric waiting for me. Oh great, he’s figured out a way to get me even at home. His face seems different though, it seems almost like he is in pain. The more I look I start to notice what looks like a vine wrapped around him. He is suspended from the ceiling by a vine wrapped around his torso. The vine goes out the window and looks like it comes from a tree in the backyard.

       I look out the window to see if I can see anyone and the only person I see is wearing black. Their hood up on their jacket and is covered by a shadow, so I cannot see a face. I hear a scream and look to the other side of the yard to see Chloee suspended in air by another vine holding her ankles.