Mind Over Easy (2 page)

Ted came running at Erica. She sighed as she easily sidestepped his attack, got underneath his arm and used his momentum to flip him onto his back. As the thud echoed throughout the room, Erica watched the items from the C and the A start to waver and fall. She made a mad dash for the A and flipped through the air, catching her coffee before it reached the ground and landing on her feet.

She took a sip and shook her head. "Here's a tip: when you're tired and floating something, stay on the defensive."

Erica offered Ted a hand and easily pulled him back up to a standing position.

"Good to know."

After Ted took a quick shower in the lair's full-service bathroom, they packed up Erica's car in the back alley. Ted looked at his watch and back at Erica multiple times.

"Yes?" Erica finished loading the car and shut the door.

"I noticed that its 6:30."

"Mmmhmm."

Ted put his hands on his hips. "So that means we're getting out early."

Erica nodded. "Mmmhmm."

Ted rolled his eyes and took Erica around the waist. "You're driving me crazy! I wanted to see if we could do less training and get up later."

Erica brushed away a strand of hair that was getting in the way of his eyes. "No. I just have somewhere to go before school."

She started to turn toward the car, but Ted pulled her back toward himself.

"You said you haven't felt any dark souls cross over since Sandra, right?"

Erica could tell where Ted was going with this. She slumped against the car. "Correct."

"And there's been no evidence of any otherworldly activity."

Erica nodded.

Ted inched himself closer to Erica. "Then maybe." A few inches closer. "Maybe." Even closer. "We could scale things back a little bit."

Erica gave Ted a quick peck on the lips. "Not gonna happen." She pulled herself away from Ted and walked around to the driver's side.

"But–"

"Sorry, Ted. No buts. You've got to be ready for anything at all times." Erica got inside and started the car.

Ted walked around to her side, and she rolled down the window to accommodate.

"Will you at least consider going to three days a week?" Ted sported a pair of puppy dog eyes that had more of an effect on Erica than she'd wanted. Unfortunately for Ted, it wasn't enough.

"Goodbye, Ted."

Ted squinted at Erica. "Wait, we're not going to school?"

Her lips twitched. "We are going to school. But I've got somewhere to go first. Alone."

"But what am I going to do?"

"You're a superhero. Take your wings and fly away."

Erica took the car out of park and left Ted standing in the alley. She wasn't quite sure what he'd said as she drove away, but she swore she heard the words, "But I'm tired!"

The musty air of the cave was thicker than usual that morning. Even though it had been three months, Erica couldn't help but picture the battle pitting Ted and herself against the dark souls. Erica looked up at the walls, which were still covered in ancient writing. Nigel and his gang had foolishly told her that the dark souls were using the wall to communicate between the Realm of Souls and Earth. It had taken a little bit of work, but Erica was able to reconfigure the communication device to send a secure message to Gan and Reena, the commanders of the light soul army. Erica traced the stone wall with her fingers and found her way back to the latest conversation they'd been having. The chat reminded her of a long-distance chess match, with each side taking a week to reply to the other. She typically went on weekend mornings to hide her communications from Ted, but she felt particularly anxious this week to see how her superiors would respond. She looked up at the last few inter-dimensional messages.

"He's stronger than I thought. The training is going well and I'm pleased with his progress."

"You said the same about Adam. Should we be worried?"

"Ted isn't like that. He doesn't crave power. He's of great service to this mission."

The latest response from Gan and Reena was written right next to the room's entrance. "Does he suspect that there are other powers he can tap into? Is he aware of them?"

Erica gripped the rock and thought up her response. As she conjured words in her mind, the words transposed themselves in the ancient script on the wall.

"He's only been able to use the one power. He doesn't suspect a thing. Our secret is safe."

Chapter 3

Ted traced the length of Erica's hair with his eyes. He followed the strands of one curl to the side of her face and then to her eyes. He didn't care that she'd made him fly to school when he was dead-tired. Ted tended to get over any of Erica's so-called transgressions the next moment he saw her.

She was focused straight ahead on Mr. Redican, their long-term English substitute, who was discussing one of Shakespeare's Henry plays. Ted couldn't have told you which one as he contemplated the beauty of Erica's wide, deep eyes. Before he became a superhero, all he could share with Erica was the moment between when she caught him staring and when he turned away embarrassed. Things were different now.

"Hal was the son of King Henry IV, so he could have had any friends he wanted in the entire kingdom." Mr. Redican took a few paces before stopping just ahead of the front row of desks. "Why on Earth would he hang out with Falstaff?"

A confident jock voice piped up from the back of the room.

"Because he was his dealer?" Travis asked.

Even Erica laughed at that one. Ted got her attention with an exaggerated frown. As Travis high-fived the person at the desk next to him, Erica shrugged her shoulders and mouthed the words, "What? It was funny."

Travis had been friends with the Torello twins before they died, turned evil and were killed again by Ted. While most of the town was on the hero's side in the conflict, Travis was firmly part of the opposition. Travis was part of the popular crowd now, but Ted remembered a time when he would stand next to him at science fair competitions.

Mr. Redican cleared his throat, and most of the students turned their attention back to the front.

Redican was younger than most of the other teachers, which made Ted feel like he could relate to him more. As a sub, he'd gotten stuck with one of the oldest rooms in their school. The tiles on the floor needed to be replaced. Unlike most of the rooms, it still had a dark, green blackboard instead of a whiteboard. A square of the ceiling right above the instructor was missing, which allowed Ted to see a copper pipe and a thick, black cord.

Redican took the beat-up room in stride, using his energy and enthusiasm to keep Ted and the others invested. At least, Ted was engaged whenever he didn't have the urge to stare at Erica, which he continued to do after a few moments of paying attention.

"For all we know, he may have been Prince Hal's dealer," Redican said. "They were drinking buddies. But how would it make you feel if you saw the Vice President, the next person in line, getting drunk at a bar down the street from your house? Ted?"

Ted turned his glance away from Erica for just the second time in at least five minutes. Mr. Redican may have been one of the cool teachers, but his patience for ogling could only be stretched so thin.

"I might worry he'd suck at his job, but at least I'd think he was a cool guy."

Several students laughed politely, though it wasn't quite the ovation Travis had gotten for his joke. Ted didn't mind. After all, the slight chuckling beat the usual silence his comments received before he became a celebrity.

"Great point, Ted," Redican marched the length of his desk. "The people who see Hal drinking with his buddies think he's a cool guy. He's out with the commoners. He's not sitting on some throne somewhere. He's with the people." Redican came to a stop. "Now here's the big question. Is he doing this as a political tactic or because it's fun?"

Erica raised her hand. Ted admired her slender arm and the fact that such a skinny biceps could deliver one hell of a punch.

"Ms. LaPlante?"

She turned her head to the side and pursed her lips together. "A little from column A and a little from column B."

The class really got behind that one. Even though Erica was dating a former loser, her popularity stock couldn't be higher. The bell rang and Mr. Redican called out the assignment to read through the end of Act IV.

Before Ted could pack up his things, Erica's buxom friend Beth had reached his girlfriend's side. While he had every morning to train with Erica and most evenings to talk hero business, he was still jealous to cede any of his Erica time.

"I can't handle it." Beth tucked her long, red curls behind one ear. "Mr. Redican is too hot for words."

Beth wasn't a quiet girl. Ted figured that Mr. Redican heard every word she'd ever said about his body and his mind, but he appeared to ignore every last one.

As Beth and Erica walked out of class, Ted followed closely behind.

"I see the goods." Erica tossed her hair. "I'm mostly in agreement."

Beth rolled her eyes. "Would you be 100% in agreement if you weren't in love with Captain Eavesdrop?"

Ted cleared his throat. "I'm not eavesdropping."

Beth and Erica stopped and turned around. Ted's girlfriend and protector put her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her. The combination of the sweet smell of her shampoo and the spritz of rich perfume she wore made his heart pump just a little bit faster. He loved that half his clothes took that scent home with him at the end of the day. Ted kissed Erica's glossy lips and took a moment to look into her eyes again, this time with a much better view than from two desks away. She only met his eyes for a second before she looked back at her friend.

"He can listen in on whatever conversations he wants to, as long as I get to kiss him at the end of it."

The words rang true enough, but ever since Erica returned from the dead with a whole new bag of personality, Ted wondered if lines like these were more theatre than reality.

Beth made a gagging sound. "I've officially choked on my own vomit and died." She imitated a corpse. "Can you see if Mr. Redican will come to my funeral and weep over my grave?"

"I'm sure everyone will, Beth." Ted tightened the grip around his girlfriend.

Beth gave Ted a minor death glare and turned back to Erica. "I'll see you in sixth period." Beth gestured at Ted. "Maybe you'll have this out of your system by then."

Beth gave a strained smile and left.

"It's not likely." Erica pulled Ted toward her once again and kissed him on the cheek. She lingered there for a moment. "You need to stop staring at me in class."

Ted's mouth opened wide. "Staring? I would never stare. There's a very interesting poster about Charles Dickens right over your shoulder. I'm sure you just saw me reading that."

Erica took her hands off of Ted's neck and let one hand brush the side of his arm before grasping his hand. Ted interlocked his fingers with hers.

"I'm sure that's the explanation," she said. "You're making it hard for me to concentrate. You've been in school for the last 12 years. I'm trying to get the hang of it again."

Erica looked 17 years old, but Ted needed to remind himself from time to time that she'd been around a lot closer to 17 generations.

"I figured you'd have this stuff down pat." Ted grinned. "Didn't you pal around with Willy Shakes?"

Erica dug her nails into Ted's palm. "You see one play in the 1590s and everybody thinks you're some kind of expert."

Ted knew there was a lot about Erica he'd never know. When would there be time to go over several hundred years of history? But he had a strange feeling about the morning's training session.

"So, where did you have to go today?"

Erica stopped to get a drink at the water fountain and pretended not to hear. "Hmm?"

"Where'd you drive off to? Does it have something to do with the sword?"

After Ted had taken out Nigel and the Torello twins with the otherworldly sword, he suggested that he should walk around with it at all times. Erica had said it was too dangerous and she needed to put it somewhere safe. Not even Dhiraj knew where Erica's secret hiding space was.

"Ted, you need to trust me." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "I only hide things when it's for your own good." Erica took Ted's hand and continued to lead him toward her locker.

Ted trusted Erica, but there was something strange about the way she said "your own good" that gave him pause. He made a mental note to run the conversation past Dhiraj and moved forward.

Comparing the hallway of Treasure High to Redican's classroom was like comparing a fresh apple off the tree to a moldy, shriveled orange. Ted had been at the school for close to three years, and it had already been remodeled twice. The ceilings were high, the walls smelled of fresh paint and the lockers were shiny and absent of any trace of gum. Even though Ted and his family didn't live on the rich side of town, he got to experience how the other half lived every day he walked into the squeaky-clean school.

As they got close to Erica's locker, Ted felt his free hand dig into his pocket. He looked over at the large poster on the wall. It read:

"I Can Be Your Hero, Baby.
Get Your Tickets for Junior Prom."

They were dating, but aside from occasional hangouts with Beth, Winny, Jennifer and Dhiraj, it'd been mostly a private affair. He wasn't sure how Erica would react to being asked out to prom, so he'd put it off. After weeks of being dogged by Dhiraj, he broke into Erica's locker using his powers and placed a "Will You Go to Prom with Me" sign inside. Even though Erica wasn't the same person he'd grown up with, it would still fulfill a lifetime goal if she said yes.

When Erica reached her locker, she gave him a probing glance. "What is it?"

Ted looked up at the ceiling and then the walls. "Oh, nothing. Nothing."

Erica laughed. "You are too strange."

When she reached for her lock, both of their phones buzzed at the exact same time. Ted's heart sank when she put down the lock to check the message.