The Super 4 : Dark Death (10 page)

She shrugged and left the room.

I looked at Darryl, in what I thought was an
expectant look.

“
What?” he asked.

I had thought wrong.

“
You were about to say something
when Nurse Kate came.” I reminded him. He looked confused for a
while, but then a look of remembrance washed over his
face.

“
Oh right...Umm…” He struggled to
remember, “Oh got it!” He announced, proudly, “Um...How goes
training?”

I smiled. I wondered if I could show him
without looking like a show-off, but being a show-off.

“
I could probably show you if
you’d want?”

He nodded excitedly.

I had hit the jackpot!

I formed an image in my mind.

A little drop of fire appeared above Darryl’s
eyes. Then, the ball grew long tentacles and a hat. I added a cane
for fun. Then, I made the octopus dance around the room. Tipping
his hat, every few minutes.

A look of excitement appeared on Darryl’s
face.

It quickly vanished when a door opened.
Darryl’s friend’s, Sanjit, came inside the room.

“
Why does this place smell like
burning wood?” He asked. Sanjit was not one for
courtesies.

“
It’s Henry’s new cologne.” Darryl
said quickly.

Henry was my new name. I decided I didn’t want
people lording over me, as if I would put them in jail. My decision
to remain anonymous took roughly two seconds. Although it was
closer to negative one.

“
What’s it called?” asked
Sanjit.

“
Oh...um…” I struggled to make a
name. Then it hit me. “Magma.”

“
Hmmm….” Sanjit said, buying my
rubbish answer. “You might want to check the refund
policy.”

“
Why?” I asked, before I realized
the intention of his words. It was a Sanjit type of joke. “Uh... I
meant...Heh-heh! Hardy-haha. Um...yeah.” I was pathetic at fake
laughter. For not-the-first-time I wished that I had Jake’s amazing
dramatic skills. That would’ve saved me on many occasions. Way too
many occasions!

“
Was that another attempt at false
dramatic guffawing?” Sanjit asked.

I was lost. “What’s guffawing?”

He made a disapproving noise. “It’s a form of
laughter.”
“Oh.”

There was an uneasy silence for a while after
that. I looked at my shoes, obviously avoiding Sanjit’s intelligent
eyes. Darryl broke the silence.

“
Sanjit!” He said
enthusiastically. “Why don’t you show Harrison- uh Henry your
theory of the solution to blindness?”

He fell for it completely.

I whispered thanks to Darryl as Sanjit
launched into a full description of the job of an eye and how it
could be replaced.

I quickly regretted my thanks.

I was lost. But Darryl seemed to be following
along nicely. I wondered if that would be his next invention. Robot
eyes. I imagined dramatic music playing in te
background.

“So what is your particular opinion on the
topic of my speech?” He asked, in his fancy language. Darryl told
me he only did it when I was around. I failed to feel gratitude
towards him for purposely using very formal English.

“
Uh…” I said, struggling to find
the right words. “I think you could accomplish it better with
camera eyes.”

“Huh!” He said shocked, “I didn’t think of
that!”

“Yeah...well...you know me!” I said. “Full of
surprises! Heh...”

“
Ah.”

Darryl watched the whole scene unfold with
great amusement. That was my fancy speech! Take that
Sanjit!

I flew home.

I had been practicing my flying
secretly.

When everyone was snoring, I would creep
outside through my window. Then I would fly to Mt.
Baker.

Mt. Baker used to erupt frequently, but it’s
been dormant for a while so I wasn’t that worried.

I flew there and began practicing my lava
techniques. At first I doubted I could make lava, because lots of
sources said lava was molten rock.

But after my first attempt, all those many
weeks ago, I had gone from a feeble little lava golf ball, to a
massive pillar.

I also discovered that if you left the lava to
cool on a particularly cool night it would become rock. Solid
rock.

That was why Carly was waiting for me on Mt
Baker tonight just before midnight.

Yesterday I had told her my theory. I thought
that if we could make a solid enough wall, we could probably make a
great defense.

Not that there has been any danger at all. And
I had discovered that I didn’t need heat to make fire.

That was awesome!

I arrived at Mt. Baker as the sky was changing
from blue to pitch black.

I found Carly playing with some
snow.

“
I didn’t know you could do that.”
I said.

She whipped around immediately. Lashing at me
with an icy whip. I narrowly dodged it and had just regained my
senses, when a wave of water came at me.

I made a shield of fire around me just in
time. The water sizzled and evaporated. But she wasn’t
done.

She closed her eyes and raised her hands. A
fog swept around us.

Within a few moments I couldn’t see anything.
Lightning crackled in the background.

I was entertained at first but now I was
getting bored. I melted.

As I melted I realized something. My name was
Magma, but I never realized that my liquid form might actually be
lava. That would explain my weird lava abilities.

I flew upwards in lava form pondering this
latest discovery.

But yet another wave of water shocked out of
my senses. Thankfully it wasn’t a literate thought. I
shuddered.

Then remembering I was in liquid form, I
suddenly realized that I was swirling around. I was
separating.

I quickly made myself human again. Then I
pressed my fire amulet.

Immediately my costume formed around me. I
made myself heat up.

All around me the water started boiling and
hissing. I didn’t stop until it disappeared into the air.
Literally.

I flew straight upwards and out of sight. Then
I circled back and came up behind Carly.

I tapped her shoulder and made a fire sword.
She jumped and then smiled.

“
Fine!” She sighed, “You
win!”

My mouth dropped open. “That was a game!” I
yelled.

She nodded. “Hello? Have you forgotten the
whole secrecy thing?” She asked. “I’m not as dumb as I look!” She
rubbed her arms as if cold.

I made a fire and looked questionably at her.
She smiled and shook her head.

“
I make ice Harrison! I don’t get
cold that often.”

I put my flame out. “What’s wrong?” I
asked.

“
Huh?
Oh...umm...Nothing.”

I stared at her.

“
Alright! It was the
twins!”

“
Kevin and Karen?” I asked
stupidly.

“
No Harrison! Bob and Kate!” She
said sarcastically.

I jumped back, as if bitten. Carly used to be
the nicest person on earth. I wasn't used to her
sarcasm.

“
I’m sorry Harrison! It was just
that I hate being treated like some kind of rainless Blondie!” She
apologized. “I just wish they knew I wasn’t some Barbie doll! My
head isn’t empty!”

She looked off into the distance. Her eyes
shone as if wet. They probably were.

“
Carly! You’re the smartest girl I
know!” I told her, truthfully. “You are the last person I would say
was a plastic doll. First would obviously be Karen and Kevin!” I
said. Then I found a joke I could say. “Kevin would be Barbie and
Karen, Ken! It’s a perfect match!”

Carly choked out a laugh. She wiped her nose
and dried her eyes using her waterpower. “Now let’s do what we were
here for! She said in a gravelly voice. I smiled at her and told
her the plan.

She smiled.

Jake

XIV

I was chilling out in my bedroom making force
fields hold my textbooks open.

I was still very serious about this whole
studying thing. So far I had managed to push my grades up to a
75.

If I managed to increase my grade by three
percent, I wouldn’t have to go to summer school! No textbooks
stopping me from freedom and fun times.

I couldn’t concentrate anymore, because the
visions of enjoying some rocky road were just too
overwhelming.

My imagination took place and soon I was
floating in a pool of rocky road. I sighed and closed my eyes. My
sister put a sad stop to my beautiful vision.

“
Jake!” She said, poking her head
inside my room. “Mom said it’s time for dinner!”

“
OK!” I yelled back. “Just
coming!”

I put the textbook down and got off my
bed.

I was just going up the stairs, when my phone
beeped. I raced down and read it.

Chat: Harrison WHITE, Carly MARTINSEN, Darryl
KLEIN

Harrison: Hey Jake! What up? Meet in the tree
house after dinner? C ya there! :)

Carly: Don’t be l8!

Harrison: Yah!

My phone beeped consistently as they continued
to remind me. Finally, Carly checked if I was still
there.

Carly: Jake? U there?

Me: I’m here.

Me: *here

Carly: Kay. C ya l8er!

Harrison: Bye

Me: Bye

“
JAKE!” My father boomed. “HERE
NOW!!”

“
Coming!” I replied.

I raced up the stairs and was entering the
dining room, before they could blink.

“
What’s for dinner?” I
asked.

“
Leftovers.” Dad said.

“
Which ones?” I asked
sarcastically.

“
The macaroni and cheese.” He
replied, missing my sarcasm.

“
Urgh!”

“
Your father worked extremely hard
on that you know!” My mother scolded me.

Dad was the chef d’état in this house. But my
French wasn’t exactly exquisite. So it could either mean head of
state or chef of status. I wasn’t sure. I found the French language
to be designed for geniuses like Darryl.

“
My most humble apologies father.”
I said in my best posh, sorry accent. “I had no idea of the offense
I would cause you by doing what I so unkindly did. How will you
ever forgive me?”

“
It’s alright son. I forgive you!”
He said.

I smiled.

But of course Mom ruined it.

“
Don’t listen to him Hank! He’s
only acting!” Mom reprimanded him.

“
Oh. You were?” Dad asked
disbelievingly.

“
Why I would never do such a
horrible thing Dad!” I acted shocked.

“
Yes you would!” piped up
Jane.

Jane’s talent lay in soccer and annoying me.
She was unfortunately amazing at both.

“
Shut up Jane!” I hissed between
my teeth. “Stop. Tattling...snitch!”

Sadly, Mom caught the last word and demanded
an apology out of me.

Jane stuck out her tongue as I was
apologizing. Mom also forced her to apologize. I smiled at her and
she attacked me as viciously as a cougar.

“
Jane! Bed NOW!” Mom
yelled.

“
B-b-but Jake. He-” She trailed
off, looking at mom’s furious expression and her extended arm
pointed upwards.

She gave me one last dirty look and stormed
off. My super hearing caught her muttering some very specific words
about me.

I smiled. What a little baby!

“
And you can go too!” Mom yelled
at me. “And wipe that little smile of your face!”

I leaped up and walked out of the
room.

There was obviously something going on at
work.

If mom’s company failed, then we would have to
live off the sixty million dollars in their bank account. I
shuddered. Only sixty million? How would we survive?

If Harrison’s Dad lost his job they’d still do
well. What with mansions all over the world? They could survive
with thirty million dollars. But could my family?

My phone rang just then. I touched
‘Answer’.

“
Yeah?” I asked.

“
Jake? Where are you?” Carly
asked.

“
Oh man! I forgot! I’m so sorry!
On my way now.”

“
Okay! Hurry!”

I smiled. “You know me! I’m pretty
quick!”