Super Powereds: Year 1 (60 page)

“He sure does,” Vince said.

Alice’s next words were careful, measured, and calm. That should have tipped off Vince that this news was not being nearly as cheerfully received as he might have imagined. Vince being... well, Vince, the verbal cue went unnoticed.

Alice let out a deep breath. “With who?”

105.

So far Hershel was surprised at how easily his date was going. The conversation was flowing easily now that they’d gotten past their initial awkward hurdle and Mary seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself. This put the part of him that had been secretly wondering if she had accepted his invitation out of pity at ease. The small boost in confidence helped him return the volley of words, and thus increased the fun Mary was having. It was a self-perpetuating cycle, but an exceptionally enjoyable one.

“Hmm. The steak looks really good,” Mary said, glancing over the menu for the first time since they’d arrived.

“It’s what they’re known for,” Hershel told her.

“Well then, I think I’ll give it a try,” she said, setting the menu back down. “It’s been too long since I had a well-cooked haunch of meat.”

“Got a carnivore streak?”

“I did live in the woods for several years. Canned food can only get you so far and a girl has to eat,” Mary said.

“I bet you throw one hell of a barbeque.”

“You would not be disappointed,” she confirmed. “Once it warms up again that might be a fun activity one weekend.”

“Yeah, it would. Maybe they’ll organize one for us. The school seems to be on top of it, what with the river trip and all,” Hershel pointed out.

Mary wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure if I’ll be going on that. Much as I miss the outdoors, the things I enjoyed were the peace and serenity. I don’t think I’m likely to find those things with thirty alcohol-saturated freshman splashing around.”

Hershel nodded. “It’s really not my scene either, but Roy is beyond-words excited about it.”

“He has been good lately,” Mary said with a sigh. “I suppose he deserves a break here and there.”

Hershel winced involuntarily at the word “break.”

“I’d say he definitely deserves a little time to cut loose,” he said.

“And you’re not just saying that because you get to share in the memories of those loose times, huh?” Mary asked.

“Not at all,” Hershel replied. “Roy has some fun, but I much prefer my own memories. Especially on nights like this.”

“Very smooth answer, Mr. Daniels,” Mary said. “Roy might have some competition for the role of charmer."

* * *

"Wow, this place is really nice," Bubbles observed as Nick pulled out her chair for her. The restaurant wasn't actually all that high class, at least not by Nick's standards, but as he walked over to his own seat he decided he might as well roll with it.

"Just my way of saying thank you for your willingness to drive tonight," Nick said.

"Oh, it's no problem! I mean, if you'd already promised your friend he could use your car then that’s how it is and you should keep your promises. Even when it’s super inconvenient. ‘That’s a promise’ means you’ll do it no matter what.”

“Indeed,” Nick said, wishing dearly he had a fake ID and could order some wine.

“Besides, it’s totally worth a few minutes behind the wheel to come out to an awesome place like this with you,” Bubbles said, a rosy blush tinting her cheeks.

“You’re sweet,” Nick replied. “But I consider myself the lucky one. After all, I’m out with the most beautiful girl in the whole restaurant. And she’s a Super at that.”

“No way, I’m barely a Super at all. I mean, yeah, I love my power and it’s really cool and fun, but let’s be honest here: I’m not going to be saving any babies trapped in a fire or knocking out bank robbers. When I was little I kept thinking my power would bloom into something really cool and then it never happened and I was bummed for a while but then I kind of figured it’s easier to be a normal girl than a Hero anyway and that’s when I got okay with it.”

“That’s a very mature attitude,” Nick said. “And for the record, I think it’s an amazing ability. It must be a tremendous feeling to conjure something out of nothingness.”

“It’s pretty cool,” Bubbles agreed. “I didn’t use it too much first semester though cause I was really scared of showing to someone in the HCP and getting laughed at.”

“HCP? Oh, that’s right, Lander has a program for Supers, doesn’t it?”

“Oh yeah, it’s a big deal in the Super community. The ones who are in it keep themselves a secret, though, so it could totally be anyone you meet on campus,” Bubbles explained.

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Anyone, huh? So you’re telling me I could very well be sitting with a bona fide Hero in training right now.”

“As if. I hear that thing is crazy hard anyway. I’m much happier being a regular girl with something extra special about her,” Bubbles said chipperly.

Nick smiled. “I can see the appeal there. We normal people just have to find our specialness in other places.”

“So what makes you special then?”

“I am spectacular at blackjack,” Nick replied.

“I’ve heard of that; it’s the game that’s like Go Fish, right?”

“My dear girl, I have so very much to teach you.”

* * *

“You know, I’m really not used to surprises,” Mary said as Hershel piloted them around town in Nick’s car. “I’d be perfectly okay with you telling me where we’re going.”

“No way,” Hershel said. “I get to be possibly the first boy to surprise a telepath. You think there’s any way I’m passing on that honor?”

“Honor, huh? Someone is feeling confident.”

“Well, it has been a good night so far,” Hershel pointed out. It had been, too. The longer he’d been out with Mary the more they’d fallen into the comfortable rhythm of friends. There was still a romantic element to the evening, but the thing about knowing someone for several months is that changing one aspect of being with them doesn’t affect the entire existing dynamic. People who are friends don’t shift to entirely different individuals when they date; they merely become friends who are involved.

“Besides,” Hershel continued, “I could either be upbeat or worried, and worried seemed like it would have kind of dragged down the night.”

Mary giggled. “You make a good point. I still want to know where we’re going, though.”

“And you will. Just as soon as we arrive,” Hershel assured her.

Mary stuck out her tongue at Hershel, an act made all the more humorous by her prim and proper appearance. She really did want to know, but it bears mentioning that at no point did she ever consider reading his mind to find out. Well... not seriously consider, anyway. As far as Mary was concerned, tonight she was a normal girl on a normal date.

106.

“We’re here,” Hershel said, pulling Nick’s car to a stop.

Mary peered out the window; a small twinkle of lights set against rolling waves of darkness greeted her.

“The docks?”

“The docks,” Hershel confirmed. He opened the door and stepped out, the salted air washing over him. It was a familiar, comfortable feeling. He’d thought all week about what to do with Mary after dinner, and on Thursday he decided to engage in a favorite activity to clear his head. The thought right on the heels of that decision was why not kill two birds with one stone and bring Mary along? After all, it was a fun activity, outdoorsy, and something Hershel had a bit of talent in.

“I’d like to point out that you specifically requested I not read your mind, refused to tell me where we were going, and then drove me out to the docks at night,” Mary said as she left the car and joined him. “Just saying, this looks a lot like the start to one of those horror movies Nick loves.”

Hershel laughed. “Mary, you’re the strongest girl in our class. If Roy couldn’t beat you, what chance do I have of pulling off something underhanded?”

“A fair point. I would still like to know what we’re doing here, though,” Mary said.

Hershel held out his hand. “By all means.”

Mary slipped her smaller digits into Hershel’s and the two began walking toward the water.

* * *

“This place is so pretty; it reminds me a lot of the woods near where I grew up but I mean, obviously smaller, and not as woodsy, but I still like it,” Bubbles said. She and Nick had finished dinner and were walking through a local park. Unlike Hershel, Nick hadn’t put a tremendous amount of effort or thought into his post-dinner activity.

“I’m glad you enjoy it,” Nick said. “I come here when I’m feeling particularly far from home or thoughtful. The sounds of nature always makes me feel centered.” Nick deftly avoided tripping over a small bump in the worn dirt path. Between the unfamiliar terrain and those stupid sunglasses he was having a hell of a time not tumbling all over the place. In retrospect, he was glad he’d made a trip here the day before to ensure the park was well lit and fit within the desired aesthetic parameters. If it were any darker he’d have to shed his shades.

“Oh my gosh that is so deep. I wish I did stuff like that but when I get bored I just go out to the club with L-Ray or play racquetball or make pasta or watch TV or-”

“We all have our own ways of dealing with stress,” Nick assured her. He had already learned the same lesson many had before: when it came to Bubbles, one had to own the conversation or it turned into a monologue. “There’s not a better or worse. It’s like people, we’re all unique, but that doesn’t make anyone superior. Just different.”

“I can see that,” Bubbles agreed. “Talking about different, though, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Not to pry, and if it’s something serious like a scar or something I am sooooo sorry, but I’m really curious and I want to know and not that they don’t look great on you cause they totally do, but why do you wear sunglasses all the time?”

Nick weighed his options. He had a few standard lies he used depending on the person asking. For Bubbles one of the less complex answers was likely the best route to take.

“My eyes have a photosensitivity condition,” Nick told her. “It’s not a big deal, but it means I get some pretty bad migraines if the light isn’t dimmed and filtered. My lenses stop that from happening.”

“That totally sucks, were you born with that or did something happen?”

“Born that way,” Nick explained. “Like I said, it isn’t really that big of a deal. I can take them off if the occasion demands, I just leave them on as a general rule for my own comfort. Besides, after all these years my glasses feel like a part of me.”

“I totally get that, I mean, I wore the same shoes for three years and they were just, like, a part of my life and when they finally fell apart I didn’t know what to do and I went barefoot for like a week before I could finally feel comfy in new ones. They look good on you, though.”

“Well then, it’s a win all around,” Nick replied. He hopped at the last second to dodge a dip beneath his foot. Maybe he should have picked a slightly easier-to-navigate terrain.

* * *

The sea sprayed upward, leaving a fine mist in the air that lingered on Hershel and Mary’s skin.

Mary let out a delighted squeal as the winter water touched her face. Her body was wrapped in a protective poncho that Hershel had stashed in Nick’s trunk, keeping her clothes safe from soaking. She’d left the hood down, though, preferring to feel the air run through her locks, absolutely wrecking the style Alice had worked so hard to craft.

Hershel adjusted their course slightly, moving toward a calmer patch of water.

“I still can’t believe I never knew you sailed,” Mary said, adjusting her grip on the bow of the small boat Hershel had procured.

“My mom taught us when we were younger. Lake Michigan was a nearby and we’d spend our summers out on the water,” Hershel explained. “It was always made me feel great, so the first week we were here I looked up a place I could get on the water if I needed to.”

“And this is the first time you’ve used it?”

“Second,” Hershel said. “I came out here around our third week in, when things were getting really stressful. After you put Roy in line, life got a lot more manageable, though, so I haven’t needed it.”

“I think I’d be out here quite a bit, need it or not,” Mary said, a wave knocking against the side and shifting her balance.

“Yeah, I thought the same. But things get busy, and time slips away from you,” Hershel sighed.

“I’m glad you took me out here tonight,” Mary said, looking over at him.

Hershel knew a goofy grin was splitting his face, and he sincerely did not care. He looked back into the amber eyes that he’d been unable to get out of his mind since his first day at Lander.

“I wanted it to be a special night,” he said.

“Mission accomplished,” Mary replied, an equally silly smile on her own face.

107.

Hershel and Mary were the first ones back. They still smelled of salt and were lost in a conversation that had been uninterrupted for the past hour when they stepped into the Melbrook common room.

“So, I guess this is good night,” Hershel said, realizing there wasn’t much of a dropping off at the door opportunity.

“Looks that way,” Mary agreed. “I had a really good time.”

“Me, too. Would you be interested in doing it again sometime?”

“I think you’ll find me receptive to the idea,” Mary said.

“How’s next weekend work for you?” Hershel asked.

“Not great,” Mary said.

“Oh. What’s wrong with it?”

“Just seems like an awfully long time to avoid you,” Mary pointed out.

Hershel chuckled. “Okay, okay, you got me. Guess we’ll be seeing each other tomorrow and Sunday. I’m not sure how to really proceed from here. I’m sort of new at this.”

“I wasn’t exactly prom queen myself,” Mary said. “I think we should try to do more nights like this, where it’s just us and we have the romance and all, and then the rest of our time together is just that. Time spent together.”

“Sounds good,” Hershel said. “I think this might be one of those things we’re supposed to figure out as we go along.”