The next morning before school, Sam ran some tests. I was still very much the muscle of the family but powerless.
I sat in front of Sam and my brother, my sleep shirt on the counter, bundled up, tension building as Sam inserted a needle into my arm. He extracted a bit of blood and wrapped my arm in a bandage. Sam dropped some blood from the syringe onto a blood reader chip and inserted it into the computer. Then his eyes lowered as he gazed at his laptop on the kitchen counter.
"Well, the bad news is, he has no powers." Sam sighed, leaning over the counter in the kitchen. I caught my breath as my new reality settled in. Derek cursed under his breath and pulled himself off the chair.
"Can't you do something because Max was still a rogue super the last time I checked?" Sam sipped a beer, staring at me momentarily, clicking his tongue. Derek grunted, loud and angry.
"At this moment, no, but I will work something out. James, you always get your powers back, right?" Sam was still determining if my powers were going to return.
"Yeah? What if I don't want my powers back this time, Sam?" I growled. Sam folded his hands together around his beer and took another sip.
"Maybe that's what's holding you back, James. You would have had them by now, but you don't because you're stubborn." Sam settled, sitting at the table, dragging his hands through his shaggy blonde hair.
"You need to focus, James. Max is a bad guy. Until yesterday, you were the only one who could and would have stopped him beside your dad, me, and the entire police squad, but you know humans are useless. Find out how to trigger yourself to gain your powers back." Sam stopped Derek.
"I don't want my powers back," I was honest. I didn't care whether I got my powers back. Sam ripped my soda from my fingertips.
"You were right about one thing, James. It's unfair what happened to you when you were six, but you wouldn't be where you are today if those events hadn't happened." He spoke. "Your brother is right. It is not something to take. We need to figure out how to get them back."
I hid my face in the granite countertop, still broken from the other day. I was lucky my father hadn't said a word about it. My fists curled into balls, and I shut my eyes to focus on my mind and body. If my powers were ever going to return, right now would not be that time. My eyes snapped open as, for a moment, I felt a hint of power return to my palms, but as soon as it returned, it dissipated.
"Why is this such a big deal, anyway? I also lost my powers to one of your cures a few years ago. Why do you care now?" Sam slammed my soda onto the table.
"Because I created Max. I was part of a terrible government group researching and experimenting with kids like you. Now, I need your help to stop him. Your superpowers were fate. I swore to protect you from them, but it happened anyway, and now you're the only one who can save everyone." I snatched the soda back and took a big gulp. My eyes leveled with Sam's.
"So, that makes this better?" I crushed the empty can in my fist. Sam licked his lips and clicked his tongue, taking a breath.
"No, it doesn't, and I'm sorry, James, for everything I put you through; however, I can't take it back now."
The reality was setting in. I lost my powers again. My abilities would return soon, but I knew Sam had a point about the number of antidotes I had taken and how they affected me and my powers.
"I can't take the pressure of being the hero everyone wants me to be. I'm not a hero. I'll be in my room if you need me, getting ready for school." I rushed past the kitchen doorway, up the steps, and slammed my bedroom door. My room was an even bigger mess, with my clothing lying all over my bedroom floor. I rubbed my weary eyes.
"You ready, James?" Derek asked, standing in the doorway, looking in. I sucked in a sharp breath of fresh air.
"Not even close," I said, my lips stretching into a frown. Derek walked over and sank into the side of my mattress. I tucked my head into my chest and sighed.
"It sucks not having your powers, doesn't it?" I glared at Derek. Derek bit his tongue.
"Yep." I agreed with him. It sucked big time. I swiped my plain white shirt over my torso, feeling nauseous and dizziness wave over me for a minute. Derek wiggled his keys in front of me, and I raced past him to get to the bathroom if I would hurl. My life was a mess, and it would only get worse there.
∆∆∆
Derek watched me as he drove, every so often glancing my way. "Aren't you even going to try getting your powers back?" He asked me.
"I'm working on it, Derek," I confessed, slumped down against the seat and chewing my nails. Derek watched the road and clicked a few buttons on his police scanner.
"You better hurry before Max fucks over the city. Without your powers, they will kill us."
"Is it your mission to get on my nerves?" I grumbled. "What if I can't do something about this?" I slumped harder. "What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know. Maybe when your powers return, we can figure out a plan." Derek pulled up in front of the school. As I reached to unlatch his seatbelt, Derek stopped me.
"It's not just me who needs your help, James. It's everyone," he said. I pulled my eyes to the ground, and I opened the door.
"I got it," I yelled. Derek grimaced, resting his hands on the wheel as I walked off. But he rolled down the window.
"Stay safe, and text me if you see Max, Mark, or Mia," He withered in his seat. I repented my latest mistakes in my head as he went on. "It still seems like you have a bit of power left." He pointed to a dent in the door.
"Thanks for the hope, Derek, " I mumbled, walking off. One minute, I wanted my powers, and the next, I regretted them again. However, one thing was for sure: I missed them a lot.
∆∆∆
The keys clattered against the screen of my phone. I was messaging Sam when my phone rang twice before I could push the send button, drawing Mr. Kinley's attention away from the board. Max and Mia didn't show up that morning. Their chairs were empty, but Mark grinned as he watched me from the room corner.
"Mr. Knight, would you share the important messages you sent?" Mr. Kinley addressed me.
"I apologize. I'll put my phone away." My phone was in my bag. Mr. Kinley wrote S.P.P.Y. on the board in big letters, catching my attention. I could have sworn that Sam used those acronyms to describe the malicious government group.
"Can anyone tell me what this stands for?" He asked.
"I'm not a dumb ass, but I'm sure no one knows what that stands for." Mark snarled. Light chuckles filled the room. Mark didn't know what he was doing to himself.
"All right, smartass." Mr. Kinley fumed. "I'll tell you all what it bloody means. Stand Paramount with Powerful Youth. Before we continue with English, a little narrative about these supers," Mr. Kinley babbled on. I ignored him, and the sound of his voice faded away. I doodled again, sketching comic-book-like figures on my page. This time, I did a better job than my previous doodles, making the sketch look like realistic comic art. I drew out moments from my adventures as a superhero. The kinds you see in the thick Batman comics. It was comforting but also reminded me how much I missed my superpowers.
A panicked knock on the classroom door caused everyone to look that way. A frantic Derek, wearing his police uniform, looked like he'd seen a ghost. Pale and flushed, Derek waved me aside. I gathered my stuff and walked with Derek down the empty hallway.
"Get your things. We're going home." He demanded. Derek's face flushed, walking down the hallway even faster. I followed behind without stopping at my locker.
"Did you guys find something terrible about Max or my powers?" It was shot in the dark. Derek froze at the front exit of the school building.
"Worse. Max has Dad." He lowered his eyes, angry. I balled my fists in anger, bursting through the school doors with Derek.
"Son of a bitch! I will get my powers back and then kill that Australian bastard." I opened the side door to Derek's cruiser and slid in. Derek slid in after me.
"You're not killing anyone, James. I'm just as pissed off about this as you are, but you're supposed to be a superhero. Killing Max won't solve a thing and will only worsen this." I pulled my seatbelt over to my side and buckled in.
"Since when did you become the logical one?" I asked.
"Shut up, James." he snapped. "We'll talk more about this when we're home." I rolled my eyes, slumping against the car door. Derek started the engine and pulled out onto the road.
∆∆∆
I paced the living room, closed my eyes, and tried to push my telekinesis out of me. Nothing happened. Sweat dripped from my forehead, and my tongue traced my chapped lips.
Derek sat up against the couch, waiting for me to do something super. Sam stood in the living room, chewing on his hangnails for comfort, watching the two of us; anxiety was reaching a toll.
"I can't do it," I growled. Sam entered the room and slammed down onto the couch.
"Keep pushing yourself, James. I know you can do that," Sam urged.
"Shut up, Sam! I feel so lightheaded right now, and I can't focus—" My head swam from exhaustion.
"Keep trying, James." He pushed again.
"Damn it, Sam! Give him a break. He's trying harder than usual. If he can't do it, don't push him. He will hurt himself, and that's the last thing we need." Derek roared.
"Derek is right." I agreed. "I have nothing left in me. My powers disappeared, and I'm useless. They kidnapped Dad. Who knows what they're doing to him? I'm just as worried and furious as you guys are about this. I don't need anyone testing my patience." I collapsed against my father's chair.
"Super or not, I recall telling you that the supergene is in your blood no matter what you do to yourself, James, so either you try harder, or I'll make you." Sam pulled from his seat, but Derek grabbed his arms, stopping him.
"Stop it, Sam! If you don't leave him alone, I will put you in cuffs." Sam slammed against the couch again, laying his head in his hands and dragging them down his face.
"I'm sorry, okay? I'm just a little on edge."
"We all are a bit on edge right now. Our dad could be dead, and we're stuck with you, Sam." Derek eyed him.
Sam groaned through his teeth. "Don't test me, Derek. I'm a parent right now. I don't care if you're twenty. You listen to me. James must keep trying, or he won't regain his powers."
"Do you remember any more details about the group you used to work with, such as, and this is just a hunch, a man named Alexander?" I asked Sam. Sam licked his lips but avoided eye contact as he glanced my way. I sucked in the air. Sam mimicked me.
"Your father and I didn't tell you this for your safety, but you have another uncle."
"You mean Henry, right?" Derek asked, still flustered with rage as he shifted on the couch.
"Alexander was the leader. He is narcissistic. Alex made the rules while everyone followed him. He was a traitor to our family, and it was for the best, too. The government should have shut down the superhuman prodigy project years ago. Last I heard from Alexander. He was working on other projects. He's dangerous, though. I wouldn't go anywhere near him, James." I nodded in reassurance, and a chill ran down my spine.
"This is what Max wants. He's trying to distract us." I looked at Derek.
"Right now, they have the advantage. I'm not just going to sit around and let Max torture dad. We must find him before they do anything." I stormed out of the house in a moment of rage and persistence, slamming the door behind me. I would find dad, no matter how long it took me.
∆∆∆
Max P.O.V.
With handcuffs, I bound Matt to a heater vent. I believed the bloody bastard was dead as he lay still on the floor for a while. At the very least, that wasn't the worst-case scenario. Mark stepped into the room and hurled a bucket of water at him. Matthews leaped back, soaking through his shirt, when his eyes fluttered open to bright light peeking through the drapes. Mia rose from her seat in the opposite corner of the room, walked over to Matt, grabbed the bucket from Mark, and dumped the excess liquid over his head.
"Good morning, Mr. Knight. I'm glad you're awake. We have something fun to give you." She cooed.
Matthew lifted his head, barely looking into Mia's deep aqua eyes. Spit fired towards her, and I nearly lost it, but Mia pulled me against her hips, nipping the blush-pink edges of my lips until I loosened up. Then she turned back to Matthew.
"I see you're glad to meet us, too." She grimaced. Mia's warm hand pressed against Matthew's bloodied cheeks as his baby blue eyes grew. His cuffs rattled against the vent, and he spat again.
"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked. Matthew struggled with his cuffs again.
"You mean you don't know your son has superpowers?" Mia's eyes widened in glee. "You're in for a big surprise."
"You mean James?" Matt asked, with a hesitant glint in his eyes and a frown. Mia frowned, smearing the blood from Matthew's nose all over her shirt. Mark scowled. But Mia was a girl after my bloody heart.
"Yes, Idiot. James had powers." Mia snapped. I glided to the counter on the opposite side of the room like a shadow, watching her work. Then I grabbed something off the countertop and waited for a moment. Mia scratched his face with her polished nails and admired her handiwork from afar. I rolled my eyes.
"Leave him alone," I demanded. " He's going to die, anyway." I grinned, walking back into the light hovering above us, tinkering with the tip of a needle syringe filled with James's blood.
"Do you like the sight of blood, Mr. Knight?" Mia toyed with him again. She snatched the needle from my fingertips. Two words to describe her were sexually brutal.
"Hold still, and this won't hurt." Matthew tucked his fingers into his palm and pulled on his cuffs. Mia shifted closer than Mark, and I leaned down, holding Mr. Knight steady.
"Don't you dare squirm, or I'll make things harder on you?" I threatened him. Mr. Knight spat at me and cleaned his wet lips to work his tongue.
"You can try," Matt said.
The needle plunged into Matthews' thick, muscular limb. He grunted, watching his son's blood seep into his veins. His muscles weakened, and he slumped forward in exhaustion. Matthew's eyes fluttered, battling to sustain consciousness.
"What do we do with him now?" Mark inquired.
"You two handle the guy," I grumbled. Mia shoved the syringe in my hands.
"You're the mastermind. You take care of Matthew," Mia sneered at me.
"Shut the fuck up! I have a plan. Take care of him." I forgot how annoying Mia was. After noticing his eyes flickering, I slammed Matthews' head into the wall behind him. He slumped against the wall and fell fast asleep.
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