Derek caught up to me halfway into the town. He came out of a full-on sprint, panting, and pushed before me.
"James, wait. We need you," he said.
"For what? I don't have my powers anymore. I'm useless against Max. What do you need me for?" I huffed cold air. I tried pushing past Derek, but he moved in my way, still catching his breath.
"Wait! You're my brother, James, and I care about you." I swerved around him. Derek follows me. "That's not everything. Sam said, you still have the supergene in your blood no matter what. You still have your powers somewhere deep inside you." I stopped walking. Derek hunched over, grabbed his knees, and took long, tired breaths. "For not having your powers, you sure are quick." Derek stood up and stretched. "That's beside the point, James. So, where are you headed to?"
"I'm not sure yet, but you didn't have to chase after me. I was coming back whenever I found dad."
"You won't find dad out here in the middle of the cold frantically racing around the neighborhood like a chicken with its head cut off," he noted. He strolled with me, this time by my side.
"I know we have to find dad. I can investigate the police database again for anything I can find on Noah or Max. It would help if you focused on gaining your superpowers back." He hunched over again, catching his breath. "You're fucking fast for not having your powers. Damn."
"I'm working as hard as I can right now. I just needed some time away from Sam, you know. He's been pushing me extra hard after losing my powers. It's too much pressure. I have to worry about those three returning to school and starting more problems instead of worrying about dad."
Derek pouted. "I'm sorry, okay. It shouldn't be my sixteen-year-old brother's problem to work out. I'm a cop. It should be me who figures this stuff out. I get it. Dad and the sheriff push me into the office to get things done faster all the time. I'm only one person, but they think I can do everything simultaneously. So, I get it."
"You are the only sort of getting it, Derek." I snapped. "You don't have to live with superpowers and everyone who always expects you to do something super and heroic." Without another word, I ran off towards home, followed by Derek.
∆∆∆
A knock on the door jolted me awake from my couch nap. I looked at the door as my eyelids fluttered open. Derek sat in our father's chair, still dressed in his uniform from the day before, babysitting me until my powers returned.
"James, go back to sleep. I've already gotten you out of school for tomorrow, and if you're going to regain your powers, you need to rest. Just keep your eyes closed. You don't even have to sleep again," he muttered.
I closed my eyes again after loudly moaning and getting comfortable on the couch. Sam pushed my feet to the floor as he strolled in with a wide grin.
"Get up! We're getting your powers back."
"Damn it, Sam. I was trying to get him to sleep." Derek growled, adjusting himself in his seat. I sat up with the blanket wrapped around my shoulders.
"It's too late. I'm awake." I grumbled. The person knocked again, and Sam walked over and opened the door. Noah Kinley wandered through the door, grinning widely, and walked to the living room. "I'm sure I can get his powers to work."
"What the fuck, Kinley? Where have you been this whole time?" I asked. Noah appeared on the couch beside me, leaning back against the cushions.
"Geez. I was going to ask you how you've been, but we're going straight to the scrutiny.
"Do you know where Max is or where he might keep our dad?" Derek asked. Noah shifted their weight on the couch.
"He took your dad. Why? I thought he was going after Sam. That's weird." Sam paced to the other end of the room.
"Do you know where my dad is or not?" I growled. Noah frowned.
"Nope. Max and I aren't talking anymore, mate. It would be better if I stayed with you guys from now on. Besides, I don't like my brother. He has Gray and Uncle Alexander to help him."
"Who the hell is Gray?" Derek questioned. I was curious too. Derek rotated in his seat; the attention turned to me.
"I'll explain it to you later. I'll help find your father but focus on restoring your powers. I'll do everything I can to help. If you no longer have your superpowers? The other day, I overheard Max boasting about it. I couldn't care less, but—"
"Shut up, Noah," I growled.
Noah pointed at me. "Careful there, bud."
"Do you know anything about what Max is planning?" Sam questioned. Noah scowled, leaning back more into the couch.
"Nope. He doesn't give me much information." Noah searched me up and down. "All I know is that you don't have your powers anymore, James."
"Could you maybe stop mentioning that?" I groaned.
"Only if you allow me to help you. Since I'm your cousin, don't you think you should let me chip in a little?" He gave an alluring smile. Sam only groaned as he pushed himself away from the wall.
"Fine," Sam answered, "do what you can." Noah sat up, proud of himself. I yanked the blanket away from my torso.
"I also need a place. Alex evicted me once they learned I had switched sides," Noah tried.
"Whatever you need, Noah. Just be careful not to push your luck." Sam gave in, frowning and chewing on his nails for comfort. He was anxious, and we were all tense.
"Noted." Noah fell back against the couch; his fingers weaved behind his head. "So, what's for dinner? I'm hungry after working long and hard to find you guys." He chuckled to himself. "It didn't take that long. I had to hack the online police archives and find your address."
"Noah, shut up," I growled again. Noah raised his hands in the air to surrender.
"Okay. I got it, Superboy. You don't have to twist my arm."
"I told you it would catch on." Derek grinned. Noah grinned, too.
"It is quite catchy, especially with this guy." Noah gestured to me. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.
"I need to sleep. All that running wore me out. We can talk about our plans when I'm more awake." I stood and walked off, but Sam stopped me halfway out of the living room.
"Don't think I will be training you just because you don't have your powers. I know a thing or two, and you need this if your powers return." Sam said. I continued walking off.
"Got it, " I shouted, half scowling. I ignored Sam's rude growling while I walked up the steps to my bedroom and shut my door.
∆∆∆
I snuggled into the couch cushions. Then, Derek walked in, grinning and texting Grace, his new love interest.
"Where is Sam?" I asked.
"Sam left the house for groceries or something related to his experiments." Derek shrugged. I had only seen Sam leave the house for those specific reasons. He was a quiet introvert with no job but found comfort in being a lonely scientist under his own rules. "He said he would be back within an hour, but it's been about an hour and a half since he told me that," Derek confessed.
"Aren't you even worried about leaving him with Noah?" I questioned, panic in my voice. He was with Noah, and I was still uncomfortable having him around.
"Not really. We're always late for anything." As quickly as we brought it up, my dad's CRV pulled into the driveway, the lights pushing through the glass doorway, beaming off the staircase. Sam and Noah walked in, bearing pastries and delicious burgers and fries.
"We've got food, " Sam declared, with multiple bags. I peeled off the couch, wiped my face with my sleeve, stretched my tired muscles, and walked over.
Noah sipped a chocolate shake and held out a paper bag filled with two burgers and fries for Derek and me to split.
I accepted the bag from my hand and walked into the living room, finding Derek watching a news report on our missing father. I caught all four of us watching in. We only watched the news sometimes because I was the lead story, and the attention often annoyed me. I didn't want to point out that I was the superhero on that screen, even though my dad had seen me use my powers in front of him many times. Still, now that my father had gone missing, it was essential. When the news story died out, Derek turned off the tv, sinking deep into the cushions. I scooped out fries and a burger tray and handed Derek the bag.
"Sam told me you don't want your powers back. So why wouldn't you want extraordinary powers, mate? Why wouldn't anyone want powers?" Noah smiled with a mouthful of fries. He sat beside me on the couch, slumping against the cushions, sandwiching me between Derek and him with minimal wiggle room. My cousin didn't surprise me. He was a real pain in the ass, but he was also extraordinary and honest. I threw a fry in Derek's direction to get his attention. He frowned.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I growled. Derek shrugged, biting into his burger. He chewed and swallowed, then stared at me like I was insane.
"What?" He shoved me into Noah. Noah pushed me back. Sam watched from the corner of the room, leaning in the doorway, sipping coke from a plastic cup.
"James will get his superpowers back at some point. It's happened before. No matter what happens, he still has the super chromosome in his DNA." I sighed, throwing myself against the back of the couch.
"Part of me hopes I don't get my superpowers back, but another part misses them so much." Noah and Derek rolled their eyes in unison. Their personalities may have clashed sometimes, but they were also alike.
"Here." Derek picked up the fry I tossed at him from the couch and held it to eye level. "Focus on this."
I huffed. "Okay." I took a deep breath. Derek moved the fry to the palm of his hand.
"You've got this, James," he coached. I took another deep breath and watched the fry. Nothing; nothing happened. I focused so hard; that I got nauseous. My head hurt, and the room was spinning.
"Nothing is happening. James is not trying hard enough," Noah said behind me. "Let me show you how you do it, Knight." He offered to gloat. I rolled my eyes. Noah concentrated on the fry, quickly lifting it from Derek's palm.
"Show off, " Derek and I both said in unison. We glanced at each other for a long moment, then looked back at Noah. The fry dropped into Derek's palm again.
"Bloody, Jerks," Noah muttered.
I focused again on the fry, remembering what the almost weightless fry felt like to lift in the air. Still, nothing happened. Derek, Noah, and I frowned. Sam entered the room and sat in his brother's chair by the window.
"It will come back, James. I know it will when you need it, or at least expect it."
"But I need it now, " I pointed out. No one argued. There was a brief silence in the hot room.
"I'm going to the roof," I announced, pulling myself from the couch and bringing my food. I hurled one more fry at Derek, watching him take a bite as I strode away, and I disappeared up the steps to my bedroom window.
∆∆∆
Noah drifted over the side of the roof, swimming in the air as I sat there, staring at him. He rolled over with his hands behind his neck as he smiled, staring at the starry night sky like a fool.
"Have you ever thought about jumping off the roof headfirst?" He asked. On bad days like this, you bet your ass I have. Not that suicide seemed to be the only plausible thing to do on days like that.
I scoffed. "No."
Noah chuckled. "You're an idiot, Knight. I can read minds, remember?" He licked his lips, and his eyes shifted toward me. "Have you ever thought about therapy?" Ha. Nothing would fix the shit show of a family we have going to. If Max was Sam's kid, why retaliate?
Noah winked at me, tapping his temple. "I agree, mate. We're fucked, but don't think I would let you dive off this roof for a second and not save your bloody ass."
"Shut up, Noah," Derek growled, appearing in the opening of my bedroom window. "They got a hit on a dad's credit card a few blocks from the Phoenix hotel."
"Let me guess. You guys are investigating there?" Noah clicked his tongue against his teeth, staring Derek in the eyes.
Derek rolled his eyes, looking away from Noah. "No shit Sherlock. Get in the house before it gets too cold."
I looked over the edge while Noah landed next to me on the roof. "You jump, and I'll kill you myself," Noah mumbled, patting my shoulders and walking past me. Noah was a manipulative jackass, but that was why I liked him.
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