by David Estes
Chapter Nine: The dangers of powers
After getting off the phone with Spencer, Nikki fell into a restless sleep, her dreams filled with daring rescues and captured bank robbers. All of these feats were accomplished by a new child hero, Nikki Powergloves.
Nikki knew that she would need to practice with her new powers before she could become a hero, but after talking to Spencer, she really felt like she could do it. Her boring life had become filled with endless possibilities.
Upon wakening on Wednesday morning, she hopped out of bed, did her morning chores in record time, pocketed the chest full of gloves, and trotted downstairs, ready for adventure.
Her dad would typically have left for work by now, but today he was downstairs in front of the TV. “Good morning, Dad,” Nikki chirped.
“Oh, hey, Nikks,” he said. “That was some strange weather we had last night, wasn’t it?”
Nikki’s stomach lurched. She had forgotten about the storm that she had caused the previous night. “Really? What happened? I think I must have slept right through it.”
“You must have been really tired; the thunder was remarkably loud. It was a perfectly clear night and then, out of the blue, a massive thunder and lightning storm hit. Not even the meteorologists saw it coming. It did a lot of damage around town.”
Damage? Oh no, Nikki thought. She listened to what the TV reporter was saying:
“Reports are coming in from all around town about serious flooding causing damage to crops and houses, as well as power lines that are down due to lightning strikes. The repair and cleanup efforts will take a few weeks and the damage done to many of the crop fields will be irreparable. The freak storm has become an anomaly that will likely stump experts around the region for years to come. This is Susan Davis, reporting from Channel 7 news.”
Her dad clicked off the TV. Nikki was not feeling so adventurous anymore—in fact, she was turning a bit green.
Noticing his daughter’s discomfort, Mr. Nickerson said, “Nikki, you don’t look too good, are you feeling okay?”
Nikki decided that some honesty was warranted in this situation. “Not really, Dad. I think I may just go back to bed for a while longer, I didn’t sleep too well last night.”
“Okay, honey. I hope you feel better soon,” her dad said, kissing her on the forehead. “See you tonight.”
Feeling her stomach lurch again, Nikki ran upstairs and into the bathroom. She slammed the door, fell to her hands and knees, and leaned over the rim of the toilet. Peering into the toilet water, she saw herself, Nikki Powergloves. Not as a hero, but as a criminal. That’s when she barfed.
She heard footsteps shuffling up the stairs. Probably her mom. Her guess was confirmed when the bathroom door opened without a knock. “Nikki, are you okay, sweetie?” her mom asked.
“Not really, Mom,” Nikki croaked, still hanging over the toilet.
Springing into action, her mom found a washcloth and wet it. She helped her daughter wipe her mouth and get to her feet. After giving her a drink of water, she prepared her toothbrush for her. Nikki felt a lot better once her mouth was clean again, but she still had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“You still don’t look too good, Nikki, you should probably just rest today,” her mom said, helping her to her bedroom. Nikki didn’t argue and collapsed in a heap on her bed, allowing her mom to tuck her in. Mrs. Nickerson left to run some errands and told her to try to get some rest.
Nikki wanted to sleep to get her mind off of what the news reporter had said, but the words kept streaming through her head: “…flooding causing damage to crops and houses… power lines down due to lightning strikes…repair and cleanup efforts will take weeks…damage to crop fields will be irreparable…”
She needed someone to talk to and the only one who knew her secret was Spencer, so she called him.
He answered on the first ring. “Hey, Nikki Powergloves!” he answered. “Have you done anything hero-like today?”
She groaned at the question. “Listen, Spence. I think I’m just going to get rid of the gloves—maybe burn them or something—they are really, really dangerous.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“I did something bad with them, Spencer, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Tell me, Dust-Devil, I can help you figure it out.”
She told him that the thunderstorm she had created the previous night had been way too strong and that it had caused a lot of destruction.
“Wow, I’m just looking at the local news on my iPad now, you really tore the place up! Those were some serious shenanigans. Wheeeee!” Spencer said. Despite how bad she was feeling, Nikki couldn’t help but smile. Spencer was the only kid she knew who used the word ‘shenanigans’ regularly. Spencer was also the only kid in their class who had an iPad. He even took it to school and used it to take notes during class. Spencer let her use it whenever she wanted to. Having a genius as a best friend had its perks.
Spencer was “diagnosed as a genius” as he liked to say, when he was only six years old. After consistently outperforming his classmates in nearly every school subject, his teacher had asked his mom if he could take a test designed by a group called Mensa. It was kind of a club for really smart people. Mrs. Quick agreed and he took the test. Spencer had told Nikki all about it. They made him look at shapes and fit them together and do mazes and other fun puzzles. He really enjoyed it. And at the end of it all the Mensa people told him he had an IQ of around 160 and that he was a genius. They recommended all sorts of special schooling where he could be around other kids “like him.” Spencer had told his mom that he liked his school and wanted to stay. Treating him like an adult, she let him make the decision. Nikki remembered the day he had told her all of this. When he got to the part about being asked to switch schools, she started crying. She had said, “Don’t leave me, Spence. Please, you’re my best friend.” He just smiled and put his arm around her. “Don’t worry, Nikks. I’ll never leave you,” he had replied. Nikki remembered being so relieved that he had decided to stay. Her best friend, the genius.
Getting back to business, Nikki said, “You’re not helping, Spence. You told me I’m supposed to be a hero, but all I am is one of the bad guys. That’s why I need to get rid of these gloves.”
“No, do not do anything, Nikki. There is a way to fix all of this, I know it. But we are going to need the powergloves to help us do it. Look, I was talking to my dad last night, and he is pretty busy and I’m kind of just getting in the way, so we both agreed to cut my visit short this year, and I can come back for Thanksgiving or Christmas or something. I’m going to fly back tomorrow, so just hang on until then. Okay, Cheese-Doodle?”
“No promises, but I will try. Thanks, Spencer.”
“Roger that. See you tomorrow.”
They hung up and Nikki took a deep breath. She felt better knowing that Spencer would be there to help her with her problem. She had felt so alone watching the news and not being able to tell her parents that she had caused the storm, but with Spence there, at least she would have a friend and an ally. Soon she managed to drift off into a dreamless sleep with the treasure chest full of powergloves tucked deep in the pocket of her shorts.
