More Trouble!

by Katrina Kahler

  “It appears there is a new supervillain around that can create mental illusions!” Hana said, coldly.

  Dad smiled. “Yes, quite an interesting power.”

  Sometimes I worried that Dad was a scientist first and a person second. “Also a potentially dangerous power!” I countered.

  Dad nodded. “It can be. But the good news is…now we are aware of this person so we can make adjustments to help detect any future illusions. Life is all about making adjustments. Secondly, nobody was hurt. That’s also really good news.”

  Pondering over what Dad said, I knew he was right. We’d been able to handle the illusions without getting hurt or causing any damage. Yet, I knew the reason for that…Lori had used her technical wizardry to detect the illusions. As well, Tanya used her time stop powers to freeze Jason’s missiles before they could hit the ground and do damage. Also, Marie used her powers to turn the missiles into flowers. These three friends would not be around during the summer. Adam had also arrived to back me up. He wouldn’t be around in the summer either.

  My heart raced a little. I took some deep breaths to calm myself down.

  Hana looked at me. “Lia, honey, are you sure you’ll be okay without most of your friends here this summer?” she asked.

  Darn, for an android she could be pretty perceptive. More so than Dad.

  I nodded. “Yeah, Jason and I have got this!”

  “You bet!” Jason said, with far more confidence than me.

  Marie looked across the table towards me. “If you want, I’m sure Lori and I can find a LAX camp that’s closer to home.”

  “Nah, the fact that you two were invited to an international LAX camp is amazing. I can’t ask you to pass that up.”

  “Phew…” Lori said. “Because it does sound so cool. We’ll be playing with some of the best junior players in the world!”

  “Still, in an emergency, we can get back here!” Marie insisted.

  “Thanks, but I’m sure we’ll be fine,” I replied while trying to believe my own words.

  “I’m working on the possibility of teleporting or blinking from place to place,” Tanya said. “I figure if I can control time better, with some practice I should be able to get from one place to another almost instantaneously.”

  Hana looked at Tanya. “Tanya, I don’t think you should be experimenting like that without proper scientific supervision!”

  “Actually, I’m hoping that Doctor Donna will be able to not only help Kayla learn to control her powers, but also help me learn to do more with mine.”

  Dad put a hand on Hana’s shoulder. “Stand down, honey,” he said. “I’m sure Tanya and Kayla will both benefit from their time with Doctor Donna.”

  “I agree,” I said, forcing a smile. “We’ll be fine here.”

  Truthfully, the idea of Tanya becoming even more powerful worried me a little. But she was a friend, and sometimes you just had to trust your friends.

  After the meeting, Adam and I met for a little private time.

  “I’m going to miss you!” Adam told me.

  “Well, we can send emails and also skype. Right?” I said, in an attempt to sound upbeat.

  Adam nodded. “Yes, the space station has internet. Being way up there, we are really close to all the satellites.” He frowned. “Still, it’s not quite like actually being here….”

  “True, but the months will fly by!” I insisted, once again hoping I could use my own words to convince myself.

  “What will you be doing besides fighting crime this summer?” Adam asked.

  “I have a job lifeguarding at the Starlight City public pool,” I said.

  Adam grinned. “Ha, even your normal person job involves you saving people.”

  “Yep,” I said.

  Adam frowned. “Oh, if I remember correctly, doesn’t Wendi also work there?”

  I nodded. “Yes, sadly she is my supervisor.”

  Adam cringed. “Oh, that’s going to be hard on you…”

  “Yeah, it’s going to be tempting to use my command voice to make her think she’s a chicken,” I said.

  “Why are you working there?” Adam asked.

  “I like the water, I like helping people. Plus, my mom thought it would build character working for somebody who really doesn’t like me a lot,” I said.

  Adam nodded. “Yeah, Wendi thinks of you as competition for her top spot on the LAX team as well as at school. It’s kind of her goal to make your life tougher.”

  I grinned. “Like my Grandma Betsy says, if it doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger. I will be way strong after this summer.”

  “Yes, I hope so,” Adam said. He smiled. “I do have some news for you.”

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “Well, while Ellie Mae and I will be on the Future Now space station, Zeke won’t be…” Adam said.

  “Ah, why?” I asked.

  “It’s because apparently, I fart too much!” Zeke said, showing up behind us and carrying a suitcase. He shrugged. “I, myself, don’t think so. But one of the lab people said, and I quote… ‘when you are breathing in recycled air all day you don’t want a bad smelling, farting zombie up there with you!’” Zeke shook his head. “I’m not even a complete zombie. I’m only mostly a zombie!” he insisted.

  Pointing at the suitcase, I asked. “Why the suitcase?”

  Zeke smiled. “Because your dad offered me a place in the lab for the summer!”

  Adam nodded. “Yes, your dad thought it would be great for your people to study an almost zombie up close.” He leaned in and whispered to me. “Plus, our lab paid your dad’s lab a lot of money to take Zeke off their hands for the summer. They were worried that without me, he might be too much of a distraction.”

  Zeke flexed his muscles. “The good news is, Lia, I can be part of your team for the summer. Me and my jetpack! We are fast. I might not have any actual powers besides being mostly dead. But I make a great distraction and a really great cheerleader!”

  “Yeah…” I said, stifling a sigh.

  “See!” Zeke shouted. “It’s working already!”

  Dear Diary: Yeah, sure, there appears to be a new supervillain around. Yeah, sure, some of my most powerful teammates and friends will be away for the summer. Yeah sure, the boy I kind of like will be in outer space for the summer. I have to try to look on the bright side though. I now have a zombie sidekick. Yeah...

  I also have to stop feeling sorry for myself. I mean, come on. I have the strength of hundreds of people. I can fly and move at super speed. I have frost breath and heat vision. Heck, even my farts can knock down a mountain. Okay, I probably shouldn’t brag about that. But the point is, I have a lot of gifts and so much to be thankful for. As well, it will be good for me to learn to rely a little more on myself this summer. Plus, I will not be alone, I’ll have Jason by my side; as always. He truly is my BFF. And I also have an entire lab filled with scientists and Androids to help me. I can do this. I know I can.

  My New Job

  The next morning, I woke up and had breakfast as usual with Mom. Sure, most of my friends were gone for the summer, but I still wanted to keep things as normal as possible. After all, Jason would be here working at Dad’s lab. I’m sure I could have taken a job there too, but I needed some separation from myself and Dad. Now don’t get me wrong, I love having my dad back in my life. It’s just that Hana gets on my nerves and she would be my supervisor. Jason doesn’t mind working for an Android, but I kind of do. It might be because she is dating my dad. It might be because an earlier model of Hana tried to kill me. Of course, I turned that model into scraps.

  Mom stood by the table already in her doctor’s lab coat. “I envy you!” she grinned.

  “Why do you envy me?” I asked, crunching on a muffin.

  “You are purposely working with and for a girl who would love to see you fail.”

  “Builds character. Right?” I said.

  “True,” mom snickered.

  “Plus, I get to work with kids
in the outdoors and be normal,” I said.

  “You’re a good person, Lia,” Mom said.

  “Coming from you, the doctor who saves lives…” I smiled.

  “Please…saving lives is a lot easier than dealing with mean girls!” Mom said.

  As I ate my breakfast, I decided that Mom may definitely have a point.

  When I reached the Starlight City public pool, I found Wendi and Patti waiting for me in the locker room. Our supervisor, a tall woman named Mrs. Trompe stood behind them. Mrs. Trompe had to be pretty old, like in her late 30s or even her 40s, yet she still seemed in good shape.

  “See, Mrs. Trompe!” Wendi said, venom hissing from every word. “I told you Lia Strong is not a good addition to our team!”

  “So true,” Patti agreed. She looked at Wendi. “Uh, tell me again why that is?”

  “The first day of her new job and she’s late!” Wendi spat, more venom flying.

  Mrs. Trompe looked at her watch. “Actually, Lia still has thirty seconds to spare. Therefore, I do not consider her to be late.”

  “But on the first day of a new job, shouldn’t you be early so you can learn the ins and outs of saving people’s lives?” Wendi prompted.

  “Makes sense to me,” Patti agreed.

  “That’s a fair point,” Mrs. Trompe also agreed. “But I’m not worried at all. I remember Lia excelled on her lifeguard entry exam. She is an amazing swimmer and she knows first aid really well.”

  I breathed a little sigh of relief.

  “Yes, but there are the finer points of the job like knowing what’s where and knowing when to step in, plus, knowing when to step aside. Also, knowing when to use the whistle and how loud to blow it.”

  “Also good points,” Mrs. Trompe conceded. “Hence, the reason I am glad Lia will be under your guidance… it’s good for Lia to have you and Patti to teach her the finer points of the job.”

  I sighed a little.

  Wendi rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Oh, that’s right. I’m her boss!”

  “And I’m her other boss!” Patti piped up.

  “Well, no,” Mrs. Trompe said. “I’m your boss and her boss. But you two have worked here before so you are technically Lia’s supervisors. Which means you show her the ropes and you give her guidance.”

  “Can I fire her?” Wendi asked.

  “No,” Mrs. Trompe said.

  “Can I?” Patti asked.

  “Still no!” Mrs. Trompe said. “If there’s any firing to be done, it will be done by me.”

  “Can I suggest you fire her if she does something wrong?” Wendi asked.

  “No,” Mrs. Trompe said. “You girls are a team and I expect you to act like one. You play lacrosse together. Right?”

  “Well, yes, I’m captain and star of the team,” Wendi said, puffing her chest out.

  “Good. Then you guys know how to work together!” Mrs. Trompe said.

  “Well, in LAX they just pass me the ball and I score,” Wendi said.

  “Good,” Mrs. Trompe said, her face flushing pink. “You have a system there. I expect you to find a system that works here too.” She looked at Wendi, almost challenging her to bring up something else.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Wendi said.

  I liked Mrs. Trompe. She saw through Wendi’s games. She didn't let Wendi manipulate her like she did some people.

  “Now if you don’t mind, I have other employees to attend to.” Mrs. Trompe said before turning to me. “Welcome to the team, Lia. I’m sure you’ll be a great addition.” That made me feel good. “Just do what Wendi asks of you and I’m sure we’ll all get along great!” she added. That didn’t make me feel quite so good.

  Wendi and Patti waited for Mrs. Trompe to leave the locker room. Wendi looked at the clock on the wall. “The pool opens to the public in ten minutes!” She stated the fact as if I couldn’t tell what time it was.

  “I’m in my lifeguard outfit so I am ready to roll!” I said.

  “Well, Lia, honey, there was no need for that. You can change right in the locker room. Unless of course, you’re too ashamed. Maybe you need to work out more?” Wendi taunted.

  I had to suppress the urge to make her think she was a chicken, a really stupid chicken.

  “No. I’m in great shape,” I said.

  “Modest!” Patti snickered.

  “I just came in my lifeguard suit to be efficient. After all, saving lives is an important job.”

  Wendi nodded. “We do agree on something.”

  “Good,” I said. “Shall we go out there and get ready for the day?”

  Wendi pointed to a broom in the corner of the locker room. “Actually, us senior lifeguards will get out there and make sure everything runs smoothly. Meanwhile, this locker room is a mess! We want the kiddies to have a nice clean place to change. Take the broom and sweep the floors. Once that’s done, you’ll find a mop and pail in the closet. Give the place a nice shine.”

  “Do you think you can handle that?” Patti asked.

  I knew these two were testing me. They would love me to give them a hard time so they could report me to Mrs. Trompe as being a non-team player. I wasn’t going to let that happen.

  “I’ve got this!” I said. “You guys go save lives!” I added.

  Wendi stood there looking at me, tapping her foot. “What’s your game, Strong?”

  “Wendi, I need this job. College is expensive.”

  “Wait, isn’t your mom a doctor and your dad like a zillionaire?” Patti asked. “Why do you need a stinky job like this.”

  “I want some money of my own,” I told the pair.

  Patti nodded. “Independence, I get it.”

  “Fair enough,” Wendi said. “Just remember to do what I say and you’ll get to keep this job.”

  The two girls left the dark, damp locker room and I began to sweep.

  Dear Diary: Wendi and Patti actually showed some insight when wondering why I needed this job. But I told them the truth. Sure, my mom has a nice job, but she works hard and I don’t want to take any extra money from her. Sure, my dad is really rich. But he wasn’t a part of my life for a long time when I was growing up. I don’t want to be dependent on him at all. I really want a nice normal job to earn some spending money. If that means putting up with Wendi and Patti, so be it.

  Berserk

  As I swept the locker room floor, I actually found myself enjoying the work. Yeah, I know that might sound weird but when you are a high powered superhero, at times it’s nice to do something simple; something that has a clear goal. In this case, the goal was to literally clear the floor of dirt and rubbish. I could do that. I found it relaxing…just me and my thoughts. No people to save. No mean girls to deal with. No school work. Not having to worry about what I might say or do wrong. Just me and a broom getting a job done.

  I even started to whistle. I believe I whistled the tune to ‘Whistle while you work.’ Not totally sure that’s the name of the tune, but it felt good. I really needed to get something done without the weight of the world on my shoulders.

  Of course, my computer aid MAC spoke up from my high tech watch. “Ah…” MAC said slowly. “I really hate to bother you now….”

  I could tell from MAC’s tone that something was up. “But?” I asked.

  “There is a disturbance at the Starlight National Park, just outside of town,” MAC said, very matter of fact. “I feel bad even bringing it to your attention, but you are a superhero…”

  “Right?” I said, still sweeping away. “What’s going on?”

  “The bears are going berserk,” MAC informed me.

  “Oh, that’s not good,” I said.

  “I suggest we get there pronto,” MAC said.

  “Agreed!” I said. Moving at super speed, I finished my sweeping. I then used my holographic interface to change into my new superhero costume and flew out of the locker room far too fast for any human eyes to see me. I took to the skies. Once airborne, I realized I didn’t know how to get to the nationa
l park.

  An arrow abruptly appeared on MAC’s screen. “Just follow my GPS!” MAC said.

  Streaking through the sky and following MAC’s directions, I soon arrived at my destination. I hadn’t been there in years. I had forgotten how beautiful the place was. There were a few large sparkly blue ponds as well as walking paths that wound through pine tree-lined forests. There was also a path that zigzagged up a small mountain. Man, I had to visit more often.

  Using my super teen vision, I zeroed in on a clearing at the park gate. That area housed the visitor center, a little restaurant and the parking lot. All the people were trapped in their cars; cars that were surrounded by bears pounding away. I didn’t know much about brown bears, but I knew this was not normal.

  I landed next to a few park rangers who had gathered at the gate. The three rangers looked totally confused and extremely worried. They had tranquilizer guns but didn’t seem all that keen to use them. I could see why as there had to be thirty bears gathered around.

  “Super Teen! We’re so glad you’re here!” one of the rangers said.

  “Any idea why this is happening?” I asked.

  Another ranger shook his head. “It’s very unusual for one bear to come into this area, let alone thirty of them. Normally, bears stay clustered in the woods, a good ten miles from here.”

  “I’ll take them back to where they belong,” I said.

  “How will you keep them there?” another ranger asked.

  “One problem at a time!” I said, flying off towards the bears.

  The good news was that so far the bears hadn’t been too violent. While they were growling and shaking the cars a bit, they weren’t trying to smash them. I had no idea what was going down. I just knew that I needed to get the bears back in the woods before they hurt somebody. I, of course, wanted to pull this off without hurting any bears.

  I decided to take out the biggest bears first. Flying over one, I grabbed the bear by the rough of its neck and lifted it off the ground. The bear growled and swatted at me with a beefy claw.