by R. J. Ross
“Let’s see…” Ace says, glancing over at the boy. “Something simple, so I don’t have to focus--” he waves a hand and a tent appears, complete with a comfortable looking blow-up bed that covers the floor.
“Thanks,” I say, heading over and slipping in. I put the little boy down. “Can I get some blankets?” I ask over my shoulder, covering him up when they appear. Now that that’s taken care of, I climb out and look at the trees already surrounding us. They’re huge, and rather close together, which should make this easier.
“What are you thinking?” Max asks me. I realize I’m staring up at the tree limbs, and have been for a few minutes.
“Bears don’t climb trees after a certain age, right?” I say. “I don’t wanna wake up to a bear attack.”
“Bears,” Max repeats blankly.
“Bears,” I agree.
“Do they HAVE bears in Texas?”
“Do you really want to find out in the middle of the night?” I ask, lifting my hands. The trees start swaying. It’s actually a lot easier to make the plants move than it is to grow brand new ones--soon the larger branches from three of the trees are weaving together to form a platform. It’s not flat, but it’s flat enough, I think as the light-headedness hits me. Using too much power always makes me feel a bit off-balance. Thankfully I recover quickly. “You guys can do the walls,” I tell him, falling onto my back in the grass.
What? I might have recovered, but he doesn’t need to know that! Max snorts and floats up, landing on the platform of tree branches and looking around before glancing down at me. “How do you plan on getting up here with the kid?” he asks me.
“Jump,” I say. Yes, he IS making fun of the fact I can’t fly yet--the jerk. All three of the villains can fly in one way or another. In Ace’s case, he can fly in two different ways. Me, though, I’m stuck hoofing it until I learn to fly. Used to be Trent and I were both flightless, but then the traitor had to go and learn to fly before I did. Best friend or not, that still stings. (Of course that doesn’t really apply right now--he’s not even here.)
“I’m back,” Jack calls from behind me. I glance over, blinking at the sight of several metal scraps floating behind him. If that didn’t get attention from the locals, I don’t know what will. Then again, Jack isn’t the discrete type.
“We need walls,” Max tells him.
“On it,” Jack says, heading for the platform. The metal scraps start forming into walls and he runs a finger down the seams, binding them together. “Ace, what’s taking so long?” he demands over the edge.
“What’s Ace doing other than keeping Cubby warm?” I ask.
“Getting firewood,” Ace says, making me glance over. “SOMEONE should have worked harder to get Vinny on our side,” he adds pointedly.
“Vinny’s too lazy to be a villain,” Max says, moving away from the platform and reaching out his arms. Fallen tree branches take to the air, shaking hard for a second before floating up to him. “We’re going to need a roof, right?” he says. The leaves are literally pulled off of the branches as gravity strips them. He’s gotten better control lately, I have to admit. “Sunny, get us some vines to strap these together, would you?”
“Sure,” I say, getting up again and jumping onto the platform. I dig into my pocket, pulling out a handful of seeds. This is a trick I learned from Mom, who used it to beat Dad once long ago. I go over to the floating sticks and hold open my hand, letting the seeds sprout. The vines shoot up, weaving through the sticks to hold them together.
“That, I have to admit, is pretty awesome,” Max says, holding the sticks still for me.
“Anyone got a lighter?” Ace calls from below.
“Why aren’t you using an illusion for the fire?” I ask him, not looking away from my work.
“I always wonder if there’s a chance of getting salmonella from cooking over imaginary flames,” he says. “Speaking of which, someone’s going to have to break into the RV for food.”
The three of us on the platform look at each other. “Not--” I start out.
“Sunny,” Jack and Max say without a second of hesitation.
“Why me?” I demand.
“You’re dating his daughter--he’s less likely to kill you!” Max says cheerfully.
“Still need a lighter!” Ace calls up to us.
“Rub two sticks together, you should be able to do that much, right?” Jack says. “Aubrey stole all my lighters and made me swear off smoking,” he adds in a dark tone. It’s no surprise that the rest of us laugh at him.
“Don’t build it down there, Ace, we’ll bring it up here!” Max calls over the side. “Now, the roof is done, Sunny get to stealing,” he goes on, laying the makeshift roof onto the metal walls that Jack is finishing off. “Jack, think you can rig up a fire-pit that’ll keep the rest of the place from lighting up like a match?”
“Yeah, I can pull that off,” Jack says, making more of his random scraps float up and twist, forming into a metal bowl. I want to watch, but Max reaches over, pats me on the shoulder, and shoves me off the platform.
“Dinner, remember?” he says as I land on the ground.
“Max, you’re a jerk,” I call up to him, taking a moment to check on Cubby. He’s sound asleep and snoring softly, so I can’t use him as an excuse to avoid this. All I need to do is get past the super villain with the best hearing in the ENTIRE WORLD. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I head for my bag, digging through it and grabbing my wallet. “Hey, Jack, did you pass any grocery stores or anything?” I call up to him.
He leans over, looking down at me and pointing. “Go about four miles that direction, you’ll reach the suburbs. There are probably grocery stores there, but whether they’re open this late at night, I got no clue,” he says with a shrug. “You sure you should leave Cubby here?”
I hesitate, almost positive that Panther is watching us from somewhere. Cubby’s my responsibility, but he’s sound asleep, right? “If he wakes up from a nightmare pull the turtles trick again,” I tell Ace. “I’ll be back in half an hour at most. That way, right?” I ask Jack.
“Straight that way.”
“Shouldn’t we send one of the guys that can fly?” I mutter, stretching and shaking my head as they laugh. Oh well--we all know where I stand in this group. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s pretty much the bottom. It only makes sense, especially on a trip like this. I’m the only non-villain, no-name, non-flying kid in the group. I’m also youngest and shortest in the group. Jack and Ace are like, six feet tall, Max has grown a little, I think he’s approaching 5’10, me, I just reached all of 5’7 and a half. I’m the little kid--well, other than Cubby. In a group of guys that act as bullies for a living, that makes me the lackey, right?
So far, though, the worst thing they’ve done to me is make me go get the groceries, so I can’t complain. I race through the woods, reaching a field and stopping for a moment. The moon is massive and hangs right over my head like it’ll drop at any moment. There are lightning bugs floating lazily all around me. It almost feels like I’m in a dream.
This is awesome. I can literally feel the energy all around me, from the earth below me, the trees behind me, even the sky above me. I can’t help but hold out my arms, throwing back my head and soaking it all in with a laugh. It feels amazing!
There are buildings in the distance, I notice, so I turn slightly and head for them. It’s a good night for a run. I’m going to have to thank the guys for making me go--who knew it would be my new favorite thing?
***
“You sure you should be picking on Sunny like that?” Ace asks as he picks up Cubby and steps onto his floating silver circle. Sure he can fly, somewhat, but this is still easier for him. He reaches the newly made tree house and steps inside. “He’s pretty dangerous, right?”
“Sure he is,” Jack says, finishing up the grating on the fireplace, “but he’s also Sunny.”
“What’s that mean?” Ace asks curiously. “I’ve never really spent ti
me with the guy, but I know his dad. He’s going to grow up like Nico, right?”
“In some ways,” Max says, bringing up the pile of kindling that Ace had left below, “in others, Sunny’ll always be Sunny.” He puts it all into the metal fire-pit and heads for his bag, pulling out a lighter.
“I asked for one of those earlier,” Ace complains. “And I still don’t think it’s smart--he could wind up doing something to all of us if you push him too far.”
Both of them start laughing. “More likely he’ll get distracted or fall asleep on the way,” Max says.
“Huh… well hopefully he goes after you two first. Hey, did anyone make an actual bed up here?” Ace asks, feeling a tiny bit of drool fall on his neck. “At least for this guy?” The other two look at each other blankly. “You might not realize it, but I can’t keep up an illusion and sleep at the same time.” He watches them continue to look blank for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Oh forget it, give me your clothes, I’ll use those.” No wonder Sunny was put in charge of the kid.
“Hey, don’t worry about Sunny. We won’t bully him too much,” Max says as they dig out their clothes for the bed. “He’s my girlfriend’s twin brother--you don’t mess with that.”
***
Store, store, store… most of them are closed. What time is it, anyway? I’m pretty sure it’s past midnight already. Is Texas still Central time? I think it is, probably, they’re right in the middle, but south… ward, or something. Southward--that’s a word, right? I wonder if I should buy a ten gallon hat to fit in, or something. Maybe speak with a southern drawl--nah, probably not. More than likely it’d give me a lot of strange looks. I really suck at accents.
I should have talked to Vinny more about his trip down here. Actually I’d like to talk with Vinny more in general, he seems like a pretty cool guy. Well, you know, other than the burning-things-down part. A part of me is probably always going to be a little bit worried by that. It might be because I deal with highly flammable trees and plants.
“Look at this, boys!” The words make me turn, looking blankly at a group of men heading towards me. “Shouldn’t you be in bed, boy?” the lead speaker asks. He’s missing a few teeth, needs a shave, and looks far too fond of flannel in this hot weather, but whatever. I don’t judge.
“I’m avoiding curfew,” I say, seeing a gas station up ahead. “Don’t tell my parents, okay?”
“Oh, we won’t--if you give us your wallet,” the man says, pulling a gun from the back of his pants. I’ve never understood the logic of sticking a gun down your pants--I mean, what if it goes off? You’d have this bleeding hole in your butt!
“I can’t,” I say, “I’ve got to get food for an entire group, and if I come back after being mugged I’ll never live it down--”
“This ain’t a JOKE, BOY!”
I let out a long breath and reach into my back pocket. “Okay, fine, just give me a second. I’ve got to get it out, right?” I pull out a seed, bringing up my hand and slamming the head guy in the gut with a thick vine. It shoots forward, sending him flying back into the street and pinning him to the ground with one stalk. “Wait, that’s not my wallet, sorry, think it’s in my other pocket,” I admit as the other men start backing away urgently. “Oh, man, so THAT’S why the ride down here was so rough!” I say as I bring out an acorn. “This grows into an oak! Wanna see?”
They run, but they’re passing right past the still-growing vine so I can’t help myself, really. Green, leafy stalks wrap around their ankles, hauling them into the air upside down. “You know, I still can’t find my wallet,” I say, walking over as the items in their pockets fall to the ground. “So… why don’t I take yours?” I ask with a brilliant grin. I scoop up all the wallets and a few other things off of the ground, including a really nice looking lighter.
I stop at the main guy, leaning over and taking the gun from his fingers. “This is a no-no,” I tell him, holding it up. Think it’ll work? It’d look really lame if it doesn’t--I grab the gun barrel and bend it. It works! Sweet! Now I just need to get rid of it.
I would say it’s well past time to get going, wouldn’t you? I start going through the wallets as I walk away, pulling out all the cash before tossing the rest over my shoulder. I should probably call the cops on them or something, right? But if I take too long, I’ll be in really big trouble for abandoning Cubby.
Yeah, they’ll be found sooner or later.
***
“What, exactly, is your boy doing in my territory?” The question is a bit too loud for this early in the morning, Nico thinks, pulling the phone away from his ear. “Not only is he running around unmasked, but he’s hanging people off of giant vines!”
“He what?” Nico asks, wondering if he’s still sleeping. “How do you know it’s my boy?”
“Short kid, black hair, capable of growing massive vines with just a seed? The poor norms he left hanging were all extremely helpful in their descriptions.”
“There could be any number of black haired super teens with plant powers,” Nico says, quite proud of the fact he said it with a straight face.
“He emptied their wallets.”
“Who need a little spending cash,” Nico finishes. “Can you tell me, why, exactly, they wound up that way?”
“From what they say, he assaulted them and stole their cash!”
“Have you asked the super teen what his side of the story is?” Nico asks.
“He had the word ‘Sunshine’ written on his back,” Century drawls. “He’s not just ‘the super teen.’”
Max, Nico thinks dryly. Sunny probably never even thought to look. “And your point is?”
“It’s really hard to NOT know who it was, Technico. I’ve heard all about the kids in your school--Jimena is my niece, as far as we’re all concerned. She checks in regularly.”
“I’m going to have to have a chat with that girl,” Nico mutters. “Look, it’s not what you think--I sent Panther off with my villains and Sunny to do a bit of specialized training. More likely your norms tried to mug my kid--go ask him, if you want. I’d like to hear that story, myself. But they aren’t there to cause trouble. They’re there for a super villain summer camp.”
“All the way down here.”
“Pan said it’d be best if they were away from everything they knew. He thought it’d add to the challenge.”
“And it has nothing to do with the Ginger Hanks issue,” Century drawls.
“Would you send a super villain and four teenage boys to deal with that?” Nico asks. “They’re just there for training--I thought Mastermental already went through the red tape for that.”
He hears a few papers rattling and Century mutter a curse. “That man,” he mutters. “’Wilderness exploration for scouts and camp leader,’” he reads in a disgusted tone. “How is that an adequate description for a super villain summer camp? Now tell me who the other three boys are.”
“Have they drawn attention to themselves?” Nico asks.
“Not yet, but I doubt they’ve been here long.” Nico hears him sigh and can practically imagine him rubbing his temple. “I’ll go talk to them--but you’d better not be lying to me about this. I don’t want any random acts of super villainy going on.”
“Now I can’t promise they won’t be doing acts of villainy,” Nico says, “but it’s more likely they’ll be doing it against each other. Panther is a big fan of competition.”
“Fine,” Century says. “You’d best be telling the truth, son.”
“Have a good day Century,” Nico says, hanging up on him. He dials up Pan. Someone needs to warn him.
CHAPTER THREE
“So I left them hanging,” I say over breakfast. “So no more laughing over my getting mugged, got it?” I say, munching on my frosted honey bun. What? They might have had cereal in the convenience store, I just didn’t get past the junk food section, okay? At least Panther took Cubby after looking at our breakfast--he’d only snorted at the thought of us eating it.
“Do you still have the acorn?” Ace asks curiously. “And would it have killed you to get some coffee?”
“I forgot,” I admit, downing my coke. I would be asleep right now, but there’d been another little episode with freezing cold marbles. Thus, we’re lounging around the fire-pit in our tree house as I tell them all about last night. “But since Cubby’s with his dad, you’re welcome to go get it yourself.”
“Sure, after breakfast,” Ace says, yawning hugely. “So what’s going to happen during this camp, anyway?”
“Super villain training, right? Specialized classes on impressive entrances and exits--” Max starts out.
“SUNNY!” Panther bellows from the ground.
“You’re so busted, man, it’s not even funny,” Jack says with a grin that belies his words.
“Um, yes?” I ask, going to the door and looking down. “I have more honey buns if you want one--”
“Century is coming here, thanks to you and your little encounter last night,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. “If you’re going to do things like that, really, don’t wear the shirt, Sunshine.”
The other three start snickering, looking far too amused for my own good. “Um… they tried to mug me first!” I say, hopping down from the tree house. “It was self defense!”
“So you mugged them in return?” Pan asks, his expression turning thoughtful. “I’d say that’s worth ten extra points.”
“So I’m in the lead, right?” I ask, grinning widely. “Suck on that, sunshine boys!” I yell up at the trio.
“Teacher’s pet,” Jack yells back. “And you’re the sunshine boy, or haven’t you looked at your shirt?”
“Wait, what?” I ask, trying to look at the back of my shirt. Obviously it doesn’t work. I shrug it off and turn it, looking at the back. Sure enough, “Sunshine” is written across the back.
