by Hayes, Drew
“Speaking of romance, where’s Jeremiah? I heard he was back from that undercover mission.” Alice prided herself at keeping up to date on everyone; it was the very least she should be capable of, given her training.
“He’s good, but someone has to hold the fort down. No rest for the Heroes. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d better make sure Hershel and Mary know I wasn’t that late before I catch an earful.” Owen headed off into the parlor.
The entrance stayed moving as even more Heroes arrived, their own kids in tow, and the pizza parlor filled with cheerful conversation, childish laughter, and shrieks of excitement. Britney and Selena came with some of the other Heroes who graduated the year after the Class of Nightmares. While they hadn’t made the final ten, both had been re-accepted for another senior year and eventually walked across the stage of graduation as Fade and Songstress. Their time held back had led to new friendships as well, including an exploding woman on their team who went by Detonate but the others all knew as Ashley. The parlor continued to fill, until at last, the final family arrived. While they were unquestionably late, they certainly had a good reason for it.
Around the entrance, air crackled as a hole appeared, a window to an entirely different location. Through it came Phil, carrying a nine-year-old girl on his shoulders, with Clarissa at his side. They were followed by Vince and Camille, the former pushing an older gentleman’s wheelchair while the latter held the hand of a girl not far from Chance’s age. Last came Sean Pendleton, pushing another wheelchair, this one holding a woman who looked strikingly like Alice.
“Sorry, so sorry we’re late,” Vince said the moment they came through. “We got hung up on a job, and then we had to sort out turning her over to the police, and really, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”
“Relax, we saw the news and figured you might run behind.” Nick hugged his best friend before looking at the older man in Vince’s care. “Besides, you were nice enough to portal with our guests here, which made things a lot easier on us. Abraham, how have you been? Or do you still prefer Abridail?”
“Only if you catch me in the dreamworld,” Abraham replied, shaking Nick’s hand. Like Shelby, he was one of the first recipients of the Powered-cure when it was finally deemed to be safe. Decades in bed had left their muscles severely atrophied, so they were both at a facility receiving top notch physical rehabilitation in addition to healing from Supers.
Alice was hugging Shelby already, a little too tightly in honesty, but her mother didn’t complain. “Good to see you too, dear.” Shelby’s words were a touch slow, as though she had to think about and choose each one. Spending so long in a permanent coma of visions had left mental scars as well as physical ones, but she was strong-willed and slowly inching her way back into real life. The therapy, both kinds, helped, as did having Abraham nearby. In her time trapped within her own power, he’d been the only friend she had, and his presence seemed to help anchor her to reality.
“Carol, why don’t you take Hope and go find your friends.” Phil set his daughter down and turned her loose, watching as she all but sprinted away from the adults with Vince and Camille’s girl close behind. “Thanks again for inviting us, Alice. Hard to get out of the house unless it’s for a job or I’m around a bunch of Heroes.”
“We wouldn’t dream of not having Carol along.” Alice, like most people, had been surprised when Clarissa revealed she was pregnant nearly a decade ago. Apparently she and Phil had spent the night together before the assault on the bunker, and since both expected to die, neither had worried much about protection. “Speaking of, is she showing any abilities yet?”
“Still human, as far as we can tell, but not everyone manifests early,” Clarissa reminded them. “My powers didn’t kick in until puberty. Personally, I’m hoping that they never show up. After everything we’ve been through, I wouldn’t mind seeing my little girl get a normal life.”
Camille chuckled and shook her head. “With words like that, you definitely just jinxed her to get an incredible ability, you know that, right?”
“Hush, let me live in my delusion a little longer.” The smile on Clarissa’s face betrayed the good nature of her words, even if there was a sliver of truth to them.
While the conversation kept going, Shelby’s attention wandered, as it was wont to do. She watched the kids running about, playing on the various arcade games, downing pizza at breakneck speeds, and generally being carefree in a way they’d never recapture once they lost it. Near the edge of the group, she spotted the birthday boy at a soda fountain, his cup filled to a precarious level. It didn’t take future-seeing powers to know what was coming next, as Chance took one, two, three steps with the overfilled cup before tripping and sending it sprawling to the ground.
On instinct, Chance reached out to grab it, even though the liquid was already on the carpet. To his shock, the soda flowed back into the cup, which shot up from the floor and planted itself directly in Chance’s extended hand. His eyes went wide and he looked around hurriedly to see if anyone had noticed, quickly making eye contact with his grandma. Shelby smiled at him, then carefully placed one finger to her lips and winked. Chance, already a smart boy, took the cue and headed off, pausing only to dump out the potentially contaminated soda into a trash can.
Her time in the coma was spotty, hard to remember or fully make sense of, but some of the more recurring elements stuck out. She knew the conflict was still coming; when she dared peek ahead that remained true. And there were so many ways it could happen, so many paths that could send the world into destruction. Still, she felt optimistic about the odds for humanity, Supers, and the soon-to-be changed Powereds. Although Abridail hadn’t correctly understood what she told him back in the dream world, Shelby could recall what she’d meant. A small choice, two wounded and broken people trusting each other enough to build a foundation of love, was enough to alter the course of history. Nothing was certain, and a war was still very much a real possibility, but there was cause to hope for the best.
After all, this was the version of the future that had a Chance. And thanks to that, one day, when they needed him most, their world would also have a champion.
End of Super Powereds
Afterword
Yes, you read that correctly. This truly is the end of Super Powereds. Honestly, after nine years and over a million words, I have trouble believing it too. It’s crazy to think how far this story has come from my first web-serial site all those years ago, and none of that would have been possible without you amazing readers. I wanted to thank you for that, for taking a gamble on a smalltime indie author and reading this series all the way to the end. Without you amazing folks, we never would have been able to reach this point.
Now, I’m sure many of you might be wondering about Chance and the future. Well, that’s a story for another day. Super Powereds was about this group at one particular point in their lives, and when that time ended so did the series. That doesn’t mean I’m done with the world, though, only that new tales in it will need new titles. It won’t be coming anytime soon, but I’m looking forward to eventually exploring the next major events in this world.
In closing, I want to say a special thanks to all the people who helped me along the way to getting here. Meilin Miranda and Digital Novelists, where I first found a home for my stories. Erin and Kisa, for putting up with fixing my endless typos. The Webfictionguide.com community, who have been a constant source of information and encouragement to many. My beta readers, who add a level of polish that measurably improved every book. The talented Kyle McCarley, for breathing life into the characters with his excellent narration, and the amazing people at Tantor who take such care with their audiobooks. And, of course, you, dear reader. Without you, I’m just a madman spinning stories for himself.
Other Novels by Drew Hayes
About the Author
Drew Hayes is an author from Texas who has now found time and gumption to publish a few books. He graduated from Texas Tech with a B.A.
in English, because evidently he's not familiar with what the term "employable" means. Drew has been called one of the most profound, prolific, and talented authors of his generation, but a table full of drunks will say almost anything when offered a round of free shots. Drew feels kind of like a D-bag writing about himself in the third person like this. He does appreciate that you're still reading, though.
Drew would like to sit down and have a beer with you. Or a cocktail. He's not here to judge your preferences. Drew is terrible at being serious, and has no real idea what a snippet biography is meant to convey anyway. Drew thinks you are awesome just the way you are. That part, he meant. You can reach Drew with questions or movie offers at [email protected] Drew is off to go high-five random people, because who doesn't love a good high-five? No one, that's who.
Read or purchase more of his work at his site: DrewHayesNovels.com
Table of Contents
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Epilogue
Afterword
Other Novels by Drew Hayes
About the Author
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