“Who’s there?” his mom yelled.
“It’s me, mom. Clark!”
His mother opened the door.
“Clark, where have you been?”
“I was out with Sarah,” he answered as he walked into the house.
“Boy, you better tell us the next time you’re going to be out till it’s dark,” his dad said as he got up from the dinner table with an empty plate.
“Sorry, dad. I just sort of lost track of time.”
“And why are you so filthy?” his mother asked.
“I fell into some dirt.”
“And answer your phone the next time I call you,” said his mother.
Clark pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and noticed several missed calls labeled “Mom.”
“So sorry, mom. Crazy evening.”
“Well we’ve already finished eating,” his mother said. “I put your plate in the microwave. Go clean yourself up and eat when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, mom. You’re the best. Thanks dad,” Clark waved to them as he sprinted upstairs.
Clark entered his room and shut the door. He reached around his shoulder looking for his backpack and remembered that he left it in Charles’s car after they all agreed to go flying together. So Clark kicked his shoes off and fell onto his bed. He was so exhausted and tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He lied down as his mind continued to replay the train derailing and how they quite timely saved so many lives.
After several minutes of lying in bed, he ran his hands through his hair and realized his head was covered with dirt from the scene of the train accident. So he hopped up, slapped himself awake and went into the bathroom. The shower nozzle turned on without being touched when Clark reached his hand out and concentrated his mind on the shower. The bathroom became fogged as Clark undressed and got into the shower. Still tired, he stood in the shower with his eyes closed for several minutes. All he could think about were the lives that were spared because of his acts.
When he got out of the shower, he mentally made the water turn off and dressed in a fresh set of clothes. Then, when his parents were in their bedroom, Clark went downstairs to grab his dinner plate. He turned the microwave on and looked around for the remote to the small television in the kitchen. He grabbed his hot plate of food, turned the television on, and ate. Just as he began to take his first bite, the local news came on.
“Breaking news,” the newscaster said, “We are on the North East side of Cincinnati where just one hour ago a train derailed.”
The television flashed to the area where Clark and his friends had just come from.
“A rusted wheel led to this 100-passenger train derailing,” the newscaster said. “But all individuals are in good condition with only minor scrapes and cuts after they claim they were saved by several individuals.”
The newscast brought an older woman on the screen and handed her a microphone.
“It all happened so quickly,” the woman said. “The train wouldn’t stop and the conductor blew his horn over abd over. Then our train nearly flipped until we were saved by several strange figures. There was a lot of dust in the air so I couldn’t tell who but it had to have been angels.”
The newscaster thanked the woman and allowed a man to speak after her.
“I know it sounds strange,” the man said. “And I’m a skeptic by and large. But we were saved by an act far greater than the capacity of any normal human being. The train was about to turn over but it just stopped in mid-air. I saw several shadowy figures and then they just disappeared. Angels or not, I couldn’t say.”
Clark’s jaw dropped as he ate his meatloaf. The newscaster then spoke to the train’s conductor.
“I don’t think they were angels,” the conductor said. “I only got a so-so look at them but I swear it, they looked like kids. Like a bunch of fifteen year olds. They stopped the train from tipping over. It was the most amazing sight I’ve witnessed in all my sixty-two years.”
Clark continued eating his food without thinking. He was staring at the television so hard that eventually he placed his fork in his mouth and bit down on nothing. He pulled out his phone and immediately called Sarah.
“I see it!” Sarah said first, as if she had read his mind.
“Channel Five?” Clark asked.
“Yeah,” Sarah said. “That was us. They’re calling us angels.”
“That was the most incredible thing we’ve ever done!” Clark exclaimed. “There were a hundred people on that train. And we saved them.”
“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Sarah said.
“That’s more than amazing! It’s life changing,” Clark said.
“Maybe we should do that more often,” Sarah suggested, half-jokingly.
“Sarah─ That’s exactly what I was thinking!”
“What?”
“That we can do this. We can save lives! It’s the most incredible realization I’ve ever had.”
“You think so?” Sarah asked.
“I know so,” Clark said excitedly. “This is our destiny. This is our higher calling.”
“Are you suggesting we be like superheroes?” Sarah laughed.
“I know it sounds far-fetched, but that’s exactly what I think we should do. Look Sarah, these powers have changed our lives. Some of our friends don’t know how to cope with it. But this is what will bring us together.”
“What about the football team?” Sarah asked.
“Forget the football team!” Clark exclaimed. “This is the purpose of my life!”
“I don’t know, Clark. That sounds like a lot of work. But I always trust you 100%.”
“Great!” Clark said. “We’ll talk later. I’m so exhausted I can barely stay awake right now. I need to sleep.”
“Me too,” Sarah said. “Go to bed and think this over. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”
Clark shut his phone off, drudged himself upstairs, lurched into his room, removed his clothes, and plopped onto his bed. He passed out from fatigue and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Clark awoke and was as anxious as ever. He quickly got dressed long before he needed to and ran downstairs. He stopped his dad before he left for work.
“Dad!” he said as his father was getting ready to open the front door and make his exit.
“Yeah, Clark?”
“I just wanted to tell you something.”
“Make it quick. I don’t want to be late for work.”
“I’m quitting the football team.”
“What?” he dad said, surprised. “You haven’t even joined yet?”
“I just feel like I have a higher calling. I’m needed elsewhere.”
His father frowned. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yeah, dad. I think I’m having, like, an early life crisis. I’m going to save lives! I’m going to help others! That’s my purpose.”
“Are you feeling okay, son?”
“I’ve never felt this great before in my life!”
“Well it’s Friday,” his dad laughed, “So I’m feeling pretty good too. No work for the next two days.”
“So are you okay with that?” Clark asked.
“With what?”
“Me leaving the football team?”
“Clark, it’s your decision. Sure, I wanted a football player but you have to do what makes you happy. So if you want to leave the football team to join some group of charity workers because that’s what makes you feel good, then go for it. And besides─ we got another kid on the way so it’ll be cool if you screw up.” His dad laughed, gave Clark a hug, and walked out the door.
Clark’s mom entered the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal.
“You sure look peachy this morning,” his mother said with a mouthful of milk and cereal.
“I feel like my life has just changed forever, mom,” Clark grinned.
“Overnight?” she asked.
“Yeah, it all happened so fast,” Clark said as he poured himself
a bowl of cereal.
His mother asked what he meant and Clark vaguely told her the same thing that he told his father. He would quit the football team in order to make a difference in Cincinnati. Like his father, his mother assumed he meant joining a group of students who did extracurricular charity work. Realizing it meant he would be out after school a lot, Clark told her that’s exactly what he was talking about.
“I think I can feel my baby kicking,”
“How much longer now?” Clark asked.
“Early March,” his mother said. “Although you were an early baby.”
“You still don’t want to know if it’s a boy or a girl?” Clark asked.
“No,” his mother said, “it’s going to be a surprise. That’s how the British Royals do it.”
There was a knock at the door. Clark ran to open the door and spotted Sarah. He smiled and hugged her tightly.
“Sarah, you’re the love of my life!”
“You’re certainly feeling happy today,” Sarah said as she walked into the kitchen with him.
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Clark’s mother said.
“Hi, Mrs. O’Sullivan,” Sarah smiled. “Nice to see you.”
“Nice to see you too, Sarah.”
Clark grabbed Sarah by the hand and whisked her upstairs to his room. He closed his door and they sat on his bed. Sarah kissed him and attempted to unbutton his shirt when Clark stopped her.
“You want to play the game again?” Sarah asked.
“No,” Clark said. “We can do that later. I want to tell you about my plan.”
“No sex?” she asked blankly.
“We can do that anytime, Sarah! This is about the life changing event that occurred yesterday on the train tracks.”
“That news story was pretty amazing,” Sarah agreed.
“Now imagine doing that every day. Saving lives every night.”
“You think we could do that?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah, if there’s anyone on earth who can do it, it’s us!”
Clark hopped up from his bed and began pacing across his room.
“So how do we go about doing that?” Sarah asked.
“We get costumes. We become real superheroes.”
“It sounds a bit cheesy. More than that, it sounds a little dangerous,” Sarah said, biting her lip.
“How did you get here this morning?” Clark asked her.
“I flew.”
“That’s dangerous! But you still did it.”
“Alright,” Sarah said, “I’m in. I guess it could be fun. I’ll be the real life Wonder Woman.”
Together they said bye to Clark’s mom, left the house, headed for the woods, and flew off to school. The exhilarating feeling of flying never ceased no matter how many times they did it. Soaring through the air made Clark feel as if he were invincible and transcended mortality. Minutes later the feeling was over when they arrived in another small forest and, from there, walked to school hand in hand.
They entered the school and were being congratulated by numerous students: Sarah for being made head cheerleader and Clark for his incredible performance during football tryouts. They were becoming a high school power couple. Cheers and high-fives at every step. Once they made it to the hallway lined with lockers, they were joined by John and Charles.
“I told John all about the train we stopped,” Charles told Clark.
“John,” Clark addressed him. “You wouldn’t believe it, man. It was the most amazing thing we’ve ever done. We stopped a train from derailing. It was about to tip over and we stopped it.”
“Yeah,” John smiled. “Charles told me all about it. After accomplishing something like that, what do you do next?”
“We become superheroes,” Clark said.
“What?” John laughed.
“I’m serious. We can do it, guys. If we can put a train back on its tracks, imagine what else we can do? We can create force fields, we can stop bullets, we can lift thousands of pounds without lifting a finger.”
“So you really want us to become superheroes?” Charles asked.
“Yes!” Clark responded.
“It sounds crazy but I’m willing to try it,” Sarah told them. I’m in.
“It’s a damn cool idea,” Charles agreed. “I’m gonna purchase a batmobile as soon as we get outta class. I’ll be rolling through the streets, stopping crime, and getting’ all the girls.”
“I don’t know,” John said. “It just sounds silly. This isn’t a comic book. Lots of people have tried to do the superhero stuff in real life and they always look ridiculous.”
“That’s because they can’t stop trains and guns and bullets with their minds,” Clark said as he punched his locker so hard it dented. “They can’t fly!”
“I suppose being immortal helps,” John laughed.
“We’re not immortal,” Sarah said. “I tried flipping as high in the air as I could and when I fell down, I definitely hurt myself.”
“So we’ve got to be careful,” Clark said.
“Like I said,” Charles told them. “If we’re gonna do this we gotta do it right. Pimped out car, fly costumes, and we need a bat cave too.”
“A bat cave?” John laughed.
“Well, you know,” Charles corrected himself, “A base of operation. I got just the place.”
“Where?” Clark asked.
“The warehouse where we’re keeping the crystal.”
“Great idea,” Clark said.
“I’ll spruce it up and make it look badass,” Charles said. “You can help me John.”
“Sure,” John agreed.
“I’ll put some plush furniture in it, a big screen t.v., and a long boardroom table that we can sit at,” Charles grinned. “Oh and lots of mirrors so we can look at ourselves.”
“What about the costumes?” Sarah asked.
“I’ll pick out some really great ones,” Clark said.
“Here,” Charles said as he pulled out his wallet and handed Clark a credit card. “Just give it back when you’re done. Order a bunch of different crap. Everything that looks cool. But none of that cheap stuff. Maybe you can get me a Rorschach mask─ No, what am I talking about? My face is too pretty to be covered up.”
“We should definitely wear masks though,” Clark said.
“Then get domino masks,” John said. “The kind that Robin wears.”
“Yeah,” Charles agreed. “And order with one day shipping.”
“Alright, guys. Sounds good,” Clark said.
Sarah hugged Clark and parted ways for class. Charles walked off and slapped several girls on the rears along the hallway. One of them scoffed at him while another slapped him in the face.
“Charles never stops being Charles,” John told Clark as they walked into first period history class.
They sat in their usual spots near the classroom door.
“I didn’t think you were serious at first,” John said. “But I think a superhero thing could be kinda cool.”
“It’s definitely going to work,” Clark assured him.
“Spreading fear into the hearts of wicked criminals,” John joked.
“So how did your visit with Andrew go?” Clark asked.
“It went okay,” John said. “He’s definitely not coming back though. I told him we’d miss him.”
“Bummer,” Clark said before coming up with an idea. “You think we could get him and Dan to join us?”
“Andrew?” John asked. “Nah. I’m telling you, man. It’s not going to happen. I’m not sure about Dan though. I suppose you could call and tell him.”
“Yeah,” Clark said. “I think I might do that.”
“Andrew did give me a small parting gift. Something he wanted to keep between me and him.”
“Cool. I’m glad you got to say goodbye to him. You think we’ll ever see him or Big Dan again?”
“I really don’t think so,” John answered. “This was really the end of the line.”
John p
ushed his long hair away from his face.
“Dude,” Clark laughed. “You ever thought about getting a haircut?”
“Nope.”
“You’re always sweeping it aside like it’s cumbersome.”
“Nah,” John told him. “No one can get me to cut this hair. It’s a big part of me. Give me hair or give me death.”
The teacher walked into the classroom as the bell rang. Mrs. Tessler passed out notes and spoke as she stood in front of her class.
“Today we’ll be discussing the enneagram. Mathematically the enneagram is a nine-sided polygon. You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about math in a history class. You see, the enneagram also represents a model of human personality. It states that all human beings fit into one of nine interconnected personality types. Types such as the leader, the partner, the thinker, the idealist, and so on and so forth. Some argue the genesis of the enneagram began in the fourth century by a mystic named Evagrius Ponticus. However the enneagram typology gained its current status in the early seventies thanks to Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo.”
“This is kind of boring,” John whispered.
“Can’t disagree,” Clark yawned.
Clark turned the page in his notebook and after taking a few notes, he used a blue ink pen to draw a figure with a cape, goggles, boots, and gloves. Above the figure he wrote “Night Wolf.”
“That’s it,” Clark whispered to himself. “It’s perfect. Night Wolf.”
When the class bell rang, Clark scrambled to gather his notes and drawings together. He then told John he’d see him later before heading off to his next class. When Clark got to the computer lab, he sat next to Donny as he usually did. Sitting on the other side of Donny was Chloe, who had decided to take a new spot next to her boyfriend. Immediately, at a rapid fire rate, Clark told them about his idea of starting a team of superheroes after they saved a hundred train passengers. Donny and Chloe laughed until they realized that Clark was both serious and passionate.
“I’m as serious… Dead serious!,” Clark said. “We’re going to patrol the streets. We’re capable of anything. We’ll be feared by criminals.”
“And wear masks and capes?” Donny asked.
Ascension (The Ascension Series) Page 13
