Charlotte Powers 1: Power Down

by Ben White

  All these questions I should've asked when I had the chance. Although, actually, I shouldn't beat myself up about it TOO much. It's not like I DIDN'T ask questions, when I was little Mum and Dad actually tried to hide from me and my questions. Probably even Daniel isn't as well-versed in superhero mythology and culture as me, and if you want someone to name every superhero OR supervillain who was even SLIGHTLY famous, well, I'm your girl.

  Still, why did I never ask where super-strength COMES from? Or super-agility for that matter, although now that I think about it a kind of hazy memory about unconscious manipulation of airflow and friction comes to me. Is it an alteration, at a basic level, of physics itself? Breaking the rules of nature in order to accomplish these superhuman feats? Is it not the punch that is harder and faster and stronger, but simply the effect of the punch?

  Ugh. I just read back this entry, it doesn't even SOUND like me, where did all this come from? My headache's coming back too, I'm going back to bed. Come get me when I've woken up from this nightmare.

  xx48.11.14 / 06:43 / Monday

  Feeling surprisingly good this morning, especially considering how out of it I was yesterday. I don't even REMEMBER writing most of Sunday's entry. I thought I wrote something on Saturday, actually, but apparently not, unless I accidentally deleted it in a haze of exhaustion and headache-nausea. Maybe I just forgot to save it, except Opal should've timed-out and auto-saved if that had happened. (Except not, apparently, because I just checked the settings and I don't have auto-save turned on. Well, 'auto-cutoff' it calls it in a typically unuseful way—I love my Opal, I really do, but there are things about it that drive me utterly batty. Anyway, auto-save or auto-cutoff or whatever it is, it's turned on now!)

  (Actually just had another little look at the options and now I'm not so sure that 'auto-cutoff' is what I wanted, because there's something called 'time-delimited backup' which wasn't turned on but now is ... kind of want Daniel right now, he's always so useful in this kind of situation, he'd just like fiddle with my Opal for two seconds and then say 'There you go, stupid, all better'. Is it weird to really miss something that drove you MAD at the time?)

  Anyway! Today's a new day and I'm definitely feeling good. I actually woke up before the sun came up and had a really good run all around the back fields here, the school is right up against the hills, they're pretty interesting actually, lots of little gullies and mini-valleys formed by erosion, I think they lead all the way to the forest where I 'arrived' here. Maybe I'll take a longer run tomorrow.

  Oh, yes, I think I've figured out what my problem has been, with ... what to call it ... physical expenditure of energy? Maybe something like that, anyway, I'm too used to just going all-out from a standing start, with super-agility and super-strength you can do that without even worrying about things like pulled muscles and overexerting yourself. I read some stuff on the local nets this morning about exercise and 'best practice' about running and other physical stuff and it really made sense—I have to 'pace' myself. I can't just run like I used to, I have to warm up first, and I have to remember that I'm NOT going to be able to go as fast as I used to. If I'm powerless then I have to get used to that, and I have to figure out how to best use this normal body of mine. I got Opal to time me this morning, after I'd warmed up, and I can run a hundred metres in just over ten seconds. I checked and that's pretty good for a normal person—a non-powered person, I mean. I should check the gym here too, there might be something for measuring strength. Maybe weights? I never did anything like that, all of my training was 'practical', I mean what's the point of lifting weights when ACTUALLY what you're aiming for is 'taking down bad guys as efficiently as possible'? What I mean is, am I REALLY going to encounter a situation in which lifting a hundred kilos over my head is going to HELP me? Although with that said 'lifting heavy things' IS kind of a useful thing to be able to do, and when I had super-strength I actually COULD lift a hundred kilo chunk of Virtual Fallen Building over my head without too much trouble—but I'm getting away from my point. Um. Hold on a moment while I read back and try to figure out what my point was.

  Oh, right, getting used to not having powers. I think I've adjusted pretty well, considering everything. I haven't freaked out, I haven't gone insane, I haven't just curled into a ball and cried (well, not MUCH anyway). I've gotten on with things and I'm making the best of a bad situation.

  Anyway, I think maybe I'll do some more exercise now. I've got energy to spare today!

  xx48.11.14 / 10:05 / Still Monday

  Everyone's STUPIDLY excited today about some new student transferring in. Apparently he's really good at sports, woo. There's a special assembly before lunch to introduce him to the school, in the gymnasium. I can't say I share everyone's excitement.

  On the positive side of things, C2's here! I saw her just before my first class, I didn't get a chance to say "Hi!" but I'm sure I'll catch up with her later. My current plan is to get out of this class as quickly as possible once the bell rings, dash to the gymnasium, then hang around outside. There's only one external entrance and the internal entrances are mostly blocked off because of renovations, so I can be sure to catch her before she goes in. Then we can sit together!

  Oh, great. Veronica's in this class. She just walked in, minus her posse for like the first time ever. She hasn't seen me yet, thankfully, so maybe

  ...

  Okay, she saw me. It was all I could do to put Opal into standby mode before she came over. As usual, it was to make my life just that tiny bit worse.

  "Hello, Charlotte," she began, with one of her stupid perfect smiles. "I couldn't help but notice that you're still not signed up for even a single club. Most students are in at least two, I'm not sure why you persist in being different. Do you enjoy being the odd one out? I mean, yes, you have the 'odd' part down pat, but still. I'm sure you could attain a modicum of popularity here if you'd just make an effort."

  Then the teacher came in, thankfully, and gave us free study time before dashing off again. So I'm spending the time writing this. By the way, here's a weird and kind of annoying coincidence; Veronica is using an Opal too. I think it's a newer model than mine, I've had MY Opal for over six years now. Hers is the first one I've seen at this school, most of the students just have phones instead.

  Anyway, not much to do now except wait for the bell. Actually, I might sneak out early to make sure I get there before C2. Sounds like a plan!

  xx48.11.14 / 12:54 / Still Monday

  That was definitely the most interesting assembly I've ever been to. Okay okay, so it's the ONLY assembly I've ever been to, that's beside the point.

  Let's start with what happened BEFORE the assembly. I snuck out of class early to make sure I got there (to the gym I mean) before C2, and on the way I passed by what I think is a teacher's lounge. I couldn't help but notice that there was a lot of noise coming from in there, so I kind of ... dawdled. There was shouting from inside, and quite a lot of swearing too—not just from one person, there was a real argument going on. It was hard to make anything out, but one word kept coming up: 'segregation'. It seems like some of the teachers (or maybe just one really loud one) are against it. I guess they were talking about the students, maybe there's a plan to split some of them off into special classes. I didn't get to hear any more because suddenly I realised the really shouty guy was going to leave, so I ran off down the hall—when I looked back around the corner I saw it was one of my teachers, Mr Hall who teaches Literature. He was storming off away from me, I couldn't see his face but his back looked super-angry. After that more teachers started coming out so I went to the gymnasium really quickly, luckily I didn't get spotted or anything, one of the things I've discovered about myself since coming here is that I really hate getting into trouble. I actually had heaps of time before the assembly was supposed to start, I guess I got a little over-eager as far as 'timing' went, so I went in and looked around the parts they're renovating. It was pretty boring though, just a bunch of building supplies and big h
alf-finished gym rooms, it looked like no work had been done for a while. Come to think of it I haven't seen any builders around the school, either.

  Anyway, after I finished exploring I went to the weight room to test myself, there's a kind of machine there with adjustable weights and I played with that for a while. I didn't push myself, but I can pretty comfortably 'pull' ninety kilograms, although I have no idea if that's good or not. I did a bench press too, again I didn't push myself and I'm not sure if I was doing it properly but I could lift a sixty kg bar and weights (I don't know the proper term for it) with only a little trouble. I didn't want to try TOO much because I was by myself and if I got in trouble it'd be REALLY embarrassing to be found pinned to the bench, so I didn't push myself hard at all. I tried getting some averages off Opal but couldn't find the information I need on the local nets. It kind of felt like I was doing pretty well with how much I could lift, though.

  After I was finished with all that I went to wait for C2, once students and teachers started going into the gym I kind of hung back a little, even so I got a lot of odd looks. When C2 eventually came she spotted me straight away and came over. She seemed pleased, which made me really happy.

  "Hi, C2!" I said. "I thought we could sit together, what do you think?"

  "That sounds fun," she said. Wow, she actually said 'fun'! I mean, I KNOW she's not some kind of emotionless robot ... well, not the 'emotionless' part anyway, I still kind of have this tiny little suspicion that MAYBE she's some kind of robot, but if she IS a robot then she's definitely the kind that has emotions, and definitely the kind I want to have as a friend. Anyway, even though I know all that it's still kind of funny to hear her say something like 'fun'.

  We went inside together and found a seat near the back, in a quiet part of the stands. I could tell C2 was a bit tense so I asked her what was wrong, she just said she didn't like crowds. I don't blame her, actually, I'm not overly fond of them myself.

  "What DO you like?" I asked, to pass the time and hopefully take her mind off the crowd. She thought for a while, then said:

  "Pears."

  Which made me laugh. But you know something? I've never had a pear!

  "That's terrible," she said, when I told her that. "Pears are wonderful, you should eat one as soon as possible. If you'd like to, that is. I don't want you to think I'm trying to force you to eat a pear, or anything that you don't want to—"

  "No, I want to," I said. "I'd love to try a pear."

  "It's not the right season now," she said. "You have to wait until late summer." She hesitated a moment, then she said: "Apples and pears are closely related, but there's a significant difference between them. If you put an apple into water, it will float. But if you put a pear into water, it will sink."

  "Oh, that's interesting," I said. "I didn't know that."

  C2 seemed REALLY happy about this, she even smiled a bit and then said:

  "What's also interesting and both a similarity and difference between pears and apples is the presence of sclereids. In apples these form the hard inner 'core' and in pears they form 'stone cells' that give the slightly gritty texture—"

  After that she kind of lost me, but even though I didn't understand any of what she said I still just enjoyed listening to her talk. It reminded me of Daniel when he gets going, and it was nice to hear some enthusiasm in her voice. Except after about half a minute she stopped and said:

  "I think I'm boring you. I'm very sorry."

  "What? No, it's okay!" I said, but I didn't get the chance to continue because it was then that the assembly started. I won't bore you with the details because most of the starting stuff wasn't interesting at all, just speeches about solidarity and teamwork and greater goods and working together towards a common goal. Apparently that was all a lead-in to introducing the new guy, who turned out to be a really tall really broad really flat-faced guy with blonde hair called Ray Ricardo. He plays rugby. I know this because the announcer guy (actually I think he might have been the principal, I wasn't really paying attention I have to admit) said it about ten times. Anyway, Ray said something about being pleased to be at the school, he seems okay, but what happened AFTER that was what REALLY got my attention.

  The gym went WILD. I'd noticed a lot of people whispering and a lot of excited tension when Ray was introduced and when he talked, but after he'd finished thanking everyone for coming the gym just LITERALLY exploded. Well not LITERALLY literally but you get what I mean, the students went MENTAL. Like, standing up and screaming and waving their arms, I actually got kind of a fright, I thought somebody must have spontaneously combusted or something. C2 took it all calmly, when I looked at her she kind of halfway-looked back and said:

  "Everyone reacts the same."

  It's weird, but even though C2 speaks in that mumbly whispery kind of subdued way, I never have any trouble hearing her, even when a whole gymnasium full of lunatics is roaring all around me. Anyway, I wasn't quite sure what she meant until I looked around again. We were the only two people in the entire crowd who WEREN'T cheering for Ray—who was taking it all kind of smugly, I mean it was obvious he was enjoying it all. I looked back at C2, and she said:

  "Not just today."

  And then it was like she'd ripped a hood off my head and I could see for the first time since I got here—she's right. All the students act the same, every day—some days they're all a bit grumpy, some days they're all a bit happier, some days they're all super-focused and uncommunicative. Today, they're all insanely excited that this not-that-impressive guy is going to play rugby for the school. Why?

  "I don't know."

  C2 paused for a moment after that, then she almost went to say something else, then she just shook her head and looked down at her hands. I looked around at the crowd again, the noise was starting to die down a little at that point but most of the students were still going as strong as ever—it must have been for more than a minute at this point, that they'd been cheering. But not ALL of them were cheering with the same bizarre enthusiasm—lots of them were almost frothing at the mouth, but some others had already sat down. They were all excited, but in different students there were different levels of excitement.

  Eventually the cheering stopped completely, and Ray made his exit, and then we had another speech. Guess who gave it? Uh-huh, yep. Veronica Flux. I'm sure she was directing it straight at me, because it was all about fitting in and being one of the crowd, how you could express your individuality as part of a group and that didn't lessen your worth as a person and blah blah blah. My palms tingle every time I see that girl, probably because I kind of want to slap her. I know that's not very heroic but she just gets right on my nerves.

  After she'd finished there was YET ANOTHER speech, this time it was a tall, serious-looking student wearing a dark uniform with a band across it. I recognised him as the head of the student council; he's the one who told me off after Veronica and her cronies dumped spaghetti sauce all over me. His speech was all about teamwork. Teamwork is the most important thing in the world! Teamwork cures all diseases and does your chores for you! Teamwork will save you if you fall under a bus! He must have said 'teamwork' about fifty times in his speech, by the end of it the word had lost all meaning. Anyway, he finished up with:

  "Teamwork! That's what this school is about. Teamwork as exemplified by our own Emerald Hedgehogs, who I'm sure will be welcoming their newest player with open arms. I expect each and every one of you to show your support by attending the big game the Thursday after next. Go Hedgehogs!"

  Everyone went crazy for that. Some more than others. C2 and I exchanged glances, or at least she almost met my eye.

  Then Veronica gave another speech. I KNOW. This was the last one, though, and pretty short:

  "We've had good attendance lately for the self-improvement program, but I want to see more new faces there. If you're curious at all, come along after this assembly, we have pizza and snacks so you won't go hungry!"

  After everything was over it was lunch
time. Of course, I naturally just assumed C2 and I would eat lunch together, but when we got out of the gym we kind of started off in different directions.

  "Where are you going?" I asked. She blinked at me. Well, near me.

  "I have to attend the self-improvement program," she said.

  I couldn't believe it. My jaw hit the ground. C2 got kind of a funny look on her face, like she was trying to figure something out, then she asked:

  "Is that okay? Did I do something wrong?"

  I couldn't say anything, it was just too much for me—that C2, my new friend, is part of Veronica's self-improvement program! So I ... I don't want to write this down, I really don't, it was so bad but I just turned my back on her and left.

  I know! I know it was bad! I just left her standing there and when I looked back (WHY did I look back?) she was still standing there looking really confused, I feel awful about it, I don't even know WHY I'm so upset that she's part of the stupid thing, it's just ... WHY? Why is she in the self-improvement program? Doesn't she SEE how awful Veronica is? She must! She knows Veronica was the one who PURPOSEFULLY humiliated me in front of the whole lunch room, C2 was the one who rescued me from that! Well not RESCUED but helped me clean up afterwards anyway, doesn't that mean anything to her? I feel so betrayed!