by Simon Archer
After all, this was how these sorts of relationships worked. You had to keep the lines of communication open and never let the other person think you’re untrustworthy. That was important.
So it struck me as odd that they’d seemed a bit different since the night of the party. They’d been flirty, sure, but I knew that they weren’t trying to be purposely sneaky. It just seemed odd that they’d grown so chummy so quickly. I shrugged and shook my head. I was sure I was overreacting. Probably because I hadn’t really gotten a good rest since we returned from the Brand. Hopefully, that would change tonight. I was looking forward to actually sleeping.
The girls and the sex were great and all, but a man needed sleep, too.
“Are you going to go?” Matt’s voice cut through the noise in my head, and I was grateful for the distraction. His green eyes stared hard at me, as though he were ready to pounce depending on the answer I gave him.
"Cool your jets, Matt. I'm staying here," I assured him. "There's nothing I can learn there that would benefit me. Besides, I’ve been looking forward to these ride-alongs for a while. I’m not going to give that up to spend quality time in the Brand."
“More like you can’t handle all of your Kidferno groupies,” Andie teased over her shoulder and stuck out her tongue.
I laughed at the nickname she’d given me the first day I met her. “There’s that, too.”
Matt seemed to relax with the knowledge that I was staying put. I understood his concern, but there really wasn’t a need for it. I knew what I wanted. I wanted to help people, save lives, be a hero. I might be Lord Inferno’s son, but I had a clear vision of where I wanted life to take me, and down the road of villainy wasn’t it.
“I take it you and Kristen are staying here, too?” I asked unnecessarily. The answer was obvious, but I confirmed it as Kristen nodded from Matt’s other side.
“I’m sure that comes as a shock to you,” Matt joked lightly.
“Oh, yeah. Totally blindsided. Never would have seen that coming,” I replied with a flat, mocking tone as I opened the door to the gym.
Inside, City Master awaited us with his hands clasped in front of him. He waited patiently as we approached him in the middle. Upon inspection, it didn’t look as though there was anything in place, but I definitely felt as though something was off.
“Welcome, Champions,” he greeted with a mysterious look in his eyes and the faintest smirk on his lips. “I hope you’ve rested well since I last saw you.”
We nodded collectively, though I exchanged a look with Kara that wondered if we had been too hammered and done something sexual in front of him or anyone else for that matter. Exhibitionists could be kinky, and I’d definitely be down to try it, but maybe not in front of one of Alexandria’s heroes.
“What are we doing today?” Eric asked with renewed vigor. I knew he wouldn’t let Matt get him down, nor should he. I fully believe Eric was capable of handling himself against anything that the Brand could throw at him.
“I’m glad you asked, Mr. Meyers,” City Master commented. “Before you is an obstacle course.”
I blinked several times and tossed a confused glance at a few of my friends before I spoke up.
“There is?”
“Indeed, Starlight,” Aylin piped up. She looked rather pleased as her eyes scanned the emptiness of the room.
“There’s nothing there, right?” Andie leaned in and asked Eric, who nodded in agreement.
“I think Aylin’s cracked,” I heard Matt whisper to his sister, who stifled a giggle into the back of her hand.
“You are correct, Princess,” City Master nodded. “However, I’m sure you are the only one who can see it since you are of a different planet. To the others, there is nothing but an empty room surrounding us.”
“It’s invisible!” I exclaimed. I was suddenly a mix of excited curiosity and absolutely terrified.
“This is the work of Mindbender,” Kara gasped, eyes wide as a slow grin spread across her lips.
“Very perceptive, Miss Johnson,” an unfamiliar voice caught my ears, and I looked around for the source of it. I saw nothing upon first glance, but a ripple that appeared in thin air beside City Master captured my attention. Sure enough, Mindbender himself came into full view, arms crossed behind his back and eyes narrow, but kind. His silver hair was braided and draped over his left shoulder.
“Man! I should have known you had something to do with this!” Eric exclaimed. He saw Mindbender frequently for therapy, so he was well acquainted with how his psychosis worked. As for Kara, she trained under him since her superpower was of the mental variety. She was also rather versed in his illusions.
“How are we supposed to run it if we can’t see it?” Kristen scoffed, unphased by this revelation. “I thought the whole point of this was to work on our cardio?”
“You will be doing your fair share of running. Never you fret, Miss Barbur.” As City Master responded, Mindbender clapped his hands once, and the course was revealed in all its glory.
To say I was stunned would be an understatement. Shocked? Awed? Both of those were accurate descriptors. My eyes roamed over the course, and I turned in circles taking all of it in. There were hurdles, ball pits, even a small swimming pool. It reminded me of that one show on television, Parkour Warrior or something like that.
“We have to do this blindly?” I asked, not too keen on swimming through water that I couldn’t see.
“Not at first,” City Master explained. “As Miss Barbur pointed out, this is supposed to be a cardio exercise. For the next semester, on top of your daily regimens and studies, you’ll be tasked with mastering this course. You’ll start off during your first two weeks with full visibility. You’ll be able to anticipate and plan your methods as you see fit. After that, you’ll be racing against your companions for the best time. From there, I will start taking away your visibility, first with blindfolds, then the course altogether.”
“What exactly is the point of that?” Eric asked with a cocked brow and his hands on his hips.
“As I said, Mr. Meyers, this is a cardio exercise. However, this will also serve as training in the field. You’ll learn to either work against or together with your fellow heroes, as well as how to counter villains who can obscure your senses.” City Master nodded as he finished his explanation. “Think of it as a privilege, if you will. It isn’t every day that Triton requests heroes take on extra training. If he sees that kind of potential in you, it is for a good reason. Clearly, you have impressed him with your victory at the World’s Finest. Now, it is time to prove that you are worthy of that victory.”
I thumbed my nose as a cocky grin spread across my face. This was going to be more fun than I had originally thought. I was actually a little more than thrilled to be getting this sort of special treatment. It meant that my friends and I were heroes on the rise. We were considered the top of our class. That was a pretty awesome feeling.
“What if we will not be here for the duration of this training?”
My head whipped towards Aylin as the words left her mouth.
“Pardon?” City Master blinked, then stared at her as he awaited a further explanation.
“What she means is what if we choose to do the exchange program with the Brand?” Andie stepped in and placed a hand on Aylin’s shoulder comfortingly. “How do we complete this kind of training if we aren’t here to partake in it?”
City Master looked to Mindbender, who considered her words a moment. He then folded his hands in front of him once again. “Well, are any of you considering taking part in the program?”
Eric raised his hand immediately, and then, much more slowly and apprehensively, Andie and Aylin raised theirs as well.
I wasn’t mad, honestly, but shocked? Yeah, I was shocked. This was the first I had heard about this, but they had clearly talked about the possibility of leaving for the semester before this moment.
I looked to Kara, who looked as bewildered as I had. So, they hadn’t disc
ussed it with her, either.
“I see,” City Master hummed, then bowed his head in thought for a moment. “In that case, I assume your training will be postponed until you returned. You may sit this out today if you wish.”
Eric whispered a quiet cheer of joy as he practically skipped towards the doors to watch and wait. Andie and Aylin eyed me, but the latter looked away fearfully. I frowned when my eyes connected with Andie’s.
“Later,” she mouthed to me, and I nodded. I was sure that they had meant to tell me in a different way, so I couldn’t be mad at them. Still, it kinda sucked to find out like this that they were even thinking about it.
“As for the rest of you, I fully expect your full participation,” City Master told us. “Any volunteers for the first round?”
I shot my hand up without hesitation. To my surprise, Kara had instantly put hers up as well. Seemed as though we were both a little on edge from Andie and Aylin’s admission. Her eyes were set hard, determined.
“You’re eager, aren’t you?” City Master asked with a hint of amusement. “Tell you what. How about we start this off with a race then? A mere friendly competition to get you warmed up to the course.”
Kara and I locked glances and nodded with a slight shrug. Why not? It wasn’t often that she and I were pitted against each other because our skill sets were vastly different, so it would be interesting to see how well she could keep up with me.
“Excellent.” City Master chuckled and gestured to the start of the course. “Ready yourselves and hold up your hands when you’ve finished preparing.
Kara and I jogged over to the start, a stretch of a sprint that looked to be about half a mile before it ascended uphill then dropped off to a few suspended platforms. As Kara tied her hair back, I could fully see the emotion in her eyes. They were sharp, not unlike her usual calm and kind demeanor.
“Hey,” I tapped her shoulder as I took a running stance next to her, “you doing okay?”
“I’m fine, Nick.” She brushed me off shortly, then turned to me with a small smile. “Seriously. Don’t worry about it.”
“I mean, I am worried about it,” I told her honestly. She wasn’t easy to anger, but she definitely looked like some kind of mean. Was she really that upset that they were thinking of going to the Brand?
“Don’t.” She laughed shortly. “If you get distracted, I’ll be sure to beat your ass.”
I was a bit taken aback by her playful threat, but I was up for the challenge. We both raised our hands when we were in position. There was a hanging silence for a split second before City Master blew the whistle, and then we were off. We both launched ourselves forward with incredible speed. Though Kara was small, she was quick and had taken to the physical training I had laid out for her with a vengeance. That combined to make her a dangerous adversary.
Either the sprint wasn’t as long as I thought it was, or we were moving just that quickly. Before I knew it, we were climbing the steep hill to the top. There were no footholds for leverage, so if we fell, we had to start all over again. Lucky for both of us, stamina was on our side, and even though she slipped three-quarters of the way up the dirt slope, she was able to recover hastily. It was as though she lost no time at all.
When we reached the top, we were still neck and neck. Below us, we could our friends cheering us on, which only pumped me up more. I took a brief second to study the angles at which the platforms were laid out so that I could get the best leap from each one, but that second cost me a second too many. Kara was already halfway across, three platforms ahead of me when I finally started my jumps.
How in the world was she so good at that? It must have been part of her superpowers. She could think in equations and angles faster than my brain could process them.
By the time I made it across after her, I was only two steps behind. I had no idea what lay in store for us now that we were across. The two of us came to a short stop and nearly toppled over the side. In front of us was a long chasm that turned at the corner of the gym. Between us and the other side was a series of hanging ropes. We would have to swing across, which meant not only would we have to gain and maintain momentum but also figure out the fastest route to the other side.
Again, Kara was ahead of me, able to formulate the best route much more quickly than I could. In this instance, however, I had the upper hand. While she had been training hard for months now, I had been doing that same regimen my entire life. I leapt onto the nearest rope and clung for dear life as I swung forward. I hastily grasped for the next one, and then the next. My sheer muscle mass propelled me forward, thus giving me better momentum, and in no time, I was pulling ahead of her. My hands burned from the ropes, though, and I hissed as I slipped an inch on the last rope before my foot hit the landing on the other side.
I didn’t take the time to analyze what was next, but I quickly discovered that I definitely should have. There was a rolling, padded column that connected to the top of where I had stood, to another, much lower platform. My feet carried me faster than I could process what was happening, and I slipped halfway down the column. I quickly grabbed onto it as it continued to roll, me along with it, and shimmied down the rest of the way, determined to not touch the ground. I didn’t want to be disqualified in my first run, even if it was just a test to get a feel for it.
By the time I’d managed to climb atop the bottom platform, I’d made a mental note that I should probably work on my balance. Not only that, but Kara had caught up with me yet again. She was persistent if nothing else. That was one of the things I loved about my Moon.
We reached the tire jump, and we trotted back and forth into the center holes, careful not to trip ourselves up on the thick rubber. A tumble like that would definitely leave a skid mark at the pace we were going. Aside from the sprint, that had probably been the easiest part of the course, even if it did take precision and concentration.
Next was the one thing I was mildly timid of. I wasn’t a bad swimmer, per se, and one would think that growing up on an island would make me a strong one, but that was not the case. It simply wasn’t my strongest suit, likely because I was mildly afraid of drowning. But this was just a pool, and I wasn’t alone. I knew that if something did happen, I would be in good hands if I couldn’t get myself out of it.
I dove in with slight hesitation, feeling refreshed from all the sweat I’d just accumulated from the course so far. I came back up for air and crossed my arms one in front of the other, moving my head from side to side as I recalled from swimming lessons as a child. Beside me, Kara had apparently opted for a more difficult stroke, the butterfly. Her petite form and flawless execution gained her optimal speed and allowed her to pull ahead drastically. She was already onto the next part of the course by the time I had pulled myself out of the water.
Now with the added weight of the water on my suit, I had yet another wall to climb, only this one was vertical and about twice as high as anything else in the course. There was a rope to give us leverage attached to the top, where the flag we were supposed to grab was. I took a couple of steps back to gain some momentum before I grabbed the rope and slammed my wet shoes into the wall. I grit my teeth as my hands slipped along the rope from the moisture, but I persevered and pulled my weight up one step at a time. I was panting hard, and my legs were starting to burn from moving constantly. Maybe Gemma’s cardio suggestion wasn’t so bad of an idea after all if I was this winded.
Finally, Kara and I were neck and neck again. I could hear her straining and grunting as well, but her grit was admirable. She wasn’t going to go down until it was down to the last second. Her cheeks were flushed, and it almost matched the shade of her hair, but I couldn’t let myself get distracted by how adorable that was.
I could smell victory as the other side of the platform started to come into view. It was within my grasp, and I was so close. I grunted loudly and took two massive steps toward the top, where I was finally about to reach out and pull myself atop. I snatched the bright blue f
lag from where it was perched, and then with a victorious cheer, I leapt into the freefall pit of balls and sank into its plastic and foam safety.
Seconds later, the balls shifted, and Kara landed next to me with her own flag clenched tightly in her hand. Our heads rolled towards each other, and despite being out of breath, we managed to unravel into a fit of laughter.
“Well done, Nick and Kara!” I heard City Master yell over the cheers of our friends as they all rushed over to the ball pit.
“Oh my gosh, Nick, you looked so cool up there!” Eric gawked as he tried to fish me out of the pit. “I thought you were gonna be a goner on that rolling column, but you made it through!”
I finally made contact with his hand, and he pulled me into an upright position. Meanwhile, Matt had found Kara and had straight-up lifted her out of the pit and set her on the floor next to him. I couldn’t tell if she was blushing from the odd gesture, or if she was just that flush from the race, but now that I could stare at her beauty for a second, I was absolutely going to.
“What was their time?” Andie asked as she came to a stop next to City Master. She tried to peer over his notes on the clipboard, but he shooed her away.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged with a smirk. “I wasn’t keeping time.”
“What?” I asked incredulously. “How am I supposed to know if I’m making progress or not without a time?”
“Relax, Mr. Gateon,” City Master snorted. “You’ll know when you make progress. You’ll be able to feel it.”
I huffed, partly because I was still trying to catch my breath as I climbed out of the ball pit, but also because that was a lame answer.
“That’s all for today, though,” he added. “The rest of you should be prepared, as you’ll be up next.”
