Superhero CITY - The Test

Chapter Eleven (edited)

The silence was deafening, especially in comparison to the loud clamber of the battle only moments before still ringing in my ears. My black suit was still flashing red directly over my heart, and my breaths were still harsh and erratic from the exertion of the fight.

My hands were shaking and my knees felt like they were about to buckle with the relief that came as a match ended. But I locked them and held firm as I looked on at our opponents and the victors of our fight.

The leader of Bravo – I think his name was Julian, but I wouldn't bet a cent on it – returned my stare with one of his own. "Well done with Imagine Demons, we didn't think that twelvies could take our any year thirteens, even them. For a moment there, we thought that you might even beat us." His smirk conveyed that he never actually personally believed the last part.

I wanted to bite my lip or clench my fists, but knew that it would give me away.

He was the duelling captain of the final year, like I was of my own grade. But unlike me, he embraced the roll and everything that came with it, fitting with obscene perfection into ever jock stereotype that could be thought of. His cruel popularity and brazen untouchable attitude pushed my buttons every time we spoke. How civilly he'd behaved towards us in the armoury had actually shocked me earlier this morning – he hadn't acted that way since he'd tried to recruit the twins and I into his little social group.

Of course we couldn't bring any of out other friends at the time because they weren't 'the right type' – and that was the first time Joshua, or whatever his name was, really pissed me off. I used to know his name, but forgot it on purpose. Now I just call him Goldie-Jocks, and I think that pisses him off.

It's just a silly schoolyard name, but it's one that stuck to him since he first joined the junior duelling teams in grade four. I didn't realise who'd actually come up with it until year nine, when I saw him attempting to bully Natalia, and her total 'I don't give a crap' response at his threats to hit her as she crowed over him about the success of his nickname that she had come up with.

That was the day Lia and I became the friends that we are today. Now, other than competitive rivalry, nothing comes between us. The only issue about that is that at our academy. There is almost always one competition or another going on. So, that in other words, even though we could theoretically get along all of the time, in reality we didn't nearly so often.

But as for the times we were in the same team, I would work even better with her than with Charles and Allison. And because of that, I believed that we actually had a decent chance. Every time Natalia and I got past our differences, we became a deadly combination. Especially when you added in the Knights to the equation.

When I turned to look over my shoulder at her, it could be seen as clear as day how disappointed and frustrated she was at our battle's result. But then again, she didn't have to fake her response the way that the rest of us did, because it wasn't any different. She had the stubborn, passionate, and quick to light the fuse attitude that was so cliché amongst people who had her red hair. Add in the fact that she possessed an unfortunate amount of pride, enabling her beliefs that she and whatever team she was a part of would always win no matter the odds, and you got a slightly psychotic genius who had the occasional temper tantrum and a disposition towards striking first and asking questions later if upset.

Meaning in other words that she had a very well known reputation on campus, and no one would question why if she seemed just a little bit more angry over our loss than everyone else in her team.

After all of these years, it was almost expected of her now.

Bravo, CITY Keepers, and Imagine Demons all flashed above each of our heads, beginning respectively in the order and colour of the winning team. First came our victors shining with a bright, glittering gold and haloed by blinding rays of a strong yellow. A glowing number from one to four would appear affixed at the beginning of each of their individual names floating above their grinning faces. The digit ranked their performance within the team, and beside it another one that would appear bordered by a second circle and in bold that represented how they placed in the match overall, regardless of teams, and with a zero in front of the single digit rankings.