Degrees of Genius

Self Discovery or Some Shit

Kathleen~

"Guys! Help!" I heard Alyssa holler from the other side of the room.

We were in the basement of the school, which had been renovated by Mrs. Davis to be our home base. I hadn't had time to explore much but it seemed to be a lot bigger than possible and equipped with pretty much anything a team of teenage superheroes could need.

Mrs. Davis had told us to experiment with our powers, try to get them to work and learn how to control them. We'd do this every Tuesday and Thursday after an hour of actual scholar bowl practice. Wednesday's were hand to hand. Aka Nick kicks everyone's butt and then doesn't shut up about it.

It was going well for some of us, like Nick, who was hurling barbells with ease, almost hitting some of his teammates, and Mia, who had managed to make Nick fall asleep with a cover of Falling In Love With You by Elvis, her hypnotic voice having an almost immediate effect on him.

However, training was not going well for a lot of the team, like me, as I stared in the mirror attempting to go on some spiritual journey into my mind and soul to discover my inner self. Or Alyssa, who had managed to teleport herself into the wall and was now stuck.

When I got there, Nick was laughing and Clayton shut him up with a glare before I could make a move to flip him off.

"Did you try teleporting out?" I asked.

"Yeah, I can't. I don't have the energy," Alyssa sighed, squirming as much as she could.

Sydney ran up, smiling about the situation. Not in the asshole way, like Nick. "You seem stuck."

Alyssa sighed again and glared, "You don't say?" She grunted then disappeared, showing up a few feet to the left of Sydney. "I did it! Sorry for making you all come over here. I- I panicked."

With that, I went back to staring at myself in the mirror. I thought back to what Mrs. Davis had told us before she went to go get something. Your powers are linked to the part of your brain that controls long term memory. You all specialize in a certain field, and that's where you'll find your ability.

I had noticed how we all knew a lot about something different, and I saw how they matched with their powers, but I didn't know what mine was. I didn't really think I had a field. I just knew random shit I found on the internet or in a book somewhere.

I got angry and punched the mirror. It cracked, making my hand bleed. Well that's just beautiful. Defeated, I walked over to where Mrs. Davis had said the medical supplies were and started wrapping my hand clumsily.

Ellie saw me and came over, "Dude what did the mirror do to you?"

"I don't know, I just had some beef with it I needed to handle," I shrug and look at the half decent job I did wrapping my hand, "So, how's self discovery going for you? I haven't seen you."

"Well," Ellie grins, holding out the 'l' sound as she pulls out a book. I look at the cover. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Good choice. Ellie opens the book and takes a deep breath. She sets her hand with all of her fingers spread out on the pages. Then she pushed her hand forward. It sunk into the pages like she was sticking her hand in Jello. After a few moments, she pulls her hand out and in it, is a cloak. She closes the book and sets it down before wrapping the cloak around herself. She disappeared. "I give you, the cloak of invisibility!" She pokes her head out and grins.

"Kids! Front room, please! Hustle!" It was Mrs. Davis. Ellie and I look at each other before bolting to the front entrance.

~•~

Everyone was there by the time Ellie and I showed up (though Nick still seemed half asleep).

"What is it?" Joe piped up. I hadn't seen him all day. I wonder how his power search is going.

"I know you guys are no where near ready to fight other people with abilities but now, we have field training. A simple bank robbery. You should be able to handle it," Mrs. Davis says without looking up, "You need to head out soon but I have something for all of you, real quick."

She pulls open a box and pulls out nine little boxes, handing one to each of us and keeping one for herself. I opened the box to reveal a small, black earpiece. I stick it in my ear and everyone else does the same. Underneath the earpiece, was a mask. I took off my glasses and put it on, expecting to keep my shit vision but only to find the mask worked just as well as my glasses.

Mrs. Davis sighs, "I'm sorry for throwing you into this so soon, some of you haven't even discovered your ability yet, but I believe in you eight. You can do this. Just please, watch each other's backs. You're a team. Work as one," she hands a paper to Joe, "That's where you're headed. It's by the bowling alley. If you find yourselves in a pinch, you can reach me on the communicator. Good luck, team."

~•~

This is terrible but it's a thing.

~ Neil Tack