Alex and her friends are about as popular as used chewing gum, so why is someone following them, watching from the shadows and sending threatening notes? Answer's are hard to come by, but questions start lining up when Alex develops electricity powe...
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September 9th, Saturday, First quiz practice, Early September
"So... I'm on my own?" Ken asked, feeling overwhelmed by everything his pastor had just said.
"Not quite, there's a young woman who's new to the church, and she's expressed in interest in helping to run the quiz team."
Ken blinked in surprise; first the Garbor family left- with Mr. Garbor who Ken had been hoping to help run the quiz team with, and then he's told that he'll be teaming up with a stranger!?
"Oh." Ken voiced his confusion and misgivings in the single syllable.
His pastor smiled, "She has an up to date police check and seems capable enough- I think the two of you will be able to keep the quiz team going- at least for a few weeks."
Ken raised a sceptical eye brow; he had been a quizzer all through his teens, and now that he was nineteen, he had been planning to help run the quiz team- that is until the Garbors moved. Ken took quizzing fairly seriously- and he didn't see the point of running a team... if it didn't seem likely that it would last long.
"Maybe we shouldn't have a team this year- I mean if we don't have enough people to compete properly... why do it?" Ken asked.
"For fun if nothing else." a rich sounding voice replied from the church office doorway.
Ken looked over his shoulder; standing in the door, with a hand on the knob, stood a very tall young woman- taller then Ken, that was certain. She had the dark brown skin of an African American- but had weirdly out of place blue eyes. She had a bouncy looking afro and orange eye makeup.
"Maddison! Come in." the pastor invited, "This is who I was talking about."
Maddison stepped forward and smiled at Ken as she offered her hand to shake, "I guess your Ken."
"Yeah, nice to meet you." Ken said- fighting to not stare at her- she was quite stunning!
"You don't think quizzing should be fun?" she asked with a hint of playfulness as she sat down.
Ken thought about his answer before he said it out loud, "I'm not against the quizzers having fun- I just don't know if it'd be worth all the trouble with such a small team."
"We have five youth, don't we?" Maddison asked the pastor who confirmed with a nod.
"Well there you go! You only need four to make a team!" Maddison settled back into her chair and dared Ken to argue with her friendly blue eyes.
Ken sighed slightly, "Yeah I guess." He was much more use to large quiz teams- five just seemed like too small a number!
"Well I've been thinking about that," the pastor cut in, "And talking with the youth pastor at the church at the bottom of the hill there- and they have a small quiz team too. We've been considering joining the two groups!"
Ken leaned back in his chair, "I guess that could work." He conceded- he was liking the idea of working with Maddison.
"We haven't decided for certain yet." The pastor clarified.
"First we need some quizzers of our own." Maddison pointed out- she sounded confident that they would have quizzers.
'Well... we'll have Jen!' Ken thought of his younger sister, but beyond that he wasn't sure that the others would want to be on such a small team. 'I guess we'll find out tonight!'
"I'm sure we'll whip together a great team in no time!" Maddison declared- she obviously hadn't met Jen!
* * *
Jackson held the church's front door open for Spencer. The short Filipino girl smiled up at him, "Thanks." She said as she ducked inside- was she blushing? Or was Jackson just imagining things? It was possible that he was imagining that Spencer had a crush on him; he wasn't feeling quite himself that day. His hearing had been off all day!
You know that feeling when your ears pop- and then everything seems extra loud? That's how Jackson had felt all day! It was weird.
"I can't wait to start quizzing again!" Spencer announced as they made their way to the youth room where they had their quizzing practices.
"Yeah." Jackson agreed absently as he pressed the palm of his hand over his ear and shook his hand, hoping to get his hearing back the way is should be- it didn't work.
"Jackson?" Spencer paused at the youth room door, her finely shaped brows arched in question, and Jackson realized that he had missed something that she had said- how was it he could hear his own heart beat loud and clear but miss what someone said when they were right beside him!?
"Ah, yeah." He tried- but Spencer frowned; wrong answer! "I mean no- what did you say?" he stumbled and frowned down at her in confusion- he couldn't tell if he was talking loud enough- or too loud.
Spencer's brown eyes crinkled- and he thought she was angry with him- but then she smiled, "Your weird sometimes." She declared then entered the youth room.
Jackson sighed- girls were confusing! Going in after her, Jackson saw that the room was set up with the quizzing chairs and quiz master's table.
Lisa and Claudia were already there, and so too was Ken- Jackson knew that he use to be a quizzer- and a good one, but what was he doing here? Stranger still, there was a woman that Jackson had never seen- he would have remembered her if he had! Tall, bohemian style clothes, and a 'LOOK AT ME' afro.
"Hey, Jackson and Spencer- right?" Ken asked, tossing his blonde hair out of his face.
Jackson and Spencer nodded.
"Are you going to be our new coach?" Claudia asked Ken boldly.
"That's right- him and me both." The tall woman said with a charismatic smile, "I'm Maddison. I told you we'd get quizzers!" she said to Ken, who looked a bit sheepish.
"Can we quiz with just four quizzers?" Spencer asked skeptically.
"Oh, my sister should be coming soon!" Ken assured.
Jackson sighed internally- he had hoped that he wouldn't have to hang out with Jen this quizzing year- especially now that she was known as 'Garbage Girl'!
Just then the back door to the youth room opened, Jen came rushing through, her hands full with a tray of Tims coffee. "Surprise!" she called out cheerfully- but there was a reason Jackson and the others hadn't used that back door; there were two very steep steps up to the door- and almost everyone ALWAYS tripped on them.
And Jen? Garbage Girl could trip walking down an empty hallway.
