Super BLAND

Episode 58 One of us

May 19th, One week later, May long weekend, Quiz finals

Spencer patted her neat top knot as she made her way to their home room- yes the church where the quiz finals were was so big, every team had their own home room! They had done two match's already, but had not done well; it was Lisa- their team captain was off her game, distracted and nervous. Not at all like Lisa!

Spencer hoped to talk with Lisa before they met with Colten, and she was relieved to find Lisa in the home room.

"What's going on?" Spencer demanded to know as she entered the home room where they had stashed their sweaters and back packs.

Lisa ran a hand through her hair, "What do you mean?" she asked, pretending like everything was fine.

Spencer thrust out her hip and propped a hand on it, "You've been acting weird all week! Ever since Colten told us about his plan. You've been distracted at school, and stressed- don't think I haven't noticed! And well your explaining to me why you've been so odd, you can tell me why you won't talk or hang out with Claudia and Jackson! At least tell me what they've done wrong so that I can be angry with them too!"

* * *

Lisa kept her mouth firmly closed; everything that Spencer had just said was true. She was distracted and stressed- that's just what happens when you get yourself in over your head! At first it had been fun to sneak around and gossip at why Jen, Alex, and the others were so weird... but it had stopped being fun when Colten came up with his plan for the quiz finals.

Suddenly the idea of exposing her friends- her FRIENDS- to the world as being 'super freaks', was no longer appealing. It all seemed wrong. Colten was taking this TOOO far. Even Claudia- the girl who never backed out of anything- had backed out of this!

"You two ready?" Colten asked as he appeared in the home room. He wore a black volunteer shirt, and held his phone in his hand- the phone that he would use to record the 'super freaks' on. Only she and Spencer knew that Colten was there- not even Claudia knew her brother was at the finals.

"Can you do this fast?" Spencer asked, "We have a match in fifteen."

Colten glared at her, "Here's the plan, after your match, you two have got to get Jen separated from the others-"

Lisa cut him off suddenly, "I don't think so."

Colten blinked, and Spencer looked at her in surprise.

"I think I'm done helping you. And I don't appreciate you treating my friends like a cheap ticket to internet fame."

"What!? After months of planning? And that's it?!" Colten asked in disbelief.

Lisa raised an eye brow, "That's right." Then she walked past him with her head held high- feeling for the first time in a while like she had done the right thing. But her stress levels were not getting better.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Quiz match

Jackson leaned back in his chair (chair four) as a quizzer from the other team jumped for the question that Lisa should have jumped for- what was wrong with her!? They were half way through their match and Lisa was doing terrible! He exchanged a look with Claudia, who sat beside Lisa, in chair two. Claudia was still worried that her brother would try something that weekend, but no one had seen any sign of Colten.

The quizzer on the other team answered the question correctly and the quiz master- a very scary woman with arched eye brows- reset the board for the next question.

"Where is it found," the Quiz master said crisply, "'Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them.'"

No one moved... Jackson wracked his brain for an address for the verse- was it Mark fourteen? Or fifteen?

Just then Claudia gasped softly- as did several people in the audience. Jackson looked over Spencer's head at Lisa- but she was gone! How had she gotten up and left without her chair buzzing?!

BUZZ!

It was Lisa's chair that buzzed- Claudia flinched back, and at least fifty pares of eyes stared in confusion at the empty chair.

"Where is she!?" Spencer asked, her voice was laced with fear.

"I'm right here!" Lisa's voice came out of thin air, making Spencer squeal and the crowd gasp, but the quiz master was not amused.

"Miss Cole, this is a quizzing match- not a game of hide and seek!" the quiz master sounded most angry!

Jackson slipped his sun glasses further down his nose and he squinted at where Lisa's voice had come from, his super sensitive pupils shrunk in the bright lights till they were nearly gone. But he saw her. Like a weird special affect in a Sci Fi movie, Lisa was standing facing her team- she looked like a ghost! Jackson could only just see her, it was like his eyes didn't want to focus on her. She was looking down at her invisible hands in horror and confusion.

"She's one of us..." Jackson whispered, Lisa heard him and looked up in panic, then she ran and Jackson lost sight of her. Her fleeing footsteps unheard in the whisperings and stir in the room.

"Miss Cole if you do not come out RIGHT now- I will be forced to disqualify you and your team!" the quiz master threatened- but of course Lisa did not 'come out'.

* * *

"Spread out and find her." Nick instructed the two teams that stood before him, "I don't know what she's doing- but I have a very bad feeling about this."

"We'll talk with the quiz officials and see what we can do about keeping you guys in the finals." Kate said, her face wrinkled with worry lines, "And keep out of the second sanctuary balcony!" she warned, "They've said that the railing isn't safe. I'm sure we'll find her soon." She assured exchanging a look with Ken and Maddison.

"We'll find her." Maddison repeated with a touch more confidence.

At last Lisa grows a spine and stands up to Colton- have you ever stood up against someone? Keep reading for part two of the climax!