S.H.I.E.L.D Academy

Mason Barton's POV • High School

"Oh my God," I say, staring at the pile of ashes that used to be a kitchen chair.

"What's going on down here?" A commanding voice calls. Mr. Rogers appears around the corner from the living room, and I panic.

Keep it cool, I think to myself. Johnny's standing beside me, still in shock. Where'd Alise go?!

"Hey, Cap!" I smile.

He looks from me, to the ashes, to his son, and back to me again.

"I'm helping Johnny with a science project," I say casually. He raises his eyebrows.

Johnny nods, a little too vigorously. "Yeah, project. Due tomorrow," he says.

Alise jogs in, and immediately assesses the situation. "Hey, Daddy!" She says warmly, glancing suspiciously at Johnny and I.

"Oh, hey, Leesie," he smiles back, starting to leave the room. "Good luck with the project!" He goes back into the living room, and all three of us let loose a breath of relief. Alise gestures to the ash.

"Okay, Mason, what'd you do?" She puts her fists on her hips. I put my hands up defensively.

"Hey, I'm not the one with the freaky fire powers."

Alise cocks an eyebrow. "They're not freaky," she says sternly. "He just needs to control them better."

She looks pointedly at Johnny, and I sigh. "Until then, we should probably get him out of the house. And all other buildings. And away from all things flammable. And Laerika."

"Laerika!" Alise exclaims. "I hadn't even thought of that. With her chemistry and his powers, they virtually couldn't coexist. So really, Johnny," she says, turning to him, "You can't go to her house, or go near her until we've got this spontaneous flame thing under control. I don't want to see what happens when a frost giant gets burned."