Elements

Chapter 44

Abby zipped around the gym, moving so fast that she was only a blur. It was now mid March, and the next big event of the year was fast approaching. All my classmates were buzzing about it, and though I had never known anything about it before the excitement started, I had it almost figured out from all the conversations.

The Parent Showcase was the last chance to show off your strength before finals. To the faculty, it was proof to the world that they- and the Haven- were the best of the best in the education of heroes. For us, the Parent Showcase was a chance to show our parents what we really could do.

Most students at the Haven talked about the showcase in one of two ways. Some, such as May, wanted to throw their strength in their parents' faces for sending them away to the Haven. Others wanted to prove their worth to their parents who hadn't wanted them around once their powers were discovered. Some just wanted to show what they'd learned.

I thought back to the first day I could remember, sitting on the bus next to Anita. "It's a boarding school for super hero kids whose parents don't want them anymore." She had said. I knew now that that was surprisingly true. Most of the students at the Haven were sent to keep them out of their family's lives, or to keep them from accidentally hurting anyone or anything. Very few were exceptions to this rule, and even fewer weren't bitter about their parents' decision.

Abby's blurred figure skidded to a stop, her sneakers making a loud squeaking noise that filled the room. "What was my time?" She asked her friend, who was holding a stopwatch.

"Fifteen seconds for the mile. All your laps but your first one took four seconds. The first only took three." She replied, showing Abby the time on the stopwatch.

"Dammit!" Abby cursed, kicking the floor with the toe of her shoe. "Why can't I seem to get any better than that? Real superheroes can take a lap of New York in two seconds, but it takes me fifteen to run a mile? What kind of super speeder am I if I'm so damn SLOW?" She seethed.

"Just like everyone else." Ms. Wren's voice carried through the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at our vice principal as she walked to the center of the room, her shoes clicking as she walked. "Everyone gather around."

We did as we were told. We crowded around her, leaving a circle about two feet in radius fro her to stand in. "Now listen up. I don't like to tell students about this until their second year, but if someone seeks out the information, I will give it freely." She scanned the crowd, her stern eyes and authoritative voice holding all of our attention. "Some if you may have noticed that in comparison to some of the the super heroes you've studied in other classes, or heard about on your own, your abilities don't quite measure up. Please know that this is not because you are not powerful or gifted; it is simply because you have not unlocked your full potential yet."

"But we've been training hard all year!" Abby interjected. "So why does it feel like we've just stopped improving? Like we've hit a wall?"

"Because you have." Mr. Wren replied. Confusion painted the faces of my classmates. "There is something in the super hero world known as the power barrier. It's an internal obstacle that keeps you from reaching the full depths of your powers. It's different for everyone. For some, it's an unmovable brick wall: once you hit it, you cannot progress further until it is gone. For others, the barrier is more like a rubber band: if you strain, you can move further- however, it will snap you back to where you were as soon as it's able. However, there is one constant. You cannot reach your full capabilities until you have broken the power barrier."

"So in short, we're the ones holding ourselves back?" Ethan's voice echoed called from the crowd. "Isn't that a bit.. oh, I don't know... cliched?"