My Life as a Teenage Superhero

Chapter 24 - Sapphire

I need Marianne's power. Everytime I am with her all I can think about is what it might be. Why does she keep it a secret? Is it something that effects her ability to touch other people, is that why she will not shake hands with anyone? And if so do I really want it?

'Sapphire?' Marianne's voice jerks me away from my deep thoughts and I am dragged back to reality. A training session with the Nines. Only this time it is not like the ones Casey attempted to put me through back when I joined. It is not a simulation, I am actually going to have to fight real people. Namely, my fellow Nines.

'Sorry, Marianne,' I say apologetically and smile at her. 'I was miles away.'

'I can see that.' She purses her lips disapprovingly as though she is doing me a favour by creating these scenarios for me to overcome with my abilities.

The location she has chosen is one of the abandoned cities that was razed during the One War. There are a lot of cities like this, most of them were never rebuilt because people saw them as the only grave thousands of innocents would ever have: their bodies blow to dust by the superhumans during the One War. But Marianne apparently has no such worries about us trespassing on someone's grave. At one end of the desolate street stands Nickolas and Marco. Behind me is Alistair and Casey who are on my team. Rhian is hiding somewhere, having shapeshifted herself into one of the objects around us. She is on Marco and Nickolas's team. Obviously Marianne is the referee.

As Marianne goes over the rules again for my benefit I find myself glancing at the objects around us and wondering which one is Rhian. I gaze upwards at an old cracked lamppost, maybe that is her? Or the overturned rust heap near to Marco that Casey told me was once a vehicle.

'Are you ready for this?' Casey asks me dubiously as Marianne walks away to take her spot out of harm's way. 'You do not look like you were listening, and Marco and Nickolas are formidable foes.'

'Yeah so formidable they could not even hold down a prisoner outbreak at Langford by themselves,' I reply scathingly. I still have not forgiven the Nines for arriving late to deal with the situation at school. In my head I reason that if they had arrived when they were supposed to then I would not have had to use my powers and Leon would never have found out I was a Nine, and he would still be talking to me. I have not seen him much at school since our fight although I have not been going much recently. All it takes is a small push with my mind powers and everyone thinks I am going. The only person I cannot fool is Casey. Even the Nines take little convincing I am still attending school regularly, although I get the feeling they do not care as much as the teachers would.

'Go!' Marianne calls out to us, to signal the start of the match.

Our task is to retrieve the red vase from the opposing team in perfect condition. Apparently it is symbolic of a human hostage.

'What is our plan?' Alistair asks Casey, practically ignoring me.

'You deal with Nickolas, I will deal with Marco,' says Casey.

'What about Rhian?' I ask the other two and they glance at me briefly.

'I will find Rhian too,' says Casey, 'should not be too hard to find if I use my- Ow!' He falls over as something knocks his feet from under him as quick as lightning and then disappears.

'Marco!'

Marco screeches to a stop just to our left, a huge grin on his face. 'Too slow losers,' he says with a laugh and Casey glares from the ground.

'How do you intend to take out Marco?' I ask Casey but he does not reply. Instead I see him focus on Marco as though trying to get inside his mind but shakes his head.