The Library of Powers

Chapter 6 - Part 2

Jennifer was the first to acknowledge him, divulging "Not much. Just talking to this girl here. I'd love to catch up, Jackson, but we're kinda in the middle of something."

Ivory looked up at him, her posture saying she was surprised to see him, but her eyes said she was relieved. "Actually," Jackson objected, "I was asking my friend Ivory here what was going on."

He didn't know it yet, but oh boy was that a mistake.

"Oh!" Lillian exclaimed. "If that's the case, why don't we just leave you two to chat."

"But, Lili." Jennifer said, but Lillian held a hand out to stop her, interposing "No, we have no business here anymore. Enjoy the party."

With that final note, the two of them headed off towards a side room Jackson had not been in yet. Now just the two of them, Ivory ran her fingers through her short, greasy hair, trying to recollect herself from the ordeal. "Thanks for stepping in," she told him.

"No problem. What were they--"

"Don't worry about it, they're just assholes." Ivory wondered why Lillian pulled Jennifer away. They were obviously still trying to get her to leave. Did they just like Jackson too much to harass her in front of him, or were they up to something else?

"I'm surprised you came," he revealed.

"Pot, meet kettle," she joked, before leaning in and whispering in a serious tone, "listen. I'm here on a mission."

"A mission? Really?" Jackson responded, crossing his arms and using a tone of voice all too incredulous for Ivory's liking.

Jackson was wondering just how serious Ivory took her moonlighting as a superhero. He had to admit Damien had a point, what of any importance could possibly be at a high school party?

"There's something of importance at this party," Ivory said.

"Of course there is."

"I don't know what it is yet, but two people I've been watching very closely seem to be looking for something. One of them went upstairs, and the other is... somewhere."

Jackson cocked an eye at her. "Who are they?"

"Their names are Chase and Samantha. Know them?"

The name rung a bell, but Jackson wasn't exactly sure. Did he have a class with them? Oh, wait, they were the two he had met outside the party.

"Yeah, sorta."

"Well, get this. They're supervillains."

This did grab Jackson's attention. Supervillains? Plenty of kids tried to be superheroes, but he didn't know of many who tried the other team. Vera City has a very low tolerance for child criminals, especially when powers are concerned.

"How good are they?" he asked her.

"Surprisingly so. You know, for a high schooler. They think through their plans beforehand, which is surprisingly high praise for someone our age."

"Yeah, I get it..." he remarked, trailing off as he said It. The two of them shared a look. Huh, Jackson thought, maybe she's a little more self-aware then I had assumed.

If their look didn't confirm his suspicions, what she said next definitely did. "You know, I get the whole 'high schoolers aren't good superheroes' thing. I hope I can prove to you that what I've got going is different. That working together will actually make a difference."

While her confession was admirable, Jackson couldn't get over the fact that she had entirely missed the point. "You really don't understand, do you. It's not that you aren't a hero," even as he said it he was regretting it, "but that I don't want to be a hero. Not everyone has an obsession with making the world a better place. Sometimes, things just happen." It was a lie and Jackson knew it, but by the look on Ivory's face, she didn't. Considering the fact that she would probably know his secret soon anyways made the lie even worse, because it would all be for naught.

"I understand," she replied, grabbing something from her coat pocket. It was a roll of green face "Yuck!" stickers, with some inane sprawling over the surface. Ivory peeled one of them off and stuck it on Jackson's shirt. "If you change your mind and want to help me, rub the sticker. Its... yeah... well, it was nice talking to you," she said, before walking off towards a staircase. Jackson had hoped he would feel good for getting Ivory out of her situation, but all he felt was a lot of doubt. 

"Secrets suck," he muttered under his breath. Expression downcast, he turned to make his way back to the Party Haters Club, when Jessica and Lillian ran up to him.

"What are you--" he yelped, Jessica forcefully grabbing his hand and throwing it into the air.

"Hey everyone!" she shouted to the party-goers. "Jackson's gonna show us his power!"