Author's notes: I know, I already posted this one on the nfic boards about two years ago, but I never felt like put it here. It isn't all that good (reading through it makes me cringe, really), but it sort of sets the stage for my ficathon story. So, be it. Although, should I ever decide to put this one on the archive, it will be a heavily edited version. *sigh*
On another note: << ... >> indicates telepathic thought.
Besides, this story takes place in June 2014... Just in case you wondered.
Just Like Lois"Mom, I'm not tired. I can't sleep yet!"
"Lara Joelle Kent, you go to bed. NOW! It's already ten o'clock, and you need to get up early tomorrow morning."
"I'm fourteen, not four! And I'm old enough to know whether I'm tired or not." Looking at my mother, I see that I stand no chance of winning this argument. She's in her best "Mad Dog" mode, and that means that she won't back off. Not in this lifetime, anyway. So, I go into my room. If I sit near the window, I'll be able to read. There is a street light a few yards away. I'm a fast reader, and within half an hour, I finish the last two-hundred and odd pages of the book I've been reading. Still, I'm not tired. I just wish I were. Staying up without being allowed to do anything is so incredibly boring. Perhaps a hot chocolate will help me.
I carefully walk down the stairs, avoiding the fifth and eight steps because I know they creak. I don't want to feel my mother's wrath once again. Intending to head straight for the kitchen, I come to our living room. What I see makes me stop dead in my tracks. I see my mother. And Superman. Which is odd enough, but what makes it really bad is that they're embracing. And it's not the way friends hug; it's much more like she holds my dad. I can't believe it. My mom and Superman! I mean, I've heard all kinds of rumors concerning my mom and *him*, but she and dad assured me that they weren't true. Heck, the way mom and dad act around each other, I didn't believe it possible that my mom still had the hots for Superman.
Oh, no! Now they're kissing. And what a kiss it is! It doesn't seem like they want to end it any time soon. Yuck! I mean, it's bad enough to see your parents do that sort of stuff with each other. Until a minute ago, I thought it was the most embarrassing thing in the world, but seeing your mother do the same thing with both your parents' old friend while your unsuspecting father is out on a stakeout.. Ugh! How can she do this to him? To me? To all of us?
Uh-oh, now they're even floating. And mom doesn't even look surprised, quite the contrary. "Is that all you can do, flyboy?" I hear her whisper. Wait a minute. She calls Superman 'flyboy'? Like she calls my father 'farmboy'? And the way she said it – it's exactly the same tone she uses for dad when they're, uhm, making baby Kents, you know? I mean, I know they do it. All the time, actually. Because I can hear them. I thought of talking to them about it, but I still haven't mustered the courage. It's so – yuck! I mean, there are certain things you don't want to talk about, much less to your parents.
Wait! What's mom doing now? She reaches for something around Superman's shoulders and... removes the cape? I always thought it was attached to the suit. Now she's groping for something on his back. In fact, it looks like she is pulling down some zippers. The suit comes open? No way she's actually doing this. No way! She just can't peel the suit off of *him*, can she? Well, obviously, she can. And I used to wonder whether the suit comes off at all. When I imagined finding out about that, I imagined it differently. I mean, I didn't imagine my *mother* taking it off, I intended to do so myself! I really thought Superman was hot. Seems like my mom agrees with me. Argh! How can she? And, whoa, Superman moved very fast – I was barely able to see him move – and now my mother is naked from the waist up? How gross can things become? Oh, that gross. I can't stand it any more. I run into my room and lock the door. And somehow I'm dead sure that I won't be able to sleep at all tonight.
***
Is it already time to get up? As a look at my alarm clock confirms, I have merely five more minutes. Five minutes to answer the worst of all questions: Am I going to tell my dad? If so, how? And how on earth will I ever be able to look my mother in the eyes? I shake my head at the futility of it all. I simply can't answer any of those questions. Not even after a whole night of thinking about them. Reluctantly, I get up. Being up a little early gives me a chance to be the first to have a go at the bathroom. With all those younger sibs, this is a real advantage, trust me. So I get out of my room – just to encounter JJ. JJ's real name is Jonathan Jordan Kent, and he is my thirteen-year-old brother. He looks up at me. "Morning, sis."
"Morning, bro."
"I wish they didn't do it all the time. Can't mom and dad at least do it in the bedroom like everybody else?" he whispers silently, so that only he and I can hear it. I shrug. How can I tell him that it wasn't mom and dad doing it, but mom and Superman? He won't believe me anyway. My, I wouldn't believe me if I told myself. If it weren't for the fact that I haven't slept all night, I'd say it was just a bad dream. I wish it were just a dream. While I'm still thinking about it, JJ closes the bathroom door in my face. Great!
Being unable to get into the bathroom, I decide I can have breakfast just as well. Being finished first means I still have a chance at our bathroom. If JJ doesn't take all morning again. Boys! And he always claims I'm vain, that peacock! Reluctantly, I pad down the stairs, carefully avoiding the fifth and eight step, and walk into the kitchen. My father is already there, making pancakes. I simply love pancakes for breakfast, and so I grab the one from the top. It's still steaming, and I gingerly test whether it is too hot for me. Deciding that it is just right, I start eating with fervor. Dad raises an eyebrow at me. He also looks kinda funny, and I wonder why. Finally, I get the hint. "Moof morming, dad!" I say around my mouthful of pancake.
"Did I hear a 'good morning'? I'm not sure. Could have been 'good surfing', or 'mood boring' or something," he teases me.
I swallow. "Sorry, dad. Your pancakes are just so good... How was your stakeout? And when did you return?" I quickly try to change the subject.
Dad laughs. "Well, thank you for the compliment. My stakeout didn't take that long, and I don't have to go again tonight."
"So, what did you get?" I ask.
"You can read it in the Daily Planet tomorrow, you know," he replies with a wink at me.
"You don't really..." I started to soften him up when I heard that JJ was getting ready to leave the bathroom. "Gotta go, before the twins occupy the bathroom!" With that, I dash up the stairs, making sure to avoid the two noisy ones. From down here, they're the thirteenth and sixteenth ones. JJ is just opening the door when I reach the top. And no twins in sight. The bathroom is all mine. Finally.
**********
When I return to the kitchen, almost everybody is seated around the table: Dad, JJ and the nearly twelve-year-old twins Lucy and Sammy are deep in conversation, no doubt discussing the twins upcoming birthday. At another end of the table, the middle twins, nine-year-old Jack and Jim, are teasing my favourite sister, eight-year-old Arielle. She and I are the only ones in the family with red hair, which dad claims we have inherited from his birth mother. As a matter of fact, I even named Arielle. When she was born, we all came to visit. As soon as I saw her, I burst out, "Oh, she has the same red hair I have. Like that little mermaid princess, Arielle." Mom and dad just looked at each other and smiled. The rest is history, so to speak.
Anyway, she is my favourite sister, and I rush over to her to help her against the nasty twins. Soon, our younger siblings, seven-year-old Bernie and the youngest of the twins, Ally and Abby, join the fun. They might be only five years old, but they sure know how to deal out punches. Dad says that they're just as driven as mom, whatever that means. In the midst of our usual breakfast routine, mom comes down the stairs with little Roger at her hand. Although he's only two, he knows to avoid the two creaking steps. Unlike mom.
Creak! And again:
Creak! This affront to our ears is rewarded with deathly silence.
Mom looks at us. "What?"
"You managed once again to step on those two creaking steps, honey," dad answers. I nod my head in affirmation, as do the others.
"I didn't hear any creaking," mom replies. Her annoyance is obvious.
"But we heard it. All of us," Arielle tells her.
"Perhaps you should get your hearing tested?" suggested JJ.
Mom opens her mouth to answer, but is stopped short by a wail from upstairs. That's baby Elli, our youngest sister. Mom sighs. "Why does she always have to wake up just when I want to start having breakfast?"
Around my mouthful of pancake, I answer, "Well, it just might be the creaking. Are you sure your ears are okay?"
Before mom can muster a reply, dad stands up. With a sheepish grin, he offers, "Well, you have breakfast. I'll take care of little Elli. Deal?" They kiss briefly in passing, and dad rushes out of the door. Mom sits down and helps herself and Roger to some toast. Remembering my discovery from last night, I can't help but stare at her. How can she do *that* sort of thing with Superman and still act as if nothing unusual has happened?
****At school******
Finally, the time for our break has arrived. The morning has been excruciatingly long. As was the night. It seems to me as if time is going by in slow motion ever since I saw - you know what I saw. I really don't want to think about it any more, but somehow my thoughts are constantly homing in on my mother's affair. Why on earth did she marry my dad in the first place? Is he even my dad? I mean, there have been rumours about mom and *him* since before I was born. Oh my god, what if my father is an alien? I really don't want to think about it. If there was just something to keep my mind occupied with something else...
"Lara, wait up! You'll never guess what I got at the mall just yesterday!" Jodi's interruption is of the most welcome kind. What better way to keep my mind off track than by talking with my best friend about things you can get at the mall? As long as she won't mention the Superman fanclub - we're both members - or her favourite Superman store, I'll be fine. I look expectantly at her, and she is brimming with pride over her find. So far, so good.
"It's a Superman bra and panty set! What do you say now?"
I say nothing because my mouth is hanging open. This whole idea sounds ridiculous to me. Maybe it wouldn't have yesterday, but yesterday was yesterday, and today everything is different. At least for me.
"And the feel of it, " Jodi drags on. "It's made from spandex. It's like... "
"It's not like he was touching you there," I snap.
"Well, no, but a girl sure can dream..." She becomes all starry eyed, and I roll my eyes at her in response. I just hope she doesn't go on like this. I'm not in the mood right now. And it's not likely I'll ever be again.
"You know, it must feel exactly like the real suit. I wonder if it comes off at all."
All I want to do is scream the truth at her. That the suit does come off - at least under my mother's hands. But I can't. It would be dangerous. Crooks all over Metropolis and beyond would try to get at Superman through her. And it's not as if she lived a danger-less life, quite the contrary. And in spite of her infidelity, I still love her, which doesn't make it any easier. And as if the whole situation with my mom and *him* wasn't bad enough, I now have to deal with Jodi's crush on *him* on top of that. How much worse can it get?
Well, I had to ask. The twins are coming my way, giggling about some joke nobody else finds funny. Seeing them in such a good mood doesn't help to improve mine. I'm staring at them, nearly piercing them with my eyes. I wish I knew what they are thinking. Just now I realize I can literally hear voices talk in my mind, voices that remind me of the twins. <Uh-oh, our big sis is in her best mood today.> In fact, I can even hear them giggle. <Yeah, wonder what's up with her. Perhaps she has swallowed a frog?> Again, I hear the giggles in my head. I really hate it when my mind plays that sort of trick on me, which it has been doing quite regularly for some time now, and *right* now I'm gonna tell the voices in my mind to <
Shut up!> I'm rewarded with instant silence in my head. Wonderful. I mean, some people are known to have *one* voice in their head, but having two which are even talking to each other – how odd is that? Still, I can't refrain from adding a little snide remark addressed at those troublesome voices. <What mood do you expect me to be in after discovering that my mother has an affair with Superman?> Yay, now I can really see Sammy and Lucy jump. I grin in self-satisfaction. Time to open my eyes again. Hmm, strange, it doesn't work. My eyes *are* already open. And the twins sure look shell-shocked. Does that mean...? Suddenly, I hear voices in my head again, this time in chorus. Right now I notice that they sound suspiciously like the twins' voices. <Lara?> All I can still think is, <*Oh* *my* *god*>!
I return to reality when I feel Jodi tugging at my sleeve. "Hey, this bra isn't anything to be dreaming about. Just buy it!" she admonishes me jokingly.
"Not right now. Jodi, I'm very sorry, but I need to talk to my sisters. It's really important!" I try to get the urgency I feel across to her, but it doesn't work.
"Come on, you can talk to them any time you want," she replies unabashedly.
"I'm really sorry, but I have to do this *now*," I say as I quickly walk over to Sammy and Lucy who still look stunned.
<What you said about mom and Superman - it was a joke, right?> I hear Lucy say. Well, claiming that I hear her say it doesn't begin to describe it. I also feel her emotions, her fear of this being the truth as well as her doubt and her need to defend our mother. And all of this is communicated in a mere instant.
I shake my head and *think* at both of them, <I wish it were. But it is true. I saw them together last night.> Getting hold of my mental pictures of mom peeling the suit off Superman, I continue, <They were kissing and groping and stuff. Mom even took off his super-suit.>
<What? There are zippers in the back of the suit?> Sammy bursts out. Looks like not only emotions, but also pictures are transferred that way. How else could she have known about the zippers?
<Yes, there are zippers. But there are more important things we need to talk about. Speaking of talking - what sort of communication is this?> I ask the twins, since they seem to be rather familiar with this way of – er - talking.
I feel a slight confusion coming from both of them, and Sammy nudges Lucy to tell me - which is interesting, since most of the time it is the other way around. Never-the-less, it's Lucy who thinks, <Well, we always assumed that it was a special bond between us because we're twins, and we were even surer about it when we realized that Jack and Jim and even Ally and Abby show signs of using it among themselves, too. But that was obviously a false assumption...>
<Do you think JJ can do it, too?> I ask.
Both Lucy and Sammy nod, and after a short exchange with their eyes, Lucy offers her opinion. Although I'm rather convinced that it is more like *their* opinion. <Well, since you can do it, I think he should be able to do the same. I bet all of us Kent children can do this.>
<JJ!> I call, but I don't get a response. I try again. <Jonathan Jordan Kent!>
"What's up," I hear him mutter under his breath from the other end of the schoolyard. It's actually funny how attuned to him I am. How else can I hear him in spite of all the noise here?
<We really need to talk. Can you come to that quiet place near the entrance right now? This is pretty important,> I tell him while I motion to the twins to follow me to that exact place.
We arrive there first, but soon JJ joins us. "Hey, what are the twins doing here? Have they found out their ears are working too well, or what?" he inquires, hinting at the unusually sharp hearing the two of us share.
"Well, actually we've known about our hearing being *very* good for several years now - if that is what you're referring to," Sammy tells him with her usual humour. There is an interesting thought that just occurred to me: When they are talking, it's usual Sammy who ends up doing the actual speaking. It seems to be the other way around with this other communication, though.
"So, what's so urgent that you have to tell me straight away," JJ demands to know.
<*This* is,> I think at him.
"What?" he asks, being clearly annoyed.
I sigh. How do I get the point across to him? An idea starts to take shape in my mind... <Look at my lips,> I think imploringly. <See, you can still hear me. And you aren’t actually hearing me with your ears.>
I'd have expected JJ to look startled, but instead he seem rather thrilled. <Wow, how comes we possess telepathy?> he wonders.
<Telepathy?> the twins and I chorus back.
<Yes, that's what it's called if you can read and project thoughts,> JJ tells us with an air of smugness about him. <But that still doesn't explain why we have it,> he continues his train of thought. <I mean, if Mom had had a lasting affair with the Martian Manhunter, it would explain it. But all the rumours I've ever heard are about her and Superman.>
<Those rumours about mom and Superman are true,> I blurt out before I can stop myself, already projecting the scene I have witnessed between them.
<Whoa! Superman has zippers in the back of his suits?> JJ exclaims telepathically, completely taken by surprise. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lucy and Sammy are giggling like mad. Just like me.
But soon our mirth expires, and once again we face our current situation with due seriousness. I try to sum up what we know so far, <So, just to spell it out, our mom is having an affair with Superman, we have some strange abilities, and thus we can't even be sure that our dad is truly our dad. So, what are we going to do?>
Of course, my level-headed brother has an answer to this question. <We could simply confront mom and dad with what we know. They should be able to sort things out. Well, at least mom should be able to do so.>
Lucy disagrees. <But what if dad decides to file for divorce? I don't want them to divorce.>
I have to agree with Lucy. <She's right. We can't tell dad. And I doubt we can keep mom from seeing Su... *him*. But we can try to keep her very busy.> As I finish, I feel their agreement. So, I get to the next point. <So, why do we possess these strange abilities? I think it's inherited, or it wouldn't be all of us. Which leaves the question of what we do about this.>
This time, it is Sammy who offers her thoughts on the matter at hand. <First of all, we need to find out what sorts of abilities we have. Obviously, we posses a very acute sense of hearing, an unusually sharp vision and this telepathy thingy. Did I miss anything?>
JJ creases his brow as he thinks, <Well, I for one don't get hurt easily, and I have very good reflexes. I know that because some guys tried to beat me up a short while ago. I'm also rather strong. The first guy I punched literally flew ten feet before hitting the ground. Anyway, we need to find out where our limits are. How much can we lift? How fast can we run? How far do our eyesight and hearing reach? How resistant to harm are we? How does our telepathy work? How far, with whom or which animals? Do we possess other psi-powers?>
With a glance at my watch, I decide to end our session rather quickly since our break is nearly over. <Let's start with trying out our telepathy. We can try to communicate during lessons. This will give us a first hint about the distance we can cover. When we're back home, we can try to contact mom and dad telepathically.>
JJ has other ideas, though. <We'd better try it on mom first. Either we got it from her, and she may be able to tell us more about it, or we'll find out whether we can use it with mere humans.>
<What do you mean, 'with mere humans'?> I can't help but wonder.
Once again, JJ seems rather smug. <Well, either she is a meta-human or alien who possesses telepathy, or she is a mere human without any telepathic potential. If the latter is true, she possibly won't know anything about it. Or she might tell us how we got it.>
Lucy has another idea. <Why don't we try it on dad, too?>
JJ rolls his eyes at her. <Well, what if neither he nor mom are telepathic *and* we can use telepathy with ungifted folk? It would mean that dad is *not* our biological father. And if this is true, we don't want to make him aware of it.> Just then, we have to get going because our break is over. At least this time, I won't be bored out of my wits by the following history lesson.
**************
I'm just walking home, bearing diapers and baby wipes for baby Elli. Why does mom always have to send me on errands? Because I'm the oldest, I guess. Anyway, it's way past my usual time out, and I enjoy the crisp air and the stars twinkling at the firmament, thinking back at the hours I spent with JJ, Lucy and Sammy finding out what abilities we possess. We told mom we'd be in the park nearby, but instead we went to the junkyard two blocks away. There we tried to find out how strong we actually are. Well, we still don't know for sure because there was nothing either of us couldn't lift. We also compressed some of the cars that didn't look as if they could be salvaged. Make that half of the cars. As you can guess, we did so at top speed – which is *very* fast. I wish I could see the owner's face next thing tomorrow.
We also tried some running around, and thus we discovered that we are very fast. I think I even managed a sonic boom at least once. It's a pity we didn't have more space to practice, though. Who knows how fast we could have gone? When we were done running around, we tested our telepathy as far as we could. We can *not* lift or move things with mere thoughts, but we can do so when we touch the thing in question. JJ called it 'tactile telekinesis'. Given our unusual strength, I don't see any benefit in that one. But being able to heat objects with a thought – well, that might come in handy one time or other. Although the twins barely managed to warm the piece of metal they were practicing with. Well, JJ managed to make it glow red, and I even accomplished to actually melt it. I was rather shocked when a drop of the molten metal fell onto Sammy's hand, but obviously we are really hard to harm. Sammy hasn't even got blisters! All there was to see is a slight reddish hue at the location the drop hit her, and even that vanished within minutes.
Right now, I'm turning into the garden in front of our house, whistling cheerfully. Suddenly I can make out a noise. The noise of something flying. 'A bird? A plane?' I wonder, but no, it is Superman flying at high speed in my direction. Which gives me an idea. Something I need to find out. Can we actually use our tact-whatsoever telekinesis on ourselves, lifting ourselves into the air? Like flying? While I'm still pondering this, I see Superman fly straight through our conveniently opened bathroom window. Wait, what is Superman doing in *our* bathroom? And where is mom? I'd better find out quickly.
Quickly, I step into our house and walk up the steps to deliver my purchase into Elli's room, thereby passing the bathroom that is currently occupied by my former favourite superhero. I hear the water running in the shower – and a man moaning in a certain husky voice. Since I have the pleasure of having to listen to my parents time and again. I know exactly what that sort of voice combined with that sort of moan means. I just can't believe it! He's f... he's... with my mom in the bathroom! What other explanation can there be?
All I want to do is run and hide – forever! Which basically is what I do: I run to hide in my baby sister's room. Once there, I stow away the diapers and wipes, and then I watch Elli in her sleep. She looks so peaceful, so innocent, silently sucking on her left thumb, her right hand balled into a tiny fist. She looks so helpless – just the way I feel right now. But seeing her like this, something rises in me. A fierceness I didn't know I possessed. And this raging beast wants nothing more than to protect this little one from harm, from ever feeling as betrayed by our parents the way I do now. I don't want her to have to be ashamed of our mother's adulterous affair, and I don't want her to know what it's like to doubt who her real father is. Having made up my mind, I briskly walk to the closed bathroom door. Sooner or later, Mom will come out. Will she get a lecture from me! Just as I get there, the water is turned off. Soon I hear a sonic boom, followed by my mother's gasp. Wait, this didn't sound like my mom. What the...
All of a sudden, the door opens and I'm face to face – well, face to chest with my father. What the heck? I look up into my father's very surprised face. "Dad?" I manage to choke out.
He gives me a strange look. "I didn't expect to see you here," he says. I turn and run into my room, crying silently into my pillow. How dare he have an affair with Superman, too?
While I'm still sobbing, I hear JJ's excited voice in my head. <Lara, guess what?>
<Not now!> I respond, trying not to project my misery.
<Lara, this is really big! I was...> Somehow, I managed to shut JJ out completely as I weep into my pillow. Suddenly, I hear a knock on my door. "Go 'way!" I shout, but it sounds muffled. Must be the stupid pillow.
"Lara, honey, what's wrong?" my father asks.
"Nothing! Everything! You and Mom make me *sick*!" I yell back.
"I don't understand what you are talking about. Let's talk about it," he offers, slowly pushing the door open.
"I don't want to talk! And I don't want you in here! Get out!" I yell. When he peeks inside, I aim the nearest thing at hand – my good old teddy bear – at him. Well, he got the point this time. I resume my crying. If only I could stop hearing everything that goes on in this house! Right now, I hear my parents whispering.
"What is it?" Mom whispers.
"I'm clueless. One second, she looks ready to confront me about something, and next, she runs away and cries her eyes out."
After a moment (which they obviously spent kissing), Mom replies, "I guess puberty is hitting her hard. Either she'll manage this crisis on her own, or she'll talk to one of us. Whatever it is, we can't do anything but wait right now."
I hear my dad sigh before he says, "I know that sitting here and waiting is all we can do right now."
Mom actually giggles like a schoolgirl. "Well, there is something else we can do," she says in that tone of voice that she always uses when she's going to – well, you know? I groan inwardly. They can't do that after all that has happened, can they?
"Isn't it that time of month again?" I hear Dad ask.
"It should be. Maybe it will be *that* time tomorrow. Anyway, I don't intend to pass up this chance. You coming?"
Noooooooo! How can they? I so don't want to have to hear
that!
*******************
I wake up to the song of birds and the usual Saturday morning breakfast clamour from the kitchen. Which means that I'm a little late. As I get up, I think that it would be great if the bathroom was free. Instinctively, I look into the direction of it and sort of wish to see whether someone is inside, and suddenly – bang – I get the full view of JJ in there. He's currently under the shower, which means he doesn't have a stitch of clothing on him. Argh! Nooo! Why does this have to happen to me? I close my eyes.
I'm shocked. I want to crawl back into my bed and pretend nothing has happened. Not with my eyes, not with my mom and Superman, and, most of all, not with my dad and Superman. But, alas, I know it won't work. So I open my eyes again and make my way out of the room. Breakfast awaits!
As soon as I step out of my room, I hear my baby sister wailing quietly, so I decide to pick her up and take her down with me, lovingly stroking her platinum blond hair. No idea where she got that from. Not from dad, I'd wager. Anyway, carrying Baby Elli is no problem at all, and the stairs don't bother me – much. There are still the fifth and eighth steps to avoid. Suddenly, an idea hits me: I can try out my 'tactile telekinesis' on myself by not quite stepping on those steps, but keeping me a millimeter or so above it. With this plan in mind, I begin my descent: Tap-tap-tap-tap-[silence]-tap-tap-[silence]-tap-tap... Well, maybe I should have done something about the tapping noise...
As I look into our big kitchen, I see Lucy and Sammy grinning at me. I hear Lucy's voice in my head. <You want to be careful with that one – dad already got suspicious when I tried the same trick with mom. The missing noise is telling, I guess.>
I roll my eyes. <Tell me something new!> I think back at her. Obviously, I didn't think back exclusively at Lucy, for I see Jack and Jim sport equal expressions of startlement. Uh-oh.
I hear Jack and Jim think simultaneously, <You can do it, too?> I stumble and nearly drop my precious baby sister. Fortunately, dad is at my side in near to no time to steady me.
"Oops! What was that?" Dad asks me while relieving me of Elli. Somehow I get the suspicion that he's not talking about my stumbling, though. But how can I tell him?
"I guess I stumbled," I reply, severely flustered. "I mean, it's not as if this didn't happen to people all the time. It's nothing unusual, actually. Besides, nobody got hurt, and why are you making such a fuss about it in the first place?" By now, I've moved to my seat.
Dad shakes his head. "You know, you are a babbling brook, just like your mother."
"I don't babble!" comes my mother's insistent rebuke. I send a silent prayer heavenward. Please, oh, please, don't let them have a row. Or, if they have to have one, please don't let them make up the usual way. At least not as long as I'm near enough to pick it up...
<Amen to that!> JJ agrees as he is walking down the stairs.
Lucy and Sammy burst out giggling. At my inquiring look, Lucy explains telepathically to me, <Sorry! We must have been reading your mind.>
Once again, Jack and Jim have this look. <You can read minds? Cool!> they think in unison.
<What does 'read minds' mean?> I hear Arielle in my head, feeling her confusion.
Oh, my God! How am I going to explain this to her? As I think this, I see my dad trip over his own feet, and, as a result, Elli is dropping to the floor. To me it looks as if it were happening in slow motion. I rush back to his side and catch my baby sister before she hits the ground, then I hold her tightly to my breast. At my father's startled look, I deadpan, "See? I told you it happens to people all the time." Just then I see my mom give me a strange look.
"I think we need to talk," she says to my dad, her speech accompanied by a wavy hand gesture usually reserved for the many things my father has to do out of the blue. Like talk to a source, return a video, buy something we suddenly need... He's the most forgetful person on the planet, I swear!
*************************
It's a good thing it's Saturday, so we don't have to go to school today. Directly after breakfast (and a fast shower – and I mean really fast) I telepathically suggest to JJ, Sammy and Lucy, Jack and Jim and – of course – Arielle to meet away from here so we can 'talk'. By their mental nods of approval I conclude that they know what sort of talk I'm talking about. So as to not arouse our parents' suspicion, we agree to go to the park. Besides, we don't want our younger siblings to find out about what we did yesterday, so the junk yard is off-limits. Even more so since someone might be working there today... Oh, how I wish I could see the faces of the people working there!
As the seven - myself, JJ, Sammy, Lucy, Jack, Jim, and Arielle - of us enter the park, we agree to go to one of the quieter places so we can talk and 'talk' without being interrupted. In the most remote part of the forest covering at least one quarter of the landscape belonging to the park, we spread the two blankets we brought and sit down in something loosely resembling a circle. At once, JJ assumes the role of the leader, which, by the way, goes against my sensibilities because I'm the oldest. Still, I decide to hold my peace and let him do the introductory work.
<Well, all of you have come to realize that we can communicate with mere thoughts,> he began his speech. After our nods of assent, he continues, <But it's not only words we can send and receive, but also pictures and feelings. Any questions so far? No? Okay, what Lara, Lucy, Sammy and I found out yesterday is that we can also lift very heavy things if we concentrate on lifting it. This, by the way, is called tactile telekinesis. Have you all tried that?>
Jack and Jim nod slightly. They think as one to the rest of us, <Yes, we think that that's what must have happened last year when someone from our class put about twenty pounds of pebbles into each of our schoolbags. We had to concentrate hard on it, but we managed to carry them home...>They trail off, showing the same self-satisfied grin.
Arielle still looks puzzled. "I've never tried anything like that," she gives voice to her lack of experience.
I have an idea. <Why don't you try to lift me?>
Arielle needs several tries before she succeeds, but when she does, she's grinning from ear to ear. <Stay on the blankets! I want to try something!> she instructs us. Then she moves off the blankets and grabs the corner of one of them, lifting it up for a few inches. She concentrates, and suddenly she lifts both blankets with all of us on them. I cry out in surprise. In her hands, the blankets are as stiff as boards! Then she sets us down again, looking rather pleased with herself.
Recovering from my shock, I ask, <How did you do that, Ari?>
Arielle shrugs. <I simply told the blanket what I wanted it to do. I've been doing that sort of stuff with my hair for a while now.>
That's how she managed to create all those outrageously complicated hairstyles! Brat! I try it myself, and to my utter astonishment, my hair wraps itself into a roll at my neck as I concentrate. Whoa! I'm sure this will come in handy at one time or other. I hear Lucy and Sammy giggle as they have just managed to extend a strand of hair towards each other in a shake-hands motion. Just then, Jack and Jim simultaneously sneak up on them. As soon as they touch their older sisters, the twins' black masses of hair turn into an entirely different 'hairstyle'. You know those comics where someone gets hit by lightning and has his hair sticking out in every direction? Well, that's what they look like right now. JJ and Ari are howling with laughter, quickly joined in by the two tricksters.
Lucy and Sammy squeal in horror before turning on their two younger brothers, who, of course, run as fast as their legs can carry them. As soon as they lose contact with Lucy and Sammy, though, the twin sisters' hair falls down into its usual slightly curly look. Which quickly turns horizontal as they are chasing after the two tricksters. To their misfortune, Jack and Jim had to find out that their outraged sisters were very well able to keep up with them. Slowly, the two pranksters increase their velocity, running in a loose circle around the blankets with JJ, Ari and me still on them. Still, the raging furies manage to keep up, but are still unable to close the gap. They're going faster and faster. By now, the wind they cause in passing starts to lift the leaves lying on the ground, and Ari's hair is whipping my shoulder. The four twins are still increasing their running speed... Suddenly, I feel myself lifted into the air. Arielle is clinging desperately to my leg. We are being whirled around and around. It looks like JJ is affected as well.
<STOP IT! JJ yells at them. Abruptly, the four stop dead in their tracks. Unfortunately, the whirlwind they created follows suit, and I feel how the air refuses to suspend me. In a reflex-like reaction, I try to use my tactile tele-thingy to steady Ari and myself, slowly lowering both of us to the ground. Obviously, JJ has had the same idea. Unlike me, he hovers about two feet above the ground, looking each of the four into the eyes before gently touching down. It looks like five jaws have made contact with the ground before him: Both sets of twins as well as Arielle are gaping at us in open-mouthed astonishment.
Ari is the first to regain control of her facial features. She finally lets go of my leg and moves one step away with a thoughtful expression on her face.
<How did you do that?> Lucy inquires.
Jack and Jim take a more practical approach. <Can you show us?>
Right now, Ari rises into the air. Smiling in utter delight, she thinks at us, <Just use your telekinesis on yourselves!>
<Don't! Ari, get down!> I command, thereby flashing them an image of the elderly couple nearing our location. It's a good thing they haven't been looking in our direction, though. It might have caused them to have a heart attack!
Pointing out the group of teenagers following said couple, JJ suggests, <Let's work on something less obvious. Like thinking to only one person. Right now, it seems to me as if we were broadcasting every time we use telepathic communication. You never know who's 'listening' in. Take this morning, for example. I felt someone besides us being in 'listening mode'. And I have no idea who.>
***
We, that is Arielle, Jack and Jim, Lucy and Sammy, JJ and I, are walking home from the park. We have skipped lunch, and time for dinner is approaching – as my grumbling stomach reminds me forcefully. Actually, it's not only my stomach grumbling loudly, but what we did today sure is worth being a little hungry. Okay, starved. Anyway, we learned a lot today. First of all, we know the extent of the abilities each of us possesses. All seven of us can fly, but only JJ, Lucy, Sammy and I manage to break the wall of sound – something JJ found out some time last night. Jack and Jim can fly fast and manoeuvre well enough. Only Arielle still has problems with it. Her manoeuverability is very limited, and she loses altitude when she can't concentrate properly. Well, we found a cure for the last one: She only needs to touch someone or something, and she stays in place.
All of us are really strong, at least if we use our tele-thingy to improve our stength, and we couldn't find a limit to it. And we tested it on a big rock lying in the forest – a rock each of us could lift easily. But our arm-wrestling contest made it obvious that our strength increases with age, for I'm the strongest – okay, it was a draw with JJ, but only barely – and Ari's the weakest of us.
Which leads us to our speed. We are fast, too fast to get up to max speed between all those trees. And our reflexes are incredible, as we found out by throwing mud at one another and trying to duck the others' missiles at the same time. Arielle's reflexes are the best – they border on fore-knowledge, I swear! Not even once did she get hit. Come to think of it, Jack and Jim didn't get hit very often, either. Unlike me and JJ. Oh-oh, Mom will be livid when she sees us, covered in mud as we are. Then there is the whole telepathic stuff we can do. We managed not only to find a way to communicate privately and establish some sort of link allowing us to see and hear what the other does, thanks to Jack and Jim, we also know how to block everybody else out, thanks to me. Of course, broadcasting, as JJ calls it, is still an option, but we agreed not to use it any more because of the stalker 'listening' in on us. We also tried to use our telepathy on non-telepathic people, but so far, only JJ managed to do that. Which was quite funny, since he made each of his targets believe there were mosquitoes flying around his head. Suddenly, the person in question started slapping at thin air. I still giggle when I think of it.
We're chatting and laughing with each other when we reach our house. Okay, house is something of an understatement, but don't forget that there are fourteen people living in it! Not to mention that Grandma Martha and Grandpa Jonathan tend to stay for extended visits during the cold season.
As we get inside, I hush the others. Not because I want to avoid Mom, which is a good enough reason in itself, but in order to keep us from waking Ellie. Just then, our mother comes out of the kitchen. With one look at us, she has measured the situation. Calmly – but inwardly seething with anger – she instructs us to get cleaned up ASAP and threatening us to use the garden hose next time we return that dirty. As I turn around, I catch her muttering to herself, "Next time, I'll let Arielle babysit the rest of them. Should save me some washing."
As was to be expected, Ari bursts out giggling. At my questioning look, she sends me an image of her looking after the rest of us with a big, black whip. Ha-ha! Very funny!
With appropriately hanging heads, we trudge up the stairs, carefully avoiding the ones with the squeaky sound-effects. Short before we reach the top, Arielle puts on a burst of speed and hastily enters the bathroom she shares with Jack and Jim. She doesn't even have to close the door, for all she needs to do is wash her hands. No fair! I'm up for a shower and new clothes. And, since I am first to take the hint, I speed into the bathroom I share with JJ, Sammy and Lucy. Yay, beat you!
I close the door to our bathroom and stop in the middle of it, looking down at the dirt on my hands, arms and bare legs. A sudden inspiration hits me: If you heat dirt enough, it should evaporate. And since I'm impervious to heat, I might get away without a shower. Convinced that this is a good idea, I put my left leg onto the bathtub and concentrate. Soon, the first bit of dirt starts to disappear. I'm fascinated, and before I realize it, I cause not the dirt, but the skin on my leg to heat up. OUCH! That *hurt*!
While I'm still fumbling with the shower head, I blow on my leg as strongly as I can – and nearly blow away the shower curtain! Whoa! And my leg – well, it's covered by a thin layer of ice!
Well, what else is there to say? I figured out how to remove the ice and take a shower in less than three minutes. Obviously, JJ can shower equally fast, for he returns from the bathroom before I'm done drying my hair. Although I briefly consider heating it until it's dry, I prefer the normal way – I don't want to lose my hair in the effort, as you can guess.
As soon as I'm done, I go down the stairs – once again hopping over steps five and eight – and enter the kitchen. Dad looks at me strangely, as if he were measuring me. I guess I didn't measure up to his expectations of a near-adult, though. Not the way I came home, that is. I guess that's why he's shaking his head, too.
**************************
Dinner has been a silent affair, and right now Dad, JJ and I are cleaning the dishes. I wish Dad weren't "helping" us because without him, we could speed it up considerably, but he insisted. Actually, he's fidgeting a little, as if he was going to tell us something important. Something that makes him uncomfortable. Is he going to tell us that he's going to file for divorce? Or that we aren't really his children? I'm still wondering when the last plate and the last fork have been cleared away. Suddenly, Dad fixes his eyes on me. <Lara, will you come to the small living room, please?>
My eyes must have been as big as saucers. Dad is telepathic, too? Maybe he is our father, after all. As I think this, I see JJ all stiffen up, then nod towards Dad. Hmm, looks like I should get going.
Once in the small living room, JJ and I are soon joined by Ari, followed by Jack and Jim. Then Lucy and Sammy come in, their hair arranged into an elaborate hairstyle making them look really odd. I try to hide my amusement, but as soon as JJ coughs – no doubt trying to cover his laughter, I'm falling apart.
"I knew it wasn't a good idea," Lucy remarks, indicating Sammy's hair. As one, they start pulling the needles out of their hair, leaving their black curls to fall freely down their backs.
Suddenly, the door closes, and my dad starts to speak to us. Well, it's not actually speaking speaking, but mind-speaking, so to speak. <Looks like the seven of you have found out about the telepathy,> he begins, stating the obvious. Since he seems to wait for some sort of response, I nod my head – as do my sibs.
<Why haven't you told us about it?> JJ asks, obviously sending his question to everyone present.
Dad looks down at his feet. <Because I wasn't sure you'd develop this ability. Although I stem from a long line of telepaths, I got it from both parents. Your mother, though, is completely non-telepathic. The outcome was everybody's guess.>
<Grandma Martha and Grandpa Jonathan can do this, too?> Arielle wonders.
Dad sets her down on his lap and gently tells her, <No. I'm adopted. But my birth parents could do that.>
Thinking practically, I ask, <Why haven't you tried 'talking' to us this way ever before?>
<I guess I feared the consequences. I mean, what if I had tried to contact you when you were still little? You might have told someone about it – and believe me or not, I'd rather have our telepathy kept a secret. I don't want to be stared at for being a freak, and I don't want people trying to use our telepathy for their advantage. > I can accept his reasons, but somehow I have this feeling that there's more to it.
Jack and Jim once again answer as one, <Figures! And we agree, it's not a good thing to tell anybody. But what do we do when one of our younger sibs starts thinking out loud?>
This time, Dad gives a dry chuckle – a real one as well as a mental one. <We'll simply teach them to keep their thoughts to themselves. It's not as if we could contact any non-telepaths with our minds, so there is no danger in letting them find out on their own.>
JJ and I exchange a look. <Seems like Dad doesn't know everything,> I send to him – and only to him, referring to him being able to reach even 'normal' people. JJ replies with the mental equivalent of a shrug.
Dad continues, <Talking about teaching, do you know how to keep your thoughts to yourselves?>
Proudly, Arielle tells him, <That's what we figured out today. Well, that and some other stuff...>
<What sort of other stuff?> Dad inquires.
<Uhm, stuff like talking to only one person, or keeping one another out of our heads, or keeping a permanent link with each other,> I supply before Ari can let the wrong 'other stuff' slip.
Dad raises both his eyebrows. <You can do that sort of thing? I knew about the keeping your thoughts, but I didn't know that that was possible! How do you do this?>
Oh, dear, this is going to take awhile. And Dad doesn't even know the half of it...
*************************
My, teaching our father – who thought he had this whole telpathy stuff well figured out – was strange. At least he was quick on the uptake, so it didn't take too long. Only long enough to approach our usual bedtime. While the others gladly retire to their rooms, Dad holds me back. <Lara, there is something else I need to talk to you about.> I raise my brows questioningly. <You know, if something strange happens to you, you can always talk to me, okay?>
I don't really know what to make of it. Is he referring to the other abilities we have? And if so, does he suspect that we're not his, but maybe Superman's or someone else's children? Will he divorce Mom if we tell him about what we can do? <Dad, there's nothing wrong with us. The funniest thing that happened to me lately was me hearing Lucy and Sammy talking in my head.>
Dad doesn't look convinced. <Anyway, should anything come up, talk to me, okay?>
I smile reassuringly at him. <Sure thing, Dad!> I know it's a lie, but at least I was crossing my fingers behind my back when I told it.
It's a good thing we can think to each other without anybody else picking it up, for JJ, Sammy, Lucy and I have made plans for tonight. As soon as I reach my room, I lock it, change into something black and head out again through the window. On the roof, I meet the other three before we fly back to the junkyard.
Once there, we set down on a high pile of old cars and start talking. We're pretty much agreed that Dad being a telepath is nothing short of weird, but that's about all we agree upon. That and that we want to start out as superheroes. This is where our discussion turns heated.
JJ is adamant about his point. <I think only the two of us should do it.>
Lucy and Sammy are outraged. <What, and we're supposed to sit at home and watch you doing stuff while we have the same powers? No way!>
Inwardly, I agree with JJ, but there is one minor fact we need to consider. A fact he needs to be reminded of. <JJ, even if we don't let them hang with us, there is only one way of keeping them from donning a costume: We have to stay at home with them. And even then one of them could slip out any time. So, let's do it together. It's better to stick together through it than hoping they won't get themselves into trouble.>
Realizing that he's not only in the wrong, but also badly outnumbered, JJ gives in. <I guess you're right. Still, I don't have to like it.>
With satisfaction tinging her mind-voice, Sammy asks, <So we're agreed that we're in this together?>
JJ nods his head, looking anything but satisfied. <I guess so.>
Now Lucy joins in with due excitement. <How are we going to go about it? Will we choose a theme? Or will we start out as individual heroes?>
Interesting question. <I like the idea of us all being psychics. We could all wear black, bearing a Greek letter on our chest. We'd be alpha, beta, gamma and delta. Jack and Jim would be epsilon and zeta, and so forth. Fortunately, there are more than enough Greek letters for all of us...>
<Great idea!> JJ cuts in. <And when all twelve of us are in costume, nobody will ever make the connection with the only Metropolitan family with twelve children...>
<I get it, I get it!> Sammy exclaims.
I add some thoughts to hers, <You have good reason here. Even more so because we have no way of keeping the little ones out forever, as Lucy and Sammy were so kind to remind us. We'd better come up with something different.> I guess I didn't manage to keep the irony out of my thoughts completely.
<Different heroes it is. Even the two of us should become different heroes.> Lucy agrees, indicating her twin.
Sammy comes up with another impossible plan of hers. <I remember reading about this small town that was overrun with superheroes for some time. Why don't we try to copy that, changing costumes on a daily basis?>
<Yes, that's great! That way, we wouldn't even have to reveal all our powers!> Lucy agrees enthusiastically. JJ doesn't seem convinced, though.
I roll my eyes. <And who's going to pay for all the costumes? We won't get them for naught, and there is no superheroes union covering our expenses. So, we'd better choose one and stick with it.>
JJ puts in his five cent's worth of thoughts. <Which leaves one more question: Are we going to come up with completely new names, or will we follow in an accomplished hero's footsteps?>
Lucy and Sammy exchange a glance before Lucy thinks at us, <Imitating accomplished heroes sounds like a good idea. Who'd ever guess we're related?>
JJ nods his agreement. <I second that. I think I'll try something in the line of Martian Manhunter.> The last was added thoughtfully. Although it didn't come as a surprise with JJ being the Manhunter's biggest fan this side of the Atlantic.
Lucy smirks at him. <What will you call yourself? Martian Boyhunter?>
JJ takes it in stride, though. <Why not? So, what about you girls?>
Sammy is the first to answer that. <I pretty much like the Marvel Family, so I'll become Miss Marvel.>
<I'll be Wondergirl. > Lucy decides spontaneously. None of which is surprising. I wish my case was as easy, though. But there is this thought... If only I could put my finger on it...
<Lara, what about you,> JJ inquires. <Will you become Supergirl? You are his biggest fan, after all.>
This last blow wasn't necessary. Absolutely not. But at least I know now who I'll be. <That was last week! I couldn't care less for Superman right now. Instead, I'll become Ultragirl.>
JJ looks rather puzzled. <Ultra-what? Where does this come from?>
I take it upon me to enlighten my ignorant sibs. <Ultrawoman was a heroine with pretty much the same powers as Superman. One day about 18 years ago, she turned up in Metropolis, did some saving-the-world stuff and disappeared as suddenly as she turned up. Mom and Dad got the only interview she ever gave.>
Lucy is impressed. <How do you know all this?>
I shrug. <I had to do this homework assignment. "Choose a superhero and get all the information on him or her you can find." I had no idea whom to choose. I mean, back then, Superman would have been the obvious choice, but can you imagine how much I could have found out about him? One week wouldn't have been near enough time! So, I asked Mom for help. She suggested I write about Ultrawoman. She and Dad sure know a lot about her, much more than they let on in their articles. I really don't know how they do it. I mean, they can't have had an affair with Ultrawoman as well, can they?>
***Four weeks later***JJ, Lucy, Sammy and I are locked into the twins' room, preparing our big coup. Tonight, we're going to sew our superhero costumes. Since we don't have a sewing machine here, we have to go somewhere where we can access one without our parents – or anybody else, for that matter – finding out about it. The logical choice is the farmhouse in Smallville because grandma and grandpa will spend the weekend in Wichita. There is this farming exhibition they want to visit. Who'd have guessed there are exhibitions on farming? Anyway, it's the perfect opportunity for us. Especially since we learned sewing on the very same machine only two weeks ago while we spent two weeks of our holidays with our grandparents.
Anyway, since our return to Metropolis, we have been working on our costumes. First, we had to come up with designs, which was fairly easy. I will take over the old Ultrawoman costume, but with reversed colours. My suit will be teal and my cape pink. I will add a black wig, though. Red hair has two distinct disadvantages: First, it doesn't work with the colours, and second – and much more important, it's pretty rare. I really don't want to be recognized because of my hair.
JJ chose a skin-tight green jumpsuit with a red 'X' over his chest and blue briefs, blue boots and a blue cape. He'll wear a green mask with a red cross defining its shape. Sammy will use something resembling the old look of Mary Marvel, a gold-rimmed red dress with the familiar lightening crest and a gold-rimmed white cape, completed by red boots and a white mask in the style of the Hero Turtles. Lucy will use a rather loose red shirt with the Wonderwoman crest and a loose blue mini skirt with white stars on it and Greek style red sandals.
To cover her face, she'll wear a butterfly-shaped blue mask with white stars on it. In order to look as different from each other as possible, Lucy will wear her hair in a ponytail while Sammy will wear hers openly. Both will make their hair curl differently, too, but they'll keep the colour. Black is far from uncommon, after all.
However, we have completed our designs, worked on the cuts and cut them out three times. We figured it would be enough to last a while, even if we had to wash one or two sets at once. We still have to figure out how to get them washed, though. But I'm sure we'll find a way. As soon as we are supposed to be in bed, we'll leave. I've organized a map of the US and one of Kansas in particular. This will be our first big flight, and we don't know our way around yet. JJ thoughtfully added a compass and flashlights, which is a good thing considering it's a new moon. Which is why we'll be wearing black for our trip. I'm so excited, but I don't know whether what I'm feeling is my own anxiety, or whether I'm picking up on my siblings'. Considering that, we'd better keep our thoughts and feelings from leaking out. I send a mental note about it to JJ, Sammy and Lucy. They all manage to keep their thoughts to themselves in an instant, and I gratefully notice that I feel much less anxious than before.
We're just stuffing the pieces of fabric into our backpacks when Mom knocks at the door. "It's time for bed!" she calls.
"Just one more minute!" we chorus.
"But only *one* more minute!" Mom shouts back at us.
I roll my eyes. She can be such a stickler to the most stupid of rules. We quickly stuff our bags and stow them under the twins' beds. We can hear that Mom is still waiting for us at the other side of the door, and we don't want her to guess that we're up to something. I take a peek at her through the door – I finally got this strange ability under control – and gasp. <You won't believe it, but Mom is standing there with her ear to the door!> I inform the rest of the gang. <Let's set her up. JJ, can you provide some loud noise while I unlock the door?>
I'm slowly floating into place in front of the door. As soon as I touch the door knob, JJ falls down with a crashing sound. "Ow, it hurts!" he exclaims, adding a "Bloody he**!" for emphasis while I quickly unlock and open the door. Mom, being caught off guard, stumbles inside. We all look askance at her.
"I was just.. trying to push open the door. Yes, that's what I was doing..." Dad was right, I decide. Mom does babble.
"Sure, Mom. You always do that with your ear..." JJ deadpans. The twins giggle while I try to cover my laughter with a cough. It still comes out as laughter, though. Anyway, I never knew Mom could turn that beautiful shade of dark red. Red or no red, she shoos JJ and me out of the room. She must be really distracted, though. Otherwise, she'd have given JJ a lecture on his language. Smirking at each other, we leave for our rooms.
After lying in our beds for about half an hour, we get ready to leave. Once again we meet on the roof where Lucy and Sammy are waiting for us with our backpacks. We turn to face the direction in which we have to fly and take off.
********************
Finally there! And about time. This flight has been a total disaster. It started with Lucy and Sammy lagging behind because they couldn't keep up with the pace JJ and I set. We quickly resolved this, though. Sammy held tight to my ankle, and Lucy did the same with JJ. That way, we were able to fly even faster than alone. I don't really know how to explain this as it doesn't make any sense to me. But we quickly figured out that we were able to fly even faster than that when the four of us hold tightly together. Flying at this rate is nothing short of exhilarating! Unfortunately, it has some drawbacks. Our reactions simply couldn't keep up with our speed. We realized that when we nearly knocked into a plane. Fortunately, we were able to avoid a crash, if only barely. Not much later we were flying over an airport that wasn't to be found on our map. As we found out all too quickly, it was a military airport. It became evident when all those fighting jets took off from there to follow us. Even though we were flying in a four-person formation, we were unable to outfly them. Even their manoeuvering was excellent. Fortunately, there was this rather large forest area Lucy pointed out to us. When we were directly above it, we started a rapid descent into the woods where no jet could follow us. Running through the forest, we managed to escape. From then on, we kept as near to the ground as we dared. And shortly before we reached Kansas, there was this thunderstorm brewing. We were lucky to get through it without getting soaked.
Anyway, we made it. The only problem is that we don't know how to get in. Why didn't we think of getting a key? But before we return home, I want to try something I've seen Mom do with the door to our house on occasion. All I need is a hairpin and a tiny bit of my newest vision gizmo thingy to see what I'm doing.... Bingo! We're in!
I shut the door after my siblings, and we purposefully walk into Grandma's sewing room. Quickly, we take our would-be costumes out of our bags and arrange them in front of us. Lucy is the first to get done, so she is the first to take a turn at the sewing machine. Sammy finishes as second, JJ as third and I'm last. Since sewing takes some time, we decide to finish our two spare costumes as well. As it is, there are not enough pins for all of our costumes, so I keep looking for more. I open one drawer after the other, only to find all sort of stuff that I can't make head or tail of. Then there is the bottommost drawer. A big one. In there, I find some pink and teal fabric, pretty much like the fabric I chose for my costume. Completely confused, I pull the fabric out of the drawer. It looks like a costume. Pretty much like my own, but with reversed colours...
Suddenly, I hear Sammy gasp. "Is that an Ultrawoman suit? For real?" she asks. Lucy and JJ turn around and stare at me and the costume I hold in my hands. I take a closer look. It looks like Grandma has done a really good job copying the original. I should know, I have spent endless hours collecting photos of Ultrawoman from every angle I could get so my suit would resemble hers as much as humanly possible. I take a closer look at the drawer and find a piece of paper in it. Written there is my mom's name and just about all her measurements. Showing this to my sibs, I say, "Looks like she made it for mom. I just wonder why neither Mom nor Grandma ever told us about it."
JJ starts rummaging through the still open drawer and resurfaces with another Ultrawoman costume. And about two more unfinished ones, all of them in exactly the same size. "Why on earth would she need so many of them?" he asks without really expecting an answer.
"Why do we need several identical costumes?" Sammy asks rhethorically. The looks on the others' faces show that they have arrived at the same conclusion: The reason might be pretty much the same.
Unexpectedly, JJ takes charge of the situation. "Lucy, Sammy, you continue your sewing. Lara and I will boot up the computer and see what we can find on the net." With that, he grabs my hand and pulls me along.
***************
After about half an hour, we return to the twins, who are already wearing their new costumes. My, but they do look good! So... hero-like, I guess.
"What have you found?" they exclaim simultaneously.
JJ is the first to answer. "Mom definitely was Ultrawoman."
"But how can that be? I know for sure I've seen Mom bleed and all," Sammy wonders aloud.
"That's the point that got us puzzled, too. But the evidence doesn't leave any other explanation. We compared pictures of Mom and Ultrawoman, and, if you add the mask to Mom's face and take away some hair, you get an exact copy of Ultrawoman's face. Then there're the costumes, plus the fact that they were made for Mom. The only question we cannot answer is how she lost her powers," I rush to explain.
Once again, it's JJ's turn to bless us with his insights. "You know, there were others with the very same super-powers. A guy named 'Resplendent Man' and a little boy who was supposed to be Superman's son. Both lost their powers somehow. I wonder if there is a way they got rid of them on purpose."
I can't understand him, but before I can open my mouth, Lucy asks, "Why should anybody want to 'get rid' of these powers?"
"Maybe she did it so she could have us? I doubt an invulnerable woman could have children with a mere human – even if said human is telepathic," JJ explains smugly. A tad too smugly, if you ask me. But as much as I hate to admit it, his idea has merit. I remember Mom and Dad telling us how much they wanted to have children, and that they were told that they couldn't. Obviously, whoever told them that was wrong for some reason. This reason might have been Mom's invulnerability – or her current lack of it.
<Lara, you're broadcasting your thoughts!> Lucy interrupts my thinking. <But I must admit, it totally makes sense.> Sammy and JJ nod in full agreement.
"Anyway, it's your turn at the sewing machine," Sammy declares. "We're already done with ours! You won't believe how fast that thing can sew without trying it out yourselves!" That said, JJ takes his turn while I admire the twins costumes. I wish I already had mine.
"What are we going to do about Mom? Confront her?" Lucy asks for our opinions.
"I don't think so!" I exclaim. "She never bothered to tell us about herself, so why should we tell her about us? Besides, she's an investigative reporter, she'll figure it out quick enough."
"Does that mean you want her to come to us? That w
