The Expanding World Read online

  I pointed at the people stiff on the floor. “This is how you have fun, terrorizing people?”

  Glare Girl nodded. “It is. Besides, at least when I take out a room of people, I do it on purpose, not with super foot odor or a fart. No class or style there.”

  I stopped walking towards her. “Those were accidents.”

  Glare Girl snickered. “That makes it worse.” She stood up. “Now are we going to give each other manicures, or are we going to fight?”

  I flew at her. She focused her glare on me. The pressure of that glare made me feel like I had a hundred-ton weight sMACking me in the face. The air around me heated up, making me feel like I was in a sauna set on NUKE. It slowed me down but didn’t stop me. I grabbed Glare Girl and lifted her in the air.

  “Is that all you got?” I asked.

  A flick of my wrist and I tossed her across the room. She tumbled to the floor. I watched her pause briefly before staggering to her feet.

  “How impolite, you never let me answer you!” she said, wiping a bit of blood from her lips. She smiled. I did not like the look of that smile.

  Glare Girl stood up. She cracked her neck then reached into a pocket she had under her arm. She pulled out a tiny, little, red-headed girl. And when I say tiny, I mean she had to be one inch tall.

  “About time,” the tiny girl said. “Whoa, you might want to consider switching deodorants!”

  Glare Girl let the small girl float to the floor. “Please, I don’t use deodorants. When you’re a bad girl you enjoy your own natural scent!”

  “Gross!” the tiny girl said.

  The tiny girl abruptly grew to normal kid size and I eyed her pink and yellow jumpsuit. Her mask was shaped like an S, for a cool look. She waved to me. “Hi, Super Teen, I’m Ellie Mae...I mean Shrink Girl.”

  “You seem like a nice kid. Why are you working with the princess of black?” I asked.

  Shrink Girl shrugged. “We’re cousins. Like they say, you can’t pick your family. So if you let us teleport away now, everybody will be happy. We both have a cool video we can show on YouTube. All the people get to recover. My cousin has had her fun.”

  I walked towards them slowly. “I can’t let her keep hurting people.”

  Glare Girl laughed. “Nobody is really hurt. I didn’t wilt anybody. I just wanted to test you. I’m helping you be a better you.”

  “I hate tests! Especially on Sundays!” I said, darting towards them.

  I saw Shrink Girl point at me and then take her index finger and thumb and squeeze them together. Suddenly I found myself looking up at Glare Girl who now towered over me.

  “Sorry, I had to do that!” Shrink Girl said. “It will wear off soon.”

  I leaped up into the air and clobbered Glare Girl with a flying uppercut to the jaw. My blow jolted her head back, knocking her to the ground.

  “Even small, I still pack quite a punch!” I told Shrink Girl as I hovered in her face.

  “Yikes!” she shouted. She turned and quickly made a circular motion with her hand.

  “She's tougher than the doc said,” Glare Girl whispered to her little cousin. “Get us home!”

  “I’m still getting used to this porting power,” she whispered back. “I can only go a few miles.”

  “That will get us home!”

  A glowing sphere of silver energy appeared next to Glare Girl. Shrink Girl shrank down again. She darted over to Glare Girl and grabbed her. They both disappeared into the ball of energy.

  “We mean you no harm!” Shrink Girl’s voice echoed from the energy ball. “Oh and I can teleport too!” she added, her voice echoing like it was in a tunnel. The ball of energy sizzled, then faded away.

  “Yeah, I kind of figured out the teleporting part,” I said, feeling my body return to normal size. For a second I considered chasing them, but I realized I had no idea where they had gone.

  Mom stood up and came to my side. “Come on Super Teen, help me get all these people back on their feet.”

  Dear Diary: Well, I guess I’ve finally made it as a superhero now that I have an arch-rival or nemesis. As powerful and mean as Glare Girl is, I still somehow find her more likable than Wendi Long. Ha, I guess you don’t need superpowers to be super annoying. Certainly, this Glare Girl wanted to be a pain in my behind but I really didn’t get the feeling that she hated me. She just wanted to see what I could do and what I could take. I think I gave her a pretty good idea of that. Sure, her glare stung, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. Sure, her little cousin Shrink Girl succeeded in miniaturizing me, but that didn’t slow me down much at all. Honestly, the girl’s teleporting powers seem more impressive to me. Man, that certainly means she would be hard to find. Dad and Hana told me they guessed these two came from BAD. I trusted them, maybe I shouldn’t have, but I did. Plus, Glare Girl did mention a doctor. Could that be Doctor Dangerfield? Could BAD be making their own super people? Now, that would be bad. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that these two popped up around the same time I was learning about BAD. I had faith I would get to the bottom of this and also rescue Felipe and Tomas. I needed to do it fast though before Jess lost her cool. Plus, I had an election at school to win. Well, if not win, then at least not embarrass myself. The thought of giving a speech made my stoMACh gurgle. Man, if I farted in the middle of a speech that would be bad on so many levels. Wow, being super can make life super complicated!

  My Other Arch Enemy

  On Monday, I walked to school in my usual way, alongside Jason. That seemed to be the constant in my life. The one thing I really needed.

  “That fight you had yesterday was weird,” Jason told me.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I know. Being blasted by some sort of glare vision then shrunk down to a tiny size wasn’t my idea of a relaxing Sunday evening.”

  “Have you seen what people think about the battle?”

  “Nah, I’m taking some time off Facebook. It’s just a place for people to go and say stuff they wouldn’t say face to face with anybody. It’s just not worth worrying about or wasting my time on…”

  “Well, Wendi thinks it was staged to make you look better.”

  “Of course,” I sighed.

  “But most people are really thankful you showed up to save the day,” Jason added.

  “That’s nice. I do like to help. But what’s your point, buddy?”

  “I think this was a test of their powers and your powers. To see how they stack up to you.”

  “So do you think these two were made super?” I asked.

  Jason nodded. “I do. One was older than you. The other was younger. Yet they were cousins. So they probably have some trait that makes them easier to turn super. I’m pretty sure BAD is making super people.”

  “They were from our town,” I said.

  MAC chimed in. “I’ve given the recording of your fight to your father’s people for analysis. They noticed that both the girls had slight scars on their necks. Which means…”

  “They had implants,” Jason answered.

  “Exactly,” MAC said.

  “I just thought of something!” I broke in quickly, unable to mask the excitement in my voice. “The Shrink Girl slipped for a second and called herself Ellie Mae. I figure she has to be nine or ten. If we search nearby areas for a girl with that name, we can talk to her and get a clue. She seemed nice. My super hearing picked up the fact that she can only teleport a limited distance.”

  “I’ll alert your dad’s people,” MAC said. “I’m sure they will come up with something.”

  “Great!” I said.

  “Until your dad’s company finds some information for us, I suggest you concentrate on more normal but just as challenging problems,” Jason said. “Have you thought about your campaign yet?” he asked.

  I shot him a look. I fought back the urge to hit him with a bit of heat vision. “When would I have had time?” I asked.

  Jason grinned. “Good point.” He turned and pulled some rolled up papers out of his ba
ckpack. “That’s why I’ve done some work for you!”

  He unrolled one of the papers and showed it to me:

  VOTE FOR LIA!

  SHE’S JUST LIKE YOU!

  There was an American flag and also our school flag (which I didn’t even know we had), under the text. It looked pretty cool.

  “It’s nice. You know I’m not like anybody else in the school though. Even Tanya, Jess, Marie and Lori aren’t bulletproof and super strong. I’m like really super. Heck, I could fart and be the only one left standing in the school!”

  Jason laughed. He put an arm around me. “Lia, those are your powers, those aren’t you. You are the person who worries about knocking out the entire school.”

  “Yeah, that would be bad…” I said.

  Jason continued. “You are the person who tries to use those powers to help the world become a better place.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “You are a person who is constantly trying to figure out what the right thing to do is.”

  “Yep, that’s me.”

  “You worry about little things like your breath not smelling fresh,” Jason added.

  “When your morning breath drops your dog, you learn to worry about these things,” I told him.

  “You have all these cool superpowers that others don’t have.”

  I nodded as we neared the school. “Yep, that’s kind of my point. You’re making my point for me.”

  Jason stopped walking and turned me to face him. “But you also still have to worry about…homework, who your parents are dating, what other kids think of you and most importantly what your place in this world is going to be.” He paused to let that sink in. “Your super-powers are great and they let you do fantastic feats, but they come with problems too. They make you different from the rest of us. And that’s any kid’s greatest fear…being so different they can’t find a way to fit in. Which makes you worry about fitting in with the rest of us. That makes you just like the rest of us!” Jason explained. “In fact, you’re an inspiration, you’re learning how to take your differences and make them work for not only you but also the world. You’re fitting in by helping others.” Jason stopped talking, out of breath.

  “Wow, Jason I’ve never heard you talk so much.”

  “It’s because you’re an important person to me. Watching you inspires me to be a better me. I know you can do that for others as Super Teen but more importantly as Lia.”

  We walked into the school grounds which seemed very quiet for that time of morning. Usually, there were heaps of kids milling around the front entrance. I wondered where everyone was.

  But then I considered what Jason had just said. I felt better about myself than I had for a long time. I felt like I was glowing. I turned to Jason. “I’m not glowing am I?”

  He smiled. “Nope, but you’re floating a bit.”

  “Oops,” I said forcing myself back down to the ground.

  We headed into the building. Out of nowhere, Wendi appeared. I watched her strut over towards us. So much for me feeling good about myself. “I see my worthy opponent has finally entered the school,” she said, almost choking on the word worthy.

  Looking around I noticed the walls already lined with posters that featured Wendi’s perfect face with the caption.

  Vote for Perfection!

  Vote Wendi!

  Dear Diary: Jason helped me to feel so good about myself today. And then I saw Wendi’s posters. How am I going to compete with those?

  W for the Win

  Jason went to work putting up my signs next to hers. Of course, my signs were much smaller and not as flashy. Wendi looked at them with disdain. I’m surprised she didn’t put a finger in her throat and pretend to throw up. Instead, she laughed. She turned to her new BFF, Maggie Carr, a tall, athletic looking girl with red hair. “Can you believe that I have to compete against this?” Wendi whispered to her, still loud enough for everybody to hear.

  Maggie nodded. “Sure I can. Those are the rules,” Maggie replied confidently.

  Wendi gave Maggie a look that said, “Duh”.

  Maggie fumbled with her words for a second or two, trying to figure out the best way to keep her BFF happy. “But your posters are SO much better. And they’re bigger too!” she added.

  She then thought for a second. You could tell when Maggie was thinking because she would tap her foot and roll her eyes like she wanted to force herself to think faster. “I think I read on Facebook that the biggest signs always win!”

  Patti Queen, a small girl with short brown hair, darted over to Wendi. Patti had a roll of tape in her hand. She saluted. “I’ve posted all your posters,” she told Wendi. Then she half looked at me. “Oh hi,” she said as if I should be honored that she’d noticed me.

  The three girls turned and walked away. No other words were said. Although Maggie did give a small goodbye wave and a curt smile.

  I shrugged and headed to my locker. Of course, Steve Mann stood there leaning against it. “Hi, Lia! What a nice surprise to see you here!” he said.

  I pointed to my locker. “Ah, this is my locker.”

  “I knew that,” he said stepping away from it and standing in front of Jason’s locker. “Nice day isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is,” I said.

  “Man, that Wendi is something else, isn’t she!” he commented, leaning casually against Jason’s locker. He began to slip then steadied himself. “I mean, sure she’s good looking if you like that sort of thing. But I like you…”

  I stared back at him and frowned.

  Before he had a chance to say anything else, Jess came over. “You! Get lost!” she ordered.

  Steve’s eyes glazed over. He turned and started walking towards the school doors.

  Jess groaned. “Ugh, he’s being too obedient. He probably will get lost somewhere,” she sighed.

  “Jess, stop him,” I said.

  She looked at me. “Well, it would stop him from annoying you!”

  “Jess!”

  “Yo nerd, I meant go to homeroom!” she ordered.

  Steve stopped walking towards the door. He turned and headed towards his homeroom. Jason and a few other kids had their eyes glazed over as well. They too stopped talking, and turned and walked like zombies to their classrooms.

  Jess grinned. “When I talk, people listen, whether I want them to or not.”

  “What’s going on Jess?” I whispered.

  “Any progress in finding Tomas, Felipe, and Felipe’s mom?” she asked me.

  “You sure his mom’s missing too?” I asked.

  Jess nodded. “Yes, I’ve been checking their house daily. They’re all missing. But all their stuff is still there. They were certainly taken.”

  “We have a lead on BAD. My dad’s people are finding the address of one of their test subjects. Then I’ll go talk to her,” I explained.

  “Good! When they get her address, I’ll go with you,” she replied anxiously. “When will they have it?”

  “Not sure,” I said. “But I’d better go alone, to begin with.”

  “Why, Lia? Don’t you trust me?”

  “Actually Jess, when you’re in this mood, I don’t. The girl’s just a kid. She seems like a sweet kid. Plus, she can’t talk if she’s a turnip.”

  Jess dipped her head. She took a deep breath. “You may have a point.” She looked at me and thrust a finger in my face. “But as soon as you have BAD’s address, you text me! I want to rip that place apart with you.”

  “I promise,” I said. “After all, we’re all part of a team. Right?”

  She turned to walk away.

  “Right, Jess?”

  She stopped. “Yes, we’re a team,” she sighed.

  I placed my hand gently on her shoulder. “Good to hear you say that. We’re stronger as a team.”

  She looked down and away from me.

  “You know it’s true, Jess,” I said forcefully, trying to will the words into her mind.

  She looked up at me. �
��I know it’s true. But it’s hard for me to accept that I need help. Bad for my cool, loner image.”

  I patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’re still cool!”

  Her eyes lit up. “For sure.” She turned and headed towards the door.

  “Ah Jess, we have school.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t think of school on days like this. It’s hard to concentrate. I might slip up and turn my classmates into toads.”

  I reached out and grabbed her by the arm. “Nope, as being part of that team, I can’t let you wander off; school is important. Not just for the learning stuff, but for the social interaction.”

  She tilted her head. “You don’t look like a nerd but you sure talk like one.”

  “Thanks!” I told her.

  The bell rang.

  I pointed up. “They’re playing our song.”

  “Nerd,” Jess laughed walking towards her homeroom.

  I let out a little sigh of relief and raced into my own classroom.

  The rest of my school day went pretty average for me. First off, in English, I realized that I’d forgotten to write a paragraph explaining my plans for the year. Luckily, I was able to use my super speed to write it in class. I told Mrs. Dexter that writing it by hand made it more personal. She accepted that. I didn’t feel bad about using super speed. I hadn’t written the paper on Sunday night because I’d been battling a super kid teleporting girl, and a nasty Glare Girl, who broke up my mom’s date with a reporter who was trying to learn my secret identity.

  In history and political science, Mr. P asked me what my platform for class president would be. I told him that it was to be a good person and to treat people fairly. A few of the kids laughed, but a few more nodded their heads. I noticed Brandon was one of them. In fact, Brandon even talked to me after class.