James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - Book Two

Twenty-Nine

"Hold still," Claire giggled. "I'm trying to measure you," she laughed at me as I twirled. Then she wrapped me with a sewing tape measure, trying to measure my chest. Claire poked and prodded Noah, Mark, and me as Martine watched her take measurements in his kitchen. Then I twirled again when she got my measurements, and she laughed.

"You're such a dork," she said, laughing at me as she pulled the measuring tape away.

"He's a super-dork," Noah corrected her, tapping the metal shelf beside him.

"Tell me," Kyle tapped his lips, "How much can you guys bench press?"

"More than you're probably thinking," Mark spoke for me. Kyle stared at us, his finger pressed against his lips, but the tapping halted.

"Hmm," Kyle thought, stirring a soup pot on the stove.

She tried measuring me again, and I twirled to mess with her. She giggled, playing the role of the good sport as she dropped her arms. "Stop it, James," she said amid laughter. I finally stood still as she wrapped the tape around me and measured my chest. Then, she swatted me after looking at the measurements.

"You're too damn beefy, babe," she said, slapping my chest.

"It's the super strength. I can't help it." I flexed for her, making her giggle again.

"Sure, it is," she countered, slapping my gut this time. Then, she wrote my measurements on a piece of paper. What? I wasn't lying.

"Your turn, Noah," she said. Noah wandered over with a grin. She slipped the tape around his waist, and before she could catch the number, Noah lifted off the ground, messing with her.

"Noah," she groaned. "Can you guys stop messing with me and take this seriously, please," she begged. Then Noah landed in front of her. "Sorry, Claire," he said sincerely for the first time. She took down his measurements and wrote them down quickly.

"Thank you, Noah," she said. Then she leaned in and wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you, babe," she said. "I love you." That was the first time I heard her say that. My heart nearly leaped from my chest in excitement.

"I love you too, babe," I said, hugging her back, nearly picking her up off the ground, leaning down, and pecking her on the lips. Her hand shot to her gut, and she squirmed. "Don't do that," she cried. Noah looked at me wide-eyed, and then his eyes landed on her with a grin.

"I know something you don't," Noah teased me.

"Whatever, Noah," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. Then, he looked at Mark, eyebrow raised as Claire scowled at Noah. It was as if my girlfriend and cousin were hiding secrets behind my back. Watching the two of them dodge each other's glances infuriated me.

"Oh, shit!" Mark chuckled, finally figuring it out. Either that or Noah told him.

Noah walked past me, patting my shoulder while Claire's pleading eyes locked with his momentarily. He winked at her, being the cocky son of a bitch he usually was before he wandered off to the front of the restaurant. Whatever Mark and he knew I didn't know left me baffled and determined to figure it out.

∆∆∆

BRYCE

"Who wants to fight me?" James asked with confidence.

"Dad should do it." Derek chimed from across the lawn.

Matthew rolled his eyes. "You think I'm fighting him?" He grunted.

"You guys are chickens with their heads cut off. I'll bloody do it, mate," Noah stepped forward.

"Nope, you're with me," Derek told Noah.

"'I'll take a shot at it," Mark suggested.

"Okay, Bryce, focus your heat vision on the scarecrow, aim toward the big X, and shoot," Sam ordered me. We all split up into groups, each doing something different. James and Mark squared up while Noah showed Derek how to shoot electricity properly from his hand, with my younger brothers sitting back and in the distance with my mother, Danielle, my uncle, my father, and Dexter observing.

I took a deep breath, focusing on the surrounding noises, my heart beating wildly in my chest before a stream of heat vision punctured the scarecrow and set it on fire. Dexter rushed for the fire extinguisher, sitting to the side just for an emergency, and the flames fought but struggled to fizzle out as the wind blew, leaving a fiery gaping black hole burning in the scarecrow's chest.

Behind me, I watched James flip Mark to the ground. Noah charged him, but James threw his hands out in front of him as he threw Noah back, smashing into our backyard tree. Then Mark grabbed James's ankle, pulling him down with him. Kick his ass, babe.

Mark rolled on top of James, fighting to keep him pinned to the ground, but James was the stronger one, shoving Mark off and sending him reeling through the sky and smashing into the flaming scarecrow, catching Mark on fire, but he rolled around the floor as the flames slid down his arms straight to his fingertips. Mark shut his eyes in focus before my dad could get the extinguisher to work, and the fire went out like a light switch.

"Geez. I didn't know Mark could do that." I stared at Mark's torn and tattered clothes, amused by a raised eyebrow.

"Nice job, moron," Mark yelled at James. James rolled his eyes, dusting grass and dirt from his shirt as he stood.

"You're lucky you're on our side," James muttered. Mark charged him, smashing into James like a battering ram as James flew into the backyard fence leading to the neighbor's backyard, tipping it over.

"Bite me, Knight," Mark growled, spitting in James's direction at the ground. James stood up, ready to charge Mark, but Noah zoomed over to him, pushing him back.

"Calm down," Noah snapped. James's fingers curled into his palm, and his jaw tightened before taking deep breaths.

"James, take a break inside," Matthew ordered.

James hesitated, rolling his eyes at his father before Henry roared, "That's an order!" Then he challenged them, crossing his arms across his broad chest. Finally, he gave up, letting Noah step away from him.

"Go take a walk or something and get some of that energy out," Matthew suggested.

"I'll go with him," Derek offered.

James huffed. "Whatever," He grumbled. Then he walked on into the house, followed by Derek.

My father clapped his hands together amid awkward silence. "Training is over," Sam said. "Everyone inside. We need to talk." I took a hesitant breath when Mark wandered over and slipped his hand in mine. We followed my father into the house, filing in one after another.