James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - Book Two

Thirty

"What is wrong with you? You attacked Mark. You're acting all moody. What's going on?" Derek said, walking down the neighborhood streets with me.

"Max," I growled. Then I softened my temper, taking a deep breath. "Max is the problem."

"James," Derek soothed me. He grabbed my arm before I could move on and stopped me. "You need to calm down. Do you want to sit down and talk about this?" Knowing he only wanted the best for me, I sighed, wandered, and sat on the curb.

"What, Derek?" I growled.

"James, don't give me attitude. I'm trying to help."

"I'm sorry. I'm under a lot of pressure."

"You are a leader in our family. Most times, we all look up to you. You've had your powers longer than most of us and-"

"I still don't want my superpowers, Derek." I adjusted my sleeves and pulled them above my elbows anxiously. I missed being normal, but I also enjoyed being super-strong, super-fast, and able to fly. It was something I still argued about with myself. "Sam and I weren't alone when I drank the serum that gave me my powers. It was Max's fault I drank it."

"Max?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I think that kid was Max."

"Why do you think he did it?" He asked me.

"I don't know?" I shrugged. "We were kids, barely old enough to think independently."

"You know, the more I hear about Max's trauma, the more I feel bad for him."

"Why?" I said, laying back against the cold concrete. "He chose this. He doesn't give a shit about Sam or anyone else but himself. He's the bad guy," I muttered.

"Maybe not?" Derek countered. "Remember, Max, endured a ton of abuse and brainwashing. He might not be as bad as we think."

I shrugged. "I still don't trust Mark either."

"If Grace, Noah, and Bryce can fight their troubled past and join us, then what if we can convince Max too?"

I sighed, sitting up, "I don't know. It doesn't seem possible to me. Max is pure evil." I dusted myself off.

"No, James. He's projecting his traumatic past on Sam and us. He doesn't know any other way. Talk to Noah and Grace about this, and maybe you'll understand more. They told me a lot about Max. They were manipulated and abused for years. He's not a bad guy, James."

"Alright, I'll think about it," I snapped. Derek pulled off the curb, stretching his calves against the concrete slab. "We should start heading home. Sam wanted to have a family meeting."

"Whatever," I said. There was silence before I playfully shoved Derek. "I'll race you."

"Sure, like I can beat you." Derek chuckled. We watched each other, our eyes meeting, before we took off towards home, the sunset setting in the distance.

∆∆∆

"So, about Thanksgiving dinner-" Sam stood at the front of the living room, addressing all of us. "We will be together as a family this year, and we can't fight at the table." Samual looked at Mark, then at me.

"I don't want to be here right now," I grumbled, throwing my hoodie over my head. Then, my father yanked it off just like Derek used to do.

"James, knock it off," He barked. I rolled my eyes and sank into the couch's side, listening in.

"Does Sebastian have to come?" Bryce whined, getting comfortable in Mark's arms.

"Look, I know what he does to you at school, and so does Thomas, but he has to come. Thomas and I are working on fixing his behavior, and I don't want to hear anything from you boys," Dexter answered, standing in the background without his arms crossed against his broad chest.

Noah snorted. "Like that's going to stop him."

"Noah," Sam snapped. "Knock it off. I'm sick and tired of your attitude, too. It's annoying." Sam watched Noah shift on the couch uncomfortably before his father's eyes briefly turned to mine.

"He said it, not me," Mark smacked his lips together, glaring at Noah. Then Bryce smashed his fist into his boyfriend's gut.

"Oh, shut the fuck up, mate," Noah growled. Bryce pulled away from Mark's embrace, his eyebrows knitted together, bothered by Mark and Noah.

"Why? You never shut up," Mark countered. Everyone was tense in the room, watching Mark and Noah glare at one another.

"ENOUGH!" my father yelled. "The two of you need to stop. I understand you don't trust Mark, and I don't always trust him, but he's trying. I can see how much he wants to do the right thing."

   Derek raced down the staircase and emerged into the living room in his uniform, adjusting his collar. "If anyone needs me, I'll be at the station."

"Goodbye, Lover boy," Grace hollered at him from my mother's chair.

"Bye, Grace," Derek replied, wiggling his fingers at her.

"Wait, Derek," our father called him, stopping Derek before he could leave the house.

"Yeah, Dad?" Derek wandered into the living room. His eyes shifted around the room before landing on our dad.

"Tell Henry that Sam and I need to discuss something with him privately."

Derek brought his index and middle finger to his forehead and saluted our father. "Got it, Dad," he replied. His blue eyes landed on me before he walked away and yanked the door open.

"So, who's cooking on Thursday?" Mark questioned, rubbing his palms together. 

"Sam and I got this, just like the old days, right?" Dexter's eyes met Sam's. Sam pushed his lips together before sucking air through his teeth.

"Sure, we can do that together," Sam replied, smiling at his best friend.

"How's Danielle?" He asked, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

"She's great," Sam told Dexter, exhaling deeply. One hand was in his pocket, weaving his fingertips through his blonde roots. It was another thing Sam did when he was anxious about something. He had at least nine kids he knew of with Danielle, if not more. I would be nervous, too, if I were him. "I'm heading to her place after this," Sam acknowledged.

"Could you at least tell her I said hi?" Dexter pushed his body away from the wall.

"Yeah," Sam answered. "I'll let her know. We have to find time for the three of us to catch up."

"Sure," Dexter said. "It's been a long couple of years." Dexter's eyes darted to Bryce, watching his father on the couch next to Mark. We all agreed with him with silent nods. It has been quite an eventful ten years since I got my powers, and with Alexander, Mia, and Max at large, there were many more eventful years yet to come.