Gifted

Chapter 5: Confrontation At Blackwell High

"Landen!" said Dez as he saw him come out of Mr. Riley's classroom. "I'm over here. We have to go get your sister, don't we?"
"Yeah, Kenzie should almost be out of school now. She's gonna freak out if we don't pick her up soon though."
"Isn't she, like, fourteen? She's also a pretty good fighter despite not having any powers as we do. Your mom needs to cut the umbilical cord, man."
"Well, she's always going to be my sister, and no matter how old she gets, I'm going to be protective of her. Sure, she's pretty strong in her own way, but faced with a Gifted, she'd be killed. I won't let that happen."
"All right, let's go get your sister then slowpoke."
Landen and Dez proceeded to walk through the halls of their school before being stopped by Carter and Kayla.
"Hey, Landen, Dez. Where are you guys headed off to?" asked Carter.
"We're off to go and get my sister from school. She should be getting off by now."
"Oh, cool. Do you care if we tag along with you guys, Landen? Carter and I just got out of our last class too,"
"Sure. I don't care, Kayla." 
"I call shotgun in the passenger seat. Sorry, Kayla. I'd love to drive us there myself in Landen's car, but he doesn't trust me."
"Not a chance, Dez. You're almost 18, and you still don't know how to drive. I wouldn't want you manning my car and crashing it while we're in the air."
"Hey, not my fault the controls to a flying car are so complicated. It makes me feel handicapped. Oh, look at me, I'm Landen, watch me be an overprotective priss with my fancy Japanese flying sports car," said Dez as he and the rest of the group walked outside of their school's doors.
"Where is your car parked, Landen?" asked Kayla, walking alongside him. They two of them looked out at the rows upon rows of cars sitting next to each other.
"It shouldn't be too far, knowing Landen. Probably away from everybody else's car. Especially Zach's," said Carter.
"Guys, I found my car! Let's go!" said Landen excitedly, starting it remotely with his keys.
Landen's Hyper X proceeded to open its black glass driver's side door, enabling everyone else to get in after Landen before they were all inside and lifted into the air.
"Did I ever mention to you guys how beautiful New Vega looks high above in the air? I mean, just look at it," said Dez as he looked out the passenger window.
"Just don't get too distracted by our city that you fall out of Landen's car, Dez," said Carter.
"Dez, you act like you've never seen our city from up in the sky before," said Landen.
"You see it from a different perspective when you're off the ground and really paying attention to it, man," said Dez.
"Hey, what do you guys think about Mr. Riley's story on the Celestials?" Carter asked. "I mean, I know there is life outside our own here on Earth, but it is hard to think that the Celestials taught us all about Gifted. I think the government knew something before they came."
"Well, it is proven to have actually happened, Carter. So there is no doubt about that, but who knows? The only ones who would have any idea on the real truth is the government and President," said Kayla.
"I agree with you, Carter. You've got my vote. I'm not the President of the country, so I don't know. Then again, maybe we're just blowing some government conspiracy theories out here, and nothing at all is actually wrong. Who knows?" said Dez.
"Well, I guess that makes you another conspiracy nut like us then, doesn't it Dez? Maybe those within the Illuminati are behind this," Carter said. "We're only missing one more person's thoughts on this subject. Landen? What do you think, man?"
"I don't know what to believe or what is right. I don't care so much for what the history books say, but my gut tells me we're being watched."
"If the Celestials are still here, then maybe they're just lonely and looking for friends to hang out with. Maybe even find love. Landen, we all know your little secret so don't be shy. You like them big old pale alien babes, don't you? Try not to be jealous, Kayla, because he just can't help himself," said Dez.
"Shut up, Dez!" said Landen and Kayla in unison.
"You're an ass, Dez. But you're a funny ass. A funny ass donkey," said Carter before laughing with Landen and Kayla.
"Yeah, yeah, so funny, Static Shock. A comedian in the making everyone. Ladies and gentleman, we've finally arrived at our set destination. If you look on to your left, you'll see Blackwell High."
"I almost forget sometimes with how large and old Kenzie's school is," said Landen.
"Well, it has been here since the early 2100s. I mean, look at it. You see those red and grey cracked bricks? This school is old. Even our school looks newer than this one," said Dez.
"Everything looks newer than this school," said Kayla.
Finding a parking space, Landen parked his car before his friends and he unbuckled and got out of it. They walked out of the parking lot and reached the curb sidewalk of Kenzie's school, and the group was led to what seemed like hundreds of steps that reached higher and higher off the ground. Landen thought the levels of Blackwell seemed to reach up so high that it could be compared to walking up into the heavens as they neared the top that stationed the school's entrance.
The bell rang, and a massive swarm of students made their way out of the different buildings.
Dez, Carter, and Kayla proceeded to wait by the side of the office building of Blackwell High for Landen. They started up a conversation, one which Landen wasn't quite able to make out as he gained distance from them. There weren't many kids left in the school at this point since it was about the time most of them went home for the day, only a few pockets of them leading to after-school activities.
Landen made his way around to the class buildings, seeing a group of students rush out of a nearby door making their way to the opposite direction of him. Making her way out next was his sister, Kenzie, with an expression of terror on her face. Landen noticed her hazel eyes bounced back and forth from the left to the right as her body soft shook with them.
"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost or something."
"No, everything isn't fine. I'm scared," Kenzie answered. "Abbie, Ryan, and Jake are messing with me again. I'm not like you. I'm not able to just use my powers to get them to leave me alone, and I can't take on all three of them at the same time. They've been messing with me more than normal lately."
Stunned from his sister's remark, Landen felt his heart begin thumping at a quicker pace from the adrenaline rush he was starting to feel coming on. "What? Did you go to the principal or tell a teacher?"
Kenzie nodded her head, dismissing her brother's question. "You know that doesn't work, Landen. They never do anything about it besides brush it off like always. Going to them will only make things worse anyway."
"Well, you have to learn how to stand up for yourself and fight back despite the odds. Maybe I can help yo-" said Landen before being cut off by the loud noise of a nearby class building's door opening.
"Oh, look who it is, guys," said Abbie, running up behind Kenzie, wrapping her arms tightly around her shuddering neck. Ryan and Jake promptly followed up on this, pursuing Kenzie, each boy grabbing one side of her arms and holding them down tightly, preventing her from fighting back.
"Hey there, Kenzie. Who's your friend here? Don't believe I've ever seen him before. You weren't really going to try and leave without introducing me to him, were you?" she asked, smugly grinning a wicked smile, wrapping her arm tighter around Kenzie's neck.
Abbie quickly glanced up at Landen before turning back her attention to Kenzie, looking at her now with an unsatisfied grin.
"Ugh! No!" said Kenzie, struggling to breathe. She felt Abbie's strong arm dig deeper over her neck.
"Oh? What is it, Kenzie? You know I hate secrets between us. I'm sorry, she has to learn better manners, and I'm going to teach her some! Maybe I should start teaching you some proper manners starting with this pretty little black hair of yours? I should tear it all off so you can see how much of an ugly loser you are. What do you guys think?"
Landen clenched his fist while visibly shaking uncontrollably. "Let her go, NOW!" he said.
"Or what? This has nothing to do with you. You don't want to get involved, and Kenzie has to learn some respect. She's gonna get what's coming to her," Abbie said. "You know, you look just like her. What are you, her brother or something?"
"Yeah, I am, and you're hurting my sister! Let her go!"
"Make me. Your sister has to learn her place. My family and I are sick of being second place to people like your family. Your stupid, pathetic family put shame on the Gifted military. You and your sister's mom shouldn't have made it far, especially after raising a weak daughter that can't fight back and save herself!"
"Look at her cry! She's so weak. What a baby! Do you see this, guys?" asked Ryan while laughing loudly and uncontrollably, tightening his hold on Kenzie's left arm.
"You need a tissue, little girl? Fight! Fight back and save yourself! Oh, you can't, can you? You're so pathetic and weak!" shouted Jake before letting out a loud laugh.
Landen's thoughts quickly shifted to quick fragmented memories he had of Kenzie and himself growing up. He had flashbacks of himself at three years old holding his newborn baby sister in his arms as their parents happily watched him. He experienced past memories of himself teaching Kenzie how to ride her first bike. Finally, Landen remembered himself reading Kenzie bedtime stories with her falling asleep on his arm, ending with him telling her that he loved her, and vowing to always protect her no matter what happens.
Landen had enough. He wouldn't sit by any longer, hoping they'd listen and stop. It was time to act, and time to move now on her bullies.
"I SAID STOP IT!" Landen said, his shaky voice now roaring at his sister's oppressors.
Landen's tense body shook as his heartbeat thumped rapidly inside his chest. He breathed in deeply before extending out his left arm at Abbie and her friends, channeling his mind and focusing on willful intent to interact and move his sister's attackers.
"What is he doing?" Abbie asked herself, watching Landen in fear.
Out of nowhere, a strong, invisible force overtook Abbie, Ryan, and Jake. One-by-one, their tight grip over various parts of Kenzie's body was forcefully removed. The three bullies were then shoved back from her, tossed hard into the interior door of a nearby class building.
The hard impact knocked the wind out of all of them just as they landed on the ground. They moaned out of pain before going unconscious. A big dent rested in the door they all flew in, exposing the pure force of the impact.
Collapsing to the ground, Kenzie coughed, gasping for fresh air. She noticed what happened as oxygen returned into her lungs, ending her hard coughs. Her eyes widened as the reality hit her. Abbie and her friends were knocked out unconscious. She was free, but at a cost.
"Oh my God!" she cried out.
Kenzie ran beside Landen, looking up at him wide-eyed. Her focus returned to the bodies of her tormentors. She shook her head in disbelief after seeing her enemies lying on the ground unconscious. Taking another glance at her enraged brother, she saw him tightly clenching his balled up fist.
He stood looking over at his sister's sprawled out attackers. The pure anger in Landen's eyes made Kenzie tremble inside her own skin. His eyes were wild. It wasn't often that she saw her brother angered like he was at this moment. Something in him finally snapped after the sight of seeing her in pain.
Snapping back into reality, the cold, wild eyes Landen previously wore disappeared. They were replaced with a pained, broken expression. "What? What did I just do?" he asked hopelessly in a trancelike, vulnerable state before collapsing on his knees.
"Landen, there you guys are. What's taking so long, man?" asked Dez as he, Carter, and Kayla all approached Kenzie and him. They stopped and noticed Abbie and her friends' unconscious bodies on the ground.
"Wha-what happened here, Landen?" asked Carter.
"You two had a party here and didn't invite us? We decided to come get you after you were taking longer than usual. I guess we see why you were taking so long now," said Dez, looking over at the bodies of Kenzie's bullies.
"We have to get out of here now, guys. It isn't safe to be here anymore. What if someone comes out and sees this?" asked Kayla.
"We can talk about this later. Kayla is right. We need to go guys. Now," said Carter.
"Landen? Landen. We have to go, come on," said Kenzie as her and Kayla each took to the opposite sides of him, grabbed his arm, and lifted him up.
The group ran back to Landen's car, quickly shuffling to get in and ascend off into the sky away from Abbie, her friends, and Blackwell High.