James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - Book Three

Four

NOAH

As we lounged on the couch, enjoying pizza and wings courtesy of the police department, Noah turned to us with a curious look.

"Have you ever seen an Australian spider?" he asked. In the other room, a few officers were huddled together, discussing their strategy to apprehend Alexander, Max, and Mia.

Mark gulped, setting his pizza slice down and wiping his hands on a napkin before responding, "Aren't they massive?"

Noah nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah, they're gigantic, and vicious. They're bigger than our plates and even bigger than that rat dog we rescued." Noah held up Bryce's empty plate as a reference. "Dealing with one of those buggers is a whole different ballgame. The spiders we have in America are nothing compared to these monsters. And they have a spider season. These blokes cover entire parks with webs and offspring."

"Damn," Mark muttered.

"That sounds terrifying," I chimed in.

"We're terrifying too, James," Bryce said as he returned from the kitchen with a soda.

"I know," I admitted.

Bryce then changed the topic, asking, "Have you two thought of names for the twins? We already know it will be a boy and a girl."

"Hunter and Sasha," I said, voicing the names Claire and I had chosen. Derek, who had just walked in with a half-eaten slice of pizza, raised an eyebrow.

"Naming your daughter after Mom?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied, confirming that my father had already approved.

Derek shrugged with a grin as he took another bite of pizza. "I'm cool with it, as long as Dad's okay with it too."

"Did you know Hunter was Bryce's ex-boyfriend's name?" Noah chimed in, causing Bryce to blush.

"Yeah, let's not bring him up. I still miss him," Bryce admitted, and Mark wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, offering comfort.

"What happened?" I inquired.

"He found out about my powers, and then he moved away and ghosted me, all in one day," Bryce explained.

"That's messed up," Grace, who had just wandered past Derek in a unicorn onesie, commented as she plopped beside me on the couch.

"I can talk to Claire and see if we can reconsider," I offered, feeling empathetic toward Bryce.

"No," Bryce said firmly. "He's your child, and you should name him what you want without my sob story getting in the way. Besides, maybe it's for the best."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it that way. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding," Derek suggested, taking another bite of pizza.

"Maybe," Bryce mused, snuggling closer to Mark. "But it seemed odd that he ghosted me. He did like me, and we shared a lot of firsts."

Noah let out an exasperated breath. "Unfortunately, he's not exaggerating. I witnessed some of that messed-up situation." Mark couldn't help but laugh at Noah's reaction.

"It's not as funny as you think," Noah grumbled.

"Yeah, it is," Mark playfully taunted.

"No."

"Yes."

"Shut up, Mark, you bloody idiot!" Noah snapped.

"Uh-oh, Mark, you're in for it now," Grace teased, laughing. Without warning, Noah stood up, glaring at Mark, grabbed a slice of pizza, and stormed out of the room.

"Seriously, Mark?!" Bryce exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, babe," Mark responded with a shrug. Bryce pulled away from him.

"He's upset. I don't know if you remember, but I can sense his emotions," Bryce explained.

"I'm sorry," Mark muttered.

"Stop messing with my brother," Bryce firmly told him before leaving the room to follow Noah.

"I'll go talk to them," Derek offered.

"No," I stopped him. "I'll handle this one." I got up, placed my empty plate on the couch, and went after Noah and Bryce.

I found them in the kitchen, with Noah hunched over the sink, sipping on a can of Dr. Peeps, while Bryce rubbed his back.

"Are you okay, Noah?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "Remember that joke I made the other day in the bedroom about Sarah possibly being pregnant?"

"Yeah," I said, worrying about where this conversation was heading.

"Sarah told me the other morning that she missed her period. And I'm not talking about just a week or a month, but two bloody months. She tried to keep it a secret but mentioned that she started gaining weight, and now we're both worried." Noah anxiously ran his fingers through his hair before finishing his soda. I knew I had to be supportive, but this was a lot to process. If Sarah were pregnant, that would mean two teenage pregnancies in one household, and my father would flip if he found out.

"Does she look two months pregnant to you?" I asked.

"I honestly don't know. I haven't paid much attention before. But there's something different about her, and I can sense it," Noah admitted.

"Has she taken a pregnancy test?" I inquired.

"No, she's too scared to do it, and I'm afraid to see the results. My dad would kill me if he found out."

"Sam's not that bad. It's Alexander you should worry about," I reassured him.

"Maybe you're right, Noah. Maybe it's just water weight and a coincidence," Bryce tried to soothe his twin.

"I know you sense it too, Bryce," Noah grumbled.

"I do," Bryce admitted, running his tongue over his teeth. "But we won't know until she takes the test."

"What test?" Mark suddenly appeared in the doorway, curious about the conversation.

"What do you want, Mark?" Noah growled.

"Whoa, sorry. I came here to apologize, but it seems like a bad time," Mark said, taking a step back.

"Mark, get back here," Noah snapped, and Mark quickly returned to the doorway.

"Yeah, Noah?" Mark asked, eager to hear what Noah had to say.

"I'm about to share something that only we know, and I need your word that you won't mention it to anyone else. Otherwise, I'll pin you to the floor again. Understand?"

"Yeah," Mark agreed with him. Then he walked to the fridge to grab a can of Cola. He popped the top and took a swig. "Ready when you are."

"Sarah might be pregnant," Noah muttered again.

"Oh, shit! You're kidding!" Mark growled.

"Except he isn't, babe," Bryce spoke for his shaken-up twin brother.

"She's not even showing yet," Mark boasted before chugging his drink whole.

"We don't know for sure, and you can't say a word to anyone, including Sarah. Understood."

"Yeah, I promise. But don't you want to tell Sam at least?" Mark agreed.

"Not until I get Sarah to take a pregnancy test and confirm it. But this stays between us."

"Got it," I said.

"Do you think she's talked to Claire about it?" I asked, running my hand through my hair.

"Probably, but I'm serious, Mark. Not a word."

"We got it, Noah," Mark assured him. He then held up his soda can. "Cheers." With Claire and me about to become parents at seventeen and now Noah and Sarah facing a pregnancy scare, it seemed like life was becoming even more complex.