James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - Book Three

Six

Derek and Grace occupied seats nearby, observing Claire and me exchanging a glance. A smile passed between us just before my father's voice boomed from a distance, "James Everett Knight, get yourself upstairs right now!" Puzzled, I couldn't fathom what I had done wrong, but I had a sinking feeling that it wasn't anything positive.

My gaze darted to Derek, who simply shrugged. "I haven't got a clue what he wants," he muttered, then glanced at his ringing phone.

"Me neither," Grace added with a nonchalant shrug. Derek and I stood up from the couch. As I gave Claire a quick kiss, I made my way towards the staircase while Derek slipped out the door.

I found my father and Sam waiting in the nursery, surrounded by an overwhelming pile of baby gifts strewn across the room. Their expressions were filled with dismay. "You guys need to put a stop to your fans doing this," my father exclaimed, gesturing to the chaotic room. "The gifts are generous, but it's becoming excessive."

"What do you suggest?" I replied, feeling a sense of helplessness.

"You have a social media presence, right?" Sam questioned, fixing his gaze on me. I sighed, knowing where this was headed. Although I had been less active on social media since becoming famous, I still maintained my accounts.

"Yeah," I reluctantly confirmed.

"Then use it to communicate with your fans and ask them to stop sending these gifts," my father demanded, clearly stressed.

"I'll talk to Claire about making a post. We intend to donate most of it anyway. The influx of gifts is never-ending," I explained.

"Good. Also, the principal has arranged for you boys to hold a press conference next week about Henry and Alexander. He specifically requested that you give a speech, and I don't want to hear any 'woe-is-me' rhetoric about losing your powers or letting Noah take over. Mark informed me about the interview, and they've agreed to talk to all of you boys."

"Right," I muttered, eager to return downstairs to Claire and escape the situation. But I needed to find something else to focus on, and my gaze landed on a photo Claire had taken of me in my superhero costume, grinning broadly for the camera. It was the first time I had worn it, a special moment for Martine, Kyle, Kyle's designer friend Santiago, and her. Claire had been thrilled for me, and I had been equally excited.

"He specifically wants you to speak," Sam added. "Given your enormous following."

"Noah has a substantial following too," I argued.

"You will be the one speaking at the conference," my father insisted, arms crossed. "All of us will be there, including Samual, Danielle, Dexter, Derek, and me. We need to do this for Henry." I had nearly forgotten that Alexander had Henry. Amidst all the baby chaos and my loss of powers, Henry had disappeared since Maximus put me in a coma, and we hadn't seen any sign of Max, Mia, or him since. We weren't even sure if Henry was still alive, but we hoped that Alexander hadn't harmed his brother in his experiments. Whatever Alexander was doing to him couldn't be good.

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll do it, but only if everyone else speaks too," I proposed.

"Why are you avoiding the public eye like this? I know you despise your powers, but you, of all people, possess strong leadership skills and the courage to handle something like this, no questions asked," Sam remarked.

"I said I'll do it!" I snapped, taking a deep breath. Damn, that was the first time I had snapped at someone in a while. I was under an immense amount of stress, pun entirely unintended.

I could only hope that my children would be born soon. We had found Henry and stopped Alexander, Maximus, and Mia from carrying out their sinister plans, and I either needed my full powers back or needed to accept that they were gone for good.

I knew it was wishful thinking, but I still longed to be human, despite having supposedly learned my lesson the last time I lost my powers. These days, I felt more like a burdened anti-hero than a protector of Los Angeles. Most importantly, I yearned for the chaos to finally come to an end.