A Family Stronger Than Steel

Chapter 04

Dell Whispers stared out the window, lost in his thoughts. Augustus hosted his Human Appreciation Society after-school club for him, Eileen, Tomas, and Bo. A few days have passed since Dell's encounter with Lobo and the shocking revelation of his identity as Kal-El from Krypton shortly after. He often wondered who his birth parents were and why they abandoned him. He also wondered why it seemed like Mom and Baba would dodge the question whenever he asked them. They didn't know either. Expecting their son to be an alien probably never crossed their minds.

"Now, here is another wonder of the Human Realm." Augustus said enthusiastically, bringing Dell's attention back as he picked up an item labeled "pay-per-clorp" and displayed it to everyone. "This little fella's considered one of their most valued objects. It aids in compiling printed wisdom, scratching gunk from under your nails, and my favorite..." The illusionist prodigy twanged it. "It even mimics the sounds of the human ocean. So beautiful."

Augustus put it back on the desk with the other labeled human items he showed off today: "nail clippers," a "whoopie cushion," a "food bowl," and a "weapon?" Dell knew all of these were, without doubt, bought from Mom's stand. He sometimes went with Owlbert and Fiddlesticks to the Human Realm to retrieve these "treasures" from trashcans. He could get in and out without anyone noticing, a perk that came with being faster than a speeding fireball. But that didn't change the fact that it made his pal happy. One man's trash is another man's treasure, as humans say.

The bell suddenly screamed, startling the only other members, particularly Bo and Eileen, who were having a whispered conversation. Usually, they would talk about Dell and how they had crushes on him, something that was no secret to him with his super-hearing. Not that he'd intentionally eavesdrop on them, but their giggles and blushing faces were hard to miss. But today, like everyone else at the school, they were discussing the possible identity of the Mysterious Blur. Or his new name given by the media, The Superboy.

"I guess we'll pick this up next time," Augustus said as the H.A.S. members quickly gathered their things and left.

"See you next time, Dell," Bo said, the freckled girl flashing a charming smile at him. Eileen mumbled something like "Later" before giggling with her friend down the hall.

Dell noticed Augustus sigh after he gathered his human treasures and headed out into the hall. Walking beside him to their neighboring lockers. "What's wrong, Augustus?" He asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Augustus replied, tickling his locker and prompting the storage demon to open its maw for him. "Just feeling a little... I don't know that H.A.S. was just a waste of time."

"Why would you think that?"

Augustus shrugged, grabbing his backpack and other school supplies from his locker. "No one was paying attention to my presentation. Tomas fell asleep after showing the "food bowl." Bo and Eileen were chatting and giggling about you again. And you were spacing out almost the whole time."

Dell rubbed the back of his head, feeling bad that he disheartened his friend like that. "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't trying to be rude."

"I guess I was wrong to think other people would be interested in this stuff." Augustus sighed.

"Don't say that," Dell interjected, trying to offer some encouragement. "You just gotta work on your presentation skills for the next meeting. You're an illusionist-the best I've ever seen. Everyone will be blown away once they see what you can do."

Augustus nodded to his taller friend, a glimmer of hope returning to his eyes. "You think so?"

Dell smiled reassuringly. "Absolutely. Trust me, with a little practice and some tweaks to your approach, you'll have everyone on the edge of their seats. And I'm sorry for not paying attention. Honestly, I've been dealing with some... issues lately."