Jack Wild and The Floating Academy

The School

A security guard stopped them at the gate.

"I'm sorry ma'am, it's school policy that parents don't come into the school with their students."

"Why is that?" Jack's mother protested.

"It makes it easier for the students to acclimate themselves with their new surroundings." The guard explained apologetically.

"Well that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" She exclaimed.

"I don't write the rules, ma'am. I'm sorry. You'll have to say goodbye to your son here."

Jack turned to his mom. "I'll be fine, Mom. I love you and I'll call and visit as much as I can."

"Oh, I'm going to miss you." She sniffled, pulling him into a hug.

"I'll miss you too Mom."

After his mom had gotten in her car and driven away, Jack turned to the guard. "Why couldn't she come in?"

"A few days ago a student brought in a parent and the staff was not informed. The woman was quite terrified to find out her daughter went to a school for superheroes." The guard opened the gate for him. "Leave your luggage here, we'll take it in. You have a test to take."

"A test? I didn't even go here last year."

"That's why you have the test, actually." The guard smiled. "It's just a little exercise devised to see some classes you should be put in."

"Oh." Jack narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion. "What do I have to do?"

"Why don't you go see?" The man pointed through the gates.

Jack slowly walked through them and they swung shut behind him.

There was a wooden bridge in front of him, stretching out to an island, on which there was a huge, old fashioned castle.

"This is the test? Walking across a bridge?" He muttered, starting across.

When he was halfway across, all hell broke loose.

There was a loud groaning sound behind him, and by the time Jack turned, it was deafening. 

The bridge behind him was rolling up on itself. 

Jack panicked and backpedaled furiously, trying to outrun the giant wooden roll heading for him.

'You have a test to take.'

The guard's words rang in his ears.

Jack put on a burst of speed, then whirled and thrust his hand out at the bridge, concentrating as hard as he thought was humanly possible.

The giant rolling pin of doom shuddered to a stop inches from his hand.

Jack backed up slowly, giving the wood a little slack with each step so it could continue to roll up, just not endangering him.

When he felt his feet hit solid ground, he held the bridge in place and backed up a few paces before letting it go. 

The thing finished rolling up and sunk into the water, creating waves.

Jack bent over, gasping for air. He'd never tried to control something so huge, he was honestly surprised he wasn't a pancake of some sort yet.

"Impressive, Master Wild." A woman's voice spoke behind him.

Jack whirled, feeling his head spin and seeing his vision darken for a moment at the sudden movement, and found a professional woman standing behind him, a clipboard in hand and glasses perched on her nose. She was in a blue skirt and matching blazer with plain black heels.

"You are Master Wild, I presume?" The woman asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

"Uh, yeah." Jack answered slowly. "D-did I pass?"

The woman just tipped her head a little to the side, as if she was trying to get a better view of him.

"Come with me. I'll show you around then take you to your room."

"What's your name?" Jack asked without thinking. "Uh...just so I know what to call you." He elaborated when she turned to arch a single eyebrow at him.

"You may call me Dean Hill."

"Your name is Dean?"

"No. I am the Dean of Students. My first name is none of your business, young man."

"Sorry." He muttered, looking at his feet.

"Come on then, let's show you around." Dean Hill turned and walked towards the doors of the huge castle. 

Glancing around them, Jack saw that there was only about five feet of land between the castle walls and the edge of the island, which dropped off steeply into the water.

"Is this island manmade?" He asked curiously.

"Yes." Dean Hill turned to him. "You're an observant kid."

"Yeah. I just...notice things, I guess." He said awkwardly, not knowing what was wrong with being observant.

"Interesting." The Dean scribbled something onto her clipboard and turned to the doors again, which opened inward when she was close enough to them.

"Welcome to The Floating Academy, Master Wild."

The courtyard was clean, with some plants placed in strategic places to add scenery, but what caught his eye was the girl sitting in the middle of a flower bed, singing softly as her hands hovered over the red roses in front of her.

As she sang, the roses grew quickly, blooming wide and staying that way.

"Does everyone here have powers?" He asked the Dean.

"Not necessarily. Some are mentally capable of being superheroes, some are willing to undergo testing to become genetically changed superheroes."

"Okay." He followed her, scanning the courtyard as he walked.

A small patch of dirt near the wall in a corner caught his eye, but he brushed it off as someone wanting to plant something, maybe the girl from the flower bed trying to transfer her roses there.