Dignified

Chapter six

Ryan woke the next day to the sound of someone screaming loudly in what sounded like pain. He rolled out of his bed quickly, nearly falling to the floor, and ran into the hallway. "What happened??" Asked Trace, running out of his room. Clark rushed out into the hallway, looking back and forth between the boys. "I think it was Zach. Hey, Zach, are you alright?" He asked, knocking on his door.

"Go away. It's terrible." Zach muttered.

"What happened? Hey, man, let us in." Said Ryan, pressing his ear to the door.

"No. Go away."

Clark sighed, running downstairs to the kitchen. He looked through some drawers rapidly before he finally found the key to Zach's room. He ran back upstairs, skipping every other step, and turned the corner to his brothers.

"Move." He told Trace and Ryan. He quickly unlocked the door and pushed it open, each of them piling inside. Ryan's eyes widened as he saw what his brother has been complaining about. Zach sat on his bed, his face covered by his hands. His hair was no longer the dark color it normally was. Instead, it was a bright auburn color, almost a pure red.

"Look at this!" He yelled, pointing at his hair. "This is horrible! My freaking HAIR turned RED!" He stood up, looking himself in a mirror. Ryan laughed, understanding why Zach was so upset. He was a very conceited boy who thought he was the most attractive guy alive and was wanted by every girl. His blue eyes and dark hair fit him well and actually did please some girls, but now he had red hair and brown eyes. He wasn't very fond of it.

"I look like a freaking ginger." He said sighing.

Trace smiled. "Zach, there's nothing wrong with gingers. Plus, you don't look like a ginger because your hair is an auburn color. Gingers have more of an orangish reddish color with blue eyes." He reassured him.

"But I don't LIKE my hair like this." Zach groaned.

Ryan grinned. "Too bad, so sad." He said, walking out of his room. Clark smirked. "Well, I'm going to take a shower. Behave, guys. No using your powers until I'm out." He said, stepping into the bathroom.

"Aw, c'mon on." Ryan said. He walked to the kitchen, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. He smiled at the thought of Zach's hair, but then his expression hardened. "Holy crap. What if my hair turns blue?" He said, running his hand through his hair. He sighed, walking outside to the pool. He removed his shirt and dove straight in, the coolness of the pool pleasuring him as his fingertips touched the bottom. He smiled to himself. It had taken him nearly five years to be able to touch the floor, and now he could do it without thinking about it. He surfaced, taking a deep breath and rubbing his eyes. He loved water, and he wasn't just thinking that because of his new powers. Ryan had always enjoyed swimming and showering, simply because he loved the feeling of water against his skin. He swam around the pool for awhile, before the idea came to him. He slowly let himself fall under, pushing against the edge of the pool to go further down. He laid down at the bottom, gripping the side wall to avoid floating up. He smiled as he opened his eyes, seeing everything clearly. He blinked, rolling onto his stomach and began moving around the bottom. He grinned, letting his last few air bubbles out. Ryan raised his eyebrows as he realized that his lungs weren't aching the way they normally would be by then. His body wasn't begging him for air, hurrying him to get to the top. He pressed his eyebrows together, closing his eyes before he decided to take a breath. His eyes widened as he felt the oxygen rushing through his body. "Woah, so I can breath underwater?" He thought, pushing on the wall and swimming to the other end. He did this a couple of times before finally rising to the top. "This is amazing." He whispered, pushing his hair back. He laughed, pulling himself onto the edge of the pool. He turned when he heard the screen door open. Clark walked through, a towel covering his head. "Ah, Ryan?" He said, raising his eyebrows at him.

"Hey, uh, what's up?" He asked, laughing a bit at how silly Clark looked.

"Ah..well, um. Yeah, maybe it's just better if you see for yourself." Said Clark, pulling the towel off. Ryan's eyes widened.

"Woah." Clark's hair was no longer dark like his fathers. Instead, it was a brilliantly blonde color, almost silver. Ryan stood up, running over to his older brother. "Jesus, man. You're blonde!" He exclaimed, smiling slightly. Clark sighed.

"Uh, yeah. I am. I'm a blonde now." He said, ruffling his hair. Ryan laughed.

"Dude, do you think my hairs going to turn blue? Or Trace's will turn green?" He asked worriedly.

"You better hope not." Clark replied, stepping back inside. A few moments later, Ryan could hear Zach yelling, "AHA! YES! I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. YOUR HAIR CHANGED TOO!! HAHAHA, WHAT NOW?!" He grinned, going inside and sitting down on a barstool. He squinted at the calendar taped on the refrigerator. Ryan sighed, running his hand through his wet hair. "Only one week left of summer." He said, quietly.

"How long do you think before Dad calls to get us?" Trace asked, leaning against the doorframe. Ryan looked up at him in surprise. "Well, today's Monday, so I'm guessing he'll have us taken back home on Saturday. That way he doesn't have to see us. We'll get there pretty late on Sunday, and then we'll go to school the next day. Same as every other year." He said, sadly.

Trace sighed. "Don't worry. School will be over before we know it." He said, reassuringly.

"Thanks bud." He said, running upstairs. He changed into some athletic shorts and a t-shirt, and headed back outside. He found Clark outside, doing what appeared to be yoga to him. "I didn't know you liked yoga." Ryan teased. Clark stood up straight, bringing his arms back to his side. "I'm not doing yoga. I'm practicing how to control the air." He said, lifting his hands up again. He could feel the breeze rushing along his arms, moving in any direction he pointed. He turned to Ryan, holding both hands out towards him. Ryan stumbled back as he was hit with a great force, blowing his hair back and giving him chills.

"Woah, hey. Stop." He said, moving to the side. Clark smiled, putting his hands down. "Let me see what you've got." He told Ryan, waving his hand at him. Ryan grinned, and began to focus on water. He thought hard about the cool, rushing sensation and imagined the water shooting out of his hands. He looked up at Clark, holding one hand out, and tensed his muscles. The water flew out of his hands, smacking into Clark pushing him back. Ryan cocked his head and the water spun around Clark no longer getting him wet. He looked down at the water that encircled him and smiled. "C'mon! Do more!" He yelled over the roaring of the water. Ryan willed the water to rise, spinning like a tornado around Clark. He allowed it to grow about six feet tall before sending it flying towards the lake. The water collided, stirring up some waves and making a loud crashing sound. Ryan grinned, raising his eyebrows towards the lake. "You've got to admit, this is pretty cool." He said, laughing. Clark sat on the ground, his legs crisscrossed. "Yeah, it is." said Clark, smiling slightly.

"When do you think Dad will call?" He asked, sitting down beside him. Immediately, Clark tensed and his face expression hardened. The air around Ryan dropped and gave him a cold, ice like sensation.

"I don't know." He said coldly. Ryan held his breath, knowing he had upset Clark. His older brother sighed and ran his hand through his blonde hair, getting up. "Make sure you pack soon." Said Clark, going back inside. Ryan looked after him and nodded. He laid back, passing some water droplets in the air from one hand to the other. He looked up at the sky and then the water droplets, a grin spreading across his face. "Rain." He said. At first nothing happened, but then it began to pour, the clouds filling in the sky. Ryan laughed as he lay on the ground, being covered in rain, and looking up at the sky.