Dignified

Chapter fourteen

"I want an explanation." Scott ordered sternly, his four sons sitting in front of him. "What happened yesterday? How did all this damage happen? How did you-" he said pointing at Zach, "-produce fire out of your arms?"

"I had a lighter," Zach lied, evenly. "I sprayed body spray on my arms, and then I lit them. The fire burned on the spray, not my arms."

"What about your hair? You said something about your hair changing on its own?" Scott questioned, having trouble remembering what had happened.

"I never said that."

"Yes, you did."

Zach raised his eyebrows. "Dad, you hit your head pretty hard. I don't think you know what you're talking about." He said.

"Well, what happened? You boys never told me how all of this happened!" Said Scott, pointing at the broken walls.

"I tackled Zach into that wall, and then he tackled me back into that wall." Clark chimed in.

"Then what happened to me?" He asked, becoming more and more frustrated.

"You slipped and fell onto the coffee table. It shattered and you fell through, hitting your head on the floor." Ryan lied.

"None of this makes sense," said Scott, rubbing his forehead. "Where's Dom?"

The boys glanced at each other nervously. "We don't know." Clark said.

Scott groaned. "Ryan, get me my cellphone." He said. "You boys are all grounded. No leaving the apartment and no swimming." Ryan groaned as he handed him his cellphone. "What? That's so unfair. I didn't even do anything." Said Ryan.

"I don't care. And what happened to the sofa?" Scott asked angrily, looking over the burnt sofa. Zach shrugged. "That's what happens when you play with fire."

"Well then, go to your rooms. All of you. No TV or video games." He said, heading for the door. "Oh, and you can't have any friends over, either."

Ryan sighed, heading for his room. He thought it was so unfair that he wasn't allowed to swim. He didn't even do anything. If anything, he did something good, not bad. He stopped in his tracks, scrunching up his face.

"You know what? Screw him." He said to himself, turning and heading for the apartment door.

"Where are you going?" Clark asked lowly. "You're not allowed to go anywhere."

Ryan shot him an irritated look. "What? Are you going to push me off a building if I do?" He asked. He stepped across the hallway, knocking on the door across from theirs. He waited for a minute before Peyton opened the door.

"Hey," she said, stepping outside with him and closing the door behind her. "What's up?"

"You want to come over for a swim?" He asked, smiling slightly. She grinned. "Sure. I'll be right over."

"Alright. I'll be waiting." He said, heading back into the penthouse. He ran into his room, quickly changing into his swimsuit. He liked Peyton. He really did. Both in a friendly way and in a relationship way. Ryan would love to date her, but he wouldn't want to ruin their friendship. Plus, he wasn't so sure he was brave enough to ask her. He sighed, looking himself in the mirror. He had changed. He looked more...attractive. He smiled, loving his white smile. Braces had been a pain, but they had been worth it. He grabbed a towel and headed towards the pool, many thoughts circling his head. "You're not allowed to swim," said Clark, stepping in front of the shattered door. "So? I don't care." He said, stepping around Clark.

"I'll tell Dad."

"You do that," Ryan responded, setting his towel down on a chair. "Oh, and should I just go ahead and jump off the terrace now? Or where you going to do that later?" He mocked, raising an eyebrow. Clark glared at him, heading over to lock the apartment door. Just as he was about to, Peyton opened it and stepped inside.

"Sorry, Peyton, but you can't come over right now," he said, turning her around and pushing her out. "Wait, Clark. Ryan invited me over. We're going to swim." She fought, trying to get back inside.

"He doesn't want to see you."

"Yes he does. He...always...does.." She struggled against him. She groaned, stepping back. Peyton knew she couldn't beat a taller, much stronger boy with super powers. "Clark! Let me in!" She complained.

"I can't. You're not allowed over. Plus, Ryan doesn't want to see you."

"Seriously, what happened to you, Clark?" Peyton asked, her eyes cold and irritated. "You're becoming more and more like Scott everyday."

Clark froze at this as she pushed him inside and made her way through. No. It couldn't be. He was nothing like his father. He wanted anything but to be like his father. The words had pained Clark. He ran up to his room, gripping his hair in frustration.

"I still can't believe you can do that." Peyton said, leaning against the doorframe. Ryan turned in surprise, dropping the water he had been moving in the air.

"Oh, hey. There you are. And, yeah, I can hardly believe it myself." He said, grinning.

She hung her towel on the chair, taking a step back before diving in the pool. She came up, splashing Ryan with her hands. "Do you really want to have a splash war with someone who can control water?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Probably wouldn't be the best move," she said, laughing.

"So, do you have any idea what that creepy guy was talking about?"

"I still don't know..but I've come to the conclusion that it has something to do with your powers." Said Peyton.

Ryan nodded. "I hope nothing bad happens." He said, spiraling some water into the air.

"I know...but I don't think anything will. I mean, c'mon. You have superpowers now! You could be heroes now.." She said, trailing off in thought. He grunted.

"Sure. Heroes. What would we do? Get kittens out of trees?" He laughed.

"Ryan, I'm being serious. Think about it. You could easily put out a large fire. Trace could regrow any damaged wildlife and Clark could stop any tornadoes."

"Yeah, sure. That would be helpful." He said, swimming to the other end.

She followed him. "It would be helpful, Ryan."

He groaned. "I still can't believe I'm not going to brassford this year." Said Ryan, attempting to change the subject.

"I know. I guess I'm going to be a loner this year." She sighed.

He laughed. "Really? You're one of the most popular girls in school. You'll do fine." He reassured. Peyton smiled, swimming closer to Ryan. "What else can you do with your powers?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "This." He said, willing a small wave to hit her in the back of her head. She laughed, rubbing her head.

"And this." He went under, swimming down to the bottom of the pool. He laid down, taking a deep breath and looking up to the top. It stunned him, how he could see everything clearly, even if he was underwater. He stayed there for a couple of minutes, hoping to impress Peyton. He rolled over onto his stomach, smirking slightly. 'You won't find a guy who can breath underwater anywhere else,' he thought. Ryan's eyes widened as he heard a scream, clearly although he was in water. He shot up, quickly bursting through, rubbing his eyes slightly. He looked around, but no one was there. "Peyton?"