The SVE Club

7. Deal

Have a strange or unique talent?

Want to make a difference?

Join the SVE Club!

We're looking for students who are ready to don their masks and capes and make the world a different place. No powers? No problem! Everyone is welcome to join!

The first meeting will be held after school on November 5 in room B3.

For details see former ISH student Midas Aldridge or SVE member Samantha Wilson.

"Ta-da!" Sam sang, sliding the flyer she had drawn next to Midas' lunch.

Midas contemplated it. "What is this?"

The paper was drawn with bright markers and had several doodles on the edges.

"It's a flier. For people to join your club," Sam said proudly. She held her breath, waiting for his reaction.

"It's terrible," Midas stated flatly.

Sam gasped. "I worked hard on it all morning and that's all you have to say about it?!"

"I didn't ask you to make a flier!" Midas exclaimed.

Sam looked like she was about to say something, but then bit her lip and was silent.

"Besides, you got the club name wrong. It's the Super Villain Enterprise, not SVE."

"It's an acronym," Sam explained. "That's when you take the first letters of each-"

"I know what an acronym is," Midas interrupted. "What I'm trying to say is the flier's misleading. It sounds like you're trying to get people to join a hero club."

"That's just advertising," Sam said with a wave of her hand. "Most people would rather be a hero than a villain. But I didn't lie. I said 'make the world a different place', not necessarily better."

Midas glanced again at the flier. "Where's room B3?"

"The basement," Sam said. "I know it's kind of dark and dirty down there, but it was the only room Mr. Lee could get us on short notice and-"

"Hold up, what does Mr. Lee have to do with this?"

"You need a faculty member to lead the club," Sam said. "I figured Mr. Lee would be alright. I doubt he'll ever show up, which is probably a good thing for a villain club. So I asked him on behalf of our club if he would support us. Basically, all he had to do was sign a school form stating-"

"And that's another thing: since when were you a member?" Midas asked suddenly. "Since when was this 'our' club?"

"I thought anyone could join," Sam said.

"No, you need to have an ability, a skill. What qualifies you to be a super villain?" Midas asked pointedly. "What happened to that 'power' you were going to tell me about yesterday, huh?"

"I'm, a... I'm a Sensun," Sam finally said.

Midas narrowed his eyes and flicked a ketchup packet at her. It bounced off her forehead. Sam flinched.

"No," Midas replied. "You're a liar. You don't have any special abilities. A Sensun would have reacted quickly enough to catch that."

"Fine, fine," Sam said. "I'm a... Curasese!"

Midas calmly reached across the table, grabbed her hand and held it over the table as if they were about to arm wrestle.

"So," he said, "It would be okay if I just blew off one of your digits now, right? You could grow it back in a few seconds?"

Sam looked at her fingers in alarm and wrenched her hand away. "J-just kidding, I'm a Biotac."

"Change your hair color. Even Class E Biotacs can do that," Midas challenged.

"Actually, I'm a Menta!"

"What number am I thinking of?"

"Four!"

"Nope. Eighty-three."

"That's such a weird number to think of!" Sam protested.

"Any other lies you'd like to get out?" Midas asked.

Sam thought for a moment. "I'm a Forzatac?'"

Midas actually smiled. "Okay then. Flip this table over."

Sam stood up slowly. With all the strength she could muster, she yanked on the table, but it stayed in place as if it had been bolted to the ground. She finally plopped back into her chair, exhausted and defeated.

"You don't have any abilities. And from what I've seen, you don't even have any talents. So, no; not everyone can join the club. Only people who are special. And you are not."

Sam drew in a sharp breath. She quietly gathered up her things and left the table, muttering to herself as she walked.

Midas breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully she wouldn't pester him again.

Bam!

Midas barely stopped himself from flinching when someone banged a fist on his table. He looked up and saw Sam, looking very determined with her fist resting on the table. She was breathing heavily.

"Let's make a deal, Dynamidas," she said. "If I can get people interested in the SVE club, you have to let me join!"

Midas forced himself not to look around self-consciously. She was making quite a scene, he knew people had to be staring by now.

"If by this time tomorrow, people are begging to be in SVE," she continued, "I'll get to join, power or no power. And you have to tell me how I can get into ISH."

Midas thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright. On one condition."

"Okay, what?" Sam asked.

"If you fail," Midas said in an undertone. "You stop talking to me. Completely. Understand?"

Sam stuck out her hand.

"Deal."

They shook on it.