Yin and Yang [A Superhero AU] - Book Three

Prologue

10 Years Earlier

The London Airport bustles with people, indistinct conversations filling the air and mixing with the sound of rolling wheels. Phil Lester, a bright-eyed eighteen year old, stands outside the check-in station with his suitcases beside him and his family in front of him. A backpack rests on his shoulders, containing his passport and all the necessary documents that will allow him to move to America. Ever since Phil was born with the ability to control water and heal people with it, he knew he was destined to join one of the many world-wide hero organizations. Curatrix, the largest of these hero organizations and world leader in hero training, seemed like the obvious choice for him, although he disliked the idea of being so far from his family in England.

"Be good, son," his father says, clapping him on the back of the shoulder.

"I'm so proud of you!" his mother cries, hugging Phil tightly. "My little hero!"

"I don't feel like a hero," Phil mutters, hugging back.

"That'll change once you get to San Francisco," his older brother, Martyn, says. He grins at him. "You're a special little snowflake, as much as I hate to admit it. You're gonna do just fine."

Phil smiles and hugs each of his family members once again. His mother wipes tears from her eyes and even his dad seems choked up, and Martyn glances at them before putting his hand on Phil's shoulder.

"You'd better go before Mum drags you back home to Manchester," he whispers.

Phil nods and hugs his mom again. "I'll be sure to call and I'll always come home for holidays, okay?"

"Okay. You're such a big boy, love. I know you're going to do great things," his mother replies, wiping more tears from her eyes.

She kisses his cheek and Phil waves before dragging his bags through the check-in. His parents and brother wave back, watching him as he goes through the check-in and then through security before they finally leave the airport. Phil moves through the airport, going through necessary security and finally settling by his gate. He pops in earbuds and settles back in his chair, nervousness and excitement welling in him. He's finally going to San Francisco to get better at using his powers and then start saving people. He's going to make a difference in the world!

This is what he was born to do.

—

"Hey, have you seen the new girl?"

Phil glances over in the direction Felix is looking to see a girl with dark eyes and long dark hair drawing images in the air with her finger that pop to life seconds after she completes them.  She lifts her hand and another of the same thing pops to life, seeming to startle her and make her clasp her hands together tightly.  The nineteen year old Swede glances from the Brit to the girl and back again, a grin on his face.

"Yeah. She seems nice," Phil replies, focusing his energy on lifting a sphere of water from the small pool in front of them. Actually working his power has gotten a lot easier since he started training three years ago, and with the new girl, they might actually have a big enough group for a team. Finally, Phil can move on from training and actually start working.

"Just nice?" Felix replies incredulously. He dangles upside-down from the bar he was previously sitting on, a dopey smile on his face. "She's gorgeous..."

"Someone's got a crush~" Mark, a dark haired boy of the same age, exclaims in a singsongy voice as he swings past on the monkey bars.

"I will punch you," Felix snaps.

Mark laughs and swings out of range of Felix's fists. The Swede glares at him before returning his gaze to the dark haired Italian girl with a happy little sigh.

"You two have the attention span of a goldfish," Matthias says as he tweaks some wires in the pen he's working on. "I don't think you've trained for more than three minutes at a time before getting distracted."

"Let them have their fun, Matthias. They're kids," Ken replies.

Phil watches the exchange for a moment before focusing back on the water in front of him. The others seem so cheerful all the time. Why wouldn't they be? After years of solitude without any other kids with powers around, they can finally train and hang out with other supers. Mark and Felix are obviously close despite their teasing and petty arguments, and Ken and Matthias are always having long conversations over Matthias' desk. Marzia is new, but Felix already seems to be head over heels for her. Phil gets along well with all of them, but something is missing. After three years of training, he isn't satisfied. Maybe it's because he hasn't actually done any field work yet? He shakes his head and submerges his hands in the water, feeling the ripples and pulses in his skin.

"Hey, Mrs. Lewis wants to see us in her office," Matthias calls, glancing from his phone to the other heroes.

Phil retracts his hands from the water and wipes them off on his suit before following the other heroes towards Mrs. Lewis' office. Her office is big and bright, with a large window behind her oak desk. A computer sits on the glossy surface, displaying the Curatrix logo as her desktop background, and a houseplant sits in each corner of the room. It's nice, and that doesn't surprise Phil at all. She is the head of Curatrix, after all.

Samantha Lewis stands up from her cushy office chair and shakes each hero's hand in turn. The six heroes shake back, most of them smiling easily. As soon as she's finished with introductions, Mrs. Lewis gestures to the group.

"This, heroes, is your new team," she says. "Due to the scarcity of heroes, it's been quite a wait for some of you. However, I am pleased to announce that your team has now been assembled and that you can start missions as soon as possible."

Phil grins and glances at the other heroes. They seem just as ecstatic as he is, with Mark and Felix sharing an exuberant high-five. Finally, after three years, Phil can get out into the field. He's seen so many trainees come and go, dispatched to different branches all over the world, and at last he has his own team. Mrs. Lewis dismisses them and the heroes exit, trailing along in twos or threes while chattering excitedly. Phil finds himself trailing behind the group, an emptiness in his chest that he can't seem to fill.

Maybe it will get better with time.