Program: Superhuman *ON HOLD*

Chapter 3: Uncle Forge

"Willow!"

I snapped my eyes up from the gravel and saw Arden making his way to me, pushing through the crowd that filled the area. I stood in front of Warm Oaks High after school, which had, indeed, been very, very long. PE wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though. They gave us uniforms, had us sit on the gym floor, then went through a very long list of rules and regulations. And it was only after that we got to the running and throwing things.

The rest of the classes were better, but still bad. Again, we went through rules for the rest of the year, but then we got to the actual class. You know, with the learning stuff. It was only then that I realized how different peoples' teachings styles could be. All my life, I've only had Mom to show me things, no one else. Now, I'm bombarded with over five more teachers - I wasn't really sure how to react. Half the things I didn't understand simply because I found the teachers confusing. I was hoping that the rest of the year would get better.

All-in-all, I hated school.

I turned my attention back on Arden when he asked, "Ready to go?"

"No point in staying," I snapped. It sounded a little more annoyed than I meant to.

He sighed a little at my short retort, but let it go. I followed him off the school grounds guiltily and we walked for a few moments before getting to the bus stop. It was only three-fifteen and the next bus came at three-thirty. We could wait.

"How was your day?" Arden asked, sitting on the bench.

I paused for a moment, then shrugged and sat next to him, "Okay, I guess. Isn't really anything special to report. You?"

He shrugged, "Same... Did Butch bother you any?"

I shook my head, "No. I didn't even see him after this morning. You?"

He slowly shook his own head and said, "... Same."

Silence descended. Neither of us broke it for a while. I considered telling him about what Macy had told me about the Silhouette, but I dismissed the idea. I didn't even know if this guy was real or not. But it did stir up the inner geek in me. Could it be possible? A real-life superhero? With real superpowers? It seemed so unreal. I finally came to the conclusion that I wouldn't decide on what to believe until I checked out Macy's blog. Maybe it had the answers.

The bus rolled in not long after. Arden and I stood simultaneously and waited while a few other people ascended the steps. I took my backpack off and grabbed my wallet, opening it up to reveal the few bills inside.

"I'll pay," Arden said, reaching for the wallet.

"Why?" I asked, retracting my arm.

"Because the guy always pays. Besides, you hate talking to new people."

I stared at him, "You're kidding me, right? You do, too."

He rolled his eyes, looking to the bus hesitantly, then glancing back at me. "Look, I just don't feel comfortable with you talking to a random guy on the bus. We've never done this kind of thing before."

"Why?" I questioned. "I can take care of myself, Arden."

Arden tore the wallet from my hands in an annoyed way, walking past. "Because you're attractive," he grumbled.

"I... Oh."

I followed my brother onto the bus wordlessly. He paid the driver a few bills, then led me to a seat near the back, away from everyone else. After he gave me the wallet back and I put it away, I huddled my backpack close to me. I felt self-conscious over what Arden called me. Obviously he wasn't attracted to me - he was my brother. But brothers still didn't just randomly say that sisters are attractive. Maybe... maybe he was actually being serious. Maybe he was really trying to protect me. I smiled slightly and held my backpack closer.