Extraordinary

Chapter 1

I have a secret, you see. Of course, you're probably thinking, Oh, you're not a human. You're from Mars. No, I am from earth, and I am, despite your nagging protests, human. I'm not this superhero. The secret isn't some sort of seventh-grade joke, either. It's not the answer to Oh, who do you like like or anything childish like that.

It's more than that.

I have a secret power.

Sorry that I kind of lied. It's not a power that can be used to drastically change the world for the better or for the worse.

Right?

I could see the honest answer to any question if I just ask it mentally.

I've always tried to find a loophole in the system, just to see if I could use it on tests. But no, I haven't found a way to use in on inanimate objects.

Things like plants-those were tricky. Sometimes they would answer.

Sometimes they wouldn't.

It just depends.

Sometimes, though, I accidentally mentally scream a question at someone, and an answer that I didn't really need shows above their heads.

In black ink.

In bold font.

In case you were wondering.

This power reveals a lot about people, and it helps me to pick out the wrong crowd. I see how they really are on the inside.

Now, if you're thinking that this is creepy or in any way stalker-ish, then let me inform you that I don't probe into the soul of a person who I can tolerate.

Also, I share my information with nobody. But that excludes my loyal dog. His name is Leo.

It's still not a good idea to become my enemy.

I thought I would have lived my life out normally enough. Nobody would ever know that I was different than everyone else. I have taken extra precautions.

I'm not exactly sure as to how I was able to accumulate this power, so now if you were planning to electrocute yourself, then, well, there goes your plans for this Sunday. Maybe I was in a freak accident when I was just a child. I just don't know. I'm hoping for a childhood along the lines of Harry Potter.

But the day when everything went downhill was the day I ate a cheeseburger.

. . . . . . .

No, don't worry. The cheeseburger didn't make my life that much worse. Granted, it didn't exactly help. The guy messed up on my order at least twice.

I was supposed to be studying, but I was so intent on getting the cheeseburger that I wanted that I forgot about Shakespeare and his interesting language.

After going to that fast food place with undoubtedly bad service, then I decided to go to the local coffee shop, where I would meet up with a few of my friends.

I chose a table in the corner after ordering a cup of hot chocolate. I don't understand the big deal about coffee. Sure, it keeps you up, but as a high schooler, do you really need that much caffeine?

But my friends all liked to drink coffee and work, and I didn't argue. Besides, I really knew the people who didn't enjoy coffee as much as they said.

Another perk. Knowing all your friends, inside and out.

Meet Alex, one of my best friends-one of the smartest high schoolers I know. He isn't the type of student that only excels in just math or just reading and writing, hahaha-no. Alex is a straight-A student and competes in all of our national competitions. Except you might think, Oh but he just has to have no knowledge of any sport-no nerd is athletic.