Who Wants to be Batman?

Keefe: Base Quest

I don't know why I chose Bangs Boy to be on my team. He did say he was good. I don't actually know that for sure. I guess I'll have to trust him. He doesn't do that very well. Oh well. Hopefully we win.

Fitz has told us we need to get a move on. I stick my tongue out at him and start walking to find Foster. She won't be hard to find. Her emotions run strong. Not that I care anymore. I used to, just like I used to care about Alvar, but I don't now. A twig breaks, and I turn around.

"Well, hello there, Foster," I wave at her and smile.

She blushes. Typical.

"Hi, Keefe," she answers. "I bet you don't know where our base is."

"No, I don't. You're right."

"Ha! And you won't find it either, Fitz is guarding it."

"Well, good for you then."

I hear another twig snap, but no one's there. Biana, of course. Something swooshes past me, and I grab at the air. Biana becomes visible.

"Darn it! You have quick reflexes," she grumbles.

I laugh and flex my muscles.

"It's something I pride myself in," I smirk.

"Reflexes have nothing to do with muscles," Sophie laughs, completely ruining my moment. I roll my eyes. Biana starts to walk off, but I grab her arm again.

"Nope, you're not goin' anywhere," I tell her.

She glares at me, and I let go. She turns invisible, and I hear leaves crunching under her feet. I look back at Sophie, who has turned around. "Where are you going, Foster?"

"I don't know," Sophie answers. "To find your base." I hear a yell, a big splash, and someone laughing.

"Looks like we already found yours!"

"Darn it," Sophie stomps her foot.

Tam comes running over, Linh trailing behind him.

"We won! We won!" He says this without any emotion on his face, and as soon as he looks at me, he stops talking. Huh. I wonder why.

"Didn't take you very long," I say, walking over to pat him on the back.

He flinches away. Fitz comes over, completely soaked. Dex also walks in, but from the opposite end.

"Who won?" Dex asks, but then sees Fitz, and starts laughing. "Oh. We won, didn't we?"

Tam and I nod. Just then, I have an idea.

"I know! All of you losers should make us all cookies!" My teammates all nod. The other team looks thoughtful.

"Can we all make one batch for all of you?" Fitz asks.

"No," I answer, trying to look evil. Fitz grumbles. "Well, you better get started," I say. "Does my team want to celebrate tomorrow at lunch with cookies?" Linh and Dex nod eagerly, but Tam shrugs.

"Sure," he says. I roll my eyes.

"Don't you have any emotion, Bangs Boy?"

"Yes." He crosses his arms, looking defiant, and still not smiling.

I shake my head.

"You're hopeless."

"Can you guys stop arguing?" Sophie looks annoyed, but this is the nicest we've been to each other ever.

"How about we have dinner at my house?" Fitz asks, lifting the heavy awkwardness. Tam and Linh say they can--as they take care of themselves. Sophie and Dex say they need to call their parents. I think about calling my dad, but then realize he probably won't care. When I agree to go to Everglen, I catch Tam out of the corner of my eye. His reaction surprises me. Something is going on, and I can't quite make sense of it. This isn't like me. I can usually read people pretty well. Bangs Boy, well let's just say he's... a different story.

"Hey, um, we're headed over to Fitz's house now," Sophie pats me on the shoulder. I nod. We start walking, Fitz in the lead, Sophie and Biana side by side, Dex following, Linh and Tam walking silently, and me walking in the back. I run ahead to walk with Fitz. He does most of the talking, something unusual for me. I overhear Biana telling Sophie about a new trick she learned with vanishing. Fitz is talking about school.

"Are you even listening?" Fitz asks me, looking slightly annoyed.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry," I answer. "What did you say?"

"Don't you have a quiz two days from now with your Alchemy mentor?"

"Ummm, yeah, I think so," I answer, and elbow him. "Why?"

"Because you suck at Alchemy!"

"I do not!"

Fitz laughs, and I lightly push him. Best friends. Yeah, we really know each other.

***

"Dinner is great, Mrs. Vacker!" Sophie somehow got food on her nose.

"Hey, Foster. I think you have a little something there," I smirk, and point at her nose. She blushes (why does she do this all the time? I love doing that to her), and rubs her nose. The food drops to the floor.

"Oops," she bends down, but Iggy has joined us, glitter and all, and eats the food. I laugh, at Sophie's messy eating, and the Iggy will eat anything edible.

Tam smirks (finally some sort emotion), but only for a second. I look at my plate.

"Hey, Ms. F, I think we need a new name for you..." I rub my invisible beard, thinking. "How about Ms. Messy Nose?"

She shakes her head laughing. My imparter rings.

My dad. Shoot.

"Where are you?" He says. He sounds upset. "We were supposed to have dinner an hour ago!"

"Oh. I may have forgotten, and had dinner at Fitz's house," I say, trying to sound apologetic. I'm not. I remembered we were supposed to have dinner together, but... I needed to figure Tam out.

"Well, come home now," he sounds really angry.

"Okay, sorry dad," I say, waving everybody goodbye.

I leap home. To another lecture about how family comes first.