Superhero Effects

19. PERSONAL SUPER SENSOR

He couldn't be. He just couldn't. My brother was as normal as they came. I had lived with him my whole life—and my mom was his real mom. I'd seen the pictures of her pregnant with him, and my aunt, my mom, would have never, never endangered her child with clinical trial drugs.

Teri came back with a black cardigan and two pills.

She pulled the cardigan on me as Lewis put the pills in my mouth and made me drink, spilling water down my chin.

"Teri," I said, wiping the wet from my neck, "what do you expect to find exactly? I mean, what will you do after you know? Did you think about that?"

She and Lewis exchanged glances.

Did they know after all? Had they known this whole time? Every other Super knew because of that camp. Lewis always went to basketball camp during the summer and was hardly ever around anyway because of his friends and Teri. Was it possible she had gone there too?

They were saved from answering me when someone entered the kitchen.

"Teri, there you are. We've been looking for you." Teri's mom was the complete opposite of her dad. Petite with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a friendly smile. "And, Lewis, you look so handsome."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weems. I hope it's okay," he stepped aside to reveal me sitting at the table, "that I brought my sister. She's a big autism advocate and writes for the school paper; she hoped to do an article on your benefit?"

Whoa. He was a good liar...like Archer. I mean, I was supposed to be doing an article on it, but he didn't know that.

Mrs. Weems smiled at me, delighted. "What a wonderful idea. Of course, it's okay!" She stepped up and offered me an arm. "I'll show you around and introduce you. We have some magnificent doctors here tonight."

"Mom," Teri said quickly, "I can show her around."

"That's okay," she said as I rose and took her hand. "Tristan will be just fine with me. Find your father and say hello. He keeps asking where you are."
***
With Mrs. Weems dragging me along, I met doctor after researcher after city councilman after doctor. Everyone was dressed in black, smelling good, and looking their best.

One of the many rooms at the Weems' was a ballroom. With chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and small round tables pushed aside, and a band playing in the corner. Servers were walking around offering champagne and orderves. The atmosphere was light and polite yet lacked depth.

"Last one," Mrs. Weems laughed when she looked at me and noticed my dull expression. "I can't not let you meet this MD. Rumor has it he's building a hospital slash research facility on the outskirts of Conquer, researching ways to cure cancer. I swear, this man will be president one day."

She tugged me around, smiling, and said, "Dr. Mack!"

My polite smile slipped as the man speaking to a woman I recognized as Fran Olympia, one of my mom's close friends and top reporter for Conquer news, turned with a charming smile.

He was handsome, fit, tall, and complete bad news.

His eyebrow quirked up at the sight of me. "Mrs. Weems," he praised, "you've brought me just the young lady I wanted to see."

Teri's mom laughed, surprised, casting me a questioning glance.

"Tristan?" Fran questioned with a smile at me, looking back to the handsome doctor by her side.

"My newly found niece," he corrected, beaming at me.

Mrs. Weems was puzzled. Fran was puzzled. And I was angry.