Sam and Chase left them when the bus reached Vera City. Chase's apartment was in the Bay District, so they headed south of the station while Jackson, Ivory, and Melanie grabbed the H bus north.
"Man, we live on pretty much opposite sides of the city, don't we? How do we all go to Takeshi High?" Melanie questioned.
Jackson held up his hands in protest. "Don't look at me, I live closer than you."
"Yeah," Ivory added, "Why don't you go to Southbay?"
Melanie roller her head, cracking her neck. "Don't get me started. My parents went to JT High, their parents went there, so on and so forth. Hell, I'm related to Jin Takeshi. Like, directly."
Whoa. Jackson had forgotten about that. It made sense though, why her family was so gung ho about Vera City pride. Being tied to one of the city's most beloved figures would do that. Hell, they even all had superhero names that started with a V: Vvendigo, Veridian Destroyer, Varkagan, Velociraptor Girl. It also brought some credence to Melanie's theory that she was connected to The Writing Well, since Jin created it. Would only be too poetic for his family member to have a special connection to it.
Melanie continued. "My parents thought about breaking the trend and sending me and my siblings to some prestigious academy, but this city has such a hatred of private schools they decided it wouldn't be worth the bad PR. Guess I got lucky."
The bus stopped near the epicenter of the city. Jackson knew the route would turn south from here, towards Seacrest. Ivory stood to leave.
"This was fun, despite, well, you know. We should do something else before break's over," Ivory said.
Melanie nodded. Jackson gave a thumbs up. "We can make plans tomorrow. You got us a gig, right?" He looked around at the other bus patrons, careful not to arouse suspicion. It was late, so the only other occupants were a sleeping homeless man and nurse who looked like she would rather be sleeping. They were in the clear. "With The Nobodies?" He added.
It seemed like The Nobodies had taken a shining to them during their last mission. They had asked if the two of them could help with some intelligence work back at their base. It was boring, but very high priority work. Tracking down leads for supervillains and such. There were whole teams of people who would do it in place of certified Superheroes, but some teams did it themselves, as they had more personal experience with the people they were tracking. Jackson was looking forward to it.
Ivory stepped off the bus and walked away, most likely towards another bus she would need to take to get near Dino & Sons. The doors squeaked closed behind her, and the bus set off towards its next stop.
Melanie and Jackson sat in silence for the rest of the ride. The bus stopped a few blocks away from Jackson's house, but it was well before it reached Melanie's. As he stood to leave, he thanked her again for letting them use her car, before cringing. "I hope your parents won't be too mad." He apologized.
She waved him off. "I'll be fine."
Jackson believed it. He stepped off the bus and into the night sky, floating for just a moment before gravity took hold and he landed on the earth below. Time to go home.
Slowly, the more he was outside late at night, the more comfortable he was becoming. He felt a stillness, one Vera City didn't have during the day. Not that he disliked the bustle of the city, but he had spent most of his life inside The Library of Powers, where any change at all was monumental. When things calmed down on the Vera Penninsula, the city was a little more like The Library.
The cold crept through Jackson's jacket. He regretted only bringing a windbreaker. Despite the peace of the city at night, he longed to be back at home. He was ready for bed after a few long nights.
As he reached his front door, his phone buzzed. Checking the notification, it was a message from Ivory. He unlocked his front door with one hand and the text with the other.
"Help," it read. He dropped his keys in shock. Soon, Ivory sent another message. "Government officials here. I'm being kicked out of Dino & Sons."
He replied as quickly as he could. "I'm on my way."
YOU ARE READING
The Library of Powers
Science FictionIn the city famous for having an excess of superheroes, Jackson can travel to the place they are created. Afraid someone will use his power for evil, Jackson keeps to himself, hiding his extraordinary abilities. That is, until his high school learn...
