The Fifth-Grade Superhero

Chapter 4

A/N: This is a drawing of Dragon Boy in his sweater :D

My phone buzzes for the third time this morning, and through my foggy vision, I notice that it's from Mr. Denner. I sigh and call him back. He reminds me that my car is still at his diner, and I promise him that I'll get it as soon as I can. A headache forms around my skull and tightens like a rubberband. I hate Cooties. Why did she have to hit me in the head?

"Hate is a strong word." I snap out of whatever morning drowsiness I had and look toward the sound, ready to fight if I need to. It's a tall, thin woman, at least in her thirties. She wears a smirk on her face, and I somehow feel like I've been caught, but I didn't do anything wrong. I pull the blankets off of Night Kid's couch and stand up to face her.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" I ask. Most importantly, how can you read my thoughts?

"What are you doing here, Dragon Boy? How do you know Emily?" She plops herself onto the couch and starts rummaging through her bag. 

"She's a friend of mine," I try and resist the urge to think about the fact that she just revealed Night Kid's secret identity to me. I hope she buys it. 

She gives me a stern look like I'm some sort of bread being scanned at the grocery store. As if I already don't feel vulnerable as it is. Bright green wings don't exactly hide behind your back. They scream to the world, and I'm forced to listen.

"I like your wings, Leo. Tell Emily I'll be back, okay? Has she been wearing that watch I gave her?"

"Oh, um, I don't know." 

"It's okay sweetie, I didn't expect you to. If you really knew Emily, you would know that she has no friends. Certainly not you. Don't tell her that I said that." She stops looking through her purse, finally finding what she had been looking for. She smiles. 

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" She gets up and walks out the door, before finally answering me.

"I'm Ms. Culligan, nice to meet you." As soon as the door is closed I run upstairs to talk to Emily. I don't keep secrets. Especially not from friends. Secrets ruin people. I knock before entering and see her sound asleep. I walk over to the side of her bed and sit down.

Night Kid is tired, but that happens when you overuse your powers. Of course, I understand why she did it. If my parents were still alive, and they were on the verge of death, I would want to be with them, not at the house where it all happened. I spent most of the night trying to convince her that her parents weren't going anywhere. My house is safe, I made sure of that. I am not going to let a kid lose her parents. 

"Mom, you trust me, right? I'm not a bad person, I'm not trying to keep any secrets from you." My wings are folded inside of an oversized sweatshirt, which I haven't taken off for months. I know I smell bad, but mostly I smell suspicious. There's no getting out of this one.

"Take off your sweater." She says. 

"Mom!" I can't. I would, but I can't. 

"Leo, you know better than to talk back. Have I failed to teach you respect?" Dad is standing just as impatient as mom. They look like a ticking time bomb, but it's me who's going to explode at any second. 

"Dad, you don't understand, I'm sorry."

"Son, take off the sweater." I seriously consider it. I mean, won't everything be easier if they know that I'm part dragon? I won't have to hide anything, and they'll still love me right? That's what parents do. I sigh, my hands trembling as I slowly pull off the protection I once had. 

I think the gasps hurt the most. Or my mother's sobs against my father's chest. Either way, I wish I hadn't done it.

"What was all that noise downstairs?" I hear Night Kid yawn as I shake myself out of la-la land.

"Some lady named Ms. Culligan." She sits up just a little when I mention her name.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing, just that she was gonna come back." Some secrets should be kept, I think.

"Night Kid, why don't we know each other's names?"

"Because we aren't supposed to." She settles back down and closes her eyes.

"Why? You trust me right?" There's silence for a little while, and then a sigh.

"Hi, nice to meet you, my name is Emily Saxe. What's yours?" I smile. Some secrets should be kept, but definitely not all.

"I'm Leo Mills. Pleased to make your acquaintance."