Unlikely Heroes

By the time Cal had driven Brett home, gotten an earful about underage drinking from his mother, walked himself back downtown to get on the subway, then got off and walked home, it was around four in the morning. Cal lived about an hour away from his school and most of the other people who went there, though it was the only public school near him that would take him after he was expelled from the private academy near his home. The next closest public school was full of gang violence and juvenile delinquents thanks to its urban location, and that was the last place Cal's family wanted to put him. According to him, he was already on the wrong path, and a school like that would have gotten him a one-way ticket to jail. His father personally made sure he was going to a different school, even if it was further away.

Cal didn't mind, now that he had his driver's license and a car. He didn't have either when he came to this new school the start of his junior year, and people questioned why he took the subway to get to school every day. Once he drove up in a car like everyone else, they stopped asking questions. That's how Cal liked it. There were very few people who knew about Cal's life outside of school.

He walked until he arrived at an elegant gated community, swiping an access card and slipping through as the gate opened for him. The rain had soaked him to the bone, and he was freezing cold as he walked up to one of the larger houses in the community, fumbling to find his keys in his jacket pocket. He did his best to be quiet as he came in and started up the stairs, but he knew better than to believe Annie wouldn't spot him.

"Where do you think you're going so fast, Calvin?"

He groaned and turned to find a stout older woman with greying hair standing at the bottom of the stairs, still in her pajamas. Unlike Cal's older sisters, she'd been helping raise him since the day he was born. Or rather, she was the one who raised him. Annie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, waiting for an explanation.

"I was at this small get-together, and I let my friend borrow my car," he sighed. "So I had to walk back. After dropping two other people off."

"I can smell the liquor on you," she said.

"I didn't drink, my friend did," he argued. "Annie I'm fine. I just want to go to bed-"

"Didn't call, didn't text," she continued. "You know I won't stop you if you want to go out or spend the night somewhere else. I never ask questions. However, I do ask you to tell me first. You know what kinds of people lurk at night? If you were attacked by a mugger and were bleeding out on the street, am I just supposed to assume you were at a party? I taught you to be more responsible than this, Cal. I know I can't and won't stop you from doing the things young people do, but at least be careful and let me know if you'll be home or not."

"I know, I'm sorry," he sighed. "It won't happen again. Are my parents freaked out, too?"

Annie shifted slightly, giving Cal an apologetic look. He pursed his lips and pushed his soaked hair out of his face.

"Your father was called to Colorado for a business trip this morning," she told him. "He'll be back in a week. Your mother in on a spa retreat with some of her friends. She'll be back on Monday."

"She was on a spa retreat last week," Cal frowned.

"You've been stressing her out with this behavior," Annie pointed out.

"Oh please, that's such a bullshit excuse," Cal grumbled. "She wouldn't care if I joined a gang, as long as she gets another excuse for a shiatsu massage."

"Don't you dare talk about your parents like that, Calvin," Annie scolded. "They're both very busy people."

"Yeah. Too busy."

Cal looked away, and Annie's expression softened as she held out a plump hand to him with a gentle smile. Cal had to admit that while his parents were always far too busy for him, Annie had always been there, even if it meant driving all the way over at three in the morning when she was home just to make Cal hot chocolate when he was sick. He took her hand and let her lead him into the kitchen, setting him down at a table and picking a blanket up off the couch to drape over his shoulders.

"Anyways, I suggested I stay overnight this weekend until your mother comes home, so you won't be alone," she said. "And so you don't go off throwing parties."

"I can take care of myself."

Annie raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged lightly. She eyed him as she started making hot chocolate for the both of them, knowing that despite his stone expression, Cal really was upset that once again, his parents were gone, like they'd been for eighteen years. He was over it, for the most part, but it still bothered him. He glanced up as Annie set the mug in front of him, like she did when he was a little kid. His mother never let him eat chocolate, or any junk food for that matter, and he could always count on Annie to cheer him up with it when his parents weren't around.

"How about the two of us go see a movie tomorrow night?" she suggested. "One of those action movies you love where people get their heads blown up. We'll get a whole bunch of popcorn and candy, and I'll try not to get sick at the sight of all the blood."

"I'm not a little kid anymore," Cal said slowly. "You don't have to do things like this."

"No, I don't have to," she agreed. "I want to, Cal. What, you're all grown up now and don't want to be seen out in public with an old lady like me anymore?"

"I'm never too old to hang out with you," he grinned, forgetting what he was so upset about. "And you're not old. You're what, 26 years old?"

Annie laughed and kissed his cheek. "Oh, I wish. Try flipping that number and adding a couple of years."

They talked a little while longer until their hot cocoa was done, and Annie finally convinced Cal to go to bed. He didn't even bother changing into warm, dry clothes, just stripping down to his underwear. He stepped over all the junk on the floor of his messy room, flopping face first on the bare mattress, since he ended up puking on his sheets the last time he'd gotten drunk and due to laziness, the washed and clean sheets were still in the dryer. While the rest of the house was impeccable, his room looked like a warzone. He fell asleep almost instantly.

Cal didn't wake up until the afternoon, groggily pulling a somewhat clean shirt and some basketball shorts on as he shuffled downstairs. The house was quiet, but the smell of eggs was still drifting through the house. He came down to find a plate ready for him, along with a note.

Out to pick up your father's dry cleaning and get some grocery shopping done for both your house and mine. Do something productive today. Don't forget, you promised me a date tonight!
-Annie

Cal cracked a half smile as he folded the note and started devouring the eggs, not realizing how hungry he was. One line of Annie's note kept ringing in his ear. He could hear her saying it to him in that stern voice. Do something productive today. Productive could have meant a number of things. Of course, he was well aware of Annie's intentions. She wanted him to do schoolwork, not knowing of his plan to squeak by with barely passing grades. He hated to disappoint her like he disappointed everyone else, but he was sticking to his plan. He remembered Mikaela, recalling that she'd practiced her telekinesis and how to control it. Annie would never know about the powers, but it wouldn't hurt for Cal to practice a little bit as well. The mugger had proved that his disappearing act could come in handy.

He changed and started on his way to the abandoned elementary school where he knew he could practice in peace. On his way there, he thought back on the few times he'd been able to summon the power, and how he'd done it. He remembered the first time, at Leon's house. It seemed like he'd moved across the room without actually moving. He stopped in his tracks as the thought crossed his mind. Teleporting? No, that wasn't possible. He stood there, staring a few feet ahead of him and willing his body to move there. His vision blurred for a moment and it felt like something was moving and stretching away from him, but then everything snapped back to him, like a rubber band. He hadn't moved an inch.

He shook his head and started walking again, until he got to the elementary school. It was a long walk, especially since Leon had yet to return his baby, but he was relieved when he got there. However, something was wrong. The fence had been pulled apart to let someone through, but it hadn't been put back like Cal always did. He moved through quietly, staying alert for any signs of movement, and heard some sounds coming from the blacktop area. He moved through the tall grass to keep from being seen as he approached, poking his head up to see who it was. To his surprise, he saw Mikaela there, levitating some bricks left on the ground. She kept stacking them on top of each other, seemingly having a hard time with keeping the stack floating and moving a brick all at once. Her brow was furrowed in intense concentration, and didn't even notice Cal there. This made it the perfect time to jump out at her.

"This is the police, hands where I can see them, trespasser!" Cal yelled.

She shrieked and squeezed her eyes shut, putting her hands up in the air as the bricks fell to the ground with a heavy thud. She opened her eyes when Cal started laughing, scowling and punching his arm.

"What the fuck, Cal?" she snapped. "I was in the middle of something!"

"I thought you hated this place," Cal laughed. "Princess Mikaela might get a disease or something if she hangs out in this filth."

"You're the filth," she grumbled, sitting down at the nearest bench to regain her composure. "Go away. I'm busy."

"Excuse me, if this is anyone's territory, it's mine," Cal told her. "I'm not going anywhere."

To make his point, he sat down on the bench next to her. She raised an eyebrow at him, scooting away.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Practicing," she said. "What about you, here for a drug deal?"

"No, I'm here to practice, too," he told her matter-of-factly. "I've been practicing here for ages."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really," he lied. "I've basically got the invisibility thing down. Like added two plus two."

"Wow, two plus two?" Mikaela gasped, feigning shock. "You're too good for me, Cal. You passed basic arithmetic!"

"Laugh all you want, I'm basically Batman," he boasted.

"Let's see it then."

"What?" Cal frowned.

"If you're so great," she said, standing up and brushing off the sundress she was wearing, "Let's see you do it."

"I don't know, I don't want to make you feel bad or anything," Cal shrugged.

"Mm, no, I think I can take it," Mikaela nodded, a couple of bricks rising off the ground behind her

Cal stood up slowly, eyeing the bricks warily. "What's that for?"

"Just making things more fun, Mr. Miyagi," she said, smiling innocently and batting her eyelashes at him. "If you're so good at what you do, a little game of dodgeball will be no big deal."