Though he was less enthusiastic about the situation this time around, Alex agreed to continue. Agent Barrowman returned to his earlier method of coaching him to try to utilize the rush of emotions he had felt the previous night to activate his powers, rather than trying to scare him again, citing that they would have to be more creative in their efforts now that Alex consciously knew what he would be attempting to do. On one hand, it made sense — on the other, Alex didn’t like the idea that he would be upping his antics to make him afraid. But he continued with the session regardless.

Curiously, he had more success with the rock armour than his jet propulsion. Perhaps it was because the shock of being held at gunpoint with extremely destructive projectiles whizzing around him was still fresh in his mind, but of the eleven times he attempted to armour up, he was successful thrice.

At first he had thought it was his skin actually transitioning into rock, but on the second go he realized his flesh wasn’t really morphing. The closest he could describe it was almost as if his skin was rapidly secreting a special kind of substance that instantly hardened upon contact with air. It was powerful too, more powerful than even the boulders around them, which he pulverized in merely a few hits. But maintaining the armour was an entirely different beast than summoning it. The longer it remained manifested, the more he could feel his stamina draining away. It was also uncomfortable to move around in, slugging his movements and weighing him down like an immense weight strapped to his back.

This would definitely take a long time to get used to. In any other case this wouldn’t have been a problem, but according to Agent Barrowman, Helix Academy would be reopening in little over a week, and they would be having a special entrance exam.

“What kind of exam?” Alex asked, mopping sweat from his brow, after another unsuccessful attempt to armour up.

“It’s an assessment that determines your placement at the school,” said Barrowman, leaning against one of the few trees in the clearing that hadn’t been damaged in some way.

“Placed where? How?” Alex drew closer to him, eagerness returning in full measure.

“Helix’s student body is divided into three separate sections, or Dorms as they’re called. Each one is named after one of the three most prominent Greek gods: Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon.”

“Why are they named after gods and not actual superheroes if it’s a superhero school?”

Agent Barrowman sighed. “You know, all of this is explained on the tour. You could just wait to hear it then, if you decide to go.” Seeing Alex’s stubborn expression, he exhaled, then went on. “Most of the first and greatest heroes of ancient civilization were descended from Greek Mythology. People like Heracles — you probably know him as Hercules, his Roman name — Bellerophon, Orpheus, Perseus, and many more, they were children of the gods, blessed with special powers by the divine blood flowing through their veins. Heracles possessed unrivaled strength; Orpheus, power over music; and Achilles, invulnerability and swift feet. All of them were different, but they shared similar qualities: incredible abilities that placed them above mere mortals. They all went on to do great things, like defeating tyrants, killing legendary monsters, and so on.

“For that, they could be considered as the forerunners of modern day superheroes, and Helix acknowledges their roots by paying homage to the gods and heroes in its design. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are three of the most powerful gods in Greek Mythology, and two of them sired some of the greatest heroes of their time, so the founders brought their influence to Helix hoping they could do the same there.

“Once your skills and abilities are assessed, you’re streamed into one of the three Dorms. Most activities you do at Helix will be done along with your Dormmates, including eating meals, sleeping, training, classes etc. Zeus is gold and white, with the eagle as their symbol, Poseidon is blue and grey, under the horse banner, and Hades is black and purple, marked by the screech owl.”

“What’s the difference between the three Dorms?” Alex asked, intrigued. “Why would people need to be streamed at all?”

Agent Barrowman didn’t respond immediately. He took a few seconds to contemplate the matter, his eyes fixed on the skyline. Then he spoke. “Basically the streaming process is designed to put students with similar capabilities together, that way they can be more easily categorized and that helps to put different plans in place for the advancement of the training-based matters.”

“What Dorm are you in?” Alex asked Cora.

“Only the best of the best,” she said, making a grand gesture at herself. “Nothing less for a future S-tier heroine.”

Alex rolled his eyes, noting that she hadn’t actually answered the question and likely wouldn’t, then turned back to Agent Barrowman. “What kind of test is it? Will we have to show off our powers?”

Just as he made to respond Cora intervened. “I don’t think so. None of the other kids know what they’re in for either, you will be going in just as blind as the rest of them. No special treatment for anyone, especially annoying little brothers.”

“That’s assuming I even want to go,” Alex reminded her.

Cora scoffed. “And we’re supposed to believe you don’t? Your eyes light up like Christmas lights every time Helix is mentioned. Of course you want to go.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” Alex said loftily, eliciting another scoff from Cora. “But if I did — which I’m not saying I do — what exactly is the problem with that?”

“Did you even listen to a word that was said at breakfast?”

“Just about everything except when you chimed in.”

“If you want to go to Helix, fine. Just remember, we’re not the ones you should be talking to about it.” She turned and strode away, back along the path they had come. “I’m going to get something to eat. Try not to get yourself blown up or something, will you?”

The last thing he saw of her was her ponytail bobbing behind her, then it disappeared behind a tree. Agent Barrowman waited for a few moments, then broke the silence, which had become knotted with tension.

“Do you want to continue, or do you need a break too?”

Alex barely heard him. His mind was on what Cora had said, and their earlier discussion at breakfast. Of course he heard his parents’ concerns: he knew very well that they were only looking out for him, that they wanted to keep him out of this world — his grandfather’s world — as a means of protecting him, but that had failed. For whatever reason, whether fate or chance, both he and Cora had ended up inheriting the legacy of Harold Farwell. There was no way he could simply ignore it, pretend that he was still just a normal kid, now that it had been brought to his doorstep.

“Kid?” said Agent Barrowman’s voice. Alex started. He was so deep in thought he had almost forgotten he was there.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Oh. Uh… no, I think I want to take a break.”

Agent Barrowman nodded, looking as if he was also glad for the small relief, and went to pick up his briefcase while Alex began the slow trek back towards the house. He absently swatted at the mosquitoes swarming his exposed flesh as he considered the situation he was in. As of right now, he had two choices: he could stay here with Agent Barrowman, barred from public life until the Department decided he was no longer a risk to innocent civilians, or he could spend the next several years enrolled at a school specifically designed for people like him. In all honesty it didn’t seem like much of a choice.

The only thing preventing him from blurting yes was his parents’ reactions. He understood their reasoning, and appreciated their concerns, but there was no certainty that his experience would turn out to be as negative as theirs had been. Cora, for one, seemed to have turned out normal (somewhat, Alex thought with a shrug) despite admitting to a rough period of discovery of her own powers. Why should it be any different for him?

He arrived in the living room some time later with Agent Barrowman a few steps behind to find his father and sister set to different tasks. Cora was reclining on the sofa, digging into a vast bowl of ice-cream while Coco lapped up the mess she was making on the floor, and his father was reading the newspaper. His mother was nowhere to be found.

“How did it go?” his father asked, eyes still buried in the morning news, which boasted a headline recounting the devastating battle between Wildfire and Shadow Shifter.

“Fine. I actually discovered another ability,” Alex said, though he wasn’t as excited as he felt he should have been. That drew his father’s attention.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you about it later. Is Mom still here?”

“She was about to head out, but I think she’s still upstairs.”

Alex hurried up the staircase and emerged onto the upstairs floor, where the tiles were a gleaming, cobalt blue, in contrast with the snowy white of downstairs. He could hear the clacking of his mother’s heels as she moved about in the room ahead, muttering to herself about what she could be forgetting.

“Knock knock.” He punctuated his statement with a gentle rap on the door.

She looked around and her anxious expression melted, replaced by a smile. “Hi honey. I didn’t realize you were back. Any progress?”

“Actually yeah. I couldn’t figure out how to use the power I discovered last night, but I did manage to trigger a second one.”

“Another?” She looked genuinely shocked at that.

“Yeah. Is that surprising?”

“Well, a little. I mean, Cora only ever had her telekinesis. I guess I was expecting the same for you, but I just remembered the two of you are about as similar as oil and water. It should have been expected. What’s this new ability?”

“I can create my own personal suit of armour,” he said, and his tone was a bit more spirited than when he had told his father.

“Oh,” she said, with an air of awe. “Well, that should come in handy later on, when you’re at Helix. It would limit trips to the Nurse’s office, for one.”

Alex looked at her, completely taken aback. “What do you mean, when I’m at Helix?”

“You do want to go, don’t you? I would have thought that was obvious. You’ve always been obsessed with everything superhero-related, I actually would have been shocked if you weren’t considering it.”

“Well… Yeah, I kinda do,” he said apologetically. “But I don’t want to if it’s gonna cause any problems.” Though she had still been looking for whatever it was she had misplaced, she turned around at that, looking rather sad now. She set down her handbag and sat down at the edge of the bed, indicating him to sit across from her.

“We spent the last 17 years trying to drill into your heads that honesty is the only policy in this house — although it didn’t land that well with your sister — so it would be hypocritical of me to lie now. I don’t want you to go. I never wanted your sister to go either. But I also understand that this isn’t about what I want. It’s about what you need. And what you need is to be around people like yourself, in a community that understands what you’re going through and that can genuinely relate. When your sister moved off to school three years ago, it was one of the hardest days of my life.

“In truth, all your father and I ever wanted was to settle down and start a family of our own. We knew that eventually you two would be off, to college, or to work, or wherever your lives led you. We just… didn’t want it to happen this soon. I know that’s awfully selfish —”

“It’s not,” Alex interrupted, a melancholy smile on his face. “I get it, really.”

She dabbed at her eyes, which had grown rather wet during their brief talk. “If you think the decision to leave is right for you, then I support it. I understand that this is something you need to do for you.”

“Do you think Dad will?”

“He should,” she said. “But you should talk to him anyway.”

Alex stifled a sigh. He had known that was coming, but it didn’t make it any easier. For some reason, it seemed his father was more resistant to the idea than his mother. “I will,” he said. But not now. There was never a right time for moments such as this, but he would have preferred to take a bit more time to think about what he would say.

“Good. Now, I’d better be off, I have some things to pick up from the store, then I’m going to check in at Victoria’s. I should be back around 6. Maybe 7.”

They stood up. His mother had almost reached the door before she turned back and rifled through another drawer, then straightened up with a triumphant cry as she finally found what she was looking for, a hot pink leather purse. “I knew I was forgetting something.” She ruffled his hair as she strode out, the sound of her heels clicking on the tiles following her all the way through to the back door.

Alex returned downstairs, where he found Agent Barrowman standing near the doorway. Cora had started on yet another tub of ice-cream, and their father had disappeared, most likely gone upstairs or out back. Ignoring the mess Cora was making, Alex turned to Agent Barrowman.

“You can sit, you know. The furniture won’t bite.”

“I’m fine,” he said tonelessly. “Are you ready to get back at it, or do you need more time?”

“I’d prefer to continue,” Alex said, this time with more enthusiasm. It would be the perfect distraction from the difficult conversation looming ahead. Agent Barrowman nodded, opened the door and slipped outside, ducking once more underneath the door frame. Alex followed behind him, having to jog lightly to keep up with his enormous strides.

“How exactly are we supposed to do this? Are there any more methods we can try to kind of jumpstart my other potential abilities?”

“We’ve exhausted pretty much all the usable options I can think of. The rest are too dangerous without proper precautions put into place. And some of them might likely be long shots anyway.”

“Now you’re worried about my safety? Not when you were pulling the trigger?” Alex said, rather wryly.

“I told you,” Agent Barrowman said, “you were never in any real danger. I just needed you to think you were, to force your body to react in a way that could protect you. I wouldn’t have had to resort to it otherwise, but you weren’t showing any progress with anything else I was trying.”

“Yeah yeah, I get it. You wanted it to feel as real as possible, I understand. But still… Anyway, I guess I should tell you… I’ve decided.”

Agent Barrowman came to an abrupt halt, then wheeled around, the mid-evening sun glinting in his copper-coloured eyes.

“You mean about whether you’re going to Helix or not?”

“Yeah. I think it would be better for me to go. I already spoke to my parents — well, one of them. The other might not be so keen on the idea, but it definitely seems like it’s for the best.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I agree with you. Training with an old cot from the DSR is infinitely more boring, and less rewarding. I think being in a place like Helix is the best option for young superhumans, to be around their own. Build community.”

Alex nodded. Agent Barrowman turned and began the walk back down the path.

“So in the meantime, what else can you tell me about Helix?”

“Uh uh, you heard your sister. You’re going in just as blind as everyone else.” Alex groaned. “Yeah yeah,” chuckled Agent Barrowman. “You’ll be thanking me when the semester starts. Trust me, you’ll want to experience it all firsthand. Now lets go. One week to get you ready.”

“Will that be enough?”

“To handle the basics? Probably. More advanced stuff? Meh, that’s what Helix is for.”