Mere days ago, Alex had been convinced he was doomed to spend the remaining week and a half of summer traversing the streets of his community underneath the sweltering sun, going on brief walks with Coco in a futile effort to find something interesting that could help lift his sunken spirits. Now he awoke at nine o’clock every morning, heading out into the empty field behind their house to test his powers with Hartley. The stern, authoritative persona of “Agent Barrowman” had melted away shortly after their training sprees had began, leaving behind a rather mischievous, adventurous man in his stead. Though the training sessions became steadily more intense, though he would often return to the house with his sweat-soaked clothes sticking to his skin and his bones aching for reprieve, he was having more fun now than he had throughout the entire summer.

It was easy to get lost in the thrill of his newfound abilities, now that he had gotten past his initial block and was having mild success with their use. On their fifth day of training, he managed to ignite the flames beneath his feet once more and actually succeeded in pushing himself a few feet off the ground. He was so excited that he hadn’t initially registered Hartley’s shouts of alarm, and only seconds later did he notice that he had accidentally set the ground underneath him ablaze.

Luckily Hartley had come prepared for just such an eventuality. Fifteen minutes and half a scorched meadow later and the fire had finally been put out, although they had had to find a different spot for training due to the acrid smoke burning their eyes.

It hadn’t been a total loss, however. Disastrous as it had been, it had proven to be the perfect catalyst for them to discover his third hidden ability.

One of Alex’s neighbours, who had apparently deferred from his usual schedule and had come to lead out his livestock much later than he normally would have, had heard the commotion and come to investigate. Alarmed and furious at what he had found, it had been a nearly impossible task to get him to calm down long enough to explain. It was then that a stream of silver-blue energy had erupted from Alex’s palms, but despite his initial shock, it hadn’t turned out to be dangerous in any way. Quite the opposite in fact.

The energy washed over the man, much the same way the soothing powers of the Healer had done to tend to the wounds Shadow Shifter had inflicted upon him. The man’s eyes had fluttered closed and he keeled over right there in the clearing, fast asleep. He hadn’t woken until nearly half an hour later when they returned him to the district, looking as refreshed as if he had woken from a day-long slumber.

While he was out they had concocted a plausible enough story to explain the damage, which the man fortunately believed, although he was greatly disappointed by the destruction.

“So,” Hartley said, once they had sent Mr. Blake on his way. “Jet propulsion, stone armour, and sleep inducement. That’s quite a roster.”

And it was. On one hand, the idea of having three unique powers at his disposal was exciting. On the other, learning to use them was a rollercoaster in itself. As it turned out each one was so different that it required a completely different mindset and varying practical applications in order to make them work. On some occasions it wasn’t an issue, on others he found himself getting no results. But at the very least he was glad he had made enough progress that he wasn’t randomly triggering his powers at the most inopportune times anymore.

Once, while going on a run with Coco (supervised all the while by Hartley, who was maintaining a close distance behind him) flames accidentally sputtered out from his feet, turning his sneakers into ash and catapulting him forward into a tree. On another occasion, Cora had tried to pull another of her silly pranks while he was sitting in one of the rather flimsy chairs in the dining room and in his fright, he involuntarily armoured up. He became so heavy with the armour wrapped around him that he sank right through the chair, shattering it.

Hartley was careful to keep a close eye on him when he was around anyone else, in case he accidentally set them to sleep while they were doing anything important or potentially dangerous. But this too eventually became a non-issue.

The exercises Hartley introduced him to were both mental and physical in nature, meditation sessions and workout periods not unlike any one would endure in a gym. They were tedious and overall exhausting, but they seemed to be working. Dusty thought so as well. He hadn’t reappeared in the evening several days ago when he had said he would, but he did stop by three times after that to gauge Alex’s progress, and he was just as excited as Alex himself was.

Their shared enthusiasm towards the superhero world was one of the strongest tethers of their bond, which would often involve them getting into heated discussions about various superheroes, their accomplishments and (Alex’s personal favourite), how some hypothetical match-ups would turn out, and this was just another aspect to add to the list. Alex had been a bit apprehensive at first that Dusty would feel even slightly uncomfortable now that he had powers and Dusty didn’t, but Dusty was nothing but happy for him, even more so when he shared that he was also planning to enroll at Helix for the upcoming term.

“You really think I should go?” he asked in amazement. He had expected pushback, even a sliver of poorly hidden disappointment.

“Absolutely!” he cried. “Are you kidding? I mean, these kinds of opportunities only come once in a lifetime, you can’t pass that up.”

It was reassuring to hear, but Alex still felt rather downcast. It must have shown on his face because Dusty asked, “What’s wrong?”

Alex sighed. “It’s my dad. I still haven’t really talked to him about the whole thing.”

“Why not?”

“You were at the table with us, weren’t you? You heard what he said, he hates the idea of me going.”

“Yeah, but he would understand if you had to go. I mean, he let Cora go, didn’t he?”

“Reluctantly.”

Dusty chuckled. “I guess. You should still talk to him though. You’re not going to have many chances after today.” Dusty stretched and stood up.

“Leaving?”

“Yeah, I’ve gotta get home. My mom’s gonna start wondering where I am. But I’ll be stopping by when you’re checking off. 11, right?”

“That’s what Hartley said.”

Dusty gave a loud sigh, misty-eyed. “I’m gonna miss that guy.”

“Why? You barely know him, and no offense but I don’t think he’s that fond of you.”

“Ah, see, that’s just what he wants you to think. Don’t let him fool you, he actually loves me.”

Alex didn’t think that was particularly true but he refrained from saying it aloud. Instead he laughed and waved back as Dusty waved goodbye, grinning. He remained seated on the steps and watched as Dusty’s raven-coloured head of hair bobbed away into the distance. Then he sighed again. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Alex set down the final bag with a grunt of effort and looked around his room. The dressers had been stripped, all the stray pieces of clothing that had been littered around the floor had been scooped up and all his pictures, along with his medals and trophies of achievement had been neatly stored in boxes at his feet. The room looked more empty than he had ever seen it in his lifetime. A powerful feeling of nostalgia, mixed with a sudden eruption of longing, surged within his chest. This room had been his home for the past sixteen years, steadily becoming more cluttered with his beloved possessions and the stamps of memories as time progressed. Now, at least two years earlier than he had expected, it was time to leave it behind.

A small part of him didn’t want to. It was surprising, given that he hadn’t focused at all on his room in the last week, but now, seeing the walls devoid of everything he had grown accustomed to waking up to each morning, the situation felt more real than it had even on the night Shadow Shifter had attacked them.

“Let me guess,” said a voice from the doorway. “You’re suddenly starting to see a glimmer of truth in the statement, ‘you never appreciate the value of what you have, until you lose it?’”

“I didn't think it would hit me this hard,” Alex said. Cora sauntered into the room and sank down on the edge of the bed, looking up at him. “I mean, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy — change never is. But this is just…”

“I know,” she said quietly. “It was the same for me too. My room was my safe space. The only place in this whole house where I could just be… me. Not have to worry about hurting anyone, or anyone seeing what I was and calling me a freak… And when I had to give it up, it felt like a sucker punch right to the gut.”

Alex sat down beside her. He had had plenty of memories in this room: good ones, bad ones, mortifying ones. But that only added to the appeal. Now it felt as if the room had been stripped of its very identity, his identity.

“But more than that, leaving this house was so much harder. I mean, it’s not just a house. It’s our home. I don’t think that’s something I ever really got over.”

A small silence ensued, which Alex broke.

“Do you like it up there?”

She took her time pondering the question before answering. “Some parts of it. It’s not all bad, but it’s not all good either. Whether you like it or hate it depends on the person. But I suppose everyone eventually gets used to it.”

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“That’s something, I guess.”

“Are you worried you’ll hate it?”

Alex also took a few moments, contemplating the question more thoroughly than he normally would have. “I am, actually. Can you imagine, giving up everything you had, everything you loved, for something new and then…”

A few seconds passed in silence. Wind whistled through the room, sharper than usual due to the bareness of the space. Cora stood up, tapping her fist lightly onto his shoulder. “Come on, Agent Barrowman said we have to leave soon. Oh, and one more thing. You won’t like it, but animals aren’t allowed on Helix premises. So you’re going to have to add another goodbye to the list.”

Alex repressed a sigh. He had expected it was coming, but it still didn’t make it any easier. He grasped the handle of one of his suitcases, but it jerked out of his hand and veered upwards, hovering in the air. “Sorry, not in the mood to watch your spaghetti arms strain under the pressure.”

“I guess the moment’s over then,” Alex said, glaring sideways at her.

“Snark-free sibling bonding moments are in limited supply at this time.” She smirked at him, then walked out of the room with his luggage floating in front of them. Down the stairs they went, then through the door towards Agent Barrowman’s jeep, where Cora neatly fitted the luggage into the back, alongside her own. Dusty was waiting outside as well, speaking to Agent Barrowman, who, apparently true to what Dusty had said, seemed to have warmed up to him more. Their parents hovered at the door. Cora hugged them both, then hurried off over to the car, giving Dusty a winking air kiss that he nearly tripped trying to catch.

Alex shook his head, then moved off to his parents. He hugged his mother, who kissed him on the cheek and said, rather sternly, “Now, I don’t want to hear about any more arguments between you and Cora. You two are all you’ve got up there, so you better start getting along.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said in exasperation, breaking free from the hug. He returned her watery smile, then he turned to his father. Because of his father’s hours and the time he had spent on training, they had barely had a chance to get a real conversation in over the last week. His mother decided to retreat inside and give them a moment of privacy, waving once more to Cora as she went.

There was a small silence. Then:

“Dad, I —”

“Alex, I —”

Jonathan Michaelson held up his hands, then said, “You go first.”

Alex sifted through his thoughts, trying to find the right words. “I know you never really wanted this, and I understand why. But I just want you to know that… I’ll be okay up there.”

His father smiled. “No doubt you will. And I have to admit, you’re right. This is not how I envisioned things playing out, but who am I to deny you such a grand opportunity. I think you’ll do great up there. And, if that’s where you see this path leading to, I also think — no — I know you’ll make an exceptional Hero.”

Alex hugged him, rather fiercely. He let out a grunt of pain but laughed, then returned the hug in equal measure.

“Bye Dad,” Alex said, his voice a bit choked.

“Bye Alex. We’ll see you at Christmas. And feel free to call at any time, for — well, anything at all.”

“I will.” They parted and Alex wiped his face, then smiled again. “Later.”

Seeing his parents’ smiling faces, he hurried off to the car. Hartley was now in the driver’s seat but Dusty was still standing outside, Coco beside her.

“Hey girl. I’m gonna miss you most of all,” he said, rubbing her snout. She let out a sad whimper, nuzzling into his side as he stroked her back. Then after a while he stood up and she trotted back over to his parents.

“Nope. No goodbyes,” said Dusty, the instant he opened his mouth to speak. “This is just — see you later. Nothing more.”

Alex chuckled. “Fine. See you later, Dusty.”

“See you later, Alex,” Dusty said, pulling him in for a bear hug.

“Oh, and if you do become a hero, see what their policy on sidekicks is,” he whispered as he went in the car. “Who knows, maybe I can —”

“Not a chance, Hayes,” Hartley drawled.

“Meh, a boy can dream,” Dusty said. The car started up, the wheels rolled onto the smooth asphalt, and then they were off, hurtling along the road, waving to their parents and Dusty as the car streaked off.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

They rode on in silence for several long hours. An uncomfortable knot seemed to be have formed in Alex’s chest, extending all the way to his vocal chords, so that every time he tried to speak he found no words would come out. Hartley kept his eyes, masked by a pair of sunglasses, trained on the road, while Cora remained in the front passenger seat, oddly quiet. He wondered for a moment how hard it was for her to leave home again, but remembered how she had said eventually one would get used to the process. Unfortunately, that would be a long time for him.

Every store that they passed, every familiar landmark, every street he used to walk, brought a powerful feeling of nostalgia. He was about to leave it all behind for months, maybe even years. After all, even with summer and Christmas holidays Cora didn’t return as often as they expected. What if it turned out to be the same for him?

The quiet was maddening. Left alone with his thoughts didn’t bode to be a pleasant experience, so instead he opted to strike up a conversation.

“Where are we going, anyway?”

“Out to the Bay,” Hartley replied, as if that answer would be completely sufficient.

“Okay. Why? What, are we gonna charter a boat to Helix? Is it even close to here?”

“Oh, right. I forgot I didn’t tell you,” Hartley said, slapping a hand to his forehead. “We’re not taking a boat, but we are travelling by water. And as for the distance, nope. It’s not close at all. In fact, Helix is situated on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean.”

A few seconds passed in silence, then Alex laughed. Shortly after, he noticed he was the only one doing so. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly,” said Cora. “But don’t worry, the journey is one of the most fun parts — albeit a little short.”

“One of the most fun — what do you mean we’re heading out into the middle of the ocean?” Alex burst out, in complete disbelief. He couldn’t understand how they could possibly utter those words so calmly, as if it was as simple a statement as saying they were running down the street for a carton of milk.

“Relax,” Hartley said. “This is the standard way of travel to Helix. In fact, majority of the population already went yesterday. We should have gone with them, to be honest. But I thought you would have done better without all the attention so soon.”

“What attention?” Alex’s demeanour shifted with the rapidness of a speeding bullet. He was now sitting upright, alert with suspicion.

“One thing you need to understand about Helix is that many of the students are like you, descendants of Heroes. Some of them long-retired, some current. But the overwhelming majority of students have some connection to the Hero world, which means ‘confidentiality’ is as useless a concept as telling a lion not to roar. I wouldn’t be surprised if everybody there already knows you two were involved in Shadow Shifter and Wildfire’s battle. You’re probably famous.”

This had to be the biggest bombshell Hartley had dropped on him this past week. It was hard enough being the “new kid” in a completely different environment, but a new student who would probably have the eyes of the entire school on him because of an event as horrible as that night?

“Honestly, I thought that would have been good news for you,” Hartley said, sounding surprised, as he spotted Alex’s less-than-pleased expression in the rearview mirror.

“Why would you think that?”

“Isn’t this what you wanted? To be a part of the Hero world, make a name for yourself?”

“Not like this! Definitely not so soon.”

“Ooh. Well, that’s gonna be tricky,” Hartley said awkwardly. “But you’ll manage. Oh look, here we are,” Hartley said quickly, just as Alex opened his mouth to release a furious retort. He was right: Indigo Bay glittered in front of them, a broad stretch of deep sapphire water, sparkling silver here and there. He could see a few stragglers scattered across the water, zipping across its serene face on speedboats.

Hartley pulled the car to a halt and gestured for them to exit. Alex did so, the cool evening air stirring his hair.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Alex asked.

“Just follow us and stop asking questions, will you?” Cora said.

They removed their bags, which Cora mercifully began to carry again, and the duo turned off down a rocky path overgrown with grass. Despite his displeasure, Alex followed anyway, forging through the dense blanket of grass. They walked for about fifteen minutes, until they came to the entrance of a dim cave. The darkness deepened the further they walked inside, then it reached a pitch, completely swallowing his vision. Mere seconds later, however, light blazed through the veil of shadows, revealing a new sight before them. This was a more remote part of the bay, where no one ventured due to the strong shark presence. Alex had more questions, but reserved them. For the time being he would maintain a small distance behind the other two and observe what they were doing.

Cora and Hartley strode right up to the edge of the shore, where small waves lapped gently onto the sand. It seemed almost as if they were heading right into the water, but a few feet away from the shoreline Hartley stopped and began to look through the sand. It appeared for a moment as if he was examining the sea shells, muttering under his breath.

Then, just as Alex’s impatience reached its peak, he stood up and said, “Ah.”

He had picked up what looked like a crab, oddly stiff and gleaming in the evening sunlight. Hartley motioned him closer and Alex did so, looking down at the apparently dead crab with apprehension. Hartley flipped it over in his hands and a digital keypad was revealed on the underside. Alex watched in awe as Hartley punched in the numbers 5 - 7 - 7 - 6, then set the false crustacean down on the sand again, waiting. Seconds later the water ahead shifted, and some kind of ink-blue lift slowly elevated into sight.

“What the heck is that?”

“Hydra-loop,” Hartley said proudly. “One of the greatest inventions of the Helix engineers. This is the main method of transportation to and from the island.” He and Cora strode forward, through the lift doors, and Alex hurried off behind them. The doors slid shut and left began to move downwards, until they had descended into what looked like a train carriage with leather seats marked with a large H and a massive, circular table in the center. They were no longer moving down. Now, with the clicking of invisible gears, the carriage was sent rocketing forward.

“You’ll want to be sitting down for this part,” Hartley cautioned. Alex sat, observing the pristine interior of the lift. Through the corridor ahead he could say many more compartments like this, in varying shades of blue and silver. Through the octagonally shaped windows Alex could see the velvety blueness of the sea enveloping them.

Outside, schools of fish darted past, like flickering silver arrows in the darkness. He could see jellyfish, massive coral reefs, and even the very sharks they had been warned to avoid, swimming side-by-side with them for a few seconds until they could no longer keep up with the Hydra-loop’s speed. It was incredible. The distance they were covering in minutes seemed like it would take hours, perhaps even days, if they were moving at normal speeds.

“Look alive,” Hartley said, around an hour or so later. Alex peeled his eyes away from the miraculous sights outside long enough to see what Hartley was showing them. The carriage was slowing down now, and they could feel it rising upwards.

A great sloshing noise rippled overhead as they broke the surface of the water, and through the windows Alex could see a mighty island ahead of them, almost completely covered by a dense forest. In the few areas where the plant life had not completely dominated, huge cliffs stood, taller than any building Alex had ever seen. Flocks of birds and other furry creatures darted through and above the trees, rustling leaves and vines. And in the dead center, a huge, magnificent structure — a robust edifice of the most superb display of architecture he could think of, with gleaming, silvery-grey walls and a massive H imprinted on its face.

Hartley gestured up at the building with a flourish. “Welcome to Helix Academy.”