As Lindsey attempted to exit through the back door, Will nearly headbutted her. Will barely managed to stop himself before they collided, causing her drink to spill over her. Before she could fall back further, Will’s hand was on her elbow, holding her still.

“Hey-” She yelled but stopped as they locked eyes. Will smiled broadly at her. He took in the view of his best friend as he held her elbow. The moment lasted for a long time, and it wasn’t until someone else tried to get through the door that she noticed her drink had spilled on her.

“Will?” She inquired as he maneuvered her out of the way of the door. “What are you doing here?”

“Having a beer,” he said, lifting up his cup. “And spilling them, apparently. Sorry.”

“Uh, yeah, no problem,” she said, blushing as she looked at her wet shirt. She was wearing a white tank top and a red open front sweater, with most of the drink stains on the sweater. She had never been much for dressing girlie, but her time in California must have done her well. With a fresh tan on her face, she blushed more as they openly looked one another up and down.

“Can I get you another?” Will asked, still gripping her elbow, as he dragged her back to the keg.

“Sure,” she said, then became more confident as she added, “It’s the least you could do.” They were quiet for a moment as they pushed through the crowd to get in line. Both trying to think of what to say. Eventually, Lindsey broke the silence. “You look a lot better than a few days ago. What happened to you?”

Will became a little nervous as he thought back. Samson’s words echoed in his mind, though. He needed to not worry about what other people thought. With a shrug he said, “Eh, I uh, got in a fight.”

“A fight!? Seriously?” She asked.

“Yep,” Will said. “It’s not what you’re thinking, though.”

“What is it, then?” She asked.

Will eyed her up and down. For so many years, he had seen her as a friend. After being separated for such a long time, Will couldn’t help feeling that something had changed between them. Not a bad change, though. More of a growth. They had matured during their time apart. Lindsey appeared more feminine in her clothes and was more expressive, while Will felt more confident all around. Facing down Mav was much scarier than anything these people could do to him.

Though he had feared being outed as an Arc for so long, now it was really a part of him. He wanted to be like Maven. Openly showing his power. Either to help fight the stigma of having an ability or to show who he really was. Either way, he was sick of running.

He concentrated on Lindsey, looking her up and down again. Uncaring if his answer pushed her away, he said, “I know you’re an Arc, and you know I’m an Arc.” The words were simple and to the point. He had wanted to say them after graduation. However, it wasn't right at that time. Instead of hesitating, he went right to the heart of the matter.

“After graduation, I ended up joining an Arc group,” Will said. He risked looking up at her. Though the music was loud and he said the words lowly, she heard him.

Her lips firm; she didn't seem scared, but she asked, "The Dragoons?"

“No,” Will admitted, and he noticed her relax slightly. “The Chicago police, actually. My uncle set me up with this program, and the last couple of months I’ve been learning what it means to be an Arc.”

She smiled slightly. Looking down at his arm, she squeezed it. “Is that what all the muscle is for?”

“Yep,” Will said. “I’ve been learning to fight and…use my ability.”

“W-what-” Lindsey said, but paused. As if gathering the courage, she eventually got out, “What is your power?”

“That…” Will said, looking around. “Is rather…” He noticed someone tossing peanuts up into the air and catching them in his mouth. Will gestured for Lindsey to observe. As another nut left the stranger's hand Will grabbed outward as he phased next to him. His hand shooting out as fast as possible, he grasped the peanut in an instant and phased back to where he was standing next to Lindsey.

This was a simple trick he had been working on. He had only successfully done it a handful of times. Phasing away about a dozen feet, then back, was alarming with so many people, but he felt confident. As he opened his hand to show Lindsey, both she and the guy tossing the nut looked around for it.

“What the-” Lindsey exclaimed, shifting her gaze from the nut in his hand to the man. “I thought I saw…Was that you?” Will nodded. “Can you teleport?”

“Uhhh,” Will said. “Basically.” With a slight blush on his face, he looked up into her eyes. “What about you?”

“I-” She hesitated again. She looked around nervously, registering that no one had noticed the trick. Looking back at the man catching peanuts in his mouth, she opened her hand. “Watch.” Will watched the nut go up into the air, then reach its apex and disappear. Looking down, he saw the nut in her open palm. Wobbling slightly, it settled, and she eyed him nervously.

“That’s…” he said slowly, Lindsey getting more nervous. “So awesome!”

“R-really?” She mumbled, moving her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, what did you do?” He asked. Again, the guy throwing nuts looked around for the peanut.

“I, um, summoned it?” She asked.

“Summoned?” Will asked.

“I did some research and-” She was interrupted when someone gestured for them to advance in line. Both jerked and filled their drinks from the keg. They then walked off together to the front of the house. Somehow they found themselves at the side of the house by the bushes, alone as they talked. “I looked it up online. A-Arcs that can do what I do are called Summoners. I can make things come to me. I just need to know where they are.”

“That’s crazy. Like if you forget a pen at home, you can summon it to you?” Mav had talked about Summoners, so the concept wasn’t so surprising. Will had simply never guessed she had an ability like that.

“Yeah, I uh, used to forget my purse, and one day it just…kind of appeared,” she admitted. She blushed throughout her explanation.

“That’s awesome,” he said. “I can turn into light.”

After a long pause, she asked, “What?”

It took time, but Will showed her some tricks. He began by causing his skin to glow, then proceeded to move back and forth between the two sides of the house. Both were excitedly talking about their powers, and neither cared if someone saw them. Their alcohol was forgotten, and they began telling one another stories of times they secretly used their powers.

“I can’t believe you stole with it,” Will laughed.

“What? I didn’t have any money,” she said, looking down ashamed. “I felt so bad the next day that I paid for it.”

“Who knew you would use your power for evil?” Will teased.

“Oh my god, stop, please,” she said. “I can’t believe I told you that.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised it took us so long to admit it,” he said.

“True. Who knew we were so good at keeping secrets?” she said with a smile. They stared at one another, comfortable with the exchange. Slowly, they remembered where they were. "So, uh, you said you’re in some kind of police thing?”

“I am,” Will said with a nod. “It’s actually kind of fun.”

“You’re following in your dad’s footsteps then,” she said. It wasn’t an accusation; it was just stating a fact.

“I guess I am,” Will said, but he wanted to change the subject. “What about you? What brought you-”

“Lindsey!” Someone interrupted. They both turned to see a new boy walking along the side of the house toward them. “Where have you been?”

“Aiden, sorry,” Lindsey said. “I met up with my friend, Will.” Aiden was Will’s height, about 6 feet, 2 inches tall. He had light brown hair and wore no shirt. Muscular but mainly skinny, he appeared a few years older than Will. The man appeared to push his chest out more as he got closer. Will frowned, unsure of what to do.

The men stared one another down for a moment, and Lindsey filled up the silence with introductions. “Aiden, Will, Will Aiden,” she said, pointing at them, respectively. “Will, I met Aiden in California this summer.”

“Cool,” Will said, his eyes on the man. He could sense some hostility, but it was like facing a puppy when you were used to getting mauled by a bear. Mav was far more scary than this guy could ever hope to be. Will stuck out his hand. Aiden eyed it, then took it. At first, Will went in for a simple handshake, but Aiden tried to make it into a contest of strength. As Aiden squeezed, Will started to slowly add pressure. Will was surprised at how quickly the man winced and ripped his hand away.

Lindsey noticed the interaction. Frowning, she said, “Will and I have been friends for years.”

“Friends huh?” Aiden scoffed. Will rolled his eyes. "Well, everyone is waiting for you.” He turned and left without saying another word.

“Right,” Lindsey said. Taking Will’s hand, she said, “Come on.”

“You sure?” Will inquired as they made their way to the back of the house.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m sure we have more to catch up on.” It wasn't long before they were wading their way around the back party. Katy had extricated herself from the original group and was back with Ryu, Samson, Santos, and Irish. They had commandeered a few cornhole boards and were throwing the bean bags into the opposite boards as they sipped drinks. Facing against strangers there appeared to be some sort of lineup for who went next.

Lindsey pulled Will away just as he was about to approach them. Irish and Samson noticed that he was holding hands with a girl and began acting like fools, making kissing faces or jeering at him.

"Lindsey," a girl exclaimed, leading him to a new group. There were more guys with their shirts off, and for some reason, one of the girls was in a bikini top. Though Will hadn’t seen a pool, he reserved his judgment on them. “Where have you been, girl?” Will rolled his eyes. Was he the only one who didn’t know people there?

“Just catching up with Will here,” Lindsey said. “What are we doing?”

“Waiting for our chance at the cornhole tourney,” Aiden said, pointing at the lined-up cornhole boards. There were only four sets, and Will didn’t see much of a tournament going on. Samson and Irish were side by side, continuing to throw the bags. Katy and Ryu were idly watching as people nearby tried to loop them in on conversations. Will knew he would rather stand awkwardly with them than these people, so he pulled away from Lindsey.

“Uh, nice to meet you,” Will mumbled. “I’ll be over here.” He walked away to stand near the others.

“Whose that, Light?” Katy asked, smiling knowingly.

“Just a friend,” he said.

“Be careful,” Irish said. “She’s a redhead. You can’t trust their type.”

“We knew that as soon as we met you,” Samson said. "Now, Light, stop being a pansy and help us win. I need a cheerleader.” He released the beanbag, and it landed directly in the hole. The others overly cheered for him, and Will joined in. What followed was a relaxing half-hour of watching them play.

They talked, Will joining in on the conversation with the others and their own friends from high school. They were joking around, and Will began to enjoy himself as they brought a new keg outside and added a few more.

“Very good,” Katy whispered as he continued to forget everyone else and focus on hanging out with his friends.

“What is?” He asked.

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“You’re ignoring her; girls love that,” Katy said with a smile.

“Who-” Will stopped and looked at Lindsey. She looked away, just as he did. “Seriously?”

“Oh yes, girls go wild when you don’t care about them,” Katy said.

“Then you must be in love with me,” Irish said. “I ignore you and don't mind slapping you around a little.”

“It is a love-hate relationship,” Katy said. “More hate, though.”

“Good,” Irish said. A new challenger went up to face him, and this time it was Aiden. “Oy, does having your shirt off help you play this very mundane American game?”

“I don’t know,” Samson said, looking Aiden up and down. One of Aiden's friends was going up against Samson. “Should we try it?”

"It could hurt," Irish said, removing his shirt. He revealed a very hairy chest. Red hair intertwined on his chest, obscuring the view of his muscles, so he didn't look overly strong. Irish appeared to be a nice mix of fat and muscle. Will used to watch some videos that followed professional arm wrestlers. They never possessed an excessive amount of muscle mass. They looked more average than anything, but every one of them could beat the men who had huge steroid-fueled muscles because they had actual strength. Irish's physique reminded Will of those men. Not overly muscular, but just right.

Samson was the opposite; he lifted his shirt to show off his own muscular body. Hills of muscles revealed themselves, and one girl whistled appreciatively. Like some Greek god, his smooth skin shone in the dying light of the day. Samson had more mass when they first started up, but each of his muscles had become defined over their months of training. Hardly any fat on him, Samson was never shy about showing off his form.

“Oh yeah,” Samson said to his partner. “I see why you don’t wear a shirt. More…aerodynamic.” He swung the bean bag around his arm and tossed it with ease. The bag went right into the hole. What followed was a perfect game for Samson and Irish. Will, Katy, Santos, and Ryu cheered loudly; they got the bag directly in the hole.

“Thanks for the tip,” Irish said. “Taking the shirt off was a huge help.” Aiden and his friend grumbled as someone else stepped up. Lindsey approached with trepidation, just as they did.

“Who are your friends, Will?”

“Will? We don’t know a Will,” Irish said.

“That’s right. You must mean our friend, Light,” Samson said.

“Why do you push that nickname?” Will asked. He enjoyed it, but his old friend meeting his new friends made him a little nervous. He wanted them to like each other.

“We don’t push anything. That is your name,” Samson said.

“Like you, Miss Chicago,” Irish said, nodding at Katy.

“Call me that, and I will kill you,” she said. “Hi, I’m Katy,” she added, reaching her hand out to Lindsey. What followed was a short introduction, followed by embarrassing questions.

“Tell me, Lindsey, was Light a shy pooper in school? We share a bathroom, and he can’t go if people are in there,” Samson asked.

“I uh don’t-”

“Seriously?” Will asked, annoyed. “Sorry, I don’t announce my craps like some parade.”

“It’s a problem if you hold it in too long, Light. I’m just looking out for you,” he said with a wide grin.

“He’s got a point,” Irish said. “Light also refuses to shower naked. Has he always worn swim suits?”

“I do not,” Will said.

“Will, why are you so shy?” Katy asked. “It’s concerning. We are just friends trying to learn more about you so you can get past this stage fright.”

“I don’t have stage fright-”

“Performance anxiety is a common trait of someone with your capabilities,” Santos said, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Mav always said you were the fastest person in the group. Does that have anything to do with it?”

“I will kill all of you,” Will said, growing more annoyed.

Lindsey giggled. “I like your friends,” she noted.

“I do not,” Will noted.

“It’s okay, Light; you don’t have to be afraid anymore,” Irish said, slapping his butt. Will reflexively backhanded him, causing Irish to grab onto his arm and twist him around. Will got out of the hold and tapped Irish in the nuts, which then turned into a full-on fight between them all. As people tried to break it up, Irish cursed at them. “We are having a conversation here. I would appreciate it if you all would stay out of it!” Samson then kicked his legs out from under him, and the fight continued.

After growing bored with the cornholes, Samson and Irish discovered a park with a wide open field behind the house. It wasn't long before Will and the others found themselves playing football against Lindsey's shirtless friends. Katy stood on the sidelines with a few other girls.

Five versus five, it was plain to see that Will and his friends were more coordinated and athletic. Will felt like he was barely breaking a sweat as he effortlessly ran from one end to the other of the makeshift football field. More people came from the party to watch, cheering friends on and getting into it.

“Come on!” People yelled. “They’re barely trying,” someone added. And it was true. Even the bystanders could see it wasn’t much of a challenge for Samson, Irish, Santos, Ryu, and Will. That was around when the game was cut short by Aiden trying to tackle Will.

Will was running down the field when Aiden came out of nowhere. Aiden threw his whole body into Will, knocking both of them down, but Will instantly got back up. Mav had taught all of them that staying on the ground was as good as losing. It was only on your feet that you could be effective.

“Light, take him down!” Irish jeered from across the field.

Will turned to face Aiden as he rose to his feet. Angry and dirty, he wiped grass clippings from his chest and whispered a curse at Will. For a moment, Will considered hitting him. The man had obviously been hostile toward him, but Mav’s words rang in his ears. When he killed, it became the only solution. Fighting was no different. Will knew that jumping right into a fight with every interaction wasn't the best outcome for anyone.

“You’re not worth it,” Will mumbled and turned back to his side of the field.

“What?!” Aiden yelled, following behind Will. Will turned as Aiden tried to push him. He grabbed Aiden's hands and pulled him forward, tripping him to the ground. Will stepped out of his reach and continued walking away. Hardly breaking a sweat, he ignored the eyes on him.

“It’s about time!” Katy said from the sidelines.

“What?” Samson asked.

“It’s about time we left,” she said. Looking around, she could see that the game had turned tense.

“Oh come on!” Irish said. “It was just getting good.”

“No!” Katy said, her eyes wide as she stared him, then Samson down. The muscular men grumbled, but they grabbed their shirts and walked over to her with the rest of the students.

“You’re going already?” Several people inquired, but the majority moved aside. Once they were through the crowd, they kept walking.

“Can I at least grab a beer?” Irish asked.

“No,” Katy said. “I can tell you’re all itching for a fight. We go now.”

“Whatever,” Samson said. They walked around the house, arriving at the front in a sour mood.

“Will!” Lindsey yelled, running after him. Will stopped, facing her, as his friends slowed down. “Sorry about that. I don’t know what’s up with Aiden.”

“No problem,” Will said. “It was about time we left anyway.” He looked around, noticing that the sun had practically set. The cool night air started to blow in, leaving him torn between wanting to go with his friends and staying to talk to Lindsey more. “Are you staying here?”

“No, I was thinking about heading out too,” Lindsey said. She waited for a moment, looking down at the ground.

Behind him, Katy coughed. “Maybe you should walk her home,” she said.

Will turned back to Lindsey, who was blushing. “I can-”

“No- I live a bit far away,” she said.

“It doesn’t bother me,” he said with a shrug.

“Then, uh, yeah, please,” she stuttered.

“My god, I can’t watch this cringe,” Samson grumbled. “We will see you at the school, Light.”

“Uh, sure,” Will said, waving them off. They headed toward the bus stop, and he followed beside Lindsey. They walked in an awkward silence for a bit as they headed down the sidewalk.

“Are you living somewhere new?” Will asked.

“Yeah, on campus,” she said. “It’s about a mile that way.” She pointed, and they went back to walking. Eventually she admitted, “Sorry, I didn’t think…”

“It’s fine. I’m used to walking, really,” he said. “I actually started running again.”

“Really?” She asked. “How much do you do?”

“At least 5 miles a day,” Will said.

“Woah, I wish I had that endurance. What else have you been doing?”

“This program I’m in is a little different,” Will said. Calming down from the party, he reminded himself he was talking to one of his best friends. There was nothing to hide from her. “We fight a lot. Lift weights, stretch, and use our powers."

“What’s that like?” Lindsey asked. “Using your powers? Do you have a trainer?”

“Yeah, he’s kind of a dick, but he knows his stuff,” Will said.

“What can your friends do?” She asked. “I assume they train with you?”

“They do,” Will admitted. “But that’s…not a secret I should be giving out. The old man always told us not to talk about other people’s powers.”

“Why’s that?” She asked.

Will shrugged. “Don’t know. He just said it was common courtesy.”

“Is he a Goon?” She asked.

“No, far from it,” Will said. “I’m not sure what he is. But we are supposed to start working with the police on Monday. Maybe I’ll have a chance to ask him.” He eyed her. “Interested in stopping by?”

“It’s not a secret hideout?” She teased.

“No, not really,” Will said. “Guess I never really thought about it. We work out of this old school. You could stop by. Maybe he could teach you about your power.”

“Maybe…” She said and left it at that. They continued walking. The party's sound faded away behind them. “So what do you want to do with this Arc police unit?”

Will had been asked that more often than not. Instead of feigning like he didn’t know what he wanted, he admitted, “Be a super hero.”

“A what?” She asked with a laugh.

“A super hero,” Will said. “It's something Mav talked about. Back in the day, people with extraordinary powers used to do good things. They would do their best to help people.”

“So you want to help people with your ability to-what was it? Turn into light?”

“Why not?” Will phased away, grabbing a yellow daisy, and then phasing back. “I’m super fast.” He handed it to her, and she smiled wide. “Stronger than I ever thought possible.” He flexed his bicep. Lindsey rolled her eyes, but she squeezed his arm. Her eyes widened as she felt how firm the muscle was.

“Dang,” she mumbled and blushed.

“Why can’t I be a hero?” Will asked. Feeling a little bravado and pride, he was almost convincing himself that’s what he wanted to do.

"You know, having super heroes implies that there were also super bad guys," Lindsey said.

“True,” Will said. “I didn’t ask about those.”

"Well, they’re out there, that’s for sure,” she said, kicking a rock in her path. “So will you fight these bad guys?”

“Depends on what’s at stake?” He admitted. “But probably, I really-” Will stopped when he noticed a couple ahead in the street. They were behind a car talking in hushed tones, and the man took a swing at the girl.

Will reacted without thought. He phased towards the man and grabbed his arm, preventing him from striking the girl. They were both older, but Will’s anger flared. His hand formed a fist, and he punched the guy in the face. The abuser stumbled back, struggling to stand as his brain rattled in his head, then fell to the pavement.

He looked at the woman who was about to be hit. “Are you-”

“What’s your problem?!” She roared pushing him away. “What are you doing?!”

“Being a…super…hero,” he mumbled, lost for a moment. Caught off guard by her reaction he was slowly thinking maybe he misread the situation.

“What are you? Stupid?!” She yelled. Moving to her boyfriend and trying to help him up. “Who asked you for help? What did you do to him?! Babe? Are you alright? Babe?! Kid, I’m calling the police-”

Will phased away back to Lindsey. "I, uh, think we should run,” he said, grabbing her hand. She nodded, and they began to run down the street. Will was a little lost about what he had done wrong, but that was something Maven had made sure to tell him. Being a hero was stupid.