POV: Mary Bittir

I stood in front of an announcement board reading the flier I had pulled off. It was advertising tryouts to the baseball team. Apparently, the school team was the Westside Sunflowers. It felt wrong how normal it all seemed. Baseball was a normal sport. Sunflowers were a normal flower. Everything seemed so normal.

I took a deep breath. Truth was I was still in shock over being made team leader. I remembered our meeting after we were assigned. Jessica Blanc gave out her prophecy and Jessica Black ran off. We were still going to play dodgeball, but we had a few minutes before that.

“Alright then, I'll start off this pony show. I'm Adrian Priest,” Adrian introduced himself. He was massive and out of uniform, I didn't know they were optional yet. He spoke with a rumble in his every word. “My demitype is that I'm half demon and all badass.”

He slammed his chest and chuckled, posing as if we were supposed to be impressed. Which I was. By his mass and his boldness. I felt like his ego alone could power the city, and I also felt like he knew it. He looked over to the blond hair boy, Runesir, and gestured to him.

“What about you? I'm guessing you're magic, but how tough are you?” Adrian asked.

Runesir tsked, “I am a wizard of the proud Runesir family. My power is beyond your understanding. It is limited only to my amazing knowledge of magic.”

“Awesome!” Adrian gave a thumbs up and turned to the other black girl, Nazuri. “And you?”

“I… umm… don't,” Nazuri mumbled.

“You don't have to tell us,” I said before thinking, “If you don't want to, that is.”

I don't really know why I said that. Just seemed like the right thing to say, and she seemed to appreciate it.

“Well, what about you?” Adrian asked, staring down at me, “What's your deal?”

“Oh, I am…,” I was caught off guard and just said it, “I'm just a mutant.”

Adrian reared back at that and yelled, “A mutant? They put me under a mutant's leadership? Well then, you must be hella strong!”

I was stunned again. Adrian looked right at me with his huge grin. I had no idea what to say to that. The obvious answer was just the truth, but that didn't come up. My insides were freezing over under his burning gaze.

And then I was saved by Kevin, who I had met the other day at lunch. He kicked up and yelled back at Adrian, “You know dumbass! They judge people by more than how many hits to the head they can take. You ever think of that?”

Adrian turned his gaze to the brown-skinned boy dumbfounded. Until he regained his smile, this time with a hint of viciousness, “Is that so? Well then tell me, what metric did they judge you by?”

“What's it to you?” Kevin answered in a nasty tone.

“I just want to know. Because they either marked you as having no sense,” Adrian stepped to Kevin and leaned over him, “or having no guts.”

Kevin’s fist flew into Adrian’s cheek. The impact crackling out. Adrian returned the favor with a gut punch that sent Kevin doubling over. Adrian was about to bark a one-liner when Kevin jumped up and slammed his forehead into Adrian’s chin. Before Adrian could follow up Kevin swung a left hook and Adrian jabbed back. The two boys slugged it out for only a few moments before Adrian coughed out, “Uncle! Uncle!”

He was still smiling as he wiped a drop of blood off his lip. With a chuckle, he spoke, “Good to know there's some fight on this team.”

Kevin spat on the ground. There was blood in his spit. “Muérdeme.”

Adrian laughed and looked at the last pair of the group, “What about you two?”

“Oh! We’re-” The blond leaped up and was ready to tell it all before her friend slapped a hand over her mouth.

“It’s not important,” he answered, “Just treat us like we’re mundane.”

“What?” Adrian barked and walked up to them, “What kind of fight can a mundane-?”

Adrian’s words were cut off by the clack of a pistol being placed at his chin. With a voice made of ice, the like-a-mundane boy simply said, “I don’t fight. I act.”

Adrian’s response was to laugh as if he had heard the punchline to the funniest joke ever told. That went on until Mr Mirmen told Lucas to put the metal away and to line up for dodgeball. Ever since then, I’ve spent almost every afternoon and weekend with some members of my team. Mostly Nazuri who had become my best friend.

I had come to rely on her to be a constant I could depend on. A piece of normal in this not-normal world I now lived in. Our routine of morning greetings had become a foundation in my life. A reminder that all of this was real and that I wasn’t alone.

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“Morning up, bitter cup!” Nazuri came up behind me and started the routine.

“Don’t call me that,” I said my part.

“Be sweeter then.” She finished, and then looked at the flier I held, “You play baseball?”

“I used to. Kind of, at least.” I read over the flier again. It didn’t mark anything about age or gender. Just a time and place, “I played softball throughout middle school.”

“Alright then. Moving up in the world.” she smiled and I was about to say something when I saw it, a look in her eye. I focused on the flier and pretended to not notice her mumble to herself. This happened often. Times where she would just mumble to herself. She usually tried to hide it, but I think she was growing more comfortable around me. Which was nice. She was trusting me more.

This went on for about a minute before our attention was called by Alice Hansen. Who waved us down and greeted, “Mary, Naz. How are you? Is your mother doing well, Nazuri?”

“Yeah! She’s doing great. She made a full recovery,” Nazuri said, returning fully to attention. “Also, thank you. Again. For saving her.”

“Of course.” Alice smiled, a hint of unease in her eye, “I know you would have done the same for me and my dad.”

“Yeah, of course,” Nazuri said, a hint of shame in her voice. The events of the hunting trip that nearly killed Nazuri's mother were a weight on Nazuri's mind. I decided to change the topic.

Lifting the flier I asked Alice, “Do you play baseball?”

Seeing the flier Alice beamed her smile, “I have! I always prefer football though. That was the national sport back in Scandinavia.”

“Football! A sport for wimps!” Came the barking laughter of Adrian as he came up and slapped Alice's back knocking the wind out of her, “I rather a real sport like old-fashioned rugby! Right, Kevin?”

“Whatever.” Was Kevin’s response as he followed with the rest of my team. His own sour attitude was held in perpetuity and had become the norm for him.

“Sports are a foolish passion.” Was the commentary of Runesir who paced beheld Kevin. His expression being of utter arrogance. Behind him was Lucas and Ashley. Lucas with his look of stoicism and Ashley stuffing face with some novelty snack.

This was my normal now. This is what I had to accept as my life now. It wasn't so bad.

“Yeah. Especially if there's no blood.” Adrian just laughed on slapping Alice's back. “Guess that's why Scandinavia never made a rugby team.”

“We… do… have…” Alice tried between slaps, but Adrian’s casual strength kept knocking her air out.

“Is blood the only thing you hell apes enjoy?” came a toiling laugh from Amanda Susu, “I guess that explains your own smell.”

This shifted the tone of the gathering. Adrian’s grin turned into a scowl. Of course, as everyone there knew, that was actually what Adrian wanted. A reason to start a fight.

“You got something to say?” Adrian stepped through the group to tower over Amanda.

“Oh plenty, but unfortunately,” Amanda pinched the bridge of her nose and smugly grinned, “I could never say it over your putrid sulfur breath.”

“You cheeky little bimbo,” Adrian raised a fist and scowled deeper, “Don't think that you being a girl will stop me from slugging-”

Adrian did not get to finish his sentence as his face was replaced by a fist.

“Like that Jerry?” Asked Brick who had come up in everyone's blind spot to deck Adrian one. He looked back to the rest of his own team coming up. How they managed not to gain anyone's attention as they approached was probably luck, courtesy of Amanda.

As Abraham and Samuel checked on Alice and Ashley flew into a gossip off with Samantha I was approached by Jerry.

“Good morning, Mary. I hope you don't hold this against us.” Jerry smiled and held out his hand.

I had drifted out of focus at some point and had to snap back. I took his hand in my hand on reflex and said to him, “Of course not. Adrian will shake it off.”

Kevin didn't take kindly to that. He stepped up with fists at the ready, “Bull! They can't just sucker punch us like that!”

Jerry made a quip back, but I wasn't able to catch what it was. Because at that time my powers were starting to activate and through my handshake with Jerry came a scrambling of odd memories. I broke off the handshake and turned my attention to my own teammate.

“Forget about it, Kevin,” I said like it was an order, “Every punch is a sucker punch with Adrian.”

“But…”

“I said drop it.” I did order, and I could see the contempt on Kevin’s face. It was only mildly different from his normal expression.

“Whatever.” He turned and trudged off to check on Adrian. This was my normal. I had to remember that.

“Well then,” Jerry said with a shrug, “I'm sure we'll speak again soon enough. Likely come field day.”

Jerry called for his team and like that they moved together. With only a wave to Alice to mark the end of the interaction. I looked behind me where the rest of my team surrounded Adrian. I joined them.

“They should put a license plate on his back, hard as he punches.” Adrian stood still rubbing his chin where Brick punched him.

“You know, you won't get your face punched off so much if you would drop the bravado,” Nazuri stated matter of factly.

“But where's the fun in that?” Adrian grinned and chuckled to himself.

“None. At. All.” Ashley cheered and joined Adrian in laughter. Kevin grunted and rolled his eyes. Nazuri sighed, as did Lucas. Runesir stood off just to the side with his own attitude. I smiled. This was my normal.

“Adrian Priest!” Mr Stienfaust shouted over from the front door drawing our attention, “Report to Vice Principal Thompson’s office now!”

We all stood and stared for a moment until Adrian shouted, “Why?”

“Because I said so!” Stienfaust shouted back before returning inside.

We all stood dumbfounded. Ashley spoke up, “Wow Adrian. What did you do?”

“Nothing! Well, plenty.” Adrian scratched his head, “But nothing worthy of the Vice Principal's attention.”

“You best not test him,” Runesir said, “If the upper staff are involved it's likely a serious matter.”

“Right, and I'm sure a beatdown from him won't be very fun.” Adrian nodded in a rare display of good sense and started to the front door. “Right, I'm going. Head on in without me. I'll catch up.”

Leaving the rest of us to wait for the start of the day. Ashley looked at the flier I had been holding, “Oh! Mary, are you going to try out for the baseball team?”

Looking over the flier again I nodded and decided, “Yeah. I am.”