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Of all the superpowers to have, mine is, most definitely, the lamest.

Sure, on this tiny island, everyone's got one, but there's only one of each. My friend Jake got lucky and got teleportation. He's been (almost) caught sneaking into the girls changeroom about a million times now.

My other friend, Keaith, can manipulate plastic. Seems lame, at first, and then you realize he can play video games with no hands. And use certain keyboards. And mice. He's a gamer deity, basically.

Me? I don't even know. That's the lamest part. Everyone gets their powers at 16. I'm 18. I know it's only those who have been born on this island to get these powers, but I was born on the island. Still no powers.

So, to reiterate, of all the superpowers, mine (or my lack of such) is most definitely the lamest.

My school life sucks because of it, too. Not only am I failing Powers 911, but I get teased for it a lot.

Like today.

As the narrative in my head finishes, I look up to the kid levetating on a gust of wind. "Hey, I'm talking to you, Clampelton. What're you doing here? This class isn't for nothings!"

I sigh. "Well, Clarence, you'd better shape up yourself, because the rest of school isn't for morons."

He blows my hair around with a blast of air, laughing. "Nice hair, normie." He floats over to the rest of the kids, who are working on their powers. Keaith is focusing on using a pen to write a message from behind a lead barrier a foot thick. It's shaky, but it's going. As I strain to make out the letters, I chuckle. It says, in scribblish handwriting, I liek memes XD.

Jake is teleporting to places he's never been before, and of course, he's nowhere to be found. Typical.

I also take note of the cute new girl, who just transferred from across town. I think her name is Cecia? Something like that. She can speak with plants. She's talking with a dandelion right now.

And here I am, sitting on a gym bleacher, chewing gum and wishing I was either dead or had a power.

After class, I meet up with Keaith. Jake is somewhere else, probably out of range. Oh well. We go to our next class, chatting about the latest video game.

It was my eighteenth birthday yesterday. I had a small party, got small gifts, did small things. It was a small deal altogether.

As we sit down, after a small silence, Keaith turns to me. "It still baffles me from time to time that you're basically the only one on this island to ever leave. How'd it feel? What was it like?"

I sigh. "I've told you one too little times, haven't I?" He nods, so I continue. "I left on June 14th, and I came back two years later on June 15th. It was a time of seeing the world with my dad. Something about "not being cooped up for my entire life". We went all across the world. Russia, Greece, Australia, France, Canada, Guatemala..."

Keaith perks up. "I haven't heard about Guatemala! Tell me about there."

I shrug. "It's like swimming in air. It's so humid, you don't sweat and still get soaked. You drink air. Not too hot, though. Doesn't rain a lot, so you either get large puddles or yellow plants. The people are nice, although the sun seems to do a number on their skin."

The teacher walks in, and silences the class. We start our history lesson, and learn about the First World War.

Halfway through Mister Rolund's explanation on how guns worked back then, we hear an actual gunshot. And close.

Clarence springs up from his chair. "Villains!" He thrusts a finger in the air. "I'm up and away!" A heavy gale bears him through the door and into the hallway. I call after him. "It's a bird, it's a plane. It's Moron Man?"

I hear a door bust open, and more gunshots. Clarence hits the ground like a sack of potatoes. He convulses as a blue electricity crackles over him.

A mad cackle fills the hallway. "Ha, ha hah. It vorks! IT VORKS!" Everyone recognizes the voice of Doctor Boris J. Kornfield. The island's most infamous villain, he was blessed with evil machinations the like of which no one other can fathom. This has gone from D-rank to S+-rank in no time.

The other classmates shiver and hide, but I watch as Clarence struggles to push himself up. He thrusts his hand out with a mighty yell.

You could hear a pin drop.

He stares blankly at his hand. "What? I- my-"

Kornfield laughs madly. "You, my young vriend, have been supvressed. You have no povers!" I stand up. If that's the gambit, then.

I walk out into the hallway, in fron of Clarence. "Hold up." Bories stands there, two hulks at his side, holding guns connected to sparking blue bullet belts. He leers at me. "You think you can beat me? Child, you're much to early. Dawson!"

The grunt on his left fires a bullet. It opens up midair, and catches me right in the chest. I have to step back a few times, but I catch myself. The electricity doesn't do too kuch to me, so I simply rip the bullet off of where it's latched on and squish it under my foot. "Sorry bud, no powers to steal."

His bouncers move forward, cracking their knuckles. I gulp. "Oh, shiznit." One of them goes to punch me, but his hand is blocked by a credit card. I look into the classroom to see Keaith touching his temple dramatically. He yells into his cellphone. "Jake! Now!"

Jake materializes behind the villains, holding a bucket of steaming hot oil. He yells. "Hot off the presses!" He splashes it over them before disappearing in their midst. I can hear the flesh burn as they yell, burning hot oil covering them.

Mister Rolund starts to concentrate, and a ringing starts to louden in my ears. Everyone else hears it, and it gets louder and louder until it is unbearable. One of the thugs tosses a glowing blue grenade in the room, holding his ear with his other hand. It blossoms, coating everything in a bright blue wash. Second later, the ringing ceases as everyone in the classroom is on the floor, having seizures.

The credit card drops from the air and lands at my feet. I look up, and as the muscles of my assailant coil up, I bring my hands up to protect my face.

His punch rattles the air around me, but does not hit my myself.

I look up, and see the hired gun standing there in shock, his hand hanging in the air. He draws it back, and then punches again, only to be stopped. It seems something invisible is holding him back. My mouth opens in shock.

The other scoffs and draws his gun, pointing it at me. But I think I know what's going on. It all makes sense. As he pulls the trigger, I slash the air with my hand. The bullet crashes against an invisible wall.

Boris shouts. "Vhat?! You vorm, you dare ruin my plans! I suppressed you!"

I smile. "Took sixteen years long enough. You were a few seconds too short."

I know my power now. And it is not lame.

I can create planes of force with the flick of a wrist.

As he turns to run, I drag my arms through the air in a certain pattern. First one side, then the other, then the top and bottom. I create a cube of force, surrounding the three culprits.

They beat against the walls, but to no avail. The Doctor, however, falls lifeless to the ground, his eyes losing life. The thugs look at it, and then kick it, eliciting a creak of twisted metal from the now-disconnected robot.

I smile. Turning to Keaith, I grin wider. "Sixteen years on the dot." He holds up a thumb weakly.

---

As the police drag the two hired hands away, and put the technology in a lockbox, my mom hugs me to her, crying with joy. "I knew you had them, Terrence. I knew it."

I mumble into her shoulder. "Yeah, mom, me too." We hug for a while, and then I let her go, and turn to my friends, who are standing there, all awkwardly.

Clarence sighs. "Thanks for saving me, normie."

Jake nudges him. "Ain't normie no more."

I see Cecia behind Keaith. She shyly looks up. "That was really cool, what you did, Terrence."

I blush. "Uh, yeah. Thanks."

Keaith slaps me on the back. "Man, aren't you excited? Powers!"

I chuckle. "Want to know the best part?"

Jake humors me. "What?"

"I'm not going to be failing Powers 911 for much longer."

FIN