So here’s the deal,” Bro. Joey said. He stood on the deck of a ship as it began to pull away from the single dock of a remote, supposedly deserted island. “Your Senior Challenge this year is to find a way off this island.” He waved a hand at the palm trees and white sand. “There is a way for each of you to escape, but you’ll need to find your superpower to do so.”
Kyle’s face took on that speculative look that typically heralded trouble. He asked, “We just need to get off the island and we’ll have succeeded?”
Bro. Joey nodded. “That’s it. Easy. Right?”
Kyle nodded thoughtfully, took a running start, and leaped across the intervening space between the dock and the ship. His arms extended and then extended again until he was able to latch onto the railing of the ship. He then pulled himself up and over. Standing on deck, he grinned as he turned to face an astonished Leah, Madisen, Sofia, and the twins, Antonio and Demond.
“Hey look!” Kyle yelled holding up his long arms. “I’ve escaped! I win.”
He turned to face Bro. Joey, pleased at his own resourcefulness and that he didn’t have to go through the arduous task of escaping the island and dealing with whatever the rest of the school had planned to stop the seniors from escaping.
He turned too late.
Bro. Joey casually shoved Kyle over the side of the ship. He squawked like a startled bird and tumbled ungracefully over the side. For a moment, all anyone could see were flashing arms and legs—that being most of who Kyle was. He hit the ocean water awkwardly like he was trying to do a cartwheel or something. He came to the surface, sputtering and spitting.
“No cheating!” Bro. Joey yelled down at him.
Kyle wiped water from his eyes and frowned, wondering how he was to play a game when he didn’t know the rules.
“Can we work together?” Madisen asked before Bro. Joey could get too far away.
“Of course,” Bro. Joey said. “But you won’t escape until you find your superpower.”
“Is there a prize for first place?” Demond yelled.
“Yes!” Bro. Joey yelled back.
“What is it?” Demond asked.
“First place,” Bro. Joey said as he was carried too far away for any further conversation.
“Wellnothelpful!” Antonio muttered.
Sofia’s eyes narrowed at Antonio. “What?” she demanded.
Demond waved a hand dismissively. “That’s Anthony’s superpower according to Bro. Dad. He can stuff an entire sentence into a single word.”
Leah smirked. “According to Bro. Baker, my superpower is ambience.”
Madisen looked confused. “What?” she asked.
Now it was Leah’s turn to look confused. “Maybe I said it wrong. Ambulance or ambivalence. Yeah, ambivalence. I think. Something like that.”
“What does it mean?” Madisen asked.
“Don’t remember,” Leah said, going over to the edge of the dock to watch as Kyle swam back and pulled himself up to the rough wooden planks. “But I have mixed feelings about it whatever it means,” she finished eying Kyle. “So…” she said, her lips drawing out the word in her typical mischievous manner with eyes too wide and not very innocent at all, “you thought your long arms was your superpower?”
Kyle offered a wet, crooked grin. “Why not?” He stood up straight, dripping water all over the dock. He would be uncomfortable until he dried out. He stood with Antonio and Demond, facing the three girls, Leah, Sofia, and Madisen. “Do you think the other students will try to stop us?” he asked, eying the tree line of the island.
“What do you think?” Leah said. “Laura would jump at the chance to make our lives miserable. I know I would. Who thinks up these stupid challenges anyway?”
Kyle suddenly looked innocent—he didn’t pull it off very well. He looked like he’d swallowed a lizard. “Who knows,” he said. “Could be anyone.”
“Well,” Madisen said, “I hope my superpower is invisibility. If they can’t see me, they can’t do anything to stop me.”
“They could see your footprints in the sand,” Demond pointed out. “Personally, I hope mine is flight. I could just fly away. Come on.” He started walking toward the trees.
Antonio looked thoughtful, shifting to one foot. “If last year is any example,” he began, looking off to the side, “we’ll need to learn some sort of lesson before we can…” He trailed off when he realized everyone else had left him standing by himself. “And I’m talking to myself,” he quipped. “Happens a lot. Maybe that’s my superpower.” He hurried to catch up with the others, walking like a penguin with hands in his pockets. No one could pull off the penguin walk faster than Antonio.
Kyle had come to a stop when he realized someone had emerged from the trees to block their way. It was Jazmin. She stood uncertainly before them, looking uncomfortable. Beth and Ella joined her. Jazmin spoke, but with the crashing waves along the beach, Kyle didn’t hear a word.
“What?” Kyle yelled.
Jazmin yelled back—or what was for her a yell. Kyle barely heard her say, “I am to inform you that I’m the villain this year. It’s my job to make sure none of you discover your superpower.”
Demond looked astonished. “You?” he said incredulously. “You’ve got to be about the nicest villain ever!” Grinning, he strode toward the three girls as if daring them to try something.
Leah said, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Kyle wondered if Leah was quoting something. He thought about warning Demond, but then decided his brother could figure it out for himself. Sure enough, Demond made it no more than ten feet before the ground crumbled away under him in a spray of snapping twigs and sand, and he fell face-first into a hidden pit. He screamed on the way down, sounding suspiciously like a strangled crow before the sound cut off suddenly with a painful grunt.
Laughter drifted to Kyle’s ears from behind the tree line, sounding like Jax Wilson. Now there was one kid who would make a good villain, unlike Jazmin who looked like she was about to cry. Beth, on the other hand, folded her arms and glared at the five remaining seniors. She looked like she chewed nails for a hobby and ate rocks for fun. She, at least, looked the part of a villain. Ella? Well, Ella just giggled. Kyle had no idea what that meant.
Jazmin looked down into the pit, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. She said, “Sorry about that. But if any of you try to go deeper into the island, I will have to stop you. You have been warned.” She turned and walked back into the trees, her two minions following.
Demond’s voice came floating up out of the pit, “Best villain ever!”
Kyle sighed. “Someone help me get him out,” he said.
Antonio looked thoughtful. “Do we have to?” he asked.
“Hey!” Demond shouted. “I heard that!”
Kyle found a long tree branch, and with Antonio helping, Demond managed to scramble out of the pit. He brushed sand off his dark skin. “I thought I heard Jax laughing,” he said.
Madisen nodded and said, “You did. Bet he built the trap.”
“I’m going to throttle that kid,” Demond said, scanning the trees. “Where is he?”
“Look,” Leah said. “I think we should split up. Girls and guys.”
Sofia nodded. “I like it,” she said.
“Fine by me,” Kyle agreed. He spun away and marched into the trees. Demond followed him as the girls looked at each other, shrugged, and went off in a different direction.
Only Antonio stood rooted to the spot. He looked first one way after the girls than after Kyle and Demond. “Hey, wait!” he yelled. “What are we supposed to be doing again?”
Everyone ignored him.
Antonio sighed, then picking a person at random, he said aloud, “I blame Edwin.”
* * *
Sometime later, Kyle, Demond, and Antonio pushed through the trees slowly, wary of more traps and possible ambushes. Kyle felt confident he could handle anything the rest of the school could throw at him, but he didn’t want to get caught and be made to look foolish either.
But soon, they came to a large, boulder-strewn clearing. In the center of the sandy field stood a large white flag, waving gently in an ocean breeze. Next to the flag sat Jordan Gieseler. The young man looked bored, but then to Kyle’s astonishment, he casually picked up a boulder that had to weigh easily over a ton and threw it with astounding power into another boulder nearby. Both boulders shattered into rocky shards.
“Did you see that?” Demond whispered. “He’s got super strength!” His eyes gleamed. “I want it.”
Antonio looked doubtful. “What would you do with it?” he asked.
“That!” Demond said, pointing.
Jordan casually poked another nearby boulder with his finger and the rock cracked right down the middle as if struck by a massive hammer.
“He’s not alone,” Kyle whispered. “Look.” He pointed to the edges of the clearing.
On three other boulders, sat obvious lookouts: Ivan Chavez, Gabbi Wilson, and Hunter Buehrer.
Kyle motioned for the others to gather closer. He said, “I bet whoever captures the flag gets a superpower. That’s the trick. Jordan will try to stop us and the other three will warn him if we try to sneak in.”
“Jordan’s not that fast,” Demond said. “I can make it.”
“I don’t think—” Kyle began, but it was too late.
Demond took off at a sprint. He was spotted instantly, and the three lookouts started hollering—Gabbi being the loudest. Jordan stood up and watched as Demond weaved between the boulders, trying to get to the flag from the opposite side of where Jordan waited.
He almost made it. Before he could reach the flag, a trip wire set about ankle high, tripped Demond and he went sprawling into the sand. Jordan was there in an instant. He picked Demond up with one hand and grinned. “Thought you could sneak by me, huh?”
Demond blinked. “Well actually, yeah,” he admitted with a sheepish shrug.
“You any good at swimming?” Jordan asked seriously.
“Swimming?” Demond looked perplexed, but Kyle sighed. He knew what was coming. “I guess so,” Demond said.
“Good,” Jordan said. He pivoted like a discus thrower, spun, and flung Demond up and away.
Kyle and Antonio watched as Demond soared high over the trees, screaming like a dying crow.
Antonio nodded somberly and said, “Well, he’s flying.”
“Not for long,” Kyle said, following their brother’s trajectory with his eyes. Yep, he would land in the ocean.
Kyle and Antonio waited for Demond to rejoin them, soaking wet, irritated, and determined. Demond mimicked rolling up his sleeves. He said, “Okay, enough fooling around. I’m going to get that flag.”
“How?” Antonio asked.
“You two distract him,” Demond explained, laying out his plan. “I’ll sneak in and grab the flag. If I get super strength, I can keep Jordan from you two so you can find your own superpowers.”
The plan worked.
Sort of.
While Kyle and Antonio faked trying to get the flag, Demond sneaked up undetected by the lookouts and managed to snag the flag. Kyle noticed two things at that moment. First, Jordan had a chain attached to his ankle that kept him from moving too far from the flag. Why Jordan couldn’t simply break the chain with his super strength was a mystery. Second, the moment Demond got the flag, his muscles swelled. Uh-oh. He’d gotten his superpower.
Demond casually tossed the flag aside and faced Jordan. “Want to try and toss me like that again?” he asked, grinning wickedly.
Jordan pulled on the chain that kept him in place. He looked down at it in frustration. “Sure, but you’ll have to step closer,” Jordan said.
Demond noticed the chain for the first time. “Why’d they chain you?” he asked.
Jordan’s face went flat in irritation. “I guess they didn’t want me wandering off.” He crooked a finger at Demond. “Well, come and get it,” he said.
Demond waded in.
Then commenced the most violent fight Kyle had ever witnessed as the two super strong young men went at it. The powerful punches had little impact on their bodies, but the surrounding terrain didn’t fare so well. Boulders shattered, the ground slit open, and trees snapped in half like twigs. Demond had the easier time of it because Jordan was hindered by the chain around his ankle, but the pair looked to be set on fighting for the rest of the day—or the rest of the week maybe.
Kyle found himself lying prone on the ground. Each blow created a rippling effect in the ground that bounced him around like a ping-pong ball.
“We-we-ve g-g-g-ot t-to s-sto-op t-th-i-i-s,” Antonio shouted beside him.
He was right. If they didn’t stop the two titans, they’d crack the entire island in half.
Then Jazmin appeared out of nowhere and tapped Demond on the shoulder as he prepared to launch another colossal punch at Jordan. Like a balloon deflating, Demond lost all his strength at once.
Kyle, still feeling like his teeth were chattering, pushed himself up on his elbows and saw Demond sit down on the ground, breathing hard. “What did you do?” Demond asked Jazmin. “My strength is gone.”
“I warned you,” Jazmin said, biting her lower lip. She looked like someone was making her swallow sour milk.
“But I found a superpower,” Demond argued. “I win, right?”
Jazmin shook her head. “You didn’t escape. You’re still on the island, so, no, you didn’t win.”
“That’s not fair,” Demond complained.
Jazmin arched an eyebrow and pointed to herself. “Villain!” Then she disappeared as if she had never been there. The flag Demond had captured also disappeared.
Demond sighed. “Best villain ever,” he muttered again.
Jordan picked Demond up and shook him until Demond’s teeth rattled. “Do you know how to fly?” Jordan asked.
Demond shook his head.
Jordan explained, “You simply throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
“Huh?” Demond grunted, confused.
“Let me help you,” Jordan offered. He spun and threw Demond up and over the trees. Demond’s scream trailed behind him as he disappeared in the direction of the ocean.
Kyle pushed himself to his feet. “Time to go!” he said to Antonio.
The two of them darted back to the safety of the trees.
Antonio looked in the direction in which his twin brother had disappeared. “Do you think he’ll learn to fly?” he asked.
“You never know,” Kyle said.
But it was not to be. Demond returned soaking wet, and Kyle determined that there were other places to explore. The three of them slunk off into the trees.
* * *
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the island, Leah led her small group along the beach until discovering a path that cut straight toward the center of the island. It was too tempting to ignore. Leah didn’t hesitate. Squaring her shoulders, she marched along the narrow path, watching the ground for traps, and trying to project a sense of calmness and determination.
Soon, the path reached the base of an odd-looking hill and ran right up to the top. The hill was dotted with tall palm trees overloaded with plump, ripe dates. At the top of the hill, waving in the ocean breeze, was a blue flag. Leah regarded the flag suspiciously. “I bet we have to capture the flag,” she said to the others.
Madisen looked around. “I don’t see any traps,” she observed.
But Sofia pointed to the single tree growing from the top of the hill. “Look!” she said.
A cage swung from the tree, and in the cage, looking very put out and irritated sat Kaya. She saw them looking and began waving her arms around frantically. “Help me!” she yelled. “Get me out of this thing!”
“Bet it’s a trap,” Madisen said softly. “I say we leave her.”
Leah wasn’t so sure. “Why would they put Kaya in a cage?” she asked. “It doesn’t make sense. And why put the flag right beneath her?”
Madisen rolled her eyes. “Because it’s a trap,” she drawled.
But it was Sofia who took the lead. “We won’t find out standing around here,” she said, starting up the path.
Leah considered scrambling ahead and reaching the flag first, but if what happened to Demond earlier was any indication, the entire hill could be boobytrapped. Best to let Sofia find out first.
That’s when Jazmin appeared at the top of the hill next to Aarolyn and Usmaida. “Stop,” Jazmin ordered, holding out her hand. “Come no closer.”
Madisen pushed past Sofia, ignoring Jazmin, and locking her eyes on her sister instead. “Aarolyn, what are you doing here?”
“I get to be a henchman!” the younger girl said, laughing. She paused in mid-laugh. “Well, hench-woman anyway,” she corrected. “Or minion, crony, underling, or maybe sycophant.”
Madisen blinked. “What are you talking about?”
Aarolyn rolled her eyes. “I’m going to keep you from getting this flag.”
“We’ll see about that,” Madisen grumbled. She started forward.
Both Aarolyn and Usmaida touched the flag and vanished.
Leah blinked, stunned. She demanded, “Where’d they go?”
Sofia pointed. “Look!”
Following her finger, Leah saw tracks appearing in the soft sand. They were headed right for Madisen, but Madisen hadn’t noticed.
“Uh, Madisen…” Leah warned.
“What?” Madisen demanded.
But then an invisible force shoved Madisen right off her feet. The girl let out a small, startled scream and fell back, rolling down the hill right to Leah’s feet. Leah heard Aarolyn laughing.
Looking down at Madisen, Leah shrugged. “I think they’re invisible.”
“You think?” Madisen yelled, spitting out sand.
Leah brightened. “You’re welcome!” She enjoyed being helpful.
“Come on!” Sofia urged. “If one of us can get to the flag, we’ll get a superpower.”
Leah frowned, wondering how invisibility would help them escape the island. She shrugged again. Whether it did or not, invisibility sounded fun anyway. She and Sofia charged up the hill. In Leah’s estimation, neither Aarolyn nor Usmaida would present much of a problem. She could take both of them, invisible or not.
But Leah’s eyes were fixed on the ground, looking for newly made footprints that would tell her where the invisible girls were. Because of that, she never looked up and both she and Sofia were caught by surprise when a heavy net fell over both of them before they made it halfway up the hill.
They’d triggered some sort of trap. The net, looking like something fishermen would use, knocked them to the sandy slope, pinning both Leah and Sofia to the ground.
Madisen, giving Leah and Sofia no mind, ran past—or skipped past—as she made her way up the hill. Madisen had an awkward looking run, half skip, half sprint. But it worked. She tossed sand around her like paint, so whenever it hit either Aarolyn or Usmaida, their outline showed briefly, like dots on paper. It allowed Madisen to see them, so to speak, and dodge around their attempts to toss her back down the hill.
Leah heard Usmaida talking rapidly in Spanish under her breath, something she did whenever irritated. But Madisen, for all her awkward lurching about, slipped between the two invisible girls, still tossing sand all around her, and reached the flag.
Strangely, Jazmin had already disappeared. How does the girl keep doing that? Leah wondered to herself. Regardless, the moment Madisen touched the flag, she vanished—and so did the flag.
Silence descended around Leah and Sofia. Leah thought she heard footsteps crunching in the sand as whoever made them walked away. Leah held her breath, waiting. She heard nothing. Venturing a tentative question, she said, “Madisen? Aarolyn? Usmaida? Anyone?”
No answer.
Sofia huffed. “They’re gone.”
“They just left us here?” Leah asked.
“Guess so,” Sofia answered. “I guess Madisen found her superpower so she’s going to look for a way to escape the island now.”
“But what about us?” Leah complained.
Sofia gave her a withering look. “What do you think? Come on, help me get this net off.”
Irritated that they’d been abandoned, Leah struggled to help Sofia lift the heavy net. When they succeeded, they stood, brushing sand off their clothes. “Now what?” Leah asked, peering around in case she could see one of the invisible girls—an absurdity after she thought about it.
“We find our own flags,” Sofia said.
“Right,” Leah said.
“What about me?!” Kaya yelled from her cage.
Leah and Sofia looked up. Kaya looked forlorn in her suspended cage. “Do you think it’s still a trap?” Leah asked Sofia.
“Of course it is,” Sofia replied, already walking away.
Leah followed reluctantly. She wasn’t sure what to do, but their job was to find a superpower. Madisen had one now, so Leah would need to get one too. They left, ignoring Kaya’s pleas for rescue.
Disgruntled about what had happened with Madisen, Leah and Sofia continued deeper into the island jungle until reaching the edge of a vast clearing. Dozens of flags of all colors dotted the clearing, waving in the light ocean breeze. Each flag represented a superpower. All Leah needed to do was get one of them and somehow escape. A purple flag was the closest, looking enticing. But she hesitated. There had to be traps.
Sofia crouched down behind a willowy bush of some kind. “Look,” she whispered, peering toward the far side of the clearing.
Leah stared in that direction, detecting movement. Then, from out of the trees on the far side, she saw Kyle, Antonio, and Demond. “What are they doing here?” Leah whispered.
Sofia frowned. “There are plenty flags to go around,” she said.
“But there has to be traps,” Leah whispered back. “Maybe we should see what happens to the boys before we go into the clearing.”
Sofia nodded. “Good idea.”
But then the jungle erupted as kids came running from every which direction. Leah was nearly knocked over by Kali Pickard and Allie Roper. The two first graders ran out into the clearing and grabbed the purple flag. Both suddenly flew away like superman. Leah’s shoulders slumped forward, her head hung, and she put on her best resigned face. There hadn’t been a trap after all. She could have just walked out there and grabbed the flag.
Other kids were scurrying for more of the flags. Leah watched as Jamal Pittman grabbed a yellow flag. He vanished. Leah thought he might have turned invisible, but then he reappeared right next to her. Jamal stuck his tongue out at her but disappeared again when Sofia lunged at him. He materialized way back in the trees, laughing.
“He can teleport,” Leah said in exasperation. “I could’ve really used that superpower!”
Kids were snatching up flags everywhere. If the seniors didn’t do something, then there would be no flags left. Leah ran out into the clearing, followed closely by Sofia. Leah almost reached a sky-blue flag, but Melanie Gieseler beat her to it. The moment the girl touched the flag, she sped up and zipped away, leaving a cloud of sand rippling in her wake.
Leah veered toward another flag, this one a light violet color. But Jonathan Robbs touched it first. Incredibly, he began to grow, swelling into a giant right before Leah’s eyes. She bounced off his leg that was now the size of a massive tree trunk. Laughing, Jonathan strode off, flattening palm trees with every step.
This was impossible! Leah wanted to scream. She shared a glance with Sofia and together they both turned to see how the boys were doing.
* * *
Kyle raced Demond for a flag. Over a short distance, Demond had the better speed, but Kyle knew he could outlast his brother over longer distances. That didn’t help when the first flag was only twenty yards away. Kids were running everywhere, and Kyle had to jump over Alex Buehrer and Elianna Martinez. That slowed him down some, so Demond pulled ahead, rushing toward a green flag.
But then Kelvin and Irvin stepped in front of the flag, forcing Demond to skid to a sudden stop. Kelvin pointed to the ground where Demond stood while Irvin put his hand on what Kyle thought was nothing more than a branch sticking up out of the sand.
Demond looked down.
Kyle looked down too.
Antonio, running with his hands still in his pockets, ignored everyone and using his unique penguin-style gait, made a wide detour around his brothers, heading toward a different flag altogether.
Demond stood upon the launch basket of a crude looking catapult. He looked up just as Irvin pulled the branch back—or lever, as Kyle now understood it to be.
Demond sighed, his lips pursing together in resignation. “It’s not fair,” he said just before the catapult exploded into action, flinging him high up and over the trees, back toward the ocean. His scream trailed off, and Kyle knew he’d end up in the water once again. Good for him, he thought.
Somehow, Antonio managed to reach one of the flags. He yanked the teal flag out of the sand and brandished it high over his head out of the reach of Kaiden Painter and Joel Wilson. “I got it!” he yelled. Then he paused, looking at Kyle. “Now what?” he asked.
As if Kyle knew. “What’s your superpower?” Kyle asked.
Antonio blinked and looked around. He then focused on Jacen and Owen Baker as his two younger brothers approached, both wearing sloppy and evil looking grins. “Oh, that’s not very nice,” Antonio said, wagging a finger at Jacen. “You shouldn’t think such things!”
Jacen looked innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
Antonio frowned. “I…I can read your mind!” He jumped up and struck a heroic pose with the flag held high. “I have a superpower!” he yelled.
Owen walked up to him. “Read my mind then,” he said in a sinister voice.
Antonio studied Owen, and then he began backing away. “You wouldn’t!” he said.
Owen grinned. “Sure I would. I’ve got permission.” He waved his hand at Jazmin who Kyle just now realized had been watching the whole thing from the center of the clearing. The friendly villain looked worried as she bit her lower lip.
Antonio looked from Jazmin to Owen and then back again. “You’re not wrong,” he admitted to Owen. He turned and ran off as fast as he could with Owen and Jacen in hot pursuit.
Kyle could only imagine what his two younger brothers had in store for Antonio. He set that aside. There was one flag left in the clearing, a brown…no, green—no. Hmm. He had no clue what color it was, not with his red-green colorblindness. It didn’t matter. With both Demond and Antonio gone, he raced for the flag.
Only he saw Leah and Sofia racing for the same flag. And the girls were closer. Kyle put on a burst of speed, using his long legs to chew up the sandy ground. It took a bit to get up to full speed, but once he did, he closed the distance to the flag rapidly. At the last moment, it looked like he would reach the flag first. He felt a spike of victory course through his veins.
Leah must have figured the same thing. She yelled, “Don’t you dare, Kyle!”
Kyle slid to a halt his hand outstretched, fingers a fraction of an inch from grasping the flagpole. He froze, wondering if Leah had some sort of superpower of her own. He wanted to take the flag, to run with it, to see what superpower he could gain, but Leah’s voice had been tinged with both desperation and frustration. Kyle’s gallant nature was somewhat compromised by a subtle overtone of witty sarcasm that he often employed to great effect. It was a form of defense against female attention and charm. He straightened and bowed deeply. “The flag is yours, ladies. I insist.”
Leah came to a rambling stop, looking at Kyle suspiciously. “Why? Is something wrong with it?” she asked, breathing heavily.
Kyle effected a look of pure innocence that clearly generated even more suspicion in Leah. “Of course not!” he said. “I give you the green flag as a token of my highest esteem.”
“It’s brown,” Leah muttered, eyeing Kyle and then the flag as if trying to determine which one was going to bite her unexpectedly.
“Oh,” Kyle corrected himself. “The brown flag then!”
“Why are you giving it to us?” Leah demanded.
But before Kyle could reply, Sofia rolled her eyes and huffed, “You two are crazy!” She snatched the flag and began running away—though running was clearly a generous description.
Leah and Kyle stood side by side watching as Sofia jogged across the sandy clearing, lugging the flag over one shoulder.
“She’s not running very fast,” Leah observed.
“Nope,” Kyle agreed. “We could catch her easily.”
“Yup,” Leah said, still watching. Sofia was still not even halfway across the clearing yet and slowing down. “Should we?” Leah asked.
Kyle thought about it. He searched the clearing, but all the flags were gone. Only Jazmin stood nearby, watching them intently. The most unlikely villain ever didn’t say a word, only watched to see what they’d do. She didn’t seem to care at all that Sofia had captured one of the flags.
Kyle gestured toward Sofia who had stopped to rest, using the flagpole for support. “Naw. If she wants it that bad, she can have it. I wonder what her superpower is.”
“Well, it ain’t speed,” Leah said brightly, grinning.
Jazmin walked closer. “You’ve failed,” she said in that soft voice of hers that made Kyle strain to make sure he’d heard her.
Leah shrugged, smiling widely. “Oh well.”
Jazmin looked put out. “Don’t you understand,” she said. “You’ve lost.”
Leah’s smile broadened. “Yeah…but that’s okay. Come on, Kyle, I saw Kaya trapped in a cage. I say we go free her.”
Kyle was intrigued. “In a cage? How’d she manage that?”
“She was like that when we found her,” Leah explained. “She asked for help, but we were too busy trying to get one of those flags. Guess we could go help her now.”
Kyle didn’t see why not. “And after,” he added, “we can help Jordan. He was chained to a rock.”
“Really?” Leah sounded interested. “This I’ve got to see. Come on.”
The two left in search of Kaya and Jordan. Looking over his shoulder, Kyle saw Jazmin watching them. She didn’t look angry. She looked confused as if she didn’t know what to do next. Some people, Kyle mused, were too nice to be proper villains—despite what Demond thought.
Thinking of Demond, Kyle wondered what had happened to him and Antonio. Neither had returned, and come to think about it, he hadn’t seen Madisen either. Not that it would matter. There were no more flags anyway. He supposed he could track one of the kids down and take it, but that seemed—he struggled for the right word—bullyish. That was the best he could come up with.
Kyle and Leah found Kaya still in her cage hanging from a tall palm tree. Kyle shimmied up and untied the rope, using the tree trunk like a pully to lower the cage gently to the ground. Leah managed to break the lock open and free their fellow student.
Kaya effected a tragic look. “Thank you,” she said. “Whoever thought of putting me in that cage is going to pay. I promise you that.”
“Uh-huh,” Leah agreed noncommittedly. “Well, have fun with that.”
Kyle and Leah left to find Jordan, though Kaya trailed along. Freeing Jordan took more time. They found Jordan chucking rocks at his brother, Luke. Luke stood on another boulder about two hundred yards away, laughing and making fun of his trapped brother.
Jordan, not so amused, was throwing thousand-pound boulders at Luke. Strangely, the rocks all fell just short. Kyle figured Luke had some sort of telekinesis superpower that prevented him from being squished into jelly.
And for all his great strength, Jordan couldn’t break the chain that bound him to the ground. Leah, of course, thought the whole thing funny and desperately wished for her cellphone to take a video of it all. That only soured Jordan, but eventually, Kyle dredged up some of his science knowledge and found a lever that between the three of them was able to snap the chain.
Jordan sighed. “Thank you!” He immediately whirled around to find his brother, but Luke had prudently vanished. Smart kid.
“Now,” Kyle said, looking around. “How do we get off this island?”
Kaya spoke up, “I know where there’s a boat.”
Leah blinked. “A boat? Why didn’t you say so?”
Kaya shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
“Well, where is it?” Leah demanded.
“It’s near where you found me. But it’s too heavy to carry.”
Jordan flexed his supersized muscles. “Not for me! Lead the way.”
The four of them retraced their steps, and Kaya led them to a large rowboat half buried in the sand near where she’d been held captive. Jordan hauled it out with little effort, shouldered it, and strode to the shore where he placed it in the water.
Soon enough they rowed out to Bro. Joey’s ship. When they clamored aboard, they found the other seniors waiting with Bro. Joey. Bro. Joey grinned and said, “Congratulations! You succeeded!”
Madisen frowned. “Now wait a minute. Those two never found a superpower!” She pointed at Kyle and Leah.
Kyle looked over at Demond. “You found one?”
Demond, still looking wet, nodded. “Yeah. I stole one from Abigail and Raini.”
“What did you get?” Kyle asked.
Demond grimaced. “I could breathe underwater.” He shuddered. “I’ll never go diving again. An octopus tried to eat me!”
Leah looked at Sofia. “What did you get?” she asked.
Sofia shrugged. “I could walk on air, so I just walked over to the ship.”
Leah looked impressed. “Cool!” she said, sighing. “I didn’t get anything.”
“But that’s where you’re wrong,” Bro. Joey explained. He looked around at the six seniors. “Only two of you truly succeeded.” He pointed to Kyle and Leah. “Those two.”
“What?” Demond demanded. “I got a superpower. I escaped!”
“Sort of,” Bro. Joey said. “You found a superpower, true, but you didn’t find your superpower, and that is what this challenge was all about. You found a superpower, one that you lost the moment you escaped the island. But Kyle and Leah both kept their superpowers—ones they already had—and still do.”
Madisen looked suspiciously from Leah to Bro. Joey. “I don’t understand,” she said.
“It’s simple,” Bro. Joey said. “You all thought that a superpower is something like invisibility, super strength, or teleportation. But the true superpower is what God gave each of you that makes a difference in this world. The Bible says in Jude that we need compassion to make a difference. Kyle and Leah showed compassion and cooperation when they rescued Kaya and Jordan. Those are true superpowers, powers that can and will make a real difference throughout the rest of their lives.
“All of you have these superpowers, but instead of using them, you looked for something more, something that isn’t realistic. As Christians with access to the power of the Holy Spirit, you are all superheroes just the way God made you. You don’t need these other powers to make a difference or to do something great for the Lord. You already have what you need—you did the moment you trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour. This challenge was simply to show you how true that is.”
Antonio drew himself up. “See!” he said. “I told you there was a lesson we had to learn!”
Demond’s lips pursed in clear annoyance. “Shut up, Anthony,” he muttered to his brother, but his glare was reserved for Kyle. “You cheated!” he hissed at him.
Antonio undeterred by his brother’s blunt tone, nodded and folded his arms, his glasses speckled with water stains and sand. He also looked at Kyle. “Es verdad, mi hermano,” he said in his best Hispanic accent.
Kyle yawned, stretching. “So?” he said.
Demond then quite deliberately shoved Kyle over the side of the ship. Kyle’s long go-go-gadget arm shot out and grabbed Demond’s bicep in a vice-like grip before he could tumble over. For a long moment, the two teetered on the edge of the ship. Kyle said quite calmly, “I like sharing experiences with my brothers. Come. Meet another octopus.”
Demond’s eyes widened. “No! It’s not fair…”
And they both tumbled over the side and into the sea.
For a long moment, everyone stood there in shock. Finally, Leah shrugged. “Oh well,” she said before casually jumping off the ship into the water below.
No one knew what to say to that, so no one did.
THE END