This choice: After school at Macie's house • Go Back...Chapter #8After school at Macie's house by: Pseudonym   "Oh my gosh, you two are like the cutest couple!" screeched Macie's annoying little sister, Stacie "I can't believe my big sister is dating..."
"Shut up Stacie" said Macie, slamming her bedroom door in her little sister's face and locking the room.
Luca looked around at all the cool gadgets and inventions Macie had lying around. With his super-vision he zoomed in on some random circuit board he saw lying around and admired Macie's attention to detail. "This stuff is pretty cool" he said.
"Whatever" replied Macie, not even looking at him "Let's just get this over with."
Macie had Luca strip down to his underwear and lie down in a converted sunbed. A laser scanned all around his body and took precise measurements, which were uploaded to Macie's computer. Macie scanned Luca's drawing and applied it to the 3D scan of Luca's body, allowing the two preteens to see a precise 3D visualization of the costume before it was created.
"Looks good" smiled Luca.
"Let's make it happen" said Macie, pushing a big red button on the screen with her mouse.
Immediately a converted commercial copier beside her computer sprang into action, drawing out lines of fabric and cutting them into precise strips. Macie fired up an old sewing machine and carefully stitched each piece together, occasionally finding other materials from various drawers around her room. As she finished stitching each piece, she applied a small amount of solvent to the stitches, to help protect them. Macie did this with the speed of a seasoned expert while Luca waited patiently, not that he had to wait very long. Meanwhile, the computer completed simulations on the suit to ensure it would stay together even under "super" conditions.
At last the suit was finished exactly as Luca had envisioned it. Macie put a special spray all over the suit to further protect it and make the suit itself bulletproof. Then, at last, Luca tried it on and looked at himself in the mirror.
"Now THIS - is a superhero!" cheered Luca.
"I still think you look too recognisable in it" replied Macie "I don't know many eleven-year-olds with abs like yours, sorry."
Luca frowned "Well, it's basic protection anyway. Maybe I should disguise my voice too, just to be safe."
Luca turned himself invisible - much to Macie's astonishment - and flew outside. At first it was a little unsettling, leaving the window in that way, as Luca was disused to it, but soon he flew upwards into the sky. Still his movements were slow and a little awkward, but he was really starting to get the hang of it - a vast improvement from the clumsy floating he was doing a few days before. He could now move as fast as an average person's running pace, though his own ground speed remained much faster. After some time getting used to wearing the suit, he flew back into Macie's room and turned himself visible again.
"So does the suit fit well?" asked Macie.
"Sure does" replied Luca "See, this is why I needed your help. If I'd tried to do this, it would have taken much longer."
"Great" replied Macie "Now since we're pretending you're my boyfriend, I'm going to need you to do something for me in return. And don't even think about breaking up, or your whole superhero secret will be exposed to the world."
Luca gulped.
"Don't worry" continued Macie, idly brushing her hair "All you have to do is forfeit all your trophies and awards at school because you cheated. And I mean, isn't that pretty much the truth? Superhuman advantages count as cheating, don't they? And while you're at it, remind the principal who has been coming in second place year after year. Apologize in front of the whole school for being a liar and a cheater and tell them I'm really the best at everything in the school, not you! And finally, demand from him that the school give all due compensation to me for all the emotional distress I've had to suffer because I was undeservedly robbed of all my trophies."
Luca nodded. "You sure that wouldn't just attract more attention?" he asked.
"I don't care" replied Macie "I deserve to be the queen of this school, and if you're my boyfriend I expect you to treat me as such."
Luca was unsure about this attitude, and guessed he'd try to figure the situation out.
"I'll see what I can do" replied Luca, his voice betraying his concern.
"And hey, look on the bright side" continued Macie "Maybe if you do exactly what I say I'll let you kiss me and help you out with more of your superhero stuff. Now get out of my room."
No sooner had Luca left the house, than Macie had begun carefully swatting the converted sunbed, taking tiny samples of Luca's sweat and putting them carefully into containers marked "Superhero DNA." "Now," Macie chuckled evilly to herself, "Now comes the really diabolical part of my plan."
Luckily, Luca wasn't listening at the time. Instead, he headed directly for the corner store, now dressed in his school uniform again - he needed some candy to cheer himself up. Macie sure was driving a hard bargain but he did have to admit she had a point - Luca wasn't human, so that made it something of an unfair competition.
At the store, there was a young boy at the counter. "Sorry but this isn't enough" said the elderly cashier "You're almost five dollars short to pay for this candy."
"I'll cover it" said Luca happily, handing over the money.
The cashier smiled. "Thank you" said the young boy joyously, racing out of the store with his candy.
Luca moved to one of the aisles while the cashier put the money away in the till. Soon afterwards, however, a teenage boy entered and pulled a knife from out of his back pocket. "Hand over the money in the till!" demanded the teenage boy.
In shock, the cashier almost fell back and stammered somewhat. "Hurry up!" yelled the boy, directly holding the knife against the cashier's throat. Shaking in fear, the cashier began stacking wads of cash into the teenager's backpack.
"Thanks!" said the teenager when the till was empty, running off outside.
"You ok?" the cashier asked in the direction of where Luca had been standing - but then, suddenly, he realised Luca wasn't there. Adjusting his glasses he wondered where the cute, friendly young boy had gone.
Outside the teenage boy met up with a lookout who had been waiting outside the store. "Let's get out of here!" they said to each other as they took off down the street. Turning a corner, however, they were surprised to see a young boy with a spandex costume on, floating in mid-air directly ahead of them.
"Halt!" called out Luca in an attempt to sound tough.
"Who are you?" asked one of the teenagers.
"I'm the Red Diamond"
"So, you think you're some kind of superhero 'cause you've mastered some kind of levitation trick? Get out of our way before we stab you with this knife!"
Immediately, Luca lifted both boys up by the collars of their shirts with ease and flew upwards. "You guys want to try that again?" asked Luca.
"Argh! Help!" yelled the boys as they tried kicking, punching and stabbing the superpowered preteen to no effect.
"From now on, this city is under my protection, and I don't tolerate any theft, got it?"
"Alright! I won't do it again, I swear!"
Luca let the boys down as the police arrived. Immediately officers were on the scene and apprehended the two criminals, but as soon as they had them, Luca turned invisible and disappeared. The cops were left wondering where the caped flying boy had gone, and the shopkeeper - who had come out to watch the arrest and give the police a statement - was left dumbfounded.
On returning to his shop, the elderly shopkeeper saw Luca inside, having made his selection of sweets.
"Sorry to keep you waiting" stammered the shopkeeper "Just had a bit of a situation happen back there."
"Oh really?" asked Luca innocently.
"Yes - some thugs tried stealing my hard-earned money. But thankfully a superhero came around and stopped them. Would you believe it? A real superhero!"
"You don't say" smiled Luca, his eyes twinkling.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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