Cape High Christmas: A Side Story (Cape High Series) (3 page)

"I'm going to force them if they complain," she agrees. "And drones are fine, as long as they don't get in the way. I want everyone to focus on helping the kids, not on how they look on television."

"Then it's a deal. I'll contact Nico and work out the finer details, you go and make sure everyone is ready at eight in the morning. I'll be bringing a bus by at that time."

"Thank you, Mastermental," she says, the relief making her feel a little light headed. "I really appreciate this."

"I expected no less, honestly," he says.

"One question, though," she says. "Was the Advent Calendar thing your idea?"

"It actually was not," he says. "I won't lie, I do know who suggested it, but I'm sworn to secrecy, just like Nico is. What the real surprise has been is just how much you and the others are stepping up for it."

"You've been watching?" she asks, a bit surprised.

"All of the Hall leaders have, and so has Andre Harrison," he says. "That's why I'd like to get it on HTV for the other capes to see, as well. But this isn't about us, now is it?"

"No, it's not," she says with a little smile. "It's about us. I'll see you in the morning, Mastermental," she says, hanging up after he tells her goodnight. She heads in, knocking on each of the doors and saying, simply, "Be awake and in uniform by eight tomorrow morning," to each of them. She even calls those not there, and then goes to bed.

The crowd of black and silver or white and gold uniforms are almost blinding, Morgan thinks as the group head up the steps to get on the bus. Vinny sticks out a bit in his coal gray and orange uniform, but not as much as the ones they join up with outside. All of the named heroes and Sunny are in full uniform. Every single one of them turns to look at her expectantly.

"I get the feeling that today's gift is a job," Jack says, lounging on his surfboard in the air. "Does that count?" he asks Nico.

"If she wants to put you guys to work as her gift, it's her right," Nico says with a shrug, glancing at the drones that have already taken flight. "And remember, we're being filmed today," he adds, casually pulling a mask on.

The sleek black bus's door opens. Mastermental steps out in full uniform, his arms going wide. "Welcome, everyone, to Morgan's Advent Calendar gift. If you would all board, we can get on our way."

"Mastermental's your helper?" Ace asks her.

"I needed some strings pulled," she says with a shrug. "But before we go--NO fighting. Got it? This is purely a peaceful journey. Even you and the other super villains need to be on your best behavior."

"We didn't plan on fighting, did we?" Ace asks the others.

"Why are we wearing uniforms, then?" Jack asks her.

"Because, um--would you just get on the bus," she says, motioning them on. Once the bus is full she stops at the front, looking them all over. "We're going to do something for someone OTHER than ourselves, today," she tells them. "And if it means I forfeit my gift, well, it's totally worth it. We're going to an orphanage. When you're there, you'll be assigned a small group of kids, who you'll spend some time with--you can show off a few tricks, or just talk about what being a super entails, and then we'll gather as a group to sing carols," she explains. "And Lance will do his special trick for them," she adds, grinning evilly at her little brother. Lance groans as the rest of the group starts cheering.

They pull to a stop in front of a large building, and Mastermental stands. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I want you ALL to remember that several of the children you'll be meeting have very difficult pasts. Many of you can no doubt relate with that, I admit. But I want you to be very careful--especially you that are villains. No quick movements that could be seen as an attack, no yelling, and if you use your powers--and we want you to--always explain why you're using them, first. Now, Morgan, since this is yours, you need to join me in greeting the people in charge."

Morgan nods, getting up and heading off the bus. The entire orphanage is standing in front of the school, with their teachers in front. Mastermental leads her up to them and they make their introductions before calling the rest of our group off the bus. "You've already been separated into groups," Morgan tells the norm kids, "and now we'll be assigning each of you to one of the Cape High students."

"Who's the guy in green?" one little girl asks, pointing at Sunny. "He's dressed like a hero, but I've never seen him before."

"He's Sunny, and he'll be your group's leader," Morgan says, assigning each of the groups quickly and stepping back. She plans to oversee. "Now, I'll let everyone get to know everyone else--and don't worry if you're in a villain group, they're being watched VERY closely," Morgan says, giving Ace a dark look. He blushes slightly, but covers it with an evil grin. "Now you have one hour, so ask allllll the questions you can come up with, okay? And then we'll meet together for some Christmas carols! We'll be making the biggest names in teenage capes sing ALL of the songs--even Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," she tells them, earning several giggles.

They head out, each group taking a different place around the front of the building, and Morgan starts casually walking around to check. Carla has her own group--that one worries Morgan for a moment, actually, until she remembers that Carla has a TON of little brothers and sisters. Casually Morgan walks over, standing a bit to the side to watch.

"Okay, everybody!" Carla says, striking a ridiculous pose. "I'm going to show you an AWESOME trick, so keep watching. And it's going to be fast, got it?" The kids in her group look at each other a bit blankly.

"Aren't you Hypersonic... um... what was that super long name again?" one of the guys asks.

"Hypersonic Rainbow!" Carla proclaims proudly. "Now don't blink," she says before racing around the group so fast she leaves an afterimage.

"I did tell them not to move too quickly," Mastermental says as he joins Morgan, "but I think Carla is a good exception for that."

"That's not too fast for them, though, is it?" Morgan asks.

"Do they look worried?" he asks dryly as her group starts cheering. "Remember, she's adorable."

"I can never forget," Morgan says, moving on. Adanna is dressed in a brand new black uniform (she had refused to wear her copy of the Panther one). Morgan stops by the little group, watching Adanna as she steps up in front of them.

"I don't have an official name--and I don't plan on getting one," Adanna announces. "But I come from the Panther line, which means I'm a shape shifter. I can turn into a--"

"You're Panther's daughter, or something?" one of the kids asks, looking worried. "Like THE Panther? Do you turn into a huge panther, too?"

"Not huge, yet," Adanna admits. "Um, here," she says, pulling out a small laser from her pocket and handing it to one of the kids. "Hold that." And then she shifts, turning into a teenage panther, that has half of the group jerking away. She sits there, looking at them with golden eyes, her tail flicking back and forth.

"Don't worry," Morgan says, leaning down to the kid that has the laser light. "Here, watch," she says, turning it on and aiming the light at the ground. Adanna jumps on it, chasing it as Morgan flicks the light across the ground. "See?"

The ones that WERE tense start laughing at that. Satisfied that they're entertained, Morgan moves on to the next group, where Ace is. "Hello, little brats," Ace says, his illusionary dragon head on. "I'm here to play Santa--"

"Wait just one moment," Morgan says, walking up to him and glaring. "What did I say about not scaring the kids?" she demands, her hands on her hips.

"I didn't--they ASKED--" Ace says, pointing at the kids.

"We didn't do anything," one of them says in a patently innocent voice. "He just all of a sudden turned into a dragon--" the rest of the group starts laughing. "Okay, okay, we MIGHT have asked."

"See?" Ace asks, the dragon head disappearing. "Completely their fault."

"Man, is she your girlfriend or your mom?" one of the guys in the group asks. "Or is she super freaky powerful--"

"Super freaky powerful," Ace says. "Terrifyingly so, right, Morgan?"

"Show us!" one of the girls say.

"I am NOT super freaky powerful," Morgan says. "But I am in charge for the day--"

"Show us! Show us!" they start to chant.

"They asked--do we have fifteen minutes?" Ace says quietly. Morgan hesitates, wondering if she should. She looks over at Mastermental, who nods slightly, not looking too worried.

"Okay, fine," she says, touching her bracelet and turning it off. She reaches out, grabbing Ace's hand and stealing his powers. He promptly sits down, looking a bit sick to his stomach. The group stares in shock as the same dragon head illusion Ace had used earlier covers her face. "I can steal peoples' powers," she says, grinning evilly. "But not for long," she adds as the head disappears.

"I could totally beat her," Ace says. "You know, from a distance."

"They're faking it," one of the kids say. "It's all part of the show--if she had power snatching abilities she'd already be in the Hall, right?"

"Okay, you caught us," Morgan says, turning her bracelet back on. She sees Ace's eyes change back to swirling silver and realize he's got his powers back early. "Now I need to go back to work," she adds, walking away.

"She WAS faking it, right?"

"So why don't I tell you about the fight with Divine Justice?" Ace asks, rather than answering.

"I probably shouldn't have done that," Morgan says as she joins Mastermental again. "What if it gets out?"

"It won't be a problem," Mastermental says. "They'll probably never see you again after this." They wander around, watching all the various kids show off, and the hour is over in a blink. Morgan can't help but feel proud as she sees the kids having so much fun. Not just the orphanage kids, though--the Cape High kids are grinning hugely as they sing songs and Lance does his barking trick. He's never going to outlive that one.

The group loads up in the bus after the songs are over, waving out the window to everyone as they drive off. Morgan gets to the front again as we reach the school. "I know," she says slowly, "that it wasn't for you--"

"Let's do it next year, too," Ace says before she can apologize. The bus roars with agreement and he grins at her. "You did well," he tells her. This time Morgan's the one blushing.

Advent Calendar - Day Four

It's Trent's day, which is why he's flying through the sky, looking for something in particular. But he's not alone--this particular trip requires help.

"You can pick one other person, right?" Sunny asks, sounding a bit awkward. "You know, one that can FLY? I'm not complaining, or anything, but it's a bit... embarrassing to be carried around by my best friend. What if someone sees us? Two guys flying together
like this
could be seen in a really... NOT-what-we-are sort of way."

"I did pick a second helper, but I need you for this part," Trent says. "Jack's back at the school making the tree base." He slows as he sees the forest in the distance. "I want you to help me pick a decent Christmas tree--one that I won't feel like I'm committing murder when I cut it down, just a mercy killing."

"You could go fake?" Sunny offers, his eyes scanning the trees even now.

"What would the point of that be?" Trent says, dropping down outside the forest. They're in the middle of nowhere, and the forest is obviously overgrown. "I thought this would be a good place to look--I flew over it a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, this place needs some cleaning out," Sunny says, heading into the forest. "We should have brought Vinny and his uncle. A prescribed burn could do this place good."

"Well it's winter, so it shouldn't be as bad at the moment?" Trent offers, following Sunny in.

"Yeah, it can--and should wait, but don't forget where it is," Sunny says. "We need a beautiful tree that's willing to sacrifice itself, right?" he says. Otherwise hibernating trees shudder slightly, trying to wake up. "Shhh, keep sleeping," he whispers to one, pressing a hand to it. "That's right, beautiful, keep sleeping. Spring is far from now."

Trent says nothing. This whole talking to plants thing is old hat by now--he figures it'll just get worse with age. At least he's awake, he thinks dryly.

"Found it," Sunny announced. Trent moves forward, looking at the tree in front of Sunny. It towers into the air, probably twenty feet high, and is full and beautiful. "But I refuse to cut it down, so call up Jack."

"What?"

"He needs to dig us a hole on the campus, man," Sunny says, grinning hugely. "I'm taking this beauty home with me!"

"Can we get all the roots?" Trent asks.

"Normally, no, but I can," Sunny says. "You grab right here, got it? And when I tell you to go up, go up slowly," he says, touching the trunk of the tree and starting to sweet talk it.

Trent texts his brother, telling him about the change in plans, and then wraps his arms around the trunk. "Okay, man, we're going up slowly--we're bringing a massive root ball with us, and I'll keep as much of the dirt as I can," Sunny says. "Up. Up. A little bit further... okay, we should be good for a steady rise," Sunny says. Trent slowly pulls the massive evergreen out of the ground, looking down in wonder at the roots that Sunny is tending.

"It's beautiful," Trent says, hugging the trunk.

"Yep," Sunny agrees, jumping onto his back. "Time to head back! We've got a lot of decorating to do before we show everyone, right?"

"Actually, that wasn't the plan," Trent says. "And you're going to have to direct me, I can't see."

"On it!" Sunny says, heading up the tree. "Okay, man, rise up a good fifty feet and head left!" he calls down. "You're okay, sweetheart, I'm here," he sweet talks the tree, patting a branch.

Trent rolls his eyes and goes up.

Twenty minutes later the laser wall is dropping again and Nico floats up to watch them. "Overkill, much?" he asks.

"Not a kill at all--we're keeping it!" Sunny says with a huge grin as Trent goes down. "Hey! Jack! We need a BIGGER hole!" he bellows down at Trent's brother, only to jump off the tree and join the digging. Trent just stays where he is, holding the massive tree and feeling oddly like it's a child, or something. Sunny's reactions are catching, he decides. "Okay, Trent, we're ready, bring'er down!" Sunny calls up to him.