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For two months, life almost felt normal again. Life took on a regular schedule of school, football, training with Miles, sleep, and repeat. On the weekends, Miles and I would train most of Saturday. Sundays were for rest, D&D, video games, and T.V. It should have been boring. Honestly? After everything that happened in the bathroom, boring sounded amazing.

School went about the same as always, boring classes with football practice after. Isaac kept his distance for a few days but soon went back to his bullying ways. At least he didn’t try any physical bullying with Miles or me. Rumors circled through the mill for a few days about me and Isaac’s bathroom altercation. It went from I knocked him out with a lucky hit to me, and a group of guys jumped him at the pisser. After the first few days, I mostly found it funny.

I was getting a handle on my powers. Me and Miles had run a few hundred different tests. We had figured out that I could make it so I could pass through every solid object that we could test. Or on the other end, I could make my body so dense that nothing was more than a light sensation on my skin.

I couldn’t make anyone else the same as me. That test had been my payback for Miles shooting me. We tested it using the wall of the Bro Zone. Miles had hit the wall face-first. I stepped back through to find him sitting on the floor with his nose bleeding.

Miles said that my powers encompassed my biometric field. I still have no idea what that means, past that I can’t take other people or anything bigger than a basketball with me when I shift.

Shifting. That’s what Miles called what I do. After a few days of practice and testing using some equipment that Miles had ‘borrowed’ from the school and hospital, along with some other stuff that he had created himself, he said that I was shifting my body’s density up and down. Making the atoms in my body either closer or further apart, depending on which way I was going. Don’t quote me on that; it’s totally possible I have it completely wrong. But that’s what I got out of it when he told me.

He was constantly trying to convince me to use my abilities to be a hero or something. But I just wanted to go to school and play football. So I trained my powers to learn to control them and to keep him at bay for at least a bit.

I found myself back in Coaler’s class, sitting back, feeling like he was staring at me. Ever since that day that my powers activated, he seemed to have been keeping a closer eye on me. He was continually asking if I was OK or I had something I needed to talk about.

The bell rang, and I grabbed my bag as I headed for the door. Coaler was already on an intercept course to cut me off. I stopped in front of him, already annoyed. “Yes?”

Coaler smiled, “How are you feeling today, Carter?”

I shifted my bag on my shoulder and glanced toward the door. “I’m fine. Is there something I can do for you?”

Coaler glanced behind him for a second before focusing on me again. “Are you sure? Anything been bothering you? Say about these rumors about you and Issac going around?”

I let out a short laugh. “People can say whatever they want. I’ve got bigger things to worry about than the rumors they want to spread around.”

Nodding, Coaler stepped aside. “Very well. Have a good day.”

I slipped past him and found Miles leaned against the wall. “He still bugging you, huh?”

I headed down the hall, Miles falling in step beside me. “Yeah. It’s weird the way he suddenly pays so much attention.”

Miles glanced over his shoulder. “Think he knows something?”

I frowned, “How could he? I haven’t used my powers since we figured it out.”

Miles stopped at his locker and lowered his voice. “I don’t know, just seems suspicious the way he’s suddenly interested in how you are doing.”

I waited as he pulled his books out, “Yeah, but I think it has more to do with the rumored fight between me and Issac. He’s trying to get me to admit that something happened, I think.”

Miles leaned against the locker. “Either way, let’s just watch out for him.”

I smirked, “Meet you at the normal place after football practice?”

Miles got that evil grin of his as he replied, “Of course. I have some new theories to try out today.”

Rolling my eyes, I headed for my next class. “Of course you do.”

The rest of the day went by like it always does until football practice. I was sitting in the locker room, suiting up, when Issac stopped in front of me. Malice twisted across his face as he spoke. “You think you’re hot shit, don’t you?”

I stood up slowly. “I think I am who I am. But what I’m not going to be anymore is someone you can just push around.”

His glare intensified as he took another step towards me. “You think you have a choice? That’s funny.”

I saw two of his buddies step from around both sides of the lockers. That’s when I noticed the locker room was eerily silent and empty. He had set this all up so that there wouldn’t be anyone to tell on him.

I rubbed a hand across my face before turning back to him, “You really don’t want to do this, Issac.”

His friends were getting closer as he replied, “If I didn’t want to do this, then I wouldn’t have scared everyone else out of here. There’s no one here that can save you from the ass-whooping you’re about to get.”

My body tensed for what was coming, but then something inside me settled, and I relaxed. Every possible outcome hit me at once. I had control now. One punch would have dropped Issac if I lowered my density. But I wasn’t going to make it that easy on him. No, I wanted him to suffer for all the years of torture he had given me and Miles. That scared me a little. A few months ago, I would’ve done almost anything to make Issac leave us alone. Now I could.

He shoved me backward into the lockers. The lockers buckled as my body hardened, metal shrieking as they folded inward. I closed the distance between us, “Stop now. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you make me.”

Issac laughed as one of his cronies threw a punch at my jaw from the left. I raised my density and stepped back. His fist phased through my jaw as he stumbled past, falling into his friend.

Issac stopped laughing and charged in, roaring. I shifted down and braced for the impact. The crack echoed through the locker room the second his shoulder hit my stomach. Then he fell back, screaming, holding his obviously broken shoulder.

I faced his two friends as they looked at me, dumbfounded, “Well, come on, you have choices here. We can keep going, and you can join him on the floor, or you can grab him and get to the nurse. But if you choose the second option, I wouldn’t tell anyone what happened here. They would just think you are crazy. And if you do, I’ll make sure they know that the three of you attacked me. I’m sure your parents would love hearing that, and it would make a significant mark on your records.”

They looked at each other, obviously weighing their choices. Then they both ran over to Issac and lifted him to his feet, causing him to scream even louder. That got the coach’s attention as he stepped out of his office. “What the hell!?”

Both boys almost dropped Issac as they stared at the coach. I kept my face calm as I stepped past them. “Issac slipped and slammed his shoulder into the lockers,” I said, pointing at the crumpled lockers that were lying on the floor. “I’m pretty sure he broke something.”

Coach didn’t look convinced, but there wasn’t any other way to explain it in his mind, I imagine. He finally stepped towards Issac and his friends, “Get him to the nurse. Tell her I have an ambulance on the way already.”

As the three left the locker room, the coach turned to me. “Go out and tell everyone that practice is canceled for today. And Mr. Barnes… I’ll be watching you.”

Coach kept staring at the destroyed lockers as they disappeared down the hall. It was like he knew that none of this made sense.

Once he disappeared down the hall, I headed out to the field and delivered the news to the team. It quickly turned into everyone questioning me about why. And me telling them I wasn’t sure and that they would have to talk to the coach. I turned to head back to the locker room, after ten minutes of trying to not explain what had happened. My attention drifted to the bleachers where Mr. Coaler stood on one of the top seats, his arms crossed behind his back. He was watching me; I dropped my gaze and sped up to get to the locker room. I dressed quickly and left the locker room, knowing Miles would already be at the Bro Zone.

That didn’t happen… Coaler was standing across from the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest as I stepped out. He was smiling, but it seemed cold as he spoke. “Carter.”

I stopped a few feet from him, trying not to look nervous. “Yes, Mr. Coaler?”

He stepped off the wall. “What happened?”

I kept my expression neutral, “You’ll have to ask the coach.”

Coaler’s expression tightened as he stepped toward me, his smile dropping. “I already heard what Coach Sanders had to say about it. I’m asking what actually happened. This is the second incident with Mr. Winston. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

I scanned the mostly empty hall, buying myself a second to think. “I don’t know what to tell you. I saw him slip and hit the lockers.”

Coaler watched me for a second. “I’ve looked at the lockers. Issac doesn’t weigh enough to crumple the lockers like that.”

As I watched one of my teammates walk out of the locker room, my pulse quickened. I nodded to him and waited. “Feels like you already made up your mind, Mr. Coaler.”

Coaler glared at me for a split second before his perfect smile came back. “Carter, I’m not your enemy. I’m watching out for you, whether or not you realize it.”

I forced a fake smile as I headed for the exit. “I know Mr. Coaler. I’ll see you in English tomorrow.”

Even I could hear how fake the words sounded. He just nodded and watched me leave. I could still feel Coaler watching me the entire way down the hall. I headed for the Bro Zone.

When I got there, Miles was talking to himself over his workbench. “Come on… Just a little more…”

I chuckled, “Talking to your toys again?”

He waved a hand dismissively without looking up from the table. “They are better conversationalists than you.”

I walked over to the fridge and pulled a juice out. “What are you working on, anyway?”

This time, he glanced up at me with that mischievous grin that I’d learned to hate so much. “You’ll see.”

Sitting down, I rolled my eyes. “That’s always promising. So want the good news or the bad news?”

Miles stood up, and I heard his back pop like a machine gun going off. “Good news. Always, the good news.”

Smirking, I turned on the television, “Issac shouldn’t bother anyone for a while.”

That immediately got Miles interested. He smiled, “What happened?”

Taking a deep breath, I told Miles about what had happened in the locker room. His grin widened as he listened, his obvious glee barely contained. When I finished, and before I could tell him about Coaler, he busted out laughing. He laughed so hard that soon he was sitting in his chair, holding his stomach.

When he finally had control again, he grinned the biggest grin I had seen on him in years. “I wish I could have been there. What did it feel like?”

Before I could answer, a voice cut in from the door, “Yes, Carter, what did it feel like?”

We both jumped up and spun toward the door, already knowing who was standing there. Coaler was standing just inside the door, his arms once again crossed over his chest, smiling. Before I could say anything, Miles was on it. “How the hell did you get in here?”

Coaler took a few steps in and looked around. “That’s your biggest concern, Mr. Donovan? Nice place you have here, very hidden if you don’t know what to look for.”

I forced myself to focus and moved closer. “How did you find us?”

Coaler kept scanning the room like he was cataloging everything. “For someone trying to hide what you can do, you’re surprisingly easy to track. Something you will have to work on in the future.”

He zeroed in on the worktable at a pile of Miles’ tools. “Is that the soldering iron from Mr. Gardner’s class?”

Miles stepped between Coaler and his table. “You haven’t answered my question yet.”

Coaler walked over to a stool and sat down. “Mr. Gardner has been looking for that. And as to how I got in. It’s not that hard if you have the right skill set. But is that really what you want to know, Mr. Donovan? I mean, shouldn’t you be more worried about what I’ve heard or why I’m here?”

Miles’s face went blank as I stepped between them. “What did you hear?”

Coaler leaned back slightly. “Now that’s the right question.”

Miles moved up beside me. “Your suspicions?”

Coaler grabbed the stool and turned it around before sitting down slowly. “Have a seat, boys. We need to talk.”

Neither of us moved. He glanced between us and sighed softly. “If I wanted to drag either of you out of here in handcuffs, I wouldn’t be sitting here having a conversation.”

My stomach tightened. Part of me wondered if I could phase through the wall and get out before he reacted. The fact that I didn’t know for sure bothered me. Miles folded his arms. “That’s not exactly comforting.”

“Wasn’t meant to be.” Coaler rested his forearms on the back of the stool. “Sit down.”

After a second, Miles caught my eye and finally sat. I lowered myself into the other chair, trying not to look nervous.

Coaler let the silence hang for a moment. “You’ve used your abilities twice in public now, Carter. Once in the restroom. Once today.”

My pulse spiked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Maybe not completely,” Coaler replied evenly. “But you will.”

Miles leaned forward. “Who are you?”

Coaler ignored the question. “Mr. Donovan has been helping you train.”

Neither of us answered. His attention shifted toward the workbench. “You’ve done decent work hiding this place. Security’s not bad either, considering it was built by a teenager.” Miles sat up straighter despite himself, and Coaler’s faint smile widened. “You’re smart, Mr. Donovan. Smarter than most people around you probably realize.”

Miles narrowed his eyes. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Coaler’s expression barely changed. “I work with people who deal with things like this.”

“What situations?” I asked.

“People like you.”

Silence filled the room. I forced myself to hold his gaze. “And what exactly does that mean?”

Coaler was quiet for a second too long. “It means,” he finally said, “that you’re not the first person I’ve met with abilities.”

My chest tightened. Miles looked equal parts terrified and fascinated. “How many are there?” he asked immediately.

“Enough.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting right now.”

Miles threw his hands up in frustration and leaned back.

I kept my focus on Coaler. “So what? You hunt people like me?”

Something unreadable crossed his face. “Sometimes we help them.”

That answer sent a chill down my spine.

Miles caught it, too. “Sometimes?” He let out a short laugh that sounded way more forced than usual. “Well, that’s not terrifying at all.”

Coaler ignored him again. “Right now,” he said calmly, “I’m trying to keep this from becoming a bigger problem than it already is.”

“For who?” I asked.

“That depends on what kind of person you turn into.”

The room went dead silent.

Coaler finally stood. “You boys are in over your heads, whether you realize it or not. I can help with that.”

Miles crossed his arms. “And what do you get out of it?”

A faint smile touched Coaler’s face. “That’s a smarter question.” He glanced toward me. “Think about it. I’ll be around.”

Then he turned and headed for the exit.

Before stepping through the doorway, he stopped. “And Carter?” I looked up. “Next time you phase somebody’s punch through your face…” He gave the room a final scan. “Try not to leave so much evidence.”

Then he walked out.

I stared at the door long after Coaler left. For the first time since I got my powers, I realized something worse than being discovered. I wasn’t the only one.

I glared at Miles. “Really? Superheroes?”

Miles laughed as he walked back over to his workbench. “Of course. What else could we possibly be? I mean, we don’t have the stomachs for the supervillain business.”

I dropped back into the chair. “I can’t believe you. So what do you think about Coaler and his offer?”

Miles finally pulled his attention away from his project and spun the screwdriver between his fingers. “He seems legit. I mean, he’s offering to help with no strings attached. Which, for the record, I don’t believe. But we can always sever those later.”

I leaned back and stared up at the stone ceiling for a long second. “So you think we should take it?”

Miles moved some things around, “I do. We could use the help. And the funding sure as hell wouldn’t hurt.”

I looked over at him, “OK. So what’s on the agenda for the day as far as tests go?”

Miles stood up, excitement quickly plastered all over his face. “I thought you would never ask.”