Lil Wayne blared from the stereo and the whole car shook from the subwoofer Derek had haphazardly installed in the trunk. James stared out the window, trying to pretend his eardrums didn’t feel like they were about to burst. Derek was sixteen and James was twelve, two ages that felt like a lifetime apart. While Derek was worried about modifying his car, talking to girls, and applying for part-time jobs, James was worried about why his voice kept cracking and why he was getting sweaty in random places. Despite the differences, they were still close. Derek picked James up from the middle school every day, even if it meant he missed out on a post-school food run with his friends.
Derek reached over and turned the knob on his multicolored stereo until the music was just quiet enough to yell over. Still too loud for James’s taste.
“So are you still talking to that girl?” Derek said loudly. “Melissa?”
James’s face grew warm. If there was one thing he didn’t want to talk to his brother about, it was girls.
Derek glanced at James and grinned at his brother’s discomfort. “It’s alright. We don’t have to talk about it. But just a word of advice, it never hurts to ask.”
James’s face burned hotter, and he muttered something like, “I don’t even like her.”
Derek laughed again.
They rolled onto the Meijer Bridge, the largest suspension bridge in town, high above the rushing waters of the river. Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the bridge, covered in puddles and slick with rain.
At that moment, the car in front of them swerved hard to the left. Derek swore and slammed on his brakes. “What are they doing?”
The car slid on the rain-covered bridge, clearly out of control. It caught traction and overcorrected, then slid hard to the right, wheels spinning uselessly. James realized with horror it was headed straight for the side of the bridge. He watched the car slide helplessly, water flying from its wheels. Then it slammed hard into the guardrail, which bent and broke beneath it. The car disappeared over the side and fell toward the rushing river below.
It happened in a flash, too quick to comprehend, but Derek jumped into action. He stopped the car and leaped out. James struggled with his seat belt and tried to follow, but before he could even open his door, Derek ran toward the side of the bridge, stepped onto the railing, and leaped over the side.
James’s heart stopped and he blinked, uncomprehending. His brother just jumped off the side of the bridge to the water fifty feet below.
“No, no, no,” James muttered, finally getting his seat belt undone and stepping out of the car. The rain pelted his face and he squinted against it, staring at the spot his brother had jumped from, expecting him to reappear over the side with a grin, revealing it was some sick prank.
But he didn’t reappear. James approached the edge of the bridge. The water below rushed past, dark and foreboding, unbroken. There was no sign of the car or Derek.
Several other cars stopped and a crowd gathered around James. He didn’t know what to do; he was frozen in place. Did he just watch his brother die?
“Call 911!” someone yelled.
Several heartbeats passed, an eternity in James’s mind.
Then bubbles erupted on the surface of the water, and James squinted toward them, unsure what he was seeing in the downpour.
Derek burst out of the water, his arms around a woman and a small child. But he didn’t swim to the shore. He flew back up toward the bridge. The people around James screamed as Derek rounded the top of the bridge and landed on solid ground. He set the woman and child gently down on the road, all three of them completely drenched. The crowd fell silent, and James could feel the tension, the disbelief.
Then they broke into cheers.
Derek looked around, his hair plastered to his face, his eyes wide. He turned and grabbed James, pushing him back into the car. Without a word, Derek climbed in and put the car in drive, maneuvering around the still-cheering crowd. James saw someone wrap a towel around the drenched woman and girl, who stared after the retreating car with wonder. Soon, they left the bridge far behind.
James sat with his mouth hanging open. Derek clutched the steering wheel, silent. James couldn’t hold in his excitement.
“Derek,” he said, his voice full of awe. “That was... That was amazing!”
“No, it wasn’t,” Derek said darkly, staring ahead at the road, water still dripping from his hair.
“Yes, it was! Did you know you could do that?”
“No. I mean... yes, kind of. I don’t know.”
“You saved those people!”
Derek didn’t say anything. He kept driving, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. James had never seen him like this, so strung up, so stressed. It didn’t make any sense. He had just saved two people’s lives. But more than that... he was a Super.
James shook his head, unable to stop a smile from spreading across his face.
His brother was a Super!
Chapter 9
James, Rocky, and Katie awoke early the next day. They got up at the same time, as if there was a soundless alarm between them, and got ready in silence. James still felt the pull of sleep after the late-night disruption and uncomfortable floor, but he resisted it. There was too much to do.
After a quick and disgusting breakfast of canned beans, the three convened at the middle table.
“Okay,” Katie said, putting her hands on the table. “There’s a lot to do, so we should get going. We obviously can’t stay hidden in this bunker. We’ll get nothing done. But there’s a good chance the SIA has people looking for us, so we need to keep our heads down.”
“Great,” Rocky said. “I’m sure they won’t notice one of this town’s few black kids walking around.”
Katie ignored him. “I want you two to do research. Try to connect the dots of
