The power of flight is a great privilege. Harper is privileged to control gravity, and I am privileged to know her. We are privileged to be safe, and privileged to have won over evil forces.

A few days after our little excursion, armed forces arrived tto spontaneously "inspect" Mr. Wright's fortress and they unanimously declared it "unfit" for further experiments.

Harper and I celebrated by getting ice cream and taking a nice long walk. It was nice to have some peace and feel some security, although we were still a bit nervous.

Harper had gotten so much better from training nearly constantly that by this time she was very highly skilled. Although she still had to work to perfect a lot of individual skills she had mastered a lot of things and could perform them in a pinch.

I finished my last week of school and was free for the summer, but knew I needed to get a summer job. Finn had begun to train me on the side, and surprised me by saying that AAA wanted to hire me as an agent.

I was going to start that Monday, and my excitement was palpable. Harper too was to be trained in hand to hand combat as well as just using her ability.

"You never know what could happen, so it's better to just be prepared for anything," Finn had said when he recorded it, and so she agreed.

Her father was happy at the speed at which she was learning, and that she was safe. AAA had monitors on me and her at all times, so we felt a lot more safe then before, which was a relief.

It was late Saturday night and I was talking to Finn on my porch. Harper had gone reluctantly home, but we had church tomorrow and had to be ready.

"I want to know more about your mind reading," I said as the thoughts struck me. Things has been in such a flurry lately I hadn't had time to ask him, but I was very curious.

"Well," he paused and turned to give me a serious stare. "The truth is - like I told Harper - I don't have my ability anymore."

"What?" I was stunned. Finn had shown much skill in whatever he did, and seemed to know what everyone was thinking and feeling all the time. I just couldn't process that he didn't actually have an ability.

Finn turned his head slightly in thought, his eyes taking on far away and misty depths. "I was taken by another agency similar to the one we just dismantled. They forced me to use and use and us my ability until I collapsed. I was in a fever for a while, then a coma. They didn't think I was going to survive, but when I did finally wake up I was completely normal.

"They threw me out, no longer needing me and when I returned home my home was in a broken situation that I wanted no part of. It was cowardly, really, to leave my sister to struggle alone, but by then I had been through so much I needed to heal. Joseph Schemanske took me in to AAA at that time after I told him my story one day our of desperation and helped me rebuild my life.

"After I had healed, I could then become the healer and I returned to find my sister. I did find her eventually, and helped her on turn to get on her feet. Unfortunately a few years ago she died of a heart attack, but we were close before she went and I was glad I was there," he paused and shook his head. "I don't know why I'm telling you this anyway. You're just a kid."

"You needed to," I replied slowly. "You needed someone to talk to after all these years of valiantly holding in your pain."

He tried to turn away but then looked up, two tears trickling down his weathered cheeks, his eyes gaining a widened expression. He spoke no words, and we sat in silence for a long time, just thinking and being comforted in each other's company. Finally I went to bed and in the morning he was gone, leaving nothing behind.

That talk with Finn was something I would value for a long time yet; he wasn't a person that would spill all his life secrets to, having been hardened by his rough past. It took time for him to have enough trust me to tell me this, but I was very glad he did.

Harper and I were very lucky to have known him. If we hadn't, I'm quite sure this story would be quite different, and it most likely would not end happily. He was a treasure despite his rough words, and deserved the utmost respect, which we strove to give him.

The next morning Harper came over and we decided to go and talk to the director of AAA about a project we had been thinking about. The way they had been training new recruits was one-on-one, which did work because it was at their own pace, but Harper and I believed we had devised a way for the students to be even more challenged.

"Its called Project Alpha," I told Director Schemanske. "It will assess a students ability quickly and then challenge them beyond what they would have thkughr possible by triggering certain brain receptors linked to strength. "

"We did it for our Physics project," Harper added. "Blu did the calculations and I was the subject. We have the papers right here."

I handed him the sheets of measurements, calculations, and further information. He took it and began to read, still without a word. Harper and I held our breath anxiously as he stood pondering for a moment.

Finally he turned to us, his expression unreadable. "I don't like this idea." I closed my eyes fleetingly in disappointment and Harper squeezed my hand.

"I love it."

"What?" I looked up, thinking I had misheard him. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," he finally cracked a grin. "Young man, this is very well researched and planned out. I give you a full five stars for it. Tell you what: I'll set up a meeting with my assistant director, Agent Finn, plus a few other other people and we'll get back to you very soon."

"Thank you sir," I smiled as I shook his hand to seal the deal, hardly believing it.

I walked out in jubilation. "We did it Harps!"

"It was mostly you," she replied, bumping my shoulder with her own. "You were brilliant."

"Well I couldn't have done it without you," I laughed, bumping her back. "Thanks for coming with me."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Harper looked at me with serious eyes. "I'm so glad it went well, for your sake."

"So am I," I smiled back, and we stated at each right for a moment before I gasped, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, guess what? Jax called me last night. He's coming back for the summer!"

"Really?" Harper's eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh I can't believe it! It's been so long since we've seen him last!"

"I know," I stared at the horizon, lost in memories of the past. "It will be good to have him here again."

Since Jax was our friend, he knew about Harper's secret as well, but he had been more excited than both of us when he found out. I had always known, so it wasn't such a surprise to me, but he went on and on about it for days; something Harper and I laughed about often.

"When is he coming?" Harper asked.

"Next week," I replied. "He'll be flying in from London."

Harper smiled as we approached the house. "I can't wait till then."

• ⑊ •

Harper's statement was partly true. It was very hard for us to wait, and when the moment did arrive we couldn't contain our excitement.

We picked Jax up from the plane, Harper and I explaining our adventures ok the way back. Jax was fascinated and wanted to meet Finn, as well as Director Schemanske.

"That could be arranged," I laughed.

He was staying with his father in the summer and would be interning with an engineer over the summer, a perfect opportunity to exercise what he had learned in England. The first night he stayed with me at my house, and we were talking late after Harper had gone home.

"So how are things? You know...with your dad and all?" I asked him.

Jax's father was a weather businessman who wanted Jax to have the best education and success. Sometimes, though, he could be overbearing and controlling, pushing Jax too hard. Their relationship was a bit rocky.

"As well as can be expected," Jax sighed, staring out the window . "How are things with school?"

He had changed the subject, indicating that he was uncomfortable talking about his father. "Its okay I guess. Harper still hates homeschooling...but her dad is right: it's better that she's safe."

"You must have grown close through all that," Jax winked at me.

"You know what I told you about that," I replied calmly. We'd had a discussion like this several years older, ans I'd made myself clear: I was going to wait for Harper, until I felt we were ready for a relationship. Right now everything was perfect, and I felt no need to make a move.

And Jax nodded, understanding. "Okay, okay! But we should probably go to bed."

I nodded, drifting off to sleep with thoughts of superheroes and powers drifting in my head. Then there was only darkness as I descended into a deep sleep.

A/N:
I love Jax and his friendship with Blu ayyyyy. I wanted to show that development and I may or may not have succeeded haha.

Comment your favorite character (:

next update aka final chapter: June 8