DEREK

Jaxton and I hiked together along the street, catching up on the events that had unfolded in my family's life, particularly in the past year. We mainly focused on what occurred in October involving Max, Mark, Mia, and the others. Jaxton seemed taken aback as he questioned me once again, unable to believe that my family and I possessed superpowers fully. Even I struggled to comprehend it.

"Yeah," I replied, momentarily questioning it myself. Jaxton remained unconvinced as we continued our walk. "Who's this Max kid again?" he inquired.

I let out a sigh. "He's Sam's child, a rogue super. The last time I saw him, he attempted to harm my family." Jaxton exhaled anxiously and changed the subject.

"Does Henry know about your powers?"

"No, he'll be completely shocked when we tell him."

Jaxton's smile suddenly faded. "Seriously?"

As we conversed, we noticed a blazing fire lighting the unfamiliar night sky, billowing with burning orange ash and smoke. We exchanged glances.

"You're not going in there, right, because..." Jaxton said, but I interrupted him, thrusting my unlocked phone into his hands and marching toward the flames.

"Text my brother and tell him to come quickly!" I shouted to Jaxton. He fumbled with the phone, and I proceeded forward, feeling the world freeze around me. I briefly glanced back and saw Jaxton and everything else frozen in place.

Several minutes passed as I stood outside the apartment building, assessing the engulfed structure. James and Noah joined me, surveying the fire.

"Damn, that's a massive blaze, mate," Noah remarked, a touch of pride in his voice. James remained silent for a moment.

"Yeah, the first responders haven't arrived yet. We need to check this apartment before it's completely consumed," I ordered.

James nodded. "On it!" he hurried off.

Noah and I followed suit, stepping into the flames. We began knocking on doors, hoping for a response. A loud cry stopped me as I struck twice on a particular entry. James and Noah rushed off, knocking on doors on the other side of the hallway.

"I'm going to break down the door. Stand back; you'll be safe," I yelled into the apartment. The older child inside instructed the younger one to move away from the door.

"Espalda! Espalda!" he shouted.

About to kick down the door, I trusted my extraordinary strength. I grabbed the doorknob and ripped it free from the door. I swung it open with a forceful kick, unleashing a gust of smoke and hot ash into the room. Two frightened siblings stared at me from within. I swiftly entered, holding the younger boy in my arms while instructing the older one to cover his mouth. Together, we made our way toward safety, but as the flames intensified, we reached a wall near the exit, and panic set in.

"Damn," I muttered, hoping the children hadn't heard me. The fire drew closer, and the children choked on the ash.

"Hold on, kids," I reassured them. I counted silently.

"One..." I inhaled sharply. "Two..." I exhaled the hot air from my lungs and pressed the other child against my strong body, securing him against my abdomen.

"Three!" I charged at superhuman speed toward the fire, and it seemed as if the flames flickered and froze in place. Time stood still as we broke through the other side in seconds, with only little flames and ash on my black hoodie sleeve. I quickly brushed off the debris from my hoodie and checked the children for injuries, but they appeared unharmed. I placed them safely on the ground and sat on the nearby sidewalk, the two boys staring at me in awe. For the first time, I felt like a hero.

James and Noah appeared beside me, their clothing tattered and covered in ash. Noah held a tiny Chihuahua, soothing it with gentle strokes. The two young boys pointed to the dog. Sirens wailed in the background as firefighters arrived at the scene.

"Felix," the younger boy cried, again pointing at the dog. "Nuestro perro, Felix, está dentro." I facepalmed, smearing ash and dirt across my face. The firefighters pulled into the parking lot, ready to take action.

"This is one of those moments when I wish I paid more attention in Spanish class," I groaned.

Noah grinned. "I can translate." James and I exchanged surprised glances.

"You speak Spanish?" I chuckled.

"If I understand correctly, this little ankle biter..." Noah held up the dog, "is their dog Felix. Unless Taco Bell rereleased their rats again." I cleared my throat and gestured toward the two young boys before us. "It's a long story."

"Si, Si," the older boy affirmed. "Fuimos a los apartamentos abandonados a buscar a Félix y quedamos atrapados cuando el edificio se incendió," he explained the situation to Noah as best as he could, grinning at the boy and handing him the dog.

"Next time, forget about the dog, kids. You're welcome," Noah told them. James and I both looked puzzled.

"Gracias, señor," the older boy nodded. I glanced at Noah, then James.

"No one else was inside the building?" I inquired, trying to pet the dog, but it growled at me. I persisted, ruffling its floppy ears, and the dog whimpered, licking the ash from my fingertips.

"Nope, we checked every room," James replied. Noah nodded in agreement. Dexter Marian, tall and broad, whom we had come to know, approached Noah, James, the two boys, and me. Dexter looked at me, the apparent adult in our group.

"Are you guys okay?" Dexter addressed our smoky state. I looked at the diminishing flames in the distance as firefighters doused the building. Dexter glanced at Noah, wide-eyed, for a moment.

"Bryce?" Dexter seemed confused, but Noah appeared even more shocked.

"What did you call me?" he growled at Dexter. Dexter shook his head and moved on.

"Did you guys go in there?" Dexter chuckled in disbelief. The children on the ground pointed at me.

"Estos tipos tienen superpoderes. Corrió a través del fuego..." the boy pointed at Noah, "Y ese tipo salvó a nuestro perro."

Dexter shushed the boys. "Would you mind if the paramedics checked you?" I looked at Noah, then James, while Dexter observed Noah with a poker face.

"Sure, no problem," I replied. My gaze shifted to the far end of the parking lot, where a figure in a hoodie, resembling Noah, stood watching the scene. James noticed it, too. The figure lowered its head and vanished, and we all walked towards the ambulance in the apartment complex's parking lot.

∆∆∆

Noah, James, and I sat on the couch, removing our tattered shirts. Our faces and bodies were covered in ash and dirt, making us look like a complete mess. Grace sat in the corner, chuckling to herself.

"Bitch," I muttered.

"What were you thinking?" My father exclaimed, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. I scoffed.

"I'm a cop, Dad. It comes with the territory." James and Noah shrugged simultaneously.

"But they're teenagers, Derek," Sam pointed out. My father nodded in agreement.

"They have superpowers. They can handle it. Besides, you had no problem when James was helping me apprehend fugitives in Arizona," I argued.

Sam huffed. "It's different now. Your cousin is trying to kill us." I leaned back against the couch.

"He's your son, Sam," I retorted. Sam sighed, chewing on his hangnails for comfort.

"Where's your phone, Derek? I've been trying to reach you for half an hour," my father interrupted. I shrugged and leaned more profoundly into the couch cushions.

"I gave it to Jaxton," I replied. My father grunted, his arms still crossed.

"Where's Jaxton now?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know," I admitted.

"Find him," my father demanded. As my father halted me, I stood up, preparing to leave.

"After you take a shower. You're covered in ash," he insisted with fatherly authority. I groaned and went up the stairs toward the bathroom, desperate for a shower.

About ten minutes later, I opened the bathroom door, my bare chest exposed, with dark wash skinny jeans clinging to my thighs and white and grey sneakers on my feet. I rubbed a towel against my wet hair and grabbed my shirt from the sink, slipping it over my head, all while Grace's widened eyes watched me from the staircase.

"I'll pretend I don't think you're hot," she grinned, ogling me as if I were her crush.

I chuckled. "Good, we're cousins. It's never going to happen."

Grace snorted. "You're cute, but I wouldn't go out with you."

I flashed a dashing smile and walked out of the bathroom. "You didn't think that a few weeks ago."

Grace pouted. "Shut up, rookie," she blushed bright red. I hurried down the staircase, with Grace following behind. My father stood at the bottom of the stairs, and I patted his shoulder. "I'm going to grab my cell phone now," I said, adjusting my shirt and heading out the front door.

∆∆∆

Jaxton was walking alone when I appeared behind him, startling him. He turned around, ready to fight, but soon realized it was me.

"Hey, bro," I smiled at him. Jaxton smiled back, shoving me playfully.

"What the hell, Derek?" Jaxton growled. I grimaced, nervously biting my bottom lip.

"What?" I asked. Jaxton scowled, rummaging through his uniform pockets.

"Never mind," he said, returning my cell phone intact.

"Thanks, dude," I smiled.

Jaxton scoffed. "I thought you were joking about having superpowers." Jaxton chuckled. "You've got a pretty cool playlist on your phone."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You went through my phone?"

Jaxton chuckled again. "You know the protocol. Give a cop an unlocked phone, and they can do whatever they want."

I stuffed my phone into my jeans pocket. "Next time, I'm not giving you my phone." Jaxton playfully draped his arm over my shoulder.

"Next time, I won't help you play the big hero." He took a deep breath. "I'm glad you're back, bro." Jaxton grinned, his breath forming a frosty mist in the cool autumn air.

"Me too," I admitted, returning the grin.