Flight. As a physically disabled person, freeform flight was one of the end-all be-all powers I always dreamed about. It… kind of hurts to see someone who started using these powers weeks after I did, someone who has only played with them as far as I know, already capable of doing something I've dreamed of doing.
Steve carefully drops to the floor and smiles at us. There is a look of triumphant joy on his face, and it's hard for me to fake the smile I flash as I approach him. My body mod helps shore up my subpar acting skills in the bummed state I'm in, so he doesn't seem to notice.
"Flight… Incredible." I exclaim, and my words are limited but sincere. To see him at his apex, creatively using these powers, is actually incredible. I am jealous, a not-fun-feeling to be experiencing, but I can still acknowledge how incredible this achievement is.
"It's not easy. I learned how to catch myself sometime ago. Having the strength and finesse needed to move around was a much bigger hurdle." Steve admits. This is true, there is something weird about trying to fly using telekinesis.
It's a combination of a thousand different skills, and it requires remarkable finesse. I suppose Steve's specialty is telekinetic innovation, which is unsurprising but to see that he exceeds me in that regard is fascinating.
"Here, why don't you all try it?" Steve asks, before turning around and telekinetically leaping onto the top of his car.
"Let's start with you, Luciano." Steve says, before gesturing for me to join him. I do as he asks, and join him. To do so I subtly flex one of my abilities: a telekinetically enhanced physique.
I leap from where I'm standing and land on the car next to him, doing so by allowing my telekinesis to infuse my muscles. The boys are all surprised when they see this, gawking at me with amused and amazed looks.
This is a wholly original technique that is, as far as I can tell, something only I know how to do with this version of telekinesis. To do it I take the telekinetic energy that I utilize to manipulate objects and infuse it into my muscles and other body parts. The energy surges through me whenever I do this, allowing me to perform superhuman feats like leaping the twenty something feet that separates me from the top of Steve's car. I've also mimicked super strength using this ability, though that's not something I plan to do here and now.
I do not doubt that my skill with these abilities far exceeds Steve's own. I have sacrificed my time here to hone these skills to a fine edge. Still, Steve is a specialist, a true, natural one. His skills are his own, not the result of perks mixing and meshing together, and intersecting with a nerd's passion for superpowers.
"That's… well, that was sick." He exclaims, grinning at me. I grin back, happy to have had a moment that was sick, even if the moment is less impressive than Steve's was. He turns and looks at our friends, before jumping off of the car. In mid-air his momentum completely stops and he begins to float in front of us.
"So right now I'm just catching and holding myself." He states, and I look at him and nod. I proceed to mimic him, leaping into the air and almost immediately catching myself with my telekinetic grip.
I am suspended in mid-air, and this part of telekinetic flight is simple enough. I can hover indefinitely, I've even done it for as long as an hour before, in my house.
The others quickly replicate our actions, and soon enough all four of us are hovering in mid-air. Steve proceeds to slowly and stiffly move his arm, and Matt and Andrew look at him in confusion. I share their confusion for a few seconds before I realize what he's doing.
"You're… you're using telekinesis on your arm, aren't you?" I ask, and Steve grins at me. He nods brightly and proceeds to slowly ascend upward.
It's fascinating to me that his approach is so different from mine. I've taken to infusing my body with telekinetic energy, which is very different from what Steve is doing. I work with my telekinetic energy, using it to supplement my own physique, as opposed to literally moving my body with telekinesis. My method of telekinetically manipulating myself is efficient, but not thorough, but Steve's approach is the opposite. I suppose that's why his method works for something this advanced…
I slowly wrap my telekinetic grip around my arm and practice moving it back and forth. It feels unnatural and unwieldy since I can easily harm myself by overextending a limb. I actually injured myself this way on accident, which is why I've avoided doing it.
I lightly focus and wrap my telekinetic grip around my legs, careful not to grip myself too tightly. I inhale and when I exhale I slowly lift myself up, gently rising up and successfully beginning to fly in a stiff but mobile manner. Meanwhile Matt flips in mid-air, face planting but after a best indicates that the real damage is to his pride. Seconds later Andrew begins to ascend with me, and when he is beside me he grins at me like we're kids in a candy shop.
"This will take some getting used to." I say as I glance at the floating teens. Matt tries to fly again, fails, and then on his third attempt manages to slowly float up towards us. His success with this is interesting… I wonder if I slightly misunderstood how the perks inspired by them work. It seems that they have some sort of plot-given version of their perks, and my real advantage is that I'll be taking these traits with me into the future, coupled with, still relevant, meta-knowledge. As I am right now I am still stronger and more diverse, telekinetically, than them but now that we are flying… These teens are my equals, superiors actually, in the air.
We are maybe fifteen feet off the ground and we take some time to orient ourselves, with Steve watching us with a confident grin etched across his face. He seems perfectly at ease in the air, hovering and moving with the grace of someone who has been doing this for days, at least.
I glance at him from time to time, determined to soak up every aspect of his actions. I watch as he seems to relax even more and get more used to utilizing this power, improving in real time. His movements become subtly finer and more natural seeming, and I feel a pang of envy as I study them. There is something mildly unsettling about the ways that the teens can take steps towards mastery over their powers that are so swift that one can see them make small breakthroughs even in casual training sessions.
Steve laughs as we practice flying, and eventually challenges us to try and catch each other. He calls it "Telekinetic Tag", with the only rule being that we don't use our powers on each other and in time we are sailing through the air, darting towards each other and flinging ourselves with our powers. The teen is physical enough that I suppose he sees this as a fun idea, and to be fair it actually does sound kind of fun in a teen-boy sort of way.
Steve's natural charisma seems to enthuse my friends, and the more we roughhouse and unconventionally train, the more we seem to enjoy it. Steve is fairly relaxed and somewhat out of the fray, due in no small part to the casual confidence he exudes as he twists through the air. He radiates the strange confidence of a real-life superhero and I can sense that my companions are afraid to try and go after him, not wanting to wound their egos.
After a few minutes have passed I carefully dodge a lunge by Andrew and watch as Matt sets his eyes on his cousin. Meanwhile, my eyes flicker in the direction of the best flier of the four of us, and decide to go after him.
I toss myself towards Steve, a smile on my face as I move through the sky. I am not particularly adept at this form of movement, but I am athletic enough that even as I move through the sky I can angle myself in such a way that each time I stop myself and reorient myself I am able to get closer to the person who I intend to tag.
Steve, almost immediately spotting me, decides to play along. He deftly dodges my first lunge, and seems to dance around me, and for the next few minutes I amuse the two of us by dancing, in a manner speaking, with him. For all of his strengths, and there are many, he also has weaknesses. Steve is not aware of his surroundings, and as I pressure him and keep moving after him he seems to get tunnel vision, intently dodging me even if it is easy for him to do so.
And, for what it's worth, though I have weaknesses I also have strengths. I am at least tactical enough to position Steve so that he is right in the middle of Andrew, Matt, and I, and as I watch the ways he moves in mid-air I begin to steadily memorize each of the subtleties of the ways he moves. At some point I gain enough knowledge of Steve's movements that I become reasonably certain I can mimic them and incorporate them into my own moveset, to begin to truly master this ability.
At some point Andrew and Matt stopped chasing each other and began to hover in the air, motionlessly. Their eyes are locked on the chase I've been engaged in, and with each failed attempt at catching my friend I sense them wanting to participate more and more. They hover as Steve keeps his eyes firmly locked on me, and grins the sort of confident, shit-eating grin that only teenagers can truly flash people with.
I dart forward, moving faster than I've previously moved, and nod at Matt and Andrew. The two of them nod back, and when Steve dodges my lunge Andrew lunges as well. Steve, hearing his friend, is able to avoid the midair tackle, but when Matt sprints at his friend Steve is not able to dodge the attempted tackle. Steve gets the wind knocked out of him and Matt laughs as Steve reels back.
I call out to Matt and tell him to bring Steve down, dubbing Steve the "King of Telekinetic Tag". This gets a pained chuckle out of Steve, even as Matt lifts him up and we all begin to descend. When we land we check the time and find that it's slowly getting later in the afternoon.
"Hey Luciano, can you go over to my car and pull something out of the passenger's seat? I made some lunch for us." Steve tells us, asking me to do him a favor. I am surprised at this but I don't argue and I walk over to the car Steve owns and use the embellished, theatrical brand of telekinesis I have established that I use to open the unlocked vehicle and retrieve two coolers. They float towards me and I then gesture in the direction of the teens I have befriended. When the boys grab the coolers, they playfully rib Steve who smiles good-naturedly at them.
We take a break and unpack the food, some sandwiches and sodas, before beginning to eat. Andrew eats in mid-air and I grin up at him as he floats, seemingly for dramatic or perhaps comedic effect but I suspect that he is actually just devoted to training his powers and likes to do so whenever he can. A part of me admires his willingness to do this openly, since it's something that, of the four of us, only Andrew does.
"So… where do you guys want to go?" Andrew eventually asks, between bites into a sandwich. The rest of us look at each and then at Andrew. Steve is the first one to speak in the wake of the question being asked.
"What do you mean, my guy?" He wonders, turning to look at Andrew.
"Well we can fly. So that means we can… kind of go anywhere." Andrew replies. I let out a quiet laugh in response to this before volunteering an answer.
"I wouldn't mind flying back to Ponce. After graduation, I mean." I remark, causing Andrew's eyes to light up. Seeing the teen's eyes sparkle with such sincere joy is odd to me, but not in a negative way.
This plot point was always a bit odd to me. In the film this is a scene wherein the protagonists discuss the possibility of traveling the world using their powers after graduation. Even if someone can fly that doesn't actually mean that they have unrestricted traveling abilities in a world like this. People need passports, money, linguistic abilities, and more to successfully travel from country to country, but I suppose this is part of the realism of them being teens; idealism and dreams that have not yet been tempered, or destroyed, by the unfairness of adulthood The more I think about it, the more my opinion of this plot point softens, something which is a bit unexpected but not something I find myself disliking.
"You know… That sounds pretty cool. The Caribbean!" Andrew says, smiling at me. I smile back, and wait for someone to volunteer an answer. Eventually Steve comes up with an answer, his normally confident grin relaxing into something softer and more sincere.
"I'd love to visit D.C.," Steve begins, and as I hear that I turn to him and also relaxedly grin. "I want to be a politician, so I think visiting the city where all of the big stuff happens would be pretty fun." He says, before gesturing grandly.
"I want to see it all, man. The Capitol, the White House, the Smithsonian. Every part of it." He remarks, excitedly. When he's done talking there is a lull in the conversation as we continue to eat. I half expect Matt to speak up, but it's actually Andrew who volunteers his dream destination next.
"I want to visit Tibet." Andrew tells us, a small, almost nervous smile on his face as he reveals this. I smile at him, and motion for him to continue talking.
"I've done a lot of reading about these Buddhist monks. I think their whole deal is interesting. It'd be so fascinating to visit Tibet and talk to them in person." Andrew tells us, which visibly excites Matt. Steve is less interested in this, but he is still excited at the sight of Andrew opening up and talking about his honest feelings.
"That's awesome man! Yeah, let's do it. All of it. Right after graduation." Steve tells us, speaking a bit more seriously than he usually does. We all laugh and continue to eat, enjoying this moment.
When we're done eating we train our ability to fly for another hour before packing our stuff up and getting ready to say our farewells. Once all of our stuff is in our cars, Steve looks at Andrew with a crooked smile and proposes something a bit kooky.
"Hey Andrew, you know I just had a cool idea." He says, an impish glint in his eyes as he studies his friend. Andrew looks at the popular senior with a curious expression.
"Yeah?" Andrew asks, a softer look on the once moody teen's face.
In the weeks since we've met Andrew has had chances to change and grow. Even before I helped him harness the small amounts of popularity he has gained as a friend of Steve's and a friend of mine, and as a member of my group, he has started to look somewhat healthier, and now seems much happier. He idly smiles at people, seems relaxed, tutors our classmates, and even eats lunch with people other than Matt sometimes. He looks different, and radiates a changed energy compared to before.
"You should compete in the school talent show!" Steve exclaims, speaking with the same exuberant energy that has allowed him to be a wildly popular member of the student body. Andrew scoffs at this, but Steve doesn't stop talking.
"I'm serious dude, think of the cool-ass magic tricks you could pull off? We're telekinetic man! And you, you're the master at cool, small stuff. You can do all sorts of illusion tricks with the way you use your telekinesis." Steve explains, correctly explaining that Andrew has a fine level of skill with things like dexterous manipulation of small objects. Andrew is mulling it over and Steve launches into an energetic speech on the subject, reminding Andrew of the ways that Andrew has used his particular abilities to pull off all sorts of intricate acts.
"What would it take to get you to participate? Luciano being your assistant?" Steve asks, looking at me with a questioning gaze. This remark amuses me, but I suppose it's pretty easy to clock how close Andrew and I am, even without knowledge of our powers. I flash him a quick smile and then look back at Andrew. I am a bit surprised to see Andrew's eyes unexpectedly glow with a mischievous glimmer all their own.
"Do you really want me to participate in the show?" He asks Steve. Steve nods at him, and this makes Andrew's own devilish grin widen.
"Okay, then volunteer with me." Andrew adds, and this makes Steve simply smile at him.
"Sure. I'd be happy to volunteer with you." The teen responds, with zero hesitation. This makes Andrew stop and eventually stammer out an affirmative response to the accepted invitation. This interaction is amusing to watch, but I think a part of it highlights how Steve inspired his own line of perks. The lack of hesitation, willingness to commit to things, and the way that he knows that of all of us, Andrew would be the best to be the lead in the talent show, are all facets of Steve's nature. It's very interesting to just watch Steve do social interactions and navigate social encounters.
The talent show is in the last full week of October, three weeks from yesterday October 5th. It's also a major plot point, but one that will undoubtedly play out differently in this altered timeline than other events have.
Once Andrew agrees to participate in the talent show we get in our cars and go our separate ways. I am taken back home, and when we are all back home we exchange text messages about the talent show. I do not train today, having already trained a good deal with the boys, and so I relax and do my schoolwork today instead of tomorrow.
On Sunday I devote the day to training, and practice flight in the safety of the back half of my home. I get it down enough that I can at least hover instead of walk, and when I go to bed I realize a fun way to be part of the plot and the talent show without competing in it and thus potentially usurping the limelight from Andrew.
When I go back to school another instance of fairly boring activity begins. For the next two weeks I am mostly a regular student, and I mix in feigned concern for the SATs, which I lie to my friends about to maintain my facade as a normal student when they begin to talk about college applications.
The two weekends between October 6th and October 26th pass by in a blur. During both weekends I amp up the volunteering I do, and I eventually make a move that, if it works out, will further shield my time in this setting and lessen the likelihood of Andrew falling into villany: I ask Andrew to hang out after the talent show even offering him a place to sleep, a full week before the event. He, always excited to have an excuse to get out of his house and thankfully not having had any serious reason to rationalize that he has superpowers and could do anything he wants to people without them due to my positive influence and interference in his life, happily says yes.
During the week of the talent show I eagerly ask to volunteer and work behind the scenes. I am given the task of organizing the student volunteers and work directly under a teacher I've not yet met, a middle-aged Latina who is the school's drama teacher. To my slight annoyance I get roped into being the M.C. for the talent show, though I suppose this is not surprising given the combination of my popularity and the fact that I asked to volunteer at the show.
When the day of the talent show arrives school passes by in a breeze. It is easy for me to get good grades, and even easier for me to behave in a friendly manner to my peers. When the school day ends I go to the auditorium we are going to use for the show and oversee the final leg of our efforts to get it ready.
Before I feel as though even a few hours have passed a flurry of voices tell me to go and get dressed to serve in my official capacity as M.C., and even as I am in an empty dressing room putting on the formal clothes I've been asked to wear I can hear the teachers who are working this event welcome parents over a nearby, temporarily discarded headset. I also know that Steve and Andrew are getting ready as well.
I look at myself in one of the dressing room's mirrors and let out an exhausted chuckle as I check and make sure that I am finished changing. I'm dressed in a suit and tie, at the insistence of the school, and to see myself finely dressed in this new body is truly bizarre. I only get enough time to give myself a once over before I hear multiple voices tell me to make sure I'm in position in one minute. I nod and begin to dart towards the school's auditorium, ready to begin to move towards the last few weeks, and to see the culmination of all of my subtly meddlesome efforts.
