"Okay, would you rather have to swim really fast across a pool full of ice, or walk slowly over a bed of hot coals?" Hannah read from the card in her hand. She balanced back and forth from one knee to the other. She grabbed a slice of pizza from the box on the coffee table and took a huge chomp out of it. "Don't take all day."

I rubbed my chin and my lips contorted into different positions like they were doing some form of lip yoga. “Well, I don’t know. They both sound pretty bad, I don’t know if I can choose,” I said.

“You have to! That’s part of the game!” she said. Her fingers danced over the plastic penguin that represented me on the game board. “If you don’t choose, I get to move you back a space.”

“Don’t get grease on my piece.” I pushed her hand away. She wiped her hands on her pants and snatched the penguin before I could stop her. She pretended to march it back several places. “Hey!”

"Just kidding!" She giggled and set it down on the right square. "You're turn, mom." She pulled out a new card. "Would you rather have super farts or super burps?"

We both laughed as we turned to our mom. She was in the reclining chair wearing silky, pink pajamas and her feet were boiling in her Foot Soaker 5000. Her head bobbed in rhythm to whatever song she was humming.

“Mom!” Hannah said.

"Super burps, I guess," our mom said. Hannah laughed so much she could barely move mom's bunny. Then the alarm on Hannah's watch went off.

“Red alert! We’ve got incoming meteors! Everyone to your stations!” Hannah ran off to the safe zone in the basement. She’d be there for a good while.

"Hey mom, can I ask you something?" I said.

“Sure.”

I peered down at the brochure I’d been clutching protectively in my lap. Carefully, like it was the Arc of the Covenant, I passed it to my mom. She put her glasses on.

“Camp Fit for Life, the best fun a kid can have,” she said and unfolded the brochure. “Canoeing, scenic hikes, and much more. We have everything to help your child regain and maintain a healthy weight…” She gave me an uncertain look. “This is a fat camp?”

“It’s a fitness camp,” I said.

“Let me guess, you want to go there?”

I nodded. “It’ll be good for me.”

She sunk further into her chair. “We can’t afford it, sweetheart.”

“My school said they would pay for it.”

“Your school really said that?”

"Uh…" I pretended to stretch as I looked at the specific lines Katherine had written onto my palm. "I failed gym class. To make up for it, they'll pay to send me to the camp."

“I’ll pretend I buy that for now.” She pressed her lips into a straight line. “But who’s going to look after Hannah while I’m at work?”

"She's old enough to look after herself. I mean, come on, she planned a five-year nutrition plan to survive an atomic wasteland," I said.

“True.” She picked up the picture on the end table beside her. It was a smaller version of me holding Hannah after she’d been born. “I guess I have to get used to the fact you two are growing up.” She tilted her head back and stared off into space. “And I’ll be an old, lonely woman soon enough.”

I shook my head. “You’ll be fine, mom.”

“Alright, alright I suppose you can go. Don’t I need to sign something?”

"Yeah, I'll be right back." I headed towards the stairs but froze. Hannah stood in the way with her arms crossed.

“You said you would start training with me! You’re just a big liar!” She ran up the stairs. Her bedroom door slammed shut.

“Don’t think it’s just my permission you need,” mom said.

I groaned. “I’ll go talk to her.” I knocked on Hannah’s door a minute later. When she didn’t answer, I opened the door.

I hadn't gone into her room for a while. I still remembered it with light purple walls and decorated with her crude butterfly drawings. Now it looked like a former Navy Seal occupied the space. Newspapers with headlines of growing doom plastered the walls, buckets of nonperishable food were stacked anywhere possible, and somehow she’d boarded up her window.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had all of this?” I said.

She lifted her head off of her pillow to speak. "I did! I showed you all my lists, and you ignored me!" She pressed her face back into the pillow.

Is that what she was going on about when I was trying to watch the Avalanche game? I didn’t know that it meant that much to her. I sat on the bed beside her and rubbed her back.

“I’m sorry, Hannah—”

“Sorry is not good enough! You always break your promises. You don’t care about me.”

"Only because you make me swear promises all the time. Stuff happens, and we can't always keep promises," I said. "But this camp is a good thing. It'll be just like training, I'll be running around and…" I didn't really know what else to expect from Katherine's training.

“But what about Yellowstone?!”

“Uh…what about it?”

She sat up and revealed red, puffy eyes. “If it blows up, we won’t be able to get you in time! You won’t be able to find us, we’ll be separated. Don’t you see?! We have to stay together.” She threw her arms around me and buried her face into my shirt. “You can’t go.”

I wanted to tell her where I was really going, but I didn’t know. I wanted to tell her that I was going to learn how to fight and survive—that she didn’t have to worry. Soon, I’d be able to protect her from anything.

I hugged her firmly. "It's going to be okay. It doesn't matter what happens; if fireballs are falling from the sky, or a zombie pandemic or the kids at school call you names, I'm always going to be there for you. No matter what."

She trembled. “Who’s gonna play with me when you’re gone?”

I frowned. Hannah had as many friends as I did. "Being alone isn't all that bad. You'll have time to recheck your lists and build things, and at night mom will be home. Besides, I'll only be gone for the summer. I'll be back before you know it."

She scraped the tears from her cheeks. “Okay…”

“I need you to promise me something,” I said. She brought her drained eyes to me. “No going to the warehouse area, no messing with power tools, and don’t touch the knives.”

“But, how else will I practice my first aid skills if I don’t get hurt?” She tried to smile.

“That’s not funny.”

She rolled her eyes and put her hand on her heart. “I promise not to touch dangerous stuff while you’re gone.” I messed up her hair.

“Good.”

I retrieved the fake permission slips and gave them to my mom. Once she signed them, I darted back to my room. The brochure said the first day of camp was four days away. I'd have to stay home until then, but no one said I couldn't pack early. I dumped the contents of my backpack onto the floor.

“Packing already?” Katherine’s voice filled the room. I jolted and spun around. She was standing in the corner.

"How'd you get in here?!" I looked at the window; it was locked.

“I’m a ninja, remember?” She smiled. She shut the blinds and came away from the corner. “So, did she fall for it?”

“Yeah,” I said and handed the permission slips to her.

"Great. So for now, I'm going to make it look like I've lost interest in you. You need to seem like you've gone back to your normal life." She stuffed the papers into her back pocket and walked towards the hallway. "However, that doesn't mean late night walks to deserted areas. Try to stay in the house this time.”

"I'll try." I blinked, and she was gone. "Wait—!" I looked down the empty hallway. Hannah poked her head out of her room.

“Who are you talking to?” she asked.

Katherine was true to her word. She definitely made it feel like she lost interest in me. I didn't see her or hear from her. I found myself waiting on the curb, hoping she'd drive past. At night, I lay awake and waited for her to sneak into my room.

Maybe she had lied about giving me a chance. Maybe she'd taken off for good. The doubt began to eat away the excitement I had. I felt so sorry for myself, I unpacked. How could I have been so stupid?

Finally, the night before I was supposed to "leave for camp" arrived. I barely ate my dinner. I wanted to get back to my room and sulk. My mom was going to take me to the bus station in the morning, and I'd stand there looking foolish for a girl who'd never come. Then, after being thoroughly humiliated, I'd have to call my mom to pick me up and explain some things.

When I returned to my room, my backpack sat on the bed next to a note. I unzipped the bag to find it filled with new clothes. Scrawled across the note in grandiose handwriting were directions for tomorrow. Katherine signed her name on the bottom. The sad little rain cloud over my head turned into a bright and cheery sun.

I didn’t get a single ounce of sleep. I kept wondering where Katherine was going to take me and what she was going to teach me. I was still wide awake by the time my mom opened the door the next morning.

“Oh, you’re already awake…” she said.

“Yeah, uh, so I wouldn’t be late,” I said and kicked the covers away from me.

She put her hands on her hips. "You're kind of excited about this camp."

I nodded and waved at her to shut the door. I put on the exact clothing the note told me to wear: my only pair of khaki cargo shorts, my red shirt with a dragon on it, and my gray running shoes. I didn’t want to know how Katherine knew I possessed those.

Despite getting up early, once again we were running out to the car. My mom had to speed to get to the bus station at a relatively decent time. The second I saw the station, I wiggled around in my seat to be able to hug Hannah in the back. I gave my mom an awkward half-hug.

“We’re going to miss you. Be good. Get lots of exercise and try to make some friends,” my mom said.

“I’ll try. I’ll miss you guys, too,” I said. The car pulled into the unloading zone. I got out and waved goodbye.

I had five minutes to get to the platform where I was going to "appear" to get on the bus. I dashed inside and found the bathroom. I went to the second stall and listened carefully for the knocks. I heard someone in the stall beside me leave. I noticed they had the same shoes as me. I guessed that was my double heading to the platform.

It was quiet after that. I was supposed to wait ten minutes until I heard three knocks on the door. At last, when I heard them, I went to the door and found a homeless guy standing there.

“Someone paid me a thousand dollars to give this to you,” he said.

“Thanks.” I took the bag. He stood there staring at me like he’d seen an angel. I didn’t know what else to do but shut the door slowly.

I went back to the stall to change. The clothes in the bag were ridiculous: baggy pants, a shirt that stretched down to my knees, a gold necklace, sunglasses, and a hat all drenched in cologne. It made me cough and gag. I tossed the clothes and the bag I came in with into the trash. I paused a minute to mourn the loss of my dragon shirt then left the bathroom.

Katherine’s note instructed me to wait by the front. I made sure my mom had driven away before going out. Then I was nearly run over by cyclists and employee’s rushing to get back to work with their lunch.

I searched the horde for Katherine. I thought to find her would be easy. She was always attracting attention, but there was no sign of her.

“There you are, punk. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” a gruff female voice said. Someone snatched my arms and wrenched them behind me.

“Whoa, ow!” I tried to get a glimpse of the woman. Cold, metal handcuffs locked around my wrists. “Hey! Wait a minute—I didn’t do anything!” I was shoved forward by a baton.

“That’s what they all say.”

I was guided towards a cop car. All I could picture was having to explain to mom why I was at a police station. "Could you at least tell me what…" I stopped as the officer opened the car door and I got a look at her. It was Katherine. "Oh." I got in without struggling.

After driving a couple of blocks, Katherine pulled off her cap and shook out her hair. “Ah, that’s better,” she said.

“How’d you get this stuff?”

“Oh, a girl has her ways,” she said and checked the rearview mirror. “Hopefully, our enemies will be following the wrong guy to Utah. We’ll have to lay low for a day to be sure.”

We abandoned the police car in a parking garage. Katherine removed her uniform. Underneath it, she had on another set of clothes. I wished I could've changed again. The cologne was giving me a headache. We blended into the multitude of people on the sidewalks and returned to the hotel.

The cold air in the penthouse was a nice break from the dense heat outside. Katherine used a remote to make the windows foggy. I dropped onto the couch and sighed.

“Well, I think you passed your first test,” she said as she sat down beside me.

“What test?”

"You can never tell what someone's reaction to all of this will be," she said. "I was scouting a potential kid a while ago. After I had explained why I was there, he wanted me to prove it. So I bent a crowbar. He was flabbergasted for a while, but then he started blabbing to everyone he knew." She twisted one of her bracelets around her wrist. "You haven't said a word to anyone."

“I told you I could keep a secret,” I said. “Besides, would anyone believe me?”

“Good point,” she said and patted my knee. “Get some rest. You’ll need it for tonight.”

My eyebrows knit together. “What’s happening tonight?”

“You’ll see.”

I spent the rest of the day alone in the penthouse. Katherine had important errands to run. For me to keep my cover, I had to stay put. It wasn't that bad. While I missed her company, I was relieved to have some alone time. I didn't have to worry about her hiding somewhere watching me.

I stretched out on the couch and didn't hesitate to make use of the cable. I stuffed my face with potato chips and cheeseburgers I got from room service. It wasn't my best idea ever since I felt like crap after an hour. I had to force myself to take a few laps around the house to get rid of my nausea.

By the time Katherine returned, it was ten o’clock. She had to shake my shoulder to wake me up. I groaned and sat up.

“What is it?”

“It’s time,” she said and nudged a fallen French fry with her foot.

“Sorry, I’ll pick it up,” I said.

“You can clean up later. Get your shoes on.”

Once I was ready, we went out onto the terrace. Outside, the night air was warm. The breeze muffled the sounds of traffic below. Airplanes made their way across the sky like artificial shooting stars. For miles, the land looked like a glowing quilt.

I leaned against the glass railing. “Wow.”

“You get an even better view from over here,” she said as she climbed over the railing and onto the ledge. She tipped her head back and let the wind have its way with her hair.

“I’m fine right here,” I said and put my hands in my pockets. “Aren’t you worried you’ll fall?”

She shook her head. “It’s not that scary. It’s fun.” She offered me a hand.

“I dunno…”

She laughed. “You’re willing to risk your life as a ninja, how is this any different? You might as well get used to it.”

I couldn't argue with that. I clutched her hand, threw one leg over the railing, and strived to shove the rest of my load over without throwing myself off the building. Without her help, I wouldn't have made it. I wobbled until I found my balance, then it was replaced with trembling. If I leaned just a little too far forward, I'd fall to my death.

This was stupid. This was stupid! I shut my eyes. I thought about my head in the air instead of my feet half-hanging off of the ledge. Her hand helped keep me steady.

“See, you’re fine,” she said. “Open your eyes, but don’t look down.”

When I was comfortable enough, I opened my eyes again. She was right; the view was slightly better on the ledge. From up there, it felt like I was hovering over the sea of lights.

“S-so why are we up here?” I asked.

“Well, you’ve proven that I can trust you. It’s time I made sure that you trust me,” she said.

“How’re you going to prove that?”

“Like this.”

She yanked on my arm and sent me off of the ledge. I plummeted towards the ground. I yelled until my throat felt like I'd swallowed glass shards. Suddenly, my arm was almost torn from its socket as I jerked to a halt. My body slapped into the side of the building. WHAM!

I peeled my face off of the building and looked up to find Katherine holding me up by my hand. My arm trembled. The tendons felt like cords pulled way too tight; they threatened to break. My glasses were squashed into my head.

“What’s the matter with you?!” I yelled.

Realizing I was dangling some fifty stories in the air, I became frantic. I tried to grab anything I could use to pull me up, but there wasn’t much. My fingers squeaked against the exterior. My feet kept slipping.

She crouched down, lowering me further. I cried out and squeezed her hand with all of my strength. She tilted her head to the side.

“Are you scared?” she asked.

Salty beads of sweat invaded my eyes and stabbed them. I repeatedly blinked to ease the pain. I felt like a snow globe a child refused to stop shaking. I kept my eyes closed, too afraid to look down and see where I might die.

“Daniel, you’re not answering.”

“Yes! Okay?! I’m freakin’ scared! I’m a fat, scared, loser! Are you happy?!”

“Call yourself that again and maybe I will drop you,” she said. “You’re not a loser.” I wasn’t in the mood to discuss my feelings. All I wanted was something solid underneath my feet. “Why are you scared?”

“Let me up! Please! Pull me up!” I whimpered.

“As soon as you answer my question.”

“Why am I scared?!” I panted. “I don’t know! Maybe because I’m hanging from a building?! If you drop me, I’ll die!”

“What about that is scary for you?”

“Why are you trying to give me a therapy session?! Pull. Me. Up!”

She growled and rolled her eyes. “We’ll be here all night at this rate.”

Okay, just answer her questions, and she'll let you up. I took large, lengthy breaths. I beckoned my mind out of panic mode and into analysis mode. I scrambled to make sense of my fear.

“I’m scared of falling! Uh, I’m scared of the pain! Scared of dying!”

“If you want to join me, you’re going have to get over your fear of pain. You’ll endure ten times more than a normal person, and a painful, horrifying death could be a very real possibility for you,” she said. Her eyes were hard and glossy, like marbles. “Is that what you want?”

I stopped shaking for a second. I realized why she was doing this. It was her last, desperate attempt to get me to change my mind.

“You’re trying to scare me.”

She gave me a lop-sided smile. “I did say I wouldn’t make it easy.”

The breeze pushed me a little. My body jolted. I tried to cuddle up as close as I could to the building.

I mulled over her words. If I was going to join her, I could be in positions like this a lot. Did I honestly want to be this terrified again? Did I want to be in excruciating pain?

I wanted to ride a dirt bike, but the fear of falling and breaking an arm kept me from trying. I wanted to bungee jump, but I was too scared of the heights and the cord breaking. How was I supposed to become a super human if I was such a chicken? Maybe I should stop this madness now, I thought. I could never be a hero. I was never going to be special. I wasn’t brave enough.

The thought of going home and never seeing Katherine again wasn't any better. Yes, an average life was safe. I wouldn't be terrified or hurt, but I wouldn't be happy, either.

“I-I am worried about dying and pain,” I said, “but I won’t let that stop me. I want this more.” I grunted. My fingers were turning into spaghetti noodles in her hand. “I’ve been alone too long. I’ve been humiliated too long. I don’t want to be this way anymore. You can’t scare me out of this.” I lifted my gaze to her. “Besides, I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.”

She seemed mildly offended by that. “Oh, really? You think you know me that well?”

I gulped. “I trust you.”

It didn't make any sense. I hardly knew her. So far she saved my life twice, but it could easily have been for show. She was a good liar; I'm sure it wouldn't have been a challenge for her to trick me. Something in my gut told me it wasn't bogus. For some unknown reason, she did care. I could trust her with anything, including my life.

I didn’t think it was the answer she was hoping for, but she accepted it. She stood up, raising me towards the ledge. I lit up as safety was within my reach. I went to grab the ledge when she said, “Just remember you trust me.”

She let go.

“AAAHHH!!!”

Katherine made no attempt to catch me this time. She shrank away rapidly as the building stretched towards the sky, growing taller and taller. The wind battered my ears. My organs gathered in my throat, leaving the rest of me feeling hollow. My arms and legs flailed.

I reached for the building, hoping to find something to grab onto. Only there was nothing to grab. This side of the hotel was completely smooth.

Oh, God! Oh, God! No! I thought. Dread bubbled up in me as I saw there was nothing, absolutely nothing, I could do to save myself. A dark heaviness pressed against my chest. The pain was coming. Death was whirling towards me faster than I could process it. I needed more time, just a day, just a second more.

My body went berserk. My brain sent all kinds of signals like a captain on a sinking boat flipping all of the switches to see if something would work. The moisture on my skin dried up as my temperature rose. My stomach turned sour; I swore it filled with molten lava. My eyes transformed into hot coals. Pressure filled my head, and my skull strained to contain it. I became a prisoner in my body as it roasted me alive.

I saw a blotch of color approaching. Oh, that must be the ground. I was so distracted from overheating; I'd lost track of time. I shut my eyes and braced myself for the end. Then all of a sudden, a great gust of wind hit me and slowed me down but not enough to stop me.

SPLASH!!!

Icy, refreshing water slapped my back. My whole backside felt bruised. I sunk straight down to the bottom of a pool. I bonked my head pretty good.

The water churned around me in a chaotic mess. Millions of angry bubbles pushed me up towards the surface. I gasped for air and fought to plant my feet on the pool floor. I heard a loud hissing noise. Water shot up my nose. I was thrown every which way. Was this a pool, or a hot tub?

After a moment, I got my bearings. The water kept churning and evaporating. Steam flew away from me. I looked at my hands and saw they were lobster red. I could smell my clothes burning against my skin.

I spotted Katherine observing the water from a safe distance. I looked up to see I’d fallen a dozen floors. I wondered how fast she could move, or if she simply teleported.

“What happened?” I asked. I felt like I did something wrong. I kept looking at my hands and the boiling water. If the water was boiling, why wasn’t I? What caused it to go all crazy in the first place?

“Your powers surface the more you push your body to its limits,” she said. “You’re responding to extreme fright.” My face scrunched up as I tried to make sense of her words. I was the one who turned the water into a whirlpool? “You should get out of there before someone sees you.”

She held up what looked like a thick blanket. I slogged through the water to the ladder. The second I touched the metal it glowed orange. I moved quickly in case the ladder decided to melt. I stared at my hands. They felt like I had pressed them against a car on a scorching summer day. She wrapped the blanket around me. I vaguely noticed it was made out of the same material as oven mitts.

“You’re not gonna feel too good for a few hours,” she said. My eyes stung from being so hot and dry. I had to keep them closed. She was forced to guide me along.

She was right; I suddenly felt sick. I was going to vomit fire. Somehow, I made it back to the penthouse. She led me to the bathroom and pointed to the tub.

“It’s the only thing that won’t burn.”

“Mmph.”

I didn't care. I was alive, and I was back on solid ground. I climbed into the tub and curled up. Occasionally, I ran the water to try and cool me off. It turned to steam the instant it touched my skin. The heat consumed my mind until that was all that existed. I couldn't even imagine the sweet pleasure of a cold, snowy day.