#agent jefferson

"I'm glad you feel that way." With a smile, Imani noted it down. "And how about at home? Do you feel safe?"

Dakota nodded. "Yeah, I feel safe. I love my mom to bits. I know a lot of people my age hate their parents, but Mom and I have been through so much. I mean, sure, sometimes we argue and sometimes we drive each other crazy but she's the person I'm closest to. She does so much for me and cares about me so much." As he spoke, he smiled, eyes lighting up slowly. "She knows I don't have a dad anymore, and I think she's worried that I'll be missing something. She does so much for me and one day, I wanna do as much for her as she's done for me."

"That's really sweet! I'm glad you have a good home life. That really does make things much easier." Again, Imani made a small note, but her smile widened as she did so. "Alright, last quick question. Do you feel safe at school?"

Dakota's smile wavered, and again, he shrugged. "Yeah, I...I guess. I mean, I just worry a lot about my powers when I'm around people. Like if someone makes me super angry, I'm just...afraid that I'll accidentally hurt someone, or show the powers I have, or something. I've never hurt someone when I'm angry, and I don't ever want to, but...I don't know." He looked at the floor. "I know that a lot of people think I'm a monster, the people who know about me. And I really don't want to prove them right. So...no one does anything wrong at school, I guess, it's just hard to be around people."

Somberly, Imani nodded. "I really appreciate you being so open with me, Dakota. A lot of people take some time before they talk to me about things that they need to talk about."

"I've been to therapy before," Dakota explained, "after I...after I got kidnapped and all. Mom got us both therapy since a lot went on, I mean...I had...a lot happen in the lab, and then I got back to learn that Dad was dead, and it was a lot for a ten-year-old. So, that was the first thing she did. I've had a few therapists, so I'm kinda used to talking to them."

"I'm glad to hear you've gotten therapy before. You did go through a lot, more than just about anyone should have to go through. And I'm so glad your mom realized you shouldn't be doing it on your own." Dakota nodded. "So...I know there's a lot to unpack here."

"Yeah, there's...a lot," Dakota chuckled.

"So, as of right now it seems like there's a couple ways we could take this. We could talk about the lab, your father, or we could talk about some of the things you're feeling right now. Or, if you have another idea, we could do that too. I think they're all going to feed into each other to some degree, so we'll probably hit everything eventually," Imani explained, scribbling a bit on the notepad.

"I guess I should probably talk about the lab. I haven't...really talked about it much with therapists. I was scared to talk about what I was with a lot of them. I mostly talked about Dad."

"Okay. Can you tell me basically what happened? If you need to stop, that's alright. We don't have to do it all this session."

"Um...okay. I don't...remember a lot. It's kind of all a blur. I just remember walking home from school one day. I lived on a reservation at the time, I don't anymore since Dad died, so there was a long walk next to an empty dirt road and I usually did it alone. This time, there was a truck on the road, and I stepped away from the road, but the truck stopped ahead of me. Someone got out, and I kinda tried to ignore them, since Dad and Mom talked plenty about that stranger danger stuff. But then they just ran up to me and grabbed me. I was kind of skinny back then and I didn't know how to fight, and they...they covered my mouth before I could scream." A deep breath later, Dakota continued. "They tossed me in the truck and when I tried to get out, they hit my head, and then I don't remember anything until I woke up. And from there it's kind of a blur. I remember a lot of needles, and them shocking me to make me angry. Things hurt a lot. But my mind was just...foggy. The main other clear memory is just, after everything happened, running through a field trying to find something, anything, I remembered."

Imani nodded. She hadn't touched her notepad, opting instead to listen attentively. "It's okay that you don't remember much. It could be the experiments, or it could be the trauma. Our brain likes to mute unpleasant things, to help save our sanity. So you might remember some new things as we talk more about it."

Dakota nodded. "Do you think...my nightmares might get worse?" he asked. "I don't have them a ton anymore, but they're always about this stuff and they're just...I never know if what happened in the nightmares was real or what actually happened or...I just don't know."

"It's a possibility," Imani began cautiously. "That can happen when people who have undergone trauma have to relive it."

"Of course," Dakota mumbled. "But...we probably have to, huh?"

"Yes. This was such a big part of your life that I don't think we'll be able to fully address anything else without dealing with this. But if you want to wait before talking about it, or if one session, you don't want to discuss it, that's okay too. We can help you in other ways if you're not up for talking about traumatic things."

"Thank you. That helps."

"So, do you have anything else you want to talk about? Or would you rather I ask a couple of questions?" Dakota shrugged.

“I’m okay, I…do have something I want to talk about though.” The last words were quiet, almost inaudible and very fast, but Imani seemed to pick it up.

“Alright, we can certainly do that. I do want to ask you a couple questions first, just to get a baseline, and then I’ll let you talk. Sound okay?” Bayleigh nodded. “So, how do you like it here? It’s okay if you tell me you hate it, you can tell me.”

“No, why would I hate it? It’s…really nice to have other friends…friends who are heroes, I mean,” she added hastily. Now that was a sore spot. She didn’t really…want to think about how, until Siham, she had been essentially friendless. “Haeun’s really nice and I like living here on weekends.”

“That’s good to hear! How’s your life at home?”

“It’s fine, my parents are both lawyers, so they’re busy a lot. But I dunno, it’s nice to have some freedom,” she lied. Her parents didn’t give a shit about her and she knew it. But that, Bayleigh thought, could be unpacked a different time. For now, it could sit in a little box where it only bothered her sometimes, when she was alone at night and the darkness swallowed her. Imani didn’t look like she totally bought it, but much to Bayleigh’s relief, she moved on.

“That does sound nice, especially since you’re old enough where you deserve some more independence. Now, how about school? How’s that?”

“It’s fine,” Bayleigh mumbled. That was yet another thing she didn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole. Don’t whine, don’t bother others, bottle it up. If the bottle seemed like it was going to burst, put the bottle in a box, put that box in a safe. Repress, repress, repress.

Imani simply nodded, looking, again, like she didn’t buy it. “I won’t push on that one, since it seems like you’d rather not mention it, but I just want to check–are you safe at school? Are you bullied?” Bayleigh shook her head–sure, people teased her and mocked her, but no one laid a hand on her.

“I’m safe. It’s just not my favorite place. I don’t know if high school is anyone’s favorite place,” she chuckled nervously. Imani chuckled as well.

“That’s very true. Now, you said you wanted to talk to me about something. What was that?”

Bayleigh took a deep breath. “So, I…um…sorry, this is gonna sound really stupid.”

“If it’s bothering you, it’s not stupid,” Imani reassured. “I’ll never think something bothering you is stupid. Now, what’s wrong?”

“I…just recently met this guy. And I can’t stop thinking about him, I think he’s really attractive and sweet and…” With every word, Bayleigh’s stomach twisted into more of a knot.

“You look like that’s a bad thing. Why does having a crush on this person worry you?” Imani asked.

“I..well, it’s just that…I, um…” Bayleigh took another breath and looked up at Imani, fear in her eyes. “I’m gay. So…it doesn’t feel right. To have a crush on a guy. And I know that’s what it is, but I…I don’t know, I’m worried that this is some sort of repressed self-hatred, that I’m just trying too hard to be normal or something, and I feel like if I end up dating a guy, I’m just…trying really, really hard to be straight. Like I’m running from this part of me.” Imani nodded.

“That makes sense, but Bayleigh, you’re allowed to be bisexual, pansexual, or just queer. Whatever label fits you.”

“But, even if I’m bi…dating a guy feels like I’m just being straight.”

“I’m a lesbian, and my partner is a bisexual woman,” Imani explained. “Does dating me mean that she’s just ‘being a lesbian’?”

“No, but…I don’t know, it just feels different.” Bayleigh looked down at her shoes. “And, I don’t know, I’m pretty sure the guy is straight. And…how’s he going to deal with me being bi? What happens if we bring up the past relationships and he learns I’ve slept with more girls than he has?”  

“Then you know he’s not worth it. It’s going to be difficult and it’ll suck sometimes, but you’ll slowly learn that a partner who doesn’t love you for you is absolutely not worth the love you’re giving them.” Bayleigh nodded, not fully believing it. “So do you want to ask this guy out?”

“Yes. No. It’s…complicated. The situation is strange. And I don’t think he thinks of me as more than a friend. I just…don’t want to rush into anything.”

“Understandable. And it’s good to take some time to think, get to know him as a friend first. You said your meeting was pretty recent, right?”

“Yeah.” Really, really recent. “Thanks for…the advice. And the reassurance.” Imani smiled.

“Of course. Now, are you wanting to ask about anything else?”

“I have more, but I’ll put ‘em on ice,” Agent Schott replied with a lopsided grin.

“OK,”  Agent Jefferson sighed, “But yes, as the name implies, he has powers over ice. He may also have another power, but it isn’t offensively useful.”

“His sidekick,” Agent Schott added, “is Darkstorm, and she’s got at least shadow manipulation powers. We have a feeling she also has a sort of mind control and is likely the more dangerous of the two. But it’s gonna be alright, you kids are more than ready for this. Basically, we’re going to have two teams. Kira and Riley, Hakim, Kai, and I are going to get you into a secondary facility. We need information on how this power occurred and on what plans might be in action. The rest of you are going to be fighting the main villains. They’re planning to do something at a farm a good ways outside of town, so the potential for collateral damage is low. Bayleigh, you’re going to go with them to the main fight with the villain, but your job is primarily escape. If you get a distress signal from any of us in the secondary facility, drop everything and come get us.”

“Understood,” Bayleigh said with a nod.

“I understand why Kai is with Kira and me, but why is Hakim?” Riley asked.

“Out of all of the rest of you, his powers are best in close quarters. Bayleigh’s the exception to that, but she’s in the other group so that she can be more mobile if needed. Dakota, Haeun, Siham, Ace, and Skyler all have powers that either require room or variety,” Agent Jefferson responded. “Same with mine, for the most part.” Riley nodded their understanding.

“Everyone feel like they understand everything?” Schott asked. At a nod from everyone, he continued. “Alright, let’s suit up.”

------------

The sound of keystrokes was all that broke the silence within the smaller facility as Riley and Kira worked with the computers. It hadn’t been difficult to get in; since the main villains were out, it was just a few grunts guarding the area. All were unconscious but one, who Kira had thoroughly restrained next to her. She fearfully provided passwords, so Riley and Kira didn’t have to do almost any actual hacking. It just took about half of Kira’s vines and a little bit of intimidation from Kai.

“Alright, there’s a bunch of plans here, and a lot of science shit that I don’t fully understand,” Riley murmured.

“Lots of c-c-climate research,” Kira added softly.

“Pull what you can,” Schott instructed. “We’ll evaluate it later at HQ, once you’re safe.”

“Already on it. Right now we’re mostly scrubbing any traces of what we did.” Riley continued to type as Kira shut her eyes and concentrated, doing her best to help. “OK, after I run this command they shouldn’t even know we were in the server. Should do just enough to erase the edit times and data like that. They won’t know exactly what we got.”

“Wh-what about her?” Kira lifted her vines a little to point at the woman she had tied up.

“She won’t know exactly what you got to,” Hakim added from across the room. “Besides, if everything goes to plan, the others should have taken out the villains anyway.”

“This is mostly informational and cautionary,” Schott affirmed. “Keep going, you two are doing great!” The two continued to hack, but after a moment, Kira jumped back.

“Th-th-there was input f-f-from somewhere,” she whispered. Riley leapt to action, typing away.

“One of the outer doors opened,” they announced a moment later.

“No one should have been able to get here this fast,” Hakim protested as he looked over Riley’s shoulder.

“So things aren’t going to plan. What a surprise,” Kai muttered as he prepared a gust of wind and positioned himself between Kira and the door.

“It’s going to be alright, keep calm. We can handle whoever it is,” Schott reassured.

“Oh, can you?” a sultry voice asked. All the room’s shadows seemed to move for a moment, none of them in a natural way. A figure seemed to be stepping between them, moving just too fast for anything to hit. “You underestimate me,” it purred. A tall, stick-thin figure appeared behind Agent Schott, one shadow claw gently tracing his jawline. It drew a small trickle of blood, but Agent Schott fell to the floor as if he’d been struck.

“What did you do to him?!” Hakim demanded of the figure, but the they only chuckled. Schott groaned, one hand grabbing at his head, and the figure’s long, shadowy claws grew longer, until they seemed to almost envelop Schott in a cocoon. Hakim’s telekinesis and Kira’s vines couldn’t touch it--they just went through. In an instant, the claws retracted, and Schott was yanked to his feet like a marionette on a string. When the heroes looked him in the eye, they couldn’t recognize a trace of the man that once was. The figure disappeared, and reappeared in the shadow of a doorway. Once it stepped forth from the shadows, it became clear that it was a woman, tall and thin, though not as much so as the shadow had been.

“Hi, Kira,” Imani said with a gentle smile. “Come on in, and go ahead and shut the door behind you. It’s good to see you. How are you doing?”

Kira nodded behind the vines and closed the door, going to sit down. “I’m f-f-f-fine.” Kira lied, looking at Agent Jefferson through her vines. She started to fiddle with her hair, “S-S-Sorry...for my st-st-stutter.”

“It’s not a problem at all. We have plenty of time, and trust me, it doesn’t bother me. Do you have any questions about this? I know a lot of people have been nervous about doing a therapy session.”

Kira shakes her head, looking to the floor. “I-I’m n-not ner-ner-nervous.” Kira lied again. If she could just be like Kai, strong and able to play things off, this should go smoothly. Kira just wanted this to go smoothly. Wanted this to be...different than other time’s she’s interacted with adults. She didn’t want to lie, she just didn’t want to be a bother and a freak.

“It’s okay if you are,” Imani told her gently. “So, do you mind telling me your preferred name and pronouns? So I can make sure you’re comfortable? Is Kira a good name to call you?”

“Kira...i-is go-go-good.” She nodded, “And s-s-she a-and h-her.”

“So how do you like it here? I don’t mind if you don’t like it, I won’t be upset. We just want to make sure this is the best place it can be for all of you.”

“K-K-Kai’s h-h-here,” she said, her vines retreating a bit to show a soft smile. “H-He’ll p-p-protect me.”

“I’m glad you’re close with Kai and trust him,” Imani said. “Is your roommate situation alright? Do you get along with everyone?

Kira nodded. “S-S-Siham is nice. I-I-I don’t k-k-know a-about t-t-the others y-yet.”

“That’s good! So, how are things at home? And with homeschool?”

“M-My dads are g-gr-gr-gr-gr…” Kira stopped, struggling with getting the words out.

“Hey, it’s alright. Take a breath, take all the time you need.”

Kira nodded shyly as her vines started to cover her once again. “G-g-gr-gr-gr-gre…”

“They’re great?” Imani asked gently.

Nodding behind her vines, Kira made her already-small form look smaller, embarrassed and scared that she might be irritating Agent Jefferson.

“Kira,” Imani began, her voice soothing. “I don’t mind your stutter at all. I’m not irritated at you or anything like that, okay? I promise, it’s alright.”

“Y-y-y-y-” Kira was shaking slightly, struggling with getting her words out. Kira was used to it, but that doesn’t make it any less irritating for her. “Y-y-you…” Kira managed to get out before she stopped again.

“Here, I have an idea.” Imani rummaged around in her drawer before finding a legal pad and a pen. “Would it be easier for you to write notes and pass them to me?” She pushed the pad and paper across the desk to Kira.

After hesitantly reaching a hand out for the pen and paper, Kira snatched it up and started to write something down. Once she was done, she slowly put it on the desk and pushed it towards Agent Jefferson.

The note read “You promise?”

“I promise,” Imani reassured. “It’s okay to be nervous. It’s okay to have a stutter. I’m here to help you. I’d only get upset with you if you were hurtful to the people around you, and you are not that at all. Do you want the notepad again?” Imani pushed it within Kira’s reach.  

Kira nodded, her vines retreating slightly as she reached for the notepad. Quickly writing on the pad, she put in back on the desk. “What are your questions?” it read.

“Right now, I just want to figure how you’re doing. So you said home is good? How’s homeschool?” Imani put the notepad back in place.

Kira nodded again and grabbed the notepad, contemplating what to write for a minute before jotting something down. “It’s good, though it’s hard. School is difficult, but I like the challenge.”

“I’m glad! What’s your favorite subject?” Imani asked.

“Math.” Kira wrote, a soft smile on her face, her vines retreating more.

“That’s a very useful subject! Why do you like it?” Imani watched Kira write with a smile.

Kira took longer to write this time, “It helps with my power, and I like solving things.”

“That makes a lot of sense. Do you want to ask me anything? Talk to me about anything in particular?”

Kira didn’t need the notepad for this, instead just shaking her head no.

“Are you feeling a little bit more comfortable in this session?” Imani asked. “It’s okay to say no, I won’t be upset at all. I just want to make sure you feel alright.”

“Y-Y-Yes…” Kira managed to say, a look of achievement flitting across her eyes at the fact that she managed to say something.

“Do you mind writing why you were nervous at first? It’s okay if you’re not sure why you were afraid, or if you’d rather not say. I just want to know, if you’re comfortable telling me, so that I can help you work through some of those fears.”

Tensing up, Kira looked down at the floor, gripping her chair. She didn’t want to say, she didn’t want to offend Agent Jefferson and have her get mad. Kira closed her eyes and shook her head no.

“It’s alright, Kira. I’m not going to push you,” Imani consoled. “But if it makes you feel any better, you’re not going to say anything to me or about me that would make me angry. I’ve heard it all, trust me. I worked with teenagers for a few years before I did this. I’ve been called every name and slur in the book. I don’t want you to ever worry about making me angry, alright?”

Kira nodded, but was still hesitant. Agent Jefferson might not have gotten mad at regular kids, but could have acted differently with kids like her.

“Alright. So, you’ll always have the option of the notebook if you’re having a rough time talking, okay? But I want you to try answering first. I won’t be upset at all if you can’t, I promise. Does that sound okay?”

“Y-y-y-y-” Kira started, furrowing her brows as she tried to talk. “Ye-ye-yes,” she finally finished.

“This first session, I’m going to be asking about your life and general well-being for the first part,” Imani began. “Then if you want to talk about things, you can, whatever you want to talk about. If you can’t think of anything, I’ll ask a few questions.” She gave Skyler a reassuring smile. “And don’t worry about being nervous. It’s perfectly normal, and you’ll get less and less nervous as we do this more often. This is mostly for me to check in on all of you, since being a superhero, a student, a teenager, and everything else can definitely be stressful, and some of your peers got their powers under traumatic circumstances. What I care about is you being well and happy, and having the coping mechanisms you need. Does that all make sense?”

Skyler nodded and looked around. They spotted a fidget toy within reach, picked it up, and started playing with it. “I’m all ears for those questions, and I’m...okay with answering. Whatever you need, Agent Jefferson.” They gave Imani a small awkward smile.

“Alright, perfect,” Imani smiled. “So first of all, just a quick bit of information for me to make sure you’re most comfortable in these sessions. Do you prefer any nickname or name besides Skyler? And they/them pronouns are best for you?”

Nodding again, Skyler’s smile grew less awkward and gave off a more comfortable feel. “Sky or Skyler works, and they/them pronouns are preferred. Thank you for asking, Agent Jefferson!” They beamed.

“Of course! I want you to be comfortable, and misgendering you won’t foster that. And you can call me Imani if you’re more comfortable with that. So, Skyler, tell me a little about your life. What grade you’re in in school, how you like school, what you do outside of school, all that.”

“I’m a freshman in highschool, and it’s...okay I guess. High school is high school. Nothing great about it,” they said, looking at the toy they were playing with. “And I uh...work at a run down insectarium after school.”

“That sounds interesting!” Imani replied enthusiastically. “Do you like it there? How often do you work?”

Skyler nodded, smiling softly. “Yeah, it’s run down, but everyone who works there loves it and loves the insects. It’s not a lot of money, but they let a 15 year old work, so I can’t complain. And I work 4 days a week - Monday to Thursday. Since Friday to Sunday I’m here.”

“I’m glad you enjoy it. You seem like you keep pretty busy, do you have much time for yourself? What do you do for fun, to relax?”

“I uh...play with my pets.” Skyler said awkwardly. It was the truth, and they took great care of their pets, but they just didn’t get a whole lot of free time. They mostly played with them late at night while studying.

“That sounds nice,” Imani replied with a smile. “It sounds like you have a lot going on. How do you do with all of that?”

“I do fine.” Skyler responded rather fast. They didn’t like people telling them they had too much on their plate. They needed to stay busy, not only to help their family but to better their future. It was a necessary thing.

Imani nodded. “Be sure to let me know if you have trouble with anxiety or feeling overwhelmed, okay? We can go through some exercises or strategies to help manage that, if you do start feeling that way.”

Skyler nodded. “Yeah, okay. Do you have any other questions?” they asked, hands still fidgeting with the toy.

“How is your family situation? Who do you live with, are you happy at home?”

“I live with my parents.” Skyler said, their smile returning. “We might not have a lot, but we are still happy and have fun. My mom is a teacher and my dad works odd jobs whenever he can. It’s...not the best, but it’s nice.”

“What do you mean it isn’t the best?” Imani asked gently.

“It’s just hard having parents that are busy.”

Imani nodded. “That makes sense. So, do you like it here? How do you feel about your living situation, the training, everything? You can be honest if you hate it, I won’t be offended.” She gave Skyler a reassuring smile.

Skyler nodded, “It’s nice here. Ace is...interesting. Not in a bad way.” They added the last bit awkwardly. “I just feel like I might not be the best person for this. I mean all I can do is control insects and rodents, and…” They absorbed the material of the fidget toy and showed it off. “This.”

“Hey,” Imani murmured. “Listen, you’re here for a reason. Agent Schott and I vetted all of you. Siham doesn’t have any powers, but they were a valuable addition. It’s not about who has the “best” powers, it’s about who’s a good hero. You might think that you aren’t right for this, but we trust that you are. Soon, we’ll show you that you are too.”

Nodding again, Skyler rubbed the back of their head, their power fading. “I just feel bad because my focus is all over the place.”

“How so?” Imani asked.

“School. Work. I take AP courses so most of my time is spent doing school work. I even brought it here, just in case I have time. Sorry, I know I should be focused on hero work, it’s just hard to break routine.”

“Skyler, it’s alright. We don’t expect you to be focused on hero work all the time, you’re a kid. I’d be worried if you were only focused on hero work. It’s alright. I’m mostly just concerned about your lack of downtime. We’ll give you plenty of downtime here, I’d just like you to try and use a little bit of it for actual downtime.”

“I’ll try, Agent Jefferson.”

“Perfect. I know it’s going to be stressful at first, since you’re used to working a lot. But just little by little, okay? Enjoy being a kid sometimes.”

Skyler nodded and smiled at Agent Jefferson, “Thank you for this opportunity to be around...kids like me.”

“Hey, don’t thank us. You’re here because we know you can do amazing things. We’re glad to see all of you grow in a place that helps you and gives you support. So, do you have any questions for me? Anything you’d like to talk about?”

Skyler shook their head no, “I don’t have anything to ask you or to talk about, sorry. Should I have prepared something?”

“That’s good to hear. Basically, this first session is going to be me learning a little about you. So, first of all, just to make sure I have this right, you prefer the name Siham and use they/them pronouns?” Siham nodded brightly. “Is there any other name you’d prefer?”

“Nope! Siham works.”

“Okay. So, Siham, tell me about school. How’s everything going?”

“It’s alright! Moving to high school was weird, I’m just so new. And it’s frustrating sometimes. I mean, a lot of teachers don’t like my preferred pronouns and sometimes, people get upset with me for wearing hijab. But it’s not such a big deal, I have friends who care about me a lot and use my right pronouns and don’t mind my hijab. And classes are pretty easy.” Imani nodded.

“Preferred pronouns can be difficult in high school, especially with they/them pronouns. But I’m glad you have friends who support you. What do you mean people get upset with you for wearing hijab?”

Siham shrugged. “Sometimes they call me names. But not much else. It sucks sometimes but I know they’re just dumb jerks, and I shouldn’t really care. And they’re not that bad about it. If I cared about being popular it’d be a big deal, but I don’t, so it isn’t. I have my friends and that’s all that matters.”

“That’s good that you feel that way! If it ever does start really upsetting you, though, here is the place to talk about it, alright?”

“Alright!” Imani beamed at their enthusiasm; too often, getting teenagers to cooperate during mandatory check-ins was like pulling teeth, but Siham didn’t seem to be having too hard of a time. Though, granted...Siham was pretty low on the list of people that Imani worried about. But sometimes, people surprised her.

“How about home and your family? How do you get along with everyone?” Imani asked.  

“I love my mom and dad a lot,” Siham smiled. “They’re awesome and they didn’t get the they/them pronoun thing at first, but they looked it up and read a bunch about it and they’re okay with it now. I mean, sometimes they accidentally call me their daughter, but I don’t mind that so much. My big brother, Amjad, is super nice too, but he’s kind of a pain sometimes. He treats me like I’m five, and he keeps telling me that I shouldn’t do hero stuff.” Siham’s happy expression wilted briefly. “He thinks I’m dumb enough where I’m gonna get hurt. He doesn’t believe me that I know what I’m doing. Now he’s more okay with it, since I have all of you, but he still gets upset when I do hero stuff. I know he worries about me, but sometimes it feels like he doesn’t think I can handle things. I mean, Mom and Dad worried, but once Bay started helping me, they didn’t tell me to not do it. They just told me to call them if anything happened or if I got hurt at all, and to not go anywhere without Bay helping. Then they felt better. But Amjad still didn’t like it, even when I followed Mom and Dad’s rules.”

“I can see how that would be frustrating. I’d tell you that it’s because he loves you, but you know that already.”

“Yeah! I mean, I get why, but it still sucks. It makes me feel like he doesn’t believe in me, you know?” Imani nodded.

“I understand what you’re saying. It’s very difficult to feel like you’re not supported.”

“I’m just glad my parents are so awesome,” Siham smiled.

“I’m glad for that too. That really does make everything easier.” Imani made a couple small notes on a pad on her desk, and looked back at Siham. “Speaking of feeling like you’re supported, how do you like it here? You don’t have to be polite, I won’t be upset if you say you hate it.”

“Why would I hate it? It’s so cool to be around a bunch of heroes! And I’m so glad that I’m gonna get to learn how to be an even better hero on a team! Kira’s so cool and I love all the stuff we get to do!” However, their enthusiasm seemed to fade for a fraction of a second before they caught themselves. “It’s all great!”

“You seemed to be a little bit...upset, or worried,” Imani said carefully. “Are you sure everything’s alright here?”

Siham took a deep breath and looked at their feet. “Yeah, I’m just...sometimes...I don’t have any powers,” they finally sighed. “Everyone else does. I don’t know, I’m just a little worried that when all of them get really awesome with their powers that I won’t be able to catch up. Because they’re all so cool already.”

“Hey,” Imani started. “You’re pretty cool already. I mean, a lot of people would say that it’s even cooler that you can keep up with people like Bay with no powers. And we brought you here because we know you can do it.” Siham gave a sheepish smile.

“Thanks, Agent Jefferson,” they murmured. “That does make me feel better.”