When Mike saw the red hulk of metal blocking the street, he didn't expect it to move- let alone have passengers riding it. He stopped walking and stared at the thing, wondering what the heck one was doing in the middle of Cornet. He was positive Ben's father wouldn't let such a strange contraption into the city. Mike made a move to contact Ben about it but before he could two slabs of glass (doors maybe?) opened and an old lady hobbled out to meet him.
"Hello Mike," she rasped. "Are you coming or going?"
Mike didn't know how to respond. Standing in front of him was one a Norm. It was so obvious, with her thin twig-like arms, awkward stance, and dull, brown eyes. Nothing like the fire that he had learned to wield with time, or the scales that popped up with his temper. She waved a hand. "Well? Boy I don't have all day. Are you taking this bus or not?"
When he still couldn't find the words to say something she sighed and put a wrinkled hand sprinkled with age on the glass. "Come on. I'll make you some tea."
Mike was starting to wonder if she lived in this thing she called a bus. The word sounded weird...different. Like a word humans had used before they got their powers. Something in his gut told him not to go inside but he dismissed it. It was just some little old lady. With no powers. What harm could she do? Mike didn't realize he would be eating his words later.
Inside the...bus...right... there was only one other person- an overly big man that took up two chairs and part of the aisle. Mike edged around him to where the woman was balancing a kettle of tea on the edge of a chair. "It'll be done in a minute. Sit down."
Mike didn't want to sit down but did so to humor her. The chairs were surprisingly comfy- not at all what he expected from the hunk of metal. The lady finished making her tea and handed Mike a cup. It tasted like dried up strawberries but Mike refused to comment. No upsetting the old lady. He ended up drinking the whole cup.
The lady took the cup from him when he was done. "Did you like the tea?" she asked.
Mike just nodded. "Yes ma'am." His father would balk at him being nice to a Norm but he wasn't too worried about that right now. He hid his yawn with a hand.
The lady just smiled and patted him on the back. "Just rest now honey. We'll be at the place soon." Mike was too tired to ask where exactly they were going.
When he woke up again, the scenery outside the windows was different. There were no buildings in sight. He narrowed his eyes at all the grass. He needed to get out of here. Mike stood up and looked around. The old lady was nowhere to be seen. The only person in the bus along with him was the big man. Mike walked towards the front of the bus and made to open the doors. "If you see that old lady again tell her it was nice meeting her, but now I have to go," he said.
In a flash the man was out of his chairs and blocking Mike's path. "I'm leaving. Let me out," Mike repeated.
The man didn't budge. "No."
Mike sighed. "Listen. I have to go. If you don't let me out I'm gonna have to burn my way out. Move."
"No."
Mike waved his hand, trying to will fire to come out of palms. But no fire came. Mike whipped his head towards the man. "What did you do to my powers?"
The man chuckled. "They'll be back. But only if you can make me laugh."
"Laugh? Are you serious right now?" Mike said.
"Dead serious- which you will be if you fail." His eyes flashed a bright blue and Mike attempted to hold back a grimace. He was an anpholar which meant enhanced abilities which meant he wouldn't be able to fight his way out of this. He had barely started his training.
"So am I supposed to tell you a joke or something?" Mike asked.
"You can also use all the things in this bus."
"So I can throw hot tea all over your face?" Mike asked.
"You won't find any of that here."
"Then what will I find?"
"How about you look around?"
Mike frowned and looked around the bus. It was a mess. Dirty clothes were strewn all over the chairs and lying in between a bra and some sort of fish thing was a pole. Mike picked it up, holding it by the edge of his fingers, and waved it in front of the man. "What's this?"
"It's a pole. I call it 'Little Sticky.'"
"Well how about you take 'Little Sticky' and shove it up your butt? Maybe it will convince you to let me out," Mike said.
The man didn't look convinced. "You're gonna have to do better than that kid if you want out."
Mike huffed and sat down in a chair, this one closer to the front. He looked at the man. "So what exactly is it that you do?"
"I fight."
"How? By crushing your enemies with your flab abs?"
The man glared at Mike. "Try harder."
And so Mike did. He juggled the clothes (which he didn't want to name- it made the situation worse), told jokes with the fish, and played with the pole, which true to its name was very sticky. Exasperated, he folded his arms over his chest and stared at the man. "You really are boring aren't you?" Wrong thing to say but at this point he didn't care. He had been in here for hours.
Mike sighed. "You know what? I'm gonna look for another way out." He stomped towards the sign that read 'Exit' in big red letters. But not before he slipped on something, falling flat on his back. The man laughed. Mike groaned and sat up, not wanting to think about what was on that floor. "Seriously? That's all it takes for you to laugh?"
The man grinned. "You're...such...a...loser," he gasped in between fits of laughter.
Mike rolled his eyes, tried to stand up again, and failed. "Look at you! You can't even stand up right! Talk about an embarrassment!"
"Can you let me out now?"
"Sure...sure...come back again - it really is fun watching you play with my uncle's love pole."
Mike tried to not to gag as he walked out of the bus.
