The League of Incredible Students

Part 2 Chapter 1 "Chloe"

Chapter 1

By Teresa Gaskins

Chloe's nails dug into her palms. She stood at the edge of the sidewalk, staring at a woman a block ahead of her. The woman kept glancing back and forth, then down at something in her hand.

Go ask if she's lost, whispered a voice in Chloe's head. 'Are you lost?' Three simple words. Chloe took a deep breath and forced her hands to unclench. She took half a step, then stopped again. The town's not that big, she'll be fine. Besides, even if I try to help, I'll probably take her to the wrong place.

She hesitated a second longer, then, with a sigh, turned to continue on her way.

Normally Chloe appreciated the quiet afternoons, but today she would have liked some hustle and bustle: the soft sound of her own footsteps were not enough to drown out the voice nagging at her for leaving the woman alone. Even once she'd reached her goal, a small park three blocks away, and it was too late to change her decision, her conscience grumbled on.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe forced out the voice, replacing it with the sights, sounds, and smells of the park.

It was a small park, several trees spaced sporadically, some benches — a couple even with tables — along a path that wound through the grass. In one corner sat a small playground. A brick wall wrapped around it all, making it feel closed off from the rest of the world. A few birds chirped in the trees, and a squirrel dashed across the ground in front of her, but the park was otherwise empty.

Chloe jogged down the path to her favorite bench, pulling a physics book from her bag as she went. She hopped onto the bench, pirouetted and dropped to sit cross-legged, and was soon lost in the world of light as a wave.

"Chloe? Chloe Walker? Imagine meeting you here!"

Chloe's head snapped up.

A tall wiry girl stood next to the bench. She wore a black sweater that looked absolutely sweltering in the noon sun. Black pants of an unfamiliar material flared over black combat boots. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a pony-tail, revealing dusky black, crystal earrings. Against all the black, the girl's cheerful smile seemed out of place.

Chloe stiffened. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"Ah, you probably wouldn't remember. Summer camp by that lake in Minnesota, three years ago. You'd gotten lost and somehow wandered all the way to town and I had to help you get back. Name's Kate."

"Heh, sounds like something I'd do," Chloe muttered, raking through her memories. "I think I remember. You insisted on taking me yourself rather than asking adults."

"Yeah," Kate chuckled. "I've always been the self-reliant type. Probably not the greatest role model material. I haven't changed much."

"Your clothes certainly haven't changed." Chloe leaned back into the bench. Though she couldn't recall much about Kate, she already liked the older girl.

"Well, they're not entirely the same. But enough about me, how've you been? You're fifteen now, right?"

"Still fourteen, actua—"

Kate sprung back. A knife whirred through where her leg had been and thudded into the ground.

Chloe went silent, her mouth still open. She twisted to see where the knife had come from, and her mouth dropped even further open as a man leaped from the wall to land in front of the bench, rolling and coming up standing. A second man dropped down and slowly approached the girls.