Really?â
âMaybe having superpowers runs in the family?â
âMy gran wasnât super,â said Cam. âShe mostly knitted and drank whisky. Mind you, if she turned into animals it might explain why Dad avoided her so much⦠maybe he was allergic to her.â
Megan hugged Cam happily. Cam patted her on the shoulder, not really sure how best to react. They ran over to TJ, who had stopped sparking by this point, and was gathering himself up.
âWe must go. Quickly,â he said.
âYouâre coming to stay with me, TJ,â said Megan, as they walked briskly away from the devastation behind them. âAnd Cam has superpowers too!â
âYes. I saw,â said TJ. âThough I think flying is superior.â
For a change, Cam politely ignored TJ.
âHow did you find out?â Megan asked Cam, after a thoughtful silence.
Cam knew what she meant. âOne morning I woke up and I didnât know where I was. Everything was black, my heart was pounding. I was terrified.â
âOh, Cam,â said Megan, âthat sounds horrible.â
âI eventually saw light and headed towards it, and I fell right out the end of my bed and onto the floor in front of my mirror. It was so strange. I knew I was looking at myself, but it wasnât me in the mirror. It was a hamster. I totally panicked, started screaming, and then all of a sudden I was myself again, shouting at the top of my voice. My mum came running up the stairs; she thought Iâd broken somethingâ¦â
âThatâs awful,â said Megan.
âWasnât too bad. I did get a day off school out of it,â said Cam. âItâs happened quite a few times since then, but Iâm more in control of it now. I get this sort of fizzing⦠it starts in my stomach and moves up into my chest,â said Cam.
âI get that too! Like fireflies in your tummy.â
âThatâs it, yeah. Been happening for about six months.â
Megan frowned. âSeriously, what are the chances of us both having strange powers? Something really weird is going on.â
âYouâre telling me. Secret maps, robots, superpowers. I wonder if we could get special circumstances at school for all the stress weâre under?â
â
Should
we tell someone?â asked Megan. It felt more possible now she was no longer alone.
âTell them what?â said Cam. âNo oneâs X-raying me and putting me in a freezer. So letâs forget telling anyone. Itâs just us.â
âIt isnât just us, though, is it?â Megan looked at TJ. âYou said my gran could fly too. Do you know whatâs going on?â
Beneath his blank expression, Megan could tell he was working something out.
âThis⦠has happened before,â he said.
âWith Sarah?â asked Megan.
âYes⦠something⦠in the water,â said TJ. He stared out towards the river, as if hoping that whatever it was would suddenly float to the surface. It didnât.
âThat explanation actually hasnât made anything clearer,â said Cam. âDo you know why we have superpowers?â
âI canât remember.â
âWhat exactly
can
you remember?â asked Cam angrily.
âCam!â said Megan. âHeâs been hidden away for ages; itâs all still coming back to him.â
âWell, take your time TJ,â said Cam. âItâs not as if we were just deliberately attacked by a giant robot sculpture.â
âLetâs hope we finished it off for good,â said Megan.
âYep. Especially because it saw us using our powers.â
Megan hadnât thought of that. She didnât mind Cam and TJ knowing she could fly, but Resilience seemed a little less trustworthy. It was the way it had tried to crush her under a building that had really put her off.
âDo you think it was only after TJ?â said Cam. âMaybe