A/n: This story originated just before my senior year of high school. Our Vacation Bible School focused on the "superheroes" of the bible, so a friend of mine and I played "Captain Super" and his sidekick "Nellie" and both opened and ended each day with a skit. I wanted to get more in-depth with my character, so I started working on a series of stories about the duo. This was the only completed one for the longest time. I just finished a later one, but I have one I started working on that's set after this. Each story is separated by a time span of three years. All of the stories (besides this one) are based on a song Well, I hope you enjoy this!

How They Met

It was Saturday. Antoinella looked around her room. This was the ten-year-old’s first weekend at the Super Academy. Her parents, both superheroes themselves, sent her there, certain that she had powers and would develop them at the Academy.

It was quite intimidating. Antoinella was small for her age and at the Academy, boys outnumbered girls by about four to one. She realized quickly that once the ‘I’m-a-good-little-kid’ façades fell when the first weeks were done, she would be the butt of numerous jokes, taunts and pranks. Such was the way of things, or so it had been at the elementary school she had previously gone to.

The only thing more intimidating to Antoinella than her classmates was the legacy hanging over her head. She was the daughter of two alumni of the Super Academy. Her mother was the best telekinetic in the history of the school. Her father had not only super strength, but also the ability to multiply himself.

She just didn’t feel like she was special at all, let alone enough for her parents. Her heart always remained with the books and music that had been her only companions throughout the years. Her parents always seemed to be too busy for their only daughter. She grew up quickly, learning to take care of herself at an early age. She never had many real friends, only the characters in her books and her music. Thus, she was a withdrawn girl.

The easiest way anyone could describe Antoinella in her younger years was unnoticeable. She was short, thin, and pale. Her shoulder-length hair fell in sienna waves around her heart-shaped face. Black, wire-rimmed glasses framed her round eyes. Her eyes were the only noticeable thing about her, if you caught a glimpse of them. Typically, she aimed them at a page in a book or the ground in front of her. Their clear, crystalline blue held astonishing maturity, knowledge, clarity, and intensity. Antoinella was a girl of knowledge, without a doubt.

She observed the room. Her roommate, Melissa, was out playing a sport of some kind. The white walls were filled with band posters and pictures of famous superheroes on Melissa’s half of the room. On her own, there hung only a single, small, framed family picture over her bedside table. As she looked around, the walls seemed to shrink in on her. She knew she had to get out of there.

In a haste to escape the unfamiliar surroundings, she grabbed a book as she wrote a note to Melissa. Antoinella then quickly stole out the door, dashed down the stairs and left the building. She paused to catch her breath and adjust her eyes once the sunlight beat down on her small form. As she stood there, she realized that she had no idea where to go. She looked around. She had rarely gone outside this week.

The buildings were of a tan brick and surrounded on three sides by forest. She currently faced the one side left clear, the side facing the road away from the Academy. Many of the older students, those with cars and driver’s licenses, were leaving the grounds to go into the city. Those students, she had heard, were likely not to come back until late Sunday night.

To the right, crowds of kids swarmed baseball and football fields, tennis and basketball courts, and many other athletic fields. That was the popular hangout for the younger students during the nicer months. There, the students played their various games either using their powers or not.

To her left, though, was a small path. It looked rarely used and led past the sprawling building complex of the academy before turning out of sight. Curious, she followed it to the edge of the farthest end of the building. There, it turned to her left again and disappeared into section of the forest that jutted out until it almost met the building.

Looking back to assure herself that no one had followed, Antoinella continued along the path. It wound itself deeply through the woods. The cool, light shadows from the canopy above surrounded her comfortingly. She walked slower and took deeper breaths as she relaxed into the natural environment and allowed herself to enjoy the surroundings.

Then, the woods halted, giving way to full sunlight. The path continued, but Antoinella froze at the edge of the woods. There in front of her, stretched a vast garden, filled with every kind of beneficial plant and bird imaginable. She gaped in awe at the sight before her. She had never seen such beauty. Slowly and quietly, as if afraid to disturb an old, cranky keeper who would toss her out as soon as look at her, she wandered. Soon, she rounded a large hedge. Behind it was another astonishing thing.

A calm lake, ringed by tall, beautiful trees, sat before her. The peaceful atmosphere made her abhor to turn around and go back to the bustle of the academy. Silently, her black ballet flats padded down around the lake to sit beneath the shade of a weeping willow. There, she was still in sight of the path, in case she had any need to leave. She leaned back against the tree and set her book on her denim-clad knees. She smiled bemusedly at the title. It was Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis, one of her favorite books. She opened the well-loved book for probably the five-hundredth time and began to read.

Lucas walked a familiar path. At thirteen, one would think he would be back at the Academy, playing games with his friends or studying in the students’ living area. Instead, the dark-haired boy walked the often ignored path, his long, tanned legs making quick work of it. His dark eyes flashed about, making certain that no one was following, though no one ever did.

Lucas was considered a strange boy by most of his fellow students. He tended to over exaggerate many things, causing those who knew him to roll their eyes in annoyance. He wasn’t very bright, nor was he very graceful. He tended to end up in the nurse’s office at least twice a week for various injuries, ranging from cuts and bruises after a simple game of solitaire to a broken nose from running headfirst into a wall. He was often called by his friends, or those he considered his friends, Luke. He personally preferred Lucas, but never said anything.

Even though he was thirteen, his powers hadn’t been honed much. Why was he here, then? The dean took pity on him. He came from a lower middle class family who sent him here in hopes of something good coming from their only son. When he was younger, he had shown much promise. By the age of eight, he could see through the walls of his home and could even pick up the refrigerator. But when he first came here at age ten, he had trouble using his powers all year. By the time he was twelve, he couldn’t use them at all. Lucas knew that this was his last chance. If he couldn’t use his 

powers by the end of the first month, he was being sent home. The dean said as much only twenty minutes before, when he had called Lucas in for a meeting.

As he brooded on this, his old sneakers reached an outstretched section of the woods. He slipped in silently, reveling in the quiet and comfort. He had a few sheets of staff paper in a notebook in his backpack. His only true talents lay musically. He could write music, sing, and play the piano. His voice was developing into a wonderful high tenor. His plan right now was to go sit by the lake and write a new song.

He had discovered this garden in the dead of winter during his second year there. It was Christmas Day. As he had been expecting, he didn’t get much. A new pack of staff paper, a letter about the goings-on at home and the antics of his older sisters, and a box of his mom’s chocolate chip cookies were it. His classmates were talking animatedly under the lights of the students’ living area about what they got. His own little presents weren’t much in comparison to the cell phones, laptops, and mp3 players that they had gotten, so he decided to walk outside. Everyone in the school was used to just either going straight or going right as they exited the building complex. So, for a change, Lucas went to the left. The path he now knew was covered in snow, but he discovered where it entered the woods thanks to the gap in the trees. Following the unused trail, he walked into the garden. Its beauty wasn’t the multicolored, late summer that would be found at the beginning of the school year, but rather the quiet, gentle beauty of the winter flowers and plants. He wandered and discovered the lake, in its entire frozen splendor. Lucas never mentioned it to anyone, but went there when he felt stressed or any other negative emotion. It was a good place to sit and think.

At this point, he realized that the tranquility was back to being sun brightened. He was at the entrance to the garden. In reverence, he walked softly and slowly. He rounded the hedge to find an unexpected sight. A girl in a light gray shirt and denim skirt, only around ten years old (for she looked young, and the youngest you could attend at was ten), sat under his favorite tree, the weeping willow, reading. Quietly, he began to approach her. Then, in his focus on being quiet, his feet caught each other and he fell to the ground with an “Oomph!”

Antoinella started at the sudden sound. She looked towards the path and saw a teenage boy with dark brown hair lying face first on the ground. Dropping her book, she hurried over to him.

“Are you all right?” She asked him, dropping to her knees to help him sit up. As he sat up, Antoinella found herself looking into a pair of deep, innocent, brown eyes, framed by thick black-framed glasses, set in a round face

“Yeah, I’m fine,” The boy said, looking a little sheepish, “That happens all the time. I was just curious as to who you were. Not many people know of this place.”

“Oh! I’m Antoinella. I’m new here. Is this your garden?” The girl replied. ’Antoinella! What a name!’ he thought. Lucas studied her a bit, now that she was closer. Her blue, glasses-rimmed eyes seemed to be able to perceive his very soul. She was pale and had wavy, brown hair. She was also very small, but her eyes belied her appearance, showing knowledge and an untapped strength.

“No, I’m just a student like you. My name’s Lucas,” He answered, standing up. 

Antoinella stood up as well. She felt a bit nervous with him observing her, but took the opportunity to take in his appearance. He was tan and tall, with a lean build. His glasses had tape across the bridge, attesting his clumsiness. His clothes were plain, just a simple black shirt and blue jeans. He carried an old, red backpack. His dark brown hair, though messy, was straight.

Silently, the pair walked back to the willow tree and sat side by side against its broad trunk. Antoinella grabbed her book again, but merely set it on her lap without opening it. They both seemed to be enjoying the simple quiet company they gave each other. Lucas slid his backpack off and removed his music notebook. Suddenly, Lucas broke the silence.

“So, um, what’s your power?” He asked awkwardly. He was curious and all, without a doubt, but he wasn’t entirely sure how to inquire into the comfortable silence without being blunt.

“Oh… I… uh… don’t exactly know,” She tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear self-consciously, “You?”

“I have super strength and x-ray vision!” He replied dramatically. He then quickly deflated, adding, “But I haven’t been able to use it since I was twelve.”

“Oh. How old are you now?”

“I’ll be fourteen this January. What about you?”

“Eleven next month,” The silence resumed, before Antoinella finally broke it in a frustrated rage, “I don’t even know if I should be here! My parents assumed that since they were both superheroes, I would have to have some sort of power. But what if I don’t? What if I end up being the big, fat, normal disappointment! I mean, I’ve never shown any signs of being special at all. I’ve never excelled in anything. I just don’t fit in anywhere! I can’t. I’m too weird for normal school and I’m too normal for here.” She finished, dropping her head onto her knees. Her curtain of brown hair fell around her, shielding her face from Lucas’s view. She didn’t want him to see her cry. She never let anyone see her cry, especially not boys she just met about five minutes ago. She didn’t know why she had even let herself go off on that rant. Maybe it was just the comfort of the silence they had shared and the feeling that maybe someone would finally listen, but she had no clue.

Lucas watched silently as she raged about being too normal for her family and then broke down. Her small shoulders shook from the force of her silent pain. From the emotions pent up in that outburst, he assumed that she had been keeping this in for a long time. Since he didn’t know what else to do, he started gently rubbing her back, like his mom would do to calm him down when he was younger. Slowly, she began to calm down, regaining the cool exterior that she had had before.

“Have you ever tried just clearing your mind? That used to help me. I never had any expectations when I did stuff at home. I just did it because I was curious, or because I needed or wanted to.” Lucas offered. It didn’t work for him now, but he hoped he could give Antoinella a hand. She seemed to so desperately need help. She looked at him for a second, then turned out towards the water and closed her eyes. After a few minutes of silence, the water began to ripple. Then, the calm waters of the lake began to burst skywards from the center, creating a natural fountain. Lucas smiled at her, though her eyes were still closed.

“What’s that?” She asked as the sound of the splashing water reached their ears. 

There was a slight waver in her voice, as if she was excited, but didn’t want to hope too much.

“Open your eyes, but keep your energy focused.” Lucas instructed. He watched as she slowly opened the crystal blue orbs. They filled with amazement as she saw the fountain she had created. She turned toward Lucas.

“I did it.” she whispered in awe. The jet of water began to shrink back into the lake until it finally disappeared. The only trace that it had existed was the ripples gently lapping against the shore. Antoinella leaned back against the tree, closed her eyes, and breathed deep. Her lips curved into a relaxed smile.

“Antoinella? How did you think to do that, of all of the things you could have done?” Lucas dared to ask after a few minutes of a relaxing silence. He was curious. Out of all the things one could have thought of to try, making a fountain would have been the last thing on his mind. Her lips pursed in thought.

“I don’t know. I sort of thought that maybe a fountain would add to the atmosphere here,” She replied after a minute. Then, her smile returned, only wider this time, “Think you could call me something else? Antoinella just seems so… stuffy!” Lucas laughed, clear and loud. She soon joined in, her laugh clear as well but with a musical quality, like tiny bells.

“Okay then… Nellie?” He suggested, her laugh still echoing in his head. She grinned at him.

“I like it! You go by anything other than Lucas?” She asked him in return. She figured if she (now) had a nickname, he might.

“Some people call me Luke.” He commented. He didn’t know why he didn’t say that he didn’t like it. ‘Oh well,’ he thought, ‘People have been called worse things.’

“Luke? Hmmm… Luke. Mind if I just call you Lucas? It sounds better.” She said to him after trying out the sound of the name a bit. He was shocked. No one had actually agreed with him on that point before.

“Go ahead! I like Lucas better, anyways.” He replied, looking up at the sky, “Maybe we should start back to the Academy. Don’t want anyone to worry, right Nellie?” He smiled as he stood up and stretched, then offered a hand down to help her up.

“Worry about me? Yeah right, Lucas.” She replied sarcastically, accepting his help up before picking up her book and his binder. He just shook his head, took back his binder, and offered her his arm. She took it and looked up at him, their eyes each reflecting a mischievous glint.

They walked back, talking about anything and nothing (usually the latter). Nellie’s arm kept Lucas from tripping over his own two feet sometimes. They went through the woods, talking and laughing, and then became a bit more subdued as they reached the open path. Suddenly, Nellie stopped. Lucas, surprised by her sudden pause, looked down at her questioningly. As if in explanation, she pointed up to a window on the side of the girls’ dorms that was about three stories up.

“What do you see up there?” She asked him. He followed her finger and took a quick look.

“Umm, a wall? A window?” He guessed. She raised an eyebrow.

“Look harder, or, should I say, concentrate.” She replied, putting on a slight smirk. A look of realization dawned on his face.

“Nellie, you know I-” He began.

“Try!” She insisted, giving him a look. The look, though, wasn’t a commanding one. It was as though she was pleading with him. He sighed, knowing he was beaten, and turned back to the building. He focused his intent on seeing through the wall and squinted his eyes. Suddenly, everything in the room became clear to him. It was a shared dorm room, with one side covered in posters and the other plain white with a single picture frame. There were stacks and boxes of books on the plain side, tons of C.D.s and sports stuff on the postered side and a crumpled piece of paper on the floor by the garbage can.

He was astonished and described the scene to Nellie, who confirmed most of what he had seen. When the piece of paper was mentioned on the floor, she grimaced, “I guess Melissa’s come and gone.” When Lucas looked at her questioningly, she explained, “Melissa’s my roommate. That’s my room.” He blinked and grinned.

“This is awesome! I have at least one of my powers back! Maybe I can get my super strength back too!!” He laughed, picking her up. She immediately looked hesitant.

“Lucas? I know you’re happy, but put me d-OOOOOOWWWWNNNNN!!” Her slightly scolding tone was turned into a scream as he tossed her up in the air. It wasn’t just a slight toss, like if an older sibling picked you up. She was even able to see over the buildings, she was up so high! She became very fearful as she realized that, as a klutz, catching her was very improbable. She scrunched her eyes up and contracted into a fetal position as she came back down. He tried to catch her, but the force of the landing knocked them both down, with Nellie sitting on top of Lucas, who was sprawled on the ground. She turned to look at him.

“I’m happy for you, but NEVER, I repeat, NEVER do that AGAIN!” She swatted him lightly on the arm, and then stood up shakily. Lucas grinned even more, standing up slowly after her, muttering “As you wish.”