"Oh, there you are Sammy. I was wondering why you hadn't come inside too. And you are the other boy In saw with them at camp." Louis and Sammy's grandfather waved to them to come over to the kitchen counter where he had taken a seat.
"Hello, My name is Art. Sorry for not introducing myself properly when we saw each other previously." Art was a little surprised to see the grandfather since he had not expected him to be so energetic.
"It's good that there is another around to keep these two in check. They can get pretty rambunxious at times." He laughed while Sammy turned her head away acting much quieter than usual. This was another funny change that the two had while being around their grandfather.
"Have you trapped them with your stories?" Sammy managed to get this out in a much quieter tone than usual. Asher and Art were having trouble keeping their laughter contained seeing it.
"How could I not tell your friends some stories. I just told them about your parents, but I can go on forever." The grandfather just continued with hearty laughter while opening the fridge and taking out bottles of water. "You four looked like you were having a lot of fun training. I bet you'll be top heroes in no time."
"I didn't realize you were watching. I hope we didn't wake you up from a nap…" Louis started to feel bad if this was the case since he knew his grandfather was restless in the night due to his old age and bad back.
"No no, it was nice to see you kids having a little fun. I think it is very studious to see all of you pursuing your dreams. When super powers were still newer and things were a mess many people rose to create order from it all and I can't wait to see you stand among them." This spurred all of their hearts in to more action. They had many reasons to push for improvement and this was yet another.
"Now, It looks like you two need to get going. There are some clouds coming in and they are rather dark." Louis and Sammy's grandfather pointed to some small patches of darker grey clouds on his beard. When Asher glanced outside he could see similar colored clouds coming toward them.
"Oh! Thanks, I don't want to get caught in the rain. Louis, Art, and I will wash and return the swimsuits tomorrow. Just remember the training session at the school gym!" Asher and Art ran out of the house as the wind was picking up. They wanted to beat the rain home so they wouldn't get wet.
"I think you two have found some very good friends in school. Make sure you stay close." Louis and Sammy's grandfather said this as he walked out of the kitchen and back towards his bedroom. Sammy and Louis just smiled smugly as they went to close the pool for the day.
Art and Asher rushed the entire way back to Asher's house. As soon as they touched the door handle the darkening clouds opened up and a torrential downpour began. "Safe! We made it!" Asher fell on to the entry way and tried to catch his breath.
"If I knew you two would shout as soon as you got back I would have locked the door." Cara was annoyed that Asher and Art had burst in to the house and interrupted Jane and her study session.
"You guys are just in time for some self quizzing. Cara has been helping me catch up to her in a few subjects. Your sister is really smart Asher." Jane had grown a very high sense of respect for Cara in the days events. Not only had they sparred together improving Janes' skills but Cara had also helped Jane get through some tough mental blocks when it came to academics.
"Yup, Asher can start studying. I just have to shower first." Art dashed up the stair leaving the three behind.
"Dang, he's trying to sneak out of studying right away." Asher recognized that Art was trying to be sneaky. "We need to set up a special pop quiz for him. Math on steroids." Asher grew an evil grin as he sat down and opened Jane's math text book.
"So what were you two up to the whole day?" Jane was curious where they had gone while Cara and her were training. It had been some hours since the two boys were back home and based on how Asher looked she knew they had been training.
"I bet they went to the public pools. But I didn't see you take your wallet so I hope you two didn't steal those swim suits." Asher knew that Cara was just messing with him because she had a slight smile and held a lot of curiosity in her eyes.
"We went to Sammy and Louis's houses. They have a pool in the back yard. But it's a deck that lowers in to the ground and is actually a pool. It is super cool. Louis let us borrow some swim suite so that we could learn some resistance training." Asher let this all spill out in a flurry due to his own excitement.
"What!? They have a pool. You should have called me and we would have come." Jane was a little sore from being left out since it sounded like they had a lot of fun.
"Water resistance training is pretty good. I heard a few of the martial arts club members do some in the school pools when the swim team isn't using them." Cara was nodding as she said this. She knew how well the training could work when done properly.
"Sammy said that she started to do it when she got home from camp. It seems like it will be a great way to get stronger since it tires us out and also forces us to use a lot more muscles at once. Plus Louis can't help but discharge small zaps while he is in the pool and it forces us to remain focused even though we are being annoyed by the zaps." Asher sat a little taller to show off his toughness.
"Oh, so it is the same as the meditation in rain or surrounded by loud music and people in the park training that some of the students with mental super powers do. Sounds pretty useful since it kills two birds with one stone." Cara again came out of nowhere with a good comparison.
"I feel like you are so far ahead. Academics, martial arts, super power development, and even training techniques. You are only a year ahead of us and you are so much farther along." Jane was yet again in awe of Ashers' older sister.
"I have been focusing on these things for a while. It is only natural that I would be a little ahead. But you guys are catching up more than I want so I will have to go off and train by myself sometimes. Plus I am one of the few students who books the sound proof room in school, that is the only place I can train my super power without causing a lot of damage."
"I think I can remember when you got your power. You whispered for like a month." Asher could recall vague memories of Cara whispering everywhere she went because she would not be able to control her super power and would nearly deafen everyone in the house. This was an interesting memory for Asher since he knew it was from this world for sure.
"Are you really sure you want to make fun of me for whispering? I have already learned to make frequencies that will cause certain things to shatter. Like glass, some stones, and maybe even some smart phones." Cara was radiating a threatening aura as she glared at Asher.
He quickly realized that she was not joking at all and would totally cause him trouble if he continued this teasing. Luckily Jane jumped in to change the subject, "It must be super cool to be able to manipulate sound. Can you sing really well too? Or play instruments better than anyone else?" Jane could only imagine that the power to control sound waves would give Cara these abilities.
"Nope, not a musical bone in my body." Cara shrugged and explained, "I can manipulate the sound waves, yes, but making them in to music is way different. If I make them in to music the frequencies I hit in between cause damage to others and items. If I have a natural singing voice then it would be different because I could tweak it. But since I don't then it causes problems."
Jane thought for a moment before showing a look of understanding. "That would be like me trying to only stop one person in place even though everyone else around could look in to my eyes still. It would just never work." Jane was a little off the mark but it was close enough for Cara to just agree with it.
"That was so much better. I feel like a new man." Art came down the stairs clean and in fresh clothing. However, when he saw Asher grinning from ear to ear he knew there was nothing good waiting for him.