Regaining my balance, I turned around and grinned at my mom. That's when I noticed everyone was gaping at me. Silence so thick it seemed I could cut it with a knife settled over the staring crowd. No one moved. No one made a sound.


My stomach dropped. Was I going to be an outcast once more? I felt blood rushing to my face and I turned to run back to the elevator, away from all these watching faces, when I felt something tugging at my jeans. I looked down and saw a little girl, no more than 6, with hair so blonde it seemed to be white, gazing back at me.
“How did you do that, miss?” she squeaked.
I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again. Frowning, I shook my head. How did I fly? How did it all start? Was I hit by a meteor when I was little? Was I bitten by a radioactive spider?


I laughed. The abnormality of this situation was unbelievable. I stared at the girl once more, then at my family, then walked swiftly back inside. There I hit the down button on the elevator, and waited. All of a sudden I heard soft, pattering feet behind me, so I glanced over my shoulder. There was the little girl, chasing after me. I kneeled down. She walked right up to me and whispered in my ear.
“Miss,” she breathed, “My brother is special too.”
“Oh really?” I said, amused. “How is he special?”
“He is super fast. Much faster than my daddy's car. He left this year, to go to a special school.”
I considered this for a second. Could there be others with special powers just like me? Or is this kid just making things up?
“This school,” I asked cautiously. “What's it called?”
“Kratos School for Superhuman Powers, or KSSP.”
“Huh. Hey, you're not making this up, are you?” I questioned.
“Oh no, ma'am, my daddy says lies only lead to trouble.”
The elevator behind me opened, and I stood up.
“Thanks,” I told her, stepping into the elevator. “Thanks for everything.”


But by this time, my family had made their way over to me, and walked briskly into the elevator. No one else followed, but as the doors slid shut, I saw many faces peering at me curiously. As the elevator jolted down, my mother finally opened her mouth to speak.
“What...how...,” she began, then shook her head, unable to find the right words.
“I don't know how I did it,” I explained, “but I have been able to do it for a while.”
I launched into the story of when I was little, of how I wanted my teddy bear so badly, and somehow managed to fly up and grab it.
When I finished, she only gazed at me, as if through a haze. Then, to my surprise, her dark brown eyes brimmed with tears.
“Oh, Hazel!” she sobbed. “That time you told me...they were teasing you...and I thought...” She broke down into loud wails, tears overflowing and streaking down her cheeks. Unsure what to do, I reached out a hand and slowly patted her shoulder.
“Er, it's okay, Mom, h-honestly.” I stuttered.
“No!” she howled. “It's not! I should have believed you! Or done something!”
She stopped talking and her weeping slowed until it was only shuddering breaths.


Quiet descended over us. I avoid eye contact with everyone, choosing instead to stare straight ahead until, finally, the elevator jerked to a stop and the doors slid open. The uncomfortable silence followed us to the car. My little sister, Rosie, kept opening her mouth and then quickly closing it again, as if she wanted to say something but somehow couldn't. When we finally reached the van I clambered in quickly. Only when we started to drive away did I announce what I had found out.


“There's a school for people like me. People with powers.” I proclaimed in what I hoped was a casual voice, ignoring my shaking hands.
Mom seemed to have recovered her voice by this time. “Really?” she inquired. “There are others? What's this school called?”
“Kratos School for Superhuman Powers,” I replied, and I gazed out the window, already dreaming of my life if I went there.
Then Dad spoke for the first time. “Do you want to go?” he questioned, glancing at me.
“Huh?” I started, coming back into reality.
“Do you want to go to this school, er...Karton is it?” he asked again.
“Oh. Kratos,” I corrected. “And maybe.”
But I already knew I would go.


When we got back to our home, it was nearly dark. I immediately got ready to sleep, then jumped in bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. No sooner had my head hit the pillow when I fell asleep. That night I had dreams of flying, falling, and memories from when I was young...


When I awoke that morning I got up, excited. Today I was going to find out everything I could about Kratos. I walked to the bathroom and splashed icy water on my face, then stared at my reflection. Wide, electric blue eyes gazed back. Slightly wavy brown hair fell to my shoulders, and my thin body seemed frail in the lighting. I yawned and scratched my head, then grabbed a ponytail holder and pulled my hair into a messy bun.


When I went down for breakfast I found my mom sipping coffee. When she spied me her face broke into a grin.
“Oh, good, you're awake,” she said. “I did some research about Kratos. It seems like a very nice school. You take a lot of the usual classes; math, english, science, along with some new ones like training and controlling. Oh, and you will be staying there for the entire year, so if you do decide to go, you need to bring a lot of your items. Here, I printed out a list.”
She handed me a piece of paper with a column of typed words.
“And here's your daily schedule if you do decide to go.”
She handed me another sheet of paper.
“Oh, and of course, a picture of the school.”


The last page she handed me possessed a photo of a large, tan, castle-like building plopped on a grassy hill. It looked like someone had built it using a picture they found in a fairy-tale book. The base was rectangular, with towers and columns sprouting from and standing next to it. In front, surrounded by blooming flowers in shades of pinks and purples, sat a single fountain, made of marble, in the shape of a plump man. He was about 5 feet 8 inches, with a bushy beard and balding head. His tiny eyes seemed to squint over the spectacles resting on his rather large nose, and his mouth was pressed into a thin line. He seemed like the kind of man who was very strict and didn't laugh much; I hoped he wasn't the principal of the school. I glanced back at my mom.
“Yea, I think I'm going to this school. Thanks for your help.”
“Oh, good!” she exclaimed, “I'll call the school and tell them to expect a new student in the fall!” She immediately picked up the phone and started dialing. As I ducked out of the room, I heard her saying, “Yes, Hazel would like to join your school. What can she do? I'll tell you what she can do! My little girl can fly!”

The rest of the summer passed pretty quickly. I never told anyone else about my power, but I did inform my 2 best friends I would be going to a different school in the fall. They cried and made me promise I would email and call them every day. I spent the last month of summer with them, making as many memories as possible.


Finally the day came. Grabbing my bulging bags, I hobbled to the car and put them in, then clambered in myself. My sister, Rachel, followed close behind. Mom and Dad stepped in, and together, we all drove to my new school.