Ivy Abbott's Story

She sat in the shadows at the side of the school, snapping away on her camera. Ivy wasn't one for the first day of school socialization everyone else seemed to feed off of. She was more for staying quiet and not dealing with the tell tale high school drama, but ten minutes into her first day on campus and she was already getting stared at and whispered about. She was the only person without the ability to fly who didn't take the bus to school like everyone else and that wasn't helping with her desperation not to come off as a villain.

She continued taking pictures of the campus and the unsuspecting students when someone getting off the bus that just landed caught her eye. He was handsome but he hid it. He wore thick, black rimmed glasses and dressed very understatedly, like he didn't want to be noticed. But she noticed him anyway, because she knew instantly who he was. He was Marcus Steel, the son of her father's nemesis The Man of Steel. Normal children of super heroes/villains would immediately resent the child of their parents' nemesis, but not Ivy. She couldn't hate Marcus because there was just something about him, something she couldn't hate.

Right as she snapped his photograph, Marcus turned and looked straight at her. Startled, by the fact that he'd looked at her or the fact that she'd been caught photographing him she couldn't tell, Ivy jumped slightly and let her camera hang around her neck. Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder, Ivy stepped back and let herself dissolve into the shadows. She searched until she found a shadow near the front steps of the school. As she reappeared in front of the building, she sucked in a deep breath and headed towards Marcus.

Before she could reach him, though, someone's arm shoots out and a bony hand latches onto her upper arm, effectively halting her. Ivy whirls around to look right into the face of evil, otherwise known as Whitney Adams, the most popular child of The Robin and The Hawk, two notorious Heroes with the ability to fly.

"You're the Burning Man's kid," Whitney states with a nasally voice. It's not a question. Ivy gives the blonde a flat, bored look.

"And you're the egg head kid of The Robin and Hawk." Whitney glares at her remark and flips her sleek blonde hair over her shoulder.

"You better watch yourself, freak." she seethes. Ivy scoffs and rolls her eyes at her.

"Or what, you'll talk me to death?"

"Funny," Whitney says sarcastically. "Just remember, this is my school. Mess with me and I'll make sure you get pitched off the side of the campus and never come back."

With that she flips her hair, again, and struts off towards the hoard of Heroes near the center of the front courtyard. Ivy takes a deep breath as she glares at the girl's retreating figure before turning around towards the buses. She searches for Marcus, only to see him heading off towards the courtyard.

"Fantastic."

Marcus looks for a quiet spot in the courtyard to sit down and read before school started. He fixed his glasses while he looked around and found a nice place shaded by a tree. Marcus walked over there and took a seat on the freshly cut grass. He fixed his glasses again and looked around. Marcus stopped a looked in a direction that was towards the buses. He could've sworn he saw a girl but she disappeared somewhere. Marcus thought to himself, She's pretty. Marcus started rummaging through his bag and found the book he had been reading. After finishing a chapter he rubbed his eyes and fixed his glasses. His dad always said he could just get contacts but Marcus didn't want them. He liked his glasses, they helped him hide and go unnoticed. Marcus looked up real quick to see if he could find that girl again but instead saw someone much worse walking straight towards him. It was the only and only Whitney Adams. He'd heard about her and prayed he wouldn't have to deal with her. He quickly hid his face hoping to go unnoticed. Please don't notice me...

She decided to just go hide in some shadowy corner of the library until she had to report to Sidekick 101. But as Ivy dissolved into the shadows and searched for the library, something in the courtyard caught her eye. The infamous Whitney Adams was strutting towards a certain glasses wearing boy sitting under a tree and trying to go unnoticed but failing miserably. Ivy sighed deeply as something in the back of her mind told her that she had to do the right thing and save the poor hero from the she-demon with her sights set on him.

Ivy reached out to the shady area where Marcus Steel sat and materialized by his side silently. She tapped on his shoulder, causing him to jump slightly before looking at her.

"Come with me if you want to live." she says with a dead serious face. The boy's eyes widen slightly and she can't help but let her serious mask drop as she smiled slightly at his fear. The boy seemed to realize she was kidding about the whole dying thing and quickly stood up from his place on the ground. Ivy's small smile widened slightly as she grabbed his hand, causing them both to dissolve into the tree's shadow. Just before they completely disappeared, she caught a glimpse of Whitney's furious and bewildered face, causing a triumphant smirk to replace her smile.

When they rematerialized in the shadow of a large bookcase in the library, Ivy immediately dropped Marcus's hand and took a few steps away from him. Looking up at him, she stuck out her hand with her small smile on her lips.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ivy Abbott."

"M-Marcus Steel." Marcus stuttered a bit with his Irish accent. "But you already knew that..." Marcus knew that last name all too well. Abbott was last name of his fathers arch enemy. Marcus decided not to let this ruin anything. After all he had no friends. Plus she just saved him from Whitney.

"Thanks for saving me." Marcus finally took her hand and shook it. It was small compared to his. He looked at their hands together and smiled then nervously drew his hand back. "So are you in the hero program?" Marcus questioned. It seemed like she had a useful power. Being able disappear and reappear anywhere amongst the shadows. Though it could be used for villainy... Marcus quickly erased that thought from his mind. He wasn't going to let his father judgement influence him.

"M-Marcus Steel," the boy stuttered with a slight Irish accent. "But you already knew that." Ivy bit her lip but couldn't quite hide the smile that pulled at her lips. Marcus seemed to be one of those guys who was actually genuine and kind of shy, most people found that lame but Ivy found it... sweet. Something about him made her want to smile, and she hadn't smiled much at all since...

"Thanks for saving me." Marcus said, bringing Ivy back to reality. She shrugged, like saving shy but cute guys from bottle blonde she-demons was no big deal. "So are you in the hero program?" Ivy frowns at the question and shakes her head slowly.

"I don't believe in using my powers for other people's purposes." she says. When Marcus doesn't respond and she notices the confusion that flickers in his eyes, Ivy smirks and elaborates. "Today's my first day, I don't know what program I'm in yet."

Marcus opens his mouth to say something when a girl walked up to the two, effectively cutting him off.

"Uhm, e-excuse me? I'm new here and a bit lost; I'm trying to find orientation and no one's been helpful so far." she stutters nervously. Ivy scowls and Marcus looks absolutely lost.

"Orientation? Oh, you're a Freshman too? It's in the gym but it won't start until school starts for the day, whenever that is..." Ivy trails off as the bell rings throughout the school. Nodding, she links arms with the other girl and pulls her with her as she heads off towards the exit.

"See ya later, Hero Boy." she waves.

Marcus didn't want her to leave. She wanted her to stay there with him. There was something about her he liked. Maybe it was the way she looked at him? Marcus couldn't figure out why and hated it. He hated not knowing things. He looked at her trying to hide the fact he was sad she was leaving. "Bye, I'll see you in the gym after orientation. That's when you get put in either the hero or the sidekick program." Marcus hoped she'd be in the hero program with him but if she was a sidekick he'd make sure they'd get partnered together. thanks to his dad Marcus has many connections.

Marcus found a secluded table and sat down and continued reading his book. he didn't have to leave until after orientation was over. Then he'd go to the gym to watch the freshman get put in their program. Marcus remembered when he did it his freshman year. As soon as he got onto the platform in front of coach everyone started to whisper. There was no one in the school that didn't know about him. Marcus hated it. he readjusted his classes and a couple people laughed. Then the coach asked what his power was. Marcus said strength, more laughter. Then they dropped a car on him and Marcus caught it, with one hand. Everyone looked surprised and Marcus just walked down and ignored everyone.

Marcus heard the library door get slammed shut. Of course it just happened to be Whitney Adams again. She walked straight towards, but this time she had to dumb looking guys with her. She took the book out of his hands as well as his glasses.

"That's better. I don't get why you wear these things. You look so much hotter without them." This was followed by a wink and a jealous look from one of the guys. Marcus gulped not sure what might happen next...

Samantha was caught off guard when Ivy grabbed her arm and pulled her along. She smiled at her "I'm samantha by the way" she said with an innocent smile. Samantha never really had a lot of good friends most of her friends were just there because of her popularity or because her parents were rather wealthy. "so do you think you're going to be a hero or a side kick" she asked

Samantha was caught off guard when Ivy grabbed her arm and pulled her along. She smiled at her "I'm samantha by the way" she said with an innocent smile. Samantha never really had a lot of good friends most of her friends were just there because of her popularity or because her parents were rather wealthy. "so do you think you're going to be a hero or a side kick" she asked

“I’m Samantha by the way,” the girl said to Ivy as she pulled her in the direction of the gym. Ivy made a noise, acknowledging that she heard the girl, but didn't say anything. She was never one for conversation, mostly because everyone thought that just because her father was a super villain she was evil too and assumed that she was going to either lie all the time or be a bully.

As the two girls entered the gym, they were immediately swallowed by the sea of Freshmen around them. Ivy felt eyes on her almost instantly, feeling nervous and annoyed by all the staring and not so subtle whispering about her, she dropped Samantha’s arm and slid back into the shadows. When she reappeared at the very back of the crowd, Principle Heroine stepped up on the make shift platform that was set up for power placement that would take place in a few moments and looked out over the crowd of teens.

“Welcome Freshmen to Super Hero High. Here you will be taught how to use your unique powers for the greater good of the world and to protect the human population,” the principle’s eyes landed on Ivy as she said this. Ivy fought the urge to scowl. She looked the part of a villain in training, at least that’s what everyone thought. She wore a black button down shirt with dark ripped jeans and black shoes- not exactly hero style- and she had one visible tattoo of a key hole on the back of her neck because her white hair was pulled up into a pony tail. Her chances of coming off as an innocent sidekick were slim.

“But before we can teach you anything,” the principle continued, “you have to be sorted. In a few moments, Coach Thunder will take my place on the platform and you will all be called up one by one. You will tell the coach your power, then he will select how to test your power to see if you should be placed in the Hero track or the Sidekick track. Alright, let’s begin.”

The principle left the stage and a man in his late thirties took her place. He looked over the crowd for a moment before pointing a finger at a girl near Ivy. “You,” he said, “come up here.” The girl didn't even bother to look nervous as she confidently went up onto the platform. “What’s your power?”

“I can fly,” she answers. The coach smirks, looking at the remote in his hand before pressing a button. Without warning, the part of the platform the girl stands on springs up, launching her into the air. The girl isn't fazed, simply turning and flying back to the platform. The coach grins.

“Hero!” he bellows, his voice echoing throughout the gym. The placement testing continues like this for what seems like hours until the bell finally rings.

“Alright, we’ll continue this after lunch,” Coach Thunder says, his eyes scanning the crowd of freshmen yet to be placed. “And we’ll start with…” his eyes land on Ivy standing just outside of the shadows and he smirks.

“Starting with you.” He says, pointing at her. She rolls her eyes and follows everyone else out of the gym and towards the cafeteria. As she enters, the cafeteria goes silent. Scowls at everyone in the nearby area that’s not so discretely staring at her and everyone abruptly looks away from her and goes back to their conversations.

Ivy heads towards the back corner of the cafeteria, where an empty table sits partially in the shadows and takes a seat there in case she decides she needs to make a quick escape. Ducking her head, she pulls out her dog eared copy of Looking for Alaska and starts to reread it when someone sits down across from her with a lunch tray. Glancing up, she scowls slightly.

“Are you sure you want to be seen with me Marcus?”

Sam sighed in relief when she found out that she would be going after lunch. She in the back of her mind knew that her cloning power could put her in the hero position but she just wasn't sure. Sam looked around the lunchroom and noticed ivy sitting across from someone else. She slowly walked over to her and sat next to Ivy. Hey ivy right" she asked with a small smile

"I don't care what everyone else thinks. Just because you're fathers a villain doesn't mean you're a bad person." It was true that Marcus didn't care. He was going to let himself decide how she she was as a person, not others. "Besides I need a mate. And so do you..." Marcus began eating his food silently.

He did an impersonation of a southern accent. "Push me away all ya want but I ain't goin' nowhere." A mashed potato grin formed on Marcus's face. She returned a smile back at him. He didn't get why people hated her. she seemed like a really nice girl. "So i heard you're going first after lunch." The same situation had happened to him his freshman year here. "A word of advice, don't make coach Boom angry. He'll send you throw the wall." He pointed at a wall in the cafeteria. "Happened to a guy last year. Pretty funny though."

Marcus was surprised he was talking this much. Normally he was really quiet and shy. For some reason Ivy made him feel more comfortable. There was just something about her he really like. Marcus was determined to find out what it was. he was the kind of guy that hated not knowing something.

"I don't care what everyone else thinks," Marcus said to Ivy. "Just because your father's a villain doesn't mean you're a bad person." A wry smile appeared on her face as he said that. Oh, but doesn't it? she thought. Ivy was, in a way, a very bad person. She stole and she lied and she cheated people, all because she wanted to. "Besides, I need a mate. And so do you..." he trailed off, taking a bite of what looked like macaroni salad.

"Push me away all ya want but I ain't goin' nowhere," Marcus said with an awful southern accent and a shit eating grin on his face. Ivy gave him a small smile in return. "So I hear you're going first after lunch. A word of advice, don't make Coach Thunder angry, he'll send you through the wall," he warned, pointing to a section of wall across the cafeteria that had a fresher coat of paint than the area around it. "Happened to a guy last year. Pretty funny though."

As Ivy opens her mouth to say something, her stomach makes a loud sound that sounds like a dying whale. The pale girl blushes furiously and wraps her arms around her midsection, trying to ignore Marcus's curious frown. Just then, Samantha takes a seat beside her, saving Ivy from an interrogation.

"Hey, Ivy right?" she asks as she sets her tray down. Ivy nodded, feeling uncomfortable around the other two. It was just a habit. She never really socialized much as a child, or in jail for that matter, and having attention directly on her like this made her want to dissolve into the shadows forever.

"Listen, I know you're both probably nice people in general, but you can stop with the act." Ivy says nervously, knowing that though she's speaking quietly the two can hear her clearly. "I'm the Burning Man's daughter. I've been in and out of jail for years. People aren't nice to me." She stared at the lunch table as her eyes glazed over, refusing to look either Sam or Marcus in the eye.

With that, she grabbed her bag and camera off the table beside her and slid into the shadow, dissolving into the darkness right as the bell rang. After waiting for the gym to refill with people, Ivy reappeared at the edge of the crowd and wiped her teary eyes. She wasn't usually an emotional person but it still upset her to have to walk away from such nice people like Marcus and Sam, even if she knew they were just pretending to not judge her. And especially Marcus... something about him made her feel safe, almost happy, and that made it hurt so much more.

Coach Thunder mounted the steps and stood on the platform for a moment before pointing at Ivy. "You." His voice resonated around the gym as everyone silently turned to stare at Ivy. Swallowing nervously, she masked her emotions and hoped that nobody noticed her red eyes as she shoved her stuff into a corner and came up onto the platform.

"Name?" He asks, flipping through pages on his clipboard although he, along like everyone else in the gym knew her name already.

"Tinkerbell," Ivy responded sarcastically. People throughout the gym snickered and chuckled at her remark. Ivy let her eyes wander briefly to the bleachers where she saw Marcus watching her intently. She dropped her eyes.

"Name?" the coach asks again, clenching his jaw slightly.

"Ivy Abbott."

"Power?"

"I can morph into and control shadows." she answers, already preparing to dissipate into the shadow in front of her at the edge of the platform. The coach smirks as he presses a button on his remote. Without any warning to Ivy, a car drops from the ceiling and lands right where she stands. Only... she's not there anymore. Coach Thunder whirled around, frantically looking for Ivy when he heard a throat clearing from the other side of the silent gym. His head snapped up and his eyes widened in shock.

Ivy stood completely unharmed at the opposite end of the gym, right outside the shadows. A few wisps of her white hair had come out of her pony tail, framing her face as she smirked at the coach and waited for his announcement. Everyone turned to the coach with expectant eyes, whether they wanted to admit it or not, Ivy was meant for the Hero track.

"Sidekick!"

Samantha felt bad when Ivy thought she was putting on an act. She wasn't she was new just like Ivy and just watned to have someone to be friends with and this girl seemed nicer than some of the others. "I'm the Burning man's daughter" she said
Samantha shook her head and thought of what her dad always told her "just because your parents are evil doesn't mean you'll be evil and just because your parents are good doesn't mean you'll be good. It's all what you do with your powers that decide that"
The bell rang and Sam walked back to the gym where the sorting resumed.
Samantha watched as Ivy was sent to the sidekicks. "she should be a hero" she said to herself quietly. "You" Coach Thunder said pointing at Sam. She gulped and felt her legs turn to jelly. She finally regained feeling and walked up to the stand. "name?" he asked in an angry voice.

"Samantha Russo" She said just loud enough for him to hear.

"power?" Thunder asked again

"I can clone myself and control each indiviual clone" She said wiht a small smile

"alright demonstrate" He said

Alex focused and made 10 copies of herself and each one put their arm on the others shoulders and began doing the can can. She then nodded to the rest and they began doing flips and climbing on top of each other like they did in cheerpractice.

"Impressive HERO" he said and she walked off the stage