POP! Portal of Power
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It always seemed like panicked mayhem. Every day would wrap up in a deluge of chaos and complete helter-skelter. It should be so easy to just head to your class, go to your locker and then home.
Quin and Deemer had planned to meet out side their classroom. The crowds in the hallway seemed almost impossible. They were still six classrooms away from their room and they didn't feel like fighting the traffic. So the two boys decided to duck into the doorway of the maintenance room and wait out the rush.
It wasn't long before Sukie and Tess, girls from the same class, joined Deemer and Quin in the doorway.
"Hey, this is our doorway," complained Quin.
"Sorry," said Sukie. "We're not here to take your precious space away from you."
"It really wasn't our choice," continued Tess. "We're just waiting for everyone to pass by, just like you."
The four students stood in silence for about thirty seconds. Then Deemer got an idea.
"Maybe we can open up the door to the maintenance room so it won't be so squishy."
He grabbed the handle to open up the door.
"It's probably locked," said Quin.
Deemer reacted quickly, pulling his hand away from the handle almost immediately.
"I was right, bragged Quin. "The door was locked."
"No it wasn't," declared Deemer.
"So why didn't you open the door?" asked Quin.
"Because the handle made my hand tingle!" answered Deemer.
Quin grabbed at the handle and tried to turn it.
"OWIE!" shouted Quin.
"Hey, look!" noticed Tess as she pointed down. "There's a glowing light from the bottom of the door."
"Maybe we shouldn't go in," warned Sukie.
"We'll open the door, see what the problem is and then think about getting help if we need it," said Quin. "In the meantime I've got a plan to work around the tingling."
With that Quin wrapped the sleeve of his jacket around his hand, took hold of the handle and turned it. The door swung open quickly. It caught the four classmates off guard. Quin was almost pulled into the room.
The glow was coming from the opposite wall. It was bright enough to make it difficult to see anything in the maintenance room.
"I think it's time to get some help," suggested Sukie.
Everyone agreed. They started to move away from the doorway. They were surprised to see that nobody else seemed to take any notice of the glowing bright light that was coming from the room.
"Are we goin' bonkers?" asked Deemer.
"I don't want to find out," responded Quin.
As the group of four began to move, they noticed that it was becoming more and more difficult to pull away from the room. In fact the harder that each of the kids tried to push away, the harder they were being pulled back through the door and toward the glowing wall. They cried for help and no one reacted to their calls.
"Help us!" shouted Tess. "We're being sucked into the maintenance room!"
"HELP!"
"HELP!"
Sukie, Quin, Tess and Deemer had all been sucked past the door and were being drawn across the polished stone floor of the maintenance room. They realized that they could no longer fight the pulling strength of the glowing wall. They grabbed onto each other in fear as they disappeared into the glowing light.
As soon as the kids slid into the light, the wall returned to normal and the maintenance room door slowly closed and everything turned back to the way it was. Not one staff or student reacted to what had just happened. Everything was quite normal in the hustle and bustle of the hallway.
Quin, Tess, Deemer and Sukie had the sensation of being softly tumbled in a warm slow-motion dryer. It was still very bright. They could just barely see each other. Then suddenly the softness turned cold and hard. The bright light vanished and the four classmates rolled out hard onto a cold tile floor.
"Ouch!" cried Tess.
"Double ouch!" complained Deemer.
"What happened?" asked Sukie.
"WOW!" exclaimed Quin. "Look at where we are!"
The four students brushed themselves off and checked for cuts and broken bones. Everyone was alright so they began to look around.
There was a joint, "WOW!" as they all realized we they had ended up.
"We're back at our classroom," declared Tess.
"How did we get sucked into a wall and then get plopped down in our own room," asked Deemer.
"We went right through solid brick and ended up here," stated Quin as he juggled with his own confusion.
"I think we need to get some help now," said Sukie as Tess joined her and they headed to the classroom door.
Quin grabbed Deemer by the arm to get his attention and called past him towards the girls, "Now hold it right their!"
Then something very unusual happened. It took Quin a second for it to register in his mind. Tess and Sukie weren't moving.
"What's wrong with them," asked Deemer as he directed the question to the motionless girls.
"I think I froze them," stated Quin. "I told them to 'hold it' and it worked.
"If that's what happened, then why not me?" questioned Deemer. "Why was I not affected?"
"I'm not sure," said Quin. "But maybe it's because I was touching you."
"You're serious," stated Deemer.
"Go check out the hall," said Quin.
Deemer scampered past the two frozen girls and slowly opened the door and peeked down the hall. It was as crowded as ever, but this time not a single soul was moving. They were all frozen stiff.
"Can you release them?" asked Deemer.
"Close the door and I guess we'll find out," said Quin as he focused on the girls and said, "Move!"
Immediately the girls continued their matching stride to the door unaware that they had both been motionless.
"WOW!" celebrated Deemer. "You can control time! I wonder if you got super powers from getting sucked through the wall."
"What are you talking about?" asked Tess.
"Does that mean if you got super powers than the rest of us have super powers too?" questioned Deemer as he began to hyperventilate with excitement.
Sukie began to walk over to Quin. Both she and Tess were confused. Sukie reach out to move a chair out of the way. Without any effort Sukie sent that chair soaring across the classroom. But what was more outstanding was when Sukie was able to sprint in front of the chair, catch it and place it carefully back on the floor.
"I guess I got some powers too," declared Sukie. "I seem to be a little stronger and a wee bit faster.
"YAHOO!" shouted Deemer as he jumped with enthusiasm.
When Deemer leapt off of the floor he didn't come down. He began to float around the room.
"LOOK!" Deemer screamed. "I can fly!"
"It looks like we were all affected by the wall," declared Quin. "Sukie is stronger and faster, Deemer can fly and I can control time.
"And we share our powers with those we are touching," said Deemer as he floated back down to the floor.
"What about me?" asked Tess. "What is my super power? I want to have a super power too."
"You just haven't discovered yours yet," said Sukie. "You went through the same thing that we did. I'm sure you'll find out what your power is soon enough."
"So what should we do about these new powers?" asked Deemer. "I have some family and friends I want to share this with."
"I wouldn't tell anyone yet," suggested Quin. "They might not understand."
"Maybe this should be our little secret until we figure out what's going on," said Sukie.
"But I don't have a secret," complained Tess.
"Don't worry Tess you have a super power," said Deemer. "You just don't know what it is, but, you can fly with me until you do."
"Don't share anything yet," Quin stated strongly. "We have to keep this all a tight secret, OK?"
"OK!"
They left the classroom and walked to their lockers. There they saw a letter on Quin's locker. The letter read: "I'm visible just for you to be able to read. Now touch your lockers and say: "Locker in" twice." They each said: "Locker in! Locker in!" while touching their lockers. "ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!"
They found themselves in four chairs sitting in front of a very old man. The man said: "Hi kids, my name is Cho-Chen."
The four students were dumbfounded.
"I gave you my powers because I am too old to fight," continued Cho-Chen. "I know your names, so don't worry and Tess your power is you can turn invisible or anything you touch."
Deemer exclaimed: "Wow, we can be like superkids!"
"We can finally stop Blaze and his gang!" said Tess, "They have bullied everybody we know."
Cho-Chen nodded his head and said: "Go and keep your eyes open and your heads on straight."
Deemer, Quin, Tess and Sukie were in front of their lockers staring at each other.
As they stared at their lockers, a card popped out reminding them to,"Use your powers wisely!"
"Hey, where did Tess go?" exclaimed Deemer in a confused voice, "I can't see her anywhere!"
Quin yelled, "Where are you, Tess? Can you reappear?"
A ghostly shape began to appear down the hall. All three of the friends charged toward the image!
Suki hollered, "Is that you, Tess?"
"I don't know, I think so but I don't look like myself!"
They stared at her shape in surprise as she started to appear in front of them.
"This is amazing! But dangerous too!" said Quin.
"We don't know how to control these powers!" Deemer whispered. "We could get hurt!"
Just then the bell rang and everybody came pouring down the hall toward them. The four friends join hands and using Deemer's and Tess' powers they disappeared and floated over the crowd toward . . . . . .
. . . .the next class but Deemer accidentally vacated through an open window by theoffice.
Tess said, "Stop! Where are you going?"
As they soared out the window, they noticed their teacher walking toward the front door of the school.
Quin screamed, "Hi!"
The teacher scanned the area but she couldn’t see anyone.
"We’re up here!" bellowed Suki, while the three other friends were laughing so hard that their faces turned red and their stomachs ached.
Tess let go of Suki and Deemer as she held her sides. In the blink of an eye, they reappeared and tumbled into a heap at the teacher’s feet.
"Where did you come?" stammered the teacher in amazement.
"We were testing the elasticity of our science project for the Science Fair next week!" stuttered quick witted Suki. "But our bungy cord broke and flew back on the roof!"
"OH, my goodness, are you alright?"
"We’re alive. We’ve got a few bruises but all in all I think we’re fine." said Deemer as the four friends untangled and struggled to stand up. "Let’s go to my house!" he whispered.
Quin froze time and the four escaped on their wobbly legs to Deemer’s house. When they got there they . . . . . . .
walked in the door, Deemer asked them if they wanted something to eat.
"Yes please, we’re starving after using our powers this afternoon!" exclaimed Suki.
Deemer got them some cookies from the cupboard and asked if they wanted anything to drink?
"Can we have some milk?" asked Quin.
"Have a seat at the table," stated Deemer.
Quin questioned, "I wonder why Cho-Chen gave us these powers?
As Deemer opened the door to the fridge, Cho-Chen popped out!
Deemer jumped back, tumbled down and screamed, "How did you get in there?"
"That’s not the point! I’m here because Blaze and his gang are some terrorizing some kids in your school. They’re stealing lunch money and pulling pranks on them, like tying their shoelaces together when they’re not looking." declared Cho-Chen.
Tess yelled, "Now I know why I keep falling on my face and I don’t like it!"
Suki jumped up and exclaimed, "We have to stop Blaze and his gang!"
Tess glanced out the window, "Oh, oh, your parents are pulling into the driveway. Everybody grab your stuff and let’s boogey!"
"Go downstairs," whispered Deemer.
The kids scampered down the stairs. Deemer sprinted so fast down the stairs that he collapsed into a trap door. When the other kids got down they couldn’t see where Deemer was. They heard a faint echo –
"I’m down here... here... here"
Suki tripped over a loose floorboard and put her arms out to save herself. Accidentally she shoved Tess and Quinn. Together the three children tumbled forward into the hole.
"Ooww," moaned Quinn.
"Get off me, please," pleaded Deemer.
"Oh, I’m sorry," apologized Tess.
As the four friends struggled to get off the ground they noticed a faint light in the distance...
Quin babbled, "Let’s go towards the light."
When they finally got untangled they started scampering toward the light but the light kept maneuvering in midair.
"What’s making that light move?" asked Deemer.
The four friends dashed toward the light but it sped away until it came to a door at the end of a long, long hallway.
Suki questioned, "What’s on the other side of the door?"
They burst through the door and found themselves back at the school maintenance room. Tess carefully cracked open the door and in the hallway she saw Blaze and his gang terrorizing Quin’s buddy. Instantly, Deemer flew down the hallway and crash landed on Blaze.
During all the commotion, Tess turned invisible, snatched Blaze’s hat and tied his shoe laces together. She waved his hat above his head and ran to the bathroom. Blaze struggled to get up and as he started to move, he tumbled down on his face.
"Who tied my shoelaces together?" yelled an angry Blaze as he started to untie his shoes.
Tess scrambled to the bathroom and waved his hat out the door.
Blazed yelled, "That’s an expensive hat!", as he and his gang ran to the bathroom.
Still invisible, Tess stood at the door and stuck out her foot. Blaze tripped and slid into the bathroom! Blaze ended up in the middle of the bathroom with his gang piled on top of him. The little kids laughed as they ran out of the bathroom.
The door to the girls’ washroom flung open and there stood the principal.
“What’s all the commotion about in here?” bellowed Mr. Avocado.
Blaze and his gang untangled themselves and stared at the principal.
“Boys ??? in the girls’ washroom???” Mr. Avocado questioned. “That’s unacceptable! My office! Now!”
Mumbling to themselves, the discouraged dejected boys slowly sagged down the hallway. Tess, Quinn, Suki and Deemer gasped for air, while trying desperately not to burst out laughing. Walking past the office, the kids heard Blaze trying to make up a lame excuse.
“That’s enough! I want a five hundred word essay about why boys in the girls washroom is unacceptable!” thundered Mr. Avocado. “Girls need their privacy!”
When the four kids walked toward the exit doors, Suki noticed a light glowing in the janitor’s room.
“Come on, let’s go check out that light,” whispered Suki.
Suki turned the doorknob and the door squeaked open.
A cold sea-blue light greeted them into the cramped room. Deemer knocked over the janitor's supplies, which were barely seen in the neon burst of light.
"Watch it!" cried Suki
"Yeah somebody could've heard that." Tess piped in.
By the time the girls stopped scolding Deemer, the children noticed that they were no longer in the janitor's closet but in the principal's newly refurbished office where Blaze was sitting in a plastic orange chair muttering to himself.
"He's going to see us!" said Quin in a raspy whisper.
"We're the ones who got him into this and when he turns around..."
Quin gave a pause. Blaze was starring right at them with a blank expression. A strange warmth entered the room and a whoosh of sweet air spiraled around the children. The quartet of "Superkids" spun around. There stood a woman in an earthy brown cape with a wrinkled face and her index finger shaking vigorously at them.
The four classmates gasped at the entrance of the unknown lady. She seemed somewhat familiar to them yet a total stranger. They were not frightened or curious, just in the state of surprise.
"You are wasting your time," she scolded them in a voice as rocky as gravel, "This is school rivalry. You were given those gifts for something much more urgent."
"What about h-h-him?" stuttered a shaken Deemer pointing an unsteady finger at Blaze.
"He is frozen in his time," the woman explained, "We are moving on, yet everyone else is stopped in their tracks.
"But I thought freezing time was my power." whined Quin.
"I'm Cho-Chen's mother, Tou-Tou and I possess all of your powers." said the lady.
"Cho-Chen instructed us to stop Blaze from hurting the other kids," explained Tess "and now we're getting in trouble for it."
"Cho-Chen is what I'm here to tell you about," said Tou-Tou in a firm tone," He has been missing for days."
"But we saw him earlier this morning when he told us to stop the bullies," Suki pointed out glancing nervously at the frozen Blaze.
"And when he gave us these powers in the first place," Tess piped in.
"I don't know how you've communicated with him but, I would like you to use your powers and find Cho-Chen."
“Oh my gosh!” Suki declared. “We have to go to the maintenance room!”
After they bolted to the maintenance room, Deemer slowly opened the door with a creak. It was very dark and gloomy. They could hear the sound of the machinery but there was no sign of Cho-Chen.
“Looks like there’s no Cho-Chen here. Let’s search my house!” said Deemer.
As the four joined hands, Deemer and the rest of the crew zipped across town using his power of flight and Tess’ Invisibility power.
Quin exclaimed, “Let’s look in the fringe!”
“Shhh, I think I hear something!” Tess whispered. They heard a rustling, popping, crackling sound coming from the pantry.
They lunged for the door and threw it open!
“So you found me,” Cho Chen mumbled through a mouthful of cookies. “Please don’t tell my mother,” pleaded Cho-Chen. “Can I have some milk, please?”
“Why are you hiding out in the pantry?” asked Suki.
“My mom is a terrible cook and I’m obsessed with cookies! Please, please, please don’t take me to my mother because . . . . . . .
she just put me on a diet!” Cho-Chen admitted patting his stomach.
“Why are you on a diet?” Suki quizzed.
“I’m not active enough because I just use my powers to go everywhere and help people in distress.” replied Cho Chen. “I gave my powers to you because I was famished and I wanted to gobble down your mom’s incredible cookies.”
“How did you know that my mom’s cookies were so good?” asked Deemer.
“I snuck a few when we were here earlier! They were a flavour explosion in my mouth! I just had to devour some more!”
“But eating cookies is cheating!” scolded Tess.
A reddish glow crawled across Cho-Chen's chubby cheeks and his head drooped. The kids could see Cho-Chen's embarrassment so they comforted him.
“Once, my Grandma made my Grandpa some cupcakes. I managed to eat all of them before Grandpa came home from grocery-shopping,” exclaimed Deemer. “When Grandma found out all she did was make Grandpa some more.”
“Yes, but you were small. I'm a full grown man and I still sneak unhealthy snacks.” said Cho-Chen guiltily.
“Well, we have to take you to your mom!” pronounced Tess. “She is worried sick about you.”
BANG! A sound echoed up the stairs and into the pantry. They heard the staircase creaking and noticed a dark figure that said, “Hello kids, where’s my son? I made brussel sprout cookies especially for you.”
“Nooooooo....”
“What’s the matter?” asked Tou Tou. “You love brussel sprout cookies.”
“No Mommy! They’re the most disgusting cookies on the entire earth,” complained Cho Chen.
Tou Tou replied, “You could have told me a long time ago and I would have stopped making them.”
Cho Chen asked “Do I still have to go home with you? I’m too old to be living with my Mom. I’m 583 years old for Pete’s sake.”
“You will always be my baby,” sighed Tou Tou.
Suddenly, Tou-Tou pulled Blaze up the stairs and into the pantry. The bully was looking around with his jaw hanging wide open. Then his eyes snagged on the children and Cho-Chen.
“I'm so sorry!” Blaze babbled “This lady here told me about your powers and how you got me and my friends in trouble. I don't want to mess around with super-heroes.”
The kids were surprised to see how easy it had been to get Blaze to give up. Tou-Tou sent Blaze back to the principal's office after he vowed never to bully anyone again. Then Tou Tou used her fifth and most secretive power, she made Blaze forget everything he had seen and heard at Deemer’s house.
“Cho-Chen, I heard what you said about my cooking. I'm ashamed to admit it, but you’re right. I’ll try my best to make mom’s incredible cookies.” Tou-Tou told Cho-Chen.
“Thanks Mom!” Cho-Chen said as he gave Tou-Tou a bear-hug.
Then the kids joined in on the group hug. Everyone released and Tou-Tou and Cho Chen as a light lavender mist surrounded the mother and son. They disappeared.
After the duo had left, the children checked to see if they still had their super powers. They decided to only use them for helping school-kids that were being bullied. The “super squad” vowed to protect their classmates to graduation and beyond.
The End.
