Ditto Ditto (2 page)

I move a step forward, intent on giving her a piece of my mind, only to blink as someone grabs my hand.  I glance up at Trent, who automatically wraps an arm around my waist.  “Don’t,” he says quietly as the blonde glares at us and walks on past.

“Yeah, whatever,” I mutter, glaring after her for a moment before looking at him.  “Let’s go swimming!”  We rush in, only to stop and stare as we see the massive park in front of us.  There’s a gigantic swimming pool straight ahead.  To the right there’s a lazy river with people on inner tubes just relaxing as the twisting path pulls them along.  To the left is a massive water battle field.  I’ve never seen something like that before, I think blankly.

There are a ton of little kids in the field, chasing each other with squirt guns and water balloons, dodging the various spouts of water or hiding in the trenches that are probably small pools.  To the side, though, are the really powerful water guns, the ones that are attached to the ground.  That’s where I see Jack and Aubrey fighting over the biggest gun on the floor.

“Swimming or water gun fight?” Trent asks me as Ditto hops onto his back.  We get a few strange looks, one guy with “twins” but I ignore them, looking for the most fun thing to do.  “The moment we go on the field you know Jack’s going to shoot us,” he points out.

“Let’s do...” I stop, my eyes going huge as I see the biggest water slide I’ve ever seen in my life, “that,” I say, practically drooling as I point up at it.

He follows my pointing, looking up at the skyscraper that’s masquerading as a slide, and lets out a whistle.  “Wow, if I fell from that I’d definitely learn to fly,” he declares.

“Let’s do it!” Ditto says, cheering loudly.  “Onward, to The Plunge!”

We head for the line, waiting patiently for our chance to get on the massive scale to be weighed.  You wouldn’t think we’d top 550--we don’t, but we’re close enough that the guy with the piece of paper in his hand looks at us a little strangely.  I mean, Ditto and I barely top the five foot mark and are as skinny as can be, while Trent doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him.  He’s just muscular--and REALLY heavy.

“I work out,” Trent says blandly when the look lasts too long.

“He does,” I say, pointing at his arm, “ALL the time.”

“Yep,” Ditto agrees.  “So can we go up the stairs yet?”

“First I have to read this to you,” the man says, still looking at Trent a bit strangely.  He rattles off a lot of words, which I promptly ignore, then motions us up the massive stairway to the top.

“Did you see his face?” Ditto asks as we start up the steps, joining a seriously long line.  “Think he figured it out?”

“He would have if it’d been Jack,” Trent admits.  “He started out at almost four, but last we checked he was nearing five--Dad thinks he’s going through a growth spurt.”

“Shhh,” I say, noticing the norms in front of us glancing back.  “His brother’s seriously fat,” I tell one that’s bold enough to keep looking.  “Like REALLY fat.  Don’t go judging,” I add, giving him a dirty look.  “Fat people are people too!”

Trent starts laughing, wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me back.  “Calm down, he didn’t say anything, Em,” he says.  The line starts moving, but Trent doesn’t put me down, merely carries me up the stairs as if I weigh nothing. 

“I can walk,” I say finally, even though I’ve gotten really comfortable already.  There’s just something so awesome about being able to be carried at my age.

“I know,” he says.  “Just wait until I tell Jack you stood up for him, his mind is going to be blown.”

“She called him fat,” Ditto says, licking an ice cream bar as she hops up the stairs in front of us.  When did she get ice cream?  Oh man, she made it appear, didn’t she?  Nico’s going to kill us... “I don’t see how that’s sticking up for him,” she goes on.

“Where’d she--” Trent asks me silently.

“Don’t ask,” I mutter.  “He’s a fat head, at least,” I add to Ditto.

“Don’t see me arguing,” she says cheerfully.  “Hey, hey, can I be in front?  It’s one of those raft thingies, I’ve always wanted to be in front!”

“But--” I start out.  “I want to be in front, too.”

“How about this,” he says, putting me down as the line stops again, “Ditto goes in front the first time, Em the second, and then we go swimming?”

“That works!” Ditto says before I can respond.  The group in front of us gets into the raft and I dare to look down, watching in wonder as they race straight down the slide.  Before I know it, we’re being strapped in and sent over the edge.  I scream the entire way down, lifting my hands in the air.  I wish I could fly--I don’t think I’ll ever be able to, though.

“Yeah!” Trent says when we pull to a stop.  He hops out, picking first me and then Ditto out of the ride.  “Let’s do that again!”

“Sure--” I start out, only to stop as people start screaming.  We automatically start looking around, Trent groaning loudly already.  He doesn’t even know what’s happened and he’s already sure that it’s one of our--

The crashing sound of glass comes from overhead and we all look up, watching in shock as Mega comes crashing into the area, glass pieces sprinkling down on us.  I hear people scream more, trying to get out of the crowded pool before the large super hero lands on them--and Nico shoots out, grabbing him before he crashes.

“There goes our cover,” Trent says with a sigh.  Nico at least slipped a mask on before flying, but it’s pretty obvious that he was already here.  He’s wearing swimming trunks, after all.  Trent looks upward, instead, staring through the hole with a dark expression on his face.

“What?” I ask him.

“Who was it that did it to him?” Trent asks.  “This district is run by Pan--Pan can’t fly.  Ace is over there, Jack is right there, and Max is...” he looks around before pointing, “hanging out with Vinny drinking a smoothie,” he says.  “It’s not one of us, either.  And Mega isn’t that easy to toss.”

The norms are freaking out, trying to get away from the shattered pieces of glass and find out what happened to one of our resident Hall members.  “Correction,” Ditto says, “Mega isn’t that easy to knock out.”  She points to where Nico is crouching over the super in question, a scowl on his face as he tries to wake him up.  Trent’s expression changes to worry and he rushes forward, pushing his way through the crowd to get to his uncle.

I’ve got no choice but to follow,  Mega’s family, too.  We somehow manage to get close enough to see Aubrey slipping through the crowd.  She stops beside me, a worried look on her face.  “Did you see what happened?” she asks.

“No, Trent’s worried, too,” I whisper back.  “He couldn’t think of a villain that isn’t either here already or can’t fly.  Something’s going on.”

Aubrey nods and heads forward, only to get pushed back by a large male norm.  “This isn’t a place for little girls,” the man says bossily.

“Let her through,” Nico says, making the large man look at him.  “I said let her through.  Now!”  The large man hesitates, then moves aside, letting Aubrey through.  “Ace, mask her,” Nico says, touching his ear.  A mask appears on Aubrey’s face as she steps into the small circle around Mega’s inert body.  Then, because apparently Ace is an overachiever, she “shifts” into a strange alien being with dark purple skin and floating hair.

She kneels down next to Mega, touching his arm.  I can’t see the usual eye color change or the floating hair because of the illusion, but I know it’s happening.  Mega jerks, waking up and staring blankly at her.  “What--”

“Hi, Mega,” she says, waving a three finger hand at her.  “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

“Oh.  Thanks, Au--” he stops himself, deciding just to hug her instead.  “Thanks,” he says, getting up.  “I’ve got to go,” he adds, looking at Nico before turning to the crowd.  “No need to worry, folks, just saving a plane from crashing!  We’ll have some people in to clean this up in no time.”  Then he takes to the air, flying out the same hole he came crashing through.

“We’ve got some cuts over here!” someone shouts.

“I’m coming!” Aubrey says, standing and heading for the injured people.  I look at Trent, then at Nico.

“That wasn’t a plane, was it?” Trent asks silently.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Nico says.  “Until then, go round up the kids and we’ll get going as soon as Aub is done.”  Then he stops, watching silently as a tall blonde woman and her daughter head straight for us.  Oh great, I think, it’s that blonde girl that complained about us blocking the way.

“Technico,” she says.

“Melissa,” Nico says blandly.  “Surprised to see you here.”

The blonde is glaring at me and Ditto--no, not the adult one, the mini-me.  “Do you know what happened?” Melissa asks, placing a hand on the mini-me’s shoulder.

“We’ll find out later.  I wasn’t exactly expecting someone to drop in--Trent, girls, you’ve got a job to do, right?”

“I’ll get the guys in the water fight,” I say, running off.  I should have known that the mini-me was one of us.  Her mom practically screams super.  That plus the fact she’s approaching Nico with the kid in tow--

“I don’t want her to come to our school,” Ditto mutters, only to jump on Jack’s back.  “Time to go metal head!” she says cheerfully.  He doesn’t even budge with the extra weight.

“Not until Aubrey’s done,” he says, watching the line that she’s healing.  “Stupid norms tryin’ to hit on my girlfriend,” he mutters darkly.  “That guy wasn’t even that cut up, the pansy.”

“Ace!” I say, heading for the other bad boy on the field.  “Looking pale as usual,” I add as I reach him.  “We’ve got to go as soon as Aub’s done, so if you want to shoot Jack one more time, now’s the chance!”

“Good point,” Ace says, grabbing one of the massive water guns and shooting it straight at Jack--and Ditto.  Whoops.  She lets out a squeal.

“Sorry, not sorry!” I call over to her evilly.  I bump fists with Ace, grinning from ear to ear.

“So you know what happened?” Ace asks me quietly.

“Nope, not yet,” I admit.  “I think it’s bothering Trent, too,” I add as I look at my boyfriend.  He’s calling all the zoo kids out of the pool.  Now he’s walking to the side and giving them a hand out when it takes too long for his tastes.  “He’s his uncle, after all.”

“Literally?” Ace asks.

“Nah, but he grew up with both Mega and Liz there all the time--he considers them as good as family.”

“This ain’t over, you know!” Jack says, heading straight for us with an evil grin on his face.

“Yeah it is, we’re leaving as soon as your girl is done,” Ace says.  “Which looks like it’ll be soon,” he adds.  “That one kid sure looks interested, though--”

Jack turns, seeing a teenage guy standing a little too close to Aubrey.  He lets out a curse and starts for them as Ditto slides off of his back.

“Is that kid an illusion?” I ask Ace.

“No, but I’ll remember it for next time,” Ace says, looking at me with a little grin.

“Absolutely,” I agree evilly.

I see him looking over at Trent as he helps yet another of the kids out of the pool.  “They don’t need him to do that, you know,” he points out as the kid happily swings from Trent’s held out arm like a playground toy before jumping off.

“I know,” I say.  It makes me smile, actually.  “He’s just that nice of a guy,” I admit, still finding the thought a bit stunning even after months of dating him.

“I bet that can get a bit annoying, can’t it?” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets as he glances at me.

“Him being nice?” I ask.

“To everyone,” he adds, “all the time, even to other girls?”

I hesitate, thinking about it for a moment.  “Trying to make me jealous?” I ask him.  “You’re a bit hypocritical there, don’t you think?”

“Huh?”

“You, Morgan, and Justin,” I say simply.  “How can you claim to be best friends with a guy when you’re both chasing the same girl?  Doesn’t work very well, does it?”  Part of this is just me changing the subject, really, but I’ve wondered about it for a while.

“How about you, Ditto, and Trent?” he asks.  I’m a bit surprised he doesn’t deny it straight off.

I shrug.  “Ditto and me--we’re both...” I try to think of how to put it.  “Me,” I say simply.  At least that’s what Ken told me the last time we talked.  Gently, of course--Ken never tries to shove facts down anyone’s throats, but he’d made a point of saying it.  I’m just... I don’t know, messed up, still, from that time with the sisters.  I’m working through it.  “I remember everything Ditto ever does as if it’s me doing it, she does the same.  Can you say the same about you and Justin?”

“No, but neither of us has a chance, either, so it’s not a big deal,” he says quietly, looking over at Morgan, who’s calling out roll call for the zoo kids now.  There’s a strangely calm look on his face as he looks at me and shrugs.  “No reason to fight with a guy that’s in the same boat as I am.”

I look at him, about to say something when Trent stops next to me.  “Everybody’s ready, so let’s get going.”

“I’m a little disappointed,” I admit as I look around.  Black suits are all around, cleaning up glass and repairing the roof.  “I haven’t been swimming in years.”

“We’ll fix that,” Trent says, dropping an arm over my shoulders.

“How?  This is the only water park around, right?” I ask him.