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their trousers hit the floor as well. When they tried to reach for their pants and their weapons, Ted swept their legs with a flourish of his arm and watched as they tumbled to the ground.
    Dhiraj snorted. "It's a good thing they were all wearing underwear."
    Erica couldn't help but grin as Ted pulled all three guns away from the half-naked men and sent them flying to the far end of the store.
    One of the kidnappers unknowingly whined right into the camera. "I feel so exposed!"
    The sheriff and his men cheered. Dhiraj hugged his friend around the waist. "You're amazing, Ted!"
    Erica felt a sense of pride as she gave a nod to Sheriff Norris.
    He smiled in response. "Alright men, go in on my mark."
    "Wait!" Ted closed his eyes. "Something's not right."
    The cheering halted as everyone focused back on the hero of the hour. Erica saw something happen within Ted. For a moment, he reminded her of a different living soul entirely. The admiration Erica felt started to drain out of her. 
    A fourth kidnapper came out of the back room with his gun pointed directly at the hostages. "We said no heroes!"
    The man was about to shoot the injured hostage when Ted made a gripping motion with his hands and lifted the man into the air. The gun went off, though the bullet landed harmlessly in the wall. Ted tossed the man from one end of the store to the other, and his gun fell to the ground. Ted removed the clip from the weapon and placed it in the corner of the room with the other weapons. 
    "Now you can go."
    The sheriff waved in his men. Ted put his hand up for a high five. Dhiraj and several of the sheriff's men obliged.
    Erica did her best to hide the feeling of fear that was building up inside her.
    He used another power. This is not good.
    Ted noticed her lack of cheer. "You alright?"
    She nodded and searched for an answer that would change the subject immediately. "Sorry, it's just that time of the month."
    Ted appeared to short-circuit for a moment before forcing a smile. "Oh."
    Erica turned away. "Great job, though. Looks like all the training I made you do paid off. Though we probably could have done without the hairy legs and boxer briefs."
    She walked up beside him and reached out to shake his hand. Ted took her offering and squeezed.
    "Wait. Are you taking credit for me saving the day?"
    Erica bit her lip. "I would never. I'm just saying you shouldn't get 100% of the credit."
    Ted moved from Erica's hand and put his arms around her waist. "How much credit do you want?" 
    Erica moved closer to Ted. She could feel his heart pulse through his skin. "I'll take 11%."
    "Just 11?" Ted grinned.
    Dhiraj cleared his throat.
    Erica cocked her head to the side.  "Yes?"
    "As long as you give me some credit for getting the cameras, you two can make out on the news as much as you want."
    Erica spied the Channel 5 news van and gave Ted a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling herself away.
    "Couldn't have done it without you, Dhiraj."
    Dhiraj flashed his newly updated smile, courtesy of a tooth whitening regimen.
    Erica looked around to take in the scene. The four kidnappers were cuffed, and the sheriff's men were pushing them into the back of a couple of squad cars. Several members of the GHA movement couldn't help but give their enemy a clap of respect. Dhiraj began to give a TV interview. Ted shook the hands of one of the hostages and received a bear hug in return.
    Erica tried to absorb the happiness of the moment as much as she could. But as she looked at Ted, the anxiety built in her stomach. Memories from another lifetime began to stream back without her control.
    I won't let this happen again. I can't.
     

Chapter 6
     
    Jennifer watched the physical specimen from across the room. He was about half a foot taller than her with muscles that showed through his tight, sweaty shirt. Even though he'd changed after his away game at Treasure High, he continued to perspire on the unseasonably warm spring day.
    "Hey, come over here…" Jennifer