The Superhero's Son (Book 1): The Superhero's Test Read Online Free PDF Page B

it's kind of suspicious how Robert has a fist-shaped dent in his chest from where I hit him?” I said.
    “Why would they?” said Dad in an innocent-sounding voice. “After all, you're just an ordinary high school student who just moved from New York to Texas. You're a healthy and fit young man, of course, but everyone knows that ordinary high school students can't punch their much larger classmates across the cafeteria and through the wall on the other side.”
    The way Dad spoke, it sounded to me like he had done this sort of thing before. It made me wonder if he had ever altered my own memories or Mom's memories before. Before today, I wouldn't have taken that idea seriously, but now, I couldn't be sure, because if Dad could keep his superhero life a secret from me, what else might he be refusing to tell me?
    “So when I go back to school tomorrow, no one will call the cops on me?” I said.
    “Everyone will treat you like a normal high school student,” said Dad, “though I can't guarantee that the popular kids won't treat you like dirt for being the new kid. Still, no one will even suspect you had anything to do with the fact that Robert Candle is probably going to have to spend the next few weeks in the hospital. His head trauma alone will probably make him forget that you were the one who punched him.”
    “That's a relief,” I said with a sigh. Then I looked down at my hands. “So what kind of powers do I have? Just super strength?”
    “I don't know,” said Dad. “Super strength is the most obvious one, but you probably have other powers we don't know about just yet. It often takes years of training before you discover and master all of your powers, but there are ways to figure them out sooner.”
    I looked at Dad excitedly. “So you'll be training me to use my powers? Will I get to become a superhero? With my own costume and name and everything?”
    Dad bit his lower lip. He looked down at his helmet again. “Well … yes. You will need training—there's no getting around that—but I don't want you going around town fighting crime.”
    “What?” I said. “Why not? Isn't that what superheroes do?”
    Dad looked at me sternly. “That's what adults who fully grasp the consequences of their actions do. You're not an adult yet. Being a superhero isn't all fun and games or glamor and glory. For that matter, you can't go bragging to your friends or on the Internet about your powers, either.”
    “Why not?” I said.
    “Because neoheroes always receive unwanted attention from those who would hurt us,” said Dad. “There are a lot of supervillains—and other types of people—out there who don't mind harming minors if they feel that they might be a threat to them in the future. I've known more than few younger heroes in my time who ruined, and sometimes lost, their lives by revealing their secret identities to the world before they were ready.”
    “But everyone knows who Omega Man is,” I protested. “And he's doing all right.”
    “Omega Man is the most powerful neohero in the world and has thirty years of experience fighting crime and supervillains under his belt,” said Dad. “Not to mention that he is the head of the NHA. He is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. You, however, are not, at least not yet.”
    I folded my arms across my chest. “So I can't even help other people with my powers?”
    “Not until you can control them without hurting other people accidentally,” said Dad firmly. “All right?”
    I frowned. I was thinking about how easy it would be for me to attract hot girls if I could show off my super strength, but I couldn't rationally disagree with Dad's point. Besides, as much as I liked attention, I wasn't sure that I wanted to attract the attention of supervillains just yet.
    “All right,” I said, although without any enthusiasm. “When do we start training?”
    “On Saturday,” said Dad.
    “Why not today?” I said. “I'm ready to start as soon as