“Yes. It’s my hip that’s bad, not my arms.” She flexed her arm muscles. “See, this skater is strong.” He stared for a moment, causing her to suddenly second-guess herself.
He swallowed hard. “If you ever join me at a comic con, I think you’d make the perfect Captain Marvel.”
Is he picturing me in a formfitting bodysuit? Because if he is, I’m okay with it. I work hard to stay strong and I’m proud of the work I’ve put in.
“Is she a self-made superhero like Batman?”
“Most people would say no, but I say yes.” Tim wheeled a cooler behind him, locked the door, then opened the car doors. “Before she was a superhero, Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers, was an Air Force fighter pilot. Trust me when I say that speaks volumes about how talented she was just to get that far.”
“How did she gain her powers?” Gemma asked as they got in the car.
“She was caught in an explosion.”
“Uh-huh. And what are her superpowers? Does she fly?”
“Yes, among other things. Her main superpowers have to do with the ability to absorb and manipulate energy.”
“You had me at flying. That’s the one power I’ve always thought was the best. What about you? What would your power be if you weren’t a self-made hero kind of bloke?”
Tim backed the car out of the driveway and out onto the main road. “I’d want to be able to manipulate the weather or to breathe underwater. I wouldn’t want anything that’s too flashy.”
“You know, with the power over the weather, you’d also have the ability to wield thunder, lightning, hurricanes, and all of nature’s most powerful forces,” Gemma countered.
“Fair point.” His eyes crinkled. “In that case, I’d just be happy to make the sun appear at will.”
That old saying is true. With great power comes great responsibility. Having a person like Tim be in control of a lot of power would be important. He’s not the kind of guy who’d abuse it. He’s humble and would only use a small amount of what he’s capable of. That’s exactly the type of person who should have power like that.
Gemma couldn’t believe she was debating what made a good superhero. Tim pushed her to think outside the box.
“I have another question for you. What’s all this about comic cons? Do you go often?”
“Not as much as I’d like. I try to get to LA Comic Con during my spring break. If I’m lucky with the ticket lottery for San Diego Comic Con during the summer, I’ll go to that one too.”
“What do you do at a comic con?”
“For me, the biggest draw is hanging out and attending panels with other people who like the same stuff I do—comics, anime, sci-fi films, et cetera. But there’s other stuff like shopping, and costume contests too.”
“Do you wear a costume?”
“Take a wild guess,” Tim challenged.
She blinked slowly. “Of course you do.”
“It makes the experience more fun. Why limit dressing up to Halloween?”
“What’s your favorite character to portray?”
As Tim began to hum theBatmantheme song, Gemma had her answer. She tried to picture what he might look like in a formfitting superhero costume.
Batman is brilliant, but I think I’d prefer you as Captain America.
* * *
The landscape stayed relatively the same for the first forty-five minutes. They were still surrounded by dense forest. State Highway Three seemed to wind around the same mountain for miles and miles. The constant popping of Gemma’s ears, however, told her that they’d changed elevation several times.
Then the trees began to thin out, and as the road descended, she spotted towering sand dunes and the beach. Pelicans, seagulls, and other seabirds circled overhead. Waves broke against the soft-looking white sand.
“I’m surprised there are no people on the beach.”
