I can do this, Vidya thought as she ran. I can do this.

But the ramp had other ideas. She slipped almost immediately, using her hands to slow herself as her knees skidded down the ramp. It hurt her pride more than it hurt her body—she'd taken too many falls these past few days to be fazed by physical pain.

"Are you okay?" Phase asked.

Vidya nodded, embarrassed. Phase used to be a super trainer for ASPA, so he knew how to help people master their powers, even if he didn't have them. Since he couldn't fly himself, he couldn't possibly judge her too harshly for how awful she was doing, but she was afraid she was the worst trainee he'd ever had.

They stood in Celestro's private yard, across town from their building. It was locked in by fences and hidden by distance and trees, but nosy spectators weren't what worried Vidya. Flying was such a rare superpower that there was barely anything to train with. All they had was a ramp to give her some height before going airborne, but the last twenty attempts proved she wasn't ready for it.

"Okay." Phase swung his hands around, thinking. "You need to learn to take off properly—floating gently won't be fast or powerful enough when you need to get somewhere quickly. You'll have to do it without a running start, but for now you can learn with one. Since the ramp isn't working out...maybe just run and jump?"

Vidya nodded and backed up to give herself space. Running and jumping and staying in the air would be like pole vaulting, which would be reassuring if she'd ever pole vaulted. Or done hurdles. Or done any sport that kept her in ideal physical condition.

She started sprinting, and right when she thought there was enough power in her speed to jump, Phase jerked forward and screamed, "Wait!"

Vidya dug her heels into the ground, just barely avoiding flipping herself into the air. "What?" she panted.

He tapped his foot. "The ground is firm. It might hurt. Try not to go too high, because if you fall, I only might be able to catch you."

Vidya didn't plan to go high, but she knew what he was getting at. Too much safety gear would weigh her down, so she had on only the minimum: pads on her elbows and knees, special shoes, and a helmet. It was fine for a few feet, but for a fall higher than that, Phase would have to catch her to keep her from breaking a bone. He wasn't nearly as strong as Lady Marvel or Juggernaut, but he also had super strength, so catching a free-falling body from the air wouldn't be a problem...but getting to her fast enough would be. One second too late, and she'd hit the ground.

Phase waved his hand dismissively. "But I'm sure you'll be fine."

Vidya nodded again and backtracked to her starting point. Step one to becoming a Marvel, if Flamethrower's attitude had taught her anything: be confident. Maybe not I'm-better-than-you confident, but confident. She believed she could do this, and so she would.

Bend at the knees a little. Run. Kick off. She jumped weakly into the air and felt it, that momentary weightlessness. She tried to hold on to it, to keep herself in the air or even go a bit higher, but it was fleeting. She fell, at least landing on her feet instead of stumbling onto her hands.

"That was good!" Phase exclaimed. "But bend your knees more when you touch the ground. You don't have durability, so you have to be gentle with your landings. Try again."

Vidya smiled, encouraged. Of all the Marvels who could've watched her fail over and over, she was glad it was the one who was used to watching people get the hang of their powers. Flamethrower would've eaten her alive by now.

Bend. Run. Kick off.

It was a horrible take off. Vidya nearly catapulted herself onto her head, and it couldn't have been pretty, because Phase clamped a hand over his mouth. She went airborne, and after a split-second when she thought it was going well, she shot up into the air like a bullet fired at the sky.

The world turned into a blur as she kept going up, keeping her arms straight at her sides to keep from careening off. The wind whistled in her ears and whipped her hair back. Her eyes, surprisingly, didn't water against the force, and though the air grew colder the higher she went, she didn't shiver. Somehow, her body was perfectly comfortable with this.

When she finally managed to stop, she looked down between her dangling feet. She hadn't gone nearly as far up as it felt; she wasn't even helicopter-high. But the view was entirely new to her, and as amazing as it was, she was nervous because she never meant to go this high.

"What should I do now?" she yelled.

Phase yelled something back, but it wasn't loud enough.

"I can't hear you!" she said with her hands cupped around her mouth.

He stared at her for a moment, tapping his foot on the ground. Then a voice that wasn't her own spoke in her head: Sorry, what did you say?

Vidya's jaw dropped. "You're a telepath?" she shouted.

He tilted his head. I can't hear you. I don't read minds—don't just think something, you have to send it to me for me to get it.

Vidya enunciated each word in her head slowly, focusing on her question like how she did as a child when she thought her dolls would move if she told them to. You're. A. Telepath?

Somewhat, he responded. I can talk and receive replies, but I don't read minds or manipulate thoughts.

Vidya was sure that wasn't publicly known—there was no way she'd forget something like that. I thought your only powers were strength and going through things?

The telepath part is kept within Celestro. He winked. Don't tell anyone.

I won't, she promised. A strong gust of wind pushed her to the side a little, reminding her where she was. Uh...what should I do now?

He thought about it for a moment. Ask Juggernaut.

Juggernaut wasn't there a second ago, but suddenly here he was, floating a few feet next to her. He didn't look impressed or disappointed. Vidya wondered how long he'd been watching, if he was there for the first twenty-one fails.

"Phase told me to ask you what to do," she said.

"So he told you about the telepath thing?"

She nodded.

"Great." He eyed the sky. "Why don't you...drop a few feet and then stop? As practice. He probably told you to land gently, so you'll need to know how to slow down and stop yourself."

Vidya looked at the ground, so far beneath her feet. "I don't know..."

"Don't worry. I'll catch you if you go too far. And if I can't, Phase will."

And if he can't, then what? Vidya thought, careful not to send that to Phase.

She shook the tension out of her hands, nodding. Be confident, Frostbite. She trusted them both—and really, how hard could it be? If she could go this high without losing control and shooting off into space or careening sideways into the Pacific, then she could let go and stop herself from falling.

Vidya put her arms at her sides, took a deep, calm breath, and let herself drop.

And she kept dropping.

Crap, she thought as her limbs flailed, trying to slow herself down. Was it working? Phase said something, but she was barely aware of it, and her rapidly rotating vision couldn't even see Juggernaut. Where was he? He was supposed to be ready to catch her. Vidya began panicking, and she realized she was careening off. She tried to keep her head straight and nudge herself in the right direction, praying with all her heart she would slow down enough so the fall wouldn't hurt, but she knew she was speeding up.

_______________________

Juggernaut knew Vidya would drop further than she wanted to. Flight was a useful power but an incredibly risky one. He'd had problems, too, but that was so long ago, he couldn't remember how he overcame them. Not to mention the fact that he'd practiced in a much safer place than this death trap of a courtyard. There was so much risk here: splatter on the ground, get impaled by a tree, drift off and hit the rocky shores nearby, or fall into the Pacific and drown. Not ideal. He should've given her an easier task, but he still watched patiently as she fell.

Catch her! Phase said in his head.

And when he didn't respond, Phase said out loud, "Catch her!"

Vidya wouldn't hear him, but Juggernaut, with his super-hearing, did, as Phase intended for him to.

Juggernaut didn't care that she dropped more than a few feet, but Vidya wasn't stopping herself, and she couldn't even slow down. The induction was all for show—it was everything after, the heroics part, that would matter. And as the person who let her on the team in the first place, he was not letting her make a fool of herself. She was going to fly properly, and it would start right now.

Phase realized what was happening and tried to stand where it looked like she would land with his arms outstretched. Juggernaut sent him a cold, simple, Don't.

We can't let her hit the ground! She'll die!

Who said anything about that, Phase? Don't you trust me?

Phase's hands balled into fists, but he backed away. Vidya was almost at the ground. Juggernaut did the math: a millisecond more, then he'd have to help her.

The millisecond passed.

He tried not to look annoyed as he dove to catch her—not that she'd even see it. It was right before he grabbed her that a burst of soft, powdery snow shot out of her outstretched hand, coating the ground in a three-foot-thick blanket. He recoiled just fast enough to let her fall onto her own safety net.

Phase was so relieved, he nearly collapsed.

___________________

It was like some inner calm had taken over Vidya. She'd been so focused on learning how to fly that she'd never even tried to use the cryokinesis—and now had seemed like as good a time as any.

The snow was firm but malleable, cushioning her fall perfectly. She scrambled to her feet, brushing it from her hands and off her shoulders and out of her hair. Juggernaut landed next to Phase, and they looked at each other and then at her, expressions unreadable. She was embarrassed all of a sudden. This was a flying lesson, after all: she may have saved herself, but she still failed.

Phase laughed, nervous for some reason. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Me neither," she said, beaming.

Juggernaut shrugged. "That was great." He glanced at his watch. "I have to go, but keep up the good work."

He took off immediately, sending some snow flying into the air. Vidya understood then why she needed a good takeoff; even though he was an experienced, longtime superhero and she was an absolute novice, she needed to look at least somewhat as good as he did in flight. Celestro would be upset if their new hero was seen taking off into the air looking like a baby chicken.

Phase sat down on the ground, beyond the edge of the snow blanket. There was something weird about the way he took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Vidya asked, brushing away some snow before sitting across from him.

"Let's take a break and talk."

Vidya was touched. None of the other Marvels had spoken to her since the approval—besides Juggernaut right now. They were busy, and she wasn't expecting them to have time to do ice breakers with her, but Phase's kindness was heartwarming.

"Sure," she said happily. "Let's talk."

"How much do you know about us?"

"Everything there is to know." She realized how it sounded and put her hands up defensively. "Not in a creepy way! It's just that you guys are plastered all over everything."

"So you know our names?"

Vidya nodded, holding back a smile. The Marvels were too famous to not know everything about. Forget his name, she even knew exactly what school it was where he fell through the floor: St. Andrew's Protestant Middle School.

"I know the names that are public," she said.

"Well, now that you're one of us, you can know that Echo's name is Jacob."

"And Juggernaut?"

"We don't know his name."

Vidya tried not to look surprised. Juggernaut kept his name a secret even from the team he'd been leading for years? He must've had a lot to protect. Or a lot of trust issues.

Phase picked up a small rock and threw it from hand to hand. "Are you afraid of us?"

This time, Vidya couldn't hide her shock. It caught her off-guard. "No. Why would I be?"

"Just...intimidation, I guess. I know Flamethrower didn't make the best impression."

"Is she usually nicer than that?" she asked hopefully.

He laughed. "No, but that's just how she is. I hope you're not too upset."

"I'm not."

Upset wasn't the right word, worried was. One bad relationship could ruin an entire team. Vidya wanted to put in the effort and make peace with her, but would Flamethrower do the same? Would she even care?

"Good." Phase dropped the rock and stood up. "Now, how are you feeling about the ramp?"

Vidya glanced over her shoulder. The snow was halfway melted, but the fact that it was even there, that she'd made that, gave her back the confidence she'd lost during the fall. She looked at the ramp and grinned. "I think I'll give it a shot."