"I can't believe that you got rescued by Blue Sentry, York!" Tamarious' voice booms as I got myself dressed in my room in a Michael Kors pastel ensemble as Grandma and Grandpa had me on the latter's speakerphone. "Boy, this mystery right here is taking us Outcasts to a new level!"

"Tell me about it," I commented as I buttoned my blue dress shirt up. "And how do you know about Blue Sentry?"

A pause, then, "You might as well know about this, York. Blue Sentry and his Titan Club team have been around for around five years, which sounds too coincidental since Dermott and those goombas have been rising in popularity since the social shift began. And my folks and I have been trying to figure out their identities for the longest. But since you now captivated their attention after they came out of hiding or whatever, it's all the more reason for you to attend this dinner. Although I feel that this could be too much of a coincidence with those Beautiful Teens and all that."

"Well, I just want to get through this night and put all my attention for the next several days," I replied, sitting on the bed and slipping on my dress shoes while Grandpa handed me my tie. "I don't know what's going on around here, but I need to look sharp. Something big is about to go down and I need to brace myself."

"Amen to that," Grandma said, fussing with the hem of her frosted-grape pantsuit. "Kyle, you need to wrap this up. Your parents will be home soon."

"Right." To Tamarious. "We'll chat later, Browning. I gotta make nice with the heroes, so no further communication until necessary. The heat's been amplified."

"Got it, York. Remember, play nice with everyone, but keep watch. Nothing is ever normal around here. I'm out."

We disconnected as I finished getting ready before I grabbed some cologne and sprayed a little bit on and deemed myself perfect. "Kyle, come downstairs," I heard Mom from the living room. "The Titan Club are here to take us to their lair."

"Coming," I hollered as I grabbed my coat and wallet and followed my grandparents down the stairs. Once I landed on the next-to-last stair, my eyes went wide. Blue Sentry was there with nine or ten more of this teammates, all of them dressed in spandex that made them resemble a fifties-centric superhero team. "Oh, wow."

"I'll say," Grandma breathed. "Lisa, who's these folks?"

The red-and-black-dressed superhero on Blue Sentry's right stepped forward. "We're the Titan Club, ma'am," he said, his voice distorted. "You've met Blue Sentry already as he's saved your grandson. I'm known as Orynyx, his second-in-command. We have here Green Tide, Phantomide, Scion, Red Vector, Zaphetis, Erix, and Cetrus. All of us are men who have been the eyes of the Greater Berkeley area, but there are more of us here in the USA, Canada, Mexico, South America, and even as far as Asia and Australia."

I blinked multiple times. "How come I've never heard of you all before?" I couldn't help but ask.

The superhero in shades of gray stepped forward. "We're mainly a secret society that the government doesn't want to alarm the citizens," he intoned, his voice also distorted. "But you may be surprised that we've been keeping a close eye on everything that goes on, young man."

"I'll bet," Grandpa replied. "And where's my son-in-law, I'd like to know?"

"Waiting for us at their base," Mom chirped. "Of course, we'll have to be blindfolded so we won't see where we're actually going."

"Right," Grandma said, briefly fussing with her hair.

Mom pulled me to the side as two of the Titan Club members began to blindfold my grandparents and placing earmuffs over their ears. "Kyle, you're to be on your best behavior and give them your undivided attention," she instructed me, her voice brooking no argument. "They haven't told you this, and neither have your father and I; but the Titan Club has been keeping a close watch on you for the longest. I didn't want to alarm you since you already had a lot going on, but the rules still apply. If you want to keep some of the freedoms you've been allotted, you will make a good impression to the Titan Club and make sure to keep your cynical mindset to yourselves. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," I told her, although something told me that Mom and Dad were DEFINITELY in cahoots with these guys and the Beautiful Teens. I was up to my neck in a mystery that I wasn't sure if I was ready to solve. But I had a role to play as a double agent for the Outcasts, and I need to play it well.

"Ready to roll, young man?" Blue Sentry as he approached me with blindfolds and earmuffs in hand.

I nodded. "Let the good times roll," I said.

***********

One hour of a drive (I wasn't able to see or hear much due to the blindfolds and earmuffs, as well as being handcuffed. "Can't risk you being too curious," I heard Blue Sentry say cheekily. "It'll kill the cat and we'd have to kill you if you know of our hideout.") later, we were all walking in a spacious hideout that was clearly giving me Batman/Power Rangers/X-Men vibes as Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, and I were soon reunited with Dad before led to a spacious dining room that was too grandiose and lavish for my taste. Of course, I was seated in between Blue Sentry and the red-and-black-dressed superhero (who introduced himself as Orynyx) as Dad instructed before I as soon served a meal of steaks and potatoes.

"So, Kyle," a deep-green-dressed superhero said as he helped himself to a dinner roll. "With you being the new kid in Berkeley and all, I'm betting that you're already making waves at your school."

I nodded. "It's been a bit of a struggle and all since I was a cynical nerd who stuck with various misfits and focused on schoolwork rather than spend time with the Populars and all," I replied, cutting into my steak. "But I soon adjusted to how things stand around at school while making sure to be with the Populars since they saved me after I got mugged a while back."

"Sounds like they're the kind of friends you should've been with," commented the gray-dressed superhero. "No offense, but it sounded like you needed a change of scenery after spending too much time with naysayers."

"Sad, but true," I said, keeping my tone formal yet light while fighting the urge to curse him out. "Dad and Mom were worried that I was being too antisocial and pessimistic for my own good. I thought I was keeping my heart guarded, but I was only hurting myself by keeping my potential locked away. So I decided to take charge and began changing my life."

"Good for you," Orynyx said, giving me a small smirk. "It's good to know that someone who wants to make a change in life, but you need to keep at it and strive to branch out even further if you want to stay ahead of life and unlock more opportunities."

"I just had a thought," one hero in bright yellow commented. "It might sound ridiculous, but maybe we can take young Kyle over here under our wing and help him come out of his shell even more."

"Well, I'm not sure about that since my social schedule and classwork is already a top priority," I said, "and I'd hate to impose on you guys since I hardly don't know you all just yet."

"We can get to know you better," Blue Sentry said, "and it's no trouble at all. You look like the kid who could use a little more guidance. With me around, you'll can let yourself be more of a man."

Dad nodded. "It'll be good for you," he said, his tone suggesting that I shouldn't refuse. "And I'm sure that Marcel and your friends are willing to accommodate you since they'll know about what happened earlier."

I thought for a bit. I might as well use this opportunity to up the ante and play I Spy to see what's really going on for Tamarious and the others. "All right," I said. "I'm down for that."

Everyone smiled brightly. "You won't regret this," Blue Sentry said as the meal went on. "I think you're going to fit in with my team as our personal...friend."

I nodded, though there was a bit of mischief in his eyes that were somewhat familiar. I couldn't place my finger on it, but something told me that Blue Sentry was someone I knew for a long time. I only nodded, keeping my thoughts to myself. "I look forward to it," I replied softly.

"Good."

**************

After dinner, my grandparents and I were soon back at home and I was now getting ready for bed. Dad and Mom stayed behind to handle some business with the Titan Club (Which confirmed my suspicions of them being close with them if they weren't now), so I took advantage to check in with Tiffany and gave her the recap on what happened and me being under those hero's tutelage. "Things have just heated up, Detweiler," I told her. "There's definitely something going on based on Christina's warnings and her saying that my parents were in town long before I arrived were right on the money. I don't want to jinx anything yet, but I have a strong hunch that the Beautiful People and the Titan Club are connected in more ways than one."

"Be careful, Kyle," the Valley Girl warned. "Our group is dwindling down even more and only Jeneka, Rhea, Yesenia, Mavis, Tamarious and his sister, and I are still standing with almost everyone disappearing, transferring without notice, or even dead as in Omarion's case. You could have the most to lose if you're not careful. Watch out and keep sharp."

"Got it, Tiffany. One way or another, what's kept and done in the dark will be brought to the light. And by then, my grandparents and I are getting out of here."

"Ditto for me and my family," Tiffany said. "Good luck, Kyle York. May the rebellious spirit of being a nerd be with you."

We disconnected.

As I ducked under the covers, I only had one question racing through my mind: Was I ready for what was coming my way?

I soon closed my eyes before being lost in a dream of blue spandex, enigmatic eyes, and me running down the high school hallways as if I was running towards something...or away from someone.

**************

Third-Person POV

After hanging up from her phone call from Kyle, Tiffany dialed Tamarious' number, her boyfriend immediately answering. "Listen, babe," she said. "I think Kyle has a hunch about the Titan Club, but things right now are getting real since those heroes decided to take him under their wing, meaning he'll have to spend more time with them and the Beautiful Teens and less time with us."

Tamarious cursed to himself. "I was afraid of that," he replied. "But it only means that he has to keep his cover straight while we continue our plan to finally humiliate these self-righteous fuckers. My sister's got more leads revolving both groups, but we can't risk it. Not until we hear from Mavis and Rhea and finally put the pieces together."

Tiffany took a deep breath. "Tam? I don't want to ask this, but I feel like I gotta," she said softly. "Once we do find out the truth about everything, are you willing to leave this town behind like my family and I are alongside Kyle and his grandparents?"

"No doubt about it," he replied fiercely. "This town is full of dark secrets and shit, too dark for my blood. The sooner we expose these folks, the sooner we get the hell out of here while the getting's good. This has to end once and for all!"

"Right," Tiffany commented. "We'll talk tomorrow. Lunchtime."

"But of course, baby girl. Love you."

"Love you, too."

They disconnected.

Little did Tiffany Detweiler, Tamarious Browning, and even the rest of the Outcasts know that Kyle York would be the one to figure out what was going to happen and how the Titan Club and the Beautiful Teens (alongside Kyle's father) were involved. And by then, things would never be the same.

It's all going down in the next chapter as Kyle prepares for Homecoming week (time skip ahead) and then...he discovers the big secret of the millennium as we wrap up act one! Prepare to be blown away!

Dedication: Ms_Horrendous and ShaunAllan.

Vote.
Comment.
Share.
Follow.
Add.
FAN!