"I never liked how Kyle's parents put too much pressure on him," Tamarious commented after he and everyone calmed down. "The moment when I first met him on the first day of school and noticed that he was the proverbial cheese that stood alone in a family full of fame-chasing elitists was when I knew that he's expected to be more like the Popular crowd."

"Dad and Mom always hated him for wanting to be with the people they thought were beneath them- you know with the Valley Kids, the Goths, the hip-hop crew, and the religious kids," Khandi replied as she and her twin sat with their grandparents. "Khadijah and I were easily malleable because we took after our parents with looks and all; it was easier to go with what they wanted because Dad saw the two of us as valuable assets."

"But with Kyle? Let's just say that he, Dad, and Mom were like oil, water, and sugar- always clashing and never mixing well," her twin added. "Our parents loved to compare my sister and I to him, Dad more so since he hated Kyle for not being a man's man who's down with the times: athletic, masculine, confident (or cocky, if you want to see Dad's attitude as something else), even socially flexible. If Khandi and I weren't too caught up with our own popular crowds, we'd admire Kyle for remaining who he was and how Grandma and Grandpa raised him to remain practical and yet how he was ready to follow his own passions."

"So you two really didn't know what was going on with this whole mess?" Mavis asked, staring at them as glasses of iced tea were being passed around just as Tiffany and her parents came in. "How can we know that you're to be trusted?"

Khadijah gave the Australian Goth-dressed teen a pointed stare. "Look, you may see me and Khandi as a possible spy because we didn't talk or hang around Kyle," she commented sharply. "Call it being fearful of what Dad can do with a few phone calls to ruin our reputations if we didn't comply with his wishes on our part. But you guys should be aware of how Brian York wants things to go down his way- having the jet-setting and fast-life-living family who's going places and seen with trendsetters and social climbers that has no time to be seen with anyone who didn't fit with his American dream. And Kyle and our grandparents wanted no part of it."

"Damn right," her grandfather commented. "Something told me that Lisa was making a major mistake in marrying that man all because she didn't want to live in the countryside with her kin back in Texas. She married him to spite us. If it wasn't for Kyle's birth, then my wife and I would gladly cut ties with the family. And now..."

The older man lowered his head, shaking in shame as he had no more words to say.

"What my husband means is that we knew that Kyle was his own kind of teenager with a strong head on his shoulders," Mrs. Levitt commented. "We were so happy that Kyle was the more-sensible teenager who didn't like going to large house parties where everyone was making poor choices and never cared for any of the teens who cared about trying to make it big with their looks or atheltics. He had real dreams that involved hard work and moral fiber that could showcase the best of what he had to offer. But now that his father's made him into some sort of athletic clone of his father, there's no telling what might happen."

"Kyle told his grandma and I that he sensed that his father would have no more use of him as a nerd, as someone who could be a threat to his father's vision," his grandfather intoned. "And just before we got here, Kyle told me that if worse did come to wear, he gave me one final request- one that I'm not too sure that we can handle."

"What was it?" Yesenia asked.

The older man, who was vainly fighting back the tears despite being a tough Vietnam War veteran, took a shuddering deep breath. "He requested that his grandmother and I put him down in the event that he's too far gone of being Kevarix- his superhero persona," he said morosely. "He feared that his father would gain too much control of him and even commented that his father would do whatever it took to make sure that he played ball by their rules- the Titan Club's, that is. So he told me that if drastic times came down to this, he wanted to make sure that he'd kept whatever was left of his old personality. He wanted me to euthanize him when the time comes."

"Oh, God," Macey groaned.

"Lord almighty," Mr. Browning commented. "Sir, you don't mean that."

"He does, and so does Kyle," Khandi replied curtly, though her eyes were getting misty. "Browning and Company, we can't let that happen. We need to get a game plan together and not only reverse Kyle's transformation but also expose this town as a den of liars and freaks before getting the hell out of here. Khadijah and I may not had a good relationship with our brother before, but we promised ourselves that if given the chance we would do everything to get him away from our parents and let him live his life in the way he desires."

"Right," Tamarious said, sitting up. "With the reveal set for tomorrow, you already know that the rest of the school's going to be crucial to not only work hard to finally end this nightmare but also get York out of there. But if all else fails, we might have to do what Kyle requested- put him out of his misery."

"But what about his parents and the town?" Tiffany asked. "I mean, Mr. York and the Dermotts could be working with the police and the townspeople to ensure that we don't stand in their way. If we're not careful, we could be axed off before we could do anything."

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Mr. Browning said formally.

In stepped a conservatively-dressed African-American family, a young man who could give Kyle a run for his money in the wardrobe department. "Are you guys part of the Outcasts?" he said.

"Who wants to know?" Yesenia asked.

The young man nodded, taking a deep breath. "The name's Marion Lancaster," he replied, his voice hinting that he was from the Deep Southeastern USA. "My parents and I just moved to town and we recently had a nasty encounter with someone named Brian York and his wife. They looked at us as if we were a threat to their plans for glamour."

"Apologies for that," Khandi said as she and her sister and grandparents stood up and walked to them. "I'm their daughter Khandi and this is my twin sister Khadijah and our grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Levitt. And let's just say that you and your family should listen to what's going on."

"But of course, something tells me that my family and I could be of use to what's going on," Marion commented. "May we hear about what's going on? I could use it since I'll be at Sandifer Bay High tomorrow."

Tamarious gave him a wide grin, a plan forming in his head. "Sure," he said. "Let's just say that you could be a big help for what's going on right now."

For the rest of the afternoon until it was time for everyone to go their separate ways for dinner, a new alliance was formed with Marion Da'Mir Lancaster, the son of two well-respected reporters as they were inducted into the world of superheroes and the battle between Populars and Outsiders. For better or worse, Marion was going to be a crucial wild-card for what was about to happen.

And just like that, the games for social-class dominance was about to be elevated to new levels.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Marion Lancaster! And you'll get to know more about him in the chapters to come, especially in the next chapter. And let's just say that beforehand, the Beautiful Teens/Titan Club are getting him prepared for his new life as a Titan a popular jock. Stay tuned!

Dedication: D-David. Song: "Power" by Kanye West.

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