Kay Cordell [Cordell - Phenom

Copyright 2019 Kay Cordell

All rights reserved.

No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Photography from Pexels.com

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Dedicated to my awesome family

who has been amazingly supportive.

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To the friends and family

who read so much of my writing

(not all of it spectacular)

that came before this.

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And to my niece and nephews

who inspire me everyday.

Phenom is only the beginning

W hen the Everett Sisters got their powers in a freak accident, it happened with the whole world watching. Now, theyre superheroes, but without the luxury of secret identities. Saving the day is easy. Navigating relationshipswith friends, crushes, and each otherin their very public lives is the hard part.

Four very different sisters. Four unique stories in a larger-than-life world of heroes, villains, and crazy superpowers.

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1

F or once, Erin Everett isnt running late.

In fact, shes strolling quite leisurely across New Amsterdam Universitys South Quad, appreciating how the early Spring sun hits the old brick and stone buildings. The lawns are crowded with students eager to appreciate the unseasonably warm March weather. The temperature had made it into the lower 60s earlier in the day.

Even this late in the day, theyre spread out on the still-mostly-winter-brown lawns catching up on reading or chatting with friends. A few toss a frisbee around. Others in striped, hippie sweatshirts kick a hacky sack back and forth. The dignified, centuries-old buildings stand sentinel over it all.

A few eyes wander in her direction, watching her cut across the Quad. She gets a couple of smiles and nods from students she doesnt know. A couple more from familiar faces shes seen in class. But mostly, her peers ignore her. New Am U has grown accustomed to seeing their resident celebrity superhero around.

When she and her sisters very publicly got their superpowers in a freak accident last semester, it was all anyone could talk about on or off campus. People were calling it the biggest news story of the 90s. Nothing would top it. Not the superpowers part, mind you. That bit about it all going down with the eyes of the world on them. But now its six months later and her fellow students arent impressed by her anymore.

Its not like shes the only supe flying around New York. Even the novelty of Erin and her sisters being the only superheroes without secret identities has worn off.

She checks her watch again and smiles. The dollar movie at the University Center isnt starting for another twelve minutes. Her friends will die from shock when she saunters in, not just on time, but technically early. As long as she can make it across campus without any superhero shenanigans slowing her down.

No sooner has she congratulated herself on her bomb time management skills when she hears it. Not a supervillain. Something scarier.

Its Phenom! Its Phenom! Hey! Hey! Phenom! Over here!

Superfans.

Erin still cant quite get used to people reacting to her as if shes Tony Braxton or Sarah Michelle Gellar or some real celebrity.

But she comes to a reluctant stop, slaps on her great, big hello-fan-Im-glad-to-hit-pause-in-the-middle-of-what-Im-doing-and-sign-whatever-scrap-of-paper-you-happen-to-have-on-you smile.

By the looks of it, the two girls bum-rushing her are high schoolers visiting the Ivy League. One wears flower-patterned petal pushers and a midriff-revealing fuzzy pink sweater. The others in a cute little plaid skirt and matching yellow cardigan set.

None of the students actually enrolled here bother putting that much effort into their appearance. Especially not on a random Thursday. Who has the time?

I told you it was her! the girl in the fuzzy sweater says. I told you!

The taller girl, the one in the cardigan set, only says, omigoshomigoshomigosh, quietly over and over. Shes so tense and rigid, a bulldozer wouldnt knock her over.

Im obsessed with the Forever Family! Fuzzy Sweater says.

Forever Family. Thats the moniker the media came up with for Erin and her sisters. Because there are four of them, and their last name is Everett. Get it?

And youre my all-time favorite superhero, Fuzzy Sweater continues. I dressed up as you for Halloween and everything. She points to the tall girl beside her. Ellie was Stunner. Our friend Carla was Oddity and our other friend Morgan was Essence. She just wore her normal clothes and put a name tag on that said Essence. Isnt that funny? Omigosh! Theyre going to be so jealous! Can I have your autograph? Make it out to Lily. Thats me, by the way. My name is Lily. Take my picture, Ellie!

Lily thrusts a black and yellow disposable camera at Ellie. Still a statue of shock and awe, Ellie slowly takes the camera with trembling hands. But thats all she manages before freezing up again.

Here. Let me, Erin says, her fan smile firmly in place.

Reaching out with her mind, Erin plucks the camera from Ellies hands. The camera appears to move through the air on its own as Erin raises it high and flips it so that the little round lens faces her and Lily.