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To his mother, Charlie thought, that meant a party. And a party meant food, which meant her famous strawberry-rhubarb pie. If circumstances had been different, he might have been intrigued to finally learn the secret ingredient that made her pie so delicious. But now, he was so wracked with nerves and anger and regret that he couldn’t think straight.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Briar.

He felt like a fool for letting her sexual past bother him. After all, he’d gotten over the rest—her tragic history, her mental defect, the honesty that she couldn’t help but give and deserved in return. Was it really such a big deal that she wasn’t a virgin? 

But then he thought about Kent touching her, or Danny. He thought about anyone else seeing her the way he had, with her eyes heavy and languid and her lips swollen from kisses. In his imagination, he could see Kent or Danny sweeping her off her feet and carrying her to bed—something he would never be able to do.

And it wasn’t just that. Kent and Danny both had good jobs. Danny worked at Al Ruck’s garage repairing cars, and Kent worked in his father’s butcher shop. They made good money doing the sort of physically demanding job that was closed to Charlie. His bum leg kept him from working on a ranch or learning a trade. 

His lack of a college degree made Charlie ineligible for the rest of the jobs in town. All he had was his pathetic twenty hours a week at the library. There was no way he could support her with that. 

Eventually, she would compare him to them. Eventually, he would be found wanting. 

He had hurt her, and guilt burned in his gut. He had asked for her secrets, and she hadn’t done anything more than be honest with him. He hadn’t expected that one of her secrets would hack his self-esteem to bits. 

His mother scooped up the bowl full of cut strawberries and marched back to the kitchen. “Hurry up and finish that. We need to get started on the crusts.”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Do you think three is enough? Oh, I don’t know,” she said, rubbing her chin. “I wish I knew what this speech was all about. They didn’t tell you anything when you went to the clinic?”

“No.” Other than Briar, the upcoming speech was Charlie’s other major preoccupation. This one, at least, he could share with his mother. “The mayor says it’s good news.”

“Yes, but what kind of good news?”

“Could be anything,” he said. “Maybe they’ve got an update on rebuilding the roads. Or some sort information about where these powers came from.” 

“Oh, maybe there’s a cure. Wouldn’t that be a miracle?”

Charlie’s hands stilled. “A cure?”

“I just feel so sorry for all these young people,” she said as she retrieved milk and eggs from the icebox. “Their whole lives changed. They’ll never be the same.”

“Maybe their lives have changed for the better,” Charlie said, voice tight.

“It may seem that way, but think about what it really means, Charlie. All of these people will never have normal lives. They’ll either have to keep their powers secret, or they’ll be outsiders forever. Just look at your friend Will! He could have been a senator one day, maybe even president! But now …,” she clucked her tongue. “It’s a real shame.”

“Will didn’t want that,” Charlie said, dimly aware that he was unreasonably angry. “He wanted to stay right here in Independence Falls.”

“But now he doesn’t have a choice. None of them do.”

None of us
, he thought, and pushed up from the table so quickly that he knocked his chair to the floor. “There’s no such thing as choice,” he said, his voice grinding. “You make plans and set goals, and then life kicks you in the teeth.”

“Now, I don’t think—”

“That’s what happened to me,” he said, gesturing sharply at his leg. “And now it’s happened again. There’s no going back to how it used to be.”

“I know, Charlie,” she said, reaching up to lay a hand on his shoulder. “This has been tough on all of us.”

He shook her off, picked up his hated cane, and started out of the room.

Then he stopped. He was doing it again. The same thing he had done to Briar twice now. He was letting his emotions overrule his sense. His mother wasn’t trying to hurt him by talking about a cure. She didn’t know about Charlie’s power, and she genuinely thought people would be happy to get rid of these new, frightening talents. 

Maybe for some people—people like Briar—a cure would be a miracle, just as his mother had said.

Instead of stalking from the room, he turned around. He walked back to his mother and folded her in a hug. 

“I just wish none of this had happened,” Charlie’s mother said, her voice muffled by his shirt. “I thank my lucky stars every day that you haven’t been affected. You’ve been through enough already.”

He wanted to tell her. How had Briar lived with her lies for so long? Deception was eating him up inside. 

One more day, he told himself. He hoped the speech scheduled for the next day would make his path clear.

Charlie spent a sleepless night consumed by thoughts of Briar and worries about the coming speech. The day seemed to drag interminably until it was finally time to go to the baseball field, the only venue in town large enough to hold everyone.

It felt strange walking back into the baseball stadium after all this time. Everything was the same—the green grass, the crisp white lines, the bleachers painted in the blue and silver of the Independence Falls Eagles. But he was different. 

There was a stage set up near home plate with several rows of chairs and a podium in the center. Some people had spread picnic blankets in the outfield, taking advantage of the late summer sun. Charlie, along with his parents and Uncle Rick, sat in the bleachers behind the right field. 

As the stadium filled with people, Charlie kept an eye out for Briar. Somewhere in the long night he had realized that he would be throwing away something precious if he let his petty insecurities ruin what was between them. She may have shared her body with Kent and Danny, but she hadn’t shared the things that really mattered. Her secrets, her history—she had trusted Charlie to know things about her that no one else understood. 

And he had tossed her trust back in her face. He didn’t deserve her. But he was damn well—
darn well
, he thought ruefully—going to do what it took to get her back. 

By the time the sun dipped in the sky, the seats on the stage had filled with people in army uniforms, interspersed occasionally with people in long white lab coats. Col. Deacon stood on the sidelines, watching everything with his arms folded across his broad chest.

But it was another soldier who took the microphone. The crowd hushed as soon as he approached. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming today. My name is Lt. Roger Cavanaugh, and I’m here tonight on behalf of Col. Dick Deacon. Before I begin, let me say how grateful we are to you, the people of Independence Falls. Even though the circumstances of our visit here are unfortunate, we’ve been welcomed with open arms. This is truly a special place, full of proud and decent Americans.”

“I like that young man,” Charlie’s mother said, applauding warmly. 

“First, I would like to inform you that we are working on clearing the rockslide that is currently blocking the road out of town. Because of the precipitous drop to the river below, we must be careful to remove the rocks in a manner that will allow us to preserve as much of the existing road as possible. In the meantime, I can’t think of a better place to be stuck than this.” 

“Says the guy with access to a helicopter,” Rick muttered.

Lt. Cavanaugh’s face grew more serious. “As you all know, there was an incident on the evening of May 31 where an unknown chemical was released into the air around Lake Perseverance. I know there has been much discussion since then about the possible causes of this fog. I can tell you now that we believe the chemical was released by the Soviet Union.”

Charlie felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Some people had suspected the Soviets were involved, but it had seemed absurd that they would target tiny little Independence Falls. 

“Damn Reds!” someone yelled. Rick snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. Charlie looked around, wondering how the Sokolovs were handling the news.

The lieutenant continued without acknowledging the comment. “We believe that the chemical, taking the form of a purple fog, has been in development for some time. The Soviets used this town to test this chemical. They clearly didn’t understand what the chemical would do,” Lt. Cavanaugh said over the rising murmurs. “We believe that the toxin was designed to sicken or kill its targets. In the case of Jan Clarkson and Betty Carroll, may they rest in peace, it appears that the toxin caused their bodies to react violently. A moment of silence for Jan and Betty, in memory of their sacrifice.”

The silence in the stadium was absolute until Lt. Cavanaugh continued. 

“But they did not die in vain. The Soviets made a mistake releasing their toxin here. Instead of being fatal, the chemical seems to have activated unexplored sectors of the brain, causing rapid development of unexpected characteristics. In a word, they’ve given some of you superpowers.”

The silence now was shocked rather than reverent. The crowd was hanging on every word.

“Their mistake is America’s gain. Many of you have developed special abilities that you can control without risk of personal harm. This is a loss for the Soviets, and a victory for America. This town is unique in the history of the world, and you have an important role to play in determining our future. First and foremost, what we need from you is secrecy. The Soviets do not seem to know what has happened here, and it is imperative that we keep it that way. If we can keep this incident a secret for the time being, America may be able to use the Soviets’ weapon against them.”

Charlie’s mother shifted in her seat. “Our children are not weapons.”

“Hush, Mindy,” Charlie’s dad said. “He didn’t mean it like that.” 

“I cannot stress how important it is that we not allow word of these incidents to reach the outside world,” Lt. Cavanaugh continued. “There are spies everywhere, prepared to use any information they may have to jeopardize America. The army is trusting you, the fine people of this great town, to help us keep this secret. And we could not have asked for a more patriotic bunch of loyal Americans than the people of Independence Falls.”

The crowd cheered, but quieted under the lieutenant’s serious gaze. “Make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen, we are at war. They may call it a Cold War, but it is a war all the same. A war for the very future of our planet. We cannot allow the Soviets to spread the false doctrine of Communism around the world. We must make the wonders of a democratic, free market economy available to all those who wish to succeed. 

“We must fight this war on many fronts, and everyone who contributes to the war effort is a hero. If the Soviets knew what they had created here, they would rush to enslave everyone who demonstrates unusual abilities. They would lock you in their
gulags
and force you to use your powers to further the Communist cause.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer to the microphone. “They would take your powers, your special gifts, and use them to destroy America.” 

Charlie heard crying behind him. He looked around and saw Blanche Sutton and her husband huddled over their newborn baby. 

“But all is not lost. Together, we can keep the sons and daughters of Independence Falls safe from the Soviets. And our first line of defense is silence. We must stick together and make sure the Soviets don’t know what they’ve created. This information can never leave this town.”

 Lt. Cavanaugh leaned in, making eye contact with the anxious people in the crowd. “Every man, woman, and child in this town is being called by your nation to preserve national security. Your silence makes you all heroes. I know your country can count on you.”

He straightened and brushed lightly at his immaculate uniform. “And now, I would like to address those of you who have developed unusual abilities. I know that some of you may be scared or unsure. You may feel confused about your new abilities. What is the purpose of these powers? How should you use your gifts for the greatest good? 

“To that I say, let patriotism be your guide. Sign up to join the army, and our experts will help you harness your talents and use them to help mankind. We will provide special training at Fort Austen, which we are reopening especially for this purpose. You would be allowed to continue living in your homes and going about your normal lives, with the exception of daily training. And I speak to both males and females. Ladies, some of you have extraordinary talents. When you join, you will be making history as the first active duty female soldiers. Just think of the honor you would bring to your families by making the brave choice to serve.” 

“Ladies on the front lines. I never thought I’d see that in my lifetime,” Charlie’s mother said.

“Uncle Sam wants you,” Lt. Cavanaugh said, “and he’s willing to go the extra mile to get you. On top of these accommodations, we are offering a generous signing bonus to help you and your families transition to army life. We have a recruiting table set up here, and I encourage all of you to step up and show us what you can do. I’m prepared to be impressed.”

“Damn right,” yelled Frank Greg, who was down near the front of the stage. “Check this out!”

He pointed all ten fingers at Lt. Cavanaugh, forming a spotlight in his face. 

“Interesting,” said Lt. Cavanaugh, shading his eyes. “I think we’ve got our first recruit!”

The crowd cheered as a blushing Frank was led to a table at the side of the stage. “We are ready to talk to you about your future in the military. I assure you all, you are already heroes. With the effort and cooperation of us all, some of you can become superheroes.” 

 Charlie surged to his feet along with the rest of the crowd. They were cheering, applauding, overcome with excitement. It was as if a plug had been pulled, and all the worries and confusion that had been stewing amongst the townspeople drained away. Now they had answers. Now they had a purpose.