Hey, my name's Randy Cunningham and I'm about to have my face caved in by a dodgeball. As my life flashes before my eyes, I review the events that put me in this position in the first place. Here it goes…

Some people are… special. I know, I know, some people don't like this word because it implies some are better than others or because it's used to describe a kid who doesn't fit in to make them feel better. Fine. Some people are different in a way that makes them have to be taken away from normal society. That's so much longer though.

Confused? Me too. I shouldn't even be in McFist High! McFist High School (for special children) is smack dab in the middle of Norrisville and no one suspects a thing. It's a private school and people feel pity for you if you go there. What they don't understand is that MHS is a school for superheroes.

You heard me. Actually the first rules here are that you can't use your powers outside of school until you graduate and to leave crime fighting to the police. So there aren't any superheroes, but we still have superpowers. Which is why I shouldn't be here: I don't have any. All I have is a tendency to make terrible puns and an unknown father. I'll get back to this in a sec.

My best bro Howard Weinerman- he's the humungous bird over there- went on a trip to Japan with his family last summer. They went to some museum and he thought it would be funny to touch the exhibits with the sign that read "DO NOT TOUCH". Turns out the golden eye he touched held the spirit of a bird demon called a Tengu. The Weinerman's hired an exorcist but he said the only way to un-possess him was to burn Howard at the stake and release the spirit. That obviously didn't go over well, so they went to some other person who gave him an amulet to help him control the Tengu.

McFist High caught wind of it all and wanted Howard to be enrolled in their school, to help him learn how to have control so he won't be a danger to the public. While they were investigating him, they also investigated me since I've been his friend since pre-school.

Mandatory background checks? This school is honking intense.

Anyway, I apparently might have inherited some powers from my father, but no one will tell me who he is. Mom doesn't know (he had given her a false identity. Jerk.) and the school won't tell. The school contacted Mom and though she doubts I'll inherit any superpowers, she thought enrollment would be a good idea. The classes are more hands on and she thought it would help me pay attention better. I agreed because I didn't want to be separated from Howard.

So here we are.

Coach Green, Power Trainer, was our only teacher on the first day. In a normal school, he would be called a gym teacher. We gathered in the spacious gym and had our powers accessed. There are no grades at MHS, here they are called levels. On the first day, Green decides how strong/ dangerous our powers are and places us in a level. There are twelve levels and since I have no powers, I'm in Level 12 aka 1st grade. It's very hard to move up Levels because you can only improve your control of a power, not change it. I don't know of any Level 1's; higher Levels mean rarer powers.

Here's some examples. Bucky, a kid in my Level, can make things triangle shaped. Want a triangular donut? He's your guy. But Bash- son of the Principal Hannibal McFist- is Level 7. Bash is like the Incredible Hulk, except he doesn't change color. He just looks like a twelve foot tall, ripped version of himself when he transforms. Rumor has it, his step-father purposely engineered the 'accident' that gave him his power.

About twenty of us joined this year, so I only know their powers and names. We haven't been mixed in with the main student body yet, that comes in a month. The official estimate is that 200 kids attend here from all over the world.

Morgan (we can't divulge our last names; it's to prevent grudges from leaving the school. I think about it like we have secret identities) she's from Brazil and can control human likenesses. Dolls, statues, figurines, anything except actual people. So she's a Level 6.

I'd love to know more about the crazy powers people have, but I stopped paying attention part way through and forgot most everyone's names. Whoops. It's only the first week, I'll figure it out.

One last thing, on the first day when we showed off our powers, I had to say I didn't have any. Publically. Now some people, including muscle monster Bash, are betting on 'who can make the little nerd reveal his powers first'. Vice Principal Slimovitz said intentional malicious behavior towards other students is prohibited. Someone should mention that to Bash because his 100 mph dodgeball is going to break my honking neck.

I cringe, bringing my arms up to cover my face. Goodbye cruel world…

WHAP.

I'm okay!

"I gotcha buddy." Howard had blocked it with a wing at the expense of going out. Transforming back to human form, he got in line with the other players who had been hit. Howard really looks out for me in Power Class (read gym class but with superpowers). I'd have been in the infirmary the second day without him. He's only a Level 9 now, but with more practice I know he'll end up with at least a Level 7.

What should have been my freshman year at Norrisville High is going to be very exciting, I can feel it.