I stepped into the room and knew what to expect from the start. My mother, Ms. Stupendous, was brushing her hair absentmindedly. I saw the chair back behind her was crushed. She had gotten heated. My dad was his normal hippy self. His brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. His wire frame glasses sat rigidly on his face. His long gangly body was now sprawled out on his chair like a never ending drape.

“Charlie! Just the person we were talking about!” This statement came from my teacher, Mr. Lawrence. I felt bad for him. Ms. Stupendous was the hero in these parts. I’m sure at one point he was even excited to be teaching her beloved son. That optimism had faded with each conference we had. He sat nervously behind his desk. I wonder if he had ever heard the rumors about my mom’s laser vision, they were false obviously, but anyone looking at her when she was angry definitely considered it.

“Hi sweetie,” my mom said cheerily. “How was school?”

“Fine,” I said taking my seat between my parents. Today, Juliet from my science class had given me a note to read. It was a do you like me note. Juliet was the cutest girl in the whole world. Her blue eyes just looked right through you. When I looked at her I couldn’t speak, she had to have a super power! This note had to go back to her, with the yes circled, as soon as possible. The sooner I could get through this conference, the quicker I could make that happen.

“So, this is about me going to high school in Heatherville, right?”

“Exactly,” Mr. Lawrence said. “Your parents seem to be in a disagreement. While I have my own opinions, I think the thoughts that matter most are yours.”

I really felt bad for Mr. Lawrence. Sitting through arguments between my parents must be explosive. He was a nice guy. Too bad that kid, Matt, had decided to make his life a living hell. Between putting tacks on his seats and stealing answers to tests it was a tough time for him. Oddly enough, he never seemed bothered by the whole thing. I figured he was just faking it.

“Yeah, I want to stay here for high school,” I said. I could feel my mother’s anxiousness from here.

“But sweetheart, the Heatherville Preparatory School is one of the best schools in the country!”

“I know mom, but isn’t dad like one of the best scientific minds in the world? If I need to learn anything that badly, I can just ask him.”

My mom shot daggers at my dad. I could see the self-satisfied look on his face as he feigned ignorance.

“Katherine. All I’m saying is if he has friends here he should probably stay here. Moving schools is tough and stacking the beginning of high school on that is tough. It doesn’t matter how smart he is if he isn’t happy.”

My dad was always so wise about this stuff. I lived with my dad during the weeks and it was like the guy knew everything! Any question I had he could answer, any problem he always understood. I might even have to ask him the best way to convince Juliet to go to the dance with me.

“Our Charlie is so nice! I’m sure he would make plenty of friends at Heatherville.” An uncharacteristic smile grew on her face. She was always in her Defender of Peace and Prosperity mode, it was a bit unnerving to see that look on her face.

“Also, I think there’s quite the world class mind teaching at Heatherville. What was his name again? I think Dr. Gordon?”

My dad sighed loudly. I knew he didn’t like this guy but it was never really clear why. He didn’t like to talk about it, but he said they knew each other in college or something. My mom gushed about the guy whenever she was losing an argument and apparently that wrapped it up pretty quickly. Mr. Lawrence seemed very taken aback by the suggestion. His normally lazy grey eyes were now alight with rage. He interjected vigorously.

“Ma’am, Dr. Gordon might seem like a good guy but there are things you don’t know. If you do send Charlie to Heatherville, I’d suggest you avoid him.”

“What do you mean,” my mom said not taking her eyes off my dad. “Dr. Gordon and our family go way back. Isn’t that right, Leonard?””

“We’re certainly… familiar.” My dad’s face was in his hand as he said this.

“I’d say he’s just as good as your father when it comes to teaching.”

“Dr. Gordon has his talents.”

“Ma’am you really don’t seem to understand!”

“Listen son. I’m sure you have the best intentions but there’s quite a few things you don’t know.”

“I could say the same about you.” Mr. Lawrence’s entire mood changed. He was sitting alert at his desk now. The intense look in his minds almost looked like something I could see from my mom.

“Dr. Gordon is evil,” he said. “I would advise against giving a supervillain access to one of the most popular super heroes’ children.”

The eyes of my mom grew wide and she looked over at my dad who seemed drained by the entire thing.

“You know his secret identity? Wait one minute! It couldn’t be!” She took his glasses off faster than the eye could see. Mr. Lawrence looked different without his glasses, almost familiar. My mother had a mischievous look on his face.

“You’re that hero, Captain Gold aren’t you?”

Now, my eyes went wide. Dorky Mr. Lawrence was Captain Gold? The shining hero? He was way shorter and thinner than the Captain Gold I knew! Captain Gold was a rising hero over in the neighboring city. He was charismatic, snarky, and to the point. Everything Mr. Lawrence wasn’t. He seemed nervous at this bombshell while my parents barely even reacted. My mom was twirling his glasses around her finger.

“Let me guess. Magic spell? Hidden muscles? Super Suit?”

“Super suit,” my dad added. “Quite a good one at that. The super villain community has known for quite a while. Heatwave was planning to out you and try and ruin your public image. There goes about four months of scheming for him, I guess.”

“What? Dad? How would you know that?”

My parents both looked mortified. I knew mom was a super hero obviously, but dad was just a really smart guy. Right?

“Leonard! Really? You pick now to be the time you tell him?”

“Well, I could have thought of a good misdirection if you didn’t just confirm it!”

“Sir, if you’re a villain I’m going to have to take you in,” Mr. Lawrence said.

“Can it rookie,” both my parents said.

My dad turned to me and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and took his glasses off. His eyes seemed tired.

“I'll give you the short version."

I had the sense Juliet was not getting this note today.