Trouble at Mt. Frosty

“I feel like we should be able to get out of here,” Greg sighed, sounding totally exasperated, fed up with the situation.

“Ok, but we’re snowed in,” Michelle said. She agreed that this was the worst - no one wants to be stuck in the lodge instead of out skiing when what you came to do was ski.

“I know, obviously,” Greg muttered. “I just…” he trailed off. He looked around at everyone else in the lodge. Mostly young couples, on some kind of romantic getaway - blech. “I just feel like there’s got to be some kind of a solution.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. They were cousins, here with their parents who were nowhere to be found at the moment. They were definitely the youngest ones in the lodge apart from a little boy who looked to be about seven. Michelle looked at the boy now, avoiding her cousin and his stubbornness. 

The boy looked so shy, practically curled into a ball on a chair, reading a graphic novel. Michelle couldn’t see exactly which one he was reading, but it looked like one from the Team Awesome series. She remembered liking those books when she was younger. It made her smile to think about them.

“What are you grinning at?” Greg asked. He moved to the edge of his seat, eager. “Did you think of something? A way to get out?”

Michelle looked at Greg and rolled her eyes again. “No, weirdo,” she said. “It looks like that kid is reading Team Awesome. I loved those books.”

Greg followed her gaze and looked over to the boy. “Oh yeah,” he sounded half interested. “Those were good.”

They were quiet for a few minutes.

Greg stared out the windows, urging the snow to melt. Instead, it just starting falling harder from the sky.

Michelle watched the boy. She tried not to stare but there was something about him. It’s not that he looked familiar or anything like that. Still, she felt drawn to him.

Eventually, she gave up trying to hide her interest and just stared at the kid. He was totally engrossed in his book, which she had now determined was Team Awesome #11 - Trouble at Mt. Frosty. Apt book to be reading, she thought, considering they were in some frosty trouble of their own at the moment.

“What’s your problem?” Greg asked when he noticed her staring.

“No problem,” Michelle answered. “I just can’t look away.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Just watch him for a minute. You’ll see what I mean.”

Greg sighed and looked out the window again. Seeing things hadn’t changed there, he looked over at the boy. His brown hair was very short - maybe a buzz cut that was growing out. He had on a striped shirt and blue pants - not jeans and not sweats - and some well-worn Nikes. 

It reminded Greg of how his parents had dressed him just a few years ago. No characters on his shirts. Sweatpants were a rarity, reserved mainly for sports and other physical activities.

And Michelle was right. He couldn’t look away. The kid was just sitting there reading, but there was something about him. What was it?

“I’m gonna go talk to him,” Michelle said, already standing up.

“What? No. You can’t.” Greg wasn’t sure why not, but it seemed wrong.

“Of course I can,” Michelle protested. “It doesn’t look like his parents are around. They’re probably up in their room like ours. We’re the closest to his age. I’ll offer that we could play a card game or something.”

Greg stood. “I’m coming with.”

Michelle started to protest but shrugged. It didn’t really matter. What were the odds the kid would even talk to them?

Michelle walked across the lodge to the boy, Greg right on her heels. As she walked, she tried to think of what she’d say to him to start up a conversation, but she wasn’t really sure. What do little kids like that like to talk about? 

Then it hit her: the book - of course! She could talk to him about the book.

“Hey,” Michelle said, standing right in front of the boy. He barely glanced her way. “Team Awesome is the best. I loved those books.”

“Yeah,” the boy said.

“I’m Michelle. This is my cousin Greg.”

“Hey,” the boy said, just giving them a slight glance. Then after a moment, he added, “I’m Aiden.”

“Hey,” Greg replied.

Michelle waited for either of them to say something else. But Aiden just stared at his book and Greg at the floor.

“Who’s your favorite in Team Awesome?” Michelle ventured. Aiden shrugged. “Alice is pretty cool. I always liked her camouflage powers.”

Crickets.

Michelle elbowed Greg, trying to get him to help her out.

“Uh, yeah. I, uh, always like Aaron best I guess.”

“Aaron’s got good powers, but he’s not smart about how he uses them,” Aiden piped up.

Michelle smiled. “Yeah, you’re kind of right about that. He’s always jumping in too quick, right?”

Aiden nodded. They all fell quiet again. Michelle racked her brain, trying to remember more about Team Awesome, but it had been a few years since she’d read any of those books.

Aiden set the book down on his lap. He kept it open to his page, but definitely detached himself from it a little. He looked at Michelle, then Greg, then back to Michelle.

Michelle put on her friendliest smile, trying to be patient and wait for Aiden to be ready to talk. It looked like he had something to say, but was deciding whether or not to say it, whether or not he could trust them.

“I have powers,” Aiden finally said.

“Powers?” Michelle asked. She tried to keep her tone neutral. She didn’t want to make Aiden feel silly, but what did he mean? Of course he didn’t have powers. “Do you mean, like, you’re strong?”

Greg leaned in, once again drawn to Aiden like he was earlier. “No,” he said. “Powers. Actual powers. Like Team Awesome, right?”

Aiden nodded.

Michelle was still skeptical but Greg clearly believed and was eager to learn more. “What’s your power?” He asked. “Can you tell us? Can you… show us?”

Aiden looked side to side, gauging if any of the adults in the room were paying attention to them.

Michelle smiled gently. Greg leaned into Aiden, stunned that a kid with actual super powers was sitting right here in front of him.

Aiden looked down at his hands and then straight into Greg’s eyes. “I have heat hands,” he said.

“Heat… hands?” Michelle said. “Like heat vision?”

Aiden nodded. He looked down at his hands. Michelle and Greg followed his gaze and stared at his hands now. And they began to glow - soft at first but growing brighter. And they could all feel the heat coming off of them.

“How hot can they get?” Greg asked. You could practically see the wheels turning in his head, the idea forming.

“Hot,” Aiden replied as his hands faded back to their usual skin color.

Greg smiled at Michelle and then at Aiden.

“Aiden my friend, I think you can get us out of this lodge.”