“Puff?” Jane just repeated Art’s words as he walked away towards his locker near the school entrance. She turned towards Asher curiously hoping for an explanation.

“He learned about chemical reactions today in chemistry.” The realization came over her as she glanced at his back taking note of the singe marks on him.

“Should we go talk to his teacher and ask them to keep him farther away from anything dangerous?” Jane’s idea was well founded, it seemed like Art was the unlucky kind of guy that would find himself in these sticky situations.

‘I really hope I am not the cause of his bad luck’ Asher thought this with a short prayer knowing full well that it is a pretty good chance that he was having some effect. “Let’s get out stuff too, we can Walker Art home to cheer him up a bit. I don’t mind taking the long way as part of some training.”

“Great idea! Two birds with one stone. Our legs will be stronger from the longer walk and Art might not look so gloomy.” Jane couldn’t help thinking, ‘Asher is so sweet!’ She was lucky that Asher could not see her face turning red as she thought about how sweet he was and how much she liked this about him.

The two followed behind Art grabbing the rest of their stuff. “So Art which way to your house?”

Art looked surprised and nearly bumped in to the girl in front of them. “My house? Why my house?” He had no clue why Asher would be asking this of him.

“Hmm student who looks like they just survived an explosion walking down the street alone…yea I would say that would not look strange at all. People definitely won’t call for law enforcement.” Asher gave Art a wide smile.

“And we are going this way.” Art didn’t even try to argue back after hearing Asher’s logic. Instead he turned and started walking down the main street. Art was being fidgety making Jane and Asher look back and forth at each other. Usually Art would be more energetic.

“You know we won’t go inside. We just figured you would want company on the way home. You walked with us the other day.” Jane tried to get Art to open up.

“Oh umm no I am not worried at all. It’s fine.” Art rushed his sentence and returned back to being silent. The trio walked in silence until a large mansion started to come in to view.

“Yo don’t tell us you have been holding out on us and you live there!?” Asher was shocked to see the massive white mansion with extremely well kept flower beds surrounding it. The amount of windows and fine furnishing on the outside of the house were almost uncountable.

“Well I…”

“This is such a beautiful home! Art you are super lucky to live here.” Jane interrupted his as she came out of her shock at first seeing this.

“Awe come on Art no need to be bashful, just show off for once. We won’t stop you.” Asher tried to get a smile on Art’s face but instead his brown crinkled more.

“I’m not allowed in the house right now…”

What?!” Asher and Jane responded at the same time, nearly making Art have a heart attack.

“Well my brother doesn’t approve of my power so he kicked me out. Our family has its own traditions. I’ve been sleeping there since we got our shots…” Art pointed at a small green gardening shed.

‘He’s been lying to us the whole time so we wouldn’t think bad of him not staying in his house?’ Asher immediately felt terrible while thinking of this.

“I’ll beat your brother to a pulp. All I need is a look at his way and I can wail on him until he has some sense in his empty head.” Jane had taken the rage trout and was ready to burst through the gate and right this wrong.

“No! This is his decision as the head of our family!…There’s nothing to change it until I can [rove that my power is better than his ability to control solid metal. My mom can only control magnetic metals and my father only controls gold. That’s how we got this mansion. But We can’t just go in and fight him. If I can’t do it on my own I will have proven nothing.” Art was dead set on this.

“Fine” Jane huffed angrily, not wanting to overstep her boundaries. ‘I will still beat up this stupid brother of his when I see him.’ Her thoughts were different but she would respect Art’s wishes.

“Well you do you man, we won’t interfere. Now go grab some clothes and anything else you need for school.” Asher had kept his calm face and thought things through.

“Why do I need my things? We don’t have class until tomorrow.” Art was slow as usual and didn’t catch on to Asher’s intentions.

“How else will you live at my place in our spare room?” Asher looked at Art like he had just asked the world’s dumbest question.

Art looked slightly blurry eyed. ‘I can finally get out of that stupid cold garden shed.’ This thought sent him running to the garden shed without hesitation. Second later he was rushing out with a bag full of a week’s worth of clothing and the textbooks he needed for school.

The trio walked in silence again but now a wide smile was on Art’s face. Asher was taking the time to think about what he would do if he ever met with Art’s older brother. After they were walking for about five minutes Asher suddenly asked a question. “Would you say that your older brother is your enemy right now?”

Haring this Art’s face contorted in to many emotions while he decided how to reply. “This is just the way my family has always been. If I were to hate him for doing what has always been done I would be wrong. But right now I do hate him a little. But I will show him he was wrong about my strength.” Art seemed very dedicated to this.

“Then I won’t consider him our enemy either. But if you ever feel he is one, tell me. Because that day I will also think of him as an enemy.” Asher wasn’t sure of his jinx power would really work this way but to help a friend he would do whatever it took.

Art felt how sincere Asher was and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Thanks bro. I never thought I would meet my two best friends the second I transferred in to a new class. I might just be luckier than you.” He laughed a sad laugh but the smile was genuine.

‘He has suffered through this without anyone to back him up. We will be the best friends you need Art!’ Jane screamed this thought in her head. She would refuse for one of her friends to be hurt, no one of her best friends to be hurt. “I still want to beat your brother up…” This ominous threat made both Asher and Art look at the sweet Jane they had come to know in the past days like she had turned in to a monster.

“I think coach Winters has possessed Jane!” Asher jumped away dramatically to make his words seem real.

“I thought her power was a body enhancement one.” Art missed the obvious joke but looked at Asher who was now on a collision course with a vending machine. “Watch out!” Art did his best to send a warning.

Asher turned just a little too slowly and before he knew it his face met the vending machine with a perfect thud. “Bahhhh” Asher stepped back holding his now reddening nose.

“Asher! Is your nose ok?” Jane rushed to him fussing over his unfortunate meeting with a metal vending machine.

“Bro, did a vending machine just steal your first kiss?” Art looked at Asher with seriousness in his eyes.

Asher looked back at him, “Dude, no. But it did just try to break my nose…” There were metallic clicking sounds before any of them could speak again.

“Ummm” Jane was worried that the vending machine was broken now. But to her surprise the robotic voice of the vending machine rang out instead.

“Thank you for your patronage. Please visit me again!” The sweet robotic voice drew all of their attention to the drop box at the bottom. Three chocolate bars had been dispensed.

“Asher the lucky charm strikes again!” Art grabbed the chocolate bars and tossed them to Jane and Asher. “You can even make a vending machine apologize when you bump in to it. ” Art laughed a little saying this.

Jane and Asher weren’t really sure that they should take the candy bars but after thinking for a moment they realized that someone else walking by would just take them instead so it was better them than a stranger right?