Page 10 (1/2)

"Moht, Andy, when you were touching the wall, what did you do?"

"I fixed the pipe" He searched his parents’ faces "Didn’t I?"

"Mr Crowley cut a hole in the wall to look at it The pipe did break there At least" Bridget stopped and looked helplessly at Ron

His father crouched down beside hih the wall," Drew said, trying to put the strange feelings into words "The ot hot, and the heat went down ether"

"You felt the metal"

Drew nodded "It feels funny Like" He paused to search for the right co"

"Does it now?" Ron fished a handful of change out of his pocket and put it in Drew’s hand "Can you shoith this what you did to the metal?"

Drened at the coins He couldn’t feel the dimes or the nickels or quarters "Not with all of them" He picked out five pennies and handed the rest back to Ron Then he concentrated, bringing back the war in his head as he held his hand open

The pennies began to dance a little, which made him smile, and then he made them stand on end and roll in a circle He spun the pennies faster, pouring an to stretch and melt into each other

"Dear God in Heaven," he heard his mother whisper

Drew felt proud He , and then pulled back some of the heat so it wouldn’t burn his hand When the copper stopped spinning, it was a perfect circle, the same size as the pretty bracelets his mom liked to wear

It was cool to see what he couldn’t last night, not with the wall in the way He looked up at his dad "That’s what I did, kind of Is it okay?"

His ers trembled as she took the bracelet "It’s only a little waran to sob

"Mom?" Drew threw his arain"

"No, darling It’s all right You didn’t do anything wrong" She choked back her sobs and wiped her face quickly before she rubbed her hands over his arood one"

Dreasn’t so sure about that The only time he’d seen his mother cry that hard was the day he’d woken up in the hospital

"Andrew" His father looked stern now "Does anyone else know you can do this thing? Have you told your friends at school?"

"No, sir Just you and Moruff voice sounded less strained now

"Now listen topeople outside our fa you do"

He almost asked why, and then he considered what he could do No one that he knew could neto in the X-Men couy He squinted up at his father "I’m kind of like a superhero, aren’t I? That’s e have to keep it secret?"

His parents exchanged another long look before his father said, "Yes, Andrew That’s why"