Just Two Regular Unpowered Girls

November 20, 2019, Niccols Family Community Center, evening 
With so many swim practices being cancelled or her having to miss lately, Atlanta is swimming laps at the community center pool. With no one else around, she can’t time herself very well, but she can at least get a good workout in. She reaches the end of a lap and pops up out of the water. As she does, she hits the stop button on the stopwatch sitting there next to a towel and her phone. 
“Hmm. If it takes me at least five seconds to get started after starting it, then another two or three to stop it…” she does some mental math for a second, then sighs. “Well, at least it’s about the same as usual.” 
A sharp, impressed whistle sounds out for just a moment in the pool area. An athletic teen with recently damp hair sits at the poolside and notes, "That was a pretty good time. I mean… counting in my head but still. I think I've seen you here before." Rea Remington flashes a grin at Atlanta and offers, "You want help so you don't have to rush to the watch every time?"
Atlanta drops the stopwatch when the whistle sounds, startled, and nearly falls back down into the water. She blinks at Rea for a second before stammering, “Oh, uh. Thanks? And sure? I’m Atlanta?” 
Putting her hands up in mock surrender, Rea laughs just a little. "Sorry! I shouldn't sneak up on people like that. I'm Rea." A curious head tilt follows her bend to pick the stopwatch off the floor. "I wasn't doing anything useful anyway. I'll get the timer going as soon as you start."  
“Oh, uh, thanks? I’ll go for four lengths, so stop when I get back here the second time.” Atlanta puts her goggles back on and drops back in the water. When Rea is ready, she pushes off and starts. Four lengths later, she touches the wall and looks up expectantly at Rea. 
By this point, she's dangling her legs in the water and watching. Rea holds the watch out, presenting the results with a half smile. "That's good, I think? Better than my time. Maybe you have higher standards than me. I was just climbing to blow off steam. You know. Pushing my body is a good stress relief and I've needed it. How 'bout you?" With that last question, Rea pulls herself to standing, removing her legs from the water and dripping unceremoniously everywhere. 
Atlanta wipes off her hands and records the time in her phone before pulling herself up out of the water, her legs still in the water. "It's okay. I should be doing better, but I've had to miss a lot of practice lately." She takes off her goggles and her swim cap, revealing a lot of curly brown hair. Like, a lot a lot. Like, how did that much hair fit under that cap? She considers the question for a minute before answering. "I just really like swimming, and the competition. It hasn't been as therapeutic lately because I've been stressed about missing practice, though." She looks disappointed as she says the last part, like she's only just realized. Then she shrugs and smiles at Rea. "Anyway, thanks for the help. It's good to have at least one accurate time recorded for today. Do you go to Big High?"
Rea shifts her hips in place to fidget and drip off whatever is left on her legs. Her expression betrays finding that amount of hair hidden beneath the cap unexpected. "I feel that. When it's your outlet, and then the outlet gets taken away or you're too busy… Uh, yeah. I go to Big High. I take it you're on the swim team." She steps out of the way of the ladder, playing idly with the ends of the towel draped over her shoulders. "Sorry to hear about missing practice. Must be something important if it's keeping you from it." A short pause, Rea exhales softly and shakes her head, "I'm coming off pretty nosy, I bet. Sorry. I get real chatty real quick. I'm not sure what I'd do in your shoes, though. I'd be wound up real tight if I couldn't go running or climbing for a while."
"You're okay. Yeah, I'm on swim team. I had to duck out early one day this week to pick up my brother, and then a radioactive bug exploded in the pool, so practice has been cancelled for the last few days." Atlanta shrugs and starts drying off. "And, you know, sometimes stuff just happens and it's really important and you have to go even though coach and the obnoxious team captain won't understand." She stops suddenly and rubs the back of her neck. "Uh, anyway. What's got you stressed?"
"Radioactive bug explosion!" Her brows raise, betraying an amusement that's probably not appropriate for something like that. Followed by a slightly too late souring of her expression, "I hope no one got hurt. I shouldn't be surprised. I grew up in this city but you never really get used to it." A shrug punctuates the teen moving on to the next thought train, "I've been busy. Really busy, actually. I was here a few weeks back when there were like… zombies or whatever. Lots of other things like that. I let some people down on one of the teams I'm on. I guess you know that kind of stress from the sound of it."
"Yeah...I get that." She pulls her feet out of the water and stands. Raising her arms above her head, she starts to stretch. "But being busy is good, right? I mean, I'd rather be busy than not. A day with nothing to do sounds like a nightmare to me. But I bet Big Team keeps you pretty busy." 
A perfect hybrid between a grimace and a grin crosses Rea's face, nodding. "Yeah. It really does. Sorry if I came off secret-y. … That's a word, I bet." She pauses again, "I don't really know how to mention being on Big Team to people without it sounding like a brag or something. But yeah. Crap. I think we're kindred spirits, then. I don't like sitting still too long, either. It makes me anxious and I just have to go. It doesn't really matter where I go, just… go. So, what gave me away?"
“Uh, I mean, you don’t wear a mask. Sorry, was I not supposed to know? I can pretend like I don’t know.” Atlanta stops stretching and holds up her hands placatingly. 
"Oh, nah! It's really cool to be on Big Team and I'm not embarrassed I just never know how to bring it up. If you're curious about what uh… super hero life is like, I can answer questions but I'm pretty new." Rea sees her reflection nearby and starts to idly fix her hair into a better laying position.
“Oh, uh. That’s okay. I’m uh, not all that curious. I mean, I’m friends with Boon and Ellen, and I watch TV. And my dad’s a nurse. So that’s enough for me. Cuz, I mean, it’s not like I have powers or anything. So, uh, I wouldn’t need to know that kind of thing.” She lets out an awkward chuckle and picks up her phone and stopwatch. 
Rea's brow furrows and she gives an amused laugh under her breath, "Right! Why would you? Oh I mean, I don't really have powers, either I guess but I know what you mean. Wait, though, you know Ellen and Boon? That's awesome! I've only met them recently. Boon's been real nice to me and Ellen seems pretty cool. But hey, they're wild strong and sometimes it's nice to talk to someone like me, you know?" 
“Yeah, they’re very strong.” She gets a distant look for a second before focusing back on Rea. “So, uh, why are you a hero? If you don’t have powers, if you don’t have to, why do it? It’s dangerous.” 
With a soft head tilt and a flick of her eyebrows, Rea seems to agree in her body language. "Yeah… Yeah, it really is. Heroes are like… I don't know. They're the coolest? I love superfolks. Well, I love the whole… I don't know. The reality is different but the stuff you see on TV. I'm coming off really childish, I know. I don't know? I really love the whole idea of it and an opportunity just dropped in my lap to join one day. I guess I hadn't considered the danger but I usually don't!"
Atlanta shrugs. “Not childish exactly. But the danger isn’t anything to sneeze at...sorry. I’m not trying to be morbid. Dad had a rough day yesterday, and I’m the one he vents to about this stuff. We can talk about something else. Um.” She glances around, seemingly looking for a topic of discussion. Failing at that, she unties a ribbon from her wrist and starts wrestling her hair back into a ponytail. 
Rea's voice falters a moment before she can find her friendly cadence again, feeling as though she'd stepped on some kind of social landmine. "Right, right! I bet he sees… all the bad stuff. Hey, I like your ribbon, though? You came here to blow off steam, not get stressed about a stranger's stuff, right? Let's talk about fun stuff. Like ribbons."
“Uh. Yeah. He does. Ribbons, though. Um. My hair is really thick, so I can’t use normal hair ties.” She nods like this is some kind of wisdom she’s imparted to Rea, then shakes her head. “Sorry. I’m not usually this awkward. Or maybe I am. I don’t know.” 
The fledgling hero strikes an over-dramatic pose and proclaims, "I am!" An unnatural pause, "Uh… Awkward that is. This isn't helping. Well, if it's any consolation I like your thick hair. It looks cool. Cool hair can go a long way for getting that coveted..." She shifts her pose to make a broad gesture to punctuate her statement, "Aesthetic."
This all gets a sincere laugh out of Atlanta. “Thanks. I like your hair, too. Undercuts are also a great,” she mimics Rea’s last gesture, “aesthetic.” 
The climber maintains her pose and laughs, snorting just a little. She rights herself as her phone goes off. After checking it, "Ah- Crap. Hey. I gotta go do uh Big Team stuff. You wanna swap numbers and hang out sometime?"
Atlanta’s phone also buzzes, and she glances down at it. “That’s my dad. I better go, too. But yeah! I’d like that.” 
"Lucky timing!" Rea seems none the wiser, quickly rattling off her cell number and recording Atlanta's. She jogs off to grab her backpack and waves back as she exits.
Atlanta waves back, and heads into the locker room. A bolt of lightning shoots out of a window a few minutes later. 
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