Fic: Salt of the Earth
Dec. 9th, 2007 01:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starrikaStarted writing a companion piece for "Norah," from the POV of her friend Jessica Salacia, who can manipulate salt. Oh, and please admire my geekery in the last name *g*.
Title: Salt of the Earth
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
starrika
Rating: PG-13
Chapter: 1/?
Summary: Another sidekick, another story. Sometimes a good partnership is all that is needed to make a sidekick a hero.
A/N 1: This little plotbunny came from making fun of Sues over on the skyhighsues community on LJ. Someone made the comment about how the phrase “power over the elements” made her think of the Periodic Table of Elements, which lead to jokes about salt. And then, once I got to thinking about it, I realized that salt can do some dangerous things. So thanks to acc_prez for giving me the idea, and lady_zip for telling me to go for it.
A/N 2: I couldn’t help but play a bit on Principle Powers/Wonder Woman. Since I’m not familiar with the Wonder Woman canon at all, I decided to go with Wonderful Woman. But let’s pretend she has that lasso of truth – makes it more fun that way ;).
It was unsurprising that Jessica Salacia was placed as a sidekick. If it wasn’t for her father, she doubted she would even be at the school at all. He’d been a bit of a brain – not good in a fight, but he had a photographic memory and an even better grasp of strategy. He’d also been on a team with Lady Justice, the Truthsayer, and Principle Powers back when she was Wonderful Woman, creating new diversions and devices for the women.
Principle Powers was probably hoping she’d show some of her father’s talent once she got to school. While her grades were always top of the class, her ability for rote memorization only went so far. Jasper was the brain of the family, the one with the talent from their father, with the agility of their mother. The only talent she could truly claim was an accident.
Her father liked experiments, always had. He’d always be doing something with an elaborate chemistry set, sometimes set up in the kitchen when her mother wasn’t home. (Her mother hated when he got his “gunk” as she called it, all over the walls). Jessica was four. If she were honest, she couldn’t even remember the day, although she was told that she was chasing Jasper, her older brother, who had her teddy bear. Somehow, though, she ended up knocking over a large canister of salt into the experiment, causing a chemical reaction. Jasper had managed to run ahead of her and up the stairs, but she was caught in the blast.
She managed to come away from the accident with only burns to the back of her legs and a strange ability to manipulate salt. Although how she’d defend herself against a villain by moving a salt shaker around a table, Jessica had no idea.
But her father insisted she go to Sky High, saying she might be surprised with her development. It was one of the few times she saw her parents fight in front of her. Her mother wanted her to go to St. Michaels High, and stay with her friends, since she didn’t have a strong power. Jessica wasn’t sure how they resolved it, but her parents told her to try Sky High for a year, and if she didn’t enjoy it, she could transfer to St. Michaels. Her powers, as they were, didn’t make attendance compulsory.
Even if she was upset at leaving her friends, Jessica didn’t have anything against trying Sky High. Jasper went there, after all, and he seemed to like it. He was in the hero track, though, and Jessica knew going in that she’d be a sidekick. It was still the same school, though. And maybe she’d make some new friends.
But when they arrived at the school, there were some older bullies Jasper had already told her to stay away from, and they were herded in front of the entire class to show off their powers. Jessica thought she’d be embarrassed, until she saw Will Stronghold up there.
So when Coach Boomer called her down, she didn’t even bother to pull out the salt shaker Jasper told her to bring. “I manipulate salt. Just make me a sidekick,” she said, shrugging a bit.
He didn’t seem to like having his job commandeered, and yelled sidekick loud enough that Jessica was sure her eardrums blew out. Wincing, she made her way back to her seat, next to a girl named Norah, who seemed nice enough, if a little twitchy.
When Norah’s name was called, she seemed to shrink a bit, the closer she got to Coach Boomer. And then, nothing. Coach Boomer’s impossibly loud voice didn’t carry up to the stands as they had a hushed conversation. Jessica could hear the whispers start, too, as Boomer gave her a pat on her shoulder, though that seemed to make Norah jump a bit.
His announcement of sidekick was the quietest of the day.
“What was that about?” she whispered to Norah, wondering if the girl would even say.
“He knew my mother,” Norah replied, face unreadable.
And then they were dismissed, and Jessica didn’t see Norah again until she slipped into third period with a note from Principle Powers excusing her absence. Not that she’d missed much. Classes at Sky High, much like classes at Immaculata, were impossibly boring. It was a little after ten, and she was already wishing for lunch.
Maybe she should have gone to St. Michaels with her friends, she thought dismally, tuning out a lecture on identifying dangerous devices.
Title: Salt of the Earth
Author:
starrikaRating: PG-13
Chapter: 1/?
Summary: Another sidekick, another story. Sometimes a good partnership is all that is needed to make a sidekick a hero.
A/N 1: This little plotbunny came from making fun of Sues over on the skyhighsues community on LJ. Someone made the comment about how the phrase “power over the elements” made her think of the Periodic Table of Elements, which lead to jokes about salt. And then, once I got to thinking about it, I realized that salt can do some dangerous things. So thanks to acc_prez for giving me the idea, and lady_zip for telling me to go for it.
A/N 2: I couldn’t help but play a bit on Principle Powers/Wonder Woman. Since I’m not familiar with the Wonder Woman canon at all, I decided to go with Wonderful Woman. But let’s pretend she has that lasso of truth – makes it more fun that way ;).
It was unsurprising that Jessica Salacia was placed as a sidekick. If it wasn’t for her father, she doubted she would even be at the school at all. He’d been a bit of a brain – not good in a fight, but he had a photographic memory and an even better grasp of strategy. He’d also been on a team with Lady Justice, the Truthsayer, and Principle Powers back when she was Wonderful Woman, creating new diversions and devices for the women.
Principle Powers was probably hoping she’d show some of her father’s talent once she got to school. While her grades were always top of the class, her ability for rote memorization only went so far. Jasper was the brain of the family, the one with the talent from their father, with the agility of their mother. The only talent she could truly claim was an accident.
Her father liked experiments, always had. He’d always be doing something with an elaborate chemistry set, sometimes set up in the kitchen when her mother wasn’t home. (Her mother hated when he got his “gunk” as she called it, all over the walls). Jessica was four. If she were honest, she couldn’t even remember the day, although she was told that she was chasing Jasper, her older brother, who had her teddy bear. Somehow, though, she ended up knocking over a large canister of salt into the experiment, causing a chemical reaction. Jasper had managed to run ahead of her and up the stairs, but she was caught in the blast.
She managed to come away from the accident with only burns to the back of her legs and a strange ability to manipulate salt. Although how she’d defend herself against a villain by moving a salt shaker around a table, Jessica had no idea.
But her father insisted she go to Sky High, saying she might be surprised with her development. It was one of the few times she saw her parents fight in front of her. Her mother wanted her to go to St. Michaels High, and stay with her friends, since she didn’t have a strong power. Jessica wasn’t sure how they resolved it, but her parents told her to try Sky High for a year, and if she didn’t enjoy it, she could transfer to St. Michaels. Her powers, as they were, didn’t make attendance compulsory.
Even if she was upset at leaving her friends, Jessica didn’t have anything against trying Sky High. Jasper went there, after all, and he seemed to like it. He was in the hero track, though, and Jessica knew going in that she’d be a sidekick. It was still the same school, though. And maybe she’d make some new friends.
But when they arrived at the school, there were some older bullies Jasper had already told her to stay away from, and they were herded in front of the entire class to show off their powers. Jessica thought she’d be embarrassed, until she saw Will Stronghold up there.
So when Coach Boomer called her down, she didn’t even bother to pull out the salt shaker Jasper told her to bring. “I manipulate salt. Just make me a sidekick,” she said, shrugging a bit.
He didn’t seem to like having his job commandeered, and yelled sidekick loud enough that Jessica was sure her eardrums blew out. Wincing, she made her way back to her seat, next to a girl named Norah, who seemed nice enough, if a little twitchy.
When Norah’s name was called, she seemed to shrink a bit, the closer she got to Coach Boomer. And then, nothing. Coach Boomer’s impossibly loud voice didn’t carry up to the stands as they had a hushed conversation. Jessica could hear the whispers start, too, as Boomer gave her a pat on her shoulder, though that seemed to make Norah jump a bit.
His announcement of sidekick was the quietest of the day.
“What was that about?” she whispered to Norah, wondering if the girl would even say.
“He knew my mother,” Norah replied, face unreadable.
And then they were dismissed, and Jessica didn’t see Norah again until she slipped into third period with a note from Principle Powers excusing her absence. Not that she’d missed much. Classes at Sky High, much like classes at Immaculata, were impossibly boring. It was a little after ten, and she was already wishing for lunch.
Maybe she should have gone to St. Michaels with her friends, she thought dismally, tuning out a lecture on identifying dangerous devices.