Two days later, the rain came.
Gavin was in his usual seat by the window in Mrs. Ackachack's government class when out of nowhere, a torrential downpour erupted over the school. It was so sudden and unexpected, Gavin first thought the school was under attack. Mrs. Ackachack tried to continue teaching, but it was impossible for anyone to hear what she was saying. She finally motioned for everyone next to a window to close them.
Gavin slammed his window down, and slumped back into his chair, his face drenched. More slams soon followed as other students closed their windows, and eventually, it was possible to hear again.
"Goodness!" declared Mrs. Ackachack. "Have you ever seen such a sudden storm?"
"It came out of nowhere!" said Tag Bowers.
"And it's still coming out of nowhere," said Gavin, staring out the window. "Look." He gestured outside.
Students crowded around the windows to see a bright blue sky, devoid of clouds. The rain continued, as hard as ever, there just didn't seem to be anywhere for it to have come from. Everyone started talking over one another excitedly until Mrs. Ackachack finally slammed a ruler against her desk to get everyone's attention.
"Goodness!" she exclaimed. "You are an unruly bunch today! Yes, it is raining and yes, it is a clear sky, but there is a very simple explanation."
The class quieted down and waited for their teacher to explain this phenomenon. Once she had everyone's rapt attention, she took a calming breath and smiled.
"We have a visitor."
***
Gavin followed his classmates through the hallways for a suddenly-announced assembly, his eyes warily looking out for Mitchell and his gang. He didn't actually think they'd attack him in front of everyone, but who could tell? The last two days had been filled with Gavin peering over his shoulder, wondering to whom Mitchell was sharing his theory. Had Hannah Yang looked at him funny in the cafeteria? Was Colin Suarez sitting further away from Gavin than normal? Was he seeing more and more furtive looks thrown in his direction?
Or was he just being paranoid?
He tried to put it all out of his mind as he walked into the gym.
Most of the kids within were bursting with excitement. It was still pouring rain outside, but that did nothing to dampen his spirits, as well as the spirits of most of the students at St. Hibbard's Very Special Academy. Once the reason for the downpour was explained, it had been obvious. There was only one reason a clear sky could drop an ocean on the school: Downpour.
Downpour was a superhero, and while not among the truly-elite, he was nevertheless an accomplished member of the Forces of Peace and quite well-known. It didn't hurt that he was incredibly photogenic and had never met a camera he didn't like, either. His superpower, as everyone knew, was to create rain out of thin air. He'd used this ability to foil a number of would-be villains and dastardly plots over the years, and always with a smile. He was the only superhero with three separate action figures, one for each costume. Gavin had them all. Or had, until his neighbor's dog bit the head off of one of them.
This was not to say that Downpour was Gavin's favorite anymore than any of the other superheroes who patrolled the planet and kept it safe from harm. But he was excited to meet him, all the same. He didn't know what had brought the superhero to the school, but the man had certainly announced his presence with authority.
Though Gavin wasn't sure why it was still raining forty-five minutes later as the students piled into the gym to hear him speak. It seemed a bit like overkill.
"Gavin! Over here!" He turned his head to find Harriet Graves waving him over. A big grin spread across his face and he bounded up the bleachers to her row, happily stepping over a few students along the way.
"Isn't this exciting?" she said. "We're going to meet an actual superhero!"
"I know, right?" replied Gavin. "And not just any superhero! Downpour!"
Harriet nodded in agreement. "Why do you think he's here?" she asked.
Gavin shook his head. "No idea..." he paused, frowning. "Or... well..."
"Well what?"
It seemed ridiculous, but he suddenly had the feeling that Downpour was here because of the attacks on the students. There hadn't been a third yet, thankfully, but both girls remained incapacitated and in their altered state. Still, if that were the case, and he was here to solve the mystery of what happened to the two girls, then why was he here and not at Lord Thumbledown's where the suspects were?
Gavin was saved having to answer Harriet when Mrs. Gruber took the floor and glared everyone silent.
"We have a special treat today," she growled. "Although why we've earned a treat is beyond me. Still, he's here, and he wants to speak to you. Mr. Downpour?"
She stepped aside and a dreamboat of a man in his signature purple wetsuit bounded over to her from the darkness on the other side of the gym.
"Thank you, Mrs. Grouper," he said. "It's an honor to be here."
Mrs. Gruber scowled even more at the superhero's butchering of her name, but then walked away and gave him the floor.
"Children!" announced Downpour. "You are the hope of tomorrow!"
Silence. Gavin felt bad for the superhero, as this was probably the absolute worst thing he could say. The students at St. Hibbard's knew perfectly well what the world thought of them. They were nobody's hope.
Downpour continued without acknowledging the awkwardness. "You all have amazing abilities and the world needs your help!"
More silence. Then a voice from the crowd called out, "Shouldn't you be a Lord Thumbledown's?"
This brought some chuckles from the crowd, who were quickly losing the awe they'd had when the rains had first begun. Downpour, however, chuckled along with them.
"I suppose most people would think I was nuts for addressing you kids like this," he said. "I should be at Thumbledown's, right? Where the real heroes are? Is that what you think? Well you're wrong! The real heroes are right here at St. Hibbard's!"
There came a smattering of approving murmurs. Gavin thought the man might be onto something.
"Because you do what's asked of you! You don't step out of line! You accept your limitations! Why, it wouldn't surprise me if I was standing here looking at a few future members of St. Hibbard's Processing!"
Downpour sounded so very excited, but the children were dumbfounded. This was supposed to be motivational? Accept limitations? Don't step out of line? If you were lucky, you'd grow up to be an invisible nobody in the bureaucracy? Gavin glanced at Harriet, but she was equally baffled. Where was the superhero pep talk? Where was the "you can do anything you set your mind to" claim, or the "you have the power to rid the world of evil" bit?
"Remember," continued the superhero. "True peacekeepers keep the peace by not causing a ruckus. You students may not have been blessed with the power to shape the world to your whim, but you can do your part to ensure that everyone's life remains stable, quiet, and devoid of the unexpected. Thank you, St. Hibbard's!"
He raised his hands as if expecting a roaring applause. What he got instead was silence. It didn't seem to phase him, however, as he continued to smile and wave even as he stepped back into the gloom and was lost from view. A moment later, a very annoyed-looking Mrs. Gruber came forward.
"I'm sure we all appreciate Mr. Downfall for taking the time-"
"Downpour!" came the superhero's shout from the darkness.
"-taking the time to come here and give us such a rousing speech." Gavin could practically feel the sarcasm dripping off of the old woman. "It's not everyday that such a high profile member of the Forces of Peace bothers to come down off his high horse and spend time with the almost-common people." She paused, silently fuming. "Perhaps now the rain will let up so we can get on with our day."
She turned and walked away, leaving Mr. Atros to step forward and start dismissing students by the classload.
"You get a sense that Mrs. Gruber wasn't thrilled by Downpour's visit?" Gavin asked Harriet.
She nodded. "I think that was obvious to everyone except Downpour, himself."
"Why was he even here?" wondered Gavin. "What was Mrs. Gruber thinking bringing him to the school?"
"Maybe she didn't have a choice."
Gavin did a double take. "I thought she had full control over what goes on at St. Hibbard's."
"So did I," agreed Harriet. "But what if she doesn't?"
It was the first Gavin had considered the possibility that Mrs. Gavin wasn't the end-all/be-all of life at St. Hibbard's Very Special Academy. Was there another power behind the scenes? Someone who overruled the creepy old woman?
Gavin felt a poke in the ribs. He looked back to see Jeffrey Klugbot gesturing for Gavin to move. "He called our class," said the boy.
"Sorry," responded Gavin. He turned to Harriet. "I gotta-"
"I know. I need to catch up with my class, too. I'll see you at lunch?"
"You bet!"
Another poke in the ribs and Gavin let himself be herded out of the gym and through the dimly-lit corridors. As he marched, his mind kept tossing the bizarre assembly over and over in his mind. Regardless of who had arranged for Downpour to come, what had been the point? Why bring a superhero to school just so he can tell everyone that they're not very important and they shouldn't try to be?
Unless...
He stopped walking, then quickly stepped aside into the shadows to get a moment to think this through. Maybe Downpour had been sent as a deterrent. Don't try anything. Play by the rules. Accept your limitations. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself he was right. Downpour had, indeed, come because of the attacks on the students--but not because the powers that be wanted to find out who'd done these heinous crimes.
He was here because they wanted to make sure nobody tried to take revenge.
This wasn't about protecting St. Hibbard's.
It was about protecting Lord Thumbledown's.