1 Chapter 1

1

“Mom!” Troy Ashton fended away the advancing Kleenex his mother had licked and was about to wipe his face with.

Lucy Ashton looked sheepish, well, perhaps a little. She pointed to her own chin. “You got a smear of maple syrup here.”

Troy quickly wiped his chin with a finger.

“Nervous?” Tom, his dad, asked.

Troy shrugged nonchalantly. He’d been practicing the gesture in the mirror on the back of his closet door.

“It isn’t every day our son, the sotan, gets his cape,” his mom said, straightening the collar of his button up shirt.

For reasons best known to The Council for Sotan Affairs or CSA for short, sotans had to wait until July first following their eighteenth birthday to claim their capes. As Troy was born in September, he’d had to wait ten more months. He was somewhat unsure how the CSA made their decision. His parents had said they’d received a visit from a member of the CSA shortly after he’d been born, then sometime later a different CSA member had paid them another visit, with the good news Troy had been selected.

Troy had begrudgingly worn the shirt his mother had picked out, although he’d refused to don the tie. It’d only get in the way once he was airborne. All sotans were given the power of flight. Their secondary power would be revealed to them during training. He hoped his other power wasn’t something lame like being able to guess the weight of shit just by looking at it. But whatever his secondary power was, he’d be able to fly! When he was a little kid he’d tie a sheet or bath towel around his neck and practice jumping into the air, disappointed each time he fell back to the ground. Being able to fly was the main reason why he hadn’t replaced his car when he’d totaled it earlier that year. There’d be no point as he’d be able to fly anywhere he needed to go.

Troy’s mother fixed her son with a serious look. “Did you put on those briefs I ironed yesterday?”

Troy groaned. “Mom!” Next she’d be asking if he’d washed behind his ears. Had he? Troy fought the urge to rub a finger back there and sniff it.

“Luce, leave the boy be,” Troy’s dad told her. Then he grinned at his son. “I take it you aren’t wearing any of the briefs Lizzie got you for your last birthday.”

“Yeah, right.” His sister had gotten him several pairs of superhero-themed underwear as a gag gift. She’d never forgotten his early attempts at caped flight and took every opportunity to razz him about it.

Troy and his parents were standing in their driveway, the slight breeze ruffling Troy’s brown hair. He needed a haircut but was experimenting with growing it out. But he was forever brushing his bangs out of his eyes. He’d been practicing doing that in the mirror, too.

“And remember what I said.” Troy’s mother’s voice cut into his musings. “Invite your skol back for supper.” She picked an imaginary loose thread from his shirt.

“You betcha.” That was another thing Troy was excited about, meeting his skol, his chosen life-mate, for the first time. He hoped she’d be pretty, maybe have big tits, a perky ass, and…

“The whole of Rochfield is waiting to see the happy couple,” Troy’s mother enthused. “We’ve organized a neighborhood party so everyone can—”

“MOM!”

“Time to go,” Troy’s dad said, interrupting Troy before he could protest any further and say something he might later regret.

With only six sotans chosen each year, they were pretty rare, and it was something to celebrate when one got his cape.

“Don’t keep the CSA waiting.” Troy’s father gave his son’s shoulder a squeeze.

Troy nodded and surreptitiously wiped his palms on his dress pants. He’d have preferred jeans but he knew his mom would’ve had a cow if he’d put them on.

“Sure you don’t want me to drive you?”

Troy shook his head. He’d walk to the CSA building. He needed the time alone to clear his head. Yes, he’d reached the age of his cape, but was he truly ready for all that meant?

“It’s a shame we aren’t allowed to go with you,” Troy’s mother said, sniffing back tears. “Our son becoming a man, assuming his rightful destiny.”

“I’m just getting my cape and meeting my skol today, not marrying her.” His mother would be unstoppable when that happened. “I doubt the whole thing will last more than ten minutes. Actual training won’t start for another week I think. I’ll be back before you know it.” He kissed her cheek, pulled back from the hug and walked down the driveway.