David Kendall was starved. He'd put in a long day at his work and was headed to the daycare center to pick up Jennifer, then head to the small apartment he'd managed to rent for them. His stomach rumbled. “I better shut this thing up.” He saw a small bakery on his left. “Snow Family Bakery. Hmmm. Maybe a bagel or pepperoni roll would help.” He got out of the car and stretched his arms and legs. He rolled his neck, popping the joint. “Ow. I'm getting too old for this stuff.” He strode up to the door and swung it open.
   The shop was small and neat. Some nice, but old, tables held a few chatting customers. The glass display case that held the goods on display was clean and loaded with goodies. His stomach rumbled louder. One girl, a petite college age blonde with icy blue, pain-filled eyes behind rimless glasses stood behind the counter. Her short sleeve t-shirt and loose jeans were covered by a frilly white apron with the name Rachael over her right breast. She was the only one up front. She smiled half-heartedly. “Welcome to Snow Family Bakery. How can I help you?” David thought for a second. “Blueberry bagel with cream cheese, please.” The girl nodded. “Coming right up.” She moved over a few feet and crouched down, laying one hand on the counter as she grabbed the bagel with the other gloved hand. As her hand hit the counter, the top piece of glass began to fog as if it had come in contact with a cold object, but...the day was warm and the only thing that had touched the glass was her hand. David whispered as realization hit him. “She's a mutant.”

   Rachael grabbed the bagel and quickly and skillfully sliced it, and spread the cream cheese on it and reunited the halves. She slipped it in a paper bag with the bakery logo on it and handed it to the man. He merely stared at her. She adjusted her glasses and smoothed her hair, she quickly wiped her face, making sure no flour or sugar or other stuff was on it. “Sir? Is there a problem?” She started to blush a little, feeling awkward. The man was tall and had short, graying red hair. He appeared to be in his mid 30's and looked as if life hadn't been easy on him. He wore a dirty dark blue work shirt with Bay City Steel embroidered on it. He shook his head, trying to snap out of it. “Uhhh. No.” He paused as if trying to make up his mind. “What time do you get off work?” Her eyes widened. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
He shook his head. “No, no! Nothing like that! I  need to talk to you about something, that's all. Call it a business proposition.”
She paused. “I get off at 6. I'll meet you at the diner down the block. pick a table by a window.”
He nodded. “I'll probably have my daughter with me.”
Rachael gave a little smile. “How old is she?”
He looked a little sad and distant. “17 months.”
 Rachael smiled. “aww. You and your wife must be so proud.”
 He fell silent. “My wife...died...about a month ago in a...tragic fire.”
 Rachael blinked. “Oh. I'm so sorry to hear that.”
 David sighed. “Nothing you could have done. See you at six.” He turned, took his bagel and left.

    Rachael was finally done with her shift. She slipped her apron over her head and took a moment to wash any flour or other stuff that had gotten on her face or body. She straightened her glasses and smoothed back her hair, then headed out the back door, into the peaceful spring evening. She twisted her way through crowds of people that paid her no attention. After all, she was just one girl in a city. The walk to the little diner wasn't far, only a block or so. As she reached the outside, sh saw the man who had asked her to meet with him sitting by the window. He apparently had taken time to go home and get cleaned up, because the grime of the steel mills was gone, and he was wearing a clean plaid shirt. She slipped inside and slid into the table. He looked up from his food. “You made it. Excellent.”
“I came as soon as I could.” She flipped open the menu and scanned it, trying to decide what to order.
He cleared his throat. “I never properly introduced myself. I'm David Kendall.” He gestured to the highchair next to him that held a redheaded toddler girl. “That's Jenny.”
Rachael looked up from the menu and offered her hand. “Rachael Snow.” They shook hands. She laid her menu down. “I will admit. I am curious as to this...proposition... you have for me.”
   He held up a finger to silence her. “Get your food first. Then we can talk business.”
   She nodded. “I AM Starved. I put in a full 8 hours.” She flipped through her menu.
  The waitress on duty came over. “What'll it be, hon?”
  “I'll take a cheddarburger and crinkle-cut fries.” The waitress nodded. “I'll have that in a tic, sweetie.” She left to fill her order.
   Rachael sipped on her water while she waited for her order to come. “I am curious why you picked me of all people to have a supper with.”
   David looked at her. “That'll have to wait. It's part of that business I need to discuss with you.”
   Rachael shook her head. “You're a real enigma, you know that? You ask me to supper out of the blue, then say you have important business to discuss, but won't say. It's enough to drive a girl mad!” her speech was interrupted by the thunk of a plate as the waitress laid her plate down in front of her. Rachael quickly bowed her head and breathed a word of thanks for the food. She looked up into David's face. “so you're a Christian, Rachael?”
Rachael nodded. “Since I was 11.”
David smiled. “That's great. I'm a believer, too. I found Him in my late teens, though.”
She took a bite of her burger. “So why did you ask me here?”
He paused for a moment, trying to form his words. “I saw something, ad wanted to speak with you about it.”
a french fry disappeared into her mouth. “What did you see?”
“Something that defied the laws of science and physics.”
She paused in her eating. “Again. What did you see.”
He took a long swig from a cup of coffee. “I saw a human hand fog a piece of room temperature glass.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh.”
He continued. “I know glass only fogs when it comes in contact with a cold object, and a human hand should be warmer than room temperature.”
   She visibly drooped. “Go ahead. Laugh. Call me a freak girl. Get it over with.” She kept her eyes down and put a few french fries in her mouth.” He gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. I'm not laughing. Did you know you had cold abilities?”
  She nodded. “They came in when I was 12.”
  “You're what? 18? 19?”
  She took another bite of burger. “19.”
  “So you've hid your cold powers for 7 years.”
  She nodded and formed a ball of ice in her palm. “it goes far beyond just chilling glass.” she pointed a finger at his coffee, which instantly froze solid.
  He blinked. “Remarkable.”
  She devoured a few more french fries. “So why the questions about my powers?”
  He lit a hand on fire and thawed out his coffee. “because I have them, too.”
  She blinked. “Incredible. So what does this proposition have to do with my abilities?”
  He sipped at his hot coffee. “Everything. You see, my brother and I are mutants who have been rejected from the League of Superheroes.” She winced at the mention of the name. “Oh. They rejected you, too?”
   She nodded. “Yeah. Told me I was too shy and too small.”
   His jaw tightened. “Incredible! They're major jerks.”
   She nodded. “So you were saying about you and your brother?”
  He took a sip. “Right. Anyways, we've formed ourselves into a crime-fighting team, and I want to offer you a slot.”
  Her eyes widened. “You want me to be a superhero!?”
  He nodded. “Yes.” He leaned forwards. “Look. You have two options. You can either stuff your powers way down inside and try to live a normal life until it's too late and you lose something very dear to you, or you can use the powers God has given you to help others and fight evil. Whaddya say?”
  She chewed her burger and mulled it over for a few minutes. “I say...yes.”
  David smiled wide. “That's fantastic! It'll be great to have you as part of the team! I just need to tell Jason.”
  “How do you think he'll react?”
  “I have no idea.”
**************************************************************
“You have GOT to be out of your mind!” Jason paced around his small house furiously. “I told you that we didn't NEED anyone else to fight with us! The two of us were doing just fine without any help! And you don't pick just anyone! You pick a scrawny little girl in pigtails who's completely worthless!” Jason got in his brother's face, his own face a bright red. Jennifer started crying at her uncle's screaming. Rachel, who was sitting on the couch looking very uncomfortable, scooped up Jenny and started rocking her.
David tried to keep his voice steady. “First of all, She is not either in pigtails or worthless. She's 19, which makes her a legal adult, and her powers with ice and cold could be a very valuable addition to the team.”
   Jason's face stayed a mask of fury. “She is not going to join! Under no circumstances will I let her in! We're doing fine without her. I don't care if she's the greatest ice-wielder alive, we're NOT letting her  join!”
   Rachael set Jenny on the floor and started edging towards the door. “Maybe I should just leave.”
   David stopped her with a wave of his hand. “No, Rachael. Stay.”
  She gingerly sat back down on the couch. Jenny held out her hands. “Up!”
  Rachael smiled and scooped up Jenny and set her back up on her lap.
  David looked at Jason. “Jason. You're being stubborn. Things can always be improved. Maybe if you gave her a chance to show you her abilities, you might change your mind.”
  Jason crossed his arms. “No. I won't give her a chance! I am not letting some little slut on the team! We don't need her! We're doing fine without her. Now just take her back to her high school and leave her there. Forget you ever met her!”
   Rachael looked very hurt by Jason's cruel words. David saw the pain radiating from her eyes and gritted his teeth. “Jason. You just insulted a lady's honor. In the old days that would be grounds for a duel. Look. I think she could be a valuable asset to the team, while you're convinced that she won't. Since both of us seem unwilling to change our position, maybe it's best if we go our separate ways.”
   Jason's face grew cold and hard. “Fine by me. I don't want her. And I don't need you. I can do it all by myself.”
   David stood and offered his hand. “Okay. Then let us part ways in friendship.”
   Jason refused to shake. “I just want you out of my house. Now. Take your pathetic girls and leave. And I never want to see you again. Ever.”
  David nodded. “Okay. If that's the way you want it, then I'll abide by your wishes” Rachael stood and carried Jenny down the steps and out of the door, that David close behind them. Forever. They walked in silence for a while, then Rachael spoke. “I'm sorry.”
   David stopped mid-stride. “for what?”
   “I...I...I caused a fight between you and your brother. And now you may never ever see him again. If I hadn't showed up, you'd still be fighting together.”
   David sighed. “If it wasn't you it would have been someone else. He just didn't want things to change. And he went too far with his attacks against you.”
   Rachael paused. “So...what are we going to do? Your team is broken.”
  He shrugged. “We'll create a new team with the two of us as its base. Keep your eye out. You never know when you'll run across someone that could be an addition.”
  She grinned. “I'll settle for a roomie that can help with bills.”
  He laughed. “Well, you never can tell! Maybe you'll have a mutant for a roomie!”