Erythropoiesis 2.2
The lessons, despite all the advantages of an elite school, remained unremarkable and purely boring. I studied in a class with other children, but hardly paid attention to the board, as the teacher gave me all assignments personally, from his book with the advanced curriculum. The level here was eighth-ninth grade, but it still wasn't a problem for me, which I solved in half a lesson at worst. Immediately after which I would open my own book, brought from home, and start reading. Today, for example, a book on blood biochemistry. I hid the cover, of course, to avoid unnecessary questions, but after a few minutes, I no longer noticed my classmates, completely immersed in reading. Very interesting...
I stopped reading only when the bell rang. A short break and I have to go to a new lesson, during which everything repeats itself. Yes, school was quite the "entertainment." There were, of course, subjects in which I wasn't as good and actually had to put in effort.
History and language were also given to me at the high school level, and here I really studied for the whole forty minutes, as I still wasn't too far ahead of the curriculum. But for a person with an adult's mind, the school curriculum still wasn't a major problem, which is why I "shone" here too. During breaks, my classmates talked to each other, but I rarely joined their conversations. It's sometimes fun to interact with kids, but every day? It just gets annoying. I interact only to maintain my reputation in the class, and that's it. From the outside, I seemed like an aloof "golden straight-A student" and sort of "mom's friend's son" who excels at everything simultaneously, and I tried to maintain this image.
Funny enough, it wasn't even particularly difficult, all thanks to the higher level of self-discipline inherent to an adult. In my past life, I wasn't even half as effective at this age, but back then I was simply enjoying childhood, and now I need much less and engaged more in my hobby, hiding behind a mask from everything else. And as long as it holds, I won't be bothered or simply badgered with conflicts, because even the most envious and aggressive ones, of which there are practically none in a prestigious school anyway, aren't stupid enough to mess with a supe who specifically practices martial arts.
A big problem was certain fans who, for some reason, started gathering around me. So far, these were simple schoolchildren who thought I was cool and therefore sometimes hung around me, asking my opinion on all sorts of things. At first, I didn't even know how to react to them, but soon, having thought carefully about it, I decided to simply ignore them and continued to maintain my image. The profession of a hero carries a whole bunch of advantages, like wealth, connections, and influence, but there are also some problems with it. Obsessive fans are one of many. And since I got the opportunity to train dealing with them in childhood, I shouldn't miss it.
The classes collectively lasted several hours with only short breaks in between. A couple of lessons later, I put away the biology book and started simply looking out the window, examining the clouds. Well, that's what everyone around me thought. In reality, I was using my power, trying to analyze the chemical composition of my blood. This is how I consolidated the acquired knowledge, or at least tried to do so. My abilities hadn't yet grown to the level where they could replace a microscope or a biochemical analyzer, but there was progress.
For now, my limit is determining impurities, like whether a person is drunk or not. In theory, I also managed to figure out if they had any blood diseases, but I couldn't always accurately identify them, let alone treat them. However, I worked not only on qualitatively improving my ability but also on increasing its range. I only had to want it, and for a moment, knowledge about the bodies of hundreds of people would begin to flood my head. This caused a very serious headache, as if a dozen nails had been driven into my brain, but with each year I became more accustomed to this sensation, which is why the number of people I was capable of reading also grew. Only for a second, before I focused and began examining individual organisms.
Indira and Paul were initially confused by my push towards studying medicine, but they knew about my power and understood why I needed it. The human body was so complex that even after years of studying it, I remained a clueless beginner. However, I still learned something. Blood was an amazing thing, holding so much within...
I almost missed the moment when the bell rang. This was the last lesson, and now I could go to the cafeteria, but first I decided to drop in on Mrs. Smith, who wanted something from me. She was the school principal and the one who pushed me the most into all sorts of olympiads and tried to show me off to the public as much as possible. I can understand her; I turned out to be a good marketing tool, but I didn't much like being one because of it. However, a conflict with the principal is the last thing I need, as it will only bring me problems. And her actions are useful to me, honestly, because if I want to become a hero, I need fame.
The competition in the superhuman "market" is quite hot, and practically everyone here wants their moment of glory, which is why either the most enterprising or those possessing a unique power achieve success. Except showing everyone my ability isn't the best idea, it's not the most pleasant to look at, so I have to play the boy genius in front of everyone. I checked; throughout history, not a single superhero with enhanced intellect has been known to the masses, which is why I attract so much attention. And also because I am still just a child, and that's unusual too. When I get old enough and need to engage in professional hero work, there won't be such an effect anymore, but some of the fame might remain.
Reaching the right door, I walked past the secretary and knocked. Hearing the invitation, I went inside. Unlike the director from Red River, Smith didn't have anything particularly expensive or outstanding: a simple desk, a few ordinary chairs, and cabinets with dozens of awards. She herself was a woman in her forties or fifties, in whose hair one could already notice gray.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Smith. Did you need me?"
The woman was sorting through some papers when I walked in, but stopped the moment I entered. She put them all aside as soon as she saw me, after which she began to look at me with a slight smile.
"Hi, Mark, glad you dropped by. Have a seat, I have some excellent news for you!"
She had a ringing, overly active, and joyful voice. I chuckled and came closer, sitting in the chair. It's funny how much all this reminded me of my memorable meeting with Director Stevens from Red River. Last time it resolved into God knows what for me, but the importance of that event cannot be underestimated. Whatever he understood about me back then, most likely it's precisely thanks to that I'm not living in an orphanage. But it also reminds me a bit of Linda and everything connected to her. The principal, true, is a much less experienced manipulator, doesn't possess powers, and I now understand my abilities significantly better.
Much time has passed since my stay at Red River, but I haven't forgotten about that experience. I don't know what happened to the people I knew after I left the orphanage, because no one has contacted me in all these years, and attempts to casually ask Indira about Linda led nowhere, as she only told me the most basic and unremarkable information like their studies. And it should be noted that there wasn't a word about her having abilities. I could suspect deception, but I watched her reaction and noticed no falsehood or attempt to hide anything.
"Mark, I want to make you happy, because very important people contacted me! These were representatives of Vought itself, who noticed you and proposed a very interesting idea!" the woman spoke quickly.
I kept a barely noticeable smile on my face, but the feelings inside me were completely different. My heart skipped a beat, after which I fully engaged in the conversation, starting to carefully monitor every word. And only a few seconds later did I notice that I had already begun to sense the principal's heartbeat and how the blood moved through her veins. Hmm, I'll need to advise her to get a checkup at the hospital later. Something is wrong with her veins, nothing dangerous for now, but it's better to see doctors as early as possible.
"From Vought itself? Ummm, I don't even know... And why did they come?" I asked, not understanding.
Smith handed me some colorful piece of paper, looking like a promotional brochure. My eyes quickly scanned the short text written on it, after which I looked up in surprise. Seriously?
"Ummmm... I'm somewhat not sure I'm suited for this. Math or physics olympiads are for me, but this..."
The principal chuckled, waved her hand at me, and handed me a new, significantly larger, piece of paper.
"Don't worry, dear, there's nothing scary here. Vought constantly organizes such events and shows. You've seen 'The Real Hero', haven't you? Well, they made something like a kids' version of this show, and therefore they are looking for young talents all over the country. And, of course, who was one of their first candidates?"
I looked down again and looked at the piece of paper, which contained an invitation to participate in the "Young Hero" program. A children's talent show, only for supes. Even though I had lived in this world for several years already, it was surprisingly difficult to get used not to all the strangeness associated with supes, but specifically to this "zeitgeist." This was the thing characteristic of this universe that had been bothering me for quite a long time. There are superheroes in this world, but no villains or any threats in general that can make the former break a sweat.
In a universe where a simple superhuman earns more legally selling his face, there's no point in robbing banks. The only danger could come from rare ideological individuals who don't need money, but there are only a handful of those here. I literally knew of only a few such individuals in the whole world, although I was very interested in this topic. They might fight poverty or hunger, but this is most likely also an attempt to gain popularity on hot-button issues. In this world, heroes don't have any threats they can handle, which is why they engage in this kind of... disgrace.
Yes, supes occasionally catch ordinary criminals or help with some disasters, but this is also just an attempt to become more popular, as there are too many cameras around them at such moments. Because this equals greater profit and influence, and therefore a sweeter life. This has already become so ingrained in the culture that having a supe child is now almost a golden ticket in life. Many parents become obsessed with this topic, which is why such shows appear, where children, like clowns in a circus, perform for the amusement of millions. And even though I was ready to go to great lengths for the sake of the future, I still have honor and dignity, which is why...
"I'm sorry, but this isn't my thing. I'm not an actor and I don't want to be one. I like math, biology, physics, and so you can call me for olympiads in them. But this... I just don't want to do this. Maybe someday I will become a hero, but I don't want to become *this* kind."
The smile on the principal's face didn't change, but I had long stopped believing people's facial expressions. It shows nothing and is only a tool needed to deceive the interlocutor. Her body's reaction was much more honest. No one is capable of fully controlling it, which is why the heart, heh, shows true feelings. Increased heart rate, tension in some muscles of the back, shoulders, and neck, slightly elevated blood pressure, and a clear release of certain hormones into the blood. It seems someone didn't like my answer and is now angry. But it must be admitted, the principal knew how to keep herself in hand very well.
I wonder, did she really believe I would agree? I suspect she wanted to interest me personally, so she could then approach the parents with the proposal. Persuading them wouldn't be easy either, but if I started asking them to agree, everything would be much simpler for the woman. Stupid. Hmm... and why did they even approach her first, and not us personally? A strange method.
"Mark, I know you are still a child, but believe me, this is a very, very good offer. This is not an offer from some third-rate channel, but the real Vought Network. We are talking about fame across the entire country and even more! They are currently holding casting for the show's first intake, and this opportunity will likely never present itself again. I was able to get it only because you are already quite famous, but fame fades quickly if not maintained. You've appeared in the news a couple of times so far, however, this," she pointed to the papers, "this will become your ticket to the truly big leagues."
Ah, I see, this is most likely specifically her personal initiative. I'm sure she has the necessary connections, which she pulled to push me to the very top. From there, if the right image is made for me, one can advertise the school to a colossal audience. Funny enough, I'm even sure that I actually have a decent chance of achieving something significant there, but...
"Mmm, no. I don't want to do this right now. I have classes with Mr. Davis that I can't miss. Besides, filming and everything else will take up a lot of time, and I'll hardly have any free time left for anything I actually want to do," I answered.
Smith sighed, but continued to keep smiling. You can tell right away that she has been doing her job for a long time and therefore possesses very good skills. I have to admit, the school under her is truly good and is deservedly considered one of the best in the state itself. And New York is a really big place where competition is very serious. I think that's why she is so anxious for me to get on this show. There are no other supes here, and it's unlikely any will appear in the near future.
It's unpleasant, of course, that I am practically considered a cow that people who are essentially strangers to me want to sell more profitably. The principal, of course, helps me a lot, removing many restrictions like homework, but I can always transfer to another school if I want. Supes will be accepted anywhere, so she essentially has no power over me.
"Mark, I ask you to seriously think about this offer. Such an opportunity comes only once in a lifetime, and therefore it shouldn't be missed. Your parents are very smart people, I'm sure..."
Next came a few of the not most pleasant and interesting minutes, where Smith tried to persuade me to take part in the show, softly and subtly pressuring me with words about my parents. Purely out of cultural considerations, I stayed and waited for her to finish her speech, but paid no attention to her. And the moment she finished, I already took the floor, putting an end to the conversation.
"Thank you, I will think about it and discuss it with my parents. And now I really must go. Goodbye, Mrs. Smith."
I stood up from the chair and walked towards the exit, saying goodbye to the woman, who was now looking at me reproachfully. I'm sure such a look would have worked to the fullest on an ordinary child, but I specifically didn't care, so I didn't even worry about what had happened. It was an interesting conversation. Not the most pleasant, but interesting.