A bead of sweat dripped from Chance’s forehead, past his bristol board and into the quickly forming puddle on the gymnasium floor. The five judges restlessly shifting. Silence filled the room. Chance looked down to see his guinea pig, Dave, staring back at him. Dave had a dumb look on his face as his beady eyes slowly scanned across the room. They were ready. Chance went to get the potion.

Ellie’s dad, Edward, was a scientist and the day before the science fair, the partners decided to sneak into the make-shift laboratory in Ed’s basement. Their original project, a recreation of the wall of China proved to be harder than they originally thought. They decided three 10 year old’s couldn’t recreate what took 200 years. In Ed’s basement, they found rows of bottles and cylinders. The mysterious liquids inside were mysterious, except for one, with a name tag in front of it. The kids grabbed the label and eagerly read it. It read ‘Interspecies communication’. They had the ability to make an animal talk! The kids had wide smiles on their faces. They had their project! Ellie decided Dave (Chance’s pet) would be the perfect test subject. Chance looked up and realized that no one knew which bottle the label came from. Ellie narrowed the bottles down to four. She said that if they used each of the four, one was bound to work! Even if Dave wouldn’t talk, he’d definitely do something else! Ellie even picked out the empty fishbowl that they’d pour the liquids into. Chance and Gregg seemed reluctant at first but neither one of them was in any position to correct Ellie at science. Ellie was the best in the school at science. Gregg was more of a history guy and Chance... well Chance didn’t know what he was. That always angered Chance. Everyone seemed to know exactly who they were, except for Chance. He tried music but he got his head stuck in his tuba. He tried gym but he got his head stuck in the basketball hoop. He tried speech, thinking it would be the only subject that he couldn’t get his head stuck in anything, but he was wrong.

Across the room from Chance’s project, a pair of twins impatiently watched the judges gather around Dave. The twins were standing on either side of their heavily decorated bristol board that was titled “Yeti Vs Sasquatch”. Their names were Frank and Fred, and they had spent countless hours on their project. Their Dad made them. He would sit them down every night and tell them about the ‘crazy’ and ‘wild’ volcanoes he used to make when he was their age. He told them “science fair projects just aren’t the same anymore”. He told Frank and Fred that they had to win. He made them work on their project and research every aspect of the Yeti and the Sasquatch down to their individual toe nails. They couldn’t decide on a winner, due to the fact that Frank preferred the Sasquatch and Fred preferred the Yeti. They drew a line down the middle of the bristol board. Each side had the strengths of the weakness of each monster. They were staring at Chance with hatred. Every judge was at his project! The twins couldn’t win if no one saw their science fair entry!. They needed to make their dad proud. Fred and Frank had a plan though. They would not let Chance have all the attention. Frank would ‘accidentally’ bump into Chance to distract him. Fred would then shoot the potion bottle with his slingshot and would break it. Chance’s project would be ruined. Fred hid behind their project so no one saw him shoot his slingshot, as Frank started to walk over.

Chance picked up the fishbowl. He couldn’t wait. They weren’t able to test it before due to the fact that “Guardians of the Galaxy was on T.V. and no one wanted to miss it. He stared at the potion and hoped. It had to work. The judges were counting on it. He Turned around to see Frank walking toward him. Frank was looking down but Chance could recognize the greasy haircut and bright green rain-boots from anywhere. Chance could not remember a single day of their elementary school history where they didn’t wear those green boots. Chance never talked to them but they seemed nice. They barely talked and when they did it was one word sentences to each other, but Chance always gave the benefit of the doubt. Frank was getting close so Chance side stepped. Frank turned slightly, and was once again walking straight at Chance. “That’s weird” Chance thought. He side stepped back. Once again Frank followed. “That’s VERY weird” Chance thought again. He started to back up but Frank was walking faster. Chance bumped into a purple chair that was behind him and seconds after, Frank bumped into Chance. Chance fell backwards into the chair and he accidentally let go of the fishbowl. Time seemed to slow as Chance watched the potion rise into the air. Chance had his arms out, ready to catch it, when all of a sudden, the bowl shattered. He mouthed the words “Oh no” as the potion fell, covering Chance, Frank and the purple chair that Chance bumped into.

Across the gym, Fred smiled. The plan had worked as exactly as they planned. They would get the attention that their project deserved. Fred put his best ‘concerned’ face on, and walked over to Chance and Frank. They were both drenched with the potion. Fred tried not to laugh a he walked closer. He was so caught up in their success that he did not notice the splash zone he was now walking on. He started to say “What happened?”, when he slipped and fell into a puddle of the potion. He got up and growled. His clothes were stained with this mysterious, green liquid. Fred and Frank went back to their project after a string of fake ‘I’m so sorry”’s. They watched as the judges dispersed from Chance, and onto five different projects, each one more boring than the last. They eliminated their only competition, and it would only be minutes until the judges gathered around them. They went to the washroom before the judges came, just in case.

Chance was furious. Chance stomped to the bathroom to clear his mind as Glen and Ellie started to pack up their project. He stared at himself in the washroom mirror. He watched a tear trickle down his cheek and tried to fully comprehend that their project was destroyed. They could have won it. They could have won the nationals. They could have won the entire world’s science fair! They’d have to give some of the credit to Ellie’s dad of course, but Chance would be a hero!  Another student walked in, so Chance went to a stall for privacy. He heard the student leave but Chance didn’t move. He was too busy mourning all of the prizes and fame he could have had. He did not mourn for long though, as he was interrupted by a growl in the stall to his left. Chance was surprised. He didn’t remember anyone bringing their dog to school. He didn’t remember any dogs being allowed in the school. He didn’t remember any dogs that used stalls. He knew something was wrong but he wasn’t sure what to do. He heard a second growl, this time to his left. Chance looked up and was surprised to find two 7 feet beasts looking down on him.  Chance stood up and ran out of the room as fast as he could. He didn’t know what was going on but he knew he didn’t want to be a part of it. He ran out of the bathroom, almost barreling into a fellow student, reaching for the bathroom handle. Chance yelled at him, “Don’t go in there”. The student grimaced and slowly retreated. While Chance ran, he heard the creatures close behind. He looked back and realized that they were no ordinary animals. It was a Sasquatch and a Yeti! Chance reached the gymnasium and looked behind him to make sure they weren’t following him. They weren’t anywhere in sight but Chance took every precaution just in case. He closed the gym door and pushed a desk behind it. He ran over to where his science fair partners were.

Gregg looked surprised to see Chance running. Chance never did any physical activity. Even at gym class, Chance would walk home and watch movies. “What’s wrong?” Gregg asked. “You won’t believe this”, Chance said. “I saw a Yeti and a Sasquatch in the washroom stalls”. There was a long silence that was broken when Gregg and Ellie burst out laughing. “You’re right, I don’t believe you!” Gregg said. “Oh Chance, thank you! I needed that laugh”, Ellie said between chuckles. “I’m not joking! I saw them! With my own eyes!” Chance yelled. The pair continued laughing until a loud growl echoed through the school. Everyone in the gym screamed. The kids, the judges and the teacher's blended together as they ran in a pack to the section of gym farthest from the door. Ellie and Gregg looked at each other and then at Chance. He nodded. Chance ran over to push more desks in front of the door, adding to the barricade. The noises of the beasts were getting closer. Ellie grabbed their own table and dragged it over. Gregg stood there in shock. He wanted to help but he was just too scared. By the time Ellie and Chance added to the desk pile, the growling was on the other side of the door. The barricade was two desks high, and two desks wide, which looked fairly stable until the beasts started hitting the door. With every punch, the door shook, disturbing the desks and almost knocking the pile on top of Gregg’s science fair partners. They spread out to add to the pile. Gregg watched from afar, as each knock widened a crack that was now forming in the middle of the door. The crack spread to each side of the door. Gregg backed up as he watched wood chips fly across the room, landing at his feet. He tripped backwards, landing on his butt, as the door gave out, revealing two monsters behind it. One was brown and the other, white. Gregg thought he recognized them from somewhere. His partners had already returned with more desks (the only thing keeping them out of the gym) and were retrieving more. Gregg thought to remember all the history books he’s read about war, for any tactics that may come in handy. More specifically, he was trying to remember any tactic from those books that didn’t include him leaving his safe place. He could not think of one so he stood up as fast as he could. He ran to the nearest desk and picked up the project that was on it. He was about to throw it away, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a very familiar picture. It was taped to the bristol board and depicted the same beasts that were clawing through the desks. “Chance! Ellie!” Gregg yelled. “What?” Chance replied. “You need to see this!”.

Chance and Ellie finished pushing his desk behind, adding a third row to the wall, and ran over to Gregg. “What is it Gregg? If you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of busy-”, Gregg moved aside and Chance stared at the terrifyingly resemblance between the photo and  the impending beasts. Chance was amazed. “Who did the project? They might know something about what’s going on”, Chance suggested. “Fred and Frank”, Gregg replied. “But I can’t see them anywhere”, he added. Chance frowned, “Is there any useful information on the project?” Gregg pointed to a section on the bristol board labelled, “Weaknesses”. Chance read them quickly. This was their only way out of this situation. It only had one word under each of the monsters. Chance couldn’t help smiling about how poor their demonstration was. Chance’s project was so much better. Under ‘Yeti’, it read, “Heat” and under ‘Sasquatch’, it read, “Explosions”. Chance’s smile faded quickly. How would they inflict heat and explosions onto two massive beasts? With a final hit from the beasts, the pile of desks gave out, and tumbled down. As the monsters slowly stomped forwards,  the science fair partners got a better look at them. There was a noticeable feature that all three kids noticed at the same time. Big, green rain boots that the monsters were wearing. Fred and Frank wouldn’t know anything more about monsters. Fred and Frank were the monsters! Ellie ran forward and soon Gregg followed. They were already taking care of the monster situation. Chance wanted to help, but he didn’t know what to do. They were both smart and Chance... well Chance wasn’t. They both knew what they were doing and Chance didn’t know anything. He was feeling bad about not doing anything as a large shadow casted over him.

Ellie ran to the projects that her and Chance moved aside. She searched through the pile and picked out the six volcanos. She gathered them up in her arms and stood at the back of the gym. She started to line them up, when she noticed that the monster’s were approaching.

Gregg took advantage of the fact that the monster’s were focused on Ellie. He ran through the door, turned back and yelled, “Hey Yeti!”. They Yeti slowly turned around. Gregg started to run and as he did, he heard the stomping behind him, getting closer and closer. He bolted down the stairs, trying his best not to trip. He turned the corner and went down the second flight as he heard the giant stomp of the Yeti jumping down the stairs in one giant leap. He ran down the hallway, a section of the school, he’d never been before. He heard the heavy breathing of the Yeti, directly behind him. Gregg realized the hallway was a dead end, only a single door in front of him. Gregg tried the doorknob, however it was locked. Gregg slowly turned around to find himself touching noses with a ten foot monster.

Chance noticed the shadow being cast from behind him. It couldn’t have been either of the monsters because they were both occupied, so Chance paid little attention to it. There were bigger problems at hand. He paid little attention to it, that is, until he noticed that it was floating. He quickly pivoted around, however he saw nothing. He was about to turn back, until he looked slightly up and noticed the floating purple chair.

Ellie appreciated Gregg leading the Yeti, however there was still a massive Sasquatch in front of her. She finished lining up the volcanos, on a diagonal angle, so they were pointing directly at the Sasquatch. The only problem was, that each volcano was empty. She noticed a big bag of baking soda and a pitcher of vinegar. The school was ready for the mass amount of volcanoes that  the students would bring. It was convenient, except for the fact that they were both behind the beast. Ellie was cornered into the windowsill. The Sasquatch was almost at the volcano line, when Ellie grabbed the window drapes, and covered the Sasquatch’s head with it. The monster was confused enough, for Ellie to run past him and grab the ingredients. She brought them back to the volcano’s and started filling each one up with vinegar. When she was done, she picked up the baking soda, but the Sasquatch had pulled off the curtains and was ready for her. He hit the bag of baking soda, which exploded into the air. Ellie started to run for the door. Her plan had failed but she could still escape. She could have, if she didn’t trip on her shoelaces halfway to the exit.

Gregg was waiting for the Yeti to do act. He couldn’t do anything. He was helpless. The Yeti raised its arm’s, readying to strike. He was scared. The Yeti swung and Gregg moved to the side. Gregg wouldn’t give up even if there was no chance of survival. When the Yeti missed, it hit the handle of the door behind Gregg. Gregg took his opportunity and slipped inside the room. He closed the door quickly and reinforced it with his back as he thought of his next action. There was no way out beside the door, which was now being punched by the Yeti. There were no window’s, or anything useful. It was just a... boiler room. Gregg noticed a thermostat at the end of the room. He ran over to it, and as he did, he noticed how big this room actually was. It was a maze of pipes and machines. He turned up the heat as far as it would go. If Gregg survived the Yeti, he wouldn’t survive the heating bill. The door busted open and the Yeti slowly walked in. Gregg hid behind a big machine and waited for the heat. He saw the shadow of the Yeti, projected by the single light bulb in the centre of the room. It’s growls echoed across the massive room. Gregg looked around the corner but the Yeti was nowhere in sight. He heard a growl coming from directly behind him.

Ellie couldn’t stand up. The Sasquatch was directly over her. It had all the control in this situation. She heard a quiet ‘hsss’ coming from where the volcanos were. She couldn’t believe it. The baking soda was floating inside the volcano and mixing with the vinegar! She just hoped that enough made it in. The Sasquatch raised it’s foot over Ellie. She closed her eyes and waited. There was silence. Ellie opened her eyes, surprised that there was nothing above her. Nothing but two big green rain boots. She smiled. She stood up and was about to run over to Chance when she noticed that he was preoccupied by a floating purple chair. She couldn’t believe it. How could this happened? She thought back and remembered that the chair was splashed with the potion! So were the twin’s! The potion must turn anything it touches into a super-being! If only there was something that had those special abilities and would use them for good. Then she remembered. Chance!

Gregg looked back. The Yeti was standing over him. Gregg was cornered. He felt a tear slide down his cheek. Everything he fought for, everything he did, was useless. Why did he think that he could have stopped a Yeti? He was just a kid! He felt more tears slide down his cheek. That was strange. He didn’t feel like he was crying. He wiped the tears off and he realized that they weren’t tears at all. They were beads of sweat! That’s when Gregg noticed the puddle forming beneath the Yeti. It let out a large growl as it slowly melted until there was nothing but rain boots in front of Gregg. He stood up. Gregg felt great. He just destroyed a Yeti! That’s when he heard a laser blast above him.

The chair shot a beam of purple light on the ground directly in front of Chance. Chance still couldn’t react to what was happening. It was just so surreal. “All my life I have been sat on”, the chair yelled. “ No one ever appreciated me. Until now! I will show you! I will show all of you!”. Chance didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t fight a super villain chair! “Chance!”, Ellie yelled. “You have powers!”. Chance didn’t understand. “No I don’t!” He replied. “Chance! Believe in yourself!” She shouted. Chance brushed it off, until he realized that throughout his entire life he’s never believed in himself. Never. He looked back at his ten years on this earth. Every moment of his life would be better if he was content. If he was going to die today, he was going to at least die believing in himself. He smiled. He realized that throughout his entire life he was awesome. He realized he never had anything to worry about. He was the best he could be. He realized that this was obviously not the time for reflection, but he was standing tall. He was actually standing tall. REALLY tall. He looked down and realized he was floating ten feet off the ground. Ellie was right! He did have super powers! The chair shot another laser, but Chance dodged it in mid air. He flew directly at it and threw a punch. The chair deflected it with one of it’s legs. Chance and the chair proceeded to engage in the strangest fist fight ever. Chance would swing but the chair was ready for him. Chance punched. The chair knocked his fist away. Chance punched. The chair knocked his fist away. This continued until Chance went to swing and instead of blocking, the chair shot a laser into Chance’s chest. Chance fell to the ground. he was hurt. Badly. Chance tried his best to stand up, but he kept falling down. He gasped for a breath. Chance tried to open his eyes, but they kept closing after seconds. He managed to see a memo on the side of the gym wall. He remembered seeing it before, but he couldn’t remember what it said. Chance concentrated as hard as he could and he could make out the words “Students, please stop leaning back on your chairs. It loosens the legs and the janitors are getting tired of having to fix them. Thank You”. Chance smiled. With all of his concentrated energy, Chance managed to float up, so he was level with the chair. Chance smiled. “Give up boy!”, The chair yelled. “I don’t give up” Chance said under his breath. He then flew towards the chair and kicked it in the back rest. The chair tried to block but missed.  Chance proceeded to punch the back rest until the legs slowly fell off. Chance then kicked the chair into the ground. It exploded into purple plastic parts and everyone cheered. Ellie and Gregg ran over and hugged him.Chance smiled. He wasn’t a musician. He wasn’t an athlete either.
Chance was a superhero!