"I'm worried Frank, they've been up in that room every night this week."

"They're kids Arlene, don't worry about it."

"Doesn't it worry you? They could be up to anything up there."

"Like what?"

"Drugs; what if they're smoking drugs?"

"They're not."

"How do you know?"

"They're not"

"I think they are. I think they're smoking them now."

"Ok. I'll call them down if you're worried. We'll have it out with them, okay?"

"Yes."

Upstairs the boys were in deep conversation.

"Go on then, show me, I'll show you mine," Alex said to Mickey.

"Alright."

Mickey stood up and closed his eyes.

"Go on do it," Alex said excitedly.

"It's not happening."

"Concentrate Mickey."

Mickey screwed up his eyes, strained and it happened. They grew. His thumbs swelled up to four times their size.

"Keep going; try to get the rest of your body to grow."

Mickey tried harder but it didn't work. "No, I can't do it. You try."

"Okay."

Alex stood up, closed his eyes and concentrated. He emptied his mind and after an age he felt the power, felt his body change. He opened his eyes. It was dark.

"It sort of worked," Mickey said.

"Ah man."

Alex brushed his hair, which was now trailing around his ankles, from his face. "This sucks."

"I know. We've got to keep trying."

There was a knock on the door. Instantly the boy's bodies changed back to normal.

"Who is it?" Alex asked.

"Your dad."

Alex opened the door.

"You're mother's worried. Thinks you are on drugs. Can you come downstairs and talk to her?"

"We're not smoking drugs."

"I know that, but your mums worried. Come down and speak to her."

"Alright dad, we'll do it, but after this we want to be left alone."

"Will you tell her what you two have been up to?"

"Yes."

"Good."

They went downstairs. The boys stood in front of Arlene. She went to speak but Frank interrupted, "Let the boy speak."

Alex started. "Well a couple of months ago we were playing up in my room when we noticed something. We have superpowers."

"Like Superman?"

"No, not exactly."

"Is this the best you can do, come up with some rubbish about being superheroes?"

"It's the truth."

"Show me."

"You go first dude, it's your house man," Mickey said.

"Okay."

Alex concentrated and his hair grew. It stopped when it hit the floor.

"You made it go longer dude."

Mickey took his turn. Arlene was flabbergasted as she watched Mickey's thumbs grow.

Frank sent the boys to Alex's room and poured his wife a drink. Arlene sat on the chair shaking. "Our son is a freak," she said sipping on her brandy.

"He's not a freak, its all part of growing up, it happens sometime."

"Yeah, in the movies."

"Look sweetie,these things happen. When you think about it we don't really know what our bodies are capable of. This sort of thing happens. Think about it. There are always stories about people who can make metal stick to them, or people who can give electric shocks or jump really far, or something. Our son and Mickey are just like them."

"He'll be bullied.

"He won't."

Arlene smiled. "It's just our luck that our son is endowed with a completely useless power. Why couldn't he be super at maths or be able to control animals or something?"

"He'll get over it, I did." Arlene looked confused. "Do you want to watch the TV?" He asked.

"Okay."

Frank turned around, looked at the TV, blinked and it came on.

Arlene didn't know what to say.