Interlude - Interview

Courtney Franklyn shifts in her seat nervously. She is used to interviewing people. She is even somewhat used to interviewing people with superpowers now. But this girl just puts Courtney on her guard like few others do.

Joan Fowler is the youngest member of the Fowler family and one of its two remaining baseline members. While the others are gorgeous powerhouses, Joan is the opposite, weak, sickly and, as much as Courtney hates to admit it, ugly.

That said, she is a lot prettier and healthier than she used to be. Not only that, but she is rather fit and average looking.

But while Joan acts like a cheerful girly girl and certainly portrays herself as one, she has a harden and tough interior beneath that guise. Courtney can just tell it by watching the way she moves and speak.

It reminds me of an experienced criminal or veteran soldier. So why is a teenage girl like Joan Fowler getting that same impression?

“And we’re live in three…two…one…,” says one of the production crew.

Courtney looks Joan in the eye before smiling at the teenager. Both of them are sitting in plush chairs as they face each other, Courtney’s white and Joan’s red.

“Welcome folks to this very special interview,” says Courtney as she looks at the camera and smiles, “My name is Courtney Franklyn and I am here today with Joan Fowler, youngest daughter of the Fowler Family. So Joan, how are you today?”

“Oh, I’m fine Courtney,” replies Joan with a cheerful smile as she ignores the camera, looking straight at Courtney, “You don’t mind if I call you Courtney do you?”

“Not at all,” replies Courtney, relaxing as she begins to build the rapport with Joan, “Do you mind if I call you Joan?”

“Of course,” replies Joan.

“So Joan, let’s get on with this,” says Courtney as she decides to get the interview started, “What is it like being a normal human amongst a family of top tier parahumans?”

“Really good as matter of fact,” answers Joan, “You see, well, you know my background right?”

“Yes,” replies Courtney with a slight nod of her head, “Youngest of six children, born sickly and ill. You were okay at first, but slowly got worse as you grew older. Eventually your condition deteriorated so bad that you had to spend two years hospitalised until the end of this march.”

“When my sister Abby used her power to pseudo-heal me,” finishes Joan.

“Pseudo-heal?” inquires Courtney.

“A term my boyfriend used to describe what happened,” explains Joan, “Technically speaking, I wasn’t heal because I was ill as ever. Abby just used her power to counteract all of the effects of ills, but didn’t actually heal me. She just treated all of the symptoms while the cause was left untouched. She has been able to treat the cause since though, hence my full recovery.”

“I see,” says Courtney, “Speaking of which, how you feel about your family members using their powers on you?”

“I don’t mind it for minor things,” replies Joan with a shrug, “In fact sometimes I find it helpful and fun. What don’t like is when they use their powers on me solely for their own benefit or if I don’t want them to.”

“Does that happen often?” inquires Courtney curiously.

“Nope,” answers Joan, “Mostly it is Marcy because she lacks fine control over her voice or Abby because she wants to stop me doing something stupid or embarrassing. Both apologise at the time or later depending on my mood.”

“I see,” says Courtney, “So you don’t have a problems about you being powerless and while the rest of your family are major powerhouses?”

“Not at all,” replies Joan instantly, “I have no problems at all. So far I have only benefited from my family members having powers. I would be still be slowly dying in a hospital if it weren’t for Abby’s powers.”

“I can definitely see why you don’t then,” says Courtney, “One thing I am wondering is your feelings on the Enhanced ratings of your family?”

Courtney was going to press further, but halts as she sees Joan’s negative body language. The teenager straightens up a little and a brief frown flashes on her face.

“I’m not particularly bothered,” replies Joan after a moment, “When I was hospitalised, I had a lot of time to terms with the idea of never being beautiful. In fact, just looking average is a big deal and step up to me. Still, I find my appearance to a sore spot and hate it when I am compared against the looks against my family. I just, well…you know…I’m basically jealous you see. I don’t want to be, but I just feel that way when I see one of my beautiful sisters or my mother.”

“That is completely understandable,” says Courtney, “Most people are instinctively jealous of Aphrodites and Adonises.”

“Yeah,” mutters Joan as she looks upwards.

“So have you experienced any indirect jealousy?” asks Courtney, “Have people picked on you or given you a hard time because of the powers in your family and you so readily embrace them and support them?”

“You would think so, but no,” answers Joan with a slight frown as she thinks and Courtney notes it isn’t directed at her, “Not outside of school as I don’t really hang out in public. At home, we occasionally protesters, but nobody wants to poke the hornets’ nest. When it comes to school, nobody wants to pick a fight with Leo.”

“Leo?” inquires Courtney.

“My boyfriend,” explains Joan with a happy smile on her face.

“You get on well with your boyfriend?” says Courtney as she looks over Joan’s reaction.

“Extremely well,” replies Joan happily, “Leo is great.”

“Oh?” says Courtney, “What is he like then?”

“Leo is brilliant,” answers Joan eagerly, “He is smart, handsome, fit and healthy.”

“Sounds like the real package,” says Courtney encouragingly, “So did the two of you meet then?”

“Oh, we were friends before I was hospitalised and after that happened, he was the only one to stick by me,” explains Joan as her smile fades slightly as she remembers those unhappy times, “Our friendship ended up blossoming into love at some point and we started dating despite my condition. We spend a lot of time together still even though I spend more time with family now.”

“Another question I wanted to know is why exactly why don’t wish to be a member of the main cast of the Fowler Family,” says Courtney, changing the subject again, “Not that I’m criticising your choice or anything, but the show has made the rest of your family quite famous.”

“Well, you see I only just got my life back after spending two years,” replies Joan, her smile now gone, “And I don’t want to share with strangers after getting it back after so long.”

“Ah, I see,” replies Courtney, “So how come you don’t mind the other cameras watching the rest of your family catching footage of you?”

“Because I don’t have a problem with being on TV, I just want to keep my personal life private,” answers Joan with a slight shrug, “I agreed to this interview after all. Beside, we just have some tinker drones flying about when it comes to the filming. No cameramen or anything along those lines.”

“So pretty easy to ignore then,” prods Courtney.

“Yeah,” agrees Joan.

“Speaking of your personal life,” says Courtney, changing the subject once again, “How has your life been going since you left hospital? Made many friends since then?”

“Well, I’m now friends with my boyfriend’s friends Allison and Charlie since I spend a lot of time with them when I have been with Leo,” answers Joan as she looks thoughtful, “And there is Guardian.”

“Guardian?” repeats Courtney, surprised at this turn of events.

“Yes strangely enough,” replies Joan, “We meet when Darkness and his Chosen attacked my family. Guardian was with Iris, my sister Alexis, trying to build up good relations with the Grand Rapids Heroes Union while Alex was trying to reconnect with me as that was the first time we had seen each other since she got her powers. Anyway, Guardian saved me from Darkness that night and at a later point in time, she got in contact with me. Neither of us had many friends at that point and Guardian felt saving my life was a good way as any to start a friendship with me.”

“So what is Guardian like?” inquires Courtney, genuinely curious.

“Well,” replies Joan excitedly, “For starters, Guardian is a half-human alien from another dimension so she is pretty weird even by parahumans standard. Not only that, but her powers come from super advance alien technology so she isn’t actually a parahuman or anything like that. But we get along greatly, mainly due to her being very forthcoming and willing to be a friend. Plus she enjoys helping people and doing thankless, tedious tasks, two more things that make her a wonderful friend.”

“So you get on well then,” says Courtney.

“Yes, yes we do,” answers Joan with another smile on her face.

“Well folks,” says Courtney as she turns to face the cameras, “This is all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this interview after the following commercials.”