You experience growth spurts, your voice changes, you begin noticing superpowers where there weren’t any superpowers before. This is all part of discovering that you’re Gyfted: Genetic Youth Fluctuation, Triggering Extraordinary Development. I watched the trees and power lines blur past the window of my parents’ Volvo. It was two hours from Sheepsdale to Manhattan, which gave me some time to read The Handbook for Gyfted Children. A lot of the writing was pretty cheesy, and there were definitely a few chapters (“Summer Camps for Superheroes,” “My Mutant and Me”) that I planned to skip. But there was also a lot of helpful information. An entire chapter on how to choose whether to be a superhero or a supervillain. Tips on how to control your Gyft. Profiles of major figures in the super community, like Captain Justice, Scarlett Flame, and even my parents. As long as I was stuck with this weird power, I figured I ought to at least know a little about what it meant and how to use it.
