Wonder Woman sat with her mouth hanging open. She knew it was unbecoming of a warrior princess and heir to the Amazon throne, but her mind was on other things—specifically, the video streaming on her computer. Without telling her mother, she had sent away for the secret code to access it, and had also emailed a letter that read in part:

Dear Principal Amanda Waller,

My name is Wonder Woman, and I am interested in attending the prestigious Super Hero High School. Having been homeschooled all my life here on Paradise Island, I don’t have the required transcripts. However, I am athletic, courageous, and willing to do whatever it takes to make the world a better place.

As Wonder Woman watched the Super Hero High recruitment video, she was interrupted by an urgent message flashing on her computer screen.

HIGH ALERT: CALLING ALL SUPER HEROES IN THE VICINITY OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE! AN AMERICAN TOUR BOAT CARRYING SECOND GRADERS ON A FIELD TRIP IS IN THE PATH OF A MONSTER TIDAL WAVE….

Wonder Woman didn’t need to hear anything more before hitting Pause, grabbing her unbreakable Lasso of Truth, and racing out of her room.

Her mother was rearranging boulders in the garden again. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“To save second grade,” Wonder Woman explained, already in flight.

“Be home by dinner!” her mom called after her.

The first to arrive at the scene, Wonder Woman could hear children screaming as the mountain of water arched menacingly above them. Their boat began to rock violently. Instantly, Wonder Woman whipped out her Lasso of Truth. She had only one chance to save the students before the crush of the ocean would capsize their vessel.

Wonder Woman raised her lasso high above her head, and with deft precision, threw it hard. On target! She had ringed the mast. With a flip of her wrist, she yanked on the lasso, tightening the loop, then used the rope to keep the boat upright as the giant wave passed under it. The children cheered.

“Thank you, young lady!” their teacher cried. “You’re our hero!”

Wonder Woman blushed and waved before heading home. If she hurried, there was still time to watch the rest of the recruitment video before dinner.

Back home, Wonder Woman leaned forward and studied the video. Super Hero High School was everything she had ever dreamed of. The school boasted an expansive campus with a gleaming high-rise in the center. It offered its students and faculty up-to-the-moment technology, gadgets, and weapons to die for. Plus there was the recently unveiled Flight Track and the much-used on-campus hospital. And the only thing more impressive than the inspirational statue of Justice herself was the iconic Amethyst from Gemworld that sat atop the school’s highest tower, piercing the clouds and doubling as a welcoming beacon for incoming flyers.

Oh! And there were classes taught by celebrity super hero alumni, and more clubs than anyone could possibly have time for, like Playing with Poisons, Cooking with Swords, and the ever-popular Knitting and Hitting. But what Wonder Woman found most fascinating were the students.

Every kind of teenager imaginable was represented—some with multiple superpowers, and others with none at all. Many of the snootier schools, like Interstellar Magnet, only considered students based on their grades, test scores, and superpower pedigree. But Super Hero High had a loftier goal. Here, students were selected not based on who they were today, but on who they could become tomorrow. Girls, boys, animals, insects, aliens, robots, mutants, morphers—they were all in the video. This was an equal-opportunity school, and it appealed to Wonder Woman’s keen sense of justice.

She also noted that the students looked deliriously happy, especially one peppy, pigtailed blond girl who managed to be in almost every scene. As Wonder Woman imagined herself making friends, she felt a warmth wash over her. This wasn’t like the time she was knocked over by an atomic fireball. No, this warmth made her smile inside and out.

As the video came to a close, the music swelled and a diverse group of students and teachers stood or hovered behind Principal Waller, who was saying, “So if you want to super-charge your education”—Wonder Woman nodded—“meet super friends”—Wonder Woman nodded—“and make a super difference”—Wonder Woman nodded—“then we welcome you to Super Hero High!”

There was a lump in Wonder Woman’s throat. Just as tears were starting to form, she heard the boom of a woman’s strong voice.

“Wonder Woman!”

Huh?

Who was calling her?

It was the computer—or, to be more exact, it was Amanda Waller on the computer. The principal had embedded a personal message at the end of the recruitment video.

Wonder Woman sat up straight and adjusted the small gold tiara that was nestled atop her long, thick black hair. “Yes, ma’am,” she said, even though she knew Principal Waller couldn’t hear her. Wonder Woman had been raised to be respectful.

The principal attempted a smile. This did not suit her stern face; it made her look like she had indigestion. In the background, Wonder Woman could see the Federal Service Agent of the Year awards lining the walls. She had read dozens of interviews about the head of Super Hero High, and though Amanda Waller had no traditional superpowers of her own, she was credited with keeping injuries to a minimum, scaring the heebie-jeebies out of the students, and always demanding the best from her young super heroes.

“Wonder Woman,” Principal Waller said. Her broad shoulders took up the bottom half of the computer screen. “I have had my eyes on you for quite a while, and I feel the time has come for you to join us. You have the potential to become one of the greatest super heroes in history. But you lack formal super hero training. That’s where Super Hero High comes in. I want you to think about this, but listen to your heart as well. It knows where you belong.”

“What are you watching?”

Wonder Woman jerked her head around. “I…I was just…”

“I can see what you are doing,” her mother said, standing tall and looking every bit the warrior queen she was. “Why would you want to leave Paradise Island?”

It was a fair question. Their home was a lush tropical island surrounded by a turquoise sea so blue, it defied definition. Warm water lapped the golden shores, creating white ribbons of waves that made it look as if the island itself were a gift. Maybe it was. Serene rolling hills played host to majestic green trees. Wispy white willows bent gracefully in the wind—but like so many things, they were not what they seemed. Even a chainsaw couldn’t make a dent in the most delicate-looking willow, because the island, though a paradise, was also a fortress inhabited solely by Amazon warrior women.

In the heart of Paradise Island—also known as Themyscira—a grand Greek temple rose above the trees. It was here that Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, lived with her only daughter.

“It’s not that I want to leave.” Wonder Woman struggled to explain to her mother. “It’s just that I want to go places. I want to make a difference to the entire world.”

Hippolyta’s silence made her nervous. Her mother was always silent before going into battle. Was this what their conversation would be? A battle? The two had always been close. Wonder Woman hoped she could keep it at the level of debate.

“Please, Mother,” Wonder Woman begged. “I can learn so much at Super Hero High. All the greatest super heroes have gone there.”

“I didn’t go there,” Hippolyta noted.

“That’s not what I meant,” Wonder Woman said quickly. “It’s just that, well, I’ve been here on Paradise Island all my life, and I…”

Hippolyta let out a big sigh—the one mothers reserve for their children when they have so much to say but can’t get it all out.

“My dearest daughter,” she said, her voice softening. “You were born to be a leader. You have royalty in your blood. Stay here, and someday you will rule Paradise Island and be Queen of the Amazons, just like me.”

Now it was time for Wonder Woman to be silent. She breathed deeply before saying, “Mother, I love and admire you. But when I grow up, I want to be just like me.”

Hippolyta loved her daughter more than anything, and she understood the depth of the desire that Wonder Woman had to explore the outside world. And so she finally agreed to let her daughter go, but not before giving her a gift. “These have served me well for years,” Hippolyta said, removing her cuff bracelets. “They will deflect missiles and bullets and other weapons that aim to harm you.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Wonder Woman said, looking down at the gleaming metal bracelets that now graced her wrists. She used to try on her mother’s cuffs when she was younger, but they were always too big and slid off. Today, however, for the first time, they fit perfectly.

“I will be checking on you, often,” Hippolyta said. “You will be our Amazon Ambassador and must behave accordingly.”

“I promise,” Wonder Woman assured her. She wondered how she could feel pain and happiness at the same time. As much as she would miss her mother and Paradise Island, the only home she had ever known, Wonder Woman was excited about the new life that lay before her.

As if reading her mind, her mother said, “Dearest, you have royal blood and are the princess and heir to this island of Amazon women warriors. But I will not keep you back, for wherever you go, you shall always hold the place of honor in my heart, my beloved daughter.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Wonder Woman said, wiping tears from her eyes. She wondered if the bracelets really did work. They could not deflect the pain that tugged at her heart.

They embraced, and before her mother could change her mind about letting her go, Wonder Woman was off, flying faster than she had ever flown before. Having never been away from Paradise Island longer than the short time it took to save lives and right wrongs in nearby locations, she savored her newfound feeling of freedom. Marveling at the great expanse of land below her, Wonder Woman took the long way around the world, stopping to redirect a tornado in Russia, put out a wildfire in Australia and save the koalas, and tidy up a massive landslide on Mount Fuji. But soon enough, she neared something that was perfect just the way it was.

The Amethyst’s welcoming glow drew Wonder Woman to it, and when she saw Super Hero High, she knew in her heart that this was where she belonged.

However, not everyone felt the same way.