by Sarah Biglow
I waved off his question, instead focusing on the scene unfolding in front of us. Two men were unloading duffle bags—filled with drugs if I had to guess—from the back of a non-descript truck into the back of a stylish SUV. A woman sat in the passenger seat of the second vehicle, staring straight ahead as a third man held a handgun level with her chest. I closed my eyes and focused on the men’s thoughts as it had been the woman who’d drawn us here.
“I’m going to get her,” Declan whispered.
Before I could protest, he darted out from behind the trees, busting into the clearing. He may be strong as hell, but I was more than certain he was not bullet proof. He managed to take the first guy by surprise, sending the duffle in his hand flying into a tree with a solid ‘thump’. The second courier reached into the waistband of his jeans for a gun.
“Gun!” I shouted.
Declan rounded on the man and yanked the weapon from his grip. With the courier occupied, I turned my skills to the hostage-taker. I zeroed in on his thoughts, gathering what I could to pass on to Tina’s uncle. They were from out of town and had been using the same scheme up and down the coast. Sometimes I wished my ability worked the other way and I could send my thoughts out to other people to calm them or warn them what was coming. But my brain was only a receiver, so I darted out from my hiding spot, keeping low to the ground. The woman screamed as the thug grabbed her, gun pressed tight to her throat. Declan was still busy with the second courier, so it was up to me to make the daring rescue. I found a broken tree branch and hefted it like a baseball bat.
“Back off or I shoot her,” the gunman growled in Declan’s direction.
Up close the man’s hands shook the tiniest bit around the gun’s grip. Blocking everything else out, I caught one thought: “Please don’t make me do this.” If I tried to take him out from behind now, his hand could slip, and we could end up with a dead woman on our hands instead of a rescued victim. I tracked the gunman’s movements as he divided his attention between Declan’s beat down and the woman struggling in his grasp.
In a stroke of luck, I caught her eye as she twisted in his grip. I mouthed ‘duck’ and lifted the branch. She sunk down faster than I would have thought possible as I swung the branch, connecting with the man’s head. He crumpled on impact, the gun falling from his hand. I kicked it out of reach and fired off a text to Tina to alert the police.
“Thank you,” the woman said, throwing her arms around me.
Heat crept up my cheeks—thankfully hidden by my mask—until she let go and gave Declan the same treatment. I stuck around long enough to hear the distant wail of sirens coming toward us before I took off at a sprint. I had no intention of being there when Officer Boudreau rolled up. One time in handcuffs was plenty for me. There was a chance I could still finish my date with Marisol.
By the time I got back to the restaurant the early dinner crowd was in full swing. The booth we’d been sharing was empty. I checked to see if she’d left her bag, indicating she’d gone to the bathroom, but there was no sign of her.
“Your friend left about ten minutes ago,” my mom said as she stepped around me with a tray of freshly made cannoli’s.
I stormed out the back through the kitchen and took my frustration out on the trash cans. I earned a sore foot for my trouble, but I didn’t care. I’d still managed to screw everything up with the perfect girl. I pulled up our message thread on my phone and sent her a message begging her to meet me the next day before school. I hoped my apology would be enough for a second chance. I couldn’t bare another “I told you so,” speech from Tina and the vaguely disappointed looks from Declan. I wasn’t ready to give up on the possibility of having some semblance of a normal life. I deserved as much, and I wanted it to be with Marisol. There was still a chance I could balance the two parts of my life.
Chapter Six
Marisol
Anger and disappointment clouded my thoughts as I sat in bed the next morning. I’d been reluctant to meet Spencer in person because I was worried he’d turn out to be just another guy who took off at the drop of the hat, with no explanation, and leave me hanging. I’d put up with that with Jason for too long. I had vowed I would never let another guy treat me like that. Yet, without trying, it had happened again. A part of me wanted to believe Spencer really wanted to be friends. The way he looked at me told me he wanted more than my friendship, but I was not ready to give that to him, or anyone else.
I’d seen his message begging to meet at the high school before his classes. He promised to explain his behavior. I hadn’t decided whether to let him try to patch things up. Papi’s footsteps padded down the hall outside my room and he stuck his head in the partially open doorway.
“Morning, mija.”
“Morning, Papi. I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back in a little while. You don’t have to wait up for me.”
“If you’re sure.” He had bags under his eyes and his skin was paler than it had been the night before.
“I can feed myself. Get some sleep.”
He gave me a tired smile and retreated to his bedroom. Without realizing it, I’d talked myself into meeting Spencer. I dressed, packed my laptop in my bag and grabbed a travel mug of coffee to wake me up. I could always do my schoolwork at the library. I approached the front of the high school fifteen minutes later and spotted Spencer sitting on the bottom step. He looked tired, too.
“You came,” he said in surprise.
“To be honest, until twenty minutes ago I wasn’t sure I was going to.”
“Come on. I know somewhere private we can talk.”
I followed him as he led me around the back of the building to an open area with metal tables and benches. I sat down at one and took a sip of my coffee.
“I am so sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to take off on you.” Genuine emotion made his voice crack.
I considered my words carefully before saying anything. “So why did you?” It came out harsher than I’d expected.
Spencer wet his lips and twisted his fingers together on the table in front of me. “I was trying to chase off your ex-boyfriend. It took longer than I realized and by the time I got back you were gone.”
The fact Spencer couldn’t meet my gaze when he gave his explanation signaled there was something he wasn’t saying. “I appreciate the effort but….”
“Marisol, I swear I want this work.”
“What exactly is this?”
“I don’t know, but I want to find out. Don’t you?” He grabbed my hand and squeezed gently. “And I don’t want you to get hurt. We should report him to the cops. Like you said, he’s not even supposed to be out of jail.”
I shook my head and pulled my hand away. “He is my problem. Please, don’t get involved.”
“Okay.”
“Why don’t we try this whole getting to know each other thing again?”
He grinned, “I’d like that. How about this afternoon?”
“I have to work tonight. But I’m off at seven. My dad works nights, so he won’t notice, especially if I let him know I’m studying at the library until it closes.”
“I’ll see you at seven.”
I stayed seated at the table as he disappeared. I grabbed my backpack, and something went ‘thump’ on the ground. I unzipped it to find the library book from the other night. I’d completely forgotten about it. I’d have to remember to return it tonight. A mixture of curiosity and boredom led me to flip open the book. A faded handwritten inscription adorned the cover page.
To my dearest Lena,
One day everyone will see the groundbreaking work we’ve done and acknowledge we have changed history.
All my love
C.H.K.
The book itself turned out to be a comparison of theories on evolutionary biology. Charles Darwin led the charge. I didn’t recognize any of the other names as I flipped through. I turned to the back to skim the index and found a hole cut into the pages. Nestled in the cut out sat a collection of rewriteable dis
cs. This book hadn’t been meant to be taken from its place in the return bin. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention and I glanced around before closing the book and shoving it back into my bag. Despite stowing it away, I still felt unseen eyes tracking my every move as I hastily downed my coffee and left school grounds, no longer feeling safe there.
I ended up at the library before they opened and sat outside, feeling the weight of the book in my bag. This would be the opportunity to put it back and let it be someone else’s problem. But, the inscription on the front page intrigued me. Who were these people and what great discovery did they make? And most importantly, why had it been left in the book return with the cache of discs in the hidden compartment?
“You’re not working this early, are you?” a male voice called.
I looked up to see Henry standing at the front door, key in hand. “Oh, no. I was actually just looking for a quiet place to do some schoolwork.”
“Come in. You’ll have the place to yourself.”
I followed him through the sliding doors and over to the circulation desk. I eyed the Restricted section, making note that the keypad was no longer lit up green. Henry stowed his own bag behind the desk.
“How did your first shift go?”
“Oh, it was fine. Everything seemed pretty easy.”
“Good.” He tapped a few keys on the computer in front of him. “Looks like we’ll be working together this afternoon, too. I was supposed to be on yesterday, but something came up. Sorry you got stuck with Tina. I know she can be kind of a pain.”
“She was okay,” I lied. I didn’t want to talk about the blue-haired, nosy girl who seemed overly interested in my life. And Spencer’s. I needed to figure out what was going on between them.
“Can I ask you a sort of personal question?” I leaned on the desk with my elbows.
“Maybe,” he answered with a half-smile.
“Is there something going on between Tina and Spencer?” I realized I hadn’t gotten Spencer’s last name. I prayed Henry had a clue who I meant.
His shoulders relaxed. “Not from Spencer’s point of view. They sometimes hang out, at least that’s what I hear. But it’s more of like a study group.”
“Does she have feelings for him?”
“I’m not a mind reader. Why? Do you have feelings for him?”
My cheeks flushed. “We’re friends. Or at least, I think we are. It’s complicated.”
“When isn’t it?”
I wasn’t sure why, but a wave of longing washed over me. Not for anyone I knew, just a general wishing for the return of someone’s affection. I steadied myself against the desk. As my balance shifted my bag fell off my shoulder and landed hard on the ground.
“Oh, I did have a question about one of the tasks Tina had me do yesterday.”
“Shoot.”
“She had me put books back from the return bin. Does anyone ever put a non-library book in by mistake?”
Henry rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Not usually. Why, did you find something that didn’t belong?”
I could come clean. I should come clean and yet, I was unable to bring myself to admit the truth or show him what I had discovered. “No. I thought there was one that didn’t belong until I realized it went in the Restricted section.”
“Ah, yeah, you shouldn’t really be going in there.”
“Why not? It was open.”
Sweat broke out along his forehead. “There are a lot of rare volumes in there. First editions and they are supposed to be kept under strict environmental controls. From now on, if you can’t find where a book goes in the regular stacks, just put it back in the return bin. I’ll take care of it.”
“I’m sorry. No one told me not to,” I said.
“It’s fine. Now you know for next time.”
I nodded. “I should try to get some schoolwork done. These finals won’t write themselves.”
“Good luck. And see you this afternoon.”
I hoisted my bag onto my shoulder and went in search of a study room. His reaction was not normal. It only solidified that there was something odd going on here and I couldn’t let it go.
Chapter Seven
Spencer
I ducked down the east stairs to the basement during my afternoon study period and darted into the unused computer lab. As expected, Tina sat in the far back corner, fingers flying over the keys. Declan lounged a couple of seats over. Neither looked up, but Declan kicked a chair at me. I picked a seat on the other side of Tina.
“My uncle said those dealers were pretty banged up,” Tina said without looking away from the screen.
I snorted. “Declan thought they were pretty good punching bags. Although, man you aren’t bullet proof. You kind of freaked me out.”
“How do you know I’m not?”
I quirked a brow at him and tapped my temple. “I’m a mind reader, remember?”
His cheeks burned. “Stay out of my head, Emo.”
I turned my attention back to Tina. “Something weird did happen yesterday when I was with Marisol.”
She swiveled away from the keyboard, all her attention on me. “Botch another relationship before it could get off the ground?”
“As a matter of fact, no. We’re going on another date tonight, no thanks to vigilante interruptus.”
Tina pouted, and a few strands of blue hair fell across her face. “It’s not going to last. I’m telling you.”
I looked over Tina’s shoulder at Declan. “Why doesn’t she do this to you, too?”
He held up his hands. “Leave me out of it.”
“You were saying something about weirdness,” Tina prompted.
“Yeah. Marisol’s ex showed up, which for a whole host of reasons is problematic. She was seriously freaked out. Anyway, I went to tell him to get lost and all I got was static.”
“Static? What do you mean?” Declan said.
“Like white noise. I tried to read him and there was nothing there. He stood there staring at me before he went blurry and disappeared. I swear my head felt like it was going to explode when I heard the woman’s screams.” My eardrums ached at the memory.
“Maybe you were imagining things,” Declan offered unhelpfully.
“I wasn’t.”
Tina was quiet, her eyes unfocused in thought. Beside her the computer monitor started to fizzle and spark. My phone grew warm in my pocket. “Tina, focus before you fry the whole damn room.”
“Huh?” She shook her head. “Sorry. I was thinking … it could be … no it would have been obvious … unless ….”
“Speak full sentences,” I snapped.
She let out a huff and pushed herself to her feet. She raked her hands through her hair and started to pace. We were in for one of her conspiracy lectures. “So, we all know I found you two because of my ability.” Declan and I shared a look but stayed silent. She continued as if we weren’t there. “I pick up on other people’s powers when they are being used. It’s like a homing signal or something. Anyway, you’d think the blue-haired hacker chick would get noticed, but everyone pretends I don’t exist. Ignore the weirdo and she’ll go away. Well, I’ve gotten around most of the senior class and no one has given off any signals, which is statistically odd. There can’t be only three of us.”
“Tina, you had a point,” Declan said.
She stopped pacing and clapped her hands together. “Yes. My point is, maybe there is someone out there who has powers, too, but we haven’t met them. Maybe they’re older than us or at a different school.”
I leaned back in my chair, straining the back legs. “And this explains things how exactly?”
She rolled her eyes. “Her ex probably has powers. I don’t know, maybe he can teleport or scramble people’s brains. But if I could figure out what it is, maybe we could get closer to finding out where we came from.”
“She moved from a completely different town,” I pointed out.
“We don’t know how widespread this is,”
she quipped.
“You think whoever it is will come after Marisol again,” I said as my feet planted back on the ground.
“It’s a possibility.”
“No.”
Declan looked at me. “No?”
“You heard me. This is Tina’s way of horning in on my date. The answer is no. If you want to keep an eye on her while she’s working at the library, fine. But as soon as she’s done, she’s off limits.”
“Okay, fine.”
The end of period bell blared through the room and I stood up. “And if anything goes down tonight, Declan can handle it alone. I am not having a repeat of last night.”
“Spencer, you know it’s not how this works,” Tina protested.
“Tina, back off and stop being such a control freak. The only reason we go out together is because you arbitrarily said so. Let him have his fun. You may enjoy solitude, but the rest of us don’t,” Declan said.
She blinked at the verbal smack down. Everything he’d said was true—well except the part about her enjoying being alone—and she knew it. I’d thought about saying those words a million times but knew it would hurt her. The fact Declan said it was like a slap in the face. With angry keystrokes, she logged off the computer and stormed out. Without trying, I heard her thoughts as she disappeared down the hall. They didn’t bear repeating.
“You didn’t have to be so hard on her,” I said when Declan and I were alone.
“You were thinking the same thing.”
“Maybe, but you were kind of a dick about it. In fact, you’ve been kind of a tool the last few days to her. Just because you’re not in a great place romantically doesn’t mean you have to make the rest of us feel miserable.”
“Take the win, Sorano.” He exited to room, leaving me to stand surrounded by computers.
I headed for my second afternoon class trying to come up with a game plan for my second date with Marisol. As I settled into my seat, I pondered the option of sharing the truth about my secret identity. The girls always fell for the guys in superhero masks in the comics and the movies. But I wasn’t a comic book hero. I was just some nerd with powers I didn’t ask for. In fact, if Tina hadn’t recruited me, I wasn’t sure I’d be using my powers for good. Now that I had a taste for it, I didn’t want to let it go. I just hoped Marisol could be the Mary Jane to my Spiderman.
