by R. J. Ross
1 New Mail.
I jerk, my hand shaking slightly as I brought it up. It’s RE: Hello. She did see it. She’s already written a reply. Wow, that was fast. I click on the email, opening it and reading it slowly.
Some strange guy came to our school today. He said he was from the Hall. How can I know you’re not him or somebody else out to do strange things to me?
Strange guy? I look at it blankly before pulling out my phone. “Mastermental,” Double M says.
“Double M?” I say. “Did someone go out to the school of the girl that emailed the hall about me?”
“Actually, yes, Nico sent in Andre Henderson.”
“Oh! Grandpa went! Did he find out for sure if she was one of us?” I ask, getting excited.
“He believes so, yes,” Mastermental says. He sounds like he’s smiling. “You sound quite excited by this.”
“If she’s what we think she might be, shouldn’t you be, too?” I ask him. “I wish I was there--not that I don’t really enjoy being here, of course, but--I’d like to meet her face to face,” I admit.
“She seems skittish. It might be best that you aren’t here just yet,” Double M says. “How are things up there, good?”
“So far, yes,” I say. “It’s cold, though.”
“I would only expect as much.”
“How is Grandpa doing?” I ask, turning away from the computer. “He actually talked to you, right?”
“He did. I assigned him to Nico, since Nico is constantly finding himself in interesting situations,” he says. “Nico took advantage of your grandfather’s high social status to get him into the high school.”
“He’s devious, isn’t he,” I say blandly.
“I expected nothing less,” Double M agrees in an equally bland tone.
I let out a laugh. “I need to call Jack and tell him we’re here safe and sound,” I admit, “along with the others. Make sure Grandpa Andre doesn’t just call it quits after this, though, okay? He needs a vacation as much as I do--more, even.”
“I’ll see what I can do, but try to remember he DOES have a company to run,” Double M says.
“I know, I know, but he’s been doing that forever, right? He can handle a break for a bit!”
“Duly noted. Have a good vacation, Aubrey.”
“Thanks, Double M,” I say, hanging up. I turn back to the computer--there’s a new email. I didn’t even get the chance to respond to the last one!
I click on the link, my heart dropping as I read it.
I knew it--you’re just pretending to be the alien, aren’t you. Don’t email me again, or I’ll call the cops.
I let out a groan, leaning back and sending the rocking chair rocking wildly. Something has her seriously paranoid. How am I going to--
I pick up my phone again.
***
“Why does my girlfriend have to ask a favor from you?” Jack demands as he and his brother fly through the sky. They’re flying high, since they don’t want people seeing them together. Of course, even the norms know they’re brothers, but they still hide the fact they get along. Well, right now they aren’t getting along very well, at all, actually.
“Because she needed someone that was clearly related to the Hall,” Trent says, pulling to a stop over the small house in the middle of the suburbs. He touches his ear, going, “Nico, is this the place?” and rattling off the address.
“That’s it,” Nico says. “Do you see her?”
“No,” Trent says, pulling out his smartphone and looking at the picture of Alyssa. “She might be in her room--“ he lets out a groan as he realizes Jack’s already flown down next to the house and is peering through the windows. It’s the middle of the night, but there’s still a good chance people will notice. “Jack, get back up here!” he hisses as he sees a car turn the corner at the end of the street. Jack comes back up, his silver surfboard glinting in the street light until he gets high enough.
“Weren’t we supposed to get her attention?” Jack asks as he sits down on the edge of his board, his legs dangling. Trent will never admit how cool he finds the surfboard, but right now he wishes it wasn’t quite so shiny. It’s not right for spy missions. Then again, he admits silently, he’s not right for spy missions, either.
“Not yet--we’re supposed to see if it’s actually her,” Trent says, crossing his arms over his chest and watching as the car that’d been driving down the street pulls to a stop in front of the house. A handful of teenage boys get out of the car, staggering drunkenly towards the house. One heads to the first window on the left, knocking on it. After a moment of no response he knocks harder. The window opens and Alyssa looks out with a scowl on her face.
“No,” she says, starting to close the window.
“C’mon, Alyssa, I need you!” the teenager says, stopping the window. “Do that thing.”
“I won’t!”
“Do you want me to look stupid in front of my friends?” the teenager hisses. “Do the thing or I’ll tell Mom you snuck out again.”
“I didn’t sneak out!”
“Yeah? Well who do you think she’ll believe? You or me?” he demands. “Do it, NOW.”
“I won’t--“ she grunts as he grabs her hand, ripping the glove off and pressing it to his arm. The strangest thing happens. Trent had expected the same sort of reaction as Aubrey has--glowing eyes, floating hair, that sort of thing, but instead he sees a haze appear around the boy. It’s glowing and golden, and it promptly heads straight for Alyssa, draping over her before sinking in. The girl staggers slightly as the boy straightens.
“Now do the rest of the guys,” he says, moving aside and motioning his friends forward.
“No,” Alyssa says, but it doesn’t have the same impact. She’s staggering slightly, obviously drunk already.
“This stops now,” Jack snarls. Trent grabs him before he starts down.
“Don’t kill anyone,” Trent says, earning a sharp look from Jack. “I’m just saying that’s probably her brother. If you kill her brother, Aubrey won’t be happy.”
Jack nods. Then he stops, an evil grin crossing his face. “I’ve got a better idea,” he says before grabbing Trent’s arm and twisting, sending his brother flying straight into the car Alyssa’s brother had been driving. The tank teen’s heavy weight and momentum totally demolishes the old car.
It sobers all the kids at the house far faster than Alyssa could have managed. “What the--“ her brother yelps. “That was MY CAR!”
“You want to complain about it?” Jack demands, flying down and floating just above their heads. “Word is you’ve got a healer in the area--I collect healers,” he says as he leans down, his shiny teeth gleaming in the moonlight. Actually, most of him is gleaming in the moonlight. “I’m here to get this one.”
“You can’t have her,” Trent says, climbing out of the remains of the car. “She’s going to the Hall--we’ll put her in Cape High.”
“I’m taking her,” Jack says as Trent rushes forward, tackling him off of his board and straight into the group of teens. The boys barely manage to jump out of the way.
“Over my dead body,” Trent declares dramatically.
Jack grins evilly, reaching out to the streetlight at the end of the driveway. “That can be arranged,” he says as the metal pole starts shaking before ripping away from the base.
The door of the house slams open and a large black man steps out, wearing a pair of pajamas and holding a baseball bat. “JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING OUT HERE?” he bellows--only to stop as he sees Trent and Jack. The color leaves his face and he sways slightly, only to get pushed aside by Alyssa.
“Stop!” she yells.
“Alyssa?” the large man asks. “Are you drunk again?”
“I’m NOT!” she says, looking close to tears. “I was in my room--I--“
“I can smell it on you!” he declares. “Where are you getting it from?” he demands, seemingly forgetting about the two supers right in his front yard. “Your Ma
--“
“I’m not drunk, Dad! I--“
“I’ll be taking this,” Jack says, grabbing the curvaceous girl easily and pulling her onto his board. “You might notta noticed it, mister, but this is a healer.”
“Wha--put my daughter down!” the man says, waving his baseball bat through the air, trying to hit the kidnapping teen. “MAMA, CALL THE POLICE!”
“That’s not necessary, sir,” Trent says, jumping into the air. “I have this under control.”
“You destroyed my car!” Alyssa’s brother wails. His buddies are too busy recording the fight with their phones to back him up.
“Don’t struggle too hard,” Jack whispers to the girl he’s holding, “I’m Life Light’s boyfriend. She sent us here to prove she’s exactly who she says she is.”
“Then where is she?” Alyssa demands in a hiss.
“The Arctic, visiting family. She can’t fly, so it’s not like she can come down and do it herself, you know?”
There’s a long moment of silence before Alyssa says, “Oh.”
“From what I saw, you were using your little sister’s abilities for your own gain,” Trent says, moving in front of the brother. “Using her to cover up the fact you’re the one that was drinking. Don’t think we didn’t notice.”
“Is that true, Rylon?” Alyssa’s dad demands in a dark tone.
“They’re lying! It’s Alyssa--she’s a--“
“You’re saying your fifteen year old little sister is a drunk,” Trent says, “and that I’m a liar.” He doesn’t even sound accusing when he says that last part, just disappointed.
“She’s a freak,” Alyssa’s brother says, finally, pointing at Alyssa. “She comes home with bruises and cuts and black eyes, but nobody even TOUCHES her at school!”
“Sure they do,” Jack says, coming down with the girl still held captive. Trent notices that he’s very careful not to touch skin. “If they get hit, or they get knocked around, they go to her, don’t they--just like you did when you wanted to cover up the drinking. I know exactly how this works.”
“Aren’t you a super villain?” Rylon demands as he turns to his parents. “You definitely can’t believe HIM!” he tells his dad, waving a hand back at Jack. A metal ball flicks past his head, slamming into the ground in front of him.
“Kid might not be offended at being called a liar, but I ain’t so nice,” Jack says coldly. “I like healers. That’s why I’m taking your girl.”
“You are NOT taking her,” Trent says. “We would like to enroll your daughter in Cape High, sir.”
“My daughter is NOT a super,” the man says. “She might have told you something along those lines out of delusion--“
“Marcus,” a woman says from behind him, “let them take her.”
“But Mercy--“
“I said, let them take her,” the woman says, stepping out onto the front step. She’s an ample, beautiful black woman with her hair up in a shower cap. Her robe is bright pink, her slippers match, and she's barely over five feet tall. “My grandmother had the gift. I told you that a hundred times, but you never made the connection! Our Alyssa has the gift!”
“You’re talking that crazy talk again, honey--your grandma was some sort of voodoo witch doctor--“
“She was NOT a voodoo witch doctor! Sure she seemed a little off, but the gift does that to you! It hurts, honey. It’s not an easy gift to have.”
Marcus runs a hand over his face, groaning. “Can’t we have a doctor fix her?”
“Sir, the school can help her,” Trent says, “but we’ll need to put her in the dorm--you’re too far from our school for her to stay here.”
Jack almost argues, but he closes his mouth quickly, simply standing there with his arms around the girl. She’s starting to squirm and look around curiously. “What’s keeping this thing up?” she demands abruptly.
“I am.”
“And what’s keeping you up? We’re going to go plunging to the ground any moment--“ she lets out a yelp as they do exactly that, clinging to him tightly until he starts to laugh. Then she smacks his arm. “That wasn’t funny!”
“Sure it was!”
“I’m arguing with a super villain,” she says, as if only just now realizing it.
“Hey, you want to see Life Light?” he asks silently, pulling out his smartphone. “This is her,” he says, showing her his wallpaper. The girl in the picture is average looking, although the dog hanging his head over her shoulder isn’t. “Cute, ain’t she?” he brags. “She’s wanted to meet another one like her for forever.”
“At least tell Cold Steel to let our daughter go,” Marcus says, shooting worried glances at the two on the surfboard.
“I’ll show you more later,” Jack said, letting go. Alyssa jumps down as quickly as possible.
“What sort of school is this Cape High?” Mercy asks. “If I’m going to send my baby off to live with strangers, I expect to know all about it!”
“We’ll tell you,” Jack says, dropping off of his board and walking right past Alyssa’s brother. He stops, right in front of the other teen, looking him straight in the eye. “You, I’ll deal with later.”
Then, as Alyssa’s brother looks like he’s going to throw up, he walks right on past.
“Why are you coming?” Marcus asks.
“You didn’t know? Cape High teaches both heroes and villains,” Jack says. “I’m a Cape High student, too.”
“It’s true,” Trent admits. “He’s also my brother.”
“I--I see,” Marcus says. “Family dinners must be really interesting, then.”
“I want to meet your father!” Mercy declares.
“I’m sure he’d like to meet you, as well, ma’am,” Trent says with a slight smile.
***
"HELLLOOOO, Doris!" Skye yells at the top of her voice as she sinks through the ceiling of her new secret base. "I've just come to pick up some clothes—"
"There's no food in the house, whatsoever." The muscular woman is dressed in some of Skye's clothing, but it doesn't fit well at all. It looks like it's going to split at the seams any moment. Her hair—although she's tried brushing it several times, is still a tangled mess falling almost to the floor. She's threatened to cut it off at least three times, but so far Skye's kept her from it—mostly by hiding the scissors in the walls. Skye seems overly fond of her hair, she thinks darkly.
"Oh," Skye says, frowning. "But I'm going on vacation!"
"There's. No. Food," Doris repeats, stepping up to the other female. "I'm STARVING! Maybe you're trying to kill me, is that it?" She grabs Skye by the collar, lifting her slightly off of her feet to try and force the other female into doing what she wants. Skye doesn't even seem to blink at the closeness, she merely cocks her head slightly with a hint of a smile.
"Oh, if I wanted you dead I would have done it a LONG time ago," Skye says waving a hand airily. "You're my new roommate! It's like a sister, right? We can share clothes and go shopping together and play with our hair! But we can't do it yet because I need to meet my new family—"
"Food first," Doris says, a tiny fissure of fear trickling down her spine that she quickly covers. That was just bluff, right? Skye couldn't kill her, could she?
"When I get back we'll get you one of Century's credit cards and you can do your own shopping," Skye says, phasing out of her hold and heading for the ceiling again. "No more destroying things! I spent Century's hard earned money on that microwave!" She points at the box that is now crushed in pieces and looking rather pathetic.
"It's an abomination to cook with that thing," Doris grumbles, not about to admit that she just hadn't been able to figure it out. She'd gotten so irritated with all the buttons and settings and blinking "Error" messages that she'd hit it—and, well, it didn't work. That's happened with a lot of things, actually.
"I'll be right back," Skye says, heading through the ceiling. It leaves Doris alone again, still buried underground, waiting.
She's starting to wonder
if she even wants to see the sun again, she thinks as she heads to the large television screen. She's positive the sun will be too bright for her to handle. This television thing is close—but she's almost figured out how to use it, it's somewhat like the one she had back before she was trapped. The only problem is that she's pretty sure there should be more than just the one channel thing…
Maybe she should have asked Skye about it before she left.
CHAPTER FOUR
It’s morning. I can tell because I hear Emily wandering around her room. Now here’s the real question--if Grandpa Superior can make electricity, can he also make the water hot enough for showers? It’d been nice enough last night when I washed my face, so I have high hopes.
I take my shower (nice and hot, yay!) and get dressed before grabbing my phone. I need to call Trent and find out how it went--or if he’s done anything yet. I guess it is kind of silly to just assume he did it the moment I called, right?
“Grandpa’s going to help me train! Like my snow suit? There's even a com link put in the arm!” Emily says as soon as I step out of my bedroom. My foster sister is wearing what looks like a snow suit--one that's obviously tailor made. How else could she have gotten the symbol she’d forced Ace to draw for her on the back? It’s a large blue star with white and red ribbons swirling over it, like a flapping flag. The suit itself is splashed with reds, whites and blues, like it was hit by paint guns. Her boots, gloves, and hood are all dark blue, the same color as Trent’s uniform.
“I got you one, too, Aubrey!” Liz calls down to us.
“One what?”
“Special snowsuit!” she says, coming down the stairs in her own version of Emily’s suit. “I had the idea last night and flew down to Central to get them made," she adds, holding out a white and silver suit to me. Hers is white with light blue marks. “They’re light enough to move easily in, but warm enough for up here. I don’t actually need one, but doesn’t it look good?” she adds, admiring her outfit. “And here are your boots and gloves,” she says, handing me a silver bag.
