Cosmic Girl: Looking For Trouble: superhero series for young adults - Book Two

by R S J Gregory

  “Who?” Ryan asks as he looks around at us.

  “Devlin, numb-nuts.” Paul answers him quickly.

  “Which bank?” I ask Stuart.

  “The Central Pacific Bank, in Honolulu.”

  “Hawaii?” Mitchell asks, and Stuart nods.

  “Man, how come we haven’t been there yet?” Paul grumbles.

  “Well, now we have a reason. Right?” Beth asks and looks at me expectantly.

  I nod my head and sip my soda.

  “We’re all going, right?” Paul asks.

  “There’s no need. He won’t be there. He’ll be long gone. I just need to check the area and see if we pick up a new lead.” I say and glance at Georgia.

  Georgia catches my look, and nods her head.

  “Can’t I come along? I won’t cause any trouble, I promise.” Paul begs me and gives me his puppy-dog-eyes.

  “Fine.” I relent. “Everyone can come then.” I add and sigh.

  “We need new transportation.” Paul says and wags his eyebrows at Pamela.

  “Why’s he grinning at me like an idiot?” Pamela asks us while frowning at Paul.

  “Because he is an idiot.” Beth says, which makes Stuart chuckle.

  “Oi!” Paul whines at Beth and frowns.

  “I think he’s referring to your talent.” I say and chuckle at Beth, who winks at me.

  “I’ve never transported more than one person before.” Pamela says and looks worriedly at us.

  Stuart shrugs. “There’s a first time for everything. You want to practice with us?” He adds and gestures to Paul.

  Pamela looks at everyone in turn as if weighing up options, then nods at Stuart. “Yeah, sure. Why not.”

  “I hope you can all come up with a good cover story. We leave for Hawaii straight after school.” I tell them, and Ryan and Pamela share a look between them, before smirking.

  “What?” I ask them, curious.

  “You don’t still report to your parents, do you?” Ryan smirks.

  “They don’t need to worry about what we’re up to, okay. They can do without that worry. We have to do what’s right.” Mitchell says in a serious tone to Ryan. It’s cute.

  “Whatever.” Ryan replies flippantly.

  I shake my head as Mitchell looks at me with an exasperated look on his handsome face. I can see that we’re gonna have fun with Ryan. I hope at least that Pamela can behave herself, I think to myself, as I take another bite of my tuna-fish sandwich. I leave the rest of my sandwich and get up.

  The image of Devlin glaring at me with a murderous look flashes in my mind. I stagger back slightly and put my hand on Mitchell’s shoulder to steady myself.

  “What the hell was that?” Beth blurts out and quickly comes to my side. “You okay?” She asks and takes my hand.

  I nod my head, but then another image pops into my head of Devlin. He’s sitting in an armchair, and he’s humming a tune while he….huh? He’s knitting. I can hear the click, click of his bamboo knitting needles, while he hums a tune. His small Chihuahua lies at his feet wagging her small tail.

  “What just happened?” Beth asks more urgently this time, and grips me by the shoulders and shakes me slightly. “How are you seeing this?” She asks me quietly. “Britney, snap out of it.”

  “Huh?” I mumble as I realize where I am. I see Beth’s concerned face in front of me, and Mitchell looking at me worriedly. “What happened?” I mumble as I blink and take a deep breath.

  “You saw Devlin again. How?” Beth says and has me sit down on the bench.

  She kneels in front of me and places her ebony hand on my forehead, then closes her eyes.

  I can feel her inside my mind now. Various memories flash up in my head, before the one of Devlin knitting comes up. The memory plays out in my head, and I hear Beth’s husky voice in my head. ‘How did this get in here?’

  Then she brings up the other memory I had, which is when I saw him in my mirror. ‘Hmm….this doesn’t feel like a real memory, Britney. This feels artificial.’

  How can it be artificial, what do you mean?

  ‘You didn’t actually see him.’

  “What?” I blurt out as I keep my eyes closed.

  ‘Someone put the image in your head, Britney. But I can’t explain the second memory.’ Beth’s voice tells me inside my mind.

  I shake my head and open my eyes. “If it happens again, I want you to trace the origin.” I ask her.

  Beth nods her head, then the other kids begin to get up and vacate the canteen. I gather my thoughts and smile at the others before heading to my next class, Math.

  To say I’m on edge is an understatement. I feel like I’m about to have a meltdown.

  I try not to think about Devlin, and focus on Mrs. Marshall’s six feet two inch frame as she towers over her small desk, and the other kids around me as I wipe the cold sweat from my forehead.

  Inside me, the power rumbles and I find myself breathing faster after a few seconds. I grip the desk, then remember where I am and let go quickly.

  As I try and concentrate on what Mrs. Marshall is telling us, her short curly brown hair turns black and grows in length. Her pale green blouse fades to a shimmering red, then she turns to look at us, and Devlin’s smirk hits me like a slap.

  I breathe and tell myself that it’s not real. It’s not real. He’s not here. Get a grip, Britney.

  I close my eyes, then I hear his silky Antonio Banderas-like voice.

  “You’re going to die!” It’s like a ghostly whisper inside my head.

  My palms are sweating and I feel myself trembling.

  “Miss Brookes, you don’t look well.” I hear Mrs. Marshall’s stern voice call out from the whiteboard.

  I open my eyes as hot tears slide down my flushed cheeks. I can’t even speak, I simply nod my head as I look around me. Mrs. Marshall looks like herself now, but Devlin’s threat echoes inside my head.

  “Are you okay, dear?” Mrs. Marshall asks as she comes over and crouches by my desk.

  I don’t know how to answer her. But, no, I am not okay. I shake my head, still unable to open my mouth, in-case I scream.

  “Do you want to see the nurse?” She asks and pats my hand.

  And have her shine a light in my eyes and freak out? I don’t think so.

  I swallow my fear and shake my head. As she pats my hand again and walks back to the front, I hear Beth inside my head. ‘Britney, what the hell just happened?’

  You tell me? I ask in desperation, on the verge of totally freaking out.

  ‘Calm down, please. I’ll try and check, but your mind is a mess, Britney. It’s like your room in here.’

  Hey, my room isn’t messy. I complain. I rub away my tears and try not to return the other kid’s stares, as Beth rummages around upstairs.

  ‘This wasn’t real, Britney.’ Beth tells me in my head.

  Hey, it felt real to me! I reply silently, and let out a deep sigh and close my eyes briefly.

  Mrs. Marshall looks over her shoulder at me as she continues her lesson.

  Am I losing it? Hallucinating?

  By the time school finishes, my nerves are shot. I put my books away in my locker and head outside. When I see the grey clouds overhead and feel the first patter of rain, I close my eyes and raise my head to the falling rain.

  It hits my face gently and runs down my neck. I’m lost in the moment when I hear Mitchell’s voice behind me.

  “You okay?”

  I can’t lie anymore, I’m sick of it.

  “No, baby. I’m not.” I reply, open my eyes and turn to him.

  He lifts my chin with his fingers. The concern in his eyes tells me how I must look right now. He sighs and pulls me to him. I wrap my arms around his waist and press my wet cheek into his chest.

  “What can I do? How can I help?” He asks me gently as he strokes my hair.

  “Do you know a good therapist?” I ask jokingly.

  He remains quiet for a while and just strokes my hair as other k
ids race past us on their way to freedom. I feel another hand on my shoulder and see Beth looking up at Mitchell.

  “I think you need to sit this one out.” Mitchell says quietly.

  “What do you mean?” I ask as I pull away and look up at his troubled face.

  “Hawaii. Beth and I will go. You need to rest.” Mitchell says, and I turn and see Beth nod her head in agreement.

  “I’ll be okay.” I say. “I’m just having a rough day. I’ll be fine.”

  “Britney. You’re traumatized. You need to rest.” Beth says gently and strokes my back.

  I take a few steps back and pout at them. I see Paul heading our way, and when he calls out to get their attention, I use the opportunity to get out of there. I launch up into the wet sky in the blink of an eye. In seconds I’m above the clouds, and I stop and take a deep breath.

  ‘We care about you, Britney. You’re pushing yourself too hard.’ Beth’s voice tells me inside my head.

  I remove my Chinese lucky cat backpack and get changed into my Cosmic Girl costume. I remove my contact lenses last and slip on the pink glittery eye-mask. I face into the sun for a few seconds, before launching myself towards it at breakneck speed. Within seconds I hear the first sonic boom, then another one shortly after as I race towards the coast.

  I descend through the clouds and look down at the ground as I rocket overhead.

  The wind is a roar in my ears, drowning out any thought I might have. Sometimes, the roar of the wind is annoying, sometimes it’s soothing. Today, it’s soothing.

  I bank to the left as I see an airplane approaching in the distance. I roar past it a second later and head towards the thin blue line I see ahead of me.

  A minute later and I’m flying over the Pacific Ocean. I make a turn to my left and aim for the small dots of green on the horizon.

  The water below now is so blue, like a deep sapphire. The white foam on the waves make the water look strange. It looks like a thousand seagulls flying in unison.

  I ignore the first green island and slow down as I rocket towards Oahu. I see the unmistakable shape of Diamond Head up ahead and the pale sands of Waikiki. The beach is still packed at this time of day. They look like ants from this height, with small colored dots that must be their beach umbrellas. I descend towards the palm trees as I approach.

  I fly over the beach and some banyan trees, toward the street where the bank is. I drop like a stone to the sidewalk, hovering for a second a few inches above the sidewalk, before landing softly.

  To my right is a Billabong clothing store, and people stare at me blankly through the glass window as I stroll past. On the other side of the street is a tall hotel. There’s an area out front where taxis and minivans can pull into. I hear some excited voices calling from the parking bay. I look over and wave at a bellhop who’s waving at me. There’s a huge gaping hole in the wall where the ATM used to be to my right, before I notice the sign of the bank. I step up and open one of the double doors and head inside.

  The bank is quiet inside, only a few customers.

  I rise up from the blue carpet and hover over to one of the cashiers. The lady stares at me from behind the toughened glass partition.

  “Don’t worry. I’m Cosmic Girl.” I tell her and smile. “I’m a friend. I need to speak to the manager.”

  She half smiles, then gets up from her chair and disappears behind the corner. A few minutes later, and the door marked Staff Only opens. I smile at the tall Hawaiian guy in the pale blue suit who walks hesitantly towards me.

  “Can I help you?” He asks in a gloriously seductive voice.

  “I’m trying to track down the man who robbed this bank.” I begin.

  “I know who did it, but I want to check if he left behind anything.” I say, and try and smile, but then the image of Devlin flashes in my head, and I groan and drop to the blue carpet.

  “You okay cuz?” The manager asks.

  “That’s a tough question to answer.” I say and try to smile.

  “You look like you could use a coffee.” He offers.

  “Actually, that would be nice. Maybe after. Did the robber leave anything?”

  “The police went over the place pretty good. If they found anything, it will be with them.”

  Of course! I smile in thanks and turn to leave.

  “Hey, how about that coffee?” He says quickly.

  “Sure.” I answer and he waves at the ladies behind the counters then follows me outside. There’s a bit of a crowd forming on the street outside, mostly tourists. Guys in garish shirts are taking photos of me, while I walk along the sidewalk next to the bank manager.

  “I’m George Keaweaheulu, by the way.” The manager says and smiles at me as we cross the street.

  “Cosmic Girl.” I reply.

  “I know.” He chuckles. “Everyone knows who you are.”

  “Really?” I ask.

  He just laughs, a warm humorous chuckle.

  “So, where we heading?” I ask as we get to another intersection and I follow George across the street, past a cool looking Mexican restaurant.

  “Relax, it’s not much farther.” He replies casually, then turns to me. “Are you always in a rush?”

  “Pretty much.” I say as we get to another street, then George crosses and makes a right.

  “When do you take time out to have some fun?” George asks.

  “It’s been a long time, really.” I reply, and think back to the last time I wasn’t flying around trying to track down some creep. I shake my head as I try to remember something fun I had done.

  It’s sad. I’m walking next to this relaxed guy for several minutes in silence while I try to come up with something fun that I’ve done recently.

  Man, is this all I’m doing?

  “Here we go.” George says warmly and thumbs to his left. I’m feeling a little deflated as I follow George like a lost puppy up some steps towards dark glass doors.

  Where are we? I crane my neck and look up.

  “The Hilton, huh?” I say as we enter.

  We head up some more stairs into a stunning marble lobby, complete with columns. George waves at one of the ladies at reception and heads down the hallway past the elevators.

  I try to put a brave face on and smile for the cameras, as tourists begin blabbing and taking photos.

  Man, I feel tired.

  I follow George into a nice restaurant at the back of the hotel.

  The picture window on one side looks out on to a small garden area. There’s a water feature and lots of foliage. There’s even a white gazebo. It looks beautiful and serene.

  I stop by a table and just stare at it for a few minutes. Then I catch my reflection in the window. My purple leather catsuit and pink glittery eye mask bring me out of my daydream. I sigh as George sits down at the table near me, and I look around before realizing where I am.

  I clear my throat and sit down opposite George and take a deep breath.

  “Two…no, make that three cappuccinos.” George orders when the smart looking waiter comes over.

  “Hey, is that…” The waiter begins.

  “Sure is.” George answers quickly.

  “Why is she….” The waiter begins to ask while looking at me.

  “Coffees please, Jamie.” George responds and slips him ten dollars.

  “Yeah, sure. Coming right up.” The waiter says and walks away.

  I smile at George and sit back into the high backed chair.

  He shakes his head. “Must be tough, being a celebrity.” George says and relaxes back into his seat.

  “Never thought of myself as a celebrity.” I shrug. “Just trying to do the right thing. Well, I try to anyway.” I sigh as I begin to smell the coffee. I close my eyes and inhale deeply.

  “You hungry? They do amazing pancakes here.” George asks.

  “Hmm, pancakes?” I murmur as I think about the rumbly in my tumbly.

  Fifteen minutes later.

  “Go, go, go, go.”

&n
bsp; “Eat that last bit, come on.”

  “Stand back in case she hurls, dude.”

  I hold the last piece off buttery pancake with blueberries up with my fork, like Thor lifting his hammer. Then it’s past my blue-stained lips and I suck it off the fork.

  People are patting me on the back as I chew the last bit. I wash it down with my fourth cappuccino, before letting out a belch Barney from The Simpsons would be proud of.

  In your face Man v Food. This day, Cosmic Girl won.

  I’m dazzled by a flash as a waiter takes my photo. George is grinning and taking photos with his cell phone.

  “Wow, I think you broke the record.” George says as I wipe my face with a cream cotton napkin. “Is that another one of your powers?” He asks jokingly.

  “I think it’s more like a byproduct.” I reply and sigh in contentment.

  “That’s better, you’re smiling now.” He says and shows me his phone. True enough, there’s a photo of me smiling. My eyes are glowing blue in the photo. I don’t think I’m ever gonna get used to that.

  “Thank you.” I say.

  “Why were you so upset earlier?”

  “Was it that obvious?” I ask.