by Dee J. Stone
“Going to my room.”
“X…”
Play with Lindsay, I tell him in my head. Don’t let me down your mood.
I don’t do this on purpose. Just can’t deal. Maybe I’m jealous of him because he’s got a mom, a dad, a girlfriend, and friends here. I don’t connect well with the other kids. Never have.
As I’m about to get up, Kale says, I want you to stop hunting.
I look at him. His gaze is pasted on me. Eyes are sad. You almost died tonight. I don’t…I don’t want to lose my other best friend.
I don’t say anything because I don’t know what to say. I hate that I’m hurting him like this.
Then stop, he says.
I can’t. Not until she’s dead.
Then let me come with you the next time you hunt.
No. He’s got a family and friends. He has Lindsay. I can’t let him risk his life. He has too much to live for.
And you don’t?
I shut my eyes. Please, Kale.
I won’t let you go alone. You need someone to cover for you. I don’t want you to die, man! Don’t you get that?
I do get that. But I won’t let you risk your life.
“And I won’t let you risk yours!”
He shouts a bit too loudly. All the kids in the Game Room stop what they’re doing and stare at us. The Elemental Triplets—Air, H2O, and Earth Goddess—who are playing a dancing game, start complaining that we caused them to lose.
Kale ignores them, his eyes still glued to mine. I don’t care what you say. I’m coming with you the next time.
I grit my teeth.
Don’t shut me out. Do you know what it’s been like for me these past few months? You’re here, but you’re not really here. I miss you, man.
I didn’t know that. I thought he was busy with Lindsay. I didn’t realize, but I miss him, too. I’m sorry, I say.
It’s okay. I get it. But let’s hunt together, okay? We’ll make an awesome team. Look out for each other and stuff.
He’ll bug me until I give in. That’s Kale. Maybe he’s right. Maybe having a partner is a good idea. I do want to hang out with him again.
Sorry for the way I’ve been treating you, I say.
It’s okay. Um…His gaze flicks to mine for a second before dropping to the floor. Have you…you know, thought about getting back into…? His voice trails off as he looks at me.
Have I thought about doing drugs again?
Yeah. His eyes are back on the floor. Then they slowly move to me. I know when things get tough it’s easy to…you know. Get back into it.
I’ve thought about it. Hell, it’d definitely help me cope. But no. I’ve accomplished so much these past two and a half years. Became a better person. I can’t screw myself up again, no matter how hard things are now. No, I say.
Kale smiles a little. I’m glad.
“I want the Xbox,” a voice says from behind us. Furball, a girl with short, red hair who can shift into feline animals. It’s hard to be comfortable around her because she’s the girl Stretch was in love with, and seeing her, having to talk to her, brings me back to all those times Stretch tried to make a move on her.
“We’re not done,” Kale says.
“You’ve had it forever. Let others play.”
Kale motions toward the other game consoles occupied by kids. “Grab another one. X just got here and I want to play with him.”
Furball groans and stomps away to her best friends, the triplets. She took Stretch’s death really hard. It crushed her, probably almost as hard as it messed up Kale and me. I try not to get too annoyed with her because I get what she’s going through.
Kale and I play for the rest of the day, not talking much. Kale doesn’t broach the hunting-for-Vlayne topic again, which must mean he thinks he’s convinced me.
I’m not so sure. I won’t forgive myself if something were to happen to him.
Chapter Three
Premonition looks healthier when I walk into the kitchen. Stronger. But I can see the confusion on his face when he looks at me. A second later, recognition takes over. “Ray.”
Some of the Elite members call it dementia. But his illness is not that.
I sit near him at the table. He’s scratching ice cream from the bottom of his bowl with a spoon. I use my vision to scan around. Samson is showing the new girl into the mansion—we call it the Tower. The light in the hall is weak, and I can’t read his lips well. I catch bits and pieces. “Welcome.” “Happy here.” “Tour.” “Get to know everyone.” The girl is tall and has dark hair tied up into a long ponytail. Has a scowl on her face like Samson is pulling her by an invisible leash. She looks about my age, fifteen.
Premonition—Glen, as I like to call him—gets up from the table and washes out his bowl. He and I are tight, even now after everything that’s happened to him. When I first moved here from the sewers two years ago, Glen helped me sober up. I haven’t touched drugs since.
He returns to his chair. “How are you holding up?” he asks.
I don’t say anything at first. Glen doesn’t wait for an answer. He knows how things go. Sometimes I choose to answer and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes we sit together for hours without speaking. We’re alike, he and I. Outsiders. Not much family. No girl to love. He understands me.
“I’ve hardly slept these past two nights,” I say.
He nods slowly. Taps his fingers on the table.
“No more than ten minutes at a time,” I continue.
He nods again.
I heard a few kids talking one day that Premonition is the X-Ray of the Elites. I’m not sure I understand what that means since I can’t see the future and Glen can’t see through objects. Sometimes I’m tempted to ask him what lies in my future. Am I always going to mourn like this? Am I ever going to go back to how things used to be? Glen can’t see too far into the future, so I can’t ask him if I’ll meet someone one day. If I’ll get married one day. Have a happy life. But I know what the answer would be, anyway. No, no, and no.
He slowly reaches out and places his hand on my arm. “I know it’s hard to believe, but after some time the pain won’t be as unbearable as it is now.”
I clench my jaw. Sitting with him is usually comforting, but not when he’s studying me like that. Trying to figure out what I’m thinking, feeling.
He taps my arm again. “So what have you been up to lately?”
“Have you had any visions?”
“Visions?” He squints at me. Then he stares past me, far off into the distance. “I had a few today.”
“Anything important? Vlayne, the ShadowBlades?”
No one knows where Vlayne escaped to after Kale, Stretch, and I were captured and Samson showed up with the Elites to take her and the Blades down.
“Yes,” Glen continues. “They were really important. But…I don’t seem to remember them.”
I hold back a curse. A few months ago, the Blades captured him so he wouldn’t have a vision of their plans to assassinate Samson. They tortured him. Vlayne—one of the strongest telepaths in the world—screwed up his brain. Rammed into his mind, searching for valuable information about the League, most likely. No one knows what she found, but we all know the consequences.
Premonition’s brain is deteriorating.
“I do remember one,” he says. “It will snow in a few weeks.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Snow? But it’s June.”
“I’ve seen it.” He nods earnestly. “And I saw you, Ray. Lying on the ground and making snow angels.”
My eyes leave his face. I can’t look at him when he’s talking nonsense like this. He used to be one of the strongest Elites, was set to be Samson and Cindy’s second in command. It was he who had a vision of Lindsay blowing up the world. If not for him, everyone on this planet would be dead.
Healer can’t help him. Telepaths like Cindy, Robert, and Scar have tried. They say he only has a few months left.
It drives me insane that I’m powerless to do
anything about it.
Tranquility, a twenty-eight-year-old woman, walks into the room. “I think it’s someone’s bed time.” She took it upon herself to look after Glen. With her calming ability, he’s sure to never grow too frantic. Sometimes he has no idea where he is or who he is. That’s when I shut my eyes so I won’t have to watch.
“I’ve got him,” she tells me.
“Hello, Karen,” he says with a dazed smile. Sometimes he’s in a fantasy where Tranquility is his wife and they have three kids and two dogs. She holds out her arm and he latches on, and they walk away. My fists clench at my sides. I won’t let him die. Won’t give up. Not until Samson and Cindy find a cure.
Chapter Four
I knock on Kale’s door. I’m wearing my uniform, ready for a hunt. This usually happens after I visit Glen. The thought of Vlayne living freely while Glen suffers makes me want to bash something against the wall.
Kale opens the door. He’s in his green uniform. I didn’t plan on asking him to join me, but as I was ready to leave, I thought about his words, which caused me to turn around. I don’t want him to worry, and if this is the only way he’ll stop, then I’ll let him come with me.
Of course, I don’t mind spending more time with my best friend.
Kale smiles. “I’m glad you’re including me.”
“Me, too.”
He steps out of his room, shuts the door, and we walk into an elevator. “So where are we going?”
I shrug. “Not sure. Maybe just gonna take a drive and see what we can find.”
“Okay.”
The doors open and we head for the garage, where we steal a car and drive. I don’t have a license, and if we get caught, we’re screwed.
It’s quiet. I look at Kale for any signs of nerves. He seems calm. I clear my throat. “I know you’re doing this because you’re worried about me. But I’m going to be fine. I messed up yesterday. It won’t happen again.”
“Dude, it’s not about that. I mean, yeah, I’m worried and I feel better coming along with you. But with the two of us together, we’ll track her down. Like we did the last time.”
“Your parents will find out,” I say. “And Lindsay must not like you doing this.”
His gaze is on the floor. “I know…” He looks at me. “But I want to do something, too. It’s like you said, four months have passed and we haven’t seen or heard from her. What if…I don’t know.” He bites his lip. “She must be planning something big again. I mean, she’s Vlayne.”
I nod. I also worry what she has planned—not just for us, for the rest of the humans, too. Four years ago, the ShadowBlades conspired to cause World War Three amongst the normies—people without powers. Luckily, the League thwarted their plans. Just as we had on their plans to assassinate Kale’s dad. Vlayne must not be happy about that. I fear the Blades will come back with a vengeance.
“Yeah,” Kale says. “I’ve been thinking about joining you for a while.” He laughs a little. “I guess seeing you hacked up like that pushed me to finally get the courage.”
I look at him. “You’re scared?”
“Nah.”
We drive for about two hours, but don’t come across any villains. It’s after nine, when most of them are out doing their thing. We should find some by now.
Half an hour later, we enter Brooklyn. I stop the car in front of a warehouse. Kale’s eyes bulge. “Is this…?”
I nod, open my door, and get out. Kale stays in the car. “Coming?” I ask.
His mouth is still wide. “Why are we here?”
“I thought we might find some clues.” I try to put on a brave front, but my knees are crumbling. This is the location where our best friend was murdered. In this warehouse. I knew this was going to be hard, but I didn’t realize how hard. I can’t force my body to face the building. To look inside. I’m as still as stone.
But I need to do this. All my hunting has brought no results. I’m out of options.
Kale sinks in his seat. “You go ahead. I can’t.”
“You sure?”
He nods. “I’ll wait out here. Keep a look out and stuff.”
“Alright.”
The truth is I’m glad he’s not coming in with me. Yes, I’m here for clues, but the real reason is because I need closure. He haunts my dreams. The memories never fade.
Taking a deep breath and steadying my trembling fists, I enter the warehouse. The top floor is covered with old blood and broken furniture. It smells like mold and rotting wood. This is where the Elites battled with the Blades while Samson fought Lightning. He was a Blade undercover as Samson’s second in command.
Kale, Stretch, and I were held in the basement, in a cellar. I go down there, my stomach in knots, my heart pounding in my head. I can’t breathe and I grab onto the walls for support. They’re burned, due to Lightning. He was merciless as he threw electric bolts at Stretch.
I walk into the cellar. Close my eyes as the memory engulfs me. Stretch looked so confident. Confident and hopeful, thinking it was his turn to shine. As he stood near the unconscious guard with the keycard in his hand, his face was bright like he pulled gold out of the ground. Then, slowly, the hope and confidence was replaced with terror. Because as his eyes widened to an inhuman size—even for him—he knew he was about to die.
I head to the cellar door and trace the scratch marks. I dug my nails into the door as I watched that bastard Lightning hurl bolts of electricity at Stretch. I wished to get a new power, to have my body go through objects so I could reach him. Wrap my hands around Lightning’s throat and squeeze him to death until he let go of Stretch. But no matter how much I yelled, scratched at the door, wished, Stretch dropped to the concrete ground, his body black, scorched. Dead. The area got smoky as the smell of a burned body attacked my nose. It got stuck in my lungs and I couldn’t breathe.
I fall onto my knees and heave, my chest expanding and contracting so hard and fast. I slam my fists on the ground. He didn’t have to die. He didn’t have to risk his life like that. Samson and the Elites were on their way. They were just outside the damn building. We should have waited. I should have seen. Why hadn’t I seen?
Because Scar removed his telepathic block from our minds. It gave Vlayne the ability to control us. I didn’t see Lightning in the room next door and I didn’t see the Elites outside because Vlayne didn’t let me. All because we didn’t have a shield.
A part of me blames Scar, but I can’t hate him. He’s like a dad to me. He was the guy who took me off the streets and invited me into the sewers to live with him and some others. I understand why he removed his shield—he was just protecting his family. I only wish he told us before we went after the Blades.
I lean against the wall, waiting for my breathing to return to normal. I pierce the walls and ceilings. Something catches my attention a few feet away, outside the cellar. I crawl closer and pick it up. The keycard. Circling my hand around it, I feel tears enter my eyes and I try to push them away.
After a few minutes of collecting myself, I get up, drop the keycard, and return to the car. I didn’t find clues, nor did I get closure. I won’t get any. Not until Vlayne is dead.
Kale doesn’t say a word, and we drive in silence.
“You okay?” he asks after a while.
“Fine.”
Which isn’t a complete lie. Even though he didn’t come in with me, having Kale here makes me feel better. I don’t know why I shut him out these past few months. We’ve been through the loss together. We need each other.
Yet, I still feel alone.
Three hours later, we step into the Tower. Almost collide with Air, who’s walking through the hall with the new girl.
“This is Kale,” Air says to the girl. She doesn’t look at me as her eyes roam around. The new girl looks. Eyes are curious. Intense. Our gazes meet for only a second before she pulls away. She’s wearing a black top with tight black jeans, and her dark hair is tied into a high ponytail. “He’s Samson and Cindy’s kid,” Air con
tinues. “Kale, this is Stealth. She can turn invisible. And, um, what else can you do?”
The girl steps back. A second later, her body transforms into a cloud of mist.
“Cool,” Air says as Stealth shifts back to human.
Kale waves. “Hey.” He gestures to me. “This is—”
“Oh!” Air says. “I have to show you the art room. Samson installed cool equipment. Come!”
She grabs the girl’s hand and pulls her down the hall.
Kale watches them. “That was rude.”
I shrug, because it doesn’t bother me. Not really. Air and I don’t get along. I wouldn’t expect her to introduce me.
“Who’s that guy?” I hear Stealth ask Air. I turn around. They stop walking and are a few feet away from us.
“That guy?” Air stares at her as if she has no idea who she’s talking about. Then she rolls her eyes. “Oh, that’s just X-Ray. Don’t look at him. Don’t even, like, turn your body in his direction. Believe me, it’s better to not even be in the same room as him.”
Stealth raises her eyebrows like that’s the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard.
“He sees through things,” Air explains. “Like everything.” She shivers. “He watches girls as they take showers.”
“That’s screwed up. What a pig.”
Kale narrows his eyes and opens his mouth, probably to defend me, but I put my hand on his shoulder. It’s not worth it.
“I know, right?” Air says. “And he’s got major anger problems. One time, he almost choked me to death. I wish he’d go back to the sewers. Everyone will feel much better, safer, and cleaner.” She glances at me like she knows I’m watching and said it purposely so I could hear. Then she flips her head aside, a small grin on her lips. She enters the art room while Stealth stares at me with those intense, blue eyes. She blinks and mists, disappearing under the door.
Kale looks at me. “Why didn’t you let me say something?”
“Not worth it.”
Most kids, especially the girls, are uncomfortable around me. Because of my eyes. A few—like the triplets—hate me because they think I see them naked. I don’t. I don’t look into anyone’s bedroom or invade their privacy. They like to spread rumors. It bothers me, of course, but I can’t let them get to me. They’ll believe whatever they want to believe. I know the truth. That’s all that matters.
