by Dee J. Stone
But I don’t like that the new girl believes the rumors.
Chapter Five
After my shower, I get dressed and head down to the gym. It’s 8 AM, and most of the kids are still in bed. I’ll have the whole place to myself for at least an hour. I shove the door open and make way toward my punching bag. My legs freeze in place. I didn’t bother checking if anyone was inside because, like I said, no one steps foot in here this early. I didn’t see that the gym’s occupied.
It’s Stealth, by my bag. She’s wearing red boxing gloves, a tank top, white shorts. There’s no sign of sweat, so either she just started, or she’s tougher than she looks. Her hands are raised like she’s ready to give the bag a blow.
I’m going to come back later. I don’t like anyone taking up my workout time.
“You don’t have to leave,” she says as I head for the door. I make a short stop and turn around. Her eyes lock with mine. For a second, I see something in them. I’m not sure what it is, but I can’t linger on that thought for too long because her expression turns indifferent. “There’s room for two.” She gestures at the second punching bag.
With my gaze still on her, I walk to the supply closet and get a pair of black boxing gloves. She returns her attention to her bag, giving it a hard kick.
I ignore Stealth as I work, pretending she’s another machine here. But after a few minutes, I realize her workout has gotten more intense. Like she’s competing with me. I glance at her. Sweat shines on her forehead, and the front of her shirt is damp. Yeah, she’s definitely trying to show me up.
Two can play that game. I punch harder, kick harder, whack the thing with all my might. I feel my own sweat drip into my eyes and down the front of my shirt. Stealth doesn’t relent. If she wants a competition, game on.
She must to be getting tired. I’m getting tired. Since she won’t stop for a break, neither will I. I ignore the ache in my arms and legs and focus on the task. Defeating this girl is my top priority right now. I’m not sure why I’m so competitive. Maybe because I can’t let her beat me in my element. If I don’t have strength, I have nothing. X-ray vision won’t help if I’m surrounded by villains and need to save those I care about. I won’t make that mistake again.
Stealth grunts. When I turn to her, she stops punching and smirks at me. “Bet I can take you one on one,” she says and reaches for a bottle of water. She splashes it over her head.
I watch the water drip down her hair and face. She takes off her ponytail holder and shakes her hair from side to side, splattering the water against the walls and floor, and me. I stare at the way her long, thick hair slaps her cheeks.
When she’s done, she ties it back up and looks at me. “So? You in or not?”
I nod.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” she asks as she heads for the boxing ring in the center of the gym.
“When necessary.” I follow her. We stand across each other in the ring. She has her fists in front of her face, eyes narrowed. Her lips curl into an evil smile. I see what she has planned, see the competiveness in those dark blue eyes. She’s going to use her mist and invisibility to win. “No powers,” I say.
She snorts. “As if I need powers to beat you.” Okay, then. She may know how to fight, but it won’t take me too long to demolish her. I’m not sure if I should go easy. She’s new here and I don’t want to scare her off. But she has a cocky expression on her face, and there’s no way I’m about to let her win.
She takes the first punch. Aims for my left eye, but I block her off with my arm. Then she goes for my stomach. I block that, too. This is how it goes for about two minutes. She’s getting tired, while I’m warming up.
“Scared to hit a girl?” she taunts, aiming for my cheek and missing. Though she’s losing her breath, the tone of her voice rings confidence.
“I’d hardly consider you a girl.” I expect her eyes to narrow in anger, face to swell and get red. But none of that happens. In fact, I think she takes it as a compliment because she smiles.
“Funny, because you’re not much of a guy.” Normally, that would throw me off guard and give her a clear shot at knocking me down. But since she’s weakening, she doesn’t exert enough strength to hit me and only manages to softly punch my chest. I grab her wrist and yank her back, hurling her on her butt. “Ooh,” she says, looking up at me. “I struck a nerve, didn’t I?”
No. Hell no. I’m not going to let her challenge my manhood. “Get up and fight. I’ll go easy on you this time.”
“Please, all you did was stand there and block. You call that fighting?” She comes closer until her face is in mine. “I call that wimping out.”
She’s messing with me, trying to throw me off my game so she can claim victory. Tough luck. That’s not going to happen.
I hold out my fists in front of me and target her right shoulder. She blocks. I go for her other shoulder, her arms, even her face. She blocks them all. We go back and forth, punching and hitting. This is too easy.
“Sheesh,” she says, catching her breath. “I chose a bad day to wear lacey underwear.”
I’m not exactly sure how it happens. I think my eyes might have wanted to pierce through her clothes. But one second I’m about to stare at something I shouldn’t stare at, and the next I’m flat on my back. Stealth is on top of me, and I’m too disoriented to throw her off.
“I win!” she shouts. Then she bends close and whispers in my ear. “You should have listened to the rules. We said no powers.”
“I didn’t—”
She stands up, pulls her gloves off, and drops them on my chest. “You still lose.” She laughs hard and walks out of the gym with her head held high.
Wait a minute. She didn’t win. I don’t even know what happened.
I sit up. Who am I kidding? I know exactly what happened. My perverted mind took over and I wanted a peek at that lacey underwear. She caught me in a weak moment and I fell for it. After working so hard on respecting people and giving them their privacy.
She tricked me, which means she cheated. Which means she didn’t win. We’ll need a rematch.
Game on.
Chapter Six
I’m on my laptop, watching some online videos that are supposed to make me laugh but don’t. It’s one in the afternoon and the halls are filled with kids getting ready for practice. I used to be one of them—was ready to annihilate everything in my path. Back then, I had the will and determination to beat all the simulations thrown at me. Now I like to train alone.
Kale’s among the group, talking with some of the other guys. He steals a peek at my closed door, probably wondering if I’ll show up. Sorry, I’m just going to have to disappoint him.
He says, Please come.
No can do.
My eyes wander around. Seems like all the kids are readying themselves. Even Stealth. She’s in the hall with other girls, and isn’t talking with them, just leans across the wall, watching. She’s an outsider, like me. I think this simulation is her first.
I pull my covers off and throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Open the door and meet Kale outside. Some of the other guys stop talking and look at me. I push past them and enter the bathroom. Stare at my reflection in the mirror. I look like crap, but I’m going to excel at today’s practice. I’m going to show everyone that I’m not weak. That little girls can’t beat me, even with cheating. Stealth will realize who she’s dealing with. I won’t have her step all over me.
Once my face is washed and hair is somewhat neat, I leave the bathroom. Kale’s standing outside. Everyone else is gone—probably already in the Sim Room.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey.”
“Glad you’re training again. It’s not fun without you.”
I nod. “I miss it.”
We head toward the elevator. Through the floors, I see Stealth in the Sim Room with most of the other kids. Again, she’s alone. I wonder why she isolates herself.
But why should I even care? I’m not goi
ng to let my curiosity over her cause me to lose focus and be weak.
The elevator doors open and we file in. I lean on the wall as the elevator takes us down to the Sim Room.
Nineteen-year-old Accelerator is there, along with her boyfriend Freeze, who is our leaders’ second in command. Samson and Cindy are around, too. I guess it was a good idea to not skip this one. If both leaders are here, it must be very important.
“Gather around,” Samson instructs.
Everyone crowds him. I stand in the back, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed. Stealth’s up front with the rest of them. Her eyes are wide with curiosity, but she also has a pissed-off look, as though she doesn’t want anyone near her. Kale’s up front, too, with his arm over Lindsay’s shoulder.
“Today’s simulation is very different from what you’re all used to,” Samson says. His eyes explore the room. They land on me and fill with surprise, probably because I’m here. “It’s difficult, difficult but necessary.” He’s still looking at me, and some of the other kids turn around and stare. I don’t want their gazes on me. I swear if Samson doesn’t quit it, I’m out of here.
He clears his throat. “You are all aware of the events that took place four months ago. Some of you know more details than others. Regardless, I’ve been improving your training, preparing you for anything and everything. When faced with a situation such as the one we faced in February, we need to be prepared to handle it the best way possible. Cindy, Accelerator, and I have created a simulation for you.”
He starts explaining the rules. We are to go as one group to save Accelerator, who will be locked up. Our mission is to reach her before villains—Samson, Cindy, and Freeze—kill her.
“Seems simple enough?” Cindy says. “Think again. Prepare for twists, obstacles, traps, and more.”
“Ray,” Samson says. Once again, all heads turn to me. “I’d like you to lead the group. Your vision should come in handy.” I tilt my head to the side as an answer. Not really a leader type, but I’m not going to refuse. “You have an hour. Are we ready?”
The room turns dark, and the adults are gone. We’re in a fake room—a holoroom. This guy named Hologuy can create false environments. They feel real, but they aren’t. It’s a trick to the eyes, and even mine can’t see through the façade. This place seems oddly familiar. Reminds me of the warehouse that night. Though they look nothing alike, it brings me back to that day. To last night. I can’t do this.
“Why are we just standing here?” Air asks. “And why the heck are you the leader? As if you can lead us.” Her eyes narrow. “You better not screw this up for all of us.” Her lips curve up into a smirk. “If you ever feel like you’re too scared to do this, let me know. I’ll gladly take over.”
There’s so much I can retort with, but I don’t.
“Hey, Stealth,” Air calls. “Where are you going?”
My eyes move to Stealth, who’s standing a few feet ahead of us. She doesn’t look at me.
“Someone needs to move,” she says, her gaze darting my way. “He’s too weak to lead.”
I’m done with this.
“Leave X alone,” Kale says. “We’re lucky he’s here, because there’s no way we can save Accelerator without his eyes, like my dad said. So let’s do this.”
He walks down the dark hallway. We follow. Stealth is right beside me. I think I see that cocky smile on her face, which makes me want that rematch right now.
No need, though. I’ll dominate her in this simulation. Using my vision, I pierce the walls in search for Accelerator and find her, arms and legs bound, in one of the dungeons. “Down the hall,” I say. “Last door on the right.”
We head in that direction. Furball transforms into a panther and leaps ahead of us. Kale is walking near me, his hand clasping Lindsay’s. “I don’t sense her,” he says. “You sure Accelerator is close by?”
I tap my eyes. “They never lie.”
We continue on. The place is very dark, as though we’re walking in a black tunnel. Feels like a maze, with dead ends, confusing turns. The triplets have flashlights, but they don’t help much. Prizm, Kale’s eleven-year-old roommate, shines a light, and another guy makes torches out of his hands, but it’s still not enough. We’re going to have to find a way to complete the mission regardless of the circumstances. Samson is right to train us this way. I only wish we could have done this sooner.
“There’s nothing here!” Furball yells from a few feet ahead of us. When we catch up to her, I see that she’s right. All the doors are opened and empty. Accelerator is not in the room I first saw her in.
“Uh huh.” Air rolls her eyes. “Nice job.”
I don’t know what’s going on. Why did I see Accelerator?
Then it hits me. Cindy tricked my mind into thinking Accelerator was in that room. Just like what happened four months ago. If we would have somehow taken Vlayne down, I would have seen Lightning and stopped Stretch from leaving the cell. If Vlayne didn’t have a hold on my mind, my friend would be here today.
“It’s Cindy,” I say. “She’s playing tricks on our minds.”
Air rolls her eyes again. “So you’re basically useless.”
Ignoring her, I say, “Searching for Accelerator will be a waste of time. Cindy will keep fooling us.”
The kids start to talk, some trying to figure out what to do, most complaining about the mission, calling it impossible. I stare at the floor, thinking. “If we find Cindy and take her down, we’ll find Accelerator with ease, since her hold on our minds will be destroyed.”
“That’s a great idea!” Lindsay says, smiling. I return a small one.
“And how do we do that?” Furball asks.
“Yeah,” Air says. “It’s not like she’s gonna come before us and let us kill her. She’s hiding somewhere. And there’s no way we can find her.”
I’m still thinking while the rest of them continue chatting. Most of the girls have separated from the group and are sitting on the floor, gossiping. They’re not taking this seriously like I am. I don’t want a repeat of what happened with Stretch.
I look at Kale. “Can you locate your mom using your telepathy?”
He rubs his chin, squinting at the wall. “I think I can invade her mind, if I try hard enough.”
I nod. “Try. I don’t see another choice.”
Kale sits on the floor and shuts his eyes. His eyebrows furrow together. Hands go to each side of his head. A minute later, his eyes open and he looks up at me. “Found her. She’s using her telepathy to project fake images into our minds to make us think she’s in five different places. But I invaded her mind and know where she really is: on the top floor, alone. It should be easy enough to take her down.”
“Can you trick your mom?” I ask. “Have her think we’re headed to one of the fake locations while we’re really going to the right one?”
“Yeah, I can do that. But we gotta move fast. I can’t stay in her mind for too long. She’ll push me out.”
“Let’s go,” I say.
Following Kale, we make our way to the top floor. When Kale gives us the signal, we barge into the room. H2O forms a water twister around Cindy while some of the other kids use their powers to tie her down to a chair. Of course we’re not going to hurt her. If she were Vlayne, she’d be dead.
“Hey, Mom.” Kale smirks. “Totally took you down.”
Cindy smiles at him. “You performed exceptionally. All of you. Good job. Now hurry, find Accelerator, but be careful. Samson and Freeze are still around.”
We rush out of the room. I look around, using my eyes to search for Accelerator. I find her on the lowest level of the building. Freeze stands outside her cellar door, guarding. Kale and I exchange a glance. He smiles. Must have sensed them or seen them in my head.
Kale relays the information to the rest of the group. “I’m gonna claw Freeze’s eyes out and save Accelerator!” Furball says, switching into a tiger and leaping ahead of us. Half of the other kids follow her.
/> Stealth is at my side. Eyes on me. She speeds up. Does she want to compete with me again? All right. We’ll have a race. See who reaches the cellar first. My chance to put her in her place.
She quickens her pace. I run faster, the adrenaline pumping inside me. She falls behind, but only for a second. She’s back at my side, but I don’t look at her. I don’t want to see the expression on her face. She won’t beat me.
I stop short, my gaze pasted on the area a few feet ahead. Everyone else continues on toward the dungeon that holds Accelerator. I see Furball lying on the floor in her human form, her eyes shut. The other kids who followed her are dead, too. Freeze is not around. I join the others, who are staring at their dead friends, mouths wide. What happened?
The lights turn on, the hologram shuts off, and Samson steps before us. I’m not sure where he came from. Freeze is behind him.
“What’s going on?” Kale asks.
Furball lifts her head up slightly and glares at Freeze. “You killed me!”
“You failed the mission,” Samson says, eyes on me.
“Time wasn’t up,” Air says. “We still had, like, seven minutes.”
Samson’s still looking at me. I just stare at him the same way he’s staring at me. Does he blame me for failing? I didn’t do anything wrong.
“Yes, you still had a few minutes,” Samson says. “But you have all been defeated.”
“How?” Prizm asks.
Samson’s eyes unlatch from my face. They roam the rest of the kids. “Let us review the events that took place. Your first mission was to determine how to dispose of the telepath. You succeeded, good job. You were free to locate the victim and rescue her. Cindy warned you to watch out for me.” He nods to Hologuy, who’s standing in the corner. The warehouse reappears. Samson points to the wall on the right of us. There’s a large hole inside. “I was hiding there. Why didn’t anyone see me?” He turns to his son. “Kale? You didn’t sense my presence in the wall?”
