by Dee J. Stone
Kale appears, beaming. “Cool, huh?”
Lindsay shows herself, giggling. She hands me the third watch.
“Went okay?” I ask, taking it from her. “No problems?”
“Piece of cake,” Kale says. “And you?”
My eyes snap to Stealth’s for a second. “Piece of cake.”
I pull my mask off, fasten the watch around my wrist, and press a button. Scanning my body, I see I’m invisible. I press another button and I am visible again. “Okay. They work.” I sit down on the floor. “The uniforms should be done by tonight. We’ll go over the plan, and Stealth should be ready tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Lindsay says. “Wow.” She looks at Stealth. “Are you scared?”
Stealth shrugs. “I’m fine.”
I nod. “Kale and I will check out their location to make sure they haven’t moved. Hopefully, we’ll send Stealth after.” I turn to Kale. “You should hide Stealth’s thoughts right now, in case you need time.”
“Yep.”
I look at Kale and Lindsay, then at Stealth. “Any questions?” I ask. They shake their heads. “Okay, Kale. Do it.”
Kale closes his eyes and massages his temples. “Ouch.” His eyes fly open. “Stealth, let me in. Your mind’s attacking me.”
“Sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong.”
He walks over and sits down near her. “It’s okay. It’s probably because it’s hard for you to trust people. You have this wall.” He touches her forehead and shuts his eyes. “Just relax and let me in.”
Her tense body loosens, and she closes her eyes. A few minutes later, their eyes open. Kale rubs the sides of his head.
I place my hand on his arm. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just my head killing me. It’ll pass.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I overexerted myself. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re still getting used to your telepathy,” I tell him. “Be careful.”
He waves his hand. “Nah, I’m good.”
We all stare at each other. Lindsay says, “Anyone want to watch a movie or something?”
“We should go over the plan,” I say.
Stealth twists her nose. “There’s time for that later. I second the movie.”
I pick up the notebook from the floor and flip it open. “You go ahead. I have some things I need to look over.”
“Are you sure?” Kale asks.
“I might join you later.”
The three of them exit my room. I try to focus on the task, but my mind and eyes wander to Stealth. She’s on the floor of Kale’s room. He and Lindsay are snuggled on the bed. She seems so lonely, even though Kale and Lindsay are including her in their conversation.
I get to my feet and walk down the hall to Kale’s room. For a second, I think Stealth’s face lights up when I walk inside, but I’m not sure because it disappears soon after.
We spend the remainder of the day talking, playing games, and watching movies. Stealth mists away to pick up the uniforms, and once she returns we go to my room to review the plan.
Stealth doesn’t seem nervous. In fact, she looks a bit too confident.
When she catches me watching her, she gives me a big smile. “It’ll be okay.” She scoots to me and marks an “X” on my lips. “Stop worrying.”
That night, I don’t sleep. I’m thinking about tomorrow, and about Stealth. More about the latter than the former. No matter how much I try, I can’t get her out of my head.
And deep down, I’m not sure I want to.
Chapter Thirteen
“Man, these uniforms are uncomfortable,” Kale mutters, pulling and stretching. It’s eight in the evening. We’ve been through the plan at least ten times. Maybe that’s a bit too much, but nothing can go wrong. We need perfection.
“Careful,” Lindsay says, stopping his hands. “You’ll tear it.”
“Cheap crap,” he mumbles. “It’s itchy.”
I adjust my mask. He’s right—it’s itchy. I feel it all over my body. “Beggars can’t be choosers,” I say and look at Stealth. “Yours fit okay?”
She nods, fingering the designs. Red smoke is scattered all over the black material. It’s the perfect uniform to intrigue these villains.
“Okay,” I say. “Stealth is going to bring us to the location. She and Lindsay will stay a few feet behind while Kale and I check it out.” In case something goes wrong, I don’t want the girls to get hurt. If we get captured, at least the Blades won’t have their hands on them and discover their powers. I’m sure Vlayne wouldn’t like to see us again, but we’ve been through this before while the girls haven’t.
“You don’t have to check it out,” Stealth says. “I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t doubt that, but I’d like to scan the area. I don’t want any surprises.”
Lindsay clutches Kale’s hand tightly. “Be careful.” She buries her head in his chest.
“I will.” He kisses her cheek. “Don’t worry.”
“I’ll make sure we all get home safely,” I promise her.
She bites her lip. “Okay.”
I turn to Kale. “Are all our thoughts hidden?”
“Double checked.”
I scan the mansion. Samson and Cindy are in their offices. Some Elites are training, others are in the Conference Room. Everyone is doing their usual activities. It’s a normal summer night.
Kale and I take Stealth’s hands while Lindsay holds onto her wrist. Our molecules separate and we fly through the tunnel. We end up in Downtown Brooklyn, a few blocks away from the Nightmares’ location.
“Oh, wow!” Lindsay says.
“That was so cool!” Kale adds.
Stealth laughs.
Kale and I turn on the invisibility watches and race toward the abandoned building. Crouching behind the planks of wood, I penetrate the walls. All six of them are in there. Three, who seem to be college age, are playing video games. Two battle each other and the last one paces around.
You think they’ll accept her? Kale asks.
I watch them for a bit. The one pacing seems to be the leader. He was the one wearing the fake ShadowBlade logo. He looks to be in his mid-thirties. He runs his hand across the top of his head, clearly distraught.
Hope so.
We watch for a bit longer. What’s he thinking about? I ask.
How worthless these idiots are. He chuckles.
I smile. Perfect. Better call Stealth and Lindsay here, I tell him. Before they leave.
A few seconds later, I feel Lindsay and Stealth crouch near us. They’re invisible.
“This is freaky,” Lindsay whispers. “What if they catch us?”
“Don’t worry, they can’t see us,” Kale says. “Here, hold my hand. We’re fine. We’ll be okay.”
“They’re in there?” Stealth asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “Go in. Be strong, confident. No BS-type girl. Show them you mean business and won’t back down until you get what you want. Show them your power. Knock them off their feet.”
“Easy,” she says softly, her voice tickling my ear. My heart lurches, but I push that aside. I can’t lose focus now.
“Remember the life we created for you. Stick with it.”
She grew up in the foster system and was thrown from house to house. She lives on the streets now and steals and kills to survive. It’s a little similar to both our pasts, but it’s the only thing we could come up with that incorporates her ability and hatred for normies.
“Got it.” Her hand rests on my thigh. I’m not sure if she meant to touch a different spot, or touch me at all.
I shake my head to rid the thoughts. “When you’re ready.”
A gust of wind shoots at me. Stealth appears inside the building, right in front of the guys playing video games.
“Kale,” I say. “Connect us.”
“Already connected.”
We’re inside the head of the leader. I can see through his eyes. When they land on the intruder, his fingers
transform into bird claws and he swats at her face. Stealth mists away. To one end of the building, then to another. All six heads whip around as they try to catch up with her. She’s too quick.
“What do you want?” the leader demands.
The mist gathers on top of a pile of wooden boxes. A second later, Stealth appears, sitting on them. She casually rests her hand on her lap.
“Who are you?” another villain asks.
Her gaze roams the area like she owns the place. “Mistress of Death.”
Kale was the one who came up with the name. Said it’d be cute because of the “mist” in mistress.
“What do you want?”
Stealth hops off the boxes. The guys are standing before her, legs spread, their arms at their sides. They look menacing, but Stealth doesn’t flinch. She walks to the leader. “Word around the street is you guys are recruiting. I want to join.”
He exchanges glances with the other five. They burst out laughing.
“You’re a little girl,” the leader snarls. “We’re looking for experienced villains.”
Stealth doesn’t answer as she walks over to one of the boxes. She touches it, and it disperses. She does the same to a few more boxes as well as the video game console.
“Hey!” one of the guys yells.
Stealth grabs the guy and he disappears. The only thing remaining is his left arm where she clutches him. The rest of his body is a cloud of mist. “If I let go,” she says. “He dies.”
The five of them gasp. So do Kale, Lindsay, and I. I didn’t know she could do that.
She’s badass, Kale says.
No kidding. She’s even more intriguing than I thought. Hotter, sexier, more mysterious.
“That’s my brother!” one of the guys says, lunging for her. The leader holds him back.
“What—what do you want?” he asks.
“Like I said,” Stealth answers. “To join you. And ultimately join the ShadowBlades. I’ve been trying to get their attention for a while. No luck.” She pauses, her eyes moving to each member. “That’s your goal, isn’t it? To be recruited by them. That’s why you need me. I’m your ticket in.”
“You little—”
Still clutching the guy, she walks around. “The ShadowBlades never promised all six of you will get in,” she says, exactly how we practiced it. “If you let me join, and they want me, I’ll make sure you all get in. You have my word.”
The guy in Stealth’s grasp materializes—seeming fine and undamaged—and the five villains sigh in relief.
“Or,” Stealth continues. “We keep things simple and you tell me how to contact the ShadowBlades. But you won’t give me the information without getting something in return, right? So I can either kill you for the information, or you let me join and we take it from there. I help you, you help me. Everyone is happy. What do you say, boys?”
They exchange glances. They huddle together, whispering. Stealth leans against the wall, keeping cool and calm.
A few minutes pass before the leader says, “Come tomorrow. Same time, same location. We need to discuss this amongst ourselves.”
She nods. “See you then.” And she vanishes. A second later, I feel her beside me.
“How did I do?” she whispers.
“Bad-ass!” Kale says.
“Take us home,” I say as I watch the six of them talk. “They’ll be leaving soon.” I’d like to stay and watch, but we can’t get caught.
We grab onto Stealth and she mists us into my room.
“Man,” Kale says. “You do some serious cool crap, but I didn’t know how cool. Why didn’t you tell us you could do that?”
She smirks. “Surprise. Did I do okay?”
“Wow,” Lindsay says. “It’s a good thing you volunteered. There’s no way I could have done that.” She shivers. “Call me a baby, but those villains were scary.”
Yeah, they were, but they’re nothing compared to the Blades. I hope Stealth will be able to handle them.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” Stealth says. She looks at me.
“Good job,” I say.
The corners of her mouth drop a bit, like she’s disappointed in my response. I want to say more, to congratulate more, but my mouth is dry.
“We shouldn’t be too excited,” Stealth says. “I’m not in yet.”
Kale waves his hand. “Pssh. I read their minds. You’re in.”
Lindsay squeals and pulls Stealth into a hug. Stealth, who seems caught off guard, laughs a little and returns the hug.
Kale rubs his temples. “Man, I’m beat. That took up a lot of my energy.”
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, just needa lie down. I’ll see you guys later.”
Lindsay takes his hand and they leave my room.
Stealth looks at me and I look at her. She still seems a bit disappointed, and I feel like a jerk. I want to tell her how well she did, to keep up the good work, but that seems stupid. I’m not her teacher or leader.
I’m about to open my mouth, but she’s gone.
***
Three hours later, after lying in bed, I get to my feet and take an elevator to the girls’ dorms. Stealth’s room is the last one on the floor. She’s the only girl without a roommate. When I reach her door, I knock.
“Yeah?” she calls.
“Can I come in?”
There’s no response. I’m tempted to look inside, but I hold back. I wonder if she’s staring at the door, unsure how to answer.
“I want to apologize,” I say.
The door opens a bit and she peeks out. “For what?”
“For not trusting you, for being rude to you. I was a jerk.”
She shrugs. “You weren’t rude. There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Since I’m done here, I should return to my room, but I don’t. “Are you mad at me?”
“No. Was there something else you wanted?”
My gaze darts to her mouth. Then to her eyes. She bites her bottom lip and widens the door. She moves a bit closer. I pull her to me and press my lips to hers. Stealth squeezes my shoulders and pushes herself against me.
I trail kisses from her lips to her ear. “You were excellent tonight.”
“We’re going to get caught here like this,” she rasps.
My mouth is back on her lips. My brain tells me to pull off. I don’t. My hands run through her damp hair. I inhale her scent. Not vanilla this time. Sour apples.
She moans as my lips graze her neck. Her fingers tangle in my hair.
“Ray,” she murmurs. I break off. Her eyes are glazed, lips are swollen, and her chest is expanding and contracting. “We should get some sleep.”
I don’t move, and we stare at each other for a few minutes. Eventually, I find my way back to my room.
Chapter Fourteen
Kale and I are in the Game Room, our fingers pounding our Xbox controllers. A racing game, and I’m losing, which is odd for me since I usually own him.
He tosses his controller onto the couch. “So, you and Stealth are getting…you know…”
I give him a look.
“I didn’t read you,” he says. “Stealth was up all night. She was thinking about you.”
She was?
“Yeah,” Kale says. “I didn’t mean to read her thoughts. I was checking up on her, you know, to see if my hold is still strong. But sometimes, when I’m in someone’s head, their thoughts attack my mind—if they’re strong enough. Stealth’s thoughts about you were, like, loud and intense. She was also thinking about this mission, but mostly about you.”
I scan the mansion. Stealth is in the library, reading a book. She doesn’t socialize with the other kids. She hasn’t made any friends, other than the three of us.
“Do you like her?” Kale asks.
I point to my head. “Read and find out.”
“Come on, X.”
I look at the gray rug. Do I like her? I don’t know. Am I turned on? Hell yes. Do I know anything about her? No, but I�
��d like to. The question is, what does she think of me?
“Do you want me to find out?” Kale asks.
“No.” Invading her privacy is wrong.
“It’s obvious, I guess,” Kale continues. “I mean when a girl kisses you like that she’s interested, right?”
I guess so. My gaze is still on Stealth. She’s not reading anymore, but staring at the wall. I can’t understand the expression on her face. She doesn’t seem mad, but she doesn’t seem happy, either. What’s going through her mind? “Is she thinking about me now?”
Kale laughs. “What happened to privacy?”
“Is she?”
Kale closes his eyes. A second later, he opens them. “She’s thinking the book she’s reading sucks.” His eyebrows furrow. “And she can’t wait for tonight.”
Me, either. I don’t think any of us can.
“She’s getting very friendly with Lindsay,” Kale says. “Lindsay told me that Stealth isn’t interested in the other kids.”
I wonder why she’s interested in me. Yes, we both felt something when we first met, but what exactly does that mean? She wants to be my friend? More? Is she just curious because she doesn’t have much experience in this department, having been locked up all her life?
“I’m gonna go take a nap,” Kale says. “Need all my energy for tonight if I’m going to protect Stealth’s mind well.”
“Take it easy.”
“Yep. See ya.” He leaves the room.
Playing this game alone is boring. I shut it and go to my room. Climb into bed with my Rubik’s cube beside me. Stretch loved to play with it. Kale, too. We used to throw it at one another. I’m the only one who can play it right. I even taught Stretch, but he never managed to understand. Holding it now comforts me.
I don’t know what I’m going to do for the rest of the day. Not work out, since my muscles ache from spending two hours this morning in the gym. I’m not tired, even though I barely caught any sleep last night.
I can always watch Stealth, but I feel like a creep or a stalker.
My curiosity takes over and I do it, anyway. She’s not in the library. Maybe she left to her room. I won’t look in there.
Her scent swallows me up as though she’s in here with me. My stomach twists. I look around. “Are you in here?”
