by Liz Long
“Yeah, I get that.”
In the instant he looked sorry for her, Nova’s posture stiffened. I knew that look because I felt the same way when anyone asked about my mother. She hated their sympathy. After a moment, Andy’s mouth quirked sideways as he went from serious to joking again.
“Your secret is safe with me. Pinky-swear.” He held up his little finger to her, gesturing for her to meet him halfway. My insides growled. When she hesitated, he gestured with his finger again, tweaking it at her.
“Nova, I promise I will never tell anyone you saved my freaking life even though it’s totally awesome and you’re my hero,” he said with a grin, leaning in.
Nova smiled at him and suddenly I wanted nothing more than to freeze time and clock Andy in the nose. Jealousy seared through me, hot and bright in my veins. She hooked her pinky with his, but made a show of rolling her eyes at him.
Henry stuffed his cell phone in his pocket. “C’mon Nova, we’ve got that paper for Spanish tomorrow.”
“I’m also quite ready to go,” Penelope added pointedly in my direction. I ignored her, stuck in place.
“See you later, Andy.” Nova snatched up her backpack from the ground, shrugging it on a shoulder. She motioned her head for us to walk.
“I still want to thank you properly. Maybe we could get ice cream or something,” Andy called out behind us.
Henry snickered, while something darker flashed through my stomach. Did Nova like Andy? Maybe they already had something going on; I’d only just showed up, after all. Crap. Maybe that’s why she saved him. I dismissed that thought as quickly as it came. Nova hadn’t saved him because of who he was; she’d saved Andy because that’s who she was.
“You just hit your head, I can’t take you seriously with that!” Nova shouted back to him.
Andy laughed and waved goodbye to us before splitting off to another street.
“C’mon, Nova, take him up on it,” Henry chided.
I might’ve mistaken it, but I could’ve sworn Nova stiffened, her eyes flicking to me before answering. She shrugged, clearly unruffled. “Andy’s always joking around. Besides, I don’t have a lot of time for that right now.”
Henry went on to ask about their homework, but I tuned him out while considering her response. She didn’t have time for dating? Maybe that meant me, too. Double crap.
Penelope and I didn’t say much, but I knew I was in for an earful the moment we got into the house. When I failed to acknowledge her glares, she sighed loudly every few steps. Each loud exhalation grated my nerves.
Two streets later, Henry and Nova turned to her house. He jabbered on about some cute sophomore girl he’d met between classes. I didn’t miss Nova turning back to look at me, suspicion all over her.
Something told me Nova would not be the type to let this go.
“So, are we going to talk about it?” Penelope asked the moment they were out of earshot.
I grimaced. “At least wait until we’re back in the house.”
Pen guffawed. “Why, so Dad can hear us? Please, then we’ll just get the speech. I’m going to jab a pen in my neck if we have to sit through that one more time.”
I laughed in spite of my thoughts, because sometimes Pen and I were too much alike. We shared a grin, the tension between us relaxing. At least we would always be on the same side where Dad was concerned.
“All right, let’s talk about it. I used my gift, in public, where people might catch me.”
“And I couldn’t be prouder, big brother,” Penelope said, her smile turning devious, “but I have the right to know why.”
“Why?” I asked incredulously. “You know why! Nova was about to get smashed!”
“So?”
I gaped at her and she huffed, adjusting her bag on her shoulder.
“Fine,” she said, relenting. “I guess I get it.”
“Do you?” I asked. “You would’ve let our friend get hurt?”
“I think our definition of ‘friend’ is different here,” she said with a snort. She rolled her eyes at the look on my face. “Yes, I would’ve, because that’s what you and Dad have always told me, remember? Dad would freak out if he knew I whipped out my gift in front of everyone. We just got here, he’d kill me if we had to move again.”
“My gift is different.” I realized I’d said the wrong thing the moment it came out.
Penelope stiffened, quickly marching up our front porch steps. She jabbed her key into the lock, twisting unnecessarily hard on the knob. She flung the front door open, not bothering to keep it from swinging wide into the wall. I winced at the bang, hurrying to close it. Lucky for us - and as was per usual - Dad was at work.
“Yes, we’re all keenly aware of your gift and my gift. How could anyone ever forget?” Her snarl echoed down the hallway. She dropped her backpack in a chair in the living room.
I chased after her into the kitchen. “Pen, I’m sorry, you know I don’t mean it that way.”
“No,” she said coldly, not looking at me as she grabbed a bottled water from the fridge, “you never do.”
There was only one way to get her back in conversation and I winced as I played the one card that would distract her. “You said the bumper was jacked after it hit Nova. If it bent against her, it’s entirely possible she could be one of us.”
Penelope ceased all movement, her lips curving upward at the thought. “Another gifted being. Looks like the move here isn’t all bad, after all.”
I bit my tongue, not wanting to get into that argument. It was a surefire way to make Penelope mad at me for the next week.
“So what now?” Penelope asked, looking thoughtful. “Do we talk to her?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted.
“She was eyeballing you pretty hard and I don’t think it’s because she was checking you out,” Penelope said.
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks. My ego needed that.”
Her blond hair ruffled as she shrugged. “In any case, that talk’s coming sooner or later. Might want to have your script ready.”
My stomach flipped. “What if she didn’t need the script?”
Penelope’s eyebrows shot up as she took a gulp of water. She gave a little cough. “Are you seriously considering telling her the truth? What if we’re wrong?”
“We’re not wrong.”
She conceded. “Yeah okay, we’re not wrong. But still, what makes you think we should tell her anything?”
“Because I’m not sure she knows what she is,” I said without hesitation. I wasn’t exactly sure why I thought that, but the curious look on Nova’s face after I put time back in motion said she wasn’t sure what she suspected.
My little sister eyed me hard, her light eyes burning with intensity. I kept a straight face, used to her intimidation tactics.
“You like her. There are ulterior motives at play.”
“I think she deserves the truth,” I argued, not wanting to go anywhere near that angle. “You heard what Dad said the other night, he thinks Fortune is gifted. Nova should know what kind of monster killed her sister. Especially if it could hurt her.”
“But that could push her over the edge, make her go crazy about who we are.” Her arms went up and back down, hands slapping against her sides. “How do you even know she wants the truth?”
“Because it’s how I’d feel if some animal took my sister away from me.” I ran a hand through my hair and glanced at my shoes.
Pen softened, halting her aggressive arm swings. She was quiet and I knew she was thinking it over. “Okay, I guess that’s fair. But what if she wants to do something with that information?”
“She wouldn’t tell anyone about us, not when her gift is at stake, too,” I said.
Penelope shook her head. “I don’t mean her telling people. I mean, what if she tries to go after Fortune like, for real?”
“Then maybe we help her.”
Penelope let out a bark of laughter, her eyes wide with shock. “Oh my god, you’re serious! W
ho are you and what have you done with my brother? Cole Warner, our father would be so disappointed in you right now.”
I swallowed hard, not wanting to know if her joke held any truth. “Dad helps people with his gift; why can’t we? If Nova wants to try and take out Fortune, why shouldn’t we try to help her?”
“Because he’ll kill all of us?” Penelope said bluntly. “Or maybe because we just moved here and I barely know the girl. Or maybe because it’s just a terrible idea!”
“Ya know, I’m surprised at you.”
At that, she halted the rest of her argument. “What?”
“I’d have thought you would have my back on this one. That you’d love to get mixed up in this kind of…adventure.”
I honestly wasn’t trying to play my sister, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know what buttons to push. She was never one to back down from a challenge. Penelope had always liked pushing the boundaries and I was honest in thinking she’d immediately jump on board. I hadn’t expected this kind of logical thinking from her. That was usually my job.
Penelope laughed, her bossy, worrying facade dropping in an instant. “Okay, got me there, big brother. This town doesn’t exactly have much going for it; at least this might be fun.”
I practically had whiplash from the one-eighty attitude. “Really?”
Her gold eyes, just a shade lighter than mine, stared me down. “I’m making sure you think it through. Nova’s pretty, but is she worth getting killed?”
“You’re in?” I ignored her question, but didn’t bother squelching the tiny little leap in my stomach at the thought that maybe Nova was worth it.
Penelope thankfully stopped pushing the issue. Her thin shoulders shrugged. “Of course. Does it look like my calendar’s booked up? I’m mostly surprised you actually want to go against Dad’s rules.”
“I’m not as amped about it as you are,” I said with a grimace. “But it’s the right thing to do. We should be using our gifts to help people. I think he’d understand, once he saw our side of things.”
“Yeah right,” she said, rolling her eyes again. “Like Dad ever sees our side of things. Well, not mine anyway. I’ll let you do all the explaining.”
“I’ll take the heat,” I promised.
“You’re not exactly twisting my arm into anything. He’ll probably think it was my idea.” Her white teeth shone as she grinned. “It’s a little exciting, don’t you think, that we might take out some bad guys?”
“We don’t know any of that yet,” I said in a warning tone. I didn’t like where she was headed. “Let’s just see what happens after we talk to Nova.”
“When do you suppose we do that?”
“Tomorrow night, when Dad’s on night shift.” I grinned at her, already looking forward to telling Nova everything. “And if she isn’t home, I have a pretty good idea of where to find her.”
Two hours after we’d gotten back to my house, Henry finally brought up the accident again.
“Are you sure you’re okay? I thought for sure that car hit you.”
“I’m fine, Henry,” I said for what felt like the hundredth time.
“You don’t have to put on a brave face around me,” he tried again. “I won’t judge if you want to go to the ER.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “I don’t need an ER, I need to finish this Spanish homework.”
We went back to classwork for a few more minutes. Finally, Henry put his pencil down. His voice was quiet, uncertain, and very un-Henry-like. “Nova?”
At that, I looked up at his worried face. I put my own pencil down. “Yeah?”
He looked down at his notepad for a few seconds, questioned me in a serious tone. “Why did you do it? I mean, I know you’re, like, fearless, but you could’ve really been hurt this time.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. “You don’t think I should’ve saved Andy?”
“No! That’s not what I meant. I guess I’m surprised you’d be so selfless.” He winced. “I didn’t mean it that way, either. I just…I kind of freaked when I turned around and saw you fling yourself in front of a car.”
I feigned confusion. “I don’t know what came over me. It isn’t something I want to do again.”
“Is this a Starling thing?”
“Anyone else would’ve done the same thing.”
He grimaced, shook his head regretfully at me. “I don’t know if I could say that. Most people don’t have that in ‘em. What you did was…admirable.”
A blush coated my cheeks at his statement. I said nothing, instead looked at my notebook, the scribbles and doodles that covered the top and side margins. Henry cleared his throat and gave me a sly grin.
“So the real question is, when you shoved Andy out of the way, why didn’t you just tackle him and go down in a full body hug instead?” he asked playfully.
My elbow dug into his ribs. “Shut up. That would’ve made more sense, I suppose. I guess I panicked.”
“No way, you saved Andy. You’re a regular SuperNova.”
Every cell in my body froze, my ears ringing with his statement. I’d never told him Starling’s brief nickname for me and I hadn’t heard it since the day she died. The invisible band around my heart constricted painfully and I couldn’t breathe. Henry gave me a quizzical look.
“What’s wrong? It’s funny, cause…” he trailed off at my face and grew concerned. “What is it, Nova? You’re freaking me out.”
I closed my eyes for a long moment, my lips finally parting slightly to take a breath. I finally looked at Henry and could only summon a weak smile.
“That was a Starling nickname,” I said.
“I didn’t know.” His eyes shone with sympathy. “I’m sorry, you know I never would’ve said it if I had.”
“No, it’s okay. It was sort of a funny little thing she said on…on the day she died.”
We went quiet and I could tell he was waiting for me to speak. When I didn’t, he finally broke the silence.
“I miss her, too.” He put his hand on my knee and squeezed it reassuringly. I nodded and he continued. “She would’ve been really proud of you today. She never stopped talking about you being so strong. She would’ve thought today was awesome.”
Before Starling understood the seriousness for secrecy of my condition, she loved to tell Henry her big sister had special powers. He thought it was adorable and often played along with the idea I couldn’t “break” as Starling said. Only when we hit our teens did Henry forget about it and I’d breathed a sigh of relief.
“I just wish I could’ve saved her, ya know?” It escaped before I could stop it, burst from my lips, surprising Henry. “I couldn’t protect her.”
“He would’ve killed you, too—”
“That’s not the point. He shouldn’t have gotten the chance, but I didn’t stop him in time. It may not be my fault she died. He might’ve killed her anyway, but if I’d reacted first, maybe things would be different.”
“Yeah, like he could’ve killed you both,” Henry said. His lips tightened into a thin line as he looked down at his lap before coming back to me. “Nova, you really scared me. Maybe today was a fluke, but I don’t know what I’d do if… ”
The air hung heavy with the thought we both had but didn’t say. I understood. He’d be devastated if I got myself killed, like he presumed could’ve happened today. I swallowed hard; I couldn’t tell him my secret, not now.
If I told Henry my secret, his reporter instincts would kick in. He’d want to know more, maybe even suspect Fortune’s weird power. Then he’d be electrocuted by Fortune. I could never let that happen.
The day after I saved Andy from getting run over was…weird. Henry had sworn up and down that they’d treat me like a rock star, but I knew better. “Unusual” wasn’t a great trait at our school. Then again, maybe it wasn’t great at any high school.
People stared at me, whispered to one another as I passed them in the hallway. No one talked directly to me, though, and I couldn’t decid
e if that made it better. Amber, who wanted to hear all about it from the source, came to sit at our lunch table.
Henry and Amber bickered the entire lunch time, but I didn’t pay any attention. Penelope and Cole also sat with us, but with hardly any room to spare in the conversation, they also remained quiet. To my surprise and disappointment, however, Cole stayed quiet through class, only shooting me a small smile when I sat down next to him. When the bell rang, he politely said goodbye to me and ran off to last period, leaving me totally confused. I didn’t see him or Penelope after school.
I needed to talk to Cole. Something had happened and even though I couldn’t prove it, I knew he had something to do with it. It was a long shot, but he might even know something about me, my abilities. That car had hit me, crunched against my legs; in an instant, the car was several feet back, with no momentum behind it. I’d seen the look on Cole’s face when I looked up.
No matter the outcome, Cole had somehow saved me from a lot of questions and rumors. When I helped Andy, I didn’t think about the consequences. I exposed myself, saved only by some miracle performed by Cole. I didn’t understand how I knew it, either, but it was the only thing that actually made sense. I wanted to know what he was, or if he knew about me. Maybe he’d even saved me because he liked me.
God, I hope he isn’t a vampire.
I had to get out and punch someone. After all the tension, I wanted to go out into the city again to give the hero thing another shot. Thanks to Fortune’s reigns of terror, not many people went out after eight or nine o’clock. I’d adjusted my schedule accordingly and tried to be in town around eight each time to catch any stragglers getting caught by criminals. Tonight was one of those nights.
Forty-five minutes after I’d started the usual skulking, I heard shouts. I paused, tracing the echo, and ran towards the sound. When I rounded the corner, a man brandished a weapon of some kind at a young couple.
“Hey, slimeball!” I shouted at him. He and his shadow turned, flashing metal in the street lights. The glint of a blade showed a knife. Swallowing hard and ignoring the panic flaring in my chest, I walked even closer to them.
