SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania

by Liz Long

  Do you like me? Yes - No

  Without hesitation, I circled yes, darkening the ink several times. Cole shot me one of those heart-stopping smiles that crinkled the corners of his eyes. We didn’t write anything else, but for the next half hour, we’d shoot little glances at each other. Each time we met the other’s gaze, we broke out into ridiculous smiles. Butterflies swooped around in my belly each time I caught him looking at me.

  When the bell rang, we couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I slung my messenger bag over my head, slowing when we got out into the hallway.

  “Maybe I’ll see you after school?” I said, hoping I didn’t sound desperate.

  Cole looked to either end of the hall, taking in the sea of students and teachers. He bit his lip, drawing my attention to it. My cheeks blushed at the immediate thoughts that ran through my head and I focused back on him. To my surprise, he closed the distance between us, lowering his voice so only I could hear him. I could barely pay attention with his face so close to mine. His bright teeth shone in a smile that I knew would be trouble.

  “Skip class with me,” he said, his eyes shining with excitement. His hand reached for my arm, warm fingers on my skin.

  “What?” I asked, my mouth falling open at the suggestion. I’d never cut class in my life. I glanced around, sure the principal would somehow overhear—like some kind of Listener would—and reprimand us for such talk.

  “C’mon,” Cole said, his hands soft on my skin. His thumb rubbed across my wrist and my heartbeat thumped in my ears. He tugged me gently towards the exit, his bright smile nearly blinding me. “I want to show you something.”

  His enthusiasm was contagious, the reply spilling from my mouth while I laughed in disbelief. “I can’t believe I’m even considering it.”

  The words were barely out of my mouth when he pulled me away from the lockers. Before I knew it, we were practically running down the hallway, dodging students. Bag slapping against my hip, I was too busy thinking about my hand in Cole’s. He looked back over his shoulder at me and grinned.

  “Gotta run now before you change your mind!” he said.

  We burst through the side exit of the school, doors banging on the outer walls. Laughing like maniacs, we ran all the way to our neighborhood. We slowed by his house and he fished car keys out of his bag.

  “Hop in,” he said.

  We got in the car and buckled up. I shot him a curious look while he started the car and proceeded to head east of the city.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “It’s a surprise,” was all he said. He turned his CD player on to a song I didn’t know. Before long, I was humming along with the chorus, the beat getting stuck in my head.

  “They’re good, right?” he asked.

  He proceeded to tell me about the band, including how it had been one of his first concert attendances. The conversation continued so that I barely paid attention to where we were, distracted by our mutual love for bands Henry swore he didn’t know. When he came to a stop in parking lot, I glanced around in surprise.

  “Here already?”

  Cole grinned. “Yep.”

  We got out of the car and made our way a block over to the market square. I wondered if we were going to the farmer’s market, or maybe the cute new bistro down the street. Instead, Cole turned the corner and steered me to the building he wanted.

  “This is one of my favorite spots in town,” Cole said, opening the door for me.

  I glanced around. “The science museum?”

  Technically, the local museum housed several floors of history and entertainment. They had an aquarium on the bottom floor. I hadn’t been in years, not since that eighth grade field trip where Brittany puked her guts up by the fish tanks. They also had a butterfly garden, plus other constantly revolving exhibits.

  He nodded, ushering me to the elevator. It soared up to level four and Cole stepped out, eagerly taking my hand. The stomach butterflies did a twirl again.

  “It’s the planetarium,” he said, guiding me to a door.

  When we stepped inside, we found the large round room empty. It resembled a movie theater, only the big screen was on the ceiling. A lone Asian man sat in the box upstairs. Upon seeing Cole, he waved maniacally, greeting us on the microphone.

  “Cole!” he said, still waving. “Good to see you!”

  “You too, Hao. Say, I wanted to show my friend Nova here the stars.”

  “Nova?” Hao asked. He squinted at me, smiling. “This the Nova you always talk about?”

  Cole looked embarrassed, but I laughed, squeezing his hand. “Yes, there aren’t many like me out there.”

  “There’s no one like you,” Cole said, so sincerely I couldn’t help but smile. Hao shot him a sly smile, too.

  Hao encouraged us to take a seat. Without anyone else there, we had the place to ourselves and could stretch out with our legs on the seats in front of us. When the room’s lights went out and the big screen lit up with the moon, Cole’s fingers intertwined with mine. The butterflies in my stomach twirled.

  Music played in the background, some mystical-sounding song that had no lyrics. Cole and I sat there together for a long time, staring at the universe bouncing from place to place above our heads.

  “Don’t they usually talk about the constellations and stuff?” I said, not minding the quiet.

  “Yeah, but Hao doesn’t do it when it’s just me here. He lets me just stare up and think.”

  I shifted to look at him. “How often do you come here? You’ve only been in Arcania for like two months.”

  He shrugged. “Enough.”

  “I had no idea you were into this sort of stuff.”

  “I admit to taking a recent interest in it,” he said, not looking at me when he said it.

  “What do you mean?”

  The sudden flush to his cheeks could be seen even in the darkness. “I liked your name. It sort of sparked an interest in the subject, so I came here to learn about it.”

  I giggled, my fingers tightening around his. “Boy, you have a lot of secrets.”

  Cole half-chuckled. “You know the major ones already. I sure am glad that one about liking you is out of the bag.”

  “I am too, you know,” I said, scooting an inch closer. “Glad you told me, I mean.”

  Cole didn’t say anything, but his smile said enough. We continued to hold hands and look up at the stars for a few minutes.

  “Can I ask you a question though?”

  “Sure,” he said.

  “Why were you acting so squirrelly about it? I mean, after the party and at my house…” I trailed off and he shot me a sheepish grin.

  “I know, you gave me every opportunity. And I wanted to, believe me! But honestly, I didn’t know if you were ready for…something like us. Or if you even wanted to be with me. You’ve got a lot on your plate and I worried you didn’t want distractions. I’m still a little worried, to be honest.”

  I hummed under my breath. His insight was almost spooky. “I appreciate your consideration, but trust me, I’m willing to make room. I think it helps that I get to spend time with you whether we’re here or out hunting bad guys.”

  He grinned at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Your determination is one of the things I like most about you. I would’ve understood if this wasn’t something you wanted.”

  “Cole, I fully admit that I want to take Fortune down. But remember when you asked me what I wanted most?”

  “You said you wished you could be normal.” Light reflected in his rich eyes as he stared up at the ceiling.

  “Being with you makes me feel normal again. Maybe even more so because I don’t have to hide my gift from you.”

  “It’s a relief, isn’t it?” Cole said, his bright smile shining even in the glow. “Pen and I…we never get to be real with people. Always hiding, always worried people will think we’re freaks if they know the truth. With you, I get to be myself.”

  “It’s something
I never thought I’d get back, to be honest.” I swallowed hard, an unexpected wave of emotion hitting me hard. “I’m still trying to figure out who I am, but I like who I am when I’m with you.”

  “Me too.”

  We were quiet for a few minutes, our attention on the screen as it zoomed from planet to planet. He squeezed my hand, his thumb tracing the inside of my palm. My stomach butterflies leapt at his touch, my heartbeat thumping loudly in my ears.

  “Hey, Nova?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I might know another way for you to feel normal,” he said.

  “How’s that?” I didn’t take my eyes off the sight above us, the galaxies extraordinary in the night sky.

  “Will you go to Homecoming with me?”

  I couldn’t have gotten the smile off my face if I’d wanted to; I shifted to look at him again, becoming aware of our close proximity. Our noses were only inches away. His breath moved the hairs around my face, tickling my ear.

  “Of course I’ll go with you,” I said, giggling at his relief. With hardly any space between us, we grew serious again.

  “You know,” he said, his voice husky, “I’ve been kicking myself for not kissing you the other night.”

  “I’d hate for you to have any regrets,” I teased.

  He smiled. Before I could say anything else, he closed the space between us. His soft lips met mine and for the first time ever, my mind went completely blank. I couldn’t think of anything else, not skipping class or Fortune or even Starling. My lashes fluttered; the stars spun up in the sky. Nothing registered besides the warmth of Cole’s skin and sweetness of his mint chapstick. His free hand came up, long fingers tracing my face. They went to the back of my neck, pulling me in closer for another taste.

  Galaxies of planets and stars swirled above us, but I paid them no mind, lost in Cole’s kiss.

  Nova and I couldn’t stop grinning every time we saw one another the next day. Neither of us paid attention in government class, too much scribbling notes the whole time. Henry caught on quick, not bothering to sugarcoat it.

  “You two knuckleheads finally came around and made out, didn’t ya?” he asked. “Don’t think I didn’t notice walking home alone yesterday.”

  I just laughed and he shot me a knowing smile. I waved him off, feigning ignorance. I couldn’t be too annoyed about his teasing. The mere thought of Nova, of spending time with her, exhilarated me. I was already excited for the evening rounds around downtown, though Penelope might turn out to be a downer.

  When Pen and I showed up at Nova’s house that night, I slipped inside, telling Penelope we’d be right out. I closed the door behind me, closing the short gap between us. Before Nova could even greet me, my lips were on hers, making my head spin. When I pulled away, we were both a little breathless.

  “What was that for?” she asked, her throaty tone making me crazy. “Not that I minded.”

  I grimaced. “Penance for what I’m about to tell you.”

  “Uh oh. What?”

  “I haven’t told Pen yet. About us, I mean.” I glanced back for my hotheaded little sister, probably eavesdropping at the door.

  Nova quirked a brow. “May I ask why?”

  I grimaced. “She’s not big on change. I’m going to tell her but I didn’t want to do it tonight before we go out. It might distract her.”

  We both knew this line of reasoning was quite sensible. I didn’t want Pen to be a risk. Besides, she was so temperamental about things she might “accidentally” send me or Nova flying with her gift.

  Nodding, she huffed. “All right, I won’t say anything. But don’t go shooting me those ‘kiss me’ looks or I’ll have to break your rules.”

  I swallowed hard, unable to hide the twitch of a smile. My hand unconsciously reached out for hers. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  My hand dropped like I’d been burned when Penelope came through the basement door without knocking. “You guys ready or what?”

  “Coming, Your Highness,” Nova mumbled as we followed out after her.

  If Pen heard her, she ignored it, intent on getting into the city. “I’m feeling lucky tonight,” she said, golden eyes lit up with excitement.

  The hairs on my neck rose at the look on her face, like she hoped there would be bloodshed. It made me uncomfortable; Dad warned me about that kind of talk from her. My mood darkened. I have to tell Nova the truth about Penelope. But I wouldn’t do that tonight.

  Taking our usual path, we got into the heart of the city and parked in the garage. Nova, Penelope, and I patrolled the downtown streets like any other evening. I was careful to keep space between me and Nova, even when Penelope had her back to us as she walked ahead. We were on our second spin around the block when Nova thought of something.

  “We know that Fortune’s got other guys with special little powers. Every time I’ve seen them though, they use guns. Why not threaten everyone with their gifts? Fortune would scare the pants off people if they knew the truth. Even more than he already does, I mean.”

  “That’s sort of the thing, isn’t it?” I said as I kicked debris out of my way. A crushed soda can scattered with a clink. The three of us turned the corner, meandering towards the center market. “Humans don’t know about gifted and even Fortune wants to keep it that way. At least, that’s how it seems to me. Otherwise I think you’re right, he’d be killing all the time instead of when it’s convenient.”

  “So why doesn’t he? Want humans to know, I mean? I see that as an advantage for him,” she said.

  “It’s like grandma told us—humans would want to kill us, not embrace us. We’d be forced to protect ourselves,” Penelope said.

  Nova gaped at her. “How do you know that?”

  She shrugged. “We scare them. They’d freak out; torture us or put us behind glass cages like she always said. Or at least they’d try.”

  “Meaning?”

  Penelope scoffed. “Please, like humans could actually keep us down? We’re so much better than that.”

  Before I could reprimand her superior talk, Nova argued first. “Fortune is a selfish psychopath. He doesn’t care if it would affect other gifted. Right?”

  “It’s kind of the one rule everyone knows. There are plenty who would hunt him if he tried, so it’s safer for him to lay low and prey on humans,” I said. “Our grandparents were big believers in the world staying hidden. It’s one thing to be a nutty bank robber, a whole other to be a gifted one. People don’t know about us and it should stay that way.”

  Nova’s shoulders drooped. “It doesn’t seem like anyone else from the gifted world is after him. Humans aren’t going to catch him. What if we’re the only ones who can stop him?”

  “We’ll think of something.” I hoped I sounded more reassuring than I felt.

  We were quiet for a couple blocks. I thought over what we’d learned and how we could use it to our advantage. I recalled what I said about having to think like Fortune. The lightbulb in my head went off. I actually stopped in my tracks.

  “That’s it.”

  “What’s it?” Pen asked, turning on her heel to look back at me.

  “The Runner said Fortune would never work with a Seer.”

  “So?”

  “All that legwork, knowing where everything is, the guards…he has to be casing the banks before he goes in for the kill.”

  “Literally,” Nova muttered.

  Pen nodded, thinking over the theory. “I overheard Dad telling a supervisor that he wouldn’t be surprised if Fortune at least sent a man in to check things out.”

  Nova shook her head. “He wouldn’t send someone to do it for him. He’s arrogant and controlling. Not only would he only trust himself to plan for everything, but he’d love the rush of getting away with it. He’s convinced he can’t be caught.”

  “Which means he’s studying the banks for days before he robs them,” I said, understanding her way of thinking.

  “We go to the banks and keep an eye out for him t
hen,” Penelope said, as though it were simple enough. “We just have to catch him before he does anything.”

  Nova shook her head. “I know enough about my dad’s old cases. Fortune can’t get in trouble for something he doesn’t do if we stop him beforehand. And there’s no evidence connecting him to the other heists, so it would be a waste. Then he’d know we’re all onto him.”

  I shot her an impressed look. “You think we need to stop him in the middle of the act.”

  She grimaced. “I’m not thrilled about the idea, but if we catch him red-handed, then there’s proof.”

  Penelope waggled her eyebrows. “I’m all for playing private detective.”

  “We’ll go in shifts,” Nova said, trying to form a plan.

  “No,” I said with such certainty that Penelope and Nova both glanced at me in surprise. “Fortune could recognize you. If he sees you eyeing him, he’ll know too much.”

  Nova nodded, conceding to the logic. “That means…”

  “Pen and I will go,” I said.

  She gave me a weak smile. “Now I don’t know if I want you to find him, or to not.”

  “It’ll be fine.”

  I could tell it didn’t do much to ease her fear. Biting the inside of my cheek, I ignored every part of me that yearned to comfort her in my arms.

  Nova sighed. “You know, my dad asked me something the other night that got me thinking.”

  “What’s that?” My eyes met hers, full of genuine curiosity.

  “He asked what Fortune wanted with all of it. The money, I mean.”

  “I asked that, too,” Penelope interjected.

  Nova ignored her. “It makes me wonder what he’s doing. Is he using it for something? Paying someone off? Why would he want all this money?”

  “There might be bigger things at play,” I said ominously.

  Her face darkened. “Not exactly a cheerful thought.”

  Over the next few hours, Cole and I devised a plan to find Fortune. Penelope mostly lazed about on the couch, flipping through the TV. She’d offer her opinions every so often and voice her disagreement without getting up. To be fair, she had good insight; I just thought it was rude to do it from across the room. We managed to narrow down the short list of banks Fortune hadn’t hit yet, cross-checking against any potential times and patterns. There were two that might be a match.