by Dee J. Stone
“Thus we deiced we’ll allow you to train the children,” he goes on. “You have our permission to train them the way you see fit. But…” He holds up his hand. “If anyone gets hurt or threatens the safety of the world, you will answer to us. All of you.”
I swallow.
“Okay,” Maddie says. “But you have nothing to worry about. No one is going to get hurt. Not because of us.”
In Charge nods. “All right then. Is there anything you need to tell us?”
Maddie looks at me, and we share an understanding. They are not going to find out about the missing kids. “No,” she says.
“Good.” They stand. “We will see you tomorrow for training.” They turn to go, but In Charge faces us. “Keep us updated on the villain.”
They walk out of the building. I slump down in my seat, breathing a sigh of relief. That was close.
“Okay, you two,” Melissa says. “What are you hiding?”
Maddie and I look at her innocently. She frowns, giving us a face like we’re not getting out of here until we tell her the truth.
“It’s nothing, Mom,” Maddie says. “We really need to go.”
She holds her gaze. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
“You can’t stop me from leaving,” Maddie says.
This look passes over her mom’s face, like she can’t believe her daughter is talking to her like that. Mom’s had that look a few times before, and I know how much it hurts. Maddie’s mom has done so much for us. It’s not fair to keep things from her. She has a right to know that two of her students are missing.
I sit up. “Justin and Ally ran away.”
She gapes at me. “What?”
“Why did you tell her?” Maddie hisses at me.
“Because she needs to know. She’s not the Suits. She’s your mom and we can trust her.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Maddie leans back and doesn’t say anything.
“They ran off sometime during the amusement park,” I tell her.
“Did anyone see them?”
Maddie shakes her head. “We’re not sure. A few kids suspect they ran away because um…”
“Because what?”
“They hate it here. Sorry.”
Her mom doesn’t say anything as she thinks about her words.
“It’s nothing personal, Melissa,” I say. “They just felt like prisoners. Like we told the agents, the kids don’t want to be locked in the building all day. They want freedom.”
Maddie’s mom nods slowly. “Our first agenda is finding Justin and Ally. Do you know where they ran to?”
Maddie and I shake our heads. “We’re going to go look,” Maddie says. “And don’t tell anyone about this, okay? Especially the agents.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. They mean well, but they don’t exactly know what the kids need. Good luck searching for them.”
Maddie and I decide to split up so we can canvas more area. Luckily neither of them has invisibility, so it should be easier to find them. Justin’s power is to multiply himself and Ally can breathe under water.
Maddie and I are updating each other as we search. So far, nothing. Hours pass, but we can’t find them.
It’s late, and I tell Maddie we’ll need to get the other kids to help us tomorrow. But right now, we’d better get to bed. I’m beat.
There’s a high chance the Suits will find out about the missing kids, but I can’t worry about that. What matters is finding them. I really hope they’re okay.
Maddie tells me she’ll look a little bit longer before calling it a night. I wish her good night, then climb into my window.
Chapter Sixteen
“I heard there are two kids from your school missing,” Matt says as he leans against the doorway to my bedroom. I’m in bed. Just woke up a few minutes ago.
Man. I suspected the Suits would find out, but this quickly? And they’ve released the news to the public. They shouldn’t have. We don’t need the world thinking there are powered kids out there, perhaps scared and confused. They’d panic.
Some people just don’t think clearly. I mean, sure the world needs to be aware so they can protect themselves, but I just wanted some more time. I know we’re going to find Justin and Ally today.
“Yeah,” I tell Bro. “They ran away.”
“The news is saying they’re armed and dangerous, but I don’t believe that. They’re not going to hurt anyone.”
I shake my head. “They’re just trying to escape the prison.”
His eyebrows lift. “Prison?”
I push my covers aside. “Yep. The government wants to keep the kids cooped up in the school all day because they think they’re dangerous. But it’s not true, and Maddie and I proved it to them last night.” I tell him about the amusement park and he laughs lightly.
“Look at you, little bro. Just last year you were scared of your own shadow. Now you’re taking on the government.”
“I’m not taking on the government. I’m just trying to help the kids.”
He nods. “You’re doing a good job.”
“Really? Because the kids ran away on my watch.”
He steps into the room. “You couldn’t be responsible for so many kids. Besides, those two were probably waiting to get out of there and grabbed any chance they got.”
Maybe. I still feel like I could have done something. Not sure what, but something. “I’d better get to school.”
On my way down to the kitchen, I pass Kaylee’s room. She’s on her bed, playing with her toys. She looks okay, not the happiest kid on the world, but not the saddest.
As if she feels me standing there, she lifts her head.
“Hey, Kaylee.”
She shrugs.
I enter her room, scoop her up, and sit down on the bed with her on my lap. She doesn’t squeal or giggle like she used to. I tickle her stomach, but get nothing. Mom and Dad told me there will be good days and bad days. This must be a bad day, though it seems like something else is bothering her. Something that doesn’t have to do with her trauma.
“What’s the matter?” I ask her.
She shrugs again.
I catch some of her hair and give it a soft tug. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”
Nothing.
I tug a little harder. “Come on, Kaylee.”
She shoves my hand away. “I don’t wanna go to the doctor.”
“But he’s helping you with the nightmares, isn’t he?”
Again, she shrugs. She continues playing, ignoring me like I’m not here. As I watch her, I decide she’s not bothered because of the therapist. She’s always been okay with going to him because she knew he’s helping her get better. This is something else.
I take the stuffed animal from her hands.
“Gimme!” She snatches it from me. “Don’t touch my stuff!”
I grab it back. “I’ll touch your stuff as long as you keep me in the dark. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Mommy!”
That’s just great.
Footsteps rush up the stairs and into the room. Mom’s got her hand pressed to her chest. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”
Kaylee glares at me. “He grabbed my teddy!”
Mom gives me the Mom Look. She heads over to me, yanks the bear out of my hand, and gives it to Kaylee. She squeezes it to her chest.
“Nick, I’m disappointed in you. You know better than to bother your sister.” She gives me this look, like she’s saying, “Especially now.”
I feel like crap for doing that. I just wanted Kaylee to tell me what’s bothering her. Didn’t mean to hurt her.
“Sorry,” I say.
Mom kisses her cheek, then tells us to come down for breakfast. Once she’s gone, I turn to Kaylee. “I’m not going to steal your dolls again, but you need to tell me what’s bothering you, Kayls.”
She presses the bear tighter to her chest.
“Please, Kaylee. Maybe I can help.”
He
r gaze meets mine, then she tears it away.
I stand. “Okay. If you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine. I’m a little hurt that you don’t trust me, but I guess I have to accept that.”
When I’m at the door, she says something I can’t hear. I turn around. “What?”
“Want powers.”
I go back to her bed and sit down. “What did you say? You want powers?”
She nods, her eyes on the floor. It makes sense. Kaylee’s been having nightmares. She wants powers to protect herself.
I wrap my arm over her shoulder, pulling her close. “Powers are great, but they’re also not so great.”
She frowns. “What’s not good about them?”
“Well, I can never be normal. I always worry I’m going to hurt someone. And it’s because of these powers that you were kidnapped. I hate them for that.”
Her eyes are wide as she stares at me. “Mommy doesn’t want to tell me about all that. Can you tell me?”
I sigh. “I don’t want to go into details. Just know that people kidnapped you to force me to work for them.”
She’s still staring at me. “Is that why I have nightmares?”
I nod. “I’m really sorry.”
She kisses my cheek. “Why? It wasn’t your fault.”
“You don’t blame me?”
She shakes her head. “Why? You’re the bestest brother in the world.”
I laugh lightly. “Thanks. It means a lot.”
She frowns. “Am I gonna get better?”
“Of course, as long as you listen to what the therapist and Mommy and Daddy tell you.”
She thinks about that before asking, “Am I gonna get powers?”
“No, you can’t get powers, and even if you could, I wouldn’t want you to. Life was…life was better when I was just plain Nick.”
She tugs on my arm. “Nu uh. It’s so cool that you’re a superhero!”
I shake my head. “But you got hurt because of that. You’ve forgiven me, but I’ll never forgive myself.”
This is a mature topic, and Kaylee’s handling it very well. A big part of me is confident that she’s going to be fine.
“Being Blue or not, I still love you,” she says.
I gently rub my fist against her cheek. “I love you too, kid.”
***
Like I expected, the Suits aren’t happy to hear about Justin and Ally. But they understand why they ran away, which is why they’re allowing the kids to leave the building to look for them.
Hours have passed and there’s no sign of them. Many cops and other people have joined the search, but it’s like they vanished without a trace.
“You think Jeremy had something to do with it?” Maddie asks as we fly over Manhattan.
I stop. “You think he kidnapped them?”
She lifts her hands like she has no clue. “Why else can’t we find them?”
I rub my forehead. “I don’t want to sound like a jerk, but why would he kidnap them? They don’t exactly have dangerous powers.”
“Are you kidding? Justin can multiply himself. That means you can make an army just from him. And Ally can breathe underwater—that’s awesome.”
Maybe she’s right. I guess I didn’t think about it like that. “Then how do we find them?”
“Charlie said he won’t have the goggles ready for a few days. But even once we have them, how do we find Jeremy’s hideout?”
I sigh. “No clue.”
My phone rings. It’s Jack. “Did you find them?” I ask.
“No, but I have bad news. Lots of kids are missing.”
“What?!”
“Like about seventy.”
My eyes nearly pop out of my sockets. “He took them, too?”
Maddie’s eyes are probably wider than mine.
“Who?” Jack asks.
Maddie grabs the phone from me. “Where are you?” She’s quiet as she listens to him. “Gather all the kids and go back home. Now.” She hangs up and turns to me. “Maybe he didn’t kidnap anyone. Maybe they all ran away. We need to get back to school and figure out our next move.”
We fly toward the school and get inside. All the kids—those who remain—are in the rec room, being watched by the Suits. I almost want to laugh at that. The Suits think they can protect the kids with their tranquilizers? I have a feeling they wouldn’t work on Jeremy.
Glancing around, I see that there are less than fifty kids here. Melissa sits with them. Trying to talk to them. But they don’t seem interested in anything she has to say.
“Where is everyone?” I ask.
All heads turn to me. Melissa says, “These are the only kids who returned.”
“Were the rest taken?” I ask.
Mia, the girl with fire power, rushes over to us. “They weren’t kidnapped,” she says. “They went with Jeremy willingly.”
“What?” Maddie and I ask.
“I was looking in the bushes, when I heard voices. It was Justin, talking to a few kids who were looking for him. I quickly hid in the bushes so they couldn’t see me. Justin was telling them to join Jeremy because he would give them what they wanted.” She looks away.
“Which is what?” Maddie says.
“People to hurt. To release their anger on. To fight.” She hesitates. “He said he could give them the freedom they want.”
Maddie shuts her eyes. My hands fist at my sides.
“Not all of us are like that,” Mia says. She nods toward Susie, an elven year old who also has fire power. “They tried to recruit her, but she refused. She wants to be part of this team. We all do.”
The rest of the kids, including Jack, nod as they gather around us.
“We’re a family here,” Jack says. “And we’re going to work together to stop Jeremy.”
I can’t help but smile at everyone. They’re here, with us. They could have joined Jeremy, but they chose to stay. To fight alongside us.
“Thanks, guys,” I say.
The Suit in charge walks over to us. “We were wrong,” he tells us. He shifts from one foot to the other. “You were right that the kids felt imprisoned here. Perhaps it wasn’t the best decision, but we were trying to protect everyone. We should have listened to what they wanted. And now they’re creating an army that will destroy us all.”
Maddie shakes her head. “It’s not too late. Look around. We have many on our side. If you let us train them the way we see fit, if you let us fight, we can put an end to Jeremy.”
In Charge keeps his gaze on her for a few seconds. “You have my permission to do whatever it takes to keep the world safe.”
Chapter Seventeen
The days pass quickly. Maddie, the kids, and I work extra hard on our training. There are only about fifty of us, while Jeremy has lots more. Some would say it’s suicide to take them on, but we’ve got to try.
It’s been quiet on their end, most probably because they need to train and plan, too. But I know they’re going to attack any day now, and we’re ready. Well, ready as we can be. A part of me is dead certain we can’t win, but the other believes in us. We can do this.
Maddie and I have put tracking devices on our family members, to protect them. We don’t want to take any chances. I’ve explained to Mom, Dad, Matt, and Samantha about it and they understood that we’re not just trying to spy on them. That we want them to be safe. Kaylee, Danny, and Kitty don’t know about it. There’s no point in worrying them.
Charlie told us he hopes to have the goggles ready soon. Now that Jeremy has an army, I’m not sure what good the goggles will do, other than help us see him. If only we had a larger army. Sure the military is on our side, but I doubt they’re any match for Jeremy’s power.
Maddie and I haven’t been spending much time together. It’s been training, training, training. I know it’s selfish of me to think about us, but I miss her. A lot.
When we do get some free time, she’s always pondering Jeremy’s plans. I guess you can say this whole villain thing is putting a to
ll on our relationship.
“You look like you have a lot on your mind,” Samantha says. She and I are sitting in her living room. With all that’s happening, I’m trying to maintain a normal life, too. I can’t let all of this consume me. I’ll go insane. So I decided to pay my bio mom and half sibs a visit. The kids are out with their dad and should be returning any minute.
She touches my arm. “Nick, is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Was just thinking.”
She nods. “About the villain. You’re worried he’s going to strike.”
It’s true. I’ve got no idea where he is or what he’s planning. But that’s not the only thing on my mind. “That, among other things.”
She lifts a brow.
I sink a little on the sofa. This is kind of embarrassing. “It’s just that Maddie and I haven’t been, you know, like hanging out. I know it’s selfish to think of myself, but I don’t want to lose her. She gets so consumed and caught up, and she tends to push me away.” I sigh. “I just wish my life could be normal.”
She looks away. “You know I’ll always regret giving you away. Maybe you would have had a normal life.”
I shake my head. “I don’t blame you. It wasn’t your fault. It was JQ’s. And now Hiram’s son is after me. Or whatever he wants. It really worries me why he’s keeping quiet. Something big is going to happen. Something bad. I can feel it.”
She gives me an encouraging smile. “You’re the Blue Masked Hero and your girlfriend is the Red Masked Heroine. If anyone can stop these villains, it’s the two of you.”
I inwardly flinch. Villains. I don’t want to think of the powered kids as villains. They’re just lost and confused.
“And regarding your girlfriend problems,” Samantha says. “Just remember to have some time to yourselves.”
“But that’s the problem, she doesn’t want alone time. She wants to train and to plan and strategize and all that.” I puff out my cheeks. “I get that it’s important for us to be ready, but I still want us to hang out and stuff.”
“Talk to her,” Samantha says. “The key to a good relationship is communication.”
“That’s what the experts say. But I think I’m not going to talk about it. I don’t want things to be more stressful than they already are. Once we defeat Jeremy—and we will defeat him—things will go back to normal.”
