by Dee J. Stone
He shakes his head. “I want to say sorry for saying you’re better when you’re Blue. I was wrong. You’re Nick and you’re awesome no matter who you are.”
I hold out my fist for a bump and he gives me one. “Thanks. But you don’t have to keep apologizing about it and you can have fun, you know.”
He nods unsurely. “But I could have caused you to die. I can’t just have fun.”
I put my hand on his arm. “You can. Things happen. People make mistakes, and that’s okay. But we need to learn from our mistakes. That’s what’s important.”
He smiles. “Mom always tells me that.”
I laugh. “Guess we think alike.”
He laughs, too. “I’m gonna go stand on line.” He rushes off.
And I watch the kids, forcing myself to smile. I am happy with how things turned out. I’d do anything to save those I care about, but it still stings. I’m sort of torn up about the whole thing.
“Hey.” Maddie pops at my side. She hands me a bag of chips.
I wave them away.
“Still bummed about your powers?”
I sigh. “I feel like a jerk. I mean, I saved Kaylee’s life. I have no right to feel like this.”
“You’re human. It’s normal. Soon, you’ll get used to it.” Her face drops. “It must be hard being around me.”
I take her hand. “Don’t think that for a second. I love you and I’ll always love you.” I give her a goofy smile. “Remember, we’re soul mates.”
She playfully rolls her eyes.
Kaylee, Kitty, and Danny squeal as they pass us. We smile and wave. I want to be the happy brother they want and need, and I’ll try as much as I can to be that guy. Powers don’t define me. Me and my actions do.
It still sucks, though.
“Nick.”
I’m barely paying attention to Maddie as I continue waving to my siblings.
“Nick.”
I turn to her. She nods toward her left side. When I lower my gaze, I find my bag of chips floating at her side.
“You’ve got telekinesis?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “It’s you.”
I wave my hand and sure enough, the bag moves to the side. I wave the other way and the bag follows. I then make it invisible, then visible again. I gawk at my hands.
“Your powers,” Maddie gasps.
I stare at her. “But how can that be? I was supposed to lose them for good.”
“Nick’s powers are back!” Kaylee says. She and the others have gone off the rides and are standing before us. My parents, Samantha, Melissa, and Matt are also standing there. All stare at me like they can’t believe this.
Maddie smiles. “Charlie did say powers are unpredictable. Yours must love you so much they couldn’t part ways.” She laughs, then her eyes get serious. “But really. They’re back because they know as much as I do that being Blue is who you’re meant to be.”
The others nod.
Maddie takes my hand. “You see? Things have been messed up these past few weeks, but now everything is back to where they’re supposed to be.”
I nod as I take in my family and friends who have nothing but pride and happiness written all over their faces. “And I have a strong feeling that everything is going to be okay now.”
Read on for an excerpt from No Ordinary Hero, now available on Amazon!
Chapter One
That’s one hell of a fire.
X-Ray parks the jeep on the side of the road and the three of us pile out. The heat latches onto my skin. Smothers me. Maybe this isn’t such a great idea.
“We doing this?” Stretch asks, scratching his eye mask.
I stare up at the apartment building. They’re alive, the flames. I’ve seen infernos on TV, but standing fifty feet away from one is something totally different. Saliva gathers at the roof of my mouth, under my tongue, between my teeth. But I don’t swallow, because I’m not afraid. I came here for one purpose and one purpose only: tonight, I’m going to be a hero. Yeah, I’m fourteen and saying that makes me sound like a little kid. But I can dream.
“Let’s go,” I say.
The guys follow me as I edge closer to the last place any sane person would think of nearing. They huff behind me. Some firemen stand around, others hose the place down, a few are on a ladder. A group runs inside. Bystanders are around, too, as well as the cops and news reporters. Lights flash from the trucks and police cars.
I nod to X-Ray. “Anyone inside?”
He steps forward and squints his eyes. They get as black as his uniform. Looks freaky, like he’s possessed. He raises a hand to the top floor. “A girl and a baby. Trapped in the bathroom. Firemen can’t find them.”
“Is there a window?” I ask.
“Backside.”
We’re not supposed to be here. If word gets out, we’ll be in a crapload of trouble. But the guys and I are sick of sitting on the sidelines. Tonight we’re doing what we were born to do.
“Hang on,” Stretch says. He raises his arms over his head, stretching them along with his torso up the back wall while his lower body stays on the ground. X and I climb him like a ladder.
“Hey, you kids!” a fireman yells. But we’ve already reached the top of the wall, so it’s not like anyone can stop us now.
Phase one, complete. Now on to phase two.
I cough as smoke enters my lungs. Stretch slides over to the bathroom window, with X and me hanging onto his shoulders.
“Hurry up,” he says.
The heat makes me sweat in my uniform. Ashes cover us. It might be a problem having to explain the conditions of our uniforms to the League’s housekeeper, but forget about that now. I’ve got to focus on the civilians trapped inside. The baby’s screeching and the girl’s yelling for help.
I’ve got to do this, save them. Be a hero.
Sticking my fingers under the window’s ledge, I heave it open. The girl is crouched in the tub with the baby on her chest, and the shower curtain is wrapped around them. There’s hardly any air in here.
I jump down and am about to push out my chest and announce, “Kale Zenith is here to rescue you!” But I stop. Now’s not the time to show off.
I take the girl in my arms and she clutches tightly onto the baby. Her eyes are big and terrified, but I’ve never seen anyone so thankful. Like I’m her guardian angel or something. I hand them over to Stretch, who makes a blanket out of his body and tucks them close. X reaches for my hand to help me up, but just as I’m about to haul myself out the window, the flames blast the bathroom door open with so much force that I’m knocked off my feet.
My back crashes against the tub. Dammit! That hurt. My head rings like a million bells are vibrating against my skull. I can’t move anything. Are my bones broken? Crap. This wasn’t part of the plan.
“Get him out!” Stretch yells.
Too late. I’m burning all over. My arms, my legs. My face. I’m smoldering like the coals from last night’s barbecue.
At least I did one thing right tonight. I was a hero.
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About the Author
Dee J. Stone is the pseudonym of two sisters who write young adult and adult novels. Keepers of Justice series, Blue Masked Hero series, Sucked into an RPG series, Merman’s Kiss series, Genie’s Love series, Cruiser & Lex series, Emily’s Curse, and Chasing Sam are now available on Amazon. You can check out Dee J. Stone here: https://deejstone.wordpress.com, email them at [email protected], or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Stay tuned for more titles, coming soon.
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