by Anita Oh
Supernatural Superstar #1: Supernova
© Anita Oh 2018
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, places or events, is purely coincidental.
This book, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the author.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
ALSO BY ANITA OH
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter One
They’d found her.
Audrey didn’t need super senses to read the change in atmosphere in the deserted train station. In the stillness before dawn, even the smallest sound was like a beacon. If she concentrated, she could hear the hum of electricity from the streetlights. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. They were isolated noises, easy to distinguish, but she hadn’t imagined that rush of movement, something more substantial than the wind. And something had sent the rats scurrying through the space beneath Platform 3, where she’d been living the past few weeks. She’d been caught off-guard too many times before. This time, she was determined to be prepared.
She glanced over at the old lady propped up against the wall opposite her. Patty had fallen asleep with the reading light clipped to her book again. Her mouth had fallen open, and she was clutching a yellowed string of pearls in her hand, the only thing she had left from her life before the streets.
Audrey reached over and switched off the light. The darkness was safer. The people after her would sense anything out of the ordinary, anything that might give her away.
They weren’t exactly people. The Followers of the Cult of the Fifth Shadow rejected their humanity, their human form. They stayed partially shifted between human and animal — less human the more highly ranked they were. Depending on their form, they could catch her scent on the wind; they could hear her breath, her heartbeat. They could see her from miles away. They were fast, ruthless, and singularly focused on recapturing her. She had to run.
She knew Patty would understand. People came and went in this life all the time without a goodbye. Patty wouldn’t take it personally.
Audrey felt around in the darkness, making sure the box of out-of-date food she’d begged from the convenience store earlier was placed where Patty would notice it. She patted down the pockets of her oversized army coat, checking she had everything she needed, then tucked her hair up under a black ski cap. It was routine for her now to flee without notice. There was no point being sentimental about it.
A freight train rumbled through the station every morning just before sunrise. Audrey could hear it in the distance now. She just had to get to it without being seen, and then she could start the whole cycle over again — run, hide, be found. She’d memorized the layout of the train station, had learned all its secrets, knowing that this was the inevitable outcome. The cult always found her, each time more quickly than the last. She was used to running and hiding, so the first thing she did in any new place was figure out the best ways to escape.
The space under the platform stank of urine and decay. That was why Audrey had chosen it as her sleeping place, in the hope that it would mask her scent. She and Patty hadn’t been the first people to use it for shelter, so the ground was littered with fast-food wrappers and cigarette butts. She’d spent some time over the past week trying to clear a path down the center to help her escape silently, so she cursed inwardly when her foot crunched on a chip packet.
The platform was high enough for her to move beneath it in a crouching run, if she was careful to avoid knocking her head on the support beams. She moved as quickly as she dared, spiderwebs catching on her face as she ran. At the end of the platform, she turned right, crouching even lower as she reached the area beneath the main station. She counted as she felt the gust of cool air from each platform she passed by, then turned right again when she got to Platform 12, the last platform for the local train lines.
Halfway down the platform, she saw a pinprick of light where the concrete had crumbled enough for her to climb out. It was just a short dash from there to the freight lines. The freighter was so close now that the rumble of it over the tracks drowned out any other noise. The most dangerous part would be when she climbed out, not able to judge where the Followers might be. If they didn’t see her, hopefully the noise of the train and the scent of the station would mask her enough for a clean getaway. That would buy her a day, maybe two.
Even with all their heightened abilities, none of the Followers were great at thinking for themselves. They did whatever the alpha ordered them to do, and if things didn’t go according to plan, they couldn’t adapt. That was how she’d gotten away from them every time so far — they were still looking for her after she was long gone, because that was all they’d been told to do.
She peeked out of the gap in the platform foundation. The only movement she could see was the approaching freighter a few lines over. Her heart pounded. She might be lucky. She might get away clean.
She climbed out, still at a crouch, so she couldn’t be seen over the top of the platform. She was so close.
A snarl caught her attention, and she spun around.
Two of the Followers stood on the platform above her. One was a Rank Five who looked like an ordinary man except for his fangs and claws. The other was a Rank Two, completely in the form of a panther except that she walked on her hind legs and her eyes were filled with human malevolence.
The Rank Two bared her teeth at Audrey.
Audrey ran.
She could fight if she had to. She didn’t understand why, but they’d made her train every day back at the cult compound. Her skills weren’t terrible, but if it came down to her human abilities against claws and fangs, running definitely seemed like the better option.
The Followers leapt onto the tracks after her, and the noise of their confrontation alerted the others. They were all around her. A man with the head of a wolf, an eagle with human legs. As she sprinted across the tracks toward the freighter, they closed in. The eagle swooped at her. She held up her arm to protect herself and felt its talons scrape along the thick fabric of her army coat.
There was a roar from behind her, so loud she heard it even over the sound of the train. She was so close now. They wouldn’t follow her onto the train without permission from the alpha. They’d have to regroup, wait for instructions. All she had to do was get on that train. She just had to jump, grab hold of the ladder on the back of the carriage, and she’d be safe, at least for a few days.
All she wanted was to be left alone. She didn’t know why they were after her, why they’d kidnapped her in the f
irst place and had stolen all memory of her family, but she just wanted to be free of them. Why couldn’t she have an ordinary life, with friends and people who cared about her? A home? She’d done nothing to them, and they’d taken everything from her. And the only thing she could do about it was to keep running.
Her legs ached as she picked up speed, trying to grab hold of the train. Her fingers brushed the bottom rung of the ladder, but she couldn’t quite catch onto it. She forced herself forward with all her power, but just as she finally grabbed the ladder, her entire body went cold.
She let go of the ladder. She stopped running. The train thundered past her, but she barely noticed.
He was here.
The alpha.
She shivered, frozen in fear. He must be close to be able to affect her so badly. Why was he here?
There was a growl from behind her, so low and deep that she felt it in her bones.
Even though the last thing she wanted was to see him, she couldn’t stand to have her back to him. She turned around.
The alpha was neither beast nor human, but something beyond both. His body was a mass of bulging, fur-covered muscles. His back bent and his limbs twisted so that, although he walked on two legs, there was something hunched and predatory about the way he moved. His neck was set low on his shoulders so that his head protruded forward, lengthening into a long snout full of razor-sharp teeth. His eyes burned red and evil. He was a monster.
It wasn’t just his form that was monstrous. There was something about his presence that filled her with terror. She didn’t know if it was part of his power, but all of her will seemed to drain away when she was faced with him. She was a defenseless bunny waiting to be his dinner.
During her time at the compound, she’d only seen him twice. He rarely left his inner sanctum; the lower ranks weren’t worthy enough to look upon him except on special occasions.
The first time she saw him was the day she arrived. Her memories of that time were muddled, confused, but she remembered that cold fear as his red gaze tore through her. She’d been so afraid of him that she hadn’t even thought of escape for months. The second time she saw him was the day before her escape, and also the reason for it.
She’d never wanted to feel that fear again. She’d assumed she’d just been a plaything for the cult, that they wouldn’t bother chasing after her. At least, not seriously. Not like this, for months on end, relentlessly. So many of the cult’s resources had been spent trying to get her back, and now the alpha himself was here. Why? She couldn’t begin to imagine.
The rest of the pack gathered around them. The end of the freighter passed by, her chance of escape moving off into the early morning. The alpha made a horrible whining noise that Audrey feared was a laugh.
This was it, she thought, as he stepped forward. His claws were out. She was going to die here, seventeen years old and alone in a train yard.
Still, that might be better than the alternative. Better than going back to that cell, for some dark purpose that nobody would tell her, only hint at and laugh. Better for it to be quick and clean.
She wanted to look away, to close her eyes, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
He took another step toward her, so heavy that the ground seemed to shake beneath him. He pulled back his arm, ready to strike.
She braced herself, but the strike never came.
The alpha growled, and Audrey stumbled backwards.
Out of nowhere, a man had appeared. He stood in front of her, shielding her from the alpha.
He looked like an regular guy — dark brown hair and average height — but when he spoke, his voice held no fear.
“You need a ticket to be in here,” he said. “If you don’t have a ticket, you need to leave.”
Audrey closed her eyes. It was one thing watching the alpha attack her, but she didn’t want to see him claw this guy’s face off. After a moment of silence, she cracked an eye open to see what was going on.
The alpha and all of his Followers had turned away to leave.
The guy turned around and grinned at Audrey. “Joke’s on them. I don’t have a ticket either.” he said. “You’re Audrey, right? Come on. I’ll buy you breakfast.”
Chapter Two
Audrey was still in shock as she followed the guy into a brightly lit diner opposite the station — in shock and half-expecting the alpha to change his mind and come back for her.
The diner seemed popular. People were crammed into seats at the counter and in the vinyl booths, all having breakfast on their way to work. They broke out in hushed conversation as Audrey and the guy entered. Audrey looked down at her filthy coat, covered in cobwebs and muck. She probably smelled bad too. She couldn’t blame people for not wanting to eat with her close by.
A waitress approached them, coffeepot in her hand. Audrey assumed she’d ask them to leave, but the waitress didn’t even look at her.
“Eli Gale?” the waitress asked, her voice full of awe. “For real?”
Audrey narrowed her eyes at the guy, wondering if he saved people from monsters often. Was that even a thing? He seemed normal otherwise — good-looking, but not to the point that would make people stop eating and stare at him like they were doing now. He was wearing old jeans and a black hoodie with sleeves too long for him. His dark hair was shortish but unruly, as if he’d had a bad night’s sleep. He was pale, with a few moles on his cheeks and one on his chin. It was impossible to guess how old he was from looking at him; he could’ve been anywhere from seventeen to twenty-seven. He had a crooked smile and a snub nose and brown eyes that seemed to glow gold in the morning light. Rather than good-looking, Audrey thought his looks had a strange charm. He gave off the impression of someone fun to be around, someone who’d never stop being interesting no matter how well you knew them.
He did not give off the impression of someone who could scare away monsters.
“Eli Gale! I am!” he said, smiling at the waitress. “And you are…” He squinted at her name badge. “Beth. Nice to meet you, Beth! Table for two, please. Something quiet and close to an exit, if possible.”
Beth the waitress gaped at him. “I’ve been your fan for over ten years. I can’t believe you’re really here!”
“You can have our table, Eli,” said a middle-aged man, standing up as he stacked his plates and pushed them to the side. “Such an honor to meet you, I just can’t tell you…” He shuffled over and held out a hand for Eli Gale to shake. “I met my wife at one of your concerts, you know.”
More and more people stood up to talk to Eli Gale, pushing Audrey off to the side. She wondered if she should make a run for it. The cult probably wouldn’t have had time to regroup just yet, so she could get a good head start if she skipped town now. But Eli Gale had promised her breakfast, and she needed to know how he knew her name, not to mention exactly what it was about him that had made the alpha walk away. And there was something about him, something that made her not want to leave yet. Somehow, being near him felt like being wrapped in a fluffy blanket, comforting and warm.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have that effect on everyone. People had started taking selfies with him and telling him their entire life history. Her stomach grumbled at the smell of food, and she shuffled away from the crowd.
He caught her eye and gave her a secret smile, as if he knew exactly how she felt.
“Thanks for all your support, everyone,” he said, smiling around at the group. He nodded at someone, touched someone else on the shoulder, shook someone’s hand, making sure each of them was acknowledged. “I can’t wait to hear what you think of the new song. I’ll definitely see you at the concert next month, right?”
Audrey was amazed at how smoothly he removed himself from the situation. Everyone left him smiling, obviously not feeling as if he’d cut them off or was trying to get away. She couldn’t imagine having such a high level of social skills. She offended people even when she had the best intentions.
Beth seated them in a bo
oth near the kitchen. Audrey craned her neck, looking around. From there, they had access to three exits: the main entrance, the kitchen and the fire escape door. If they were attacked, escape shouldn’t be too difficult. She let herself relax a little and looked over the menu. She was so hungry, she could eat everything on it.
Eli didn’t even look at the menu. “Do you offer free coffee refills?” he asked Beth.
“Sure,” she said, grinning at him. “For you, we do.”
“Great! We’ll get one bottomless coffee and a side of fries to share.” He plucked the menu out of Audrey’s hands and gave it back to Beth. After Beth had poured the coffee and gone to put in their order, he leaned across the table and whispered, “We can share the coffee!” as if it was the greatest secret in the world. His eyes twinkled like stars.
Audrey raised an eyebrow, impressed by his thriftiness.
“A dollar saved is a dollar earned, right?” he said, still twinkling at her. “You can never be too careful. You don’t talk much, do you?”
She shrugged. The cult had discouraged speaking; it was such a human thing. The few times she’d attempted it, she’d been punished harshly enough to break her of the habit. After a while, she hadn’t even wanted to anymore. There was something so final about speaking. Once those words were out there, you couldn’t get them back. People held you to those words, and then those words started to define you.
You could do anything with words, if you knew how. She didn’t want to throw them around casually; it was too risky. And it wasn’t as if she had anyone to talk to, anyway. Patty was as deaf as a post, happy enough with a nod or a gesture, and Audrey couldn’t remember the last person she’d been close enough with to have a conversation. Literally couldn’t remember.
