“But–” Wisp said.
“I’m coming with you,” Luca said, causing her heart to skip a beat and sink with worry at the same time.
“I’m coming, too,” Hannah declared with a cheeky grin. “Got some pretty damn good reasons, too.”
“Wait, stop.” Wisp made a cutting motion with her hand, and winced at the pain she was causing herself. “Aren’t you wanted by the police, Hannah? Because of all that stuff you pulled a while back?”
“I don’t think that old stuff matters anymore,” Sara said.
“It probably does.” Hannah rubbed her nose and squinted. “Thing is, I helped a superheroine liberate the city and get rid of the stinky shit. Something none of the big damn heroes managed to do. That should amount to something like a pardon, especially after the headlines start popping up and the interview requests come rolling in.”
“Except no one is going to tell the story that way,” Wisp said. “We’re just a bunch of kids who finally decided to leave the city after the Covenant came in for cleanup.”
Hannah shrugged. “Says who? We’re the only witnesses who know what actually happened. Samael lit a fire under Constantine’s ass, I bet, but he didn’t see shit.”
“She has a point,” Luca said. “The news folks are always hungry for a story. We just have to be the first ones who tell it.”
Wisp took a moment to process the thought, trying on the idea and testing it for flaws. There would be headlines, yes, she just wasn’t convinced they’d be favorable and flattering. Mass media had a habit of choosing whichever viewpoint resonated with their audience. Playing the superhero card was a coin toss at best.
“You can be my official sidekick if that’s what you really want,” Wisp said. “The thing is, we don’t know if anyone at all is going to see me as a heroine, and Gentleman basically threatened to do horrible things to everyone close to me. I don’t want to drag you guys down with me.”
Hannah gave a snort. “This isn’t just about you or any of us, it’s about Constantine. So the hero said he’d have C arrested, but then what? Let’s face it, I’m in the best position to get him convicted for the shit he’s pulled, and I’m not about to let the bastard walk away from this.”
“Point taken,” Wisp said. “I’d like to see him put on trial, too.”
But is witness protection going to keep the villains from hunting us down? Wisp bit her lip and lowered her eyes. The turtle charm felt warm against her skin, a reminder of a promise not yet fulfilled. The house of cards she had built as a home for the others had collapsed. Making herself a target of villain retaliation put them in danger just for sticking with her.
If I was an actual heroine…
Luca flicked a finger at himself. “Guess who’s in the best position to convince the folks out there you’re an actual heroine? I’ve seen your fight with Smoker, and I know the bullet was self-defense. I’m not going to let you walk the plank on your own.”
Wisp peered at her best friend over the top of Max’s head. The sharpness of his features had softened and he smiled at her, seeming more at ease than she had seen him in years.
Looks like I’ve exorcized both our ghosts. She grinned at him, glad for the chance to keep him in her life and maybe find a future they’d both end up in together. Their ghosts and their grief had prevented them from committing to anything but day-to-day needs. With both gone, maybe something good would grow in their place.
Fingers crossed.
“Thanks, Luca,” she said in a soft voice. “Aren’t you afraid of being forced to live with your mother and stepfather?”
He shrugged, averting her eyes. “I’m turning eighteen in October. Guess I’ll just have to request witness protection from the police.”
Hannah glanced between Luca and Wisp, rubbing her hands together with a knowing grin on her face.
“It’s decided then,” Max said. “We’re going. All of us.”
He pushed forward, Sara falling into step so seamlessly she had to be in on whatever the two of them were planning.
“Whoa, Max, hold on! What about Sara’s legal guardians?” Wisp punched his shoulder without slowing him down. Behind her, Luca and Hannah limped along at a slower pace, but they were definitely coming.
“Headlines,” Max said without slowing down.
The steel arch of Dead City’s gate fast approached, and a group of staff in uniforms – medical services, police and the army – appeared behind it, bathed in the soft glow of its golden chain lights. The only media in sight were equipped with cameras. Two men and a woman in Bundeswehr army uniforms split off from the main group and passed the gate, approaching the Survivors.
“What headlines?” Wisp deflated in an attempt to provide less of a target for the cameras.
“Publicity.” Max gave a curt nod. “People are going to ask why a thirteen-year-old girl would rather stay in that place than return to her family. I’m planning to tell them all about it.”
“If that doesn’t work out,” Sara added while ambling along, “then that witness protection thing sounds pretty good to me, too.”
A uniformed woman stepped in front of Max and Wisp. She wore no weapons and her gray jacket sported the insignia of an officer.
“Nicoletta Gehring?” the woman asked.
The blood drained from Wisp’s face. The sound of her own name rang false to her, and the ringing in her ears rose to a crescendo that drowned out all other sounds. Then a friendly hand clasped her own, and her identity came rushing back with the force of a freight train. She was surrounded by four people who believed in her, and she could think of one more person who’d most likely do the same.
“I’m the superheroine Wisp,” she declared with all the dignity she could muster, “and I’d like to request access to a phone.”
The officer gave a decisive nod. “Would you like to call your family?”
Call what family? They’re right here with me.
“No,” Wisp said, her voice growing louder and more clear. “The Covenant heroine, Athena. She’s expecting my call.”
The End
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Gift of Light_A Powered Destinies stand-alone novel Page 26
