The Distort Arc: Cape High Books 1-4 (Cape High Series Omnibus)

by R. J. Ross

  "Normally I would use that," Frank says. "But I've already brought in Emily and am planning on bringing in a few others from other branches. There's one in particular in the West Branch that I'm intent on getting--another orphan. If I claim that I can't take them because of their branch, I'll be shooting myself in the foot, to put it plainly." He's looking at Emily now, and I wonder if he's saying something to her telepathically. I also wonder if it will make any difference.

  I glance at the people on the couch behind me, my eyes falling on Max, who's sitting next to Sunny and looking at the rather pale Emily. He has a thoughtful look on his face. "We don't have much to show them," he says abruptly. "A few empty buildings and a high tech security system.”

  "Emily--" I start out.

  "They can come," Emily says. Yeah, that's a look of someone about to do something drastic, I think. "I won't mind at all." That smile is definitely fake, too. She might be able to make a perfect copy of herself, but she really sucks at hiding her emotions. I can't help but think, though, that I'm being seriously underestimated. A full grown cape chasing us down is one thing--two teenage girl capes is another. This time I'm the one doing the staring. She looks away.

  "So I take it the two sisters are a problem from your old family," Nico says to Emily. "Not the father or mother?"

  "I don't need to tell you that," she says.

  "Sure you do," Nico says. "I'm your principal. Who's going to vouch for Emily?" he asks, looking at us. "If we're going to deal with this problem I need to know it's worth it."

  "I will," I say.

  Frank is looking at Nico. "I would appreciate you not breaking the code to deal with teenage girls," he says mildly. "You're still on parole."

  "I can deal with it," Max says. "Like Nico said, I've been seen as the good guy a few times too many lately."

  "Don't!" Emily says, making us all turn to her. "You don't even know me, okay, so why are you all so intent on taking my side? I could be a liar or a thief or--or anything! You're all morons!" She shoots to her feet, storming for the door.

  "Don't go out of the apartment building," Nico tells her. "You're not cleared to leave, it could be extremely painful."

  I see her nod ever so slightly before she leaves the apartment. I can't help but stare at Nico. "You could have just made her stay," I say after a second.

  "I'm getting too used to teenage girls storming off," Nico admits.

  "I'll go talk to her," Mom says, getting up and following after Emily.

  "So what was the promise?" Sunny demands, poking me in the back of my head.

  "He promised to protect her," Frank says, "for as long as she lives with him or his family."

  "That is totally cheating," Sunny says.

  Nico looks at us. "I didn't realize you two were like that," he says.

  "He's offering up promises and all sorts of stuff before I even get to talk to her!" Sunny says, poking me in the head again. "It's bad enough that he's half a foot taller than me, you know--man I'm never going to get a girlfriend!"

  "Ooooh, that sort of cheating," Nico says.

  "Yeah... wait, what did you think I meant?"

  Max is snickering by this point, so I shoot him a dirty look. "Shut it," I say, feeling my neck turn red. Sunny might not have gotten what Nico was thinking, but I did. "I like girls!" I add a bit too loudly.

  "What--" Sunny stops, and I can swear I hear his brain catch up. "My own father!" he yelps. Max is laughing out loud by this time so I elbow him.

  "Ow."

  "Well anyway," Nico says, changing the subject a bit too blatantly. "What about that other one? The one coming from the West Branch? That'll be another chance--"

  "It's a male," Frank says.

  And Max starts dying from laughter. Jerk.

  ***

  She wants to leave, Emily thinks, her hand already on the handle of the apartment building's front door. It's just she sort of gets the feeling that that black haired guy hadn't been lying about it being dangerous. She still remembers the strange footprint path that she'd had to follow to get inside--and it had changed with each person. That was definitely a bad sign.

  "You don't need to run off," she hears Jeanie say from behind her. "Emily, honey, I think it's time we have a serious talk."

  Emily looks at her, wondering why she feels the urge to burst into tears. It's so frustrating, she thinks, everyone keeps pretending to be nice and she doesn't know what to do--she blinks as arms wrap around her, tugging her into a hug. Absently she notices that Jeanie has much, much more chest than she probably ever will, and Emily is right at chest level on the older woman.

  "Go ahead and cry, sweetie," she says softly. "Just let it all out."

  "I--I am!" she says, a tear trickling down. "I'm a liar! And a thief! And--and I should never become a hero! Mom and Dad must ha--hate me!" she wails as the tears start to fall freely. Why? A part of her is stepping out of herself, watching as this pathetic display goes on--literally. Her doppelganger appears behind her, more out of instinct than anything else.

  "I see," Jeanie says, looking at the doppelganger. "I think," Jeanie goes on, "that that is a very wonderful doppelganger, indeed. You have great talent, don't you?"

  "We don't want to trust you," the doppelganger says. "Our last family was nice at first, but then they turned out to be nasty."

  She isn't telling the doppelganger to say this, she realizes. The doppelganger is speaking for them both. She wants to protest, but it's hard to speak when you're sobbing your heart out. Instead she's being picked up and carried to the stairs like she's a child, where Jeanie sits down.

  "I know," Jeanie says quietly, "that you feel alone. That both of you do. But sweetie, we won't hurt you. If you're afraid of Ken, or Trent--"

  "It wasn't the father," the doppelganger says. "It was the daughters. They... they beat on me," she goes on, looking at Emily. Emily can feel her eyes on her. "While she starved in the streets. We--neither of us--were happy, or safe. This is the happiest she's been since before her parents died."

  "Sh--shut up," Emily finally gets out. The doppelganger disappears. It's creepy, in a way, because she hadn't realized that the doppelganger was starting to think for itself until now. She should have, she realizes. She'd left the doppelganger to live her life for her, it had to make decisions when she wasn't paying attention, otherwise it would look strange.

  "Oh, sweetie," Jeanie says, rubbing her back. "Your parents absolutely don't hate you. What you did, you did because you felt you had no choice. But right now you have a choice, Emily. You can choose to trust us. I know that your... those girls coming here is traumatic for you, but you aren't alone this time. Trent made a promise, right?"

  Emily nods against Jeanie's chest, not looking up. "But lots of people don't do what they promise to do," she mutters. She sounds pathetically nasal. She hates that.

  "Trent will do it," Jeanie says. "He's a lot like his father. But you know what? I don't think you need Trent to do it. In fact, I think it's high time I offer my assistance to the next generation--starting with you and Zoe!"

  "Wh--what?" Emily asks, looking up at Jeanie blankly.

  "We're going to have some girl power training! If they're going to let the boys play, I see no reason that the girls can't too! And sweetie, once we get you and that doppelganger working together, I bet those two won't see what hit them," she adds with a wide smile.

  Emily sniffles, hope starting to sneak into her expression. "Re--really?"

  "I wouldn't agree if they were norms, of course," Jeanie says, "but supers! They should know better than to pick on a girl just coming into her powers! I'm tempted to go and talk to their parents, too! They need to know what little monsters they've raised and take responsibility!"

  A little smile pulls at Emily's lips even as someone from the stairs steps into view. "I like this plan," the white haired female says. "Can I play, too?"

  "Oh, I would say so," Jeanie says. "What do you think, sweetie?" she asks Emily.

 
; Emily looks up at the tough looking white haired woman on the stairs. She's got muscles, she notices, and a sharp, wicked look on her face. "Yes, please."

  ***

  We start cleaning up the apartment on the 14th floor. There's a lot of work, but with everyone working at full speed we get it clean rather quickly. I've got my own room, and along the way some of the assistants from the Hall brought out stuff from our home, so I get to work putting the room the way I like it. It includes several trips downstairs and out of the building (and on the glowing footsteps each time) to get everything up, but I manage.

  Soon my new room looks a lot like my old one did--just smaller. "Hey Dad?" I say, sticking my head out, "can I get my own apartment? I got too much stuff!"

  "We'll talk about that when you're older," Dad says. I shrug and turn back into my room, only to stop at the sight of Emily sitting on my bed, her knees drawn up to her chest. "Can you fly already?" I ask abruptly. The only way she could have gotten in was through the window--oh. "You're the doppelganger, huh?" I say, heading to try and stick more things into the closet.

  "Emily's putting her things in her room," the doppelganger says.

  "But she sent you here, huh? What for, to tell me to leave her alone again?"

  "She knows I'm summoned," she says. "But she didn't consciously send me here. When you promised--did you mean it?" she asks, looking at me imploringly.

  "Yeah I meant it," I say, giving up on the closet and shoving things under the bed. I look up at her as I'm shoving the last bit under. "So wait, what do you mean consciously?"

  She shrugs. "Sometimes I can say the things she wants to, but won't," she says. I get to my feet then blink as I realize someone's standing at my doorway. "Emily," the doppelganger says.

  "What are you doing in here?" Emily demands, coming into my room and grabbing her doppelganger, "Get out."

  "Hey, hey, don't fight with yourself," I say--trust me, I realize how strange it sounds. "You're fine. I'm done unpacking anyway." I drop down on the head of the bed, motioning for Emily to sit down as well. Is it weird that there's two girls that are actually the same girl sitting on my bed?

  Er... I think I shouldn't think too deeply on that fact.

  "Why are you so comfortable with this?" Emily demands as she sits down on the foot of the bed. The doppelganger scoots back so her back is against the wall and she can see both of us.

  "With girls on my bed? Yeah, I probably shouldn't be," I say. "But as long as we keep the door open I figure we won't get in trouble, right?"

  Emily and the doppelganger stare at me. "What exactly are you thinking?" they both ask in the same dark tone.

  "Hey, nothing bad!" I say, holding up my hands. "It's just ah... rules. Hey... why's the doppelganger out, anyway?"

  "We need to practice," they say. "Your mom said she's going to teach us to work together for girl power lessons." Then Emily gives her doppelganger a dirty look. “Although you didn’t need to show up in his room,” she complains.

  "Tag team fighting?" I say, ignoring the hints of in-fighting. "Yeah, makes sense."

  "And we're here to tell you that if you suddenly turn into a jerk we're going to beat you up," the doppelganger adds, looking fierce. "We aren't going to run again. We're not afraid of you!"

  I try not to laugh, but looking serious as I nod is quite a strain. "Makes sense," I agree.

  “And don’t laugh, because we’re serious,” Emily says, looking downright... nope, that might be her scary face, but it’s pretty cute, really. In fact I can’t help but want to see her try to beat me. It'd be fun.

  Actually... this is sort of dangerous, huh? No, not just the sitting on the bed--both Mom and Dad are no doubt listening to every word we say, much less anything else, but her looking so fierce as she tells me that she and her doppelganger will beat me up--it’s making me sort of like her. Probably not smart, I know. I mean, for one, she's under my protection, for another she's got a lot of stuff she needs to work through, stuff that's more important to deal with than prospective boyfriend girlfriend stuff, and for a third... well, I already told her she was supposed to be like a little sister, right? I'm definitely not seeing that, even with the red and blue hair (our family tends to wear a lot of red, white and blue, okay?)

  But... despite all that stuff? I'm pretty sure I’m starting to like her. Crap, and here I was planning on giving Sunny a chance. Sorry, Sunny.

  Really, really sorry.

  I don’t think I’m going to play fair for this.

  ***

  "My question is," Ken says that night, well after the kids stopped talking and went to their own rooms, "why did Principal Matkins have an unidentified, undeclared super in the school to begin with?"

  "Maybe she was trying to get a job as a teacher? Or at least claiming to. I'm not sure," Jeanie says. She curls in closer to her husband's side, resting her head on his shoulder. "Frank said he's got a few extras working the late night shift to see if they catch sight of her... oh, honey, I... we could have lost him," she whispers.

  "No. Trent might not be fully grown yet, but the majority of supers would have a hard time taking him out," Ken says. "He's getting tougher by the day, you know. In fact I'm certain he would have held his ground long enough for help to come in."

  "He did the right thing, though," Jeanie says. "By running the norms weren't exposed to a cape fight. I just... she was in our schools," she says, her hands fisting for a second. "How many others has she found that way?"

  "I don't know--the only thing I can think is that none of the identified children have been declared missing--"

  "What about ones like Emily?" Jeanie asks. "Ken, she was abused by her last family. The daughters ganged up on her, and when she couldn't handle it any longer she left her doppelganger in her place and ran off on her own. Had something happened to her, no one might have known about it until it was too late--she's not a tank like Trent, I doubt she knows how to protect herself--" she takes a shuddering breath and a tear escapes her.

  "That poor baby," Ken says quietly. "She's been opening up to you?" he asks.

  "Yes, thankfully. Liz and I are going to start teaching her and Zoe self-defense, by the way. I really should tell Nico we're going to."

  "I bet Liz already has."

  "True. Ken..." Jeanie says, hesitating for a second, "I think we should adopt Emily."

  "I don't think Trent would appreciate that one bit."

  "But--he seems fond of her!"

  "That's why he wouldn't appreciate it," Ken says. "Honey, Trent is a Liberty all the way to the souls of his feet, you know that, right?"

  "Of course I do--he's so much like you."

  "Well Liberty boys tend to like feisty females. Ones that knock you out even though you're a tank and it's the middle of a battle," Ken drawls teasingly. "Emily, even after all she's gone through, is showing signs of fight, and she's one of the few females with powers that are around his age. I'm not promising anything will happen, of course, but it's too early to go 'here you go, Trent, your new little sister.'"

  "I see... you’re right, of course. But, you know, I just wish she had gone to the parents," Jeanie says, "instead of running away."

  "Do you want to meet the parents?" Ken asks. "There could be a very good reason she didn't feel confident in going to them."

  "I know." She just doesn't want to picture supers so blind, Jeanie admits silently. "I don't know if I should meet them," she admits. "I don't want to do something I can't take back."

  "I know," Ken says.

  "And I don't want those sisters coming to the new school," Jeanie says. "Not after what they did to Emily."

  "Unfortunately, they're super kids," Ken says. "Unless some of the other branches decide to start up schools of their own, we're the only one available. And the only reason Frank feels he can start the school now is because he has Nico."

  "Why is that?" Jeanie asks. "We could have put together something--"

  "Nico is more than just the owner of the land F
rank wants to use," Ken says. "He has a family name, of course--he's a Superior, but unlike the rest of us, he wasn't trained by his father. He created both Liz's and his own training program when he was thirteen years old. Frank is betting that he'll be able to do it for all the kids. Better programs than the ones we've passed down over the years."

  "But in the hearing he was pushing the 'regulation' thing," Jeanie says, remembering watching Nico at his parole hearing quite vividly. In fact, that was the very reason she was so open to Trent going to the new school. A man that can clearly love a woman after sixteen years of being separated was not a super villain to the core. When he had stood and shouted that Summer Rosenthorn was Lady Rose, “is Lady Rose” actually, she had known for sure.

  "Oh, they will be. Each will be trained by their teachers on how to act as a proper super, but they'll also be taught to be the best they can be. Honestly I want to hear what Nico thinks Trent's training should be. I might learn something from it."

  "I wonder what he'll do with Emily," Jeanie says. "She'll make an adorable daughter-in-law, don't you think?"

  "I think you're looking a bit too far in the future, honey."

  "I should fix her hair!"

  "You're not paying attention anymore, are you?"

  ***

  "I'm sorry," Mark says, groveling in front of the woman. "I can't find him. The address I have is an empty house--I'll keep searching--"

  "No," Star says. "Don't bother. That boy, even if you didn't notice him, is one of the bigger names' child. I'm not sure which, but I have a few guesses. I am not looking for children with a name behind them." She drapes one long leg over the other, looking for all intents and purposes as if this is a social visit. "You see, he knew me for what I am, now I'm having quite a bit of difficulty even staying near this area."

  "I--I see--"

  "No, I'm afraid you don't see, Matkins," she says. Her eyes start to glow and Mark tugs on his collar, feeling the room get hotter. "What you have done is jeopardize my entire business, and brought me to the attention of the heroes. ME." The room is starting to feel like a sauna and Mark desperately tugs his coat off, fumbling with his tie. "I do not appreciate being put in this position, Matkins. In all reality I should kill you, but that would be too quick."