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

by R. J. Ross

  "We're leaving," Sunny says, stepping out into the waiting room. To my surprise, he's pushing a wheelchair with a woman sitting in it. "We're going to the Hall."

  "I can't go to the Hall!" I say. "I should go back to the apartment--"

  "I'll take her," Taurus says, stepping in behind Sunny. "What happened earlier?" he asks as he walks over to me.

  "Someone tried to grab her," Trent says before I can reply. "A super."

  "What?" Sunny asks, looking at me. He lets go of the wheelchair and comes over, grabbing my arms. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? They didn't use a needle, did they? Change into your cub form--"

  "Sunny," the woman says. "Please let your girlfriend speak before asking more questions."

  Sunny turns bright red, but he doesn't deny it, which makes me turn red in turn. Really, this lady is his mother, he shouldn't let her get strange ideas!

  "I'm not his girlfriend," I say. "And I'm fine. He just grabbed my wrist." Of course this means Sunny has to bring my wrist up to examine--"and I flipped him," I add as he turns my hand this way and that.

  "No bruises, no holes, good," Sunny says. "Why were you out here, anyway?" he demands.

  "Sunny," the woman says. "We can ask this after we've left, don't you think?" Trent's mother has taken Sunny's place at the handles of her wheelchair and she pushes her towards the elevator.

  "What did Zoe blow up, anyway?" Trent asks.

  "The defibrillator," his mother says. "It's a good thing that Nico was there, otherwise the place would have caught on fire." She looks amused at that fact.

  "I... I'm not quite sure how--" the lady starts out, looking flustered.

  "Mom, we all know Nico's our dad," Sunny says, letting go of my wrist to turn to the redheaded woman. "It's pretty obvious, actually, so obvious that he didn't even bother to have blood tests on us. That can wait until later, okay?"

  "He's a wonderful dad," Trent's mother (Star Spangled, I think, staring at her for a second. Wow she's pretty.) "He's very good with the kids, and he's done amazing things in his new job!"

  "His new job?" the lady asks.

  "He's the principal of our school," I say. "He's teaching super kids. I'm Adanna Panterus, daughter of Panther." I move forward, holding out my hand. "A future super villain." There. That should stop her from getting ideas about Sunny and me!

  "It's a pleasure to meet you," she says, shaking my hand with an honest smile. "I'm Summer Rosenthorn, Sunny and Zoe's mother. But--why is he the school principal? Do you have any idea what Nico is like?"

  "Of course we do! He's not hidden a thing," Star Spangled says. "Including the fact that he really didn't want to start the school at first. But he's worked really hard for someone that started out that way."

  We step into the elevator, crowding in tight around the wheelchair. I try to step out, going, "I'll take the next--" before Sunny grabs my hand and pulls me back.

  "If you think it's too tight for you, why don't you shift?" he says. "You can sit on Mom's lap." Considering that he's standing right behind me and I feel his breath, I nod. It's not like anyone other than supers will see it, and most of them already have--

  Basically, I'm seriously feeling claustrophobic.

  I shift into my cub form, sitting on the ground and looking up at all the legs around me. Then I pad over to the wheelchair, looking up Sunny's mom. "Oh how beautiful," she says. "You can come up," she tells me. I jump, don't quite make it, and find myself being picked up and placed on her lap.

  Maybe, I realize, sitting on a stranger's lap is worse than getting claustrophobic. But it's too late now, she's already patting my back. "I met your father a few times," she tells me, making me turn to look at her curiously. "With his work with large cats and mine with rainforests, we've had a few run-ins. He's a very nice man."

  "Is he? I've always wondered," Star Spangled says. "I've heard that your mother is a famous model, as well, Adanna. I'd love to meet her sometime."

  I look at her, wondering if she seriously thinks I'm going to introduce my mother to a famous super heroine. She's serious. You can tell by the look on her face. Thankfully I can't respond in this form.

  Summer smells like summer, I think, sniffing her curiously. Warm and woodsy with a hint of floral. It's nice when I'm surrounded by the sterile, pungent smell of the hospital. And I'm extremely sleepy, I realize, yawning. It's got to be almost four in the morning, and I haven't slept at all. That back stroking she's doing is really relaxing. My eyes feel heavy now...

  Just for a bit, I think as I curl up on her lap. I'll just close my eyes for a bit.

  ***

  She fell asleep, Sunny realizes in a bit of wonder. Just that easily she curled up and fell asleep on his mom's lap. Then again, it's probably four in the morning. The only reason he isn't crawling into someone's lap for a nap too is he's so thrilled to have his mom back. It feels like a dream, he thinks, looking at his mom.

  He reaches out, touching her hand and clenching it tightly as it wraps around his own. "I missed you," he says as the door opens.

  "I've missed you, too," she says, giving him a beautiful smile. "I like your girlfriend," she adds, still petting the panther cub on her lap.

  "Ah, she's not... I mean, we're just friends--" he stutters. "I'm working on it," he finally mutters as the rest of the group starts to laugh. They head through the entry area and out the rotating door, where Nico and Zoe are standing under a lamppost, hugging.

  "It's okay, kiddo," Nico says. "It's okay."

  "I just--it just--I can't believe I did that--" Zoe whimpers, sniffling loudly. "I want to see her but I can't--"

  "Zoe," Summer says. Zoe looks up slowly, then races forward. Sunny grabs the sleeping cub before she gets crushed by the teenage girl throwing herself at her mother. Sleepy gold eyes look up at him, then the mouth opens remarkably wide in a yawn. A pink tongue sticks out for a long second before he pulls her closer, cuddling her against his chest. Sure he would never dare to do this with her in human form, he thinks as he scratches her behind the ear, but in this form--

  She goes back to sleep.

  “Mom,” Zoe say, tears flowing freely as she looks up at their mom. “Mom I’m so sorry--I didn’t mean to blow it up--I was--“

  “It’s fine, honey, I expected this to happen sooner or later,” Summer says, hugging her tightly. “I just wasn’t quite sure how to handle it on my own,” she admits.

  “Dad--Dad’s helping me,” Zoe says against her neck. “I can get into machines now--Mom so much has happened! But that doesn't matter right now. You’ve got to swear you’re not going anywhere,” she demands. “Swear it!”

  “Well I think I’m going to the Hall right now,” Summer says. “But other than that, home, I think.”

  “We--“ Sunny interrupts, “we lost the house, Mom. We’re living in an apartment next to Death Canyon with Dad--but you can move in with us! We’ll put Zoe’s bed in my room and you can have her room--“

  “I’ll knock out a wall tomorrow and we’ll open up into the apartment next door,” Nico says. “I’ve been planning on doing it for a while--“ He stops, seeing Summer’s face. “I’m not leaving, Summer,” he says. “You should get used to that idea right now.”

  "That's not the first time you said that, either," Summer says, shaking slightly.

  "He's not a super villain anymore, Mom," Sunny says. "He's a Hall member. He's the school principal and--" Sunny blinks as a hand rests on his back, looking back at Double M curiously.

  "This is a private conversation, Sunny," Double M says quietly. "One that should take place after we get through your mother's recovery. And after we get Cub somewhere safe," he adds, looking at the cat in Sunny's arms.

  "They won't get her," Sunny says sharply. It seems a bit pathetic, he thinks, a kid like him trying to--the trees all around them start shaking, making him glance around curiously.

  "Sunny," Summer says with amazement. "You're an elementalist?"

  "Um..."

  "He is," Max sa
ys, stepping forward. "Not only can he control plants, we think he might control the earth, too. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rose. I'm Max, Double M's son. I'm dating your daughter."

  "I see," she says, looking at him closely.

  "I might be a super villain, but I know all the rules," Max says quickly. "I won't be doing anything to get tossed into Cape Cells--Trent's my nemesis, he's right over there," he adds, pointing. "We have everything figured out--"

  "Max?" Zoe says.

  "Yeah?"

  "Shut up."

  "Okay."

  They all glance up as a blur pulls to a stop in front of them, turning into a sharp, serious looking Ken. "I can't find him," he says. "I'm not sure who he is, either--it's the first time I've met someone that can phase through walls--"

  "Shadowman," Nico says. "Although I heard somewhere he was going by a different name..."

  "You know him?" Ken asks him.

  "Yes," Double M says. "He goes by Procurer now--specializes in artistic theft for blackmarket collectors. I've been watching him for a while, but he doesn't usually come to this district."

  "Do you think he could be working for that lady?" Trent asks.

  "He might be," Nico says. "But of all the kids here, why go after Cub? There's several shape shifters in the world, she can't really be considered an exotic." He walks over to Sunny, pulling the sleeping cub from his hands and holding her, himself. "But either way, I need to have a talk with Shadow."

  "This should be handled by--" Ken starts out, only to stop as Nico looks at him with a dangerous expression.

  "This is mine," Nico says. "I'm playing by the rules with my brother, but this one is mine, do you understand? Pan trusted me with his daughter, I'm going to prove he made the right choice." The cub in his hands wakes up, looking up at him in confusion. "It's okay, Cub," he says in a soothing tone. "You're safe."

  ***

  I'm in the Hall. I have no idea why I'm in the Hall, but I'm curled up on Emily's lap, who's sound asleep against Trent's shoulder--sitting up. We're on a couch of some sort, I think, looking around. How do I know I'm in the Hall? They've got their symbol on every wall around me.

  Do they realize who I am? Maybe they only let me in because I look like a cat. I stand, look up at Emily, and hop off of her lap. If they think I'm just a cat, maybe I can look around!

  What? You can't tell me you're not curious about this place, too! Especially since it looks like I'm in the hidden part of the building--the part where norms and outsiders aren't allowed to be. It's their own fault I'm here, I tried to tell them that I couldn't come!

  The room we're in looks a lot like the government's room on TV, there's a main area and a large set of C shaped tables around it, then chairs going upwards like a theater. I head for the steps, look at them for a long moment, and start up them. It's not easy in this form, but I really, really want to see this place--

  I can hear you going "Curiosity killed the cat" again, you know. I don't appreciate it.

  Top! I've reached the top! I would celebrate, but I'm exhausted. I plop down on my belly, panting for a moment as I contemplate shifting into my human form. I can't, I think, stubbornly getting to my feet again. If I'm going to do reconnaissance, I need to keep my secret identity!

  Okay, maybe I'm enjoying this a bit too much, but you and I are the only ones that know that, and you're on the other side of the fourth wall, so you can't tell anyone! I trot down the hall (of the Hall, really that's redundant) with my head held high and my tail twitching behind me cheerfully. I'm a cat, just a cat, I got in when someone left the door open, lalalaa, you don't see meee.

  I totally just walked past Falconess. Don't look back, don't look back--eep! I feel my paws moving but no tiles underneath them and hands around my belly--she caught me! I feel myself being turned so she's looking into my eyes.

  "Hello," she says with a serious expression.

  "Myrr?" I say as innocently as I can.

  "You know," she says, "I've battled with your father many, many times." She's tucking me up against her chest even as she says she knows exactly who I am. "And whenever I'm training someone, I send them up against him to teach them the ropes." And she's strolling through the Hall--not back towards the meeting area, no, she's heading away from it--where's she taking me??

  I squirm, but there's no way to get free. She's a lot stronger than I am. "Don't tell the younger supers," she whispers, that same serious look on her face. She looks so business like, I think, staring up at her, but she's showing a prospective enemy their home base. Is she crazy?

  "Falconess!" a man dressed in black says, jumping as if he's been caught. The woman in black that had been talking with him turns, flipping through folders as if it's suddenly the most important thing in the building. "We were just getting to work--"

  "Please do," Falconess says, looking at him with sharp eyes. "Flirting can wait until after work, don't you think?"

  "Flirting--no! We were--were discussing work!" he says, saluting before turning back to the other woman. "Did you get the--"

  Falconess walks on, only letting out a little laugh when there's no one around. "Oh, they're so fun," she says, a little smile playing on her face. "Here we are," she goes on, stepping into a room. It looks, for all the world, like a cafeteria. I find myself straining to look around, my eyes widening as I see a good dozen supers sitting at various tables, eating. There's Mega, and Starlight and--

  "Is there a reason you're carrying--" Mega starts out, only to stare at me for a moment in surprise. "A cat?" he finishes a bit belatedly. Does he know who I am? I've heard that he's the vice principal of our school, but I've never actually seen him there except for that first tour. Maybe he's just called that so he can be brought in to cover up in front of the norms when something happens.

  "What's the matter, Mega? Allergic?" Falconess asks blandly as she heads for the line. "Let's see if we can get you something to eat, shall we?" she asks me, scratching my head gently.

  "You could say that," Mega says, walking alongside us and staring at me. I look him straight in the eyes, then, because I've only had a few hours sleep, I yawn. "Are you sure you should be carrying that cat around?" he demands in a low voice.

  "Feeding a cute little stray isn't a sin, you know," Falconess says, shifting me to one arm and grabbing a tray to get in line.

  "I'm rather sure she's not a stray. Or even a housecat," Mega says.

  "You're not a stray?" Falconess asks me.

  "Myrr?" I say.

  "She has no idea what you're talking about," Falconess tells him, quite seriously.

  Mega looks at me, then leans down, so his face is on level with mine. "You will behave yourself," he says, waving a finger in my face. "Understand?"

  "Mega, you're lecturing a kitten," Falconess says as she puts a bowl of fruit on her tray, then piles up sausage on a plate. "Really, you're going a bit overboard--"

  A tapping sound comes over the speaker above our heads and I hear a familiar voice. "Sorry for hacking into the system, guys, but we're missing a cute little black cat and if we don't find her, my son's going to start losing his cool. So if you see a kitten around here, please bring her to the meeting room. I repeat, if you find a black kitten, bring her to the meeting room. Thanks," Nico says.

  "Looks like you're busted," Falconess tells me.

  "Rowr," I agree, looking sadly at the sausages. I jump from her hold onto the tray and grab one before jumping off and heading down the hall again. We came this way, turned down this hall and--here we go, I think, still carrying my snack, the meeting room. I hop down the steps, stopping in front of a highly worried looking Sunny, then sit down to eat my sausage.

  "Where were you?" he demands, crouching down in front of me. "Is that a sausage?"

  I move my paw, blocking him from taking my snack. "Rowr," I say, showing teeth. It's mine!

  "Okay, okay," he says, sitting down in front of me. "But you didn't run into that shadow guy or anyone, right?"

  "We're
in the Hall," Nico says from behind him. "More likely she ran into the cafeteria. Your mother's sleeping, so why don't we go get breakfast, ourselves?"

  Sunny picks me up, giving me time to grab the last piece of sausage. "Should Adanna change into her human form?" he asks.

  "That's up to her. Remember, she's still the daughter of a super villain, she might feel safer pretending to be a cat."

  Yes, yes I absolutely do. I wonder what Papa would say if he knew where I was right now. I finish off the meat, wondering why I enjoy it so much more in this form, then jump onto Sunny's shoulder, feeling too much like a baby being held in his arms. Then I have to dig in my claws to keep my balance and wrap my tail around his neck.

  "You're going to have to start working out," Nico says. "Otherwise your shoulders are going to be too skinny when she gets bigger."

  I want to protest, tell them both that I'm not going to make a habit of riding around on Sunny's shoulders, but it's sort of hard to do when you can't talk. Besides, it's his fault that I missed out on that platter of sausages with Falconess, I think, settling down on his shoulders. He owes me a ride for that!

  You know... I sort of think being in cub form too long effects me a bit. Oh well, I'll think about it later. "Myrrrow!" I demand, bringing up a paw to point forward. Onward, steed, to the sausages!

  Sunny lets out a laugh, yawning hugely. "Okay, I'm going, but after that we get a nap, right?"

  "Rrrmrrwwr," I say, trying to tell him that he gets far too much sleep on a daily basis, anyway, so he's not going to die. Whereas I am a growing cub! I need food!

  "I'm pretty sure she's lecturing you again," Nico says, heading down the hall next to us with his hands in his pockets.

  "In cub form," Sunny agrees.

  "Mmmrrrowr," I go on, since clearly he NEEDS to be lectured, regardless of whether he can understand it or not. They both start laughing as we enter the cafeteria, even as I go halfway down Sunny's shirt, dig one paw's claws in, and turn and bat him on the cheek to make him pay attention.

  "Okay, okay, I know I sleep too much," he says, grabbing me before I plummet headfirst into the ground. "I get it. You can stop the kitty lecture." He's grinning, though, so I don't think he took me very seriously. I look around, seeing Falconess sitting at a nearby table reading a book as if she knew nothing about me. Oh, she's good.