Daddy's Girl: Cape High Book Five

by R. J. Ross

  Oh, forget it, I think, getting to my knees and grabbing the watch. Time to get out of here before I get caught. I don't breathe until I'm slipping back into Liz's apartment and sliding under my blanket again, the watch clutched in my hand. I've got to get some sleep, tomorrow we're going to the zoo.

  And the past.

  ***

  I am so exhausted that I can't see straight, yet here I am, dressed in an outfit that I'm half sure matches, okay, not sure at all, standing in a parking lot and waiting impatiently for the line in front of me to get in this big black and silver bus so we can go to the zoo. Aubrey yawns loudly from behind me and I feel her head thump against my back and stay there.

  "I think she's asleep," Emily says, yawning as well.

  Sure enough I hear a faint snore from behind. "Yeah, she's asleep," I agree dryly. "Wish I could be." I reach down and pick up my backpack just on the off chance that I'll get to step forward. I can't help but glance around, checking on all the others. There's Noelle. She's standing to the side of the line talking with Justin. I can't help but wonder what they're talking about, especially when both of them turn and look straight at me. "Um... can you take her?" I ask Emily, starting for the two.

  I don't even glance back to make sure she's got Aubrey before crossing through the group and walking up to Noelle and Justin. "Did you get it?" Noelle hisses the second I get close enough.

  "Yeah, I got it," I whisper, glancing around to make sure no one's listening. This isn't the place to be discussing it, I know.

  "I still say this is crazy," Justin mutters, turning to look at me. "You shouldn't do this. You have no idea what's going to change if you do."

  "I've got an idea," I say, feeling my face get hot. I hate being accused of being a moron, which is practically what he's doing. The worst part is he might be right.

  "Where is it?" Noelle asks, looking at my wrists.

  "In my bag," I say. "Enjoy the night without me?" I ask a bit louder.

  "It was definitely quieter," she says, matching my tone. "I mean, the lack of snoring was amazing."

  "I do not snore!" I blink as Justin grabs my arm, tugging me away from Noelle. "What?" I demand as he glances around with a worried expression.

  "I think you're letting her influence you way too much," he says, digging a pair of ugly glasses out of his pocket and putting them on. They're followed by a hat that's seen better days. Honestly, now that I look, he's dressed terribly. He looks like a walking advertisement of what NOT to wear. "You don't need to do this--I know you miss your dad, but... time travel, it's dangerous, right? You could get caught and experimented on, or you could get stuck in the past, or--"

  "If I do, won't you be better off?" I ask. "We both know we don't like each other. I'll finally be out of your way."

  "I don't DON'T like you, I mean, sure you're annoying half the time, but that doesn't mean I want you stuck in some time warp! Don't do this, Morgan," he says, looking urgent. Honestly, though, in that outfit he looks more constipated than urgent to me.

  "You look like a moron," I have to point out.

  "I don't want people recognizing me," he mutters, turning a bit red. "But we're not talking about me! We're talking about--"

  "Alright, alright," I hear Nico call from behind me. I turn to look at him. He doesn't look like he's been awake all night--that is SO not fair. A large man in a dress shirt and a pair of slacks steps up next to him, earning a strange look from Nico. "Excuse me," he says to the group of kids. "Something we can do for you, Mega?"

  "Call me Robert," Mega says. I've never seen Mega out of uniform before, he looks pretty boring in the typical super hero way. Square jaw, narrow eyes, dark brown hair cut in a typical business style. "I'm the vice principal, aren't I?"

  "In theory," Nico drawls.

  "Well I figured I would make sure this little trip goes smoothly," Mega says.

  "Fine," Nico says. "Kids, Bob here is going to be one of the adult supervisors. Now, on to more important things. Banshee already gave you the speech once, right? No killing, maiming, or using powers where norms can see. Morgan, you have your bracelet?" he asks me.

  I dig through my pocket and pull it out, showing him before slipping it on. "Good," he says. "Start it up, you might accidentally bump into someone. Nice glasses, Justin."

  "Shuddup," Justin mutters, looking even redder than before. "Going into the public was your idea."

  "Yeah, yeah, well what are you waiting for? Everyone in," Nico says, motioning the line to start into the bus. I fall into the line, heading into the bus and looking around. I half expect to see Jack sitting next to Aubrey, but the seat is empty and she's waving at me, now awake.

  "Come sit with me!" she calls.

  I glance back at Noelle, who's getting on the bus just now, and head for the empty seat. "Where's Jack?"

  "Jack can't come," she says. "He sticks out too much."

  "Yeah, he would," I say. This could be the last chance I get to spend some time with my best friend, so I don't feel guilty for being happy he isn't coming.

  "So... is there something you're not telling me?" she asks, turning to look at me with a little grin on her face as if something big is about to be announced. I don't think so. I mean, she would definitely try to stop me if I told her I was about to go into the past.

  "Like what?" I ask.

  "Like about that little scene with Justin!" she whispers. "Are you two dating?"

  I stare at her blankly. "What?"

  "He literally pulled you away from everyone, and he looked embarrassed, he was confessing, wasn't he?"

  "Confessing what?" I ask, still completely blank on where she's going. She groans.

  "That he likes you?" she offers, as if it's an obvious fact.

  "Justin doesn't like me," I say. I'm not sure where she's getting this idea from, and it worries me a bit. I reach up, touching her forehead. "You didn't get sick from lack of sleep or something, did you?" I ask. "You don't have a fever, but you can never be sure--"

  "I'm not sick," she says. "But you're oblivious."

  "Oblivious to what? Something that's clearly not there?" I say, shaking my head and facing the front again. I feel like someone's watching me... I glance up, looking at Mega, who's standing at the front of the bus. Nah, it wouldn't be him. I'm just feeling paranoid right now. At any moment Nico's going to accuse me of stealing the time travel watch, or I'm going to look so guilty that someone actually asks what I'm about to do--

  "Oh, it's there," Aubrey says. "Which one of us has a boyfriend, huh? You or me?"

  "What does Jack have to do with this?" I ask her blankly.

  "I'm better at reading guys!"

  I stare at her. "Really," I say dryly. "You really just said that when you're dating a walking telephone pole."

  "He's not a walking telephone pole!" she protests.

  "I saw Sunny trying to put a sign on his back with a magnet the other day," I say. "About a garage sale."

  "It worked, too!" Sunny calls from the front of the bus. Holy crap, he heard us? How many people are listening to this conversation? Is Justin? Oh man, oh man, I REALLY hope not. Seriously, he'll never let me live it down!

  "You don't even have a garage," Max calls from across the aisle from him.

  "So? I can still sell stuff!"

  I lean forward, resting my forehead on the seat in front of me and trying to disappear. I feel someone tap me on the back of the head and I glance up, seeing Noelle looking down at me. "You okay?" she whispers. "You're ready for this, right?"

  No. Absolutely not. I force a smile. "Sure, I'm ready for this." I feel a hand take mine and I glance back, looking at Aubrey.

  "I know," Aubrey says, "that this is going to be hard on the group. It--it's not easy seeing anyone in cages after... you know. But I just--" she looks like she's going to cry. I can't believe I honestly forgot the big problem about this trip. I was so busy thinking about myself and my own problems that I forgot how a trip to the zoo might affect the zoo kids!
<
br />   "It's okay," I say, tightening my hold on her hand, grateful that I don't feel her powers this time. The bracelet is working. I get up on my knees in the seat and turn to face the seats behind me, where the zoo kids are sitting. "Guys?" I ask. "You okay?"

  Ward looks a little pale and Carla looks close to tears, but Vinny is reading a cooking magazine with his feet kicked up in the seat next to him. "We're fine," he says. "I was thinking of grilling tonight, maybe make hamburgers. Anyone interested?"

  I see their faces. First most of them look shocked, a bit offended, that he's taking it so easily, then Lance speaks up. "I want chicken!"

  "Grilled chicken?" Vinny says thoughtfully. "Doesn't sound bad. Who's up for grilled chicken tonight?"

  "Can we grill corn on the cob, too?" Carla asks, her expression lightening at the thought. "I LOVE grilled corn on the cob!"

  "Sure, why not?" Vinny says, which is nice of him because he usually argues with Carla about everything, especially sides. "We'll do some baked potatoes, too."

  "It sounds great," I say, relaxing as they relax. I want to remember this minute, this scene. The group working together to face a problem. I feel a little smile pull at my lips. I'm glad that no one skipped because of bad memories. Maybe Aubrey was right about doing this. Maybe--

  The bus pulls to a stop and I turn around, watching as Nico stands in front. "Stay with the group," he says. "If you need to go to the restroom or anything like that, tell one of the adults. And as we've said several times already, don't use your powers, got it?"

  "Got it," we call back when he seems to be waiting for a reply.

  "Good. Now, let's go." He steps off the bus and we all stand, waiting for our turn to exit. How are we going to find enough privacy to use the watch? From the sound of it, we won't even be able to go to the restroom without an adult super there! I look at Noelle, who's standing right in front of me, but I can't ask. I just have to play it by ear.

  ***

  Why is Mega here? The question is stuck in Nico's mind on repeat. Why is Mega here? He's never shown interest in the school. Sure once in a while he'll show up, but never more than for a few minutes to put his two cents in. That he volunteered to oversee a day long trip to the local zoo, making sure a bunch of teenagers don't try and feed the smallest kid to the lions, well, it doesn't sound like Mega. Especially when Mega has even been slacking on his cape duties because of the movie thing.

  So why is Mega here? Nico assumes it's to keep the cape brats from messing up, but even that's not enough motive for an egotist like Mega to come for a full day thing. If anything he would usually lecture Nico for a few minutes about making sure they behaved and go on with his life. Instead the cape in question steps off of the bus and stands to the side, watching each of the kids closely--and staring at Morgan.

  Was it because of the trip to Cape Cells? It has to be, Nico realizes. Mega's worried that she was influenced by Shawn and wants to make sure she behaves. But... he finds himself wishing abruptly that he understood human thoughts as well as he does computers. Something still seems off about that conclusion as well.

  He glances at the rest of the school staff, nodding to Banshee. Without a word the adult capes shift their places, moving in a casual circle around the group and chatting with whatever kid is closest. It's only Mega that hasn't moved, he notices. "To the back," he says to him.

  "The back?" Mega repeats.

  "Move to the back of the group," Nico clarifies. "Make sure we have no stragglers." Since when has Mega needed clarification on things like this? "You feeling okay?"

  "Fine," Mega says, looking at the back of the group. "Just fine," he adds before heading for the back of the group--right behind Morgan. Nico almost curses himself for that oversight.

  ***

  "So what did you watch last night?" Vinny asks. I'm surrounded by zoo kids, all of them silently walking in a mob, with the more vulnerable ones inching to the center of the group. It's no wonder that Vinny's on the side nearest the animals, it IS a wonder that Carla's decided to walk right next to him--although that might just be because I'm behind them.

  "I promised I'd never tell," I say, glancing around. We're walking past the otters right now, and they don't seem that unhappy to be behind a clear wall. I hesitate, though, when I see Carla glance over at them. She looks torn, as if part of her wants to go closer to see the animals play while the other part of her wants as far away from the plastic wall as she can get. It's going to get worse, though, I think as I look to where the adults are leading us. Those polar bears are definitely going to be behind glass.

  "Hey," Vinny says abruptly. "What's fluffy skirt doing back here? Slumming?" The entire group looks at Noelle, who's walking beside me.

  "Oh yes, I'm slumming," Noelle drawls, rolling her eyes. "Like I know anyone in this time OTHER than you guys. By the way, Vinny, your underwear are showing," she adds, pointing at his colorful boxers.

  "That's FASHION," he says, looking self conscious. He's probably fighting the urge to pull his pants up right now. I give you odds. He doesn't usually dress like this.

  "So you show off your man panties on purpose?" she asks blankly. "And people think MY fashion sense is weird."

  I hear most of the group choke and Carla starts laughing out loud, earning a dirty look from Vinny. "What? She said man panties!" Carla says. "That's funny!"

  "They're boxers," Vinny says. "You've got boxers in the future, right?"

  "No," Noelle says straight-faced. "I still wear panties in the future. What kind of weirdo do you think I am?"

  "Not YOU, you! I mean--there ARE boxers in the future, right? We aren't all stuck in real man pa--whatever they are, are we?" he asks, looking worried. This is probably the most worried I've ever seen him lately, and it's over underwear. Needless to say I'm trying really hard not to laugh.

  Noelle has this positively evil look in her eyes as she looks back and forth. "Okay, I'll tell you a secret about the future," she says in a quiet tone, making everyone lean in. "I'm not supposed to tell ANYONE this, got it? So keep it to yourself. In the future, guys wear--" She leans forward, cupping her hands around his ear and whispering something I can't hear.

  Vinny goes pale. "You're kidding, right?" he says as she pulls away.

  "I dunno, do you think I am?" she asks.

  "Morgan, tell her to stop trolling me!" Vinny says. The entire group, even the apartment kids in the front, burst out laughing. A little grin pulls at Vinny's lips, even though he's the butt of the joke. At least everyone's calmed down. I watch him for a second and he gives me a full grin. He did it on purpose. Maybe he's not as callous as I assumed. That's good, since he'll be the leader in my place.

  We head for the polar bear enclosure, stopping at the glass window and peeking inside. Neither of the polar bears are in the grassy area, so we have to move over and avoid bumping into a dozen little kids and their mothers to see the rock and pool area. A huge polar bear is doing flips in the water, where he comes up right against the wall and shoves off with paws bigger than my head. The group seems to have forgotten the problem with the glass walls and are exclaiming over how huge he is. I feel a hand grab my wrist and glance up, looking at Noelle, who nods.

  I hesitate, looking behind us. Mega is standing there, his arms crossed over his chest, a slightly bored expression on his face. "Hey, um, can we go to the restroom?" I ask him.

  "In a bit," he says.

  "Okay," I say, turning back to the glass. I'm thrown off guard at the sight of Justin looking straight at me. Man those glasses don't do a thing for him. He looks so stupid. Wait, why's he looking at me, anyway? I look away from him, staring at the polar bear instead. "What's his name?" I ask curiously.

  "Who, Justin?" Noelle asks.

  "No, the polar bear," I say. "He's got a name, right?"

  "I dunno," she says.

  "Alright, there's more kids that want to see the bear, so let's get moving," Nico calls from the door leading into the building part of the polar bear area. We f
ollow him and I bump against a ten year old kid. For a second I stare at him, then I realize nothing happened. I can't begin to say how grateful I am for the bracelet. I let out a little breath, relaxing as we step into the building. The group spreads out, looking around curiously and looking at the televisions hanging in the corners.

  "Keep moving, keep moving," Nico says, waving us forward. He's staring straight at me, with a strange expression. Does he know? Has he figured it out somehow? I mean, he's got techno abilities or whatever, doesn't that mean he can locate machines without even seeing them? He's probably figured out that the watch is in my backpack-- "Mega," he says abruptly, "keep up."

  I turn, looking behind me at the cape in question. He nods but doesn't reply. Is there some sort of bad blood between the two guys? I mean, Nico was once a super villain and Mega's a super hero, so there probably is. That might be a good thing, since it'll keep Nico preoccupied. We step out of the building and start down a path. I look up as Justin pulls back, letting most of the group walk past. He slides in next to me, a rather hunted look on his face.

  "I swear one of those ten year olds recognized me," he whispers. "She was staring at me the entire time we were standing there."

  "Maybe she was just terrified that something like you went out in public," I drawl.

  "She's got a point," Noelle says. "You look like a cartoon version of a nerd. Even real nerds don't look like that, do they?" she says, glancing at me for confirmation.

  "I've never seen it, but we're not exactly going to a normal school," I say. "I mean, the closest we get to a nerd is Max, right?"

  "I heard that," Max calls from the front of the group. "How am I the closest to a nerd?"

  "You're the smartest in the group, that makes you a nerd, right?" Sunny says a bit too cheerfully.

  "I say Sunny's the school nerd," Max declares.

  "He's not smart enough for that title," Adanna declares.

  "Adanna!" Sunny complains. "I thought you liked me!"

  "Yes, but I'm not blind," she says. "You have to be smart to be a nerd."