Jessica scoots to the edge of the sofa and leans closer. “And….what happened?”
“I found out the next piece in the puzzle. We need to go to Las Vegas next.”
“Las Vegas? When are you going?”
“Saturday, I hope.”
“What’s your cover story?”
“Cover story?” I ask.
“In case Dad asks. He may want to know where he can find you.”
“I’ll just say I’m hanging out at the beach.”
“Okay.” Jessica says.
We hear the front door open. We both turn as Dad walks into the living room rubbing his left shoulder.
“Hey, girls.” He says, stops and then looks at us. “What’s going on?” He asks, looking confused.
“We’re just watching the news.” I say.
“Together?” He asks.
“Of course.” Jessica says.
She points to the screen as they show another clip of me flying.
“What do you think about this flying girl business?” Jessica asks him.
Dad looks at the television. His eyes widen and he runs a rough hand through his short blonde hair.
“Holy cow!” He blurts out and chuckles quietly. “So, she’s really real?”
“Yep.” Jessica says and looks intently at me.
“So, what do you think, Dad?” I ask and look up at him.
“As long as she’s helping, then great. This city could use a helping hand.” Dad replies, yawns and heads out to the kitchen.
Jessica’s still looking intently at me. “Well?” She whispers.
I look down at my hands. “Not yet, Jessica. I don’t feel ready yet.”
“Well, don’t take too long.” Jessica says, then gets up and leaves the living room.
I know she’s right. I should tell him. But I can’t take this pressure right now. I’ll tell him when I feel ready. I switch the television off just as they show an old mug shot of Dino Costello. I head into the kitchen, where Dad is preparing dinner.
I eat my chili con carne and brown rice slowly, while I think about Mitchell. The way we last spoke played on my mind. The look in his eyes. Like he was worried about me, scared almost, it haunted me. I need to patch things up and make him see the real me. I can’t leave things as they are. I have an idea, as I take my plate to the dishwasher.
Sixteen
After my last class finishes, I hurry to the lockers. I find Mitchell as he’s putting his books back. I secure my Chinese lucky cat backpack, then hurry over.
“Hi.” I say and look up at him.
“Hey.” He replies, as he closes his locker.
He slips his black Chicago Bulls backpack over his left shoulder, then turns to walk away. He stops and looks back at me.
“You okay?” He asks.
I shrug and walk past him.
“Look, about yesterday. I wasn’t accusing you of anything. You know that right?” He says quickly as he catches up.
“That’s not what it sounded like.” I reply as I walk.
“It’s just…well….these powers…” He leans down and whispers. “..if we’re not careful, people could get hurt.”
“You don’t think I know that?” I retort.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I’m not gonna hurt anyone, okay.” I say and sigh in exasperation.
He reaches out and grabs my shoulder. “Hey. What’s wrong?” He asks
He turns me around, so that I’m looking at him. I crane my neck and look up into his anxious face.
“I’m just trying to right a wrong here. You’re acting like it’s a crime.” I reply irritably.
He lowers his voice and looks around. “I don’t think it’s a crime, okay. But hurting people to get what you want, well, that is a crime. I just want you to go about this with a clear head, not…”
“Not what? Not emotional? You forget one thing.” I say. “This is personal. It’s impossible to separate emotion from this.” I declare. I then hold up my hands in protest. “But please know this. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Least of all my friends.” I say, turn and walk away.
He follows again.
“I don’t want you to get hurt, either.” He says as he walks in step with me.
Well, that makes two of us.
“Don’t worry, I’m tougher than I look.” I reply as I get in line at the security checkpoint.
“I noticed.” He says and smirks. “Look, why don’t we just get out of town for a while. Get some air. Maybe cool that temper of yours, hmm?” He suggests.
“Okay.” I relent. Man, he’s persistent.
Once outside, I walk towards Clark Street and then head towards the lake. When I’m sure no one is really paying any attention to us, I look up at him.
“Race you.” I say and take off.
I hear the rush of wind behind me as he runs after me. The streets blur as we rocket towards the lake. I see the murky water up ahead. I skid to a stop on Lakeshore Drive, just past the lagoon. I see Mitchell down on the beach waiting for me, with a big grin on his face. Damn, he’s fast.
I walk over to him and wrap my small arms around his waist. With a kick, I launch us both into the late afternoon sky. I fly over the lake as I climb higher.
“Wow.” Mitchell blurts out as he looks down. “I thought I’d be too heavy for you.” He says in surprise.
“Nothing’s too heavy for Cosmic Girl.” I reply in my best Superman impression.
He laughs and looks down at the lake far below.
“I gotta admit. This is pretty cool.” He says after a while.
“It’s not what the power does to you, but what you do with the power that matters.” I reply philosophically.
“Okay. This power is pretty cool.” He says.
“So will you drop the whole, power corrupts, thing?” I ask.
He looks up at me. A small smile plays on his lips. “We’ll see.”
Yep, he’s persistent.
“So, where are we going?” Mitchell asks.
“Getting some air.” I whisper in his ear.
We scare a black gull to death, when it almost flies into us, as we fly over the lake. It squawks unhappily and flaps madly to get away from us, with some feathers flying off, while I hover and chuckle at it. Silly bird.
“This isn’t exactly what I meant, when I said we should get some air.” He says.
“But, you can’t beat the air up here. It’s the best.” I reply and climb higher.
The wispy white clouds shoot past as we rocket through the Azure blue sky, heading east. We soon leave the city far behind us as I fly over fields and farms. Then we pass over another city as I accelerate more, until I hear two more sonic booms far behind us. Now there’s no other sound but the roar of the wind in our ears.
“Wow. And I thought I was fast.” Mitchell shouts as I increase my grip on him.
I giggle. On the ground, Mitchell is the fastest, but up here, I rule. I climb higher to avoid any commercial flights, as the world below us becomes a green blur. I slow down when I see a dark blue line ahead, then bank right and follow the coastline south. After a while, I see my destination approaching and begin to descend. After a few more seconds, the island of Manhattan begins to become clearer. I head for the Empire State Building. I land quickly on the observation deck, next to two excited boys and their mother.
“Mommy, mommy, did you see?” One of the boys calls out and tugs on his mother’s coat.
“I can see fine. Shush.” She responds and ruffles his hair.
“New York?” Mitchell says.
He walks up to the railing and gazes down.
I join him by the railing and smile up at him. “Surprise.” I say and giggle.
“Cool.” Mitchell says and reaches for my hand.
My hand instinctively reaches out, but I stop myself. I take a step back instead. I can’t lead him on, I remind myself. We’re just friends. Friends don’t hold hands. “You hungry?” I ask.
�
�Like a horse.” He responds.
“Me too.” I say and head indoors.
We make our way to the elevator, but there’s a bit of a wait, as people line up and wait their turn. We get to street level fifteen minutes later. Once outside, the noise and energy of the city engulfs us. People are hurrying along the sidewalk, and a yellow cab honks at people by the stop light. I lead him to the edge of the sidewalk and look around. I point to a McDonald’s across the street. He makes a face and shakes his head.
“No. There’s a famous place here that does the best hot dogs, or so they say. I’m trying to remember the name.” He says and begins walking down 5th Avenue.
When we come to cross the road, he cranes his neck to look as far down the street as he can. We cross and then he sighs and stops. He waves at a passer-by.
“Excuse me. But where do they do the best hot dogs?” Mitchell asks a young woman in a smart grey business suit, who is hurrying along.
She stops and looks at Mitchell. Her eyes move up and down his body, then she smiles. Hey, is she checking him out?
“Well, hello there.” She all but purrs. I don’t like her voice
“Yeah, hi. Where do they do the best hot dogs?” Mitchell asks again.
“Oh, that’s easy sweetie. That’s Gray’s Papaya, in the village.”
“Where’s that, exactly?” I ask, stepping between her and Mitchell. I try and smile, but I can’t help scowling at her.
She looks at me for a second, then back at Mitchell. Hey, what am I, chopped liver?
“6th Avenue, by the square.” She says, glares at me, then gives Mitchell a lingering look before hurrying on her way.
“She was odd.” Mitchell remarks, before turning and heading along West 32 Street.
Typical. He has no idea what effect he has on us girls.
We find 6th Avenue and begin walking south.
“It’s a shame we can’t just zip along here.” I say, as we scoot around people and wait at the stop light.
“I thought traffic in Chicago was bad.” Mitchell says as we wait for the lights to change.
Twenty five minutes later and we’re waiting in line outside Gray’s Papaya. The smell is mouth-watering. I’m salivating as I stare through the glass at the different varieties of hot dogs. We both order two beef hot dogs and a 14 ounce drink each. I eat the first dog before I even realize it, so I take my time with the second one. I hate it when that happens. You begin enjoying something, then it’s gone and you’re like, whoa, what happened, where did it go?
I wash them down with some grape juice, while Mitchell finishes his last dog. He sips his orange juice as we walk down 6th Avenue. I smile when I see the street sign for Waverly Place and point it out to Mitchell. He just shrugs and stops to look in some storefront windows.
That’s when I hear it.
The faint sound of an alarm going off some distance away. Followed shortly by some faint cracks. I know what that sounds like. Uh, oh. Gunfire.
“You hear that?” I ask as I unfasten my backpack and slip it off my shoulders.
“Yeah. Sounds like it’s close.” Mitchell replies as he shrugs out of his backpack.
“This way.” I say and nod towards a gap between two buildings, which creates a very small alley.
I head quickly into the alley while I unzip my backpack. Once out of sight, I reach in and grab my costume. I hover off the ground and spin rapidly as I change into my purple costume. I change in nanoseconds. Mitchell puts on his costume just as quick, secures his helmet, then slips his backpack on and fastens it. I remove my colored contacts and put them in their protective case, then shove them into my backpack. I grab my pink glittery eye mask and put it on, then secure my backpack in place. I nod to Mitchell. We race out of the alley and rocket towards the gunfire, which is sounding louder now. We’re getting close.
I see Mitchell stop up ahead. I slow down and stop next to him. This is what I see. Three squad cars are arranged in an arc outside of an old brown building with pillars. The police officers are crouched behind their cars, as someone fires shots at them from the doorway of the old building. I can see the glint of metal in someone’s hand sticking out of the doorway. They’re firing blindly into the street, hitting street lights, trees and some of the cop cars. There’s a loud bang and hiss, as one of the car tires is hit.
“Let’s go.” Mitchell says and hurries over to the police officers.
We crouch down and I tap one of the officers on the shoulder.
“Get back, please…..what the hell?” He says as he looks at us. “Who the hell are you supposed to be?”
“We’re here to help. What’s the situation?” Mitchell asks.
“To be honest, we’re not sure. The alarm was raised and we headed right over. Then the shooting started. We don’t know how many are in there.”
“Do you mind if we take a look?” I ask.
He looks at me like I’ve just escaped from a mental hospital or something. He shakes his head.
I feel the familiar pain in my head and hear the ringing in my ears. The window of the car door explodes near my head, as another gunshot rings out.
“Just stay low and don’t do anything stupid.” He replies and gazes over the hood of his squad car as another gunshot rings out.
“Come on.” I say to Mitchell, then stand up and walk around the police car.
“Are you nuts, you’re gonna get shot!” The police officer shouts after us as we walk calmly across the street towards the building.
The pain in my head warns me of the incoming bullet. I twist and let it pass by. The shooting stops and a man’s face emerges from behind the paneled door.
“Don’t come any closer. Stop, or I’ll drop you.” The man shouts.
I stop and look up at Mitchell.
“Do you want to?” I ask.
“You sure you don’t want to?” He replies in a deep muffled voice. His voice sounds so different coming through the helmet. Powerful. Confident.
“I wouldn’t mind. I just thought that I’d give you the opportunity first.” I say.
“Thanks.” He replies.
“What the hell are you idiots talking about?” The man shouts and points the gun at us.
I hear a rush of wind, then Mitchell materializes next to the man. He pulls the gun from him.
“We were talking about who gets to knock you out.” Mitchell replies, then knocks the man gently on the head with his fist. The man crumples to the ground, then Mitchell blurs as he heads inside. I fly up and through the large doorway. I hover a few feet up within the bank and check the scene. Mitchell has taken out another gunman. I scan the crowd of people for anything shiny or metallic. A woman raises her head and points towards the counter. I follow her arm and fly over the barrier. I land on the black and white tiled floor.
“Come on, hurry up, the fuzz are outside.” A man’s rough voice shouts from around a corner.
I hover off the ground, and fly towards the corner and take a peek. A large man in a ski mask is pressing a gun to a man’s head at the end of a corridor, while two more men are trying to open the large steel vault.
“Hey, I don’t hear any gunshots.” One of the men says, then turns and looks towards the bank lobby. He sees me.
I quickly fly around the corner, tear the gun from the man’s hand and pull the hostage away.
“Run.” I say.
He scrambles towards the lobby while sobbing.
“What have we got here, boys?” The gunman says.
“I didn’t know the circus was in town.” One of them laughs.
“Now, now, boys.” I say and shake my head. “Didn’t your mothers ever tell you that it’s wrong to steal?” I say and fold my arms as I gaze at them.
“No. Just don’t get caught. Right, boys?” The gunman replies.
The other two men laugh as they pull out there guns.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I warn them, unfold my arms and hover towards them slowly.
“Hey,
is she flying?” One of the men asks.
Pain explodes in my head and I hear the familiar ringing sound. But of course, I already know what’s coming.
“I don’t give a damn. Just shoot her.” The large gunman shouts and steps to the side as his two goons open fire at me.
Being bulletproof is definitely one of the powers that I enjoy, but they still hurt. Okay, so I’m not 100% bulletproof, then. Probably more like 80%, maybe.
The first impact feels like a bee sting as it hits my left shoulder, but then the next few start to feel more like being punched on my arms and stomach as they hit me. I fly towards them and grab their stupid guns. I scrunch them in my hands and drop them at their feet. They look down before looking at me in shock, then take a step backwards.
“What the hell are you….freak?” The large gunman asks as I grab him by his neck and yank him off his feet.
“No one you wanna mess with.” I sneer through gritted teeth.
Pain is exploding all over my body now from the impacts. I pull him after me as I fly backwards towards the lobby.
“Follow me!” I growl at the other two men through clenched teeth.
The two goons nod and follow after me as I fly towards the bank’s lobby. I see Mitchell jump over the high barrier. He lands heavily near the two men as I lead them back out. One of them staggers backwards and lands on his butt. I see Mitchell pick him up with one hand and carry him. Police officers are now entering with their guns raised, surveying the scene. They stop and look up at me as I fly up and over the barrier, still holding the main guy by his neck.
Cosmic Girl Rising Up Page 15
