Super Natural: The New Super Humans, Book Three

by T. M. Franklin

  Miranda nodded, shifting her backpack up higher on her shoulder. “Do you think you're going to be able to keep it from him? I mean, now that we know when it's happening, are you sure you're going to be able to keep it a secret?”

  Chloe was glad they reached the English building and Miranda had to leave before she got a chance to reply.

  Because, truth be told, she really didn't have an answer.

  Friday Feb Fest was an unofficial Gatesburg tradition of uncertain origin. On the last Friday of February, the seniors at WA U led a run—or more of a quick walk for many—up the rolling hills on the edge of town to the old Alberton Sawmill, which had been shut down sometime in the eighties. They lit a bonfire, a local band played, and some of the local businesses set up booths with food and drinks, and hand-knitted scarves and hats for those who underestimated the late winter chill.

  Chloe hadn't planned on going and wanted to use the evening to train, but she was quickly outvoted. Unanimously.

  “Come on, Chlo,” Ethan had said. “We need this. We all do. Something fun. Something normal, you know?”

  So, The Order took a night off, and Chloe hoped she wasn't being fatalistic when she said she thought it was a really bad idea.

  “You need to relax,” Miranda said, elbowing her into picking up the pace as the crowd flowed around her. People were dressed in costume—tiger masks and blue and gold sweatshirts and face paint. She thought she saw some of the track team running up the hill wearing only shorts, their chests painted blue with gold letters spelling out WA U Tigers. Ethan had left them in the dust when Chloe had encouraged him to run with his friends. She was not a runner. She was a walker. More of a stagger-er.

  “I am relaxed,” she told Miranda blandly, giving her blue and gold pompom a halfhearted shake. “See?”

  “It's going to be fun,” her friend replied as they crested the hill, and the lights of the mill came into view. Generators whirred around the edge of the buildings, with extension cords leading to the food booths and strings of fairy lights twisted around the posts and rafters of the open-sided main building. Chloe didn't know what it had actually been used for originally. There was some old machinery in one corner and the metal roof had torn strips of insulation hanging down, swinging in the breeze. The band was set up on one side, the rest of the concrete floor scattered with a few tables and chairs, with an area cleared for dancing. Tents and pop-up canopies circled the building and Chloe could smell burgers grilling and the unmistakable salty-sweet scent of kettle corn.

  Her stomach growled. Miranda glanced at her sideways.

  She shrugged. “I guess I could eat.”

  Miranda hummed and they got in line for a burger, Ethan joining them a few minutes later. Chloe tried to relax. She really did. But she kept thinking something was going to happen. Something was going to go wrong. And it wasn't because of a vision or anything—it was just the fact that everything seemed to be going wrong lately.

  Still, she went through the motions. She ate and smiled, and they all danced until they were sweaty and could barely breathe. They found a spot near the bonfire and sat on logs and sipped hot chocolate. Chloe wondered if this was what normal life was like. No worries about strange, smoke-like creatures or possessed neighbors or solar flares that could bring about the end of the world.

  It seemed like normal would be nice.

  “Hey,” Ethan nudged her shoulder and she looked over at him. The firelight gleamed against his blonde hair and made his eyes seem paler than usual. He was so beautiful it made Chloe's throat close up. The thought that he—

  “Hey, what's wrong?” he asked, and Chloe realized that she had tears in her eyes.

  She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to calm herself. “Nothing. Just thinking about everything, you know?”

  He wrapped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close, his cheek on the top of her head. “It'll be okay. We'll make it through this.”

  A commotion on the other side of the fire caught her attention and she saw Beck jump to his feet.

  “What is she doing here?” he muttered before stalking off.

  She looked at Ethan. “Gina?” she asked, anxiety clenching in her chest.

  “I don't know, but we better find out.”

  They motioned for the others to join them and followed Beck into the darkness. Chloe could see his back, see that he was talking to someone, but when she drew closer, realized it wasn't Gina.

  She stopped, not wanting to interrupt now that she knew there was no danger. “It's Tru,” she told Ethan. “Beck's sister.”

  Tru stood before him, arms crossed over her chest and eyes flashing in defiance.

  “Does Dad know you're here?” Beck asked her.

  “Relax, Beckett, it's not like it's a kegger. It's Friday Feb Fest, the most wholesome of all small town experiences.”

  “I'm aware,” he said, “but you have a curfew and it's after midnight. How did you get here anyway?”

  “Duh. I walked.”

  “By yourself?” His voice took on a furious tone. “Don't you know how dangerous—”

  “It's not dangerous,” she said with a typical teenage eye roll. “Besides, I have my pepper spray and my Taser.”

  At that Wren snorted, and Tru spotted her over Beck's shoulder. “Right?” she said. “Big brother tends to take the protective bit a little too far.”

  “Dammit, Tru, listen to me—”

  “I'm fine, Beckett. Would you relax? I just want to have a little fu—” She locked eyes with Chloe and her mouth dropped open. Tru stepped carefully around her brother and approached her.

  “I . . . know you from somewhere.”

  Chloe nodded. “I was there when Gina . . . you know.” She shrugged, uncomfortable talking about the girl's mother attacking her.

  “Right. Right . . . but . . .” She tilted her head, brow creased in concentration. “But there's something else. I can't quite put my finger on it.”

  Chloe could feel everyone's eyes on her.

  “Maybe from campus when you've visited Beck?” Maia suggested.

  “Or around town,” Dylan offered. “It's not that big of a place.”

  “No, no, that's not it.” Tru shook her head, confusion evident in her expression. “It's more of a feeling. Like I need to talk to you. Or I need to show you something. Or—”

  “You need to go to her house?” Dylan said.

  Beck stiffened. “No.”

  “It's not outside the realm of possib—”

  “I said, no.” Beck grabbed Tru's arm and started to stalk away. “I'm taking you home.”

  “But I just got here!”

  “And now you're leaving!”

  Miranda nudged Chloe. “You think we should do something?”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, call me crazy, but Tru seems to be exhibiting the classic signs of I-Need-To-Look-in-Chloe's-Magic-Chest-itis!”

  “She's right,” Dylan said, taking Miranda's hand. “I had the same feeling before I came to your house. I just tried to ignore it.”

  “Me, too,” said Wren. “I mean, not about you specifically, but about your house.”

  Maia nodded. “Same here.”

  Chloe looked at Ethan, who only shrugged. No help there.

  She let out an exasperated sigh. “This is what we get for trying to have a night off,” Chloe said. “Let's go.”

  They set out after Beck as quickly as they could in the darkness. He was fast, though. They didn't even see him until they made it down the hill and into the grocery store parking lot where the run started every year. Beck dragged Tru toward his car, her protests loud as he all but stuffed her into the vehicle.

  “Beck!” Chloe called, but he ignored her, rounding the car to get in the driver's side. He started it up, put it into gear, and promptly killed it.

  Chloe winced at the sound of his rather loud curses.

  “Maybe we should wait,” Maia suggested. “Let Beck cool off a bit?”

 
The engine started again, and Beck took off, a bit slower this time.

  “Let me try,” Wren said, and she promptly disappeared.

  “I hope she doesn't appear in his car,” Dylan murmured. “She could scare him to death and he'll run off the road.”

  Instead, the car rolled to a stop at the edge of the parking lot, and Wren appeared next to it, twirling Beck's keys around her finger. He got out of the car and slammed the door shut, his face twisted in fury.

  “What do you think you're doing?”

  Wren eyed him steadily. “You're in no condition to drive until you calm down.”

  “I'm perfectly calm.” He glared at the others as they drew nearer. “I just want to get Tru away from all of this.”

  “Away from what?” Tru asked as she got out of the car. Her eyes locked on the keys in Wren’s hand. “How did you—” She stopped short and shook her head as if to clear the confusion. “Beck, what's going on?”

  He ignored her, still fuming at Wren. “I can't believe you used your power on me.” His hand glowed, his own gift getting away from him in his anger.

  “Power?” Tru’s frustration verged on tears. “Beck, what is wrong with you? Why is your hand—”

  “Tru, stay out of this!”

  “Hey man, relax,” Dylan said firmly. “You're freaking your sister out.”

  Wren stepped closer and touched his arm. “I'm sorry,” she said. “But you need to calm down, Beck. And you need to tell her what's going on.”

  His shoulders fell and after a few deep breaths the light around his hand faded. “She's just a kid.”

  “Hey!” Tru shouted indignant. “She is standing right here. And she is almost seventeen, by the way.” She pushed her way between Wren and Beck. “And she would like to know what the hell is happening!”

  Wren slid her hand down and wrapped her fingers around Beck's wrist. “You know there's no running away from this. She'll keep feeling the draw until she makes her own choice.”

  “What—” Tru stopped mid-sentence at Beck's frustrated glare.

  “Okay,” he said sharply. “Okay. But not tonight. It's late and I need to take her home.” When Tru started to protest, he barreled right over her. “I'll explain everything and we'll go by Chloe's tomorrow morning, okay?”

  Tru considered him with narrowed eyes. “Everything?”

  “I promise.”

  “And why do we need to go to Chloe's?”

  He sighed. “That's part of the everything I need to explain.” He looked at Chloe. “Ten o'clock, okay?”

  She nodded, although she doubted any of them would be getting much sleep that night.

  “Ten's fine.”

  Of course Beck and Tru weren't the only ones that showed up at Chloe's front door on Saturday morning. Everyone wanted to be present, and Dylan, Wren, and Ethan trickled in, waiting for the moment when Tru would appear. Maia took the hostess reins, readying coffee, hot chocolate, and a box of day-old doughnuts that may have been a little stale, but everyone was too hungry to care. Miranda had her computer and notes spread out on the coffee table, and Chloe picked at her apple fritter, her gaze split between the door and the window. She hadn't seen anything about Tru recently, but she wanted to be open to it, just in case.

  Beck didn't say a word when he walked in, his sister close behind him, and saw The Order seated around the living room, conversations falling silent immediately. He sought out Chloe, but before he could say anything, Tru approached her.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi.” Chloe smiled. “How are you doing? Beck filled you in?”

  She glanced back at her brother. “Yeah, although it's kind of hard to believe, you know. He had to do the whole glowy thing—” she waved a hand around— “a few times before I could actually believe what I was seeing.”

  Tru turned to Wren. “You really can freeze time?”

  They each took a turn showing their gifts to the girl, each revelation met with a sharp indrawn breath, or a “Wow, that’s amazing!”

  Chloe had to admit she was taking it well, more awed than afraid. She worried the fear would come along soon.

  Tru chewed on her lip and fidgeted with the seam on her jeans. “So, you think I have a power like that, too?”

  “Maybe. There's only one way to find out.”

  By an unspoken agreement, Beck accompanied them up the stairs while the others stayed downstairs. The three of them climbed the attic ladder in silence and Chloe knew as soon as Tru stepped through the entrance and onto the dusty wooden floor that she was one of them—one of The Order. The girl's eyes settled almost immediately on the chest in the dim corner.

  “That's it?”

  Chloe nodded.

  Tru took a deep breath and walked slowly across the floor, zig-zagging to avoid stacks of boxes and discarded furniture. She didn't pause when she reached it, but lifted the lid and peered inside, holding her breath.

  “Do you see anything?” Beck asked.

  Tru nodded, and he and Chloe moved to stand beside her.

  “It's an old padlock,” Tru whispered, almost reverently, “with a key in it.” She reached out and grabbed Beck's hand, unable to look away from what she saw in the bottom of the chest. “I just pick it up?”

  “You don't have to,” Beck said softly. He looked at her with concern, and a little bit of sadness, and Chloe wondered what they'd talked about the night before. “You don't have to, Tru.”

  She looked up at him for a moment, then nodded and turned back to the chest, reaching in without any further hesitation.

  It was familiar to Chloe now, but no less shocking. The bright light. The rush of exhilaration, adrenaline-fueled and heart-pumping. The shocked expression on Tru's face as she stared at her fingers splayed out in front of her, little ribbons of light tying one to the other, pulsing out and pulling back in, until eventually they faded altogether.

  “Whoa,” Tru murmured. “That was so cool!” She bounced a little on her toes as a wide smile spread across her face. She grabbed Beck's arm and shook him. “Did you see that? Did you see that? It was awesome!”

  Despite his obvious concern, Beck gave her a soft smile. “Yeah, I saw it.”

  “So, I just have to learn to control it now? Access the power and use the energy and let it flow, blah blah blah . . .” She turned a blinding grin on Chloe. “And then I can help with the whole Save the World Plan, right?”

  Chloe couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. “Yeah. You're one of us now.”

  Tru held her hands in front of her face, turning them back and forth as if looking for their hidden power. “An actual superhero.”

  “Well, don't order your cape just yet,” Beck said, elbowing her in the side. “We still have to figure out what your power is . . . and how to use it.”

  She stuck out her tongue. “Spoilsport.”

  He grinned. “Wanna arm wrestle?”

  “Hey, you guys coming down anytime soon?” Miranda's head popped up through the attic entry. “We're all dying to know what's going on!”

  “Yeah, on our way,” Chloe replied with a laugh.

  Tru went down the ladder first and Chloe stopped Beck in the hallway with a hand on his arm. “You okay?” she asked.

  “I kind of have to be, don't I?” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I mean, I'd like to protect her from all of this, but it's too late for that.”

  “You can still protect her,” Chloe replied, gripping his sleeve and giving it a little shake. “We all will.”

  Beck sighed. “I guess we can try.”

  “So it's kind of a tingling—”

  “—no more of a pulsing—”

  “Pulsing. Tingling. Same difference.”

  “Dylan, pulsing and tingling are not the same thing!” Wren crossed her arms over her chest. “You're confusing her!”

  “I think I've got it!” Tru held up her hands, the little ribbons of light appearing once again at the tips of her fingers. “Look!”

  “Okay, no
w just focus—”

  “Crap, it’s gone.” Tru shook her hand out, shoulders slumping.

  “That’s okay,” Maia said. “Give it another try.”

  Dylan added, “Try and push—”

  “No, don’t push,” Wren said. “It’s more of a—”

  “Whoa! Hold on you guys!” Chloe said as she stepped into the living room with a fresh cup of coffee. “I think we need to back off a little bit for poor Tru's sake,” she said. “Maybe try a little one-on-one?”

  Dylan, Beck, Wren, and Maia all exchanged uncertain glances, and Miranda rolled her eyes. “Beck. Why don't you try? You guys are related, so maybe your gifts are similar?”

  They pushed the furniture against the walls and Beck and Tru stood in the middle of the room, facing each other as everyone else sat down. Ethan slipped next to Chloe on the couch and draped an arm over her shoulder, while Dylan and Miranda sat on her other side. Wren plopped in the arm chair, leaving Maia to drag a kitchen chair over and sit in the corner.

  “Okay,” Beck said, glancing at the group with some trepidation. “So I guess—”

  “I think I'm getting it,” Tru said, holding up her hands. “It's easy once you know what you're looking for.” Her fingers were glowing again, light flowing between them and outward. “But what do I do with it?”

  Beck looked at a loss, but Dylan spoke up. “Try pushing it out of you,” he said. “That's what I do with my shield.” He saw Wren open her mouth to protest, and he added “But it's not really like pushing—it's like reaching. It's a part of you, like your hand—just try reaching for something, maybe?” Wren nodded in acquiescence, and Dylan looked at Beck, who simply shrugged in response.

  Tru's eyes narrowed as she concentrated and the little ribbons of light grew longer, twisting and twirling into coils, then unwinding again. “What do I reach for?”

  Dylan's eyes widened. “Uh, Beck?”

  “Why me?”

  “‘Cause you're standing right there!”

  “How do you know she's not going to knock me on my—”

  “Quiet!” Tru snapped. “I'm trying to concentrate. I don't think I'm going to hurt you, Beckett—”