by Dee J. Stone
After a few minutes, Kaylee gives my parents suspicious looks. “You’re still acting weird.”
Man, nothing gets by the kid.
“Hey, man.” Matt holds out his fist to me. “Nice going today. It was all over the news, how you stopped that train.”
I try to eye signal him not to talk about the hero thing in front of Mom, but he’s not getting it.
“You stopped a train?” Kaylee asks.
“It was awesome,” Matt continues. “The way you stopped the train…” He goes on and on. I look over at Mom, but she’s not paying attention. It worries me when my parents are like this.
Matt claps me on the back. “I should have said this a while ago, but I’m very glad and proud to be your brother.”
That’s probably one of the lamest things he’s ever said, but I like it. I smile. “Likewise, Bro.”
“What about me?” Kaylee asks.
“You’re the bestest sister in the world.” I get up and gently throw her on my back. She secures her hands around my neck. “Piggyback ride?”
I nod. I promised I’d do anything for her once she returned home safely. Plus I like when she laughs and has a good time.
Running around the house, I make sure to use my telekinesis for help. The kid is not as light as she looks. Kaylee cheers, urging me to go faster.
“Careful!” Mom yells from the kitchen. It’s odd that she’s not stopping me. Only yesterday, she warned me not to give Kaylee rides. I’m going insane wondering what happened.
“I’m gonna puke!” Kaylee yells.
“It’ll be so worth it,” I say over my shoulder as I quicken the pace. I’m going to be careful now, unlike last time where I fell down the stairs
Dad comes out of the kitchen just as I rush past it. “Nick, that’s enough. Kaylee it’s time for you to get ready for bed.”
I lower Kaylee to the floor. “It’s early,” she complains.
He takes her hand and leads her to her room. I go into the kitchen where Mom and Matt are still seated at the table. I slide in next to them. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”
Mom’s got the hollow look in her eyes, the same one Dad had yesterday. She swallows, shaking her head like she can’t talk.
“The cops found evidence of Kaylee being thrown into a car,” Matt tells me in a low voice. “They spoke to Mom and Dad about it. Mom freaked and took Kaylee out of school. She’s worried those people will be back for her.”
“Do they know who took her?”
Matt shakes his head. Something tells me those guys at the organization were super careful. I doubt the cops will find anything.
“This is always going to haunt us.” Mom rubs her temples. “I’m sorry. I can’t just go back to a normal life. I need to know what happened to my child. Why did they take her? Will they do it again? How can I keep her safe?”
I rest my hand on her shoulder. “Mom, I told you I’ll take care of her. You have nothing to worry about.”
She laughs lightly. “You’re fifteen.”
“I have powers.”
“And? Are you with her twenty-four seven? How can you watch over her when you need to focus on school?”
Okay, she’s got a point there. But she doesn’t know about the tracking devices. I don’t want to tell her because I don’t want to freak her out even more. “The school has security.”
She snorts. “She was taken from right under their noses.”
“But they know better now. Mom, please stop acting like this. You’re scaring Kaylee. And me, too.”
She turns to me, her face filling with regret. She pulls me into her arms. “I’m sorry, Nick. It’s just really hard.”
“I get it. But she’ll be okay. Trust me. I’m sure whoever took her just did that to get back at me.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them.
Mom draws back. “Do you think she was taken by a Blue Masked Hero hater? Your father and I, as well as the cops, considered that possibility…”
“No,” I quickly say. “That’s not what I meant. And I don’t think that’s the reason. I meant that…well, the fact that she was returned home shows that whoever did it didn’t mean to harm her. I bet some kids were playing some sick prank. It’ll be okay now. She’ll be okay.”
Mom doesn’t look so sure.
“The second she’s in trouble, I’ll be right over. You don’t have to worry, Mom. Please.”
She sighs and pulls me into her arms again. Then she pulls Matt. “I’ll never not worry, but I’ll try.”
I feel awful for keeping so many secrets, but I know I’m doing the right thing.
***
After I finish my homework, I sit on the roof, watching the activity going on outside. It’s after ten, too late for the streets to be packed, but there are some people here and there. A few teens are smoking behind garbage cans in a backyard. One guy, my neighbor, is kissing a woman in his car. A woman who is not his wife. Man, how can he cheat like that?
“Boo!”
I nearly fall off the roof.
“Man, Maddie!” I say. “You coulda killed me.”
She lifts herself in the air and drops down next to me. “So? You can just heal yourself. By the way, we never really talked about that night.”
“That night?”
“The night I saved you.”
Oh, right. “What do you want to talk about?”
She looks around, at the guy kissing that woman, at the teens smoking. “Did I thank you for healing me?”
“Not sure, but you don’t have to. I know you’re thankful.”
She nods, keeping her gaze on the distractions.
“I’m sorry I pulled your mask off,” I say. “That’s really uncool to do to a superhero.”
“I’m not a superhero.”
“Yes, you are.”
She doesn’t say anything and we’re quiet.
“Anyway I only did it because I thought you needed to breathe. It’s not like I was looking for your identity.”
“Okay. Doesn’t really matter.”
I’m quiet before, “Were you planning on telling me? Eventually?”
She bites her lip. “I don’t know. It was hard for me, keeping this big secret.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t really matter anymore. We need to forget all the betrayal and move on. I love you, you know that?”
“Do you? Sometimes I feel…” She doesn’t finish.
I scoot closer to her. “You feel what?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Never mind.”
“Tell me.”
She sighs. “Sometimes I feel like you see me as your best friend Maddie. Not as your girlfriend Maddie.”
Hmm. I didn’t think making the transition from best friends to boyfriend/girlfriend would be so complicated.
“Of course I love you like that,” I say.
She doesn’t respond.
“Is this because of what that loser Brandon said?”
She plays with her black hair. “I don’t want to be all insecure.”
“Aren’t we supposed to be insecure when we’re in a relationship?”
She sighs. “You know how hard it is for me to get close to people. You’re the kind of guy who wants to kiss and talk and hold hands and hug and all that…”
I take her hands. “I’m the kind of guy who loves Maddie Randall. That’s all.”
She smiles and rests her head on my chest. I hold her close. It’s cold out, but for some reason I don’t feel it. Maybe because Maddie’s pressed so close to me.
She sits up and looks into my eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just my parents. They’re worried Kaylee will get kidnapped again. They can’t sleep, can’t eat. They’re worried all the time.”
“Do you think we should tell them what we know?”
I shake my head. “And worry them even more? No, we can’t do that. I’ve reassured my mom that everything is going to be okay, but she doesn’t believe me.”
&nbs
p; “Is everything going to be okay?”
“I’ve got no clue, but I need to be positive.”
She nods.
“Any dirt on your mom?” I ask.
“Nope. I followed her after work. She just ran some errands. She didn’t talk to anyone or anything. It was really boring.”
Hmm. “So we’re pretty much stuck.”
“Yep. But she and stepdad will be out this weekend. Maybe we can snoop around on Friday night. Come over.”
“Can’t. I have a date with Dad.”
She laughs. Then frowns. “At least you’re spending time with your dad.”
I wrap my arm around her. “Your dad still doesn’t contact you?”
She shakes her head. “It’s okay, I guess. He doesn’t want anything to do with me, so I don’t want anything to do with him.”
“You don’t think he’s involved in the stuff you’re mom’s involved with, do you?”
She thinks for a second. “I didn’t see anything on those papers, but it was a long time ago and I really didn’t understand it.”
“We need to check.”
“I know. Saturday?”
“Sure, if I can get out of the house. Mom’s been weird today, but I know she’s going to keep me hostage all weekend until I’m acing all my tests.”
“Speaking of tests. How’s the studying going?”
I shrug. “I’m kind of done. I think.”
“Want to study together?”
I take her hands. “I want to hang out with you and not have to worry about school or evil people out to get us. I just want to be…”
“Normal?”
“I guess.”
Her head is back on my chest. “Can we ever be normal?”
I watch people walking up and down the street as I think about what Maddie said. “Maybe not, but we can try.”
She looks into my eyes. “Did you ever consider that the reason I love you is because you’re anything but normal?”
“Of course not. You love me because of my looks and the guns.” I flex my arm. She rolls her eyes.
We’re quiet as we continue staring in the distance. After what feels like hours, Maddie breaks the silence. “You know what I can’t figure out?”
“What?”
“What are the odds that we both have powers and we’re best friends? It’s almost like…”
“Fate.”
She frowns. “I was going to say someone put us together. Like what if my mom moved us here on purpose?”
Maddie and I have been friends since we were little kids. I guess it’s possible her mom brought us together. Something doesn’t add up, though. “But she didn’t know we’d get powers one day. If we were failed experiments, why would she do that?”
Maddie tilts her head to the side, thinking. “You’re right.”
“Besides, I’m pretty sure my parents moved here after yours.”
“Oh. So we just happened to become best friends?”
I lift my hands helplessly. “Maybe it is fate. We’re like two peas in a pod.”
“You say such corny things sometimes, you know that?”
I peck her nose. “That just makes me more irresistible.”
She laughs, then pulls away. “We seriously need to do something about Nicole. We can’t have her going around spreading all these lies. Plus she needs to pay for exposing you. She has no clue how much she messed up your life.”
“Yeah, but whatever. She can spread all the lies she wants. I don’t care.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Fine, maybe a little. But I can’t let it bother me. There are people out there who will believe her and others won’t. I can’t worry about people hating me. It’s not important. Being a hero and helping as much as I can is what’s important.”
“But we can’t let her get away with it.”
“Yes we can. And we will. Because people like Nicole will never change, no matter if you beg or try to make them see reason.”
Maddie shakes her head in disbelief.
“Look,” I say. “I’m sorry I was into her. She turned out to be totally different from what I thought. Can we please not talk about her?”
“Believe me, talking about Nicole is the last thing I want to do.”
“Same.”
She gives me this mischievous smile. “There is something we should do.”
“Yeah? What?”
“Study for the algebra test.”
“Man, Mads. You really know how to kill a perfectly perfect evening. Look there.” I point toward the sky. “See those stars? It’s totally romantic to sit out here.”
Maddie lightly slaps me in the chest. “Homework.”
“I swear you’re worse than my mom.”
She slaps me again, urging me to get into my room.
I love her, but sometimes I wish she’d be a little warmer and let the romance spill over us.
Chapter Nine
On Friday evening, Dad and I make our way to the theater. It feels like forever since we last hung out. Maybe because so much has happened. With the world discovering my identity and Kaylee going missing, Dad looks like he’s aged ten years. I hope he can forget his worries for a little while and just loosen up.
The place is filled with many people, families, guys and girls on dates. Maddie and I haven’t really gone out. I wonder why that is. Probably because we’ve been busy trying to discover who that secret organization is. And of course saving the world.
Dad motions toward the posters of movies on the wall. “A lot to choose from.”
I scan them. There are tons of kiddie movies, ones Kaylee would enjoy. Hmm. Maybe I should take her one day. We’ve been spending lots of time together, but it’s not enough. Plus you never know when someone you love could be taken from you.
“How about that?” Dad nods at a movie about this guy who gets lost in space. Sounds cool, but I’m not really a fan of that kind of movie.
I shove my hands into my pockets, shrugging. “Last time we watched something I liked. You choose now.”
“I chose that sci-fi last time.”
Are we seriously arguing over who should choose the movie? Since when did it get so hard?
Dad wraps his arm over my shoulder. “I just want to spend time with you.” He chuckles. “We could even be watching that pony movie and I’d still enjoy it.”
My eyes catch sight of a football movie. It’s about a kid who defies all odds and becomes this fabulous football player. “That one looks good.”
Dad follows my gaze. He waves his hand. “Nah, that’s okay. You wouldn’t like it.”
No, but Dad would. “I think we should try it.” Maybe it’ll help us bond or whatever. “But don’t get any ideas. I’m not going to play football.”
“I know,” he says. We stand in line at the ticket booth. “I haven’t been sleeping well these past few nights and I thought a lot about you. And Matt and Kaylee, too, but I just wanted to tell you that I don’t see you as a disappointment. I know I’ve been harsh with you when you were growing up, but—”
“I know. You want what’s best for me. I get it.”
He nods. “A father worries about his family, their future. They want to give them every opportunity possible. When you’ll be a father one day, you’ll understand.”
Me? A dad? Yeah right.
Now that he mentions it, if I were to have kids, would they have powers, too? Or would they have to be experimented on?
“Oh, my god!” a voice yells.
Dad and I turn around and come face to face with a college-age girl. She’s tall and blonde and her eyes look like they’re going to pop out of their sockets. “It’s the Blue Masked Hero!”
All the people around us stop what they’re doing and gape. A second later, they’re practically jumping on top of me, demanding autographs and pictures.
I can’t move. Can’t breathe. Can’t really do anything.
“Give him some space,” Dad, who’s somewhere in the crowd, shou
ts. “Let my son breathe!”
I don’t mean to, but my hands must act on their own because they push outward, shoving the people a few feet away. It’s a soft shove and no one gets hurt.
The crowd comes at me again, sticking papers and their phones in my face. Man, can’t a guy go to the movies without having a horde of people attack him? Sure, I love helping them and I appreciate their support, but this is too much.
Someone blows a horn and the crowd freezes. It’s the manager of the theater. He steps forward. “We didn’t realize we have a special guest today.”
The crowd cheers. A few move to me again, but the manager pushes his way through. “Thank you, Blue Masked Hero, for choosing this theater. The employees and I are honored.”
It’s not like I chose this theater on purpose. It’s just the closest one to our house. But the guy looks so happy and I don’t want to burst his bubble.
The crowd cheers again.
“Autograph,” a kid yells.
“Picture!”
The crowd continues shouting and chanting. I try to look for Dad, but it seems like he’s lost somewhere. I hope he’s okay.
The manager continues talking, “To show our appreciation, we have decided to give you and a few guests free tickets to see any movie of your liking.” He hits his heart. “Continue protecting us and making us feel safe.” He salutes.
No, I don’t like this. I’m not a soldier and don’t want to be treated like one. And I can’t take his offer. I don’t want special treatment.
My eyes roaming the crowd, I spot Dad sticking his head between the masses of people. He’s kinda short, so it’s hard to see him.
I smile. “Thank you so much, but please don’t put yourself through the trouble. I’m a regular guy who just wants to see a movie.”
The manager shakes his head, putting the VIP ticket in my hand. “Please accept. It’s our way of showing you how thankful we are for all you do.” He swallows. “Many of us had family members on that train. Your act of heroism will never be forgotten.”
The crowd goes wild.
“And please give the people what they want.” He smiles widely at everyone. I see what this is. He wants me to make the crowd happy so they’d come back to this theater.
I look at Dad, who’s still trying to push through everyone. Then at the other people. They seem so…excited that I’m here. I guess signing a few autographs and taking some pics wouldn’t be such a big deal.
