by H. L. Burke
Jake relaxed slightly only to have Marco laugh.
“What?” Jake asked.
“You’re starting to sound like Fade.” Marco smiled.
Jake grunted. “Shoot me now.”
Marco gave a barking laugh. The pair stood in silence for a moment. Jake’s mood lightened.
“You want to go play some video games or something?” Marco then asked.
“Sure. Let me get something to drink first, though.”
“Great! I get to pick controllers then. The left one works way better.” Marco hurried off before Jake could point out that the controllers were exactly the same.
Chuckling to himself, Jake stepped through into the dining room, headed for the kitchen, and stopped short. Fade eyed him from the dinner table where he sat, a plate of nachos in front of him. Jake’s face heated. He hadn’t realized anyone was in there, and he’d been right outside with Marco. Had Fade heard?
“That was some good advice you gave Marco.” Fade picked up a chip and scraped it across his plate gathering cheese. “You should consider taking it yourself.”
Jake scowled at him. “I didn’t realize you were spying on me.”
“It’s my house. I’m not going to walk around wearing earplugs.” Fade crunched down on the chip.
“Whatever.” Jake walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. There were some unsweetened seltzers. Those weren’t so bad, though it wouldn’t kill Prism to buy some actual sodas now and then. He picked up a lime flavored one and opened it. Fade’s chair scraped back.
“Remember how I told you Marco and Laleh were looking for a leader?” he asked.
“Unless you want them led straight to hell, that’s not me.” Jake snickered at his own joke.
Fade put his plate in the sink. “Suit yourself.” He turned back to Jake. “A tree fell sometime last night. It’s blocking the road out of here.”
Jake drew back his shoulders. “I didn’t do it.”
“I wasn’t accusing you of anything. Just making conversation.”
“Oh.” Jake shut his mouth.
“I’m heading out after lunch to clear it. Been itchin’ to use a chainsaw since we moved in, and now’s my chance.” Fade turned to walk out. “Enjoy your video games.”
Jake hesitated then burst out with,. “Do you need some help?”
Fade searched Jake’s face as if trying to detect his motive. “I’m not letting you use a chainsaw.”
“I figured, but maybe there’s something else I could do.” Jake avoided Fade’s gaze. “I just want to get out of the house for a while.”
“Sure,” Fade agreed. “I’ll see if I have a spare pair of work gloves, and you can haul the branches while I work on the trunk.”
“Okay.” Jake sipped at his drink as Fade left. Maybe he didn’t have a future with DOSA, but he wanted to draw out this semi-normal life for just a little longer.
Chapter Nineteen
“All right, pay attention because I’m only going to say this once.” Prism stood with a coach’s whistle in one hand and her other hand behind her back. Jake straightened immediately. Even though she was several inches shorter than him—and currently six months pregnant with a stomach that looked like she’d swallowed a basketball—Prism had a way of commanding authority when she wanted it.
At his side, Marco beamed and Laleh bounced on her toes, ready for a challenge.
Prism motioned to the outbuilding behind her. “We’ve set up an obstacle course inside for you.”
“What kind of an obstacle course?” Laleh tilted her head to one side.
“You’ll find out when you get inside,” Prism replied. “This is a competitive exercise, not a team one. On the other side of the course, Mr. McGuffin awaits.” She held up her previously obscured hand, revealing a piece of printer paper with a black and white photograph of their usual volleyball target printed upon it. Beneath it was written “Wanted Dead or Alive” with a reward that had more zeros than Jake could count at a glance. Prism’s sense of humor was stupid cheesy.
At some point, Laleh had painted a face on Mr. McGuffin, as Jake now begrudgingly called him. Jake wasn’t sure if the thing having a face and a name made these things better or worse.
“Whoever reaches him, grabs him, and brings him back first wins, and there will be a prize,” Prism continued.
Laleh tensed. Jake laughed quietly. Laleh didn’t need a prize to want to win something like this. She’d do it for the bragging rights.
“What’s the prize?” Marco asked.
“It’s a sir,” Fade said from where he stood behind his wife, holding Ruby.
“A what?” Marco scrunched up his face in confusion.
“A sir-prize.” Fade winked.
All three of the teens groaned.
“You’re such a dad.” Prism shook her head in exaggerated disgust.
“You should’ve figured that out by now.” He reached around to rub her baby-belly. She leaned back into him and he stooped over to kiss her, shifting Ruby out of the way.
“Doesn’t matter for you, Marco, or Jake either.” Laleh tossed her head, causing her high ponytail to swing around dramatically. It brushed against Jake’s face. He managed to activate his powers quickly enough that it went through him rather than slap against him. “I’m going to be the one to win this, after all.”
Jake stood a little straighter. Oh, really?
He didn’t particularly want whatever the surprise was, and he didn’t care about bragging rights—but he wasn’t going to let her get away with being that cocky. Bravado was his job, not hers.
Marco scratched at his chin thoughtfully. Prism hit the button on her phone app, and their disruptor anklets fell away.
Jake rubbed at his ankle with his opposite foot. In the two months since he’d joined the camp, they’d run on average about an exercise a week. Most were either individual sessions—Jake usually sparring with Fade while Prism coached Marco and Laleh in the use of their flashier powers—but they also had done a lot of team exercises. This was the first where the three of them were competing against each other. As much as he wanted to mock Laleh for wanting to win this so badly—he kind of did too.
Prism moved to the door to the outbuilding. “On your marks.”
Laleh crouched in a runner’s stance. Jake scoffed but uncrossed his arms and held his powers just beneath his skin.
“Get set.” Prism put her hand on the door knob.
Jake’s breath hitched. He swallowed to moisten his suddenly dry tongue. Marco stepped away from the older teens.
“Go!” Prism flung the door open. Laleh raced forward, entering the dimly lit space beyond first. Jake dematerialized and zipped right through her. She cried out in irritation as their powers mingled for a weird moment, a sensation like having one’s fingers intertwined with someone else’s except all over. Jake burst out of it.
Beyond he stumbled to a halt. Pressboard walls had been hastily assembled to create a barrier with a gate that hummed with a familiar energy. Jake could recognize that power from a foot away.
They somehow put a disruptor field around that door. I won’t be able to fragment through it.
A painful shock cut through him, and his body jolted back to solid state. He stumbled forward and braced himself against the locked door before spinning around to glare at Laleh.
“What was that for?” he snarled.
She held out her hands, sparks flickering at her fingertips. “It’s a competition. Get out of my way.”
Jake’s teeth clenched, but he stepped aside. She approached the disruptor door and hovered her hand over it, studying a small panel to the side. Jake waited. Laleh sucked on her bottom lip as her powers formed a field of electric shocks that fought against the disruptor technology. There was a snapping noise, and the humming stopped. The energy died, and the grate was clear.
Laleh reached for the door handle.
Jake darted forward, funneled his powers through his foot into the floor, and watched with amu
sement as her booted feet sank into the cement, up to her ankles.
Jake fragmented and swept through the gate. “Thanks for the help. I’ll come back and let you go after I’ve claimed my prize.”
Laleh gave a cry of rage and grabbed the panel on the door. The disruptor tech hummed back to life, louder this time. Before Jake could react, the field expanded, colliding into him like a wave of hot air and knocking him out of his fragmented state.
Laleh wiggled for a moment before managing to yank her feet out of her boots. Now in her socks, she powered down the door, undid the electronic lock, and stepped through. Jake managed to fragment again just as a wave of her powers swept towards him. Prepared and with his powers fully up, he managed not to break his concentration again. The shocks passed through him with a prickle like that of static electricity, but he kept going.
Ahead stood a climbing wall. Jake paused when he reached it. He extended his hand into it only to meet with another disruptor field. Going through wasn’t an option. Fortunately his powers gave him an advantage for going over. Ignoring the handholds, he sank his fingers right into the wood, not going deep enough to reach the disruptor field on the other side, but deep enough that he could use it to pull himself upward.
Footsteps hammered on the floor behind him. He climbed faster, but Laleh reached him too quickly. She sank her hand into his fragmented leg and channeled a massive shock into him.
Jake cried out in pain, lost hold, and toppled backwards, onto his butt. Laleh sprang for the wall.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Jake hopped up and sent a wave of his powers through the pressboard. It rippled. Laleh screamed as her handholds turned to vapor and she slipped back to the ground.
She whirled to face him. Lightning wreathed her whole body, her eyes flashing. “Don’t touch me again.”
“I didn’t. I touched the wall.” He fragmented again, though he knew with her current power output that would only be minimal protection.
She lunged for him.
He dodged, but not far enough. Her powers crackled against his upper arm, painful, but not enough to break him. He ducked beneath another swing. He needed to get to the wall and get over it.
She kicked out at him. “Stop dodging, you coward!”
“Stop missing, you klutz,” he taunted.
A shrill whistle pierced Jake’s ears, and he immediately covered them with both hands.
Prism stepped into view. “All right. We’re done.”
Jake and Laleh blinked.
“What? How?” Laleh gasped.
Marco stepped out from behind Prism, Mr. McGuffin cradled in his arms. Jake’s jaw dropped.
“While you two were in here messing with each other, Marco figured out that there was a shortcut if he took the side door to the building and cut around most of the obstacles.”
“That’s cheating!” Laleh protested.
“That’s genius!” Jake laughed. “Big brain move, Marco. Way to go.”
“But he didn’t ... oh, never mind.” Laleh shook her head. “Boys.”
“Sure, bring gender into it.” Jake gave an exaggerated eye roll. “Sexist of you.”
“Either way, Marco’s the winner. Come on.” Prism motioned for them to follow her.
Fade waited outside, still holding Ruby who reached for her mom when they approached.
Prism took her daughter before addressing Fade. “Do you have the prize?”
Fade pulled a small envelope from an inner pocket of his leather jacket and passed it to Marco.
“It’s a gift card for Steam,” Prism explained. “I figured all three of you like gaming so the winner could pick whatever game they like.”
“Awesome!” Marco took the envelope. “Thanks so much!”
“You earned it.” Prism scanned the sky. “It’s such a nice day. How about we eat outside? I’ll go get some blankets and sandwiches—Laleh, Jake, since you two didn’t win, you can help me make the food and cart it out here.”
Jake made a point of dragging his feet but still followed.
Not long after, the group was sitting on a blanket in the grassy section in front of the cabin, snacking on sandwiches, potato chips, and fruit. Prism had even brought out actual sodas for once. Jake hadn’t realized how much he’d missed a good root beer.
For a while they didn’t talk, just ate, but after a while, Prism and Fade started up their “baby name” banter again. Jake rolled his eyes. It seemed like all they talked about these days, and they still weren’t any closer to deciding.
“I had a thought this morning about the baby’s name!” Prism said, a triumphant smile creeping over her face. “I think the problem is I’ve been trying to be too creative. We need a good, classic name. What about Joseph? It’s strong, Biblical, and the nicknames are innocuous things like Joe and Joey.”
“Slow Joe, Doughy Joey.” Fade put his drink in front of his mouth to hide a smirk.
“Ugh! You’re being ridiculous! There’s no way I’m going to find a name that doesn’t rhyme with anything,” Prism took an angry bite out of her slice of watermelon. Her phone went off in her pocket, and she pulled it out. Her brow immediately furrowed. She glanced around the kids and started to stand. Fade hopped up and hoisted her up.
“Thanks.” She patted her stomach before answering her phone and taking a few steps from their picnic. “This is Prism ... yes, I saw on the caller ID. Did you want to talk to me or Laleh?”
Laleh paused midchew, her fingers squeezing into her cucumber and tomato sandwich so tightly that the spread oozed out over her hands.
Prism listened for a moment. “San Diego? I mean—that’s not exactly close to camp ... Yes, I understand you’ll pay for our tickets, but it’s not just a matter of Laleh and myself. We have two other teens here, as well as my own daughter, and I can’t just leave them for any length of time. Wouldn’t it be possible for you to come here instead—” Prism moved away. Fade followed, leaving the kids—and Ruby who sat sucking on a strawberry—to themselves.
Laleh swallowed. “It has to be my mom.”
“That was my guess too.” Jake picked up a chip. “Sounds like she wants you to travel.”
Laleh’s nose wrinkled. “Of course she can’t just come here. The world needs to move around her, not the other way around.”
“Sounds familiar.” Jake shot Laleh a meaningful glance.
Her face puckered. “I’m not like my mom.”
“I wish I could go to San Diego,” Marco said. “My mom lives there, you know.”
Jake kept his attention on his food. This conversation had nothing to do with him, and he had nothing to add to it. What little family he did have, DOSA would never let him visit, and even if they did, his one video call with Caleb had made it clear that the family was only interested in him if he could be back with the gang, doing his job. A reunion for any other purpose just wasn’t in the cards. While Jake still wasn’t sure how he fit anywhere, the camp was a nice place to hide until he did figure it out.
“Ake!” Ruby called out.
Jake angled to face her. The toddler held out a chubby fist, dyed red with strawberry juice, another strawberry grasped within it.
“Hey,” he said, uncertain how else to address a baby.
“I think she’s trying to share,” Laleh said in a stage whisper.
Jake forced himself to take the smushed, unappetizing berry. “Uh, thanks.” Muscling past his gag reflex, he popped it into his mouth, chewed the minimal amount needed to get it down, and swallowed.
Laleh’s eyes shot up. “You’re braver than me.”
Ruby crowed in delight and held out another berry. Seeing it as a way to both make Ruby happy and show up Laleh, Jake took this one too.
“She likes you,” Marco said.
“Poor kid has terrible taste.” Laleh shook her head in mock disgust.
Prism and Fade returned, Prism no longer on the phone. All three teens paused to stare at the adults.
Prism cleared her throat. “Laleh,
as you probably guessed, that was your mother.”
“Yeah, I did.” Laleh’s chin dropped towards her chest. “I’m sorry if she was demanding. She can be that way sometimes.”
“My dad was part of the first generation of DOSA heroes and my godfather is the head of the committee. I’m used to the higher-ups of the organization and their quirks. Also, I’m a lot better at politics than I pretend to be.” Prism’s eyes twinkled. “I had been hoping to get Marco a chance to visit his mother, but the plane tickets weren’t exactly in the camp budget. When I told your mother you couldn’t go without a chaperone and that I couldn’t leave the boys here alone, well, she volunteered to buy tickets for the whole group.”
Laleh gaped, and Marco grinned. Jake’s throat closed in on itself, but he forced his expression blank.
“I get to go home?” Marco jumped to his feet. “When?”
“It’ll be a couple of weeks. Mrs. Ashe—or Ashbringer which is her hero handle—will be there in about a week and a half, but she’ll be tied up with business for the first few days. We’ll join her towards the end of her trip.” Prism carefully lowered herself onto the ground. “We’ll need to coordinate with Marco’s mother to make sure she can get away as well, but since we’ll be so close to her, it should be fine. Mrs. Ashe also said she’d make sure that DOSA set aside one of their safe houses so that we’ll all have a place to stay while we’re there.”
“Awesome!” Marco said.
Jake kept his eyes on his sandwich. Great. A trip where Marco and Laleh would be tied up with family, and he’d be alone in some dumb safe house. He’d die of boredom most likely. Of course, he would be closer to the gang. They sometimes worked in southern California. Maybe this would be the chance he needed to escape—though even as he thought it, the idea of leaving his peaceful time at the camp and returning to the gang felt like a noose around his neck.
“What about Jake?” Marco’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“I mean, I don’t have to go, do I?” Jake said. “I don’t have any family to see.”
“As much as I hate dragging you along when you don’t have a reason to be there, we can’t leave you alone.” Prism’s face grew grave. “Fade and I will both need to be there to coordinate the meetings with Laleh and Marco’s families. I’m sorry, Jake. I know this must be hard, but we’ll make it up to you. Maybe we can get out and do something fun. They have a lot of museums and parks down there.”
