SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania Read online

  “I get it,” Cole said with a shrug, “but what if it turns out you really love saving people?”

  I paused, thinking back to helping the prostitute against her pimp. She’d been grateful; I’d seen it in her scared eyes. Who else would save them if not me?

  “What?” Cole said.

  I blinked in surprise. Had I said that out loud? Get it together, Nova.

  “Nothing,” I said. We were a house away from my own. “Thanks for an interesting night.”

  “You were great back there, you know. The way you took that one guy down the moment he slipped me.”

  I brightened. “Thanks. Oh, and thanks for taking down that one guy trying to kick my lights out.”

  Cole showed me his right hand. The knuckles were bruised and bloody. “This is gonna hurt like hell tomorrow.”

  We came to a stop by my basement door. Standing under the outdoor light, I looked up at him. “I hope it was worth it. The pain, I mean.”

  He grinned, brown eyes pinning me in my spot. “Definitely.”

  “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” I wanted to sink into a hole - of course I’d see him tomorrow, in class. Act cool for once, Nova.

  Cole nodded, echoing my last words. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

  We stood there for a long moment, neither of us moving. I almost wished I was a Telepath right now to know what he was thinking. Cole opened his mouth, pausing. I waited for him to say something, ask me out, anything, when he just half-smiled at me again and turned around to walk away. I stared at his retreating back in confusion. I hadn’t exactly expected him to kiss me, but the moment had definitely been right to ask me out on a date, right? I slipped through my door, dropping the bags to the floor in frustration.

  “I guess he doesn’t feel that way about me,” I said into the darkness.

  “Who?” a voice said from the top of the stairs.

  I jerked in surprise, my hand coming over my pounding heart. “Geez, Dad, I thought you were asleep!”

  “I don’t sleep until you’re home,” he said matter of factly, still perching in the doorway. “Who doesn’t feel what way about you?”

  “No one,” I said quickly, changing the subject. “But I have something you need to see.”

  He didn’t hesitate, shutting the basement door behind him. The scent of his decaf coffee floated down the stairs with him. “Let’s not wake your mother.”

  “That’d be wise.”

  I kicked off my shoes. Grabbing them, I also took my mask and stashed them in my room. Uncoiling my bun, I glanced at my mirror and saw blood on my sleeve. I grimaced, not wanting to know whose blood it was and changed into a different shirt. When I came back out to the main room, I found Dad kneeling by the unzipped duffel bags. His astonished face said it all.

  “What—Nova, how?” he babbled, gesturing to the money.

  I motioned to it. “You know what that is?”

  Dad nodded, sucking in a deep breath. “It’s money from at least one of Fortune’s heists. There’s nothing else it could possibly be.”

  “Winner, winner,” I said, giving him a thumbs up. I caught myself on the verge of saying we and hesitated, correcting myself. “I caught a few guys loading this onto a truck. Lots more where that came from, too. I’d say at least ten to twenty bags just like it.”

  He darkened. “What does Fortune want with all that money?”

  I shrugged. “Could be he’s just moving it from one place to another. I didn’t stop to ask.”

  As though just realizing what I meant, he got to his feet. “Are you hurt?”

  “Of course not.” I didn’t hold back the grin.

  He didn’t smile back and my face fell. Dad took a few steps around the bags, staring down.

  “Dad, you have marked bills in all the banks, right?”

  He jumped at my question. “How do you know that?”

  “Er, I might’ve heard you telling Mom.”

  He spared me an annoyed look. “For the sake of conversation, yes, the police planted their own coded money in certain banks.”

  “So if Fortune spends the money or gives it to someone who spends it, you can track him down?”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “Do you think he knows that?”

  Dad paused, mouth twisting in thought. “He’s managed to evade us this far, so it’s not a stretch to consider he’s aware of the consequences of spending it.”

  He looked down to the duffel bags, staring at them. After a moment, he removed his glasses, cleaning them with the bottom of his nightshirt. When he still didn’t say anything, I made a show of yawning.

  “If you don’t need anything else—”

  “What am I supposed to do with this, Nova?” he demanded to know. “What am I supposed to tell the police?”

  “That a good samaritan dropped it off or something. They can trace the numbers and go from there, right?”

  “They’re going to want to know where this came from.”

  “An anonymous guardian angel?” I offered. I sighed at the look on his face. “Dad, I took it because I thought it might help.”

  His frustration dropped as he looked back up at me. “I know you meant well. I’m sorry, I guess I’m a little shocked, is all.”

  “I certainly don’t want it and it’s better for everyone if it’s not out on the street. Should I return it to the bank or something?”

  “No, no, I’ll take it into the office tomorrow. We’ll go with good samaritan. It’s going to raise more than a few eyebrows.”

  “Will you be okay?”

  He eyed me, replying in a mocking tone. “‘Will I be okay?’ I’m offended you even asked such a question.”

  I laughed. “I already knew the answer, Counselor. Can I go to bed now?”

  “Yeah, of course. Goodnight, honey,” he said.

  He gave me a half-armed hug, his attention now back on the duffel bags. I knew he’d be up all night figuring out a way to make it worth something in the case against Fortune. I left him alone with his thoughts, choosing to shut mine out and go to sleep instead.

  Nova and I got to spend the next few weeks together thanks to our new hobby. On the nights we didn’t go out, we trained in my garage. Nova tested her strength with weights; Penelope lifted weights with her mind, and was currently annoyed Nova could lift more than she could; I practiced fighting tutorials and timed how long I could hold the girls in a time freeze. It was fun using our gifts and even better getting to know Nova better.

  But mostly, we had fun going downtown for trouble. Some nights we’d find no one, but on a handful of occasions, we were able to save more prostitutes or prevent another store burglary. I would go in and freeze everyone while Penelope kept the perps at bay (sometimes throwing them into the chip aisle). Nova called the cops and rushed everyone out to safety. We even managed to thwart a few guys in some gang called O’Malley’s Hounds. We stopped them on a drug run, though the cops didn’t get there in time to catch anyone.

  Each time we’d search for Fortune, but he didn’t bother with the petty crime stuff. Said enough about the guy. In all our rescues so far, we’d done our best to interrogate the attackers. One guy, when Nova asked about his seniority, laughed so hard and so long that she finally knocked him out cold on sheer principle. The others were either frozen, too dangerous to move, or unconscious due to Pen’s velocity. On our fifth or sixth back alley mugger, we finally got lucky.

  Our victim ran away the moment we arrived, shrieking for help on her cell phone. I hoped she called the cops; Nova and I had a bet on how long it took for them to arrive. I had twenty bucks on nine minutes or less, while her cynicism had it at ten or more. (We’d decided to break even at nine minutes.)

  “I don’t work for Fortune,” the guy said, putting out blood onto the pavement.

  “One of O’Malley’s mutts?” Penelope asked, her upper lip curled back in a sneer.

  The man shook his head. Nova scoffed. “A DeLuca Devil, then.”

 
“Where does Fortune hide out?” I demanded to know.

  The mugger hid his bleeding face from another blow from Nova’s fist. She’d only hit him once, but for him, that seemed to be enough.

  “I don’t know,” he stammered, “but word is he’s got something going tonight.”

  “Where?”

  “Fourth and Church,” he said, wincing when she leaned in.

  “Fortune is here, downtown?” Nova asked.

  The look on her face made my stomach lurch. She’s already decided to go after him. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded.

  “Tonight’s your lucky night,” I told him, “but if we see you pulling that crap on anyone again, she’ll make sure you regret it. We’re here a lot and know your ugly mug now. Get out of here before we change my minds.”

  Penelope made a sound of protest behind me, but I paid no attention. Nova stepped away from the guy and he took off without another glance. Penelope harrumphed under her breath and I blew my breath out in a huff.

  “What is it you’d like to say, Pen?”

  She didn’t hesitate, gesturing to the enemy’s back. “We’re just gonna let them go?”

  “We don’t have time to wait for the cops. What could possibly be any other options?” I shot back. “Killing people is not something we do.”

  “Maybe not you.” Penelope broke her gaze, head turning to look somewhere off to the side. “But I don’t see it being a problem for me.”

  “Don’t even joke like that,” I said between gritted teeth. “You know Dad would…”

  Pen huffed and I trailed off before I said too much. I glanced at Nova, trying to come up with some excuse for my stupid sister. The thought died off when I saw the concern on Nova’s face. She hadn’t heard a word we’d said.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” She jumped when my fingers skimmed her upper arm.

  “Fourth and Church, that’s my dad’s building,” she said with a meaningful look. “As in, the court building where all the records are kept.”

  “There are other businesses—” I tried.

  She cut me off, sounding as though she’d never felt more sure in her life. “He’s there, Cole.”

  “What are we waiting for?” Penelope asked.

  Before either of us could question her, she took off. I wanted to shout at her, make her see reason. We are not prepared for this! Nova and I chased after her, easily catching up. By the time we reached the court building, Pen and I were clutching our sides. Nova paced, obviously itching to race ahead and barge into Fortune’s plans.

  “This is a bad idea,” I panted.

  Penelope cleared her throat and straightened. “Now what?”

  “We go in and take him down,” Nova said as though it were obvious.

  I raised an eyebrow, cocking my head to the entrance. “You really think we can just waltz in and stop them? What if they have guns?”

  Pen looked around in confusion. “Uh, what about the other guys we’ve been taking down all week?”

  “Not the same thing,” I said, looking to Nova for reason. “This is more than a couple of teenagers with candy bars in their pockets!”

  Nova grimaced, giving me an apologetic look. “I might not get the chance again; I have to know if he’s here.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but Penelope interrupted. “I’m with Nova, let’s just go in and see what we’re up against.”

  “You’re both being irrational,” I muttered. I cleared my throat and spoke up. “This isn’t some mugger; this is Fortune, and if aren’t careful, he’ll kill us tonight.”

  My words appeared to sobered Nova up, the anticipation suddenly not so exciting. “Especially if he has a Seer.”

  I nodded. “Exactly. We’re a great team, but we might be walking into something here.”

  “And if we’re not? What if we miss our only chance to get him?” Penelope asked.

  That argument won Nova over. She grimaced, shooting me an apologetic look. “Sorry, Cole, I’m with Pen on this one. I can’t risk losing Fortune tonight out of fear.”

  “It’s not fear,” I tried, stopping at the looks on their faces. I looked from my sister to Nova a few times and sighed. “I’m outnumbered here, aren’t I?”

  Without another word, the three of us turned and raced up the front stairs of the courthouse building. The front doors were locked, but Penelope simply used her mind to twist the locks open. We entered quietly, keeping the lights off. We’d developed a silent system of hand motions, easy enough to pick up and stick together. Nothing greeted us on the first floor and I moved us up to floor two.

  We snuck up the stairs, our movements quiet and quick. A rustling on my far left had me pause, my fist in the air for Nova and Pen to stop. We crept forward, the three of us staying low behind a fake tree to have a look. The sound, however, was too far down the hall. We’d have to get closer for an actual view.

  Leading the way, Nova led us around the corner to find a door ajar. Quietly nudging it with the tip of her shoe, it thankfully remained quiet as it swung open. I glanced at the room name and number, barely registering it with all the adrenaline pumping. The huge room had a large, open aisle, with massive, long filing drawers forming rows on either side. We had to slip through a few rows before we found the culprit.

  Their back to us, a person rooted around in a large file drawer. The figure turned and I recognized the Runner from the other week.

  “Soccer Dad?” Nova said without thinking.

  The man whirled around (a blink-and-you’d-miss-it move) and upon seeing her, sighed. “And you.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. Penelope and I shifted behind her, keeping an eye out around and behind us.

  “None of your—Soccer Dad? Is that really what you call me?” he asked, upper lip curling back in annoyance.

  She snorted. “Good to know your vanity is a soft spot. Where’s Fortune?”

  “We’ve been over this, you don’t want to get involved.”

  “Too late for that,” Nova said, raising her voice. “I’m taking Fortune down, one way or another.”

  “He’s not here.”

  “Fine.” Disappointment made her deflate. “What about his Seer?”

  The guy’s face wrinkled in confusion. “What Seer?”

  “You know, the guy who sees the future and tells Fortune how it’s gonna go down? That Seer?”

  He scoffed. “You really think Fortune would ever work with a Seer?”

  I blinked, his genuine surprise throwing me off. Nova and I exchanged a glance. “I don’t understand.”

  The Runner glanced over his shoulder as though to be sure we weren’t overheard. “Fortune doesn’t need to bother with a Seer.”

  “Because he thinks he’s the world’s best villain,” I said slowly, putting two and two together. So it wasn’t that Fortune’s Seer hadn’t anticipated Nova’s showing that fateful day at the bank. It was that Fortune hadn’t accounted for her family walking in at that very moment. They’d been a fluke. It meant Fortune planned his heists down to the last detail.

  The Runner saw me understanding the clues and nodded. “Use that to your advantage.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked, sure I hadn’t heard him right. Did he just insinuate he wants us to win?

  Outside, the night sky lit up with lightning. It cracked once more and I realized that it was a strange blue shade. My eyebrows shot up. “What the…?”

  “He’s here.” Nova swallowed hard. Her statement was flat and scared.

  “How’s that?” I asked. Penelope and I shared a confused glance. The Runner’s mouth snapped shut as he shot a nervous look at the door.

  “I told you to run, kid,” the Runner said. He scowled at Nova and she took offense.

  “Did you really think I scare that easy?”

  “Let’s find out,” someone said. The voice seemed to come from all around us, like he was everywhere and nowhere. It gave me the creeps.

  The voice made Nova’s entire body
stiffen. Her blue eyes shone with fear, a tremor running through her. I barely heard the whisper from her lips. “Fortune.”

  Nova, Penelope and I had hardly turned around before bright cracks of lightning filled the room. I struck my arms out on either side to cover Penelope and Nova as we shielded our eyes. Fortune’s laugh sounded somewhere in the shadows, the room continuing to light up with his gift. His shadow bounced off the walls between flashes, the head thrown back in a deep cackle. If this were a movie, I might have found it cheesy, but in real life? It scared the hell out of me.

  “What is happening?” Penelope shrieked and cursed between cracks of light.

  I glanced back to see unhappiness on the Runner’s face. He gave me a look as though to say I told you so. Narrowing my eyes, I turned back and steeled myself for Fortune’s wrath. I contemplated freezing him. I might be able to spare us a few seconds at least. Penelope had other ideas.

  “Haul it at my signal!” Her arms shot out and her gift threw one of the giant filing cabinets back and into the two men. “There it is!”

  Fortune and Soccer Dad crashed to the ground and I wasted no time in urging the girls to run. We sprinted, making a break for the door. Nova’s footsteps slowed at the front of the room, however, as she glanced back to look for Fortune. He wore an all-black suit with a ski mask. He climbed to his feet, eyes crinkled in anger beneath the crooked mask.

  “Let’s play a game,” he said to us, his snarl making my heart cold with worry.

  Blue lightning formed on his fingertips as he searched for us. Right when his dead eyes looked up at Nova, I yanked at her arm. I dragged her out of the room, the door swinging shut just as a volt of electricity smacked into the upper half’s window.

  “We gotta go, Nova, now,” I said in her ear, hand still tight on her upper arm.

  It was the fear in her eyes that spurred me into action. Seeing him again had done something to her. She was nearly paralyzed with horror. My feet moved without thinking again, dragging her out and behind me. I glanced back, waiting for Fortune to barrel outside and zap us to crispy ashes in the street. We got away without problem, not stopping until we were in the car and on the road.

  No one spoke on the ride home, though Penelope’s anger was palpable. She fumed in the backseat, arms crossed over her chest as she glared out the window. I winced when she ripped her hair band out, sure she’d pulled a chunk of hair from her skull. I had a pretty good feeling about why she was truly pissed off.