SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania Read online

  Nova lied about Fortune’s gift. She’d purposely insinuated that he was a Seer. I could see it in her face, in the way she refused to look at me. She was guilty and knew she was about to get an earful. I didn’t want to argue, though; I wanted to know why she’d lied to me, about something that was so obviously important. We’d barely parked and stepped out of my car in our driveway before Pen started yelling.

  “You didn’t tell us!” Penelope snapped. She whirled around, long hair swinging with the motion. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us?”

  I wasted no time in ushering us indoors. We’d wake the neighbors if we kept that up in the front yard. We stumbled into our living room, the three of us in a standoff behind locked doors. Penelope seethed, snapping at me. I tried to stay positive.

  “Maybe she didn’t know,” I tried, despite knowing the truth deep down. When she didn’t say anything, my confidence faltered. “You knew his gift?”

  “I don’t know what he is—” she tried, but Penelope butted in.

  “He’s a Volter!”

  “A what?” she asked, dumbfounded.

  “A Volter,” Penelope enunciated. Anger made her normally pale cheeks red. “His gift is electricity. Big electricity, like, he’s got power through practically any nearby source. We should’ve been toast in there. He can zap anyone, anytime he wants.”

  My stomach turned as I thought of the case files Dad brought home. It had photos of the burns in Starling’s yellow shirt. Nova must have been thinking of the same thing, because she sneered. “Yeah, I’m well aware.”

  “And you lied to us about it!” Penelope shouted. Her hands were by her sides, but they shook with anger.

  She better keep it in check and not throw Nova through a wall. No hiding that from Dad.

  Despite all of Penelope’s rage, I was more disappointed than mad. Nova and I had shared a lot together in the last few weeks. Even if she hadn’t told us about Fortune’s gift in the beginning, she’d had dozens of chances to come clean. Doesn’t she trust me? I had to know before letting my temper get the better of me. I stared at her, my lips pursed in thought.

  “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” I asked, hurt clear in my question.

  Not “us” — “me.” I’d slipped and now she knew I was taking this personally. Nova’s mouth opened and closed, having no idea what to say.

  “I’m sorry.” She swallowed hard and I didn’t miss the waver in her voice. “When Fortune…killed Starling, he said if I ever told anyone the truth, he’d kill the rest of my family. He’s not the kind of guy who bluffs. I couldn’t risk it for my family, or for you. I’d rather have speculated on a Seer and faced him alone than put you in that kind of danger.”

  My face softened and even Penelope’s hard look fell off. Her thin arms crossed over her chest and she averted her eyes, still scowling. She didn’t want to let her off that easy.

  “I’m sorry,” Nova said again, silently pleading with me to forgive her. She took an involuntary step forward. “I didn’t mean to put you in danger. I really did think he had a Seer and that if you knew the truth about him, it would make things worse…”

  “Nova,” I said, coming a few steps closer. I reached out for her hand without thinking. “I already told you, we know the risks, but that means you have to tell us everything. Is there anything else?”

  “No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. I glanced down at her hand in mine, felt her warm skin. “That’s everything. He killed Starling using that hellish blue lightning. My dad is the only other person who knows that, though.”

  I squeezed her hand and she looked back up at me. Her hands trembled and I knew she felt terrible. I couldn’t stay mad at her, not when she needed us the most. “It’s okay, Nova.”

  “Well sure, now, because we’re alive,” Penelope mumbled. But her anger had faded and I knew she’d get over it.

  Nova breathed a sigh of relief, managing a weak smile. Disappointment flared through me when she dropped my hand and pulled away.

  She changed the subject. “At least we got out of there uninjured. And we managed to annoy Fortune, too.”

  Penelope relaxed at the thought, taking a seat on the couch. “Might as well cause some trouble.”

  “He did look pretty mad,” I said, thinking back at the way Fortune’s mask crinkled with rage as he struggled to get up. “I wonder why he didn’t chase after us?”

  “Maybe he knows we’re too much for him,” Penelope suggested.

  “Fat chance. He probably got what he wanted.” Her smile died at Nova’s sharp remark. “Even without his crazy lightning, his men are bound to be gifted. How are we supposed to fight that?”

  “Why don’t they use their gifts?” Penelope asked, sounding more curious than worried. “I mean, think of the damage they could do.”

  I cleared my throat. “I think it’s because he doesn’t want to use gifts out in the open. Draws too much attention.”

  A bark of laughter escaped Nova. “That makes no sense. Fortune is all about attention.”

  “When it comes to his psychopathic ways, yes,” I said, nodding, “but not when it comes to his gift. He doesn’t want you telling anyone about it. The only reason he used it tonight was because he knew we, or at least you, were gifted. I think he was testing us.”

  “I wonder how we did,” she said, shooting me a dark look.

  “Here’s my question,” Penelope said, raising a forefinger, “what was Fortune doing there? What did the Runner go in after?”

  I frowned, having forgotten that necessary detail. “Yeah, it’s been banks in broad daylight. Why the switch, breaking into some empty building at night? What’s on the second floor?”

  Penelope whipped out her phone to search for the answer, but Nova answered first. “Public Records.”

  “He couldn’t do that during the day like everyone else?” Penelope rolled her eyes.

  “That’s stuff like marriage licenses, right?” I asked.

  “And land records, wills and deeds, criminal case records, the whole gambit.” Nova paced the living room, trying unsuccessfully to imagine Fortune’s plan.

  “He wants land records for something, maybe?” I suggested.

  “If he wanted to use the stolen money to buy some, sure.” We liked the theory, but who knew how we’d go about stopping that. Those sorts of plans always had strange legalities.

  “He’s checking marriage records for a lost love,” Penelope said, a wide grin spreading across her face.

  I couldn’t help myself, laughing at the ridiculousness of the idea. Nova giggled, too. The tension broke and I knew we were okay. I checked my watch to find it a very late hour. Nova grimaced as she realized the time.

  “Sorry guys, we’ll have to keep theorizing later. It’s past my bedtime.”

  “It’s still early,” Penelope protested.

  “It’s a school night,” I said, tapping my watch.

  She wrinkled her nose. “I guess I do have that paper for Stein due tomorrow. Night.”

  Without another word, she went upstairs to her room. I moved to the front door, trying to keep it from getting awkward between Nova and me.

  “Want any company on the walk home?” I asked. I thought there might be a hopeful look in her eyes, or maybe that was just me hoping she was hoping.

  “Sure,” she said.

  In truth, I’d walked her home every night we’d been out. We’d talk about school or music, but we’d somehow made an unspoken truce not to discuss the evening’s activities. It had become my favorite moment of each day, something I looked forward to even when I woke up the next morning. It was probably the most normal I’d felt, like, ever.

  I loved making Nova laugh. I didn’t think she did enough of it. I had a talent for celebrity impressions, such as my surprisingly impressive Vin Diesel one, and often tried to come up with others on the spot by her request.

  “That’s a pretty good Bill Murray,” she said after my latest attempt, “though not quite as
solid as last week’s Shia LaBeouf.”

  We laughed, the sound of her giggle making my heart lighter than it had been all day.

  “I wonder what that Runner meant, when he said to think of our advantage against Fortune,” I blurted out, looking up to the heavens.

  Nova clammed up and I wanted to kick myself. The mood went downhill instantly. What is wrong with you, Warner?

  She kicked a pebble off the sidewalk and into the grass. “We don’t usually talk about that stuff on the walk home.”

  “I know,” I said quickly, “and we don’t have to, I just wondered—”

  “I don’t really know,” she said, cutting me off. “I’m sure I’ll lose sleep over it later tonight.”

  I grimaced. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—”

  “It’s okay.”

  Neither of us spoke as we ventured the last street over to my house. As always, I walked her right to her basement door, rocking on my heels.

  “You’re thinking of her, aren’t you?” I asked, startling her out of her reverie.

  “Sorry?”

  “Your sister. I can always tell, you get this look on your face…”

  Heat flushed her cheeks, but the smile said she was pleased I’d paid close attention. “That obvious, huh?”

  “It’s not a bad thing,” I said quickly, waving the idea away. “But you always seem to go somewhere else when she’s on your mind.”

  “It’s just how I focus now, I guess.” She shrugged, trying to break the dark cloud that threatened overhead.

  God, I was an idiot. Why was I trying to get her to talk about her sister when all I wanted to do was kiss her? An awkward silence came between us; I had no idea how to make things anywhere close to romantic now. I’d ruined the moment. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  She stuck her hands in her back pockets. “I better get inside, I’ve got a project to finish.”

  “Night then,” I said, disappointment flaring inside. I’d gone chicken again.

  After a half-hearted wave, I departed, cursing myself. Why couldn’t I just ask her out? We already hung out practically every night, so why did I freeze up anytime I tried to even remotely talk to her like a regular girl? Then again, she was nowhere close to the average girl, one of the reasons I liked her so much. Maybe that’s why it’s impossible to ask her out.

  Over the next two days, I berated myself for how I’d acted at the courthouse. I’d finally had a chance to confront Fortune and I ruined it by letting fear control me. I hadn’t tried to stand up to him or even so much as said anything. When that blue lightning appeared and Fortune’s shadow slithered in, my entire body had locked up. The man sent me into a tailspin. I didn’t sleep, picked at my food, and mostly obsessed over what I’d do when I saw him again.

  Next time, I’m taking him down.

  I barely noticed when Andy Vicker caught me before the last class of the day. Nearly a head taller than most people, he spotted me in the crowd of students meandering down the hallway.

  “Nova!” he said, waving at me. In a few long strides, he’d skirted through the panicked freshmen and hormonal sophomores. “Just the girl I wanted to see.”

  “Why is that?” I asked, curiosity piqued. Andy and I hadn’t really spoken much since Henry’s newspaper article a few weeks ago.

  Andy grinned down at me. “I wondered if you wanted to go out with me this weekend.”

  “Oh,” I said, taken by surprise. I stalled by allowing a couple kids to walk between us. When he merged back to my side, I opted to go with the blunt truth. “I don’t want you asking me out only because I saved your life.”

  Andy’s humor dropped, replaced by sincerity. We reached my classroom, but he placed a gentle hand on my arm to stop me from heading inside.

  “I’m not, honest. I wanted to ask you out last year, but then after what happened…you’re cool, Nova. You’re hot and funny and nice to everyone, which is pretty much everything I like in a girl.”

  I couldn’t help but be pleased at his answer, a warm feeling in my chest. Andy was always nice, but to hear such sweet things — and from such a handsome face — made a girl feel good.

  “Come on,” he urged. “Just say you’ll think about it.”

  I bit my bottom lip, losing the fight against his upbeat demeanor. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

  “Yes!” Andy made a touchdown motion with his arms. They remained up as he walked backwards, grinning at me like an idiot. I giggled and quickly went inside my class.

  Henry came in a second later, curiosity all over him. He’d clearly seen everything.

  “That looked interesting,” he whispered as he slipped into the desk on my left. He shot me a knowing smile.

  I ignored him, making a show of getting out my notebook and pen.

  “You should go out with him.”

  I dropped my pen in surprise. “Nosey much?”

  The teacher called for our attention, cutting our conversation short. Halfway into her lecture, Henry held up his notebook for me.

  U should go out w/ him.

  I scribbled on my own paper. Said I’d think about it.

  He likes you.

  I huffed, annoyed that Henry felt so involved. Refusing to write back, I took notes instead. I also tried to avoid thinking about Cole, though that didn’t go so well. He’d barely spoken to me today, only asking to copy a few notes he’d missed on the lecture. The teacher’s voice droned on, nearly losing me to daydreams about catching Fortune. We had barely been dismissed before Henry leaned over to jump back into it.

  “Are you gonna go out with him?”

  “What’s the deal with you?” I asked, stuffing my book back into my bag. “Why are you pushing me into a date with Andy?”

  “I’m not,” he said, hands up in truce, “but it would be good for you.”

  We exited the room, eager to get outside and enjoy the last rays of sunshine. We made our way to the front doors, swept up in the waves of students headed in the same direction. We paused by the steps as other kids merged into the flood.

  “For real, Nova, you’ve been into him forever.” Henry nudged me. I looked in his direction to see Andy by his locker. To my dismay, Henry waved at him, motioning to come over. “Have a little fun. This is your chance.”

  “I don’t know.” I shifted my weight from foot to foot, unable to stand still as Andy made his way over to us.

  Henry lowered his voice. “If this is about Cole, I should warn you that Amber’s already set her sights on him.”

  “So what, you think that means I don’t stand a chance?” Even as I said it, my heart sank. No wonder Cole wasn’t asking me out, if he had a chance with bubbly, beautiful Amber. Once she sets her sights on a guy, he was usually toast, charmed by her wiles. Henry didn’t miss the insulted tone of my voice, though, quickly waving his hands.

  “No, of course not! I guess I thought this, going out with Andy of all people, would make you feel more…normal. It’s something you wanted for a long time, ya know?”

  My annoyance at him softened. I got what he was trying to do, that he wanted things to go back the way they were. I couldn’t be old Nova ever again, but new Nova might still enjoy a date with her longtime crush. Maybe it was even a good idea. A date with a cute boy could be good for me. If Cole doesn’t want to ask me out, then why not go out with the guy who does? It probably wasn’t healthy for Fortune to take up so much of my thoughts, anyway, right? I took in a breath and nodded before I could change my mind.

  “You’re right. I should go out with Andy. Why wouldn’t I?”

  Relief flooded Henry’s face; perhaps he’d been prepared for me to start screeching. He pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and took a few steps back. “In that case, I’ll meet you outside.”

  Before I could ask, I turned to see Andy right in front of me. I gave him a small smile and his whole attitude changed. I could see him melt from determination to satisfaction. He’d won this battle before it even started. I had to admit his con
fidence made him even more attractive.

  “Given any more thought to my offer?” He stuck his hands in his pockets, a lazy grin spreading across his face.

  I didn’t want to make it that easy for him. I tried for coy, shrugging before giving him a smile.

  “Oh, I don’t know.”

  He leaned in a little, his face turning genuine. “Go out with me. Please?”

  I caught a whiff of his cologne, a slightly overbearing smell that reminded me of walking into that one store in the mall. It was a bit much, but it certainly didn’t take away from those bright baby blues waiting for my answer. Combined with the long lashes and chiseled jaw, I could hardly tear myself away.

  Henry’s advice sounded in my head and I found myself nodding at Andy. “Yeah, okay, I’d like that. You free Friday?”

  “I’ve got an away game, so I won’t get back until late.” Andy was still the school’s star varsity soccer player. “How’s Saturday night, pick you up at 8?”

  I nodded again, sure that I looked like a bobblehead. “Sure.”

  “Cool.” He beamed at me and the blush on my cheeks easily appeared; Henry once told me it was cute and I hoped Andy thought the same. In my head, I started jumping up and down in excitement. I’d wanted him to smile at me like since the ninth grade.

  Finally, something is going right.

  On Saturday, my mom started the day way too bright and early. She flung my bedroom door open, jerking me awake. “Wake up, honey!”

  “What time is it?” I mumbled, trying to steady my pounding heart at her entrance.

  “Almost eight, time to get up and ready to go!”

  “You are such a morning person. And that is not a compliment.” I glared at her through sleepy eyes. “Is the house on fire?”

  “Of course not.”

  I buried my head under my pillow. “Then why are you trying to drag me out of bed this early?”

  “Your big date is tonight! We’re going to get you a cute new outfit.”