SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania (18 page)

Penelope proceeded to show Nova a few basic moves. I jumped in when explaining how to break a chokehold, though admitted it would be different when the real thing had you by the throat.
 

After a half hour or so, the girls got tired of practicing. Penelope could hardly contain herself, bouncing a little.
 

“Okay, so now that we’ve had our first training session, can we go?” She glanced at Nova, jerking a thumb at me. “Cole said we shouldn’t go until we make sure everyone can handle themselves.”
 

“Not that you can’t,” I said to Nova, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. “I just meant that we should all know the basics. Dad taught us a few things everyone should know, especially when they’re downtown.”
 

Nova nodded in understanding. “I get it. And I’m glad you did, it’s much easier to train with other people. But why did your dad teach you all this stuff if you’re gifted?”
 

“So we don’t have to use our gifts,” I answered. “If something were to happen out in public, Dad wanted to know we could handle ourselves without exposing our secret.”
 

“Smart,” Nova mused.
 

Penelope didn’t look as though she agreed. I shot her a warning look and motioned for them to go into the living room. Shutting the basement lights off and door behind me, we stood there for a minute.
 

“What do we do now?” Penelope asked.
 

We stared at Nova, as though waiting for instructions.
 

She cleared her throat, clearly awkward. “Would your dad be okay with this?”

Penelope answered first, her tone brusque. “He’s never around, so it doesn’t matter.”
 

“He works a lot,” I said, gently correcting her.
 

 
“I gotta pee before we go,” Pen said, breezing over the topic. “Get the stuff out.”
 

She bolted up the stairs, leaving us alone. Nova and I stood a few feet apart, not knowing what to say. She glanced around the living room, at the framed photos of my family. She stepped closer to the mantle for a better look at one shot. Penelope and I were probably in elementary school here, with grins as charming then as they were now. Nova paused at the photos of my parents and took a moment to admire my mother. Holding little Penelope, everything about her seemed to glow from happiness.
 

“She died a few years ago,” I said, interrupting her inspection.
 

Nova whirled around. “I’m so sorry.”
 

I shrugged. “Car accident. No way it could’ve been prevented.”
 

“Do you know that because you used your gift?”
 

I swallowed hard. “No — because my father tried.”
 

The silence thickened and I wanted to kick myself for being so short with her. My mother was a sore subject, but I wanted to open up to Nova.
I just don’t know how.
 

“Your gift…have you ever been in the hospital?” I asked. My blond hair fell over my eyebrow as I quirked my head to one side. Penelope called it my puppy dog look.
 

Nova shook her head. “I have one doctor and I only see him when I need a physical for school.”

“I’ve never met an Unbreakable until you.” I shot her a smile, though it might’ve come off as maniacal. I couldn’t tell around her. “Can I ask you a weird question?”
 

“Sure.”
 

“Do you ever bruise anything?”
 

Her long reddish hair swished in her face at the shake. “I don’t even feel pain.”

“What about when that Runner choked you?”

“I couldn’t breathe and almost passed out, but you guys distracted him in time.”

I took another step closer to stand in front of her. “Ever get sick?”

“Once after Starling died, but I think it was more shock than anything. I’d rather not discuss it if that’s all right.”

I nodded, understanding perfectly well. I stayed in front of her as she spoke. Her light blue eyes hypnotized me, making me stand in place. She gave a little half smile and my heartbeat quickened.
 

“I wanted to thank you for being so nice to us,” I said. “Feels kinda like fate that we met.”

 
“Why, because we’re both gifted?” she asked in a teasing voice.

“It’s definitely cool,” I admitted, “but it’s not about your gift. More like you’re easy to talk to. You also have a nice laugh.”

I took in her closeness and loved the flush on her cheeks. I leaned in a little and my eyes went to her very soft-looking lips. I forgot about everything else, wanting nothing more than to kiss her. She turned her head upwards a little, as though maybe she wanted me to. I was about to lean in before a thump overhead from my sister made us both jump. I continued to ruin the moment.
 

“Here, uh, you need one of these.” I pulled a black eye mask from the table behind me. “Penelope made them.”
 

A flash of disappointment crossed her face and she looked down to my gift. She flipped the mask over in her hands, a tiny smile flickering. “You used my sketch.”
 

I shrugged, trying to be modest. “I remembered a few of your details.”
 

She got skeptical on me, shooting me a doubtful look. “Now that I see it, this doesn’t even cover my whole face. How is someone not supposed to figure out who I really am?”
 

I smiled. “You’d be surprised that most people don’t pay too much attention to the things right in front of them. Do you usually wear your hair up or down?”

Surprised by the question, she hesitated. “Uh, down, I guess. Not every day, but most days.”

“Okay. Pull your hair back, all of it. Put it into a bun so no one can see the length or color very well. Maybe we all start wearing dark hoodies when we go out.”

She gave me an impressed look as she pulled her hair back. “You know your stuff. Have you saved the world before?”

I laughed. “No, but I read a lot of comic books.”

“And you think because people don’t notice a reporter lose his glasses and gain a spit curl that people here won’t realize who I am? That plan doesn’t sound great,” she said. Doubt crept back into her voice and I shook my head.

“People don’t really notice stuff like that. Especially people being saved from danger; they’re usually too hopped up on adrenaline or scared out of their minds.”

“There’s no head strap,” she said, gesturing to the mask.
 

“It’s a unique fabric,” I said, motioning to the back of it. “My dad used to work for a company that made the material; it’s a prototype.”
 

“For what?”
 

“You know, I never asked,” I said honestly. I’d never even wondered about it, having long given up on trying to get information out of my dad. “In any case, the back of the fabric will stick to your skin and keep it from falling off.”
 

She pulled the mask on, removing any stray hairs that stuck, and and straightened it across her nose to see properly. Her thin fingers traced the pretty swirls on the sides. She looked at me, trying different angles with the black windows in her peripheral vision. “Well?”

I’d been outright staring. I cleared my throat, sticking my hands into my front pockets. “It, um, looks nice.”

“I look silly, don’t I?” she said with a laugh.
 

“No, you definitely do not look silly. It’s…really cute.” I mumbled the last word, fighting back an embarrassed grin. It wasn’t just cute. The mysterious look was
hot
on her.
 

“You guys ready?” Penelope interrupted as she came downstairs and flopped onto the couch. She looked from me to Nova. “Why are you both so red?”

I choked back a laugh and Nova cleared her throat. I changed the subject. “Um, ok, so what’s tonight’s plan?”

We both turned to Nova, waited for an answer.
 

“Oh, um…I don’t really plan it out. I usually go downtown and see who turns up for an ass-kicking.”

Penelope grinned, immediately jumping up to head for the car. “I’m good with that.”

Nova drove us over since she knew downtown so well. We didn’t discuss what could happen. Instead, I asked her about the band on the radio and we somehow wound up talking about music the entire way into the city. Penelope tossed a black baseball cap at me and put her own on so our white-blond hair couldn’t be easily spotted.
 

Parking in what Nova deemed her usual spot, we got out and headed downstairs and outside. We waited for her directions and whispered when we talked.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen anyone besides homeless people,” she said as we rounded a corner.
 

I frowned at the litter that covered the sidewalks. Graffiti covered many of the walls, while FOR RENT signs decorated dozens of empty windows.

“But you’ve saved people?” Penelope asked.

“A few; a prostitute on my first night out and the couple that started my fight with the Runner you stopped.”

“That’s less than I thought,” she said.
 

I could tell Nova tried not to get all bristly at her tone. “I’ve been coming here too late; I thought crimes happened at like, midnight, but it’s more like somewhere between eight and ten. People get caught after dinner or events.”
 

We peered down an empty alley. I strained my ears for sounds but nothing moved. I shrugged and we moved on down the block. Seven blocks later, Penelope started complaining.

“I’m bored. I thought you said this was fun.”

I shot her a look, but she paid no attention, her eyes bouncing from building to building.
 

“I never said that,” Nova said in a tight voice. “Look, I don’t have fancy technology or special uniforms. This isn’t the movies. If we don’t spot anything on the rest of the sweep, we’ll go back if you want.”

“Pen, you can’t be so impatient,” I said, hoping to ease the tension. “We’ve only been out here for like, twenty-three minutes. Give it an actual chance.”

“Look, Timekeeper, just because you can keep track of every minute of the day doesn’t mean you have to always remind me,” she snapped back. “I was expecting a little more excitement.”

“Sorry,” Nova said. She adjusted her mask over her nose. She shrugged while Pen looked at her. “I’ve only done this a few times, but it hasn’t exactly kept me busy. I told you, my hours were off.”

“Plus, Fortune usually strikes out of nowhere,” I said. “They might not go out all the time if they have to stay underground. Or wherever they’re holed up.”

She nodded in agreement. “And no offense Penelope, but this isn’t something I consider to be entertainment. I don’t want to do it because it’s fun.”

Penelope gave her a sideways look, a glint in her eye as she spoke. “You’re a liar if you say it isn’t fun for you to kick a bad guy’s ass. It’s what you’re built for, being an Unbreakable.”

Nova’s mouth opened and closed without response. When her eyes met mine, she gave a weak chuckle. “She has me there. It
has
been fun to hurt the bad guys.”
 

“Yep, I bet you love being invincible. This life must be all you think about,” Penelope continued. A smile crossed her face. “I bet you sit in class, imagining all sorts of ways to hurt people.”

The hairs on my arms stood up at her statement. I didn’t want Pen to talk that way, knew that’s what Dad was worried about. I had to reel her back in before this got ugly. I didn’t want her to freak Nova out.
 

“Ways to hurt Fortune,” I corrected her. Her smile widened. I glanced at Nova, but she remained silent, her lips pressed tightly together.

No one spoke for three more blocks.
 

“You want to kill him, don’t you?” Pen asked, as though she were talking about the weather.
 

“You sure you’re not a Telepath?” Nova asked Penelope, throwing her a sharp look.

A grin flashed across her face before she responded. “Cole asks me that all the time. I promise I’m only a Telekinetic. We only get one gift and moving stuff around is my thing.”

“You always seem to know a little more than anyone else. Insightful or whatever.”

Her tiny shoulders rose and fell once. “I’m observant and honest. Two things that sometimes come out a little rude.”

When she saw Nova’s surprise, her smile grew. “Yeah, I know how I come across. It’s not gonna change, either. I don’t care what anyone else thinks of me, or my gift for that matter.”

I admired my sister for the most part. She was comfortable enough with herself not to be bothered by anyone else. She had a confidence most people didn’t have, especially gifted people who had everything to lose. But I also worried about her control, or rather, the lack thereof that happened to go with a bad attitude. I’d promised Dad years ago I’d protect her.
Even from herself.