SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania (2 page)

Several people were out, whether they were businessmen leaving the office or the homeless pocketing change off the sidewalks. Several of the shops were still lucky enough to be open, but I noticed more “Out of Business” signs mixed with boarded up windows.
 

Arcania used to be a well-to-do, thriving city. As a little kid, my parents would take me downtown for festivals and other events. Dad took me to lunch at a local cafe where I knew half the employees; Dad used to say they gave us free pie because I was cute, but I knew it was because they appreciated my father and what he did for the city as District Attorney.
 

Things got worse as the city cycled itself into decay. Gangs like DeLuca’s Devils and the O’Malley Hounds took over the streets, passing out drugs like candy. Criminals and vagrants littered those blocks at night; bars and nightlife suffered due to lack of customers after ten o’clock. Those who did venture downtown could easily run into bad luck near alleys and dark parking lots. Dilapidated houses protected the homeless, the druggies, the hookers. Certain areas of close neighborhoods were okay to live in, but you didn’t want to take a wrong turn and get lost after dark.
 

Comfortable with the downtown layout, I navigated through the one-way streets and traffic until I came to the city building. Dad worked on the third floor with other lawyers and judges. Mom must have given him a call because he stood outside waiting for us. He jumped in the passenger seat as soon as I pulled over.

“Hi, girls,” he greeted us. “How was school?”

I shrugged but Starling piped up from the back. “Good, Daddy. I got an A on my spelling test!”

“That’s great, Star! Did any words give you trouble?”

“Nope. The bonus word was “elephant” and it took me a few minutes, but I remembered the “p” and “h” instead of the “f” that Bobby put down on his answer.”

Dad laughed. “You’re a smartypants.”

“It’s ‘cause Nova helped me study last night,” she said. I glanced at her in the rearview mirror and she beamed at me. I gave her a wink and turned my attention to my father.

“So where’s your car, Daddio?”

“Over on Franklin, but I need to make a quick stop at the bank first.”

My stomach tightened and I gave him a look. “After that talk at dinner the other night?”

Not two days ago, Mom and Dad had discussed the front page of the local newspaper. Arcania had its fair share of rotten criminals, but the newest arrival took the cake. Fortune, as he called himself, was a bank robber who sounded more like a psychotic madman. Interested as I was in his criminal file, I didn’t ever want to meet the guy. He’d hit banks all over the city, taking thousands upon thousands of dollars.
He also likes to murder in cold blood, so one could see where they should simply go through the drive-thru ATMs until things calm down.
 

My dad nodded, understanding my trepidation. “It’s okay Nova, it’s Arcania Bank, one of the most secure banks in the entire state.”

“But—”

“We have nothing to fear. He would be an idiot to try and rob it. Besides, he’s only stuck to the smaller banks.”

At his words, the knot lessened. My father was no fool and if he believed that, then he was probably right. I knew the bank was only a few blocks away and headed that direction. We were lucky to find a spot right outside the huge front steps and I successfully parallel parked, to my Dad’s pleasure. He expressed that he’d rather not have his two young daughters parked alone outside on the city streets, so we got out of the car and followed him inside.
 

We didn’t even make it through the first doorway when a masked man grabbed my father’s shoulder and shoved him to the ground. His gun pointed right at my face, cutting off my scream. I didn’t know if the gun would hurt me, but it would definitely hurt Dad and Starling. I put my hands up in a calm motion to let him know I wouldn’t make any sudden movements.
 

“We’re on our way out,” the wiry man growled beneath his black ski mask. “Be good and I’ll pretend we didn’t see you.”
 

I nodded and risked a glance at my father. His glasses hung off his face, but he was too busy glaring at the man to bother fixing them. His eyes met mine and then went to Starling, who hadn’t made so much as a squeak. I looked down at her; she gave the robber a very hard look, her eyebrows furrowed together as she glared at him. I shifted ever so slightly to stand in front of her.
 

Over the man’s shoulder, I could see the inside of the bank. There was little movement; people huddled together with tear-streaked faces, their knees into their chests. A pool of blood glistened in the far corner where a pair of khaki-covered legs and black shoes lay lifeless.
Another dead security guard?
My heart lodged in my throat.
 

“Get down on the ground,” the criminal said to us. He kept both hands firmly on his gun and flicked it downwards. I immediately bent my knees, but Starling balked.

“Nova, don’t. He’s a bad man,” she said in a loud, clear voice.
 

“Be quiet, Star, and lie down on the floor,” I whispered. My father slowly reached for Starling’s hand, but she shook it off.

“No, he’s bad, don’t let him rob the bank!” she yelled.

My eyes darted from her red face up to the bank robber. His brown eyes narrowed and I could almost see his lips pull back in a scowl beneath the thick fabric. He shifted his feet; I took notice of his all-black ensemble, right down to the leather gloves. There was nothing I could use to describe him to the police. Five long seconds passed before he spoke.

“My partners are headed for this exit in less than a minute. One
will
shoot you if you’re not on the ground.”

But we didn’t even have that much time; the minutes had gotten away from him in his dealings with us. The second set of bank doors banged open and four men strode out with purpose. They wore the same black uniform with black ski masks over their faces. Large black duffel bags, full of money no doubt, were slung over their shoulders. They hesitated when they saw us blocking their exit.

“What’s the problem here?” one asked our captor.

“They tried to come in so I stopped them,” he replied.
 

“Hey, I know him,” another spoke up, motioning his gun toward my father. My heart skipped a beat as my father glared at each of the men. “He was at my—,” he caught himself, “—he was on TV after some trial. That guy’s Arcania DA. Big shot lawyer for the city.”

The tallest one took a step forward and assessed the situation. Was this man the mastermind of these awful crimes?
He must be the leader.
In an all-black suit, complete with black tie, he was definitely the best-dressed of the bunch. I could tell the well-fitted fabric was expensive, but the ski mask showing only his midnight blue eyes ruined the ensemble.
 

“I’ll handle this.” He waved his gun at the others. “Put the bags in the vehicle. Meet at the designated spot. Go!”

Without another word, his lackeys, including our previous captor that may have shown mercy, grabbed all the money and hurried out of the building. Not even one of them glanced back at us. I didn’t dare turn my head to see what direction they took. The leader pulled out his own steel gun, walked over to my father, and pointed it at his head. Blood rushed through my ears, creating a white noise of terror. I bit back a scream, shoving Starling’s face into my back to block her view.
 

“I should kill you,” the man’s voice rang in the foyer. “One of Arcania’s own protectors, killed right in front of his children. That would send a clear message to everyone.”

“We will find you and put you in prison. You will be stopped,” my father responded.

“I own this city now,” the man snarled.
 

He pistol-whipped Dad, the blunt metal making a sick thud against Dad’s head. His glasses skittered away from him on the shiny granite floor and Dad didn’t get up. Starling screamed, a high-pitched, terrible shriek, and the gun swung around to point at her. My temper flared and I shoved her entire body behind me.
 

“Don’t even think about it,” I snapped at him.
 

It was probably the stupidest thing I could do, but I wouldn’t step aside. He would have to shoot me first and even then I wasn’t sure what would happen. Would I remain standing or would I drop to the ground? Would I bleed even a little before healing entirely? My skin had never broken; I had never bled before, but a gun seemed to open up all possibilities. Would the bullet bounce off me, like Superman?
Then
what would I do? Bile rose in my throat as my thoughts raced. I kept my stance and gave him my meanest look. He kept his gun trained on me with steady hands.
 

“Your father is an important man. I hope he relays my statement. When he wakes, tell him my name is Fortune.”

My heart stuttered at the admission, at the proud way he said it.
 

“They’ll catch you,” I tried to tell him, but it didn’t sound as confident as I’d hoped.

“No. They won’t,” he said. His mask moved a little as though he might be smiling. I could make out impossibly dark blue eyes, but no sparkle of humor or light shone. “I’m better than those imbeciles. You, little girl, have much to learn about this world.”

“Stop him, Nova!” Starling whimpered behind me. Our father stirred on the ground.
 

“You think your big sister can take me, child?” Fortune asked with a malicious laugh.
 

“I know she can,” Starling replied. She poked her head out from around me. Had the situation not been so serious, her sweet little face screwed up in so much anger might have been comical. “You can’t hurt her. She can stop you.”

I pushed her behind me again and kept my thoughts to myself. I hoped Fortune would misunderstand her statement.
 

“I’d love for her to try.” His eyes met mine and I knew he hadn’t gotten Starling’s true meaning. How could he? Star trembled while I tried vainly to steady myself. This needed to end.
 

“Just go,” I warned him in a low voice. “You either stay here and get caught or leave us alone. Take your money and run.”
 

“I’m not worried. No prison is going to hold me. They could take my men, but I’ll sit here all day with you to prove a point. Those stupid humans think they can handle me, but they’re wrong.”

Every cell in my body froze. What did he say? I made sure to keep the fear on my face—not that difficult to do—to prevent suspicion.
 

My dad groaned and mumbled Starling’s name. My heart pounded and I tried to press my weight against Star so she’d back up, away from the criminal. I made sure every bit of her was hidden behind me. How come no one from inside the bank had tried to come out yet? Almost against my will, my eyes went to my left where the hostages still sat, unmoving.
 

“Don’t worry about them,” Fortune said, noticing my evaluation. “They’ll stay right where they are to avoid being killed. They already saw two others die today.”

Police sirens wailed close by and I took in a shaky breath. “Time to make your decision, Fortune. Cops are here to collect you.”

“Didn’t see you coming. Interesting.” The curiosity in his gaze sent the hairs on my arms standing straight up. When I didn’t reply, he shrugged and came towards me, laid a cold, leather-gloved hand on my face. I gritted my teeth to keep from shaking while he examined me. “You’re a pretty thing. Sure you don’t want to come with me?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” It sounded more like a plea than a statement. My panic couldn’t be ignored much longer. My knees quaked.
 

“It would certainly upset your father and this city,” he mused. My entire body froze up as I saw he was now seriously considering it.

“Don’t take her!” Starling shrieked. She jumped out from behind me and shoved Fortune with all her nine-year-old might. “You can’t have her.
You’re a bad man!
”

“You’re right. This message is better.” Fortune tucked his gun away and my knees wobbled a little in relief. He was going to let us go. He met my gaze and when he spoke, his tone couldn’t be more plain. “You will not tell anyone about me or I will kill the rest of your family.”

“The
rest
—
?
”
 

Then Fortune’s hand went up and thin, bright blue lines of light shot from his palm with a crackle. Heat sizzled my arm closest to Starling, who fell to the ground in a heap; I hadn’t even had time to react. A split second later, the neon flash was gone and only Fortune remained.
 

Someone was screaming. Several moments passed before I realized it was me. I dropped to the ground and listened for Starling’s heartbeat, finding none. Before I could question my sanity, I looked in shock at her shirt, at the palm-sized burn mark over her stopped heart. Fortune sighed as I cradled her tiny body in my arms.

“Silly little girl,” he said. “Reminds me of someone I knew once."

I looked up in time to see him slip out the door. A terrible wailing filled the small room, clanged in my head like a siren. My mother later told me it took four officers to tear Starling from my arms.