SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania (6 page)

“I don’t expect anyone to question me on catching Fortune, actually. We won’t do anything illegal, but Arcania PD can have an anonymous source. With my testimony, we can put him away for life.”

I bit my tongue, looked down at the floor. I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t kill Fortune given the opportunity. I supposed I could try to keep him alive, but I mostly wanted him to suffer, cause him the same pain and grief he’d so willingly given me. Besides, he’d only kill every human in his path. Jail wouldn’t keep him for long and he knew it.
 

“Are you really going to do this?” I asked in disbelief. “What does Mom know?”

“We had our suspicions. She’ll never speak of it, she’ll never ask you, and she’ll pretend it’s not happening. You’re our daughter and it’s not what we want for you. But if we can’t stop you, we should help you. Trying to stop you will only hurt you. She wants Starling’s death to be avenged as much as we do.”

Dad’s hands went firmly to my shoulders, shook me to catch my attention. His blue eyes blazed with intensity behind the wire-rimmed glasses.
 

“Fortune broke this family, Nova,” he said. “He broke us and enjoyed it as he’s done with so many other people. What he doesn’t realize is that we are stronger. Not only you with your power, but your mother and I as well. Fortune may have hurt us—”

“Gutted us with a knife,” I muttered, but he continued over me.

“But he made a mistake in choosing to take our Star, because now we’re going to go after him. We’re going to make sure he knows he picked the wrong family. We will not curl up and cry in the corner; that time has passed. Now we bring him to justice.”

His strong, smooth voice, the warm grip on my shoulders, his sheer determination, made me feel better.
He’s right.
A small blossom of hope erupted in my chest and I prayed I could hold on to it.
 

I nodded at him and he yanked me into a giant hug that I gladly returned. Burying my face in the crook of his neck, smelling that familiar odor of books and aftershave, took me back to my childhood. For a moment, I could simply be here, in my daddy’s arms.

Dad pulled away, planted a kiss on my forehead. His hand went to my cheek as I looked at him again.
 

“We’re going to end him.” His calmness washed over me and I knew he was right. It would take time, but together we
would
end Fortune.
 

We gave each other a long, hard look before he went to bed without another word. I slept like a rock that night.
 

I slept late the next morning, nearly around noon. My parents were both at work and I had the day to myself. I grumbled out of bed and dragged myself into my bathroom. Star’s and my rooms were the only two on the upper floor. We’d shared the hallway and bathroom.
 

On my few steps down the hall, I spared a glance at Starling’s closed bedroom door, almost hoped she was in there playing with a doll. I knew that it could never be true again, but my heart still cracked a little at the idea each day. I kept my pace and went into the bathroom. As I’d done the last several nights, I checked my back and arms, my knees…no bruises, no soreness.
 

It seemed I could be punched and kicked, thrown into walls with no repercussions. No outward battles could hurt but it appeared I could be choked to death. And if Fortune put another gun to my head, would I survive something so direct? Worse yet, were there still more terrible ways I could die?

After a bowl of cereal, I went downstairs to my basement. I sunk into the couch, skimmed the television channels, and couldn’t decide on a single thing. My mind and body were restless. I couldn’t stop going over the previous night’s events, how my father wanted to help me seek justice. He thought we could stop Fortune together. There were far too many unanswered questions, but for now, I’d just have to live off that exhilaration.
It’s a small step, but at least I can try and move my life forward.

My phone buzzed and I looked down at the screen: Henry. I hadn’t even said hello before he cut me off.

“You screening your calls? It rang like three times.”

I glanced at my phone before responding. “Are you
calling
me?”
 

“Yeah, I’m bored. What are you doing today?”

“I guess playing video games with you.”

“Sweet, I’ll be over in fifteen.” He hung up without a goodbye and I made sure I looked halfway presentable. I certainly didn’t have to get pretty for Henry, but I at least liked to make sure my shirt wasn’t inside out or anything.

Half an hour later, Henry walked into the back entrance without knocking. He helped himself to a bottle of water from the small refrigerator by the door, grabbed the game controllers and flopped down next to me.

Henry Wheeler always had a big smile for everyone, usually because he wanted information. As the school newspaper’s “star journalist,” as he put it, he wanted to lay on the charm. He was cute in sort of a nerdy way, with a consistent uniform of jeans, plaid shirts, and Chucks. I swore there couldn’t be anything else in his closet. He always had a notebook and pen in his back pocket, though I knew he recorded everything with his phone. His coffee brown eyes could read me like a book and I made no attempt at hiding much from him.
 

We’d been friends since the second grade when I caught a bully shoving him into the dirt; I chased the kid down until he ran face-first into a steel slide and needed staples in his forehead. While waiting for the principal’s reprimand, his parents were so impressed at my anti-bully statement that they became almost immediate friends with my parents. Turned out they lived in our neighborhood, too. After that, Henry and I became inseparable, as close as any two friends could be; we’d always wanted to be siblings and acted as such. He and Starling had adored each other.
 

I knew everything about Henry and vice versa. Except for that one big secret. He had no idea about my “condition” and I had no intention of changing that.
 

“What’d you do last night? Another exciting evening with your books?” he teased me.

I hesitated, unsure if I wanted to tell him the truth. Since he didn’t know about my gift, it seemed obvious not to fill him in. However, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to confess. He was my best friend, knew everything about me, and it never felt right hiding anything. But if anyone like Fortune discovered who I was, they could go after my family. My parents, Henry and his parents, they were family. I couldn’t lose Henry, too.
The guilt would kill me.
 

I distracted him by changing the subject. We chatted about starting our senior year for a while, thinking about all the things we needed to do before our great escape into the real world.
 

“Didn’t you get promoted at the
Gazette
?” I asked him. Our eyes never left the television screen as we battled our online opponents.

Henry nodded enthusiastically. He wanted to be the next Clark Kent, minus the tights and spit curl. “I’m senior writer now; I’ll get lots of front page stories.”

“That’s great!” I said, trying to keep my voice light. I didn’t think Henry would ever sell me out should he discover my little gift, but now I had yet another reason to keep my mouth shut. He was into “real journalism” and when he thought he had something, he refused to stop until the details were uncovered.
 

We spent the rest of the afternoon slaying our opponents, pausing every so often for a snack break. When I returned from the kitchen with a bag of chips, he’d turned off the video game. I plopped down next to him as he searched for something on TV to watch.
 

“Why don’t you just live down here?” Henry suggested between handfuls of potato chips.

The hand bringing chips to my own face paused. My head turned sideways as I considered his idea. “It’s not the worst idea you’ve ever had.”
 

I considered the prospect: didn’t every teenager dream of this perfect living scenario? With a private entrance, I was able to avoid my parents asking too many questions when I came home late. I could keep my own hours instead of feeling like I was sneaking out every night; even better, I wouldn’t have to pass Starling’s room every time I had to brush my teeth.
 

“I wonder if my parents would go for it.”

“I don’t see why not. They want you to be comfortable, to live again.” He paused, worried he’d gone too far. I held my breath and swallowed the knot in my throat until he continued. “After what happened, it seems obvious they wouldn’t want you to be unhappy. Maybe they’ll figure it’s something they can do for you. And you wouldn’t have to share that upstairs alone.”

He really does know me too well.
Not once had I mentioned my loneliness on a floor meant for sisters and he could zero in on it with no problem. I noticed he was being careful again, so I changed the subject.

“If they say yes, you get to help me move,” I warned him.

Henry started talking about his tweaked knee before jumping to some movie he’d watched last week. My mind wandered as I looked around the room. I didn’t mind listening to Henry go on about whatever he liked; being alone wasn’t always the best thing for me. Then again, being alone didn’t bother me so bad, especially the months after Star’s death.
 

After Fortune murdered Starling, everyone in the city knew our names. We’d been hounded for the first three months. Everyone wanted to know about Fortune killing the District Attorney’s young daughter. People treated me differently after she died. Lots of soft, reassuring voices dripped with sympathy. Food was brought over, flowers crowded our dining room, phone calls were endless; fast forward months later and the attention was still on us when we went out. We couldn’t escape reporters or sympathizers who recognized my dad and wanted to express their thoughts.
 

Along with avoiding the internet or my social media timelines, I’d also fallen off the popularity chain. My friend Amber and I had been on our way up, in clubs and hanging with the right people. I got invited to parties and outings. I’d been
thisclose
to dating the high school heartthrob, Andy Vicker, but he was obviously the last thing on my mind after Starling’s death. I’d lost interest in everything and everyone.
 

Henry was the best one, the one who never wavered to keep me sane. Not once did he lilt his voice or pat me on the hand or shoulder. He came over every single day to bring my schoolwork, or play video or board games with me, just so I would get out of bed. He joked with me, teased me as he always had. While most of our friends left for summer vacations, he didn’t leave my side; while others cared about me, Henry was the one who I depended on most.
 

I had floated through the days like a confused bumblebee, lost from the hive and angry with everyone. I’d appear as requested, say my thank yous, and hide when it got overwhelming. Through all the medication, I could still see Henry’s goodness, his loyalty and logic. I wouldn’t respond to his sympathy; he knew my pride wouldn’t want the hit. He would never treat me differently…at least I didn’t think he would. Was there a chance he would think otherwise if I was a vigilante in the night? Or if he knew that my bravery was only because I knew I couldn’t be hurt?
He might think I’m a freak of nature.
The very thought made my insides cold.
 

A chip crumb landed in my hair. I picked it out and shot him a look. “Hey.”

“You’re awful quiet. What’s up?” he asked.
 

I flinched but when I looked up at him, he wasn’t giving me a sad face. Instead, I found his reassuring, practical one. He wanted to talk about it. I didn’t.
 

“Tell me the truth, Nova.
Are
you okay?”

A week before, this question might have made me break down into tears. But after last night’s talk with Dad, I knew more than ever that I would put my entire being into hunting down Fortune. I couldn’t begin to guess what would happen if I found him, but at least now I had a purpose. It would keep me going, even if I didn’t know what came after a fight. If I made it through, I had no idea where I would go next. I’d cross that bridge when I got to it…if I got to it.