SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania (26 page)

“But I’ve always had a little extra oomph, as my mom likes to say. My skin’s never been broken.”

“I think the other stuff—your strength, the extra bursts of speed, that’s all relatively new, right? Within the last few years? Gifts often start out small and then fully develop at different times for each of us. Sometimes it takes a trigger.”

“I was lifting some extra weights last spring. Lately, I’ve been throwing men across warehouses,” I admitted. Cole hid a smile while I continued. “And I’m faster than I’ve ever been, when I have to chase those guys.”

Cole hesitated, shifted his feet as he considered his words. “It’s possible that Starling’s death was your trigger. Our gifts are used by our energy, but they stem from our emotions. When Fortune killed Starling, your grief took over, an emotion so powerful it’s given you access to the rest of your gift.”

“What does that mean, though? That I’ll be able to lift cars out of harm’s way and be faster than a speeding bullet?” I said with a small laugh.

Cole immediately shook his head. “No, only Runners go that fast.”

My laugh died down at his response. “Is there a gift for everything?”

“Maybe not everything. But there’s a lot of them out there. Not all of them are as impressive as ours.”

“How do you know all this?”

“My grandparents,” he said with a shrug. “We spent a lot of time with them growing up.”

“Your dad, he’s a Timekeeper, too?”

Cole nodded. “Yep. Penelope gets hers from our grandfather on mom’s side. They’re gone, so she had to learn a lot on her own.” He smiled at me, but I found it sadder than usual. “My dad’s parents helped until they passed a couple of years ago. Dad taught me everything I know about the gifted world, how to help Pen when he’s not around…”

“What do you mean, help her?” I asked. “Does she lose control?”

Cole raised an eyebrow as though I should already understand. “She’s a sixteen-year-old girl who can move things with her mind. She’s at a vulnerable age.”

“For what?”

Cole shoved his free hand in his pocket and looked at the ground as he spoke.
 
“You’ve seen how she is; she has no patience or willpower thanks to a gift that can hand you everything within close reach. I don’t want anyone getting to her, offering her things she doesn’t understand yet. It’s another reason I’m glad we’re helping you, to keep her in check. It was hard to say that in front of her when you asked, though.”

“You talk about her like she’s a kid,” I said after a moment’s observation. “I get that telekinesis is dangerous, but do you really think she’d be so easily swayed?”

“She’s always been able to move stuff,” he said rather abruptly, ignoring my question. The lines around his eyes hardened as he looked back to the pool. “Even as a little kid, she could do more stuff than expected. Her gift came early compared to most. Dad’s always been…strict with her.”

“Cole, it sounds like you think she’s dangerous.”

The silence spoke volumes, his odd tone and expression unsettling.
There’s something he isn’t telling me.
I set my beer can on a nearby table. I didn’t care about fitting in. I wanted to talk about Penelope, about how we could help her, but instead I said nothing. This was technically none of my business and I respected Cole too much to pressure him about it, but I couldn’t ignore the worry in his eyes.
 

He didn’t want to admit it, but he wasn’t protecting his sister.
He’s protecting everyone else from her.
A cold chill ran through me at the possibilities.

I glanced at my watch; we’d been standing out here for fifteen minutes now. I gave him a curious look. “What are you doing out here, anyway? Where’s Amber?”

“She’s inside,” he said, motioning his beer can to the house. “I believe she’s dancing with Andy, actually. I hate to sound rude, but I don’t really mind. She’s nice enough but talks about herself
a lot.
”

I couldn’t resist laughing. “I used to like these parties, but now that I have better things to do, I have no interest in being here.”

“Yeah, I’d rather be out hunting.”

“It’s not too late to go,” I said, only half-joking.
 

“Nah, we deserve the night off, I think.” He cleared his throat, giving me an appreciate once-over. “You look really nice.”
 

A warmth spread through me, right down to my toes. “Thanks. I’m glad your hair isn’t pink anymore.”

“It was awful. Luckily Pen’s never done anything seriously destructive to me.”

Amber’s familiar laugh sounded inside the kitchen and the warmth left me. My arms crossed over my chest as I gazed out at the pool. “What made you go out with Amber anyway? I mean, she’s one of my friends, but I was surprised to see you together.”

Cole cleared his throat; in my peripheral vision I saw him look down at his shoes before coming back to me. “Well, the girl I wanted to hang out with plans tonight. Plus it’s a little complicated.”

The small blossom of hope I’d hidden in my chest grew, despite my mental screaming to stay calm, to remember he was here with Amber. I kept my eyes on the pool.
 

“Complicated?” I hoped he couldn’t hear the waver in my “neutral” tone. I already hated the word, wondering what he meant.

I could feel his eyes on me as he spoke, his voice a low, hushed tone. “I don’t think she’s ready to let anyone in yet.”

I spun around to look at him. I wanted to be brave, to dive into unknown territory and admit my feelings. Hope shone in his eyes and I opened my mouth to speak.

“Hey guys!” A voice I knew interrupted and I bit my tongue to prevent a scream. Cole and I both turned to see Henry, who took one look at us and grinned.
 

“We’ve been looking for you,” Henry said to me, “but I didn’t see you inside with Andy. Heard you can outdrink the soccer team.”

“Just Andy. I needed some fresh air,” I said, gritting my teeth. Henry’s smile threatened to crack his face in two. He could read the entire situation on my face.
Jerk.
 

He turned to Cole and gave him a sympathetic look. “And I heard you’re here with Amber. Piece of advice, you probably wanna jump off the crazy train before she really gets going. She’s totally hot, I get it, but I promise you don’t want the constant texting. You’ll throw your phone out of the car window. My mom is
still
mad.”

Cole couldn’t help but laugh and I raised an eyebrow at Henry. “You said we, who agreed to let you into the party?”

“I got my own invitation, actually,” Henry said. “And I brought Penelope.”

Right on cue, Penelope stepped out of the house and looked over to see where we stood. She walked over and greeted us.

“Aren’t you on a date with Amber? Why are you out here?” she asked Cole.

Cole blushed and stammered a little. “I was…we were talking since neither of us wanted to dance…”

“You see Nova all the time, I thought you’d be excited about your date,” she said with a frown. I tried not to scowl at her rudeness.

“Migraine gone?” I asked.

If she caught my sarcasm, she didn’t let on. “Finally. It’s like a small earthquake when they hit me.”

Henry gave her a puzzled look and a nervous laugh bubbled in my throat.
 

“Let’s go back inside and see what everyone’s up to,” I said. Loud music meant less chance of Henry hearing any more weird Penelope statements.
 

Andy found me and we danced to a couple songs, but my heart wasn’t in it. Instead of paying attention to Andy’s inviting smile and wandering hands on the dance floor, I thought of Cole. We were on the verge of something, but what if he only liked me because I was gifted? I didn’t want him to like me just because we got a rush fighting Fortune’s men. How could I be sure it wasn’t due to our unusual circumstances?

As the night progressed, Andy continued drinking with his friends while Henry and Cole quit. I’d already slipped Andy’s car keys from his pocket. He’d continued showing off how to shotgun beers, growing louder and more boisterous with each round, while I talked to Henry and Penelope. Amber managed to drag Cole onto the dance floor once and I’d looked away, determined to avoid seeing Cole’s hands on her.
 

Several parents had enforced stricter curfews since Fortune’s reappearance. Around midnight, the house began to clear out and I took that as a cue to leave. Andy, who’d left for the bathroom twenty minutes ago, hadn’t returned.
 

Henry and Penelope said their goodbyes and headed out. Cole and I found Andy passed out in a guest room. Sprawled across the bed, he snored like a freight train and didn’t move no matter how many times I tried to wake him.
 

“I know you technically came here with Andy and all, but he doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere.” Cole nudged him again; Andy remained unconscious.
 

“Especially since I have his car keys.” I twirled the keyring around my forefinger.
 

Cole laughed. “Can I give you a ride home?”

“If it’s no trouble. Should we find Amber?”

“One of her friends took her home after she got sick in the bathroom,” he said.
 

I didn’t miss the wrinkle in his nose at the behavior and I couldn’t help laugh. Even though we didn’t talk as much, I still knew her pretty well. Bizarre satisfaction leapt through me, but I tamped it down.
Maybe she and Andy should get together instead.
 

A few sober girls downstairs were helping a drunk Brittany clean up her house. I left Andy’s keys with one of them and walked out. As we got into his car, I realized we were actually going to get alone time. No Penelope or Henry, no teacher to interrupt our whispering. Glee flip-flopped to anxiety as I considered the ride home.
 

“I was dumb to accept Andy’s invite in the first place,” I blurted out.

“You’re not dumb, but why do you say that?”

“I didn’t exactly want to go on the date in the first place. I thought maybe he only asked me ‘cause of what happened at school.”

“I doubt that,” he mumbled. His cheeks reddened a little and he changed the subject. “Do you have a curfew like everyone else? Seems like midnight’s when they turn into pumpkins.”

“My parents are a little more lenient than most.”
 

“Your gift, right.” Cole’s eyes didn’t leave the road but I heard the worry in his question. “Did you tell them the truth?”

I nodded. “They deserve to know after everything they’ve done for me.”

Awe crossed his face. “Did you explain Fortune is gifted?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing Dad can use in court and he knows it. They’d think he was cuckoo and he’d lose everything.”

Cole cleared his throat a little. “Does he know about me and Penelope?”

“No way. I mean, he’s smart enough to know I have new friends, but he doesn’t know it’s you. Besides, Fortune’s enough to keep him occupied.”

My attention went to the passing scenery as we entered our neighborhood. The house was dark except for my porch light. When he pulled up to my driveway, I tried to act as casual as I could.

“If, um, if you want to come in, we could like, hang out for a while. I’m in the basement so it has, like, this living room.”
 

I’ve talked to a boy before, right?
Flirting did not include my valley girl mess. I gave myself a little mental slap.
 

“And if your dad finds me down there?” he asked. “Does he know you’re on a date with Andy?”

“Pretty sure my date with Andy is over. You brought me home since he couldn’t.” I shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

“As long as you promise me he won’t kill me.”

“You can freeze him if he goes for the gun, remember?”

Cole laughed. “Oh, right. I actually forgot for a second.”
 

 
We went into my house and I crept upstairs to make sure my parents were asleep. Cool as they were, I might have been stretching the rules a bit much. A boy in my basement this late at night? Dad would not let this skirt by.
 

On the other hand, the whole idea was rather exciting. Cole was in
my
living room and wanted to hang out with me. Alone. And I really wanted to see if his lips were as soft as they looked.
 

When I came back down, I found him looking around in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
 

He jumped at my voice, spinning to address me in a sheepish way. “I was wondering where you keep all your research.”
 

“Oh!” I laughed, walking by him and holding out an arm. “It’s in here.”
 

I led Cole into my makeshift “office,” with the notes and clippings everywhere. I realized too late that it might come off obsessive. That was bound to lose me a few points.
 

“Wow,” he breathed, taking his time looking over the pieces. “This is…you’ve done a lot of work.”
 

“Not that it’s done me any good,” I muttered.
 

“What are you talking about?” He looked at me with raised eyebrows. “This has gotten pretty far. We actually saw Fortune the other night. We’ll be ready for him next time.”
 

I cheered up at his confidence. “Maybe you’re right.”
 

Cole turned back to the bulletin board, drifted through the headlines and highlights. “When did you start all of this?”
 

I shrugged. “Maybe a month ago.”
 

“A month?” he repeated, glancing at me in disbelief. “Do you sleep?”
 

“No,” I answered honestly. “Not really.”
 

“I can’t begin to imagine it,” he said, leaning in to read a piece of my handwriting.
 

“What?”
 

“This. The reason why you’re doing it.”
 

He didn’t mention my sister, but the thought of Starling made my heart sink. I didn’t want to talk about her, not even to Cole. But for whatever reason, I didn’t want to shut him out entirely.
 

“It hasn’t been easy,” I managed to get out. My arms crossed over my chest and I fingered the chain of my necklace.