SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania (34 page)

My lips pressed tight together, refusing to let anything escape. Neither of us said anything for another minute, the tension pulling with every second.
 

Henry finally shook his head, anguish on his face. He turned and walked out of my house, slamming the door behind him.
 

I was a pile of nerves the day of Homecoming. My rollercoaster mood had me restless, with too much energy to burn. I’d tossed and turned all night, going over and over the previous night’s argument with Henry. Even texts from Cole couldn’t cheer me up; he’d picked up on my mood, not bothering to ask if I wanted to go out that night. We’d chatted on and off for a few hours before Penelope coerced him into a late movie.
 

I had breakfast with Mom, but didn’t talk much. After my fifth sigh, she shot me a curious look. “What’s wrong?”
 

I put my half-eaten toast back down. “Henry and I got into an argument.”
 

Surprised crossed her pretty face. “What about?”
 

I shook my head, long hair swinging. “I’m not sure you want to know.”
 

That only made her more interested. “New girlfriend?”
 

“He’s working on a story.” When she didn’t react, I dropped the bomb. “About Fortune.”
 

Mom paled, setting her fork down on the plate with a clatter. “He can’t do that. It’ll get him killed.”
 

“That’s what I said. Hence the fight.”
 

“Nova, you have to stop him.”
 

I huffed. “How? You know how he is once he gets onto something. I’m lucky he hasn’t caught wind of my own…er, hobbies.”
 

“I don’t know, honey, but he cannot look into Fortune.”
 

“I know.” I stared miserably at my scrambled eggs, no longer having an appetite.
 

“Should we involve his parents?”
 

“God, no!” My head shot up to give her a warning look. “Don’t do that, Mom. I’ll figure something out, but if you involve them, he’ll never forgive me.”
 

“Okay, okay,” she said, hands palm up in truce. “Keep me updated, though.”
 

I excused myself from the table, promising my mother I would do my best to deter him from any front page news. Once downstairs, I paced for a few minutes. I kept expecting my phone to vibrate with a message, but no one, not even Cole, texted me. When Henry still hadn’t texted by noon (he slept at least that long on weekends), I plucked up the courage to contact him.
 

U up?

Lack of response made me gnaw on my bottom lip. That could mean anything.
He might be sleeping…or he could be ignoring me.
I kept my phone in my lap, staring up at my ceiling. What if he didn’t forgive me?
 

“Screw this,” I muttered.
 

Henry’s sleepy, confused voice answered right before voicemail kicked in. “Nova? You’re calling me?”
 

“Yeah, hey.”
 

“Hey.” He sounded more awake, but guarded. He probably thought I was calling to yell at him again.
 

“
Um, look, I’m sorry about last night.” The words rushed out, my voice cracking as I held back tears. “I’m just worried about you. I don’t know what I’d do if…you know.”
 

Henry sighed. “I know. I’m sorry too. I should’ve at least talked to you first.”
 

I breathed in deep, relief coursing through my veins. “I get it. A story like this, you’re sort of chasing your dreams. But—”
 

“I’m not going to drop the story, Nova,” he said, cutting me off before I could start in on him. “Not yet.”
 

My whole face scrunched in frustration.
Of course not.
But there was no way around it; I’d laid awake all night considering my options. I decided I’d much rather he tell me what was going on than hide it. If I could help or keep him from getting killed, I would.
 

“Yeah, I know.”
 

“If I think there’s any danger, I’ll back off,” he said.
 

I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t have any other choice. Instead, I focused on the fact that we sounded like we were back to
us
again. “So we’re okay?”
 

“Yeah, of course,” he said, relief in his voice, too. “Listen, I just realized what time it is — I promised my mom I’d do chores before tonight.”
 

We parted ways; I hung up the phone, happy to have somewhat settled it. I’d have to deal with that problem when it came, but for today, I wanted to be normal. Homecoming was still hours away and I actually let myself get excited. Dressing up, spending the night with Cole and my friends, feeling like a regular teenager for the first time in months…there was no way I could focus on homework or college applications. Going back up to the first floor, I wandered through the house to find my mom.

“Henry and I made up.”
 

“Good, honey, I’m glad to hear that.”
 

To my good fortune, she left it at that, maybe not wanting any answers. She returned to her book, while I paced the kitchen. I opened and closed the fridge at least three times, not wanting anything. Pouring myself a glass of water, my foot tapped the floor. She caught on quick.
 

“You excited about tonight?”
 

I grinned. “Definitely.”
 

“You’re far more excited about the dance than you were about your date the other week,” she said, giving me a knowing look. “Must be the boy.”
 

I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Maybe.”
 

She smiled. “The Warner kid?”
 

“Cole, yeah.”
 

“He must be special. You’re practically glowing.” Her comments did nothing to stave off the giddiness, my smile threatening to crack my face in two. She chuckled at my reaction, waving me off. “I’ll do your makeup whenever you’re ready.”
 

I’d usually ignored schoolwork in favor of my nightly hobby. Instead of focusing on anything to do with Fortune, however, I decided to be normal, do things like all my classmates would be doing to kill time. I worked out in the basement, including a half-marathon run on the treadmill. A nice long bubble bath and painting my nails rounded out the afternoon.
 

I still had an hour to go before I needed to get dressed. Without even realizing it, I stared at my bulletin board for a long time, getting sucked into my own thoughts and fears. For Fortune to strike that bank after he’d bombed the last one…to stay underground for so long only to come out of hiding now…the money he hoarded away…he had bigger plans in motion.
 

I could feel it. I didn’t know what or why I felt that way, but that nagging feeling wouldn’t leave me. I’d missed a step somewhere and I couldn’t help but worry it would mean the death of me or someone else I loved.
 

Glancing at the clock, I realized I’d better hurry. Despite the thought, I took my time putting “the” dress on. I’d been saving it since last spring. I’d pulled it out the night before, happy to be excited each time I saw it hanging in my window. Once on, I stared at myself in the mirror. It was a little fancier than the usual Homecoming gown, but our school liked to dress up, so it wouldn’t stand out too much. The princess A-line gown fit like a glove, flaring at the ankles. With a sweetheart neckline, the delicate beading on thin fabric made up tiny cap sleeves over my shoulders.
 

My hands lovingly ran over the pale blue dress, smoothing down any wrinkles. The gown was beautiful and I loved it as much as the day I’d gotten it. Mom and I had found it on sale, agreeing it was perfect. I’d planned to wear it to last year’s prom, but with everything that happened with Starling, I’d shoved it into the back of the closet. I’d forgotten all about it, until Cole asked me to Homecoming. As soon as I said yes, I knew it’d be the one I wore.
 

I curled my hair, piecing it up just so and Mom did my makeup so that it accentuated my blue eyes. We were in her room for the best lighting. I sat on her bed while she applied it.
 

“I love this dress,” she said dreamily as she swept eyeshadow across my lids. “You look like Cinderella.”
 

“I feel like her, too,” I admitted, fluffing the crinoline underneath. “Thanks again for getting it for me.”
 

“I’m just glad you get to wear it,” she said. She finished up the mascara and stepped back to examine her work. Her eyes teared up, much to my dismay. “You look so grown-up.”
 

“It’s okay, Mom, it’s only Homecoming. You can boo-hoo when it’s prom time.”
 

“Deal,” she said with a laugh. She blotted her tears away, fixing a few curls around my face. Her expression softened, her fingers lingering. “Starling would be calling you a princess right about now.”
 

A lump grew in my throat, but I managed a watery smile. “She loved this dress, too.”
 

Mom nodded, taking in a deep breath. When I bit my lip, she pulled me in for a tight hug. “No crying, it’ll ruin your makeup. It’s okay, baby.”
 

I sniffled and pushed back the wave of tears. We pulled away, clearing our throats. Mom used the tissue to dry any lingering tears so it didn’t ruin my mascara. She took out a tube of lip gloss, dabbing at where I’d smeared it. Snapping the cap back on, she smiled again.
 

“Have fun tonight. Really, you deserve it.”
 

“Thanks.” I gave her an air kiss.
 

The doorbell rang and she laughed. “Cole has good timing. Now quick, go to the stairs so you can pretend you’re a princess leaving the castle.”
 

I burst out laughing and she practically pushed me out of her bedroom. Doing as she said, I turned the corner and out of sight. Voices sounded as she opened the door and greeted him.
 

“Hi Cole, I’m Nova’s mother.”
 

“Hi, Mrs. Benson,” he said, sounding a little breathless. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
 

“Come on in.”
 

When they turned the corner, I glided down the last few steps as though I’d been on my way down to meet him. Mom had been right, as usual — seeing the look on Cole’s face when I came into view was worth it. My heart swelled as he gazed at me, like I was the only girl in the world for him.
 

“Hi,” I said, perching on the last step.
 

“You look incredible,” Cole breathed.
 

Mom shot me a thumbs up behind him. He held out a hand for me to step down, not letting go when both feet were on the floor. Mom grinned from ear to ear. Cole patiently smiled when she asked for pictures. She oohed and aahed as he slipped a corsage on my wrist. Dad came out and shook hands with him, but thankfully refrained from using his law degree on a high school boy. Finally we were allowed to leave, my parents waving at us from the door the entire way to Cole’s car.
 

I glanced at it in surprise. “You want to drive?”
 

He shrugged. “I figured you were wearing heels.”
 

I laughed, pulling my dress up above the ankle to show off my shoes. He’d guessed correctly. Cole opened the passenger door for me and I could’ve sworn I heard my mother coo from the front porch.
 

“That was fun,” Cole said as we drove the few blocks to the school.
 

I grimaced. “I know, I’m sorry. I asked her to be cool.”
 

He chuckled, a surprised look on his face. “No, Nova, I’m serious. They’re really nice.”
 

“Oh, well thanks,” I said. “Honestly, they’re pretty great.”
 

“Your mom is awesome.” There was a tinge of sadness in his voice. I reached over and squeezed his hand.
 

“I wish I could’ve met your mom.”