The Distort Arc: Cape High Books 1-4 (Cape High Series Omnibus) (49 page)

I nod, seeing his point.  Sometimes the best heroes are the ones you never see.  The ones that do the dirty work behind the scenes, doing things that don’t get them applause or limelights, but save lives, or saves nature, or saves so many other things that people don’t usually even think about.  It’s just I’ve never heard of a super wanting to be that sort of hero.  Usually they’re extremely showy and glory hogs when they aren’t actually saving the day.  I mean, look at Max.

And Trent.  And Mega, absolutely Mega, and Liz--Liz is definitely a glory hog--

Er, well, you see what I mean, right?  "Why?" I ask after a second of staring at him.  "You could be seriously famous, you know."

"I really hate the idea of wearing one of those stupid uniforms all the time," Sunny says.  "Plus, if I do it that way I can pick my own hours!"

"I should have known it goes back to sleep," I say, throwing my hands up in the air.

"So--will you tell me?" Sunny asks.

"Tell you what?"

"You do like me, right?"

"I..." I say, evilly letting it draw out until he's starting to look nervous again.  "Might."

"Might?"

"Maybe!"  I start up the steps again, trying not to laugh as he lets out a loud groan.

"Adanna!" he yells.

"What?" I ask over my shoulder.   I blink as he appears right in front of me, pressing his lips to mine for a brief second.

"Maybe your brother's got a good idea," he says with a grin before racing up the steps.

I stand there, stunned.  I'm pretty sure he just won this round.

***

He's right.  I don't want to hear "I told you so" though, so I ignore him as I see my parents and little brother standing in front of the entrance of Death Canyon.  Papa's not in uniform, in fact he's in a suit and tie.  They must have come straight from the airport.  I run forward, throwing myself into Papa's arms and hugging him tightly.  "Did you get the cat?" I ask as I pull away to grin at him.

"We did.  She's being shipped to the sanctuary now.  And how are you?" he asks, looking me over closely.  "You've had a rough time while I was gone, I know."

"I'm fine," I say, leaning my head against his chest for a second before Mama tugs me from his arms and hugs me as well.  Someone's tugging on my shirt, so I turn, looking down at Cubby.

"Danna, Danna, Danna!" he says, tugging more.

"What, what, what?" I ask.

He points down in a demanding fashion and I sigh, crouching down in front of him.  His arms wrap around my neck tightly as he hugs me.  I barely have to support him as I stand up, he's clinging so tightly.  I hug him back, letting out a sigh.  I was right, you know?  He can be annoying, he can be clingy, he can get into my things and make messes like you wouldn't believe, but... I don't think there's anyone I'd be more willing to give my title to in the universe.

"You've gotten chubby while you were gone," I tease him, poking him in the side.  He pulls back, grinning at me.

"We had ice cream," he says.

"You did, did you?"

"Uh huh."  Then he does it again, leaning forward and pecking me on the lips before leaning forward again to rest his head on my shoulder and yawn.

"He's had a very long flight," Mama says, wrapping an arm around my waist.  Papa is heading for Nico, and we watch him as the superhero teachers hover all around us.  They move close together, speaking so silently that I can't hear them from where I stand.  Papa nods after a second, then glances over at Banshee, nodding at her, as well, before coming back to us. 

"Nico's invited us to his apartment for dinner," he says.  "But there's something I need to take care of this afternoon, so why don't you three head on with them and I'll come when I've finished."  He kisses Mama on the cheek and pats Cubby on the head before turning to me.  "You don't mind, do you, Adanna?"

"No, I'm fine with that," I say as he kisses me on the cheek as well.  Then he's gone, leaving us and the car in front of Death Canyon, and me wondering what, exactly, he's going to go take care of.

***

"So, are you two official yet?" Summer asks as she dishes out potatoes.  I almost choke on my drink as the rest of the group look at me expectantly. 

"We're unofficially official," Sunny says, holding out his plate for potatoes.

"Sunny!" I say.

"What?  She's constantly giving me a hard time about 'might, maybe,' stuff," he complains, looking at me.  "So I'm going to say we're unofficially official."

I stare at him.  He grins at me.  "I think she should be my partner, like Emily is Trent's," he says.  "Since it'd be a good job for her, going out and dealing with poachers and endangered animals, right?  Well I'll be going to the rainforests and places like that, where they live.  I think it makes sense, right?"

"It's an intriguing thought," Mama says, looking at Sunny thoughtfully.  "Adanna, what do you think?" she asks me.

I look at my plate, blushing brightly.  "It sounds... good," I admit.  "I mean, there's only so much we can do for the cats brought here illegally--but what if we stop them before they're brought?  We could save them without having to take them from their homes, right?  I'm willing to admit that he's got a good idea," I say, not daring to glance at him.  "And since Cubby took my job as a super villain, I can do it, right?"

"Oh, honey, I know--" Mama stops, thinking for a second.  "I know that you think you want to be a super villain, but there's so much more to this life--I mean, of course you could help the big cats like your papa does, if you became one, but leaving would be difficult for long periods, you need to watch your base for new supers all the time, and you're constantly worrying about your secret identity interfering--"

"It's fine," I say, stopping her completely.  "I mean, I love Cubby, and he'll be a good Panther, won't you, Cubby?" I ask him.

"Panther!  Panther!" Cubby cheers from his high chair between me and Mama.  He cheers so hard that he flings potatoes across the table.  That had absolutely been on purpose, I think, but don't say a word as Nico dodges it casually.

"And I would love to see all the rainforests of the world," I admit, already picturing them in my mind.

"See?  Unofficially official," Sunny says.  "It works for now, right?" he asks me.

I look at him, finding myself grinning slightly.  "Yeah," I admit.  "It works for now." 

***

Collector taps the last key before leaning back in satisfaction.  Yes, it had been expensive, but he'd heard good things about Star Born.  She was a fellow collector, in her own way, and that partner of hers--

Well, he would be seeing his collection back soon, he thinks.  And Technico would be punished for interfering in another villain's schemes!  He rocks a bit in his chair, idly wondering when the room had gotten so dark.  He reaches up, clapping his hands together, expecting the light to turn back on, but nothing happens.  For a moment he feels a chill down his spine, certain that something or someone has gotten to him--then he laughs at himself.  His security is top notch!  Most likely he blew another fuse or something.  It doesn't happen often, of course, but it has happened once before, at least.

He gets to his feet, heading for the door and reaching for the handle.

"Did you really think you would get away with this?" a voice asks from behind him.  Collector goes still, the chill returning double time.  "You think you can go after my child and survive?"

That faint accent, Collector thinks as he slowly, slowly turns around.  All he sees are golden eyes gleaming in the dark.  He hadn't realized that--

He screams.

***

I don't see Papa again until morning, much to my surprise.  He's at the kitchen table reading the news on his tablet as I come down from my room, dressed for school.  "Did you sleep well?" he asks me.

"Yeah," I say.  "It's good to have the right sounds again."  I head for the kitchen to help Mama get breakfast ready, stopping to pat Cubby on the head as I go.

"Your Mama has told me that you've got an idea for what you want to do in the future," he says.  "It sounds really good.  But why does it have to include that boy?" he asks.  "I thought you didn't like Sunny."

"I didn't," I admit.  "I'm doing this out of rebellion," I add evilly, teasing him.

"You--Mama!  Did you hear what your daughter just said?" he demands.  "We should ground her!"

"I'm going to be a hero," I tell him.  "Grandfather can deal with it however he likes."

"Ah--" he says, hesitating for a moment before smiling.  "But my love, you'll be a hero of the animals, not so much the people.  That is not nearly as rebellious of the family ways as you think.  Your grandfather has a very large spot in his heart for animals, as well, you know."

"But I don't hate humans," I say thoughtfully.  "So when Sunny is called to save people from earthquakes and other large things, I will probably help him out."

"Ahhh, there we go, back to that Sunny boy," he says with a sigh.  "Do you like him now?"

"Yes," I say with a grin.  "He's somewhat like Cubby, in a way."

"How is he like Cubby?" Mama asks.

"He's both annoying and adorable at the same time."

"He is!" she says in agreement.  "Those large green eyes and that cute face--he's going to grow up to be very handsome, you know!"

"Isn't he?" I agree with a wide grin.  "And he's so fun to tease!  He gets this expression on his face--it's hysterical, Mama!"

"I saw that!" she says.  "Oh, kitty, you've picked a very entertaining boyfriend.  Good job!"

"Lord save us from women that enjoy teasing!" Papa says from the table, dramatically.  "I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor boy!"  We start to laugh as he goes back to his tablet, only to stop as he brings up what sounds like a news report.

"This morning a man named Charles Colleck was found in his mansion, severely maimed.  It's reported that Colleck was an illegal importer of endangered animals, and that somehow one of them escaped--"  Papa turns off the feed, looking satisfied.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" I ask.

"No, but he'll be remembering this very, very clearly," he says.

"Morgan will need to know."

"About that Morgan girl," Mama starts out.  "Do you know where she's going to be staying?"

"She's moving into the dorms," I say.  "Along with the other kids that were rescued, as soon as they've talked with the parents."

"I see," she says as she hands me a plate.  "Well if she doesn't like it, she can come here, you know."

"Thanks, but I think the dorms will be nice," I say.  "And I think she's very close with the others that were in the zoo with her."

"That's good," Mama says.

***

When I reach school I'm surprised to see Mastermental standing in front of Death Canyon next to Max.  Max doesn't look very happy at all, and for a moment I think that this is where Papa is going to get in trouble.  I look up at him as he gets out of the car, then reluctantly climb out after him, following him as he goes up to the head of the Hall.

"If this is about Collector--" Papa says.

"Why would this have something to do with a man maimed by his own pets?" Mastermental asks mildly, clearly faking ignorance.  "He had a very dangerous hobby, without the training you and your wife have, Mr. Panterus, these things happen to the unprepared."

"Of course," Papa says.  "Then I'll just be dropping my daughter off for school," he says mildly, touching my back and pushing me forward gently.  I step forward, looking up at Mastermental curiously.

"Hi," I say.

"Hello, Adanna, nice weather we're having, don't you think?" Mastermental says.  I glance at Max, who's holding out his hand to Papa.

"Mr. Panterus," he says as they shake, "it's good to see you back.  Did your trip go well?"

"Yes, actually, it went very well.  Thank you for inquiring," Papa says with a smile.

"If it's not too much to ask, can I get your signature sometime?" Max asks.  "I'm a huge fan."

"Of course," Papa said.  "I've been watching your career as well.  You are quite a benefit to our side."

"I try to be," Max says, blushing slightly as he grins. 

"Well if this isn't about me," Papa says, glancing at me, "is it about my daughter?"

"No, from what I've heard Adanna is an excellent student.  I'm actually here to talk with the class at large," Mastermental says.  "We'll be introducing several new students today, so I'd like to be there to see them briefed."

"Oh, I see," Papa says.  "That's good to know.  The children, they're from the zoo?"

"Yes, they are.  I suppose Nico told you about that?"

"Yes, actually.  Nico and I go way back, all the way to our college days."

"I do remember seeing something along those lines.  But of course, since the children are new to the game, you might want to leave before being seen talking casually with me," Mastermental says.