Upbeats 2: Crime After Crime

by Erin Sheena Byrne

  Chapter Fifteen

  I stretched back and laughed.

  Robyn, on the other hand, looked anxious. "What were those gun shots?" she asked.

  "They shot at Ned. Don't worry: he's invincible."

  Robyn was instantly relieved. "I know, I know. How's Smithy doing? Is he getting the hostages out?"

  "I'll take a look," I said. I reaffirmed my grip on the railing and tipped forward. I stretched out and weaved my way along the ceiling, winding around a batch of lights and veering around cobwebs, until I had the best view of the food court beneath me.

  Smithy teleported next to two small, scared children. He smiled, kindly, to let them know he didn't mean them any harm and held a finger up to his lips to signal silence.

  The little kids must have been separated from their parents. The boy, he looked like he was about six, and his sister, who could only be about two or three, recoiled with fear when Smithy arrived. The boy hugged his sister, tightly, in an attempt to protect her.

  Smithy realized the two little kids were frightened to death and came up with a plan.

  He looked around to see if anyone was watching him. When he was sure no one was looking his way, he took off his black mask and beanie to reassure the little kids that he was the good guy: a bad guy wouldn't bother to, nor want to, show anyone who he really was.

  Smithy held out his hand to the little girl. She was tiny, with sad little blue eyes and a mass of brown curls. She looked into Smithy's eyes and took his hand, her little heart full of trust.

  In the blink of an eye, Smithy, the boy and his little sister, were gone, a silvery blue mist left in their place.

  I stretched back to Robyn.

  "Well? How is Smithy?" Robyn enquired, sounding terribly nervous.

  "He's a hero," I responded, stunned.

  Now, I know what I said at the outset: I didn't trust Smithy. I knew nothing about him.

  But... seeing him save two little kids? That look of utter trust in that little girl's eyes? The way he reassured them by taking off his mask, something I probably wouldn't have done, had I been in his place?

  He was a hero. He was an Upbeat.

  And I was proud, for that moment, to have him as my teammate.

  "I wonder how Luke is going with tying up those gunmen at the entrances..." I commented.

  Robyn shrugged. "I can try calling him."

  I looked at her as if she were nuts. "The ringtone will alert the gunman—what if Luke is trying to sneak up on him, silently?"

  Robyn shook her head and giggled. She tapped her right temple. "I wasn't going to us a phone," she corrected me.

  "Oh," I said, feeling like an idiot.

  Robyn closed her eyes and concentrated. I leaned closer, like you do when trying to listen in on a telephone conversation.

  Robyn opened her eyes after a minute and frowned. "No reply," she said. "It felt like talking to a brick wall."

  "Maybe you weren't doing it right," I suggested.

  She raised an eyebrow at me. "Brooke, I've read minds before. I know how it feels when someone is listening. You just know that your thoughts are getting across. But right now... I don't know. Something's up."

  "I wonder what could be going on," I mused.

  Robyn started pacing, up and down, just like Luke. "Would you mind checking up on him?"

  I crossed my arms, sourly. "I'm a girl, remember? I could get hurt."

  "Are you seriously going to hold onto that? Luke was just worried about us. This is real and this is dangerous. This isn't a game."

  "But he didn't leave you and I behind on our first mission," I argued. "So I don't see why he had to leave us behind on this one."

  "Luke was just thinking about us," Robyn said, softly. "He has to think of all his team members and he knows that this situation is serious. He wants as few casualties as possible."

  I nodded. "Fine, I'll find him."