Sounds brought me back to the here and now. Several runners and walkers lay on the ground, in various stages of yelling and bleeding. I swallowed; now was not the time to get lost in my guilt over the past.
I ran over to help, looking for the person who’d been sitting next to Vera, fully expecting to see bloodied remains. To my relief, there was no one near the statue’s pre-explosion location.
I bent down next to the runner near Vera’s hands. “Hey, you’re going to be okay,” I said when I saw she wasn’t cut too badly. “Oh, hello Mrs. Baker,” I said in surprise, recognizing my math teacher. “Can you move?”
Mrs. Baker nodded and shivered. She stared at Vera’s hands lying open in front of her as if requesting a handout. Mrs. Baker’s own hands shook.
I pulled out my phone and called nine-one-one. I noticed several text messages from Anna and resisted the temptation to read them now. After I ended the call, I asked Mrs. Baker, “Did you see what happened?”
“No, not really, Olivia.” Her voice shook. “I was running up to Vera when I stumbled, like the ground shook a little. I thought it might be a small earthquake.” She waved a hand at the smoking remains. “And then she was gone.” She sniffled and took the napkin I pulled from my pocket. She gave me a bewildered stare, her pupils dilated with shock. “But…but I didn’t see or hear an explosion or anything.” She swallowed. “Seems like I should have.”
Mrs. Baker was right; one minute the statue was intact and the next it was scattered all over the plaza. I thought back to the gust of wind and decided it might have been from the explosion, but it was the only physical impact I remembered.
When emergency personnel ran up to help, I sat back on my heels, surveying the scene. Vera was gone, with only pieces to show she’d ever existed. Surely a blast with enough force to do that would have been loud and long?
Smoke drifted by as I stood up and walked closer to the statue’s original location. A policeman stopped me; I didn’t try to push past him. I could see enough from where I stood to know there were no visible explosives, just a stick of wood the length and thickness of my forearm. It looked out of place but not capable of causing an explosion. Maybe the cops would find something in the charred remains, but somehow I doubted it. This felt like the work of a supernormal, all mysterious and odd.
As if that thought summoned them, I winced when I saw Uncle Dan and Aunt Kate coming up the walkway from SE Water Street. They hadn’t noticed me and I just didn’t want to deal with them right now. Telling myself there were plenty of other witnesses, I slipped away behind one of the larger pillars and through the parking lot. I was tired of being a witness. Besides, I hadn’t really seen anything useful.
When I left the waterfront, I read through the text messages from Anna, all asking what I was doing, so I texted her to meet me at the Belmont Street Coffee shop in thirty minutes. I didn't really need caffeine with all the adrenaline pumping through my body. However, I knew Anna and her need for hot chocolate at all times.
Anna was waiting for me when I arrived. She sat huddled in a thick jacket and predictably bent over her mug of hot chocolate, inhaling the steam, a smile on her face.
“Olivia!" she cried out when I came through the door. People turned to stare at me like I was someone famous. I avoided their eyes and sat down across from Anna.
“Hey."
“Hey back." She pushed a cup of hot chocolate piled high with whipped cream across the table. I took it, the warmth from the mug comforting on my cold hands.
“So, you and Jack, what happened?" Anna leaned forward with a concerned look. “Jack isn't saying much, from what I hear."
I shrugged, realizing I hadn't thought about Jack the entire time I was at the warehouse, another reason to do the training. “I don’t know. I think he’s freaked out by what happened during the bank robbery." I took a sip of hot chocolate. “Not sure I've really processed it either." I set down my mug. “I wish we'd never gone to the bank that day." I was suddenly very depressed.
“Yeah, I know," Anna said sympathetically. We sat in silence, sipping our drinks.
Anna's eyes widened at something behind me as shadows appeared on the table. Alarmed, I quickly turned around to stare at the two guys and one girl standing behind me. The guys both had sandy brown hair and stocky builds. The one on the left looked about my age and the one on the right looked a year or two older. The girl had straight brown hair cut in a bob ending at her jaw line. Her eyes moved constantly, scanning the room. Suddenly I knew for sure who these people were: Hugh, Kevin, and Zoe, three of my cousins. It was odd to see them here in this coffee house, and I wondered if it was a coincidence. Doubtful.
I draped an arm over the back of my chair, affecting a casual air. “Hello."
“Hey, you’re in my history class." Anna leaned forward to smile at the younger of the guys.
He shifted his gaze from me to her and nodded once. I regarded him with curiosity. The signs he was a supernormal were obvious. I could see a golden glow, like an aura, around all three of my cousins. Perhaps it was my newly awakened abilities that let me do so, since I’d never noticed an aura before today. All three of them were exceptionally fit, but that wasn’t unusual in an athletic town like Portland.
They arranged themselves so that one could see the back door, one could see the front door, and one was scanning the room.
The oldest guy, probably Hugh, said, “Hello." He shifted on his feet, put his hands in his pockets and then took them out. “Can we talk to you?" He flicked a glance at Anna. “Alone?"
Anna huffed out a breath. "Ollie, who are these people? I mean, I know Kevin, but I've never seen you talk to him."
I reached out and put my hand over hers. “It’s okay. They’re my cousins. I’ll explain later?" Though I had no idea what I would tell her.
Anna frowned and shrugged. She looked put out, but she got up. “I'll text you," was all she said, but I heard the unspoken request that I'd better tell her what was going on.
When she left, my cousins sat around the table, Zoe taking Anna’s seat and Kevin and Hugh pulling over chairs from the adjacent table.
Hugh appeared to be the spokesman for the group. He didn't waste any more time getting to the point. “We heard about what you did. And we heard you met with the ‘rents. Are you going to train with us now?" He watched me with a slight frown. I guessed ‘rents meant parents.
I swallowed, nodding somewhat cautiously. The reality of training with the family was suddenly right in front of me. I hadn't really thought of what kind of reception I would get from the cousins, but so far they didn't look pleased to see me.
Zoe spoke, her voice hoarse, whether from fear or anger, I wasn't sure which. “What makes you think you can keep up? You're way behind." She folded her arms over her chest.
“Well, geez, it's good to see you too." I was already tired of all the cranky members of the Brighthall family. So far, only Uncle Alex had been genuinely happy to see me. I mean, I knew I'd cut them off, but give a girl a break. I was seven and my mom had just been killed.
Kevin flashed a grin the other two didn't see. His face turned sober again. “You realize we've seen you all along." He waved a hand after Anna. “After all, we go to the same school."
I tried to remember if I’d noticed his face among the throngs of kids flooding the hallways at school. Several middle schools fed into my high school; freshman year had been a bewildering introduction into just how many kids my age went to school in Portland. I tilted my head pensively. “Do all of you go to Cleveland High?"
“Just Kevin and me.” Hugh was still frowning, his eyes flat. “Zoe goes to Hallan.” The math and sciences special program; I was impressed. “Lange is a freshman at Portland State, and Emma is homeschooled."
"Huh." I gripped my hands together under the table. “Well, I didn't know all that. For me, it's the first time I've seen any of you since...” I stopped, not sure how to describe my rejection seven years ago.
“Since y
our birthday party, where you dissed all of us," finished Kevin.
"Well, yeah." I gave a weak smile at his succinct summary.
“Back to the point." Zoe clipped off her words in irritation. “You, training with us. Not going to happen. You had your chance, and you let it go."
She was really starting to annoy me. I glared at her. "Hey, you're not the boss of me." I had a flash memory of saying those exact words to her when we were young. She'd always thought she knew what was best for everyone. “And anyway, Aunt Kate said I have to train or else I could be out of control." Perhaps not the best way to explain things.
Hugh furrowed his brow with concern. “Have you had more incidents?" He was so serious; I couldn't believe jolly Uncle Alex was his father. “Was anyone hurt?"
“No, not like that." I deliberately pushed away the memory of Jack's reaction. That was none of their business, and not what Hugh meant anyway.
Zoe rolled her eyes. “Well, I guess my mom knows what she's talking about." She frowned at me. “I still think you're going to be trouble."
“Well, that's my problem, not yours," I snapped at her.
“It’s my problem if they send you on patrol with me," she shot back in a low voice.
I blinked with surprise. Patrol? Would Uncle Dan really send me on patrol with the rest of the cousins? As kids, Emma and I used to dream about what it would be like to go on patrol, but I hadn't expected to be included now. I shook my head. “I doubt I'll go out on patrol. I mean, I'm just there to get everything sort of,” I waved a hand, “tamed."
Hugh raised his eyebrows, while Zoe snorted. Kevin smiled. “Yeah, you don't really know Uncle Dan, do you? Trust me, you'll be sent out." He leaned back in his chair, tapping the fingers of one hand on his thigh.
“Oh." How was I going to explain additional long hours away to Dad?
Hugh stood up, with Zoe rising gracefully to her feet after him. Kevin bounded out of his chair.
“I guess we'll see you tomorrow." Hugh zipped up his jacket. He still wore a grim expression.
“Yeah." I tried to smile, but my lips felt stiff.
“Olivia," Hugh said. “We are happy to see you." He nudged Zoe, who gave a short nod. Kevin grinned at me. “It’s just that you have a lot of ground to cover." I found it hard to believe Hugh’s words when he was wearing such a stern look.
I started to answer but stopped when Zoe jerked around, staring at the TV in the upper right corner of the coffee shop.
"… The statue of Vera was destroyed. Though the incident occurred in broad daylight, no one saw what happened. The statue is gone, just gone." The news reporter stood in front of the pieces of the fallen statue of Vera. Several policemen milled about while a crowd made up of joggers, cyclists and walkers watched. “The police say they have no leads, but that they will be diligent in finding who committed this heinous crime."
“We have to go to the warehouse," Zoe said. She pushed her chair under the table.
“Because a statue was blown up?" I asked, surprised by her intensity.
“Because it was blown up under mysterious circumstances." Zoe looked down her nose at me. “That is what we do – investigate strange occurrences."
Could she be any more annoying? I let them go without further comment. I slumped in my chair, already sick of the Brighthall Clan and their ‘save the world’ attitude. I was not looking forward to tomorrow night's training session, where I'd be inundated by the whole family.
Chapter 8
I’d been so focused on supernormal life changes I’d forgotten about school on Monday. More accurately, I’d forgotten about Mindy Careen. Or maybe I’d assumed she wouldn’t be in school, on account of her brother being in jail for robbery and as a murder accomplice. Either way, when I came face to face with her in fifth period Literature class, I felt like I’d been punched by a supernormal with extra strength.
Until then, my day had been pretty good. Even before I walked into the school building, I was welcomed by high fives, hugs, and shouts of, “Yo, you rock!”
“Hey, supergirl!” The greeting from the large, burly guy I thought was the captain of the football team made me jolt to a stop. He strolled over. “Nice job.”
“Thanks.” I felt a grin stretch over my face. “It was just the moment, you know?”
He slapped me on the back. I dug in my heels so he didn’t knock me forward a few steps like he usually did to most people. He grinned and went to talk to a group of girls who giggled when he swaggered over to them.
Anna joined me. “Hi! What did Brian Thompson want?” She goggled after him before turning to smile at me. Red streaks mingled in with the purple streaks already in her blond hair. In contrast to her funky hair, she wore a prim black dress with a Peter Pan collar and shiny Mary Janes. Next to her, I felt unfashionable in my cargo pants and dark green Henley pullover; wardrobe wasn’t usually a priority of mine, especially now.
I kept my face expressionless as I shrugged. “Oh, you know, to tell me he thought I did a nice job.” I laughed at Anna’s skeptical look. “Ok, it was cool.”
She laughed back at me, linking her arm through mine. “So Ollie, how does it feel to be a hero?” She waved her free hand around at my schoolmates, many of whom were in various stages of gawking at me. When they saw me looking, most of them turned away, pretending to focus on other things. It was disconcerting to realize all these people were talking about me.
I snorted. If they only knew the full story.
“Hey, Olivia.” Kevin stood near the wide steps leading into the main entrance. I was annoyed to see that his outfit almost matched mine: cargo pants and a light green Henley pullover. I hoped I wasn’t subconsciously tapping into some stupid supernormal dress code.
Letting go of my arm, Anna smiled at him, brushing a lock of purple hair over her shoulder. “Hi, Kevin.”
He smiled back. I tensed, waiting for him to tell me he had to talk to me in private, but all he said was. “Need a ride after school?” He glanced at Anna. “Dad is looking forward to seeing you.”
I was impressed he’d thought of a plausible excuse for offering me a ride. And I had a feeling I didn’t really have a choice about accepting that ride.
“Sure.” I shrugged one shoulder.
“Cool, meet us by the tennis courts.” Kevin tugged his backpack more securely onto his shoulder. “See you guys later.”
Anna’s gaze followed him as he bounded up the stairs, disappearing into the open doorway. “I can’t believe he’s your cousin.” She looked at me accusingly. “Why didn’t you tell me? And what did they want yesterday, your cousins?” She put her hands on her hips, waiting for my answer with one eyebrow raised.
“Um…” I was not as good as Kevin at coming up with explanations. I hadn’t even figured out what to tell Dad about the time I was going to spend training. I was counting on the fact that he had to work late most nights during the week. I stared at Anna, thinking frantically. “So, um, they’re my mom’s family. And, well, I haven’t seen them much since she, you know. And they got in touch after the bank robbery. Cause they saw me on the news.”
Her expression immediately switched to guilt. “I’m sorry. I know you hate to talk about your mother.”
I relaxed, knowing that was enough explanation for Anna. I didn’t have time to say more anyway because the first bell rang, and we had to rush to the first class of the day.
When they weren’t talking about my actions during the bank robbery, everyone was speculating about who caused Vera’s destruction. The news about Mrs. Baker getting wounded in the attack added a layer of immediacy to the news. The article in the Oregonian that morning summed it up – the police had no idea who had caused the explosion or even how it had happened. I wondered if Aunt Kate or my uncles had any ideas.
My locker was surrounded by a group of sophomore girls, who greeted me with questions and compliments instead of their usual air of superiority. However, a freshman, even one who saved people during a bank robbery, coul
dn’t hold their attention very long, so they segued into a chattering conversation about Mrs. Baker. I was relieved to hear she was okay and was expected to be back teaching later that week.
I listened to the different theories about who blew up Vera while I stuffed my books for the next few classes into my backpack.
The prevailing theory was that a group of local anarchists were behind the explosion. One girl stated with great authority, while twisting a lock of hair with one finger, “Well, I heard they think it was a performance art project that went wrong.”
“Oh, that’s stupid, Shelby,” said a tall brunette named Trina Peterson. Her father worked at Dad’s firm. She saw me watching them. “What do you think, Olivia?”
I flushed guiltily, though there was no way she could know I’d been at the scene. “Who knows why people do such terrible things?”
“Mmmm,” Trina said. Obviously my answer wasn’t interesting enough to warrant more response because she turned to talk to someone else.
I smiled a little to myself, not minding her reaction. It was best if no one associated me with Vera’s destruction.
I wasn’t alone for long. Some of the guys in my math class clustered around me to talk about my role in the bank robbery, as well as to talk about who our substitute might be while Mrs. Baker was out recovering. They were full of questions about the bank robbers. What kind of guns did they carry? (I had no idea). Did they really wear masks of all the actors who played Batman? (I didn’t know how that rumor got started). And was one of the robbers really Mindy Careen’s brother? (I just shrugged).
I bumped along through Algebra and Biology, enjoying the adulation from my teachers and fellow students.
When I entered fifth period class though, shock rippled through me. Mindy and her two besties, Karen and Donna, were huddled in their usual spot in the back of the classroom. She looked the same as she always did: tight pegged jeans, three-quarter length cardigan over a tank top, and Converse high tops.
Mindy should have looked different; family tragedy should mark a person somehow. After my mother was killed, I felt my pain was branded on my face for all to see. Dad and I would go out for dinner (we did that a lot after Mom died before we learned how to cook), and I would watch strangers talk and be convinced they were discussing my obvious tragedy. I left many meals untouched while I fought back tears.
The Supernormal Legacy_Book 1_Dormant Page 6