by Gracie Dix
21.4
About an hour later, Nick was halfway to the school on the flying bus when something happened.
“I’m looking for that goody-two-shoes Oliver and his stupid sister, Jessica!” a voice yelled. Nick knew that voice—Luke!
“What do you want from them?” Nick asked, raising his voice.
“Ah, it’s that other new kid. Sick,” Luke mocked.
“It’s Nick, and answer my question! I’m NOT afraid of you, Puke!” Nick shouted.
Luke’s grin faltered. “You know what? I’ll just go after someone else because you’re no fun!” Luke pouted. He opened the bus doors and jumped out.
“Luke!” Nick yelled, thinking that Luke was just being stupid. “Whatever—he can break EVERY bone in his body for all I care,” Nick thought hatefully. “After all, he hurt Jason.” Then Nick remembered what Luke had said before he left. “Oh no! Let’s hope he doesn’t know where they live! Nah, they’ll be okay. Besides, that Mason kid is awesome with his magic, and Jason is just as cool.”
21.5
About Five Hours Later. . .
Nick was on his way back on the flying bus, tired but relaxed, when he had a feeling something was wrong. It wasn’t just one of those déjà vu feelings, but more like a direct confirmed feeling.
“Maybe I’m getting Super Sense, just like Oliver and Jess,” he thought. “But if it’s correct, then there’s something wrong, and I need to figure out what it is.” When Nick pulled out his phone to see if anyone had called, he noticed three missed calls from “Unknown Caller ID.”
Nick put the phone up to his ear, and heard, “Hey, if this is Nick, the one who hangs out with Oliver and the group, then I’ve got the right number. This is Mason, and we have a huge problem. I’ve already tried calling Oliver, but he’s not answering, so you’re my best bet. Call me back when you get the chance—or now, hopefully.”
TWENTY-TWO
In Which The Boss Is A Nuisance
Oh no. I hope this doesn’t have anything to do with Luke,” Nick muttered as the bus landed. He was about to call Mason back when he saw the twins waiting at the bus stop. Jason’s head was set on Mason’s shoulder and Mason had his arm around Jason’s back, just sitting on the bench. Nick hurried out and ran to the twins. He sat down beside Jason.
“What’s up?” Nick asked. “What’s this huge problem?”
“Dude, something totally uncalled-for happened. Luke came and trashed the house. He thought I was Jason and tried to kidnap me, but Jason stepped in and saved the day,” Mason said rapidly.
Nick suddenly looked around nervously. He felt they were being watched, but he didn’t know by whom. “So, what’s the problem?” Nick questioned anxiously.
“Well, he was talking about this guy named The Boss and . . .”
“Stop,” Nick demanded.
“Why?” Mason hissed, upset to be interrupted.
“We should go back to your house and talk about this,” Nick stated.
“Our house is on fire,” Mason stated blankly. Nick just stared at him. “I’ll explain later,” Mason promised.
“Okay. Since your house is apparently on fire, we should go to my house with Oliver and Jess,” Nick said with a laugh.
“Thanks. But, are we walking, or do you drive?” Mason wondered.
“Walking,” Nick answered.
“Okay. But you’re going to need to help Jason a lot. We’re both pretty sure Luke poisoned him,” Mason said.
“I could Heal him, but we have to get home first,” Nick said. He could sense someone watching them. “I’d be glad to help him, but I need to check his condition to see if he’s okay enough to travel.”
Nick gently pulled Jason off Mason’s shoulder and began softly calling his name. Jason roused slightly and muttered something, then his head fell onto Nick’s shoulder.
“What did he say?” Mason asked.
“He said, ‘Dark Magic,’” Nick responded, suddenly getting very nervous. “You said your house is on fire. What color is the fire? Black and gray, by chance?”
“Yeah, it’s black and gray.” Mason replied, feeling uneasy.
After finding out that his father used Dark Magic, Nick had studied up on it. He certainly knew enough about Dark Magic to realize what the black and gray fire represented. There was no telling how much danger they could all be in.
Nick shot up and heaved Jason up with him. “It doesn’t matter what condition he is in! We have to get home NOW!” Nick yelled. Nick used his Super Strength to carry Jason while Mason sprinted beside him. Twelve minutes later, they arrived at the house.
“What’s going on? Why are we in such a hurry?” Mason cried.
“If Luke used Dark Magic then, A: We are dealing with something greater than just a school bully. B: Jason is in major danger. C: It might be impossible for me to Heal him,” Nick said. “Also, you said he mentioned The Boss?”
“Yeah,” Mason answered, tears forming in his eyes.
“The Boss kidnapped Oliver and me multiple times, has possibly hundreds of ties to powerful people, and enslaved my father to evil. My father’s not evil anymore, but that’s not the point,” Nick yelled.
Oliver opened the front door. “I heard you and . . . Are the twins okay?” Oliver questioned, surprised.
“No,” Nick blatantly stated, pushing passed Oliver. Nick rushed up to his room and set Jason down gently. Oliver and Mason followed close behind him.
“What happened?” Oliver asked meekly.
“That’s what Mason’s going to tell us,” Nick replied hastily. “Start after ‘Jason jumped in and saved the day,’” Nick demanded.
“Well, Luke stuck something black and mechanical-looking on Jason’s neck, and it sunk into his skin. When Jason tried to put out the fire in the front yard, he kind of doubled over and began to feel sick,” Mason explained worriedly.
“He used his Powers?” Nick asked.
“Yeah,” Mason confirmed.
“Oliver, stay here. There’s someone I need to get,” Nick called from the doorframe.
“This is bad,” Oliver whined as soon as Nick left.
“I know it seems bad, but I am starting to feel better,” Jason croaked suddenly.
“Man! You’re awake!” Mason said happily.
Oliver’s phone dinged. He got a text from Nick: I’m on my way back. Ask Mason about The Boss.
“Uh . . . So, about The Boss, Mason?” Oliver asked.
“Luke just said he wanted Jason alive,” Mason said.
“Wait, LUKE! He said . . .” Oliver trailed off.
“What?” Jason asked.
“Oh, no!” Oliver fretted, “That means Luke is working for The Boss.”
The door burst open and Nick walked in with Damian.
“All right, Dad, you said you know a lot about Dark Magic, right?” Nick asked.
“Well, of course. I used to dabble in the arts,” he responded with a light laugh, not yet informed on the severity of the situation.
“Well, Jason here was struck by Dark Magic and really needs help,” Nick pointed to Jason.
“The sick feeling has gone down a ton though, Nick. I think I’ll be okay,” Jason assured everyone.
Damian walked over and put his hand on Jason’s head. He began concentrating a flow of energy to get a reading.
“The reason you feel better now is because the poison spreads out into your system, causing you pain only during the few hours or minutes after you use your Powers. It tends to vary based on how much Power you use. After those hours, it lies dormant until you use them again. Now that the poison has set in your veins and been released, the next times you use your Powers, the intensity of the sickness will lessen until the moment it has fully taken over you. Then you might collapse and be in a lot of pain,” Damian explained.
“Oh, man. That’s bad,” Jessica exclaimed, walking in with Ondrea, Teddy, Darla, Will, Avery, and Rachel.
“Hey, everyone,” Mason stated blankly.
�
�So, what do I do?” Jason asked, ignoring the presence of his friends.
“Just try really hard not to use your Powers, and I’ll figure something out in the meantime,” Damian commanded.
“All right then,” Jason sighed. Nick turned to face everyone.
“We need to talk about the really important stuff now—not that you aren’t important,” Nick said, reassuring Jason.
Nick, Mason, Jason, and occasionally Oliver spent the next hour explaining to everyone else what had happened in great detail.
“Okay!” Avery exclaimed. “I have a theory-slash-hypothesis. Mason said that Luke thought he was Jason, meaning Luke didn’t know you two are twins. Well, now he does. I don’t really know where I was going with that, but I wanted to confirm what we know.”
“You’re correct so far,” Jason agreed.
“I see where you’re going with this!” Darla yelled happily.
“Do you really?” Ondrea asked.
“No,” she sighed.
“I think I might actually know where she is going with this,” Will said.
“Oh, really, Will?” Teddy questioned. “Please, do tell.”
“Luke must have seen Mason using his Powers a few days ago with the Wind thing and thought it was Jason. If Luke is working for The Boss, then he must know about the whole prophecy. He saw Mason using his Powers and reported it to The Boss. But, now comes the problem,” Will explained.
“What’s the problem?” Jessica asked.
“Well, now Luke knows Jason and Mason are twins, which he is obviously going to report to The Boss. Now, Jason and Mason are both targets. The Boss must be smart enough to put two and two together to know Mason has Earth and Wind, while Jason has Fire and Water. That’s maybe the reason The Boss had captured you, Oliver,” Will said. “Why were you captured, Nick? Maybe because you’re a Master Healer and were always getting in the way. Or The Boss knows that Damian is your dad and saw you as a liability.”
“Whoa. I never thought about that,” Nick muttered.
“Well if we’re going to play the ‘recap question’ game, then why, when Nick was sick, did The Boss have my sister Avery in his dingy prison under mind control?” Ondrea asked.
“Well, I have Dragon abilities and Fire, so maybe he figured he could use me to do his bidding,” Avery answered.
“True, true,” Teddy agreed.
“But, because Oliver and Jess have Wind abilities, do you think they’ll be his back-up if he can’t get Mason?” Darla questioned.
“Possibly,” Jessica answered.
“Well,” Oliver began, “Rachel is a Morpher and that’s an incredibly rare Power. Healing is a rare Power as well—with Ondrea a Healer and Nick a Master Healer. Avery is basically a Dragon as well.”
“Okay, so we have a special little group going on then,” Teddy laughed.
“At some point, we are going to need to break my little poison endeavor,” Jason exclaimed.
“Yes, and that time will come when I have figured it out,” Damian mumbled, annoyed. “I must start immediately!”
Damian evaporated out of the room in a flash of smoke that sunk back into the ground instead of dispersing.
“Well, that was a very insightful little catch-up we had,” Will said.
“Jason and I learned a few new things, too,” Mason said happily.
“Yeah, we also learned it’s going to be a while before Damian comes up with a way to fix Jason,” Rachel said, randomly Morphing into a bird. She hopped up and flew around people’s heads annoyingly until Jessica carefully cupped Rachel in her hands and set her on the floor. Rachel then Morphed back in a girl.
“What did you do that for?” Rachel asked Jessica.
“People! It’s happening again!” Will shouted.
“What?” Darla asked.
At Will’s shout, Damian suddenly appeared back in the room. “Are we getting off topic again?” he asked.
“Yes, we are getting off topic!” Will responded loudly. “I really need to address something! A few months ago, Mrs. Macintosh was talking about Vork. This HUGE organization. Eight leaders—or was it seven? That doesn’t really matter right now. Anyway, The Boss could be just one of them, guys! You realize what we have gotten ourselves into?” He began to pace around nervously with his hands behind his head.
“Will, chill out. We knew what we were getting into at the beginning,” Oliver said.
“What?” Darla asked, confused.
“Never mind,” Oliver stated.
“Guys, we can do it!” Darla yelled, pumping her fist into the air.
“Not likely,” a voice said from the window.
It was unrecognizable to all but one person in the group.
“Boss!” Damian yelled, frightened.
“Hello, Stranger,” The Boss hissed.
“It’s Damian now. You have no right to be here with me or the kids, so get out of here before I do something you’ll regret,” Damian growled intensely.
“Why are you hanging out with these fools? You are so much more Powerful,” The Boss snickered.
“I’d like to assist this group of kids. Is there anything wrong with that?” Damian questioned.
“Maybe. Why this group of kids with . . . him?” The Boss repeated, pointing to Oliver.
“Do you know these kids?” Damian asked, acting ignorant.
“What if I do?” The Boss asked, menacingly.
“Then you would be best to leave immediately because, if you know these kids, you’d know they could mess you up in a heartbeat. At least, that’s what they told me!” Damian exclaimed pointedly.
“So, you don’t know these kids, then?” The Boss repeated.
“Not really, no,” Damian responded. “I’m just here for business.”
“Then, I guess you wouldn’t mind if I did this . . . ” The Boss began.
Suddenly, a dark tentacle came in from out of nowhere, wrapped around Darla’s waist, and brought her to The Boss.
“No!” Ondrea and Avery yelled.
As Will lunged at The Boss to try to get Darla, a tentacle suddenly wrapped around his waist too.
“Perfect!” he cheered.
Will stuck out his hands and turned Darla’s tentacle trap into solid ice. Her tentacle shattered. Will was about to do the same to himself when The Boss tapped Will’s head, and Will stopped.
“What did you do to him?” Darla asked from behind the safety of Teddy’s arm.
“It was just a simple hypnotic suggestion,” The Boss snickered. “Ice Powers are quite rare, if you didn’t know. I might keep him as my little trophy.”
“You can’t!” Oliver called meekly.
“Oh? And why not?” The Boss asked patronizingly.
“Uh . . . Because I have Wind Powers!” he stammered.
“Oh, so now you expect me to take you instead? What a laugh. I know you and your baby sister have Wind Abilities, just like I know that Dragon Girl has Dragon Powers. Also, like I know your pet has Morphing Powers. My spies reported many things to me. I’ve recently heard there are a pair of twin boys who have the legendary Elemental Powers. You have a bizarre little group here. I’m looking for those twins and I WILL find them,” The Boss threatened.
Darla, aware Jason was standing beside her, grabbed his hand and willed herself Invisible. Mason saw it and flinched, which caught the attention of The Boss.
“You! Why are you so surprised? I know my Power of authority is quite intense—but that’s not the reason you flinched, is it?” The Boss purred.
“Um . . . it’s involuntary. I twitch sometimes. Can’t help it,” Mason whispered.
Jessica was getting really ticked and a little paranoid that he knew so much about them, but she didn’t let that dampen her confidence. “Listen, Boss, you need to let Will go NOW!” Jessica seethed.
“What if I don’t?” The Boss laughed as he flew away.
“NO!” Damian screamed. He ran to the window and jumped out.
“Da . . . Damian!”
Nick yelled. Damian Flew up at a faster speed than even Oliver could Fly. “No. Dad, you’re nuts,” Nick muttered.
Rachel immediately Morphed into a giant eagle and began to fly after Damian, when Nick jumped on her back. Nick turned on his Energizing Power and started Energizing Rachel as she flew, egging her on to go faster.
“Guys, no!” Oliver called.
“I got it,” Avery stated.
“No! Stay here!” Jessica commanded.
“You can’t ground me!” Avery shouted as her Dragon wings slowly took over her arms, and she flew out the window, chasing after them.
“This is not going to end well. I’ve got to help!” Jason exclaimed, his Fire Power engulfing his hand.
“No, Jason!” Mason yelled quickly.
The fire Jason had started in his hands went out, and he fell against the wall in pain. Mason rushed over to him and began fussing over his brother.
“Hey, I will be fine. I just need to sit for a little,” Jason mumbled, sliding down the wall.
“I’ll go!” Jessica exclaimed.
She strutted toward the window, but Teddy slammed it shut. “NO! Listen! If something happens to them, we are the only ones who can save them. But if we keep going to help, there’ll be no one left! We need to chill with the hero thing for now. Please, just listen to me for once!” Teddy exclaimed, stressing out.
“Fine,” Jessica pouted.
22.2
The battle in the sky was intense. Rachel, with Nick still on her back, was shooting fire out of her beak. And Nick was Healing people left and right. Avery stood under The Boss undetected, while Damian kept shooting blasts of shadow magic at him.
“Gosh! You people and your Powers!” The Boss said, annoyed. “Let’s get this one out of the way.”
Will vanished out of The Boss’s tentacles. Everyone went nuts. “What did you do with him?” Rachel asked.
“You monster, where is he?” Nick yelled.
“You really want to join him that badly? This is actually a really good learning opportunity. You are really tough with your Powers, but let’s see how you do without your Powers,” The Boss mocked.
Everyone was gone in a puff of smoke.
22.3
“No way,” Ondrea muttered as she watched everyone disappear from her window view.