“Do you have a late pass, Mr. Draudimon?”
“Sorry, Dr. Captious,” Mason said. “Won’t happen again.”
“I’m counting on it,” Dr. Captious said. “Take your seat.”
Mason calmly gave me a noogie (the swine) on his way to his desk in the last row. As soon as he was seated, Dr. Captious began his ordeal of passing out tests. Normal teachers just hand them out. Captious makes a ceremony of it. He walked up and down each row, stopping in front of every student, handing over the test like he was awarding a trophy. Then he came to an empty desk and his expression turned smug. Erica Jasmine’s desk. Probably afraid of another run-in with the Red Team, so she took the day off. Happened all the time. Dr. Captious apparently thought she’d ditched because of the test.
“Family crisis,” Mason said without looking up. He was doodling on his desk. Mason always doodled in class.
Captious’s face showed a hint of color as he turned toward Mason. “And you know this how, Mr. Draudimon?”
“I like to keep up on social events in our community. You know what a community-minded fellow I am.”
“May I assume that was the cause of your tardiness? Let’s you and I have a social event after class.” Captious turned and pattered to the front of the room. “Now students, when I count to three, you may begin. Three!”
And he wondered why people failed his class. I picked up my pencil, read the first test question, and got to work.
Forty-two minutes later, the bell rang.
“Pencils down,” Dr. Captious yapped from the back of the room. “Hand me your papers on the way out the door.”
As the other students filed out, I sat at my desk, watching Kathryn touch up her makeup. Mason gave me another noogie on his way past and pressed a folded piece of paper into my hand. I gave him a nasty look as he walked away, and opened the paper.
Oh. Wow. I turned to Kathryn. “A smiley face. What is he up to?”
Kathryn rolled her blue eyes. “It’s probably poisoned. Rin, every time we’re in this class, I rub all my makeup off. Cappy gives me anxiety. I think I need to transfer.”
“I know, it’s like he emits caffeine rays or something. Okay, we’re out of here!”
We turned to leave the empty classroom when the sound of hushed voices in the hall stopped us.
“This is not common knowledge, Mason. How did you know about Erica?”
“Angel knows the family. She stopped me on the way to class.”
“Who else knows?”
“Probably the whole school. She’s been out of control lately. Don’t know what she’s into.”
“Wonderful. I would like you to find out. Fill me in tonight.”
Footsteps clopped down the hall. Then the late bell rang and Kathryn said, “Oh, crap!” Late is one thing we never were. We rushed toward the classroom door.
“Dr. Captious,” I said, handing him my test. “May we please have a late pass?”
Captious’s gaze went to me, then to Kathryn. He smiled a poodley little smile.
“Of course, ladies. I trust you did well on the test? I believe you’ll both be extremely successful in my class.” He pulled a pad from his pocket, scribbled on it, and handed it to me. “In fact, I’m certain of it.”
“Thank you,” we both chimed as we headed down the hall. I crammed the late slip and Mason’s smiley face into my pocket, wondering what was up with Captious. Suddenly, my head went wacky. Pictures flashed through my mind like a choppy old movie.
A fat man in a dark office.
His hair matted with sweat.
Reminded me of the stalker. Then I realized…it was Munificent.
His bloodshot eyes moved in quick jerks.
He crammed something into a drawer.
“How could I let it happen again?” he said. He turned when the door opened.
An unseen man’s voice echoed through the room. “You couldn’t stop it the first time.”
“Didn’t know who you were back then,” Munificent whispered. He drew his gun. “I do now.”
“Timing is perfect.” A hand stretched out unnaturally far and disappeared into Munificent’s chest.
Munificent dropped the gun, clutched his heart and struggled for breath. His eyes rolled into his head. He dropped to his knees.
The room spun slowly and stopped on a man’s reflection in a mirror. He was dressed in black, and in place of his face was a skull.
“Earth to Rin. Earth to Rin.”
Kathryn’s voice snapped me back. My heart was racing. I didn’t know where it came from or why, but I was pretty sure I had just had a vision of the same person I saw in the stalker’s mind. If Andy was right, that was my parents’ killer. Memories of the night they died began to surface, but I forced them down. I realized I was shaking.
“You okay?” Kathryn touched my shoulder.
“Yeah, just daydreaming.”
“About earthquakes?”
I changed the subject. “Hey, what’s up with Mason and Captious?”
“They’ve been buds for a while. They both hang out at the Shadow Passage.”
“Not possible,” I said. The Shadow Passage was a video-arcade-slash-gym. “Captious wouldn’t know a video game from a dump truck, and his idea of a workout is reaching for his next Twinkie.”
“True.”
“So, why does he hang out there?”
“Works with troubled youth. Molding young minds, and that sort of thing. It’s also the Official Hangout of the Cool of the School. They even have their own section.”
I patted Kathryn on the head. “Remind me not to go there.”
“Rinnie!” a voice called from behind.
Tish walked toward us, followed by a boy I knew only as Whatsisface. He had the most oddly shaped body I had ever seen. His neck was excessively long, his shoulders narrow and sloping, hips and belly very wide. He tottered on unnaturally short legs. A Friar Tuck hairdo rested like a beanie on his undersized head. No wonder he was a major target of Mason’s goons.
“Hi, Rinnie,” Tish said. “I never thanked you for the other day. You shouldn’t have bothered. It’s not worth the hassle.”
“I, umm…you’re welcome?” I looked at Tish for a sign that I had responded correctly, but her woe-is-me eyes remained unchanged. I did a double take and noticed that the dark circles under them were painted on. What kind of fashion statement was that?
“Stay away from the front of the cafeteria,” Whatsisface said. The dark circle under his left eye was definitely not painted on. “Art Rubric and Chuckie Cuff are charging a toll.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll do that.”
“Did you hear about Erica Jasmine?” Tish’s eyes filled with tears. “Her little sister Christie was kidnapped this morning. Right inside the elementary school.”
Kathryn and I caught each other’s gazes. She looked as terrified as I felt.
“Mr. Munificent was right,” Whatsisface murmured, rubbing his black eye. “As if things aren’t bad enough here without a kidnapper to worry about.”
…
The rest of the day was agonizingly long. I wanted so badly to text my little sister Susie, but she didn’t have a cell. That evening while the other students were doing their warm-up stretches, I made it a point to train with her before class started. Susie was ten years old and, like me, had been a student at the Academy since she was six. She was my little buddy, and there was no way the stalker was going to touch her. I couldn’t personally guard her all the time, so I decided to make sure she could guard herself.
The Kilodan wasn’t big on breaking inanimate objects with our bare hands, but he was big on breaking them with our minds. We practiced on boards like the regular martial arts people did. I chose a nice, heavy oak slab about two inches thick, and dangled it on a wire from the Academy ceiling. If Susie could shatter that, she could shatter Elmo.
“Will the Kilodan find Christie?” Susie asked.
“He’s the best hunter we have,” I said.
Christie and Susie were friends from school. “He can find anybody.”
“I should go after her myself,” Susie growled. “If the kidnapper is lucky, the Kilodan will find him before I do. I won’t be as nice.”
“Susie, you know you aren’t allowed. Be patient. I know it’s scary, but the Kilodan will handle it.” She sounded so much like me, I couldn’t imagine that we weren’t blood relatives. Whereas I am blond and pale, Susie has gorgeous black hair and tans better than anyone else in my family. She blinked at me with her deep chocolate eyes.
“Don’t be scared,” Susie said, reaching up to touch my cheek. “I won’t let him get you.”
“My bodyguard.” I hugged her. “Now let’s practice, in case you have to save me.”
“Okay.” Susie turned to the board. “Board, prepare to be boarded.”
I covered my face with my hands. “I gotta keep Andy away from you. Okay, elbow down, fist vertical, and imagine that your arm is a cannon.”
Susie was still six years away from her black belt, too young to have an Amplifier. Her Mental Arts skills were powerful, but completely unpredictable. She dropped into her fighting stance, hands clenched, fists tight, knees stiff.
“Relax,” I said. “He took your friend. Find your anger.”
“Okay.” Susie squinted and pursed her lips, concentrating with everything she had. She extended her closed fist slowly toward the dangling board, then bared her teeth like a lion cub about to attack. Her face became so furious I almost giggled.
“Focus…”
Her arm stiffened and her feet shifted. Her breathing quickened. Her whole body shook like a jackhammer.
“Blast it!” I shouted, trying not to laugh at my vibrating little sister. Susie’s shoulders lurched violently, her fist flashed open, and a tiny pop echoed against the Academy walls.
Hmm.
A cricket chirped in the distance.
On the plus side, the board wobbled a little, which was actually pretty impressive for a first try, but I knew Susie wouldn’t be satisfied.
“Aw, crud,” she groaned. “How come I can’t do it? My hair didn’t even poof.”
“Are you kidding? That was awesome!” I said. “I couldn’t get it to move until I was twelve.”
“I didn’t break it. C’mon, show me!”
I smiled, and kissed her cheek. “It’s all in your head.”
I eased into my fighting stance and slowly raised my half-opened fist to the suspended board. I didn’t have to try hard to find my anger. I thought about the children I saw in Elmo’s mind. Instantly, my body tingled as mental force ignited the rage inside me, ripping down my arm, gathering speed like a jet engine winding up for takeoff. Sparks snapped as though I was traveling down a plastic sliding board. My hair frizzed, my body twitched, my hand opened, and the board exploded with a sonic boom, sending fragments across the Academy floor.
“Cool!” Susie screamed. “Lemme try again! I wanna—”
“Line up!” a voice bellowed. The other students took their places on the practice floor.
“Oh, crud, time for class,” Susie said. “Can we practice again later?”
“Definitely.”
Andy and the Kilodan entered and bowed to the class. Andy hit a button on his chest armor and the theme song from the Addams Family played softly in the background. I did a mental eye roll. I could always predict the weirdness of the lesson by the music Andy selected. Tonight promised to be unusual.
“Fear,” the Kilodan began, “is a terrifying weapon.”
“Scares me half to death,” Andy quipped.
The Kilodan elbowed him and continued as though nothing stupid had been said. “Most fear is an illusion, yet we convince ourselves otherwise. Fear makes us see things that do not exist. It creates monsters in our minds. Turn your opponent’s irrational anxieties against him, and you will gain an easy victory. Today we practice the Dart of Paranoia, a technique that makes imaginary terror feel very real. Lynn and Andor.”
I smiled as I drew my Amplifier. I loved battling Andy with the Dart of Paranoia. It never mattered who won, the outcome was always hilarious. Last time I skewered Andy with the Dart, he started dancing around, screaming that somebody had copied daytime soap operas over his Three Stooges DVDs.
I faced Andy.
Fear me, I thought. My hair fluffed, and psychic flames rippled down my arms. Red mist shot from my Amplifier, and took the shape of a short, fiercely pointed spear. I eased into my fighting stance, holding the Dart of Paranoia in both hands. Andy’s weapon had taken the form of a banderilla, the brightly colored barbed dart used in bullfights. Andy loved theatrics. Without warning, he attacked, stabbing fiercely at my heart. I parried with a lazy flick of my own Dart, and blew him a kiss.
Andy smiled. “A thought just crossed my mind.”
“Short journey,” I said, and lunged forward, slashing at Andy’s leg. “Tell me all about it.”
Andy twirled his banderilla, knocking my attack aside. “I think it’s my turn to win.”
“Even a blind pig finds a truffle occasionally,” I said, resuming my guard. Andy thrust low with his banderilla, and I flicked my Dart to block. He stopped short and slashed high.
“Oink!” he yelled triumphantly. His Dart brushed my forearm and I started to laugh, knowing I should not have fallen for such an obvious trick. I tried to think of an appropriate insult, but then the whole world changed.
The laugh caught in my throat and my vision blurred and refocused.
Mason stood grinning at me. “Smile, Peroxide.”
“It’s not bleached!” I covered my face as Mason reached out for my hair.
Rinnie, it’s okay, it’s not real.
I thought I heard Susie’s little voice in the distance. I looked up, trying to find her, but a huge face blocked my view, laughing and pointing. “I’ll take your sister,” a man in an Elmo mask whispered. Wires of cold fear tightened around my chest, restricting my breathing.
“You will not!” I screamed, and closed my eyes tightly. Uncontrolled terror filled me, and I thrust my palm forward. A sharp crack echoed through the room.
“Rinnie!”
Suddenly, there was silence. I opened my eyes, and found everyone staring. But they weren’t looking at me.
I followed their gaze to find Andy’s limp body lying against the wall, his chest armor shattered.
“Oh, no,” I whispered. “Andy—”
The Kilodan knelt beside Andy’s body. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing. The class began to murmur. My heart thumped so hard I thought it might burst through my uniform. Then slowly, Andy opened his eyes and looked down at his demolished chest armor.
“Good one,” he said weakly. “Do I know how to work the Dart, or what? I’ll bet you never watch Sesame Street again.”
“Oh, Andy, I’m so sorry,” I sobbed, tears running down my cheeks. “It was so real.”
“You just proved my point,” the Kilodan murmured impassively. He helped Andy to his feet, then clapped his hands. “Class dismissed.”
Susie and the other students looked shocked, but bowed obediently, then filed through the main door. I wanted to know what point I had just proved, but it was obvious that there would be no discussion, so I bowed and turned to leave.
“Wait, Rinnie.” The Kilodan’s electronically altered voice leaked the slightest hint of emotion. Fear gripped me and I stopped in my tracks. Other than mild exasperation with Andy’s teaching style, the Kilodan didn’t show feelings. He never called me Rinnie. That couldn’t be good. I didn’t think he even knew I had another name. I slowly turned to face him.
“I asked you to stop the trouble at your school,” the Kilodan said. “I was wrong to ask.”
“It’s okay. I know the man in the skull mask is connected to the kidnapper. Mason is my link to him. I won’t make the same mistake I made ten years ago. Nobody will die because of me this time. I’ll be careful.”
“What mistake?” the Kilodan asked.
&nb
sp; “I did something stupid that linked me to the Psi Fighters. I don’t remember what, but I was always practicing when I was little. If I had just been more careful, they’d be alive today.”
“Is that what you think? Honey, your parents didn’t die because of anything you did.” His voice shook, even through the mask’s electronic modifiers. At first, I thought he was angry. But then I noticed the way he held his head. He seemed to be fighting tears. For the first time in my life, I wondered if the Kilodan might actually be human.
“Yeah. They did.”
“Your parents saved a little boy. It was completely accidental. By that time, the town was in terror, and the Knights had become very bold. A Knight pulled the boy off the street right in front of them, in broad daylight.”
Hmm. This was news. “My mom and dad weren’t masked, were they?”
“There was no time.”
“Why would they do that?” I asked. “Isn’t our first priority to protect our identity?”
“Our first priority is to protect the innocent.”
“Okay. So they saved the boy, captured the Knight…and?”
The Kilodan glanced away. “The Knight escaped. He recognized their Mental Arts skills, and knew they were Psi Fighters. You were kidnapped the next day. They received a ransom note saying he wanted to trade you for the boy they rescued, that you could be found in Dead End Alley. Your parents knew it was a trap, but went anyway.”
By now, tears were streaming down my face. “Why? Why would they risk their lives like that?”
“You were more important to them than their secret identities. Or ours. We don’t consider risk when someone we love is in danger.”
“What happened to the Knight?”
The Kilodan inhaled sharply, and I instantly felt his rage bounce off me, like the searing summer heat rebounding off asphalt. Just as quickly, it was gone.
“He was extremely powerful,” Andy said. “We know now it was Nicolaitan. Nobody else could have escaped both of them. And it seems that he has resurfaced.”
Psi Another Day (Psi Fighter Academy) Page 7