by Dee J. Stone
She rubs her cheek against mine and I bury my face in her hair.
“He’ll be okay,” she whispers, caressing the side of my face, causing tears to enter my eyes. I blink them back, but they won’t hold for long.
“It’s okay.” Her lips graze my temple.
“I can’t take this.” My voice cracks. “Can’t lose another friend.”
“You won’t. They’ll find—”
“No. No! I asked him to use his telepathy for this stupid mission, and because of that he’s dying.”
Stealth releases us from our hold. “He’s not going to die. And the mission is not stupid.”
The tears break free. I turn away and use my forearm to wipe them.
I know I shouldn’t, but I let my gaze travel down to the hospital. Everyone is still gathered there. Accelerator has her hand around Lindsay’s shoulder. Lindsay’s face is still buried in her hands. She’s the cause of all this, but I can’t blame her. It’s not her fault. Superheroes frequently suffer injuries.
Stealth takes my hand. “Jericho, do you want to be alone?”
No. Having her here makes this bearable. Only a bit. “Talk,” I whisper. “About…anything. Not this.” Please, take my mind somewhere. Anywhere but here.
She’s quiet. I turn around to face her. “Please.”
She snuggles against my chest. “When I was at the homeless shelter, I couldn’t sleep. One night, I saw a huge roach crawling on the floor.” She stops and laughs a little. “I picked it up and put it on the woman next to me. On her head. You can imagine what happened after that.”
“She freaked.”
“Completely. I felt horrible, but I couldn’t stop laughing. That was the first time I laughed. Really laughed. It felt...” She closes her mouth as her eyes shine with the memory. “Good. Sure I was poor and had nowhere to live, but I kept telling myself that the most important thing was that I was free.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes tight. “I had no idea I could be even happier.”
I stroke her hair. “I felt the same way. When I arrived here. When I befriended…” I press my lips together. Both my best friends are dead—or about to die. Glen is dead. I have no one. I should run off to the sewers. Nothing is keeping me here. Nothing except…
I look down at Stealth. She’s the only reason I’m going to remain here. Lots of crap happened in the Tower, but I’m not going to leave her. Not when she’s this happy. Not when I feel the same as she does.
Not when we’re so close to avenging Stretch and Glen’s deaths.
This hurts like hell, but Kale wouldn’t want us to abandon our task. Stealth needs to pull through. She needs me at her side.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lindsay is sitting in Kale’s hospital room when I walk in the next morning. Hands clasped around his, tears in her eyes. She doesn’t seem to notice me. I lower myself onto the empty chair near her.
Samson and Cindy have been at his side the whole night. I watched them as I lay in bed, unable to sleep. They’re in Cindy’s office now, arms wrapped around each other. From their lips, I read that they are clueless about what to do. They’ve contacted many telepaths, only to be told there is nothing to be done. Even Scar told Samson there’s nothing he can do.
Healer has been healing him, but it’s only temporary. Kale’s brain cells need to be regenerated.
I slam my fist against my armrest. Lindsay lifts her head. She looks around the room like she’s seeing it for the first time in years. When our gazes connect, she looks away.
“I did this to him,” she says in a hollow voice.
I want to say something, but I’m not sure what. Yes, she’s the cause, but no one blames her. How can they? Kale was a hero. If not for him, Earth would have been destroyed and all of us would be dead.
“I should have had control,” she continues. “I should have…” She covers her face, her shoulders trembling. “I hate myself.”
I move my chair closer to her and rest my hand on her arm. I can’t comfort her like I want to. I have so many questions in my head. Thoughts, worries. I can’t be strong for her. My mouth opens, but no words come out. All I manage is, “Don’t hate yourself.”
She doesn’t respond and we’re quiet.
The machines beep. Kale’s chest rises and falls. Under the sheet, I see the outline of his hands. They’re still folded on his stomach.
“It consumes you,” I say. She turns to me. “The guilt. The constant blaming.”
“Kale told me you blame yourself for what happened to Stretch,” she says, her voice coarse.
“Not just Stretch.” I tilt my head toward Kale. “Him, too.”
Her eyebrows furrow.
“I asked him to use his telepathy for our mission. I should have known the headaches were a problem.”
Lindsay lowers her eyes to the floor. “Me, too. I asked him about it and he reassured me that he was learning to use his powers and that it happens to telepaths all the time. I shouldn’t have accepted it.” A new batch of tears rolls down her cheeks and she slaps them away. “He seemed okay, so I figured he was fine. But I’m with him all the time. Why didn’t I see something? I’m such an idiot.”
“No. You couldn’t have known. He hid it from everyone.”
She doesn’t say anything, and we sit in silence. I’d like to tell her everything is going to be okay, as Stealth told me, but how can I make that promise when I don’t believe it myself? When we’re running out of options?
“You should go to your room to rest,” I tell her. “I’ll stay with him until Samson and Cindy return.”
“I can’t.”
“You haven’t left his side once,” I continue. “You need sleep.”
She bites her lip. “I want to be here when he wakes up or…”
I feel the same way. I’ve been watching him from my room to make sure I don’t miss anything, but it’s not the same as sitting here. Being in the same room with him.
“You will be,” I tell her. “He’d hate to see you not taking care of yourself because of him.”
Her eyes roll around the room as she thinks about my words. “I guess an hour nap wouldn’t hurt.”
I nod. She gives me a sad smile, pats my arm, and leaves the room.
I pull my chair closer to Kale’s bed. Stare down at him with my hands clenched into fists. “There’s got to be a way to help you,” I mutter. Tighten my fists. “I won’t give up. I’ll die trying.”
Someone sits down near me and takes my hand. Stealth. She rubs her fingers over my knuckles.
“Jericho,” she says softly.
I turn to her “I won’t let him die like Glen.”
She lays her head on my shoulder. “But what can you do? Both their brains deteriorated. Telepaths can’t do anything.”
I clench my jaw. “Vlayne screwed up Glen’s brain purposely. She meant to kill him. Maybe with Kale…there’s hope.” I know it sounds ridiculous. The intent doesn’t matter, only the result.
I clear my throat. “When Glen died, I was so lost and empty, but I still had Kale.” I grab my hair. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.” I pull my hands out of my hair and shut my eyes. “Everyone I’m close to dies. First Stretch, then Glen, and there’s a good chance Kale, too. I can’t do this anymore.”
“Don’t lose hope.” She places her hand on my chest, on my heart. “And I’m not going anywhere.” I feel her lips on my cheek. “Don’t worry,” she whispers. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I pull her to my chest. “You’re the only person driving me forward.”
“And the villains,” she says. “The Blades contacted me. I just spoke with Samson and Cindy. We discussed what to do.”
Normally I’d feel left out, but I’d rather sit with Kale and have Stealth update me on her progress.
“What did the Blades say?” I ask.
“They want me to meet with them tomorrow night. Samson’s going to send some Elites with me. They won’t
be detected. Cindy and Robert will use their telepathies to hide my thoughts.”
“I wish I could go, too.”
She squeezes my hand. “Stay with Kale. He needs you more than me. I’ll be fine.”
She’s never dealt with the Blades before. I want to watch over her, but I need to stay with Kale.
“The Elites will protect me,” Stealth says. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Like I said, I’ll try not to.”
But I know I definitely will.
***
I’ve been lying in my bed, awake, for three hours. My eyes never leave Kale’s room. Samson, Cindy, and Lindsay haven’t left his side. I went to my room to get some sleep, to take a break. To think. I’m going to go out of my mind.
How much longer does he have? Glen died suddenly. Sure everyone knew it was going to happen, but it was sudden for me. Call it denial, or hope, whatever.
It’ll be different with Kale. He’ll live. He has to. The world can’t be this cruel.
I throw my covers aside and force myself out of bed. Pace around, running my hand through my hair. I walk over to the wall and punch it a few times, feeling my knuckles swell up. It doesn’t hurt as much as it should.
Slumping down to the floor, I try to force myself not to look back at the hospital. I’m going to seriously lose it if I keep watching them. Watching him. Seeing him this helpless. A contrast to earlier this year, when the entire League depended on him to save our planet.
I stare at the ceiling. “Stretch, if there are any supernatural powers over there, now’s the time to use them.”
Losing Kale is impossible. I don’t know how I’m going to move on.
I’m not going anywhere, Stealth’s words ring in my ears. Why do I have a feeling she will eventually leave me, too?
A chill passes through me and a feeling of dread fills my heart. I don’t know what it is, but I know it has to do with Stealth. I don’t care if I’m invading her privacy. I know something’s wrong. Piercing the walls, I peer into Stealth’s room. She’s not on her bed. Glancing lower, I find her on the carpeted floor, in a fetal position. Her shoulders quake as she sobs.
I spring to my feet. Stealth crying is not something I see every day. Rushing out of my room, I take an elevator to the girls’ dorms.
When I reach her door, I say, “Stealth?”
Her shocked eyes leap to the door.
“You okay?” I ask. “Open up.”
Her gaze is pasted on the door for a few seconds. Then she fades away.
“Ella!”
She’s gone. I bang on the door and call her name, but she doesn’t reveal herself. I stand outside her room, staring inside, only to see nothing.
Why would she vanish? Why won’t she let me comfort her?
We’re all affected by what’s happened to Kale. We’re going through it together. Why is she shutting me out?
Unless her tears are not due to Kale, but to something else. Something she doesn’t want me to know about.
***
I’m lying in bed again, but this time my eyes aren’t pasted on Kale—they’re staring at Stealth’s room. The only problem is that she’s not inside. I have no clue where she is or why she won’t talk to me. And I want to punch something. Because she’s hurting and there’s nothing I can do to help.
I thought we were closer. Thought there were no secrets between us. I want to tell her that no matter how bad it is, I won’t judge. I…I love her.
I catch sight of something slipping under the back door of the mansion. Smoke. Stealth. I sit up, watching the smoke travel a few feet before Stealth’s body forms. She must be going to check her phone, and my heart relaxes. But when I realize she’s crying, it starts pounding again. She continues walking.
I throw on a T-shirt and my sneakers, and bound for the back exit. Once I’m outside, I don’t see her anywhere.
“Ella!” I call, my eyes ravaging the area.
No sign of her.
I dash around, searching, yelling. It’s only when I’m off Tower territory that I see her stumbling a few feet ahead of me.
I sprint to catch up to her and pull her into my arms. “Ella,” I breathe into her hair. “You’re okay. What’s going on?”
She thrashes against me, pounding her fists on my chest. “Why did you follow me?” Tears spills down her cheeks.
I wrap my arms around her, tighter, not wanting to let go. To ever let go. “Is this about tomorrow night? Are you nervous? Scared? Just tell me.”
She squeezes me tight and kisses me. “I’m scared,” she whispers. “But not because of tomorrow night.” She grabs the back of my head and kisses me deeply, as though this is our last one.
I’m about to push off and demand answers when something strikes my left shoulder. Burns. Like someone’s slicing a fiery knife across my back. The last thing I see before I crash to the floor is Stealth’s terrified, blue eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I open my eyes. My left side throbs with pain. Squinting through the darkness, I try to move my body, only to discover I’m bound and gagged. As I scan the area, I realize I’m in a dungeon. A dungeon similar to the one I was in with Kale and Stretch four months ago. My heart lurches as it dawns on me that I’ve been kidnapped by the ShadowBlades.
I don’t understand. Why am I here? As far as I know this wasn’t part of our plan.
Stealth. Where is she? I try to move my head and body to examine my cell, but I don’t see her anywhere. It’s pitch black in here, but I can make out the outlines of two people outside my cellar door. Guards.
My eyes pierce through the ceiling and walls, and I see a group of Blades gathered around upstairs. I’m in some sort of warehouse, different from the last one. A woman with long white hair down her back is at the center of the group. Her face is concealed by a red and orange mask. Vlayne. I can’t understand what she’s saying because she won’t let me see her mouth.
Twisting and turning, I try to free my hands from the ropes, but it’s impossible. I’m still groggy from whatever they shot at me, and all this movement is tiring me. My eyes droop.
***
Voices rouse me. The guards are talking to a few Blades. All I hear is a humming sound, which is probably due to the drugs they injected in me. I roll to a sitting position and try to make out my surroundings. The cell is empty except for a tray in the corner. The only thing on it is a burnt piece of bread.
I’m not hungry, anyway.
My eyes roaming the area, I see Stealth in the cell a few feet away from me. My heartbeat accelerates. She’s okay. Bound just as I am. She doesn’t seem to be injured. I want to call her name or wave, but those bastards tied me up well. And she wouldn’t be able to see me.
What the hell happened? Did the Blades discover her true identity? Is that why we’ve been captured?
Is the League safe?
I wish I could tear through these bonds and leap into her cell. Take her in my arms and tell her that everything is going to be okay.
Her eyes are shut and her head sags. They drugged her so she wouldn’t use her powers to escape. If they so much as touch her, I am seriously going to kill them. Each and every one.
I remain slumped against the wall of my cell as I watch Stealth sleep. The guards patrol the area. They don’t look at me. No Blade has said a word to me, and their queen hasn’t been down here. Odd. The last time she captured me she bragged about her plans. Why is this time different?
As one of the guards pass, I bang my feet on the floor and yell through my gag. He turns toward me and peeks through the window at the top of the door. His eyes are filled with amusement. I want to punch him. He laughs a loud, bitter laugh before turning around and continuing to march.
My thoughts travel to the League. They must have noticed that Stealth and I are missing. The Elites didn’t follow Stealth because she wasn’t supposed to meet with the Blades until tonight. We can’t be located, since Vlayne is a telepath and is most probably concealing our thoughts.
I hate having to worry Samson and Cindy when they’re concerned over Kale.
Kale. I wonder if he’s…still alive. Am I going to die before saying goodbye? I can’t stand the thought of him waking up and I’m no longer alive.
The hours pass while I sit here. I won’t allow myself to fall asleep because I must be on high alert. The Blades don’t seem to be doing anything in particular. They just stand around.
I don’t take my eyes off them.
***
The door creaks open. Light shines in from the outside room and blinds me, making my eyes tear. I can’t see anything, only feel two sets of hands grab hold of my arms and haul me forward. My feet sweep the floor as I’m dragged out of my cell like a sack of potatoes.
I try to wrestle. Try to yell at them to get their damn hands off me. But I’m still bound and gagged. When I twist my neck to glimpse at my captors, I see two of the men who were guarding my cell. As my eyes adjust to my surroundings, I realize they’re bringing me into another room.
I curse into the gag when I see a girl there, tied to a metal table in the center.
Stealth.
I thrash my arms and legs, but the guards have a firm grip on me. Stealth is lying flat on the table, her eyes fluttering. She must still be drugged. I feel groggy, too, but not as much as I did earlier.
If they lay a single finger on her—
The guards throw me onto another metal table a few feet away from Stealth. One guard cuts the rope around my hands, and before I could attack, they grab my wrists and slam them down, tying them to the bindings attached to the table. I yell through the gag, but it’s futile. They do the same to my legs.
I turn my head to look at Stealth. She’s still lying there, barely moving. She doesn’t have a gag anymore. What the hell are they going to do to her? To me?
I try to call out to her, but it’s impossible with the gag. She moans softly in pain, and that makes my blood boil with rage. I yank at the restraints. Hard. Feel them dig into my skin. But I don’t feel the pain, not physical. Only the emotional one as I see Stealth tied there, like a sheep about to be slaughtered.