PHENOMENAL GIRL 5

by A. J. Menden

  “He’s got a broken leg and I think she has a concussion,” I said, setting them down on the ground as gently as I could. A loud explosion boomed behind us, and several people jumped and started crying. Overhead, I saw what looked like the Magnificent, another member of the EHJ, and a villain I couldn’t identify go flying past, shooting and dodging energy bolts. I turned back to the paramedic. “I gotta go.”

  I zoomed back to the chaos. There didn’t seem to be any reason behind it, just villains tearing apart buildings and throwing the pieces at us and the civilians. What the hell was going on?

  I saw Inferno blasting at a villain on top of a building. The blast caught the villain in the chest and he went flying backward off the roof. I flew up to meet Inferno, who was peering over the edge.

  “Is he dead?”

  He turned to me. “God, I hope so. You got tapped for this insanity too, huh?”

  “What’s going on? Have the villains suddenly gone more crazy than usual? It seems so random.”

  “White Heat thinks it’s a distraction, so he and some of the others are patrolling the major hot spots: the White House, the Pentagon, the Bermuda Triangle…”

  “The Bermuda Triangle?”

  “It’s a gateway to Hell. Some psycho opens the gate and we might as well give up.” Screams could be heard down the block, and he swore. “I’m on it. You stay on this end.” He took off and I hovered in midair, unsure what to do.

  I heard a cry for help and turned to see someone hanging off a fire escape that looked as if it were ready to fall off the building.

  “Hang on!” I yelled. A passing villain noticed and blasted at me with some sort of energy emission. I dodged at the last minute and checked on my civilian. He looked alright for a few more moments, so I circled back to the villain. He kept shooting and I kept evading. Just as I neared the rooftop he was standing on, a blast caught me in the side. Grimacing as the pain burned through my body, I yanked off a piece of the ledge as I plummeted. The villain looked down as if to watch me go splat. With a good bit of my strength, I winged the piece of ledge at him. It cracked him in the head and he fell backward.

  I twisted in the air and zoomed back to my civilian.

  The fire escape was making creaky noises as I came up.

  The civilian turned panicky eyes on me. “Thank God! Help me, please!”

  “Hang on!” I started toward him and a sharp pain seared into my back. I went flying into the fire escape and wall behind it. Groaning in pain, I looked back from where I had been to see the villain that I had hit standing there. He had shot me in the back.

  “Are you okay?” the civilian asked just as the villain shot the fire escape out from under us.

  We dropped, but I managed to pull my aching body together to grab the man and fly back up to the roof. The fire escape fell on a car below, its alarm screaming to life.

  Reaching the roof, I dropped the man and collapsed. I was in so much pain that my mind was blanking out.

  “Are you alright, lady?” the man asked, staring down at me. He was tall and thin, with a pocked face and oily hair. He looked like he should be in his mother’s basement playing role-playing games online instead of hanging from fire escapes.

  “What were you doing out there?” I asked, forcing myself to sit up.

  “I heard the commotion and stepped outside,” he said, helping me to stand. “You’re one of those capes, aren’t you?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Phenomenal Girl Five.”

  His eyes lit up. “Really? I’ve heard about you.”

  “That’s nice.” My nerves tingled, and I looked around for Robert, but didn’t see him. Yet I still felt the sensation of magic gearing up. “I need to get you to safety. It’s chaos out here.”

  “Not yet it isn’t,” the man said, and the difference in his tone made me look back at him.

  Then I felt a searing white pain in my chest—worse than my back, worse than anything I had ever experienced. My entire body spasmed and I gasped. I looked down at the twisted dagger plunged into my chest, oddly noticing that its handle was in the shape of a dragon.

  The nerdy-looking man now held himself with confidence. “I am Jihad, the bringer of chaos. The heart’s blood of the pure soul spilled in combat is the next ingredient he needs for the spell. The fact that you’re the Reincarnist’s little protégé is just a bonus.” He twisted the blade, jamming it further into me, and the edges of my vision went dark. “It was nice of one of your little cape friends to arrange this distraction for my real work.”

  I fell to the ground, my body limp, air completely gone from my lungs as my mind tried to process his words.

  “The Dragon sends his regards,” Jihad said, standing over me with a wild grin on his face. I saw a mark on his wrist, like the one I had seen on Syn.

  Just before the blackness came, I heard the echoing of Robert’s voice, but I couldn’t make out the words.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  In the midst of all the darkness was light. I focused on it, and it filled me with warmth, peace, and love. A figure appeared at the center of the light. She had hair that looked like it was spun from pure gold and her skin glittered like diamonds. Her brown eyes were warm and full of love.

  I knew who she was, even though I didn’t remember seeing her face. But I had once, because she had held me as she died, her body succumbing to the radiation that would eventually give me my powers.

  “Mother,” I said, reaching out, tears running down my face at finally seeing her.

  Even though the space between us was forever, she somehow brushed my hand with hers. “Lainey.”

  “I’m dead, aren’t I?” I asked, although the answer was clear.

  “I’m sorry, baby.”

  “Is this Heaven?”

  “Where I’m standing is. You are at the crossroads, which is why I can’t hug you like I want to. But He said I could talk to you while you’re in between. You won’t be for long.”

  “You mean I’m going to Hell?” I asked, panicked.

  “No, baby. You’re coming here, someday. Just not today.”

  “So I’m not going to die?”

  “Oh, you’ve died. But you’re still needed on Earth. Someone’s bringing you back. Really He’s sending you back, but using someone else to do so. He likes to work through people, you know?” She smiled. “You’ve turned out so well, Lainey. I’m so proud of you.”

  My heart leaped at hearing the words I’d so desperately needed as I had pushed myself over the years.

  A cloud crossed her face. “It won’t be easy for you, at least not for a while, but He says it builds character. And He would know. Remember, sweetheart, that nothing wonderful ever comes easy. You have to work for it. And everything happens for a reason.” She looked behind her again. “He says it’s time. I love you, Lainey, and so does your father. Keep on making us proud.” Then she started to fade, and the blackness came up around me again, the light fading into the distance.

  I wanted to cry, but couldn’t. The love and the warmth were fading from me now, and I was falling down, somewhere where it was harsh and hard and there was no peace. And then I heard words being spoken, over and over again. The voice was familiar. I oriented myself on those words.

  “Portila di nuovo me. Portila di nuovo me.” Over and over it was spoken, until it ran together in one pleading breath.

  Bring her back to me.

  With a jolt, I had the sensation of settling into something that was dark. I panicked. I tried to struggle, but couldn’t feel my movement, which only increased my panic. A presence calmed me, something reminiscent of where I’d seen my mother. It made me realize where I was.

  I was back in my own body.

  It just wasn’t working yet.

  I listened to the voice speaking Italian, over and over again, and I remembered who it was.

  Robert. It was Robert. But I had never heard him like this. He sounded ragged.

  “You need to stop now. It isn’t working.” Th
at was Mayhew.

  “It will. It is!” Robert snapped. “It has to.”

  “It isn’t.” Mayhew sounded sad. “No one has ever been able to make a resurrection spell work. It’s only killing you.”

  “So what if it does? What the hell does it matter? I will only be back in a few moments anyway, younger and a bit confused, but I will be back.”

  “There’s no guarantee of that, Robert, not anymore! This spell uses so much will, and after everything that’s happened, all bets are off.”

  “She does not even have that chance if I do not keep doing the spell. Portila di nuovo me. Portila di nuovo me.”

  “Robert, let her go, don’t desecrate her memory by bringing back an empty shell. She’s gone!”

  “No she is not! I can still feel her.” Robert sounded like he was going to break.

  Silence followed. “You only wish you could, sir. You’re blinded by what you want. But it isn’t true. She’s gone.”

  “She cannot be.” Robert’s voice was choked with emotion. “I love her.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He loved me!

  I felt awareness seeping back into my body. Tinglings ran through my arms and legs and torso. My chest hurt. It wasn’t my heart; I was aware of it beating again. Oh! My lungs. I needed air.

  I drew in a shallow breath. And then another. I concentrated on trying to open my eyelids, but they felt weighted down.

  There was silence in the room. Then…

  “My God.” That was Mayhew.

  There was a sharp intake of breath, and then something jostled me.

  “Is she…?” Mayhew sounded terrified and awed at the same time.

  I felt warm breath on my face and sensed someone hovering just inches from me. My eyes opened, just barely. I peeked through my eyelashes.

  “Lainey?” It was Robert. He sounded so hopeful.

  I forced my eyes open. Robert and Mayhew were staring at me, faces white.

  Feeling was back in my body. I struggled to sit up, needing to move again. Robert, who had been sitting on the bed next to me, moved to help.

  I remembered how to use my voice. “Wh-what happened to Jihad?” It came out sounding raspy.

  Robert frowned at the mention of the villain. “He is dead. I killed him.”

  “Y-you did?” My voice was gaining strength. “But we don’t kill.”

  “I came up there to find you…” His voice broke and he looked away. “He was in the midst of working a spell that would have sent the whole world into chaos. I had to kill him.” He looked down. “But it was not the world I was concerned about when I obliterated him.”

  I reached out to squeeze his hand. “I’m touched. Really.”

  Our eyes met and locked. Robert smiled and gently rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand.

  Mayhew cleared his throat. “I’ll leave you two alone.” He patted my shoulder. “Welcome back, Miss Lainey.”

  “Thanks,” I said as he walked out the door, closing it behind him. I realized that I was in Robert’s bedroom, in his bed. “How did I get here?”

  “I brought you straight back here.” Robert closed his eyes for a moment as if he were concentrating on staying awake. “You were dead, Lainey.”

  “I know. I saw my mother.”

  His eyes flew open and I thought I saw tears form. “Christ.”

  “Didn’t see Him, but He was definitely there. And I will smack the next person who tries to tell me God doesn’t exist, because I know otherwise.”

  “Stop.” His hands were shaking. “I do not want to think about you like that.”

  “Hey.” I hugged him. His arms tightened around me, as if he was afraid I would disappear. “But you brought me back. And it’s like it didn’t happen, because I feel perfectly fine. I was tired at first, but now I’m all good.”

  “I am glad. I was afraid there might be side effects. No one has ever been able to do a resurrection spell before.”

  “You’re powerful.” I pulled away to look at him.

  “Not that powerful.”

  “I’m fine. I think that’s pretty powerful. And you’re fine…”

  “No,” he interrupted. “I am not.”

  A cold jolt ran through me. “Did you use up all of your magic?”

  “No.” He looked so sad. “I am dying, cara. Resurrection spells are the ultimate use of will. It took all of mine to bring you back.”

  What? I felt a stab to my heart again, and it was no less painful than the real thing. “No. You can’t be. You don’t die!” A tear slid down my cheek.

  “I die every time I reincarnate, Lainey.”

  “But it’ll be alright,” I said, clinging desperately to that hope. “You’ll be back…Just a little different, right?”

  “Likely, but there are no guarantees, I told you that before. There is always the chance this is my last life. But even if it is, it is all right.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand again. “I would not change a thing. I saw an awkward young girl whose classmates trapped her in a closet become a real hero.”

  I thought my heart had stopped again. “Oh, my God.” I looked into those familiar brown eyes that were even more familiar now. “That was you. Back in the School. The recruiter…”

  “I kept an eye on your career after that day because I knew you would be good for the team. That you had the makings of a real hero. And I was right.”

  I shook my head. “So weird that was you. You were what inspired me to work hard to become a hero. Only, I forgot it was you. Or I didn’t know.”

  He managed a rueful smile. “That is a nice change of pace—someone forgetting me instead of the other way around.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He sighed. “Even if I do come back, I will be someone else.” His dark eyes bored into mine. “Someone who will likely not remember you.”

  My heart hurt again. “Well, try.”

  “I do not want to forget you,” he said, tone adamant. “You have been a good friend and an exceptional partner. Had this not happened, I would like to think you would have been more. But I cannot help what I remember or forget in my next life. It is an involuntary reflex, what gets stored away and what gets deleted. And in all of these centuries, I have never woken from one life to the next with the knowledge of a girlfriend or wife or children. I have never remembered them, and it was too painful for them to know I forgot. Most probably left without me knowing it. The ones that stuck around suffered. I have a son who hated me for a long time because I replaced his father and did not know him. I do not want to see you suffer like that.”

  I swallowed hard. “How long do we have?”

  He sighed, closing his eyes. “It is coming soon. Maybe an hour at most.”

  “It’ll have to do.” I leaned forward, wrapped my arms around his waist, and kissed him as if the world was going to end—because for us, it was.

  The kiss deepened, our tongues coming together, and I felt my breath quicken. I slid my hand up to his barrel chest. I began to work the buttons of his shirt.

  His hand came up to catch mine. “God, Lainey, as much as I want to, we should not do this.” He trapped my hand against him and I could feel his heart beating so fast, the quickened rise and fall of his breathing. He might protest, but he wanted me as badly as I wanted him.

  “No, this is what you meant in your poem. This is our last chance to seize the moment.”

  “It will make it worse for you after I am gone, cara.”

  I shook my head, tears burning in my eyes. “It would be worse to never be with you at all. This time, I’m not letting the moment pass by.” I spoke softer. “I’m in love with you.”

  His brown eyes burned with heat. “Lainey…”

  “And I heard you say you loved me when you thought I was dead.”

  He stared at me in shock, and then nodded. “Yes, I did.”

  “Will you say it again?”

  A tender look settled on his face. “I love you, Lai
ney.”

  Our lips met passionately, and in that moment, I finally knew how it felt to be loved.

  We lay facing each other, not needing to fill up the silence with words. He traced invisible patterns on my bare skin, moving from my arm to my back, eyes on mine. I smiled, reaching out to brush the line from his jaw to his lips with my fingertips. I tried to memorize every feature of his face: the way his mouth quirked at the corners when he smiled, his warm brown eyes that held such emotion. It was the face of the man I loved, who had shown me, with such sweet and tender passion, just how much he loved me. I leaned forward to give him the barest of kisses, a light brush on the lips. He wrapped his arms around me, returning my kiss. I inhaled his scent, trying to commit it to memory, and how it felt when he held me.

  Because soon he would be gone.

  I took the moment to cling to him, sadness creeping in. He had made me forget, if only for a short time, what was coming next. We had to have burned up an hour by now.

  He must have sensed the mood shift, because he pulled back to catch my expression. “Do not look sad now,” he said, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “You will give me a complex.” He smiled, falling back into the old pattern of teasing me, trying to lighten the bittersweet atmosphere that had descended.

  “You won’t remember getting one,” I said, sorrow in my voice as cold reality sank in. “You won’t remember any of this.”

  He looked pained. “It is not guaranteed I will forget. It is just…”

  “Likely,” I finished.

  “Yes.” He cupped my cheek, meeting my eyes. “I am afraid this was a selfish move on my part.”

  “Don’t say that. No matter what happens, I wouldn’t have traded this moment for anything.”

  “I just do not want to hurt you, cara.”

  “You won’t,” I said, only knowing that I did not want to ruin this last bit of time with him. “I’ll remember for the both of us. So even if you do forget, I’ll make you remember.”

  His smile was wan. “The only thing I want is to remember this. Lainey, try to recall, if things get bad, the man who loves you will still be inside that new person. I will still be there, somewhere. And if I do not come back…”