by Liz Long
The couple cowered behind their attacker. He was short, with bad teeth, long, gnarled hair, and skin marred by acne scars. Ugly was too nice of a term.
“Get outta here,” the guy told me. He jabbed his knife in the air as he spoke, snorting at my appearance. I tried to look like a badass beneath my mask, crudely constructed with a black scarf from my closet.
“Walk away and you can keep your lunch money.” I’d practiced my tough girl speech on the drive over and kept my voice strong and loud. “Leave them alone. And tell Fortune we aren’t going to put up with his bullying anymore.”
I stalked towards him, my feet hardly making a sound against pavement. The terrified couple made disbelieving noises, gaped at me in my black outfit and defensive pose. I could guess their thoughts on a teenage girl saving their lives, kamikaze-style.
His laugh echoed on the empty street. “He has more than a few men.”
Footsteps made me turn; my stomach twisted at having let someone sneak up on me. My eyebrows went up in surprise when I saw the second man come into the light. The guy looked like a soccer dad, like someone my father would know. Tall and well-built, though a bit wiry, I could take him in strength.
“What do you have to say now?” the first man said.
“You should wear a ski mask,” I told him.
The other man snorted but Ugly didn’t take it well. He stalked towards me, gesturing to his partner to stay out of it. I grinned as he came forward, adrenaline pumping in my veins. When he pulled his right arm back to hit me, I moved faster, jabbing him in the stomach and kicking at his most manly of areas. With all that power behind the blow, I felt a crunch under my shoe. He dropped like a bag of bricks, howling at the pain.
Too smug to laugh, I turned to look at the second attacker. He rolled his eyes and took off in the other direction. He rounded the corner and out of sight, getting away.
“Hey!” I shouted. I turned and motioned to the couple under siege. “Run!”
The couple took off without protest, the boyfriend getting out his phone as they ran. I chased after Soccer Dad, feet pounding on the pavement as I pushed myself to run faster. I looked back for only a moment, but when I turned my head forward, the criminal was already at the building across the street. I couldn’t let him escape. How is he already all the way over there? I pushed my legs to pump faster.
My rational mind told me to call the police; I checked my back pocket and cursed. I’d left my phone in the glove compartment, worried it would ring at an inopportune time. That was okay; the victims would get the cops here. Of course then my worry would be about not getting caught myself.
I’ve gotta stop making this up as I go.
I skidded through the entrance of the grungy building he’d run into and stopped, taking in deep, even breaths. Dozens of damaged wooden pallets and beams littered the empty warehouse, the back of a foreclosed furniture store. After ten seconds of complete silence, I went to try another building when a wooden beam fell from the corner, clattering to a stop in front of me. I looked to my right and found Soccer Dad glaring at me from ten feet away.
He tried to get around the mess, finally stopped and turned to face me. I ran straight for him and we collided, momentum carrying us. Sliding across the floor in a tangle, he tried to get a grip on me while I slapped at him, refused to let his hands close around my wrists. We both got up fast and faced one another.
He lunged, moving quicker than I thought possible, and backhanded me. My head snapped back; on anyone else, he might’ve broken their nose, but I only turned back to him. He came at me again. I sidestepped him, put my hands on his back and shoved as hard as I could. He flew across the empty warehouse, landing in a pile of wooden pallets. He groaned as he pushed debris off himself.
I looked around at my exits: one on either side of the very long room filled with tools and other objects that could easily be weapons. I decided to make a run for it (and possibly grab a steel pipe to whack him) and bolted to the far end for the exit. I would have to call the police and inform them one of Fortune’s men was inside. I didn’t want to answer questions about why a teenage girl was duking it out with a full grown, very dangerous man.
Twenty feet from the doorway, the unthinkable happened: he got up and ran at me. He didn’t run like a normal person—he blurred, standing face to face with me. There was no way it was possible for him to move like that. My brain whirred to process the information.
He’s not human.
He laughed at the shock on my face. “Guess we all got secrets, girl.”
Soccer Dad grabbed me, took five quick steps, and used his own momentum to chuck me clear across to the other side. Like a rag doll, I went flying into a pile of equipment and wooden beams near the other exit.
I landed in a heap, grunting and spitting out dust. I barely acknowledged the lack of pain as I scrambled to get to my feet. I was finally getting used to the shock of bouncing back without problems. The destroyed pile of wooden beams, however, were now large chunks of toothpicks. I might’ve had a feminine frame, but I broke stuff like a meteor hitting a planet.
“Full of surprises, aren’t you? That would’ve killed a human.” He used his sleeve to wipe blood off his chin and satisfaction coursed through me at the large gash across his cheekbone.
“I was kinda hoping those pallets would send a stake through your heart, myself.” I spat another mouthful of dust out on the floor.
“I’m no vampire, girl.”
“Too bad. I might still rip your teeth out for fun.”
“You talk tough for a kid.” For a split second, remorse crossed his face. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Neither should you,” I shot back. “But you’re the one attacking innocent people. You’re going to prison.”
The sadness in his dark brown eyes flickered and disappeared, replaced with anger at my threat. “I don’t think so.”
“All right. If I leave you alive, you’re going to take a message back to Fortune for me.” I hoped my voice sounded mean enough.
A flash of surprise crossed his face, quickly covered up with an intrigued smile. “And why would I do that?”
The lack of denial about Fortune was all I needed. My hands involuntarily formed into fists at my sides. “Because I’ll only ask nicely once.”
A bark of laughter escaped him. “You’ve got confidence, I’ll give you that. I promise you though, you don’t want to get involved with Fortune or his men. Tell you what, I’ll let you walk away from this if you leave it alone. It would be the best option for you.”
I’ll let you walk away from this. My brain itched at the words, the tone of his voice echoing somewhere deep within my memories. I took in his build, his brown eyes. I had to wonder if he was the first man we’d encountered in the bank that awful day, the one who tried to let us go. He’d wanted to prevent us from dying, only to leave at Fortune’s command.
Don’t let him know who you are. I was relieved to have my makeshift mask so he didn’t recognize me. My heart stuttered, but the anger roiling through me kept me in one piece.
“Your offer is certainly enticing, but I’d much rather let Fortune know that I’m coming for him.” My eyes narrowed into slits and his face grew serious for the first time.
“Who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter.” My hands flexed at my sides. “He’ll know soon enough.”
“Oh, you’re right about that. Even without his friends, you’re a simple enough puzzle.”
“I am not—,” I caught myself, at the high pitched whine that left my mouth. Deep breath, strong voice, Nova. “I expect he’ll know sooner or later, but not until after I make him pay.”
His face twisted into a strange grimace. “What did he do to you?”
“All I want from you is to take a message back to him.”
“I won’t make any promises, but I’m curious enough. What’s the message?” His hands twitched and I resisted the urge to cover up my throat.
“He’
s going to pay for what he’s done to this city, to everyone in it. He’ll rot in prison for murder and theft.”
Soccer Dad guffawed. “Thanks to you?”
“That’s the plan.”
The right corner of his mouth went up, but it wasn’t a smile. It made me doubt my statement and his tone was as rough as sandpaper when he spoke. “Bad plan.”
He rushed at me, appeared in front of me in an instant, but I was ready for him. My arms came together, clasped hands swinging at his head like a bat to a baseball. I clipped his jaw, heard his teeth clack together as his head snapped back. His back arched as his entire body lifted and fell backwards. My arms vibrated at the blow.
Landing flat on his back, he remained still for a few moments. The wind knocked out of him, he struggled to catch his breath. I stood over him, ready to plant my shoe into his chest and crack some ribs, but his humorless chuckle made me hesitate.
“You have no idea what he’s capable of,” he choked out. “You don’t know what he is.”
“Oh I do, believe me.” A small lie, but I knew enough. “Do you?”
He only smiled and I shifted my weight a little, nerves rattled. What did I do with him now? I wouldn’t kill him, but I didn’t want to run, either. I had to send him back to Fortune.
“If you’ve gotten this far and grabbed his attention, then he already knows everything about you,” he said. Something in his voice brought goosebumps to my flesh and I struggled to stay in the present.
“He doesn’t know anything about me.”
Soccer Dad gave me an angry look that seemed almost personal. “You should go back to school and learn a few more things before taking someone like him on. He’s dangerous. His men are dangerous. Fortune knows things about almost everyone.”
“Does he know you’ll give information to anyone who asks?”
I’d barely spit the words out before his body twisted; in a flash, he stood upright again. I’d barely moved and now he faced me. With no ideas on how to proceed, I forced myself to bring my arms up in fists against him.
“I’m not giving you information.” He shook his head. “I’m giving you a chance to live, to turn back before you do something stupid. You’re just a kid.”
I wanted to shout how wrong he was, how I was somebody ruined by Fortune’s cruelty. Instead, I scowled back at him, not wanting to give everything away. Fortune would more than likely put it together eventually, but for now I’d stay silent on the matter.
“You’re not as strong as you think you are; even I could take you now. We could do this all night, you know,” the man said.
“What, got a hot date? I can keep up.” I motioned my hands for him to come at me. Inside, my mind screamed at me to shut up, but I couldn’t back down. If this was indeed Fortune’s man, I wanted to make sure my name and reputation got back to the hidey-hole they lived in.
To my dismay, the man gave me a hard look. “I don’t think you can. I know what you are and that means I know how to break you, since you seem so inclined to die young.”
His statement clicked with what he’d been saying and curiosity got the better of me. “What do you mean, you know what I am?”
His eyes searched my face as realization dawned on him. “You don’t know? You silly girl, you really don’t know?”
My insides burned to know what he referred to but I kept my tone light. “Wanna fill me in on the big secret?”
He zipped up to me faster than I could blink, grabbed me by the throat and kept running until we were against a wall, slamming my back into it. At the impact, the concrete cracked; he lifted me up, hand still on my neck, my feet dangling from the floor. His chokehold cut off my air supply.
I clawed at his hands, tried to kick feebly at his legs, but it was no use. His grip on my throat didn’t waver and when my brain screamed for air, I knew I was in trouble.
“Since you’re about to make me kill you, I suppose I can tell you,” he said, leaning in to whisper in my ear. Despite the lack of oxygen to my brain, I strained to hear him speak.
“You’re gifted,” he whispered. “An Unbreakable, a creature with great strength and physical immunity. But now I’m about to prove that you can indeed be broken. Why couldn’t you listen?”
His hand squeezed tighter and dots floated in my eyesight. The edges of my vision blurred and grew dark, which couldn’t be a good sign. In my mind, I said goodbye to my parents and begged them to forgive my carelessness. I hoped someone could capture Fortune for me…I thought of Starling, wanted her to be the last thing I saw before I knew no more.
Darkness overtook me and just as I thought I would die, his hands loosened around my throat. A second later, I dropped to the floor in a coughing heap, gasping for air like a fish out of water.
I shook my head, fought to clear my vision and looked up to see my attacker. He was completely still, no movement or sound coming from him. It was like he was frozen in time.
I got up and went to look at his body. Perhaps three feet stood between him and me, he didn’t budge. He didn’t even seem to see me. Unblinking, unmoving, it was like time itself had stopped.
“Sorry to ruin your victorious moment,” a female voice said behind me, “but it looked like you could use a little help.”
I whirled around to find the source and instead my mouth dropped as Cole and Penelope Warner stood before me. I gaped at them before finally uttering the only word that came to mind.
“What?!”
“Sorry to give you such a shock,” Cole began, but Penelope talked over him.
“We can do this part later. What do you want to do with this guy, Nova?” she asked me.
I looked at her in surprise, never guessed she would let me take the lead on…well, anything. I looked at the man again, still as a statue.
“I had planned to beat the crap out of him and send him back to Fortune with his tail between his legs,” I said. “But now that you two are here, I’m not sure what to do. He might tell Fortune about you.”
“He didn’t see us,” Penelope replied with absolutely certainty.
“He can’t see us now?” I asked, waving my hand over the guy’s face. He didn’t flinch.
“Nope. I froze him,” Cole said, his hands still up in the air as though conducting an orchestra.
“And you did that how?”
“I’m a Timekeeper.”
I gave him a blank look, waiting for him to elaborate, but no explanation came. When I looked to Penelope, she heaved a dramatic sigh.
“A Timekeeper is a gifted being who can freeze time—people, animals, whatever. Can we please make a decision about this guy and get out of here?”
“Gifted…what?” I said more to myself than them. My attacker had called me gifted. Would I really have an explanation as to what I was after all this time? My attention floated back to them and while Cole waited patiently, Penelope practically bounced on the balls of her feet.
“Okay,” I said. “I say we leave.”
“If I get out of the vicinity, he’ll unfreeze,” Cole warned me.
“Good. I still want him to go back to Fortune with his information.”
“Information of what?” Cole asked.
“That Fortune has someone gunning for him. This isn’t the first of his bullies I’ve handled.”
“Technically, we did that,” Penelope muttered, but Cole shushed her.
He nodded. “Yeah, okay. Let’s get outta here.”
Without another word, the three of us turned and walked out of the warehouse.
“How much time do we have before he unfreezes?” I asked Cole.
“Maybe a block. I would suggest we run, but I don’t think he’ll be coming after us. He’ll more than likely head straight back to his lair.”
I snorted, muttering “lair” under my breath. It sounded so dramatic and cartoonish.
“I feel like a milkshake,” Penelope said out of nowhere. She looked at Cole. “Can we go to that ice cream shop near the house?”
> He shrugged. “Nova, join us?”
I choked back a hysterical laugh. I must be dreaming. “Why not? That seems like the next logical thing to do.”
We took our time getting out of the building, but once we stepped out, the Warners ran. I stayed with them, keen to put distance between me and Fortune’s thug. They stopped running four blocks later when we reached a small blue car. Penelope gasped, out of breath, and she raised an eyebrow at my casual demeanor.
“You’re in good shape,” she commented.
“Apparently, it comes naturally,” I said, shooting her a curious look.
Cole pressed a button on his keyring and the doors unlocked. I followed their lead and got in; they dropped me off at my car after I promised to meet back in our neighborhood. Once we reached the friendlier part of town, we stopped outside of the ice cream shop located near Starling’s old gymnastics class.
We got out of the car and went into the cute retro shop. Almost closing time, only one couple remained, as well as a dad with his young son sitting at the counter. Cole, Penelope, and I ordered milkshakes and took a seat in the far corner booth where we couldn’t be overheard. I sat alone, facing the two siblings, ignoring the silverware waiting to be used. Still no one spoke; I opened my mouth and Penelope held up a hand.
“Wait ’til he brings our orders, just in case,” she said. I nodded, surprised at her seriousness. Penelope was proving to be less flighty than I’d originally thought.
Our shakes were brought over and finally we were left alone. After each of us took a satisfying sip—nothing like a milkshake after kicking a bad guy’s butt—we leaned our heads together over the table, my light hair seeming darker next to their blondness.
“So you’re gifted,” Penelope jumped in. “Did you not know?”
“I’m still not sure what’s happening here. What does gifted mean?”
They looked at each other and I could tell they were sharing a thought. Penelope reached across the table and sweetly took my hand in hers. I resisted the urge to pull away and she gently held my right hand in her left.
The knife by my hand lifted itself off the table and tried to stab my palm.