by M. R. Anglin
“Refraction, where’d you go?” Starlight jerked her head around. Her eyes settled on Brody. “Did you teleport her?”
Brody started raising his hands. “I didn’t do anything.”
“What are you talking about? I’m right—what th—” Nicole examined herself . . . and found she wasn’t there. “What happened to me? Where am I?”
Junior Justice gaped at her. “I think . . . she went invisible, guys.”
Nicole’s eyes widened. She’d made herself disappear? Then, she should be able to make herself reappear. Shutting her eyes she slipped back to the right.
“Whoa!” Stephanie jumped as Nicole reappeared. “Nikki, you vanished!”
“Of course she did.” Beatrix blinked at all of them. “I told you I only needed her powers over waveforms. I saw it when I had to take your powers before. You have secondary set like Geode did.”
“Your primary powers were suppressing them,” Bee said. “It seems I was mistaken in my assessment of your waveform shift. Exposure to the Sapphire kept sapping your primary powers, allowing your secondary powers to push through. You have a lot of power, though, and the Sapphire didn’t take it all at once so your primary power kept re-emerging.”
“It looks like you’re stuck with me for a little longer, Starlight.” Nicole smiled up at her.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Starlight gave Nicole a side hug.
“ASH is almost here.” Beatrix looked over at Bee. “Please, Bee. I’m anxious to return them.”
“I’ll do it now.” Bee closed her eyes and started to glow pink.
“Wait . . .” Brody stepped forward. “She’s giving all the Heroes their powers back?”
“If she channels her power through Shadowman’s satellite, all the Heroes whose power I stole will receive them back in a few moments,” Beatrix said, smiling at the ceiling.
“What about him?” Brody pointed at Captain Justice. “He’ll have Maximus’ powers again.”
Junior Justice hissed in through his teeth. “Crap!”
“You’d better teleport him into one of ASH’s power suppression cells, Brody,” Starlight said.
“But . . . without Stephie’s stabilizers, I barely have control over my teleports. I didn’t mind experimenting with the jerk wad in the heat of battle, but what if I teleport him to the moon?” Brody shot a glare at the unconscious Captain Justice. “I’m not a murderer like he is.”
“I know you can do it, Brody.” Stephanie gripped his arm. “You teleported me out of danger. Three times.”
“Go on,” Starlight extending her cuff with a set of numbers on the display. “Here are the coordinates. I’ll call it in.”
“Okay, I can do this.” Brody glanced at the readout then stretched his arm. Captain Justice disappeared in a sparkle of light.
“BT-X system has confirmation of his arrival,” Starlight watched her cuff.
“Then . . . I did it!” Brody smiled.
Starlight smiled at him. “You did, and I am filing the report . . . done. Representatives from ASH should be here soon to take your statement.”
“About that . . . if you don’t mind, we’re going to skip the going to jail part. See ya!” Grabbing Stephanie’s arm, Brody teleported away.
“Hey!” Starlight reached for the spot where they stood.
“It’s okay.” Junior Justice smirked. “I’ll get them later.”
Throughout all this, Nicole kept her eyes on Bee. After a moment, the pink light faded, and she dimmed back to normal.
“It’s done. All the Heroes have their powers back,” Bee said.
“Finally, Jess’s final wish is complete. Now it’s time for me to face my judgement.” Beatrix lifted her chin to the ceiling. “I’m going to return to ASH and present myself to them.”
“No!” Bee swung around to her. “They’ll delete you!”
“It’s nothing more than I deserve, Bee,” Beatrix said.
“What about holding Heroes accountable?” Nicole said.
“I can’t say I want justice if I don’t accept it for myself.” Beatrix heaved a sigh. “If they won’t have me, I won’t force myself on them.”
“Don’t you worry, Beatrix.” Starlight stepped forward. “I’ll vouch for you.”
“Thank you, Starlight.” Beatrix disappeared.
“What if they don’t believe her? I don’t want Beatrix to be deleted.” Bee watched the place where Beatrix stood.
“It’s okay, Bee.” Nicole took her hand. “We’ll fight for her.”
Bee squeezed her hand.
A loud bang on the door down the hallway echoed to them. “Heroes of ASH! Open up!”
“About time they got here.” Junior Justice put a hand on his hip.
“I’ll go let them in and explain.” John rushed to the doors the Heroes were pounding on.
“Time to go home. I have a lot of paperwork to take care of because of this mess.” Starlight ran her hand through her hair. “Both me and Dr. Farber.”
As they followed John to greet the ASH representatives, Nicole leaned in close to Junior Justice. “What a start to summer, huh?”
“Tell me about it.” Junior Justice lowered his eyes as he walked. “It’s been a wild start for Stephanie and her brother, too. They’re going to be in a lot of trouble when the law catches up to them.”
“I don’t want them to get in trouble, but . . .” Nicole slowed to a halt. “JJ, there’s not anything we can do about it, is there?”
“There is one thing.” Junior Justice tossed her a smile. “True Heroes always come to the rescue—even when there’s no Villain involved. Bee, do you still have access to Shadowman’s database?”
“Of course,” Bee said.
“Perfect.” Junior Justice rubbed his hands together. “Then I’ll make good use of it.”
“What are you up to?” Nicole said.
“It’s a surprise.” Junior Justice grinned at her. “Cover for me, will you? I’ll find my own way off the island.”
“If you say so,” Nicole said.
Junior Justice darted off the opposite way from where the Heroes were coming in. Nicole didn’t see him again for the rest of the day.
CHAPTER 76
STEPHANIE DROPPED OUT of the air and fell into her apartment. She blinked in the light and silence after the rush and excitement of Shadowman’s office.
“Whoo!” Brody threw his arms in the air. “We made it! Now, come on. Get your things.” He rushed toward his room.
“What things?” Stephanie spun around to watch him.
“This will be the first place they’ll look for us.” Brody grabbed a bag. “We gotta get going. I can’t teleport us over to Sweden directly—too far, but if we get on cruise ship after it’s already set sail, no one will realize we’re stowaways. We can sit back, relax, and ride to Sweden in luxury.” He stuffed clothes into it.
“Sweden? You mean, Switzerland. Brody wait . . .” Stephanie caught his arm. “I don’t know if I want to go.”
Brody halted. “What?”
“I spent a lot of my time moving from foster home to foster home before you got custody of me. Now I have friends here who care about me. I don’t want to leave them behind.” Stephanie rubbed her neck. “Besides, I kind of wanted to go to Sonmar Bridge Academy next year. I got accepted.”
“Sonmar? How do you expect to pay for it?”
Stephanie shrugged. “I applied for a scholarship. If I get it, it will take care of tuition.”
“What about books and materials and room and board and all the other things you have to pay for?” Brody put his hands on his hips. “It’s super expensive, I know. I tried to save up to get you in a good school, but . . .”
“The scholarship covers it all.”
“Well, that’s good for you, but what about me? I was working for a Villain. Do you think they’ll let me walk around free?”
“No . . .” Stephanie hung her head.
“What happens to you if I get sent to jail, Finch? Do you want
to go back in foster care? Or to a juvenile detention center?”
Stephanie shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears.
Brody fell silent, his face softening as he watched her. “Look, Stephie, wherever we end up, I promise I’ll get you into the best school.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to do everything for you. I . . . don’t want to lose you again.”
“I don’t want to lose you.” Stephanie threw her arms around him. “But I don’t want to lose my friends, either.”
“Stephie . . .”
“They risked their lives for you—all because I asked them to. And you want me to run out on them?”
Brody lowered his eyes.
A shudder rolled over him from head to toe. “Oh, no!” He stretched his hand to teleport. Nothing happened.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” Brody shook his hand and tried again. Same result. “My powers aren’t working.”
“Portal interference.” Junior Justice stepped into the room from nowhere. “Shadowman had a lot of interesting toys available in his base. Seems he had sinister plans for you, TelePorter.”
“I am not going to jail.” Brody crouched in a fighter’s stance.
“I’m not here to arrest you.” Junior Justice raised his hands. “I’m here to convince you to turn yourself in.”
“Are you crazy?”
“I know you guys don’t want to be separated.” Junior Justice folded his arms. “But running isn’t the answer. You have to stand up and take the consequences of your actions.”
Brody glared at him. “So they can lock me away forever?”
“After what an ASH Hero did to you, the least they can do is give you a lesser sentence.” Junior Justice rested a hand on his chest. “I will stand beside you. We’ll remind them none of this would have happened if they had a tighter rein on their Heroes and if they wouldn’t have tried to use Beatrix for their own ends. We’ll plaster Captain Justice and Maximus’ story all over the media. Everyone will hear what they did to you, and this time we’ll make sure those responsible are punished. They’ll have to work with you, Brody. We won’t give them another choice. And when it’s all over, I’m sure we can help you find a mentor to help you control your powers.”
“You want me to be an ASH Hero?” Brody snorted through his nose.
“You need help, Brody.” Junior Justice narrowed his eyes at him. “You have to learn how to control your powers.”
“So he’d be an official member of ASH?” Stephanie scrutinized Brody, trying to picture him in an ASH costume. She couldn’t do it.
“I can call in some favors to get you just the guy.” Junior Justice smirked. “A little young, but he was voted Upcoming Hero of the Year once.”
Stephanie turned her nose up at him. “You?”
“Me? No!” Junior Justice jerked his head back. “The Cosmic Thunder. He just became a fully-fledged Hero a few years back. He’s eligible to take on a Junior Hero now. He’s got Quantum powers, so I thought he’d be a good fit. The mentoring program even covers room and board if you need it.”
“It sounds . . . interesting, but what about Stephanie?” Brody turned to her.
“Sonmar Bridge Academy is a boarding school.” Stephanie shrugged. “I wouldn’t be that far away.”
“Then it’s all settled. If you agree, I’ll get to work on it.” Junior Justice held out his hand. “What do you say?”
Brody turned to Stephanie who nodded.
“Fine.” Brody crossed his arms instead of shaking Junior Justice’s. “But I’m only doing it for Stephanie. I don’t trust Heroes.”
“For crying out loud!” Stephanie grabbed Brody’s hand and shook Junior Justice’s with it. “There.”
Junior Justice smiled at her. “You’re a thief, Finch, but you’re a smart thief.”
Stephanie grinned at him. “Don’t hold it against me, and I won’t hold the fact that you’re a Hero against you.”
“Whatever you say,” Junior Justice said.
CHAPTER 77
IT TOOK THE REST OF the summer to get Nicole’s house back to normal. When they returned home after defeating Captain Justice on his island, Nicole’s heart wrenched to see her beloved house in tatters. Scorch marks marred the walls, and the front door had been blasted open. Furniture had been smashed to pieces. Luckily, the destruction was confined to the downstairs, but the contractor said there was structural damage to the home. They had to evacuate until it was repaired.
Justin’s parents, with whom John had been friends for years, offered to let him stay in their home. Thus, John could keep an eye on the construction. However, with four boys, it would be hard for Nicole to have her own space. So it was decided she would move in with Margaret for a while. Margaret gleefully repurposed her office into a bedroom for her.
At first Nicole spent all her time in the room. But as the weeks went by, she started to venture out into the family room and beyond. She even started to get used to Margaret’s constant presence. Plus, it helped that John came by almost every day. Gladly, Margaret contented herself to allow Nicole have her space. She remained interested and kept poking into her life as she always had, but she backed off a bit, letting Nicole retreat to her corner when she needed it. It came as a relief to Nicole. She even loved the way Margaret’s balcony was shrouded in trees—reminding her of her treehouse back home.
One afternoon late in the summer while Margaret had gone out, Nicole sat on the railing to Margaret’s balcony, looking at the pictures Stephanie had sent her of her visit to the Sonmar Academy campus. It made her smile to see the school had set up her Young Inventor’s first place trophy on the wall to her dorm. Apparently, every student and teacher was impressed with her accomplishment.
As Nicole sat smiling at the pictures, a shadow rolled over her. She swung around and came face to face with . . .
“Starlight! Hey!” Nicole placed a hand on her heart. “You surprised me.”
“Really?” Starlight sat beside her on the railing. “I didn’t think it was possible. You’ve always known when I’m around.”
“Because I could feel your power.” Nicole pressed her hands between her knees. “I don’t have the ability anymore. This new power set is going to take some getting used to.”
“Like starting from scratch, huh?”
“Yeah . . .” Nicole sighed. “So what are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you. I’m not even in costume. Bee—”
“Don’t worry about it, Starling.” Starlight motioned to the balcony. “It’s impossible to see anything from the street because of all these trees. I still can’t get over how you handled yourself in Shadowman’s lair. You were so amazing.”
“You always make me feel amazing, Starlight. I know I can do anything because you believe in me. Even about Margaret . . . you gave me confidence to try harder. And things are going great living with her.” Nicole gave Starlight a big smile. “I don’t know what happened, but she’s kind of backed off. And . . . maybe living with her forced me to give her a chance because it’s been a lot easier to talk to her—about all sorts of stuff. Plus, it helps to learn she’s not perfect.” She leaned in close to Starlight. “She has the worst singing voice.”
“She does?”
“Her singing sounds like a sick goat.” Nicole made an approximate sound—a sort of hoarse “naah.”
Starlight burst into laughter. “That’s terrible!”
“I know.” Nicole chuckled along with her. “So thanks . . . for always giving me advice about her. I appreciate it.”
“Listen, Refraction. I came by because there’s something I need to tell you.” Starlight sobered, her smile fading. “Something I’ve been putting off for a while.”
Nicole felt her stomach turn to ice as she watched Starlight shift in her seat. “What is it? What happened?”
Starlight hesitated, her eyes drifting to the floor. After a deep breath, she lifted her cuff to her mouth. “Suit off.”
“Starlight? What are you—” Nicole halted as Starlight’s costume melted away and Margaret appeared before her. A lump curled up in her throat. “Wait. So . . . Margaret? You’re Starlight?”
Margaret nodded.
Nicole’s stomach knotted in on itself. Her face blanched when their previous conversations flooded back to her. Every moment, every complaint, every dig Nicole had ever confided in Starlight about Margaret washed over her. If Starlight was Margaret, it meant she’d been complaining about Margaret to Margaret . . .
And she had just compared Margaret’s singing to a sick goat’s.
“Oh, my gosh!” Nicole held her hands in front of her mouth.
“I’m so sorry, Nikki.” Margaret rested her hand on Nicole’s arm. “I wanted to reach out to you so much, and it didn’t look like you’d give me a chance. So when you started confiding in Starlight, I . . . couldn’t resist. I shouldn’t have used your trust against you, but I didn’t know what else to do. I wanted you to like me.”
Nicole stared at Margaret. Margaret was Starlight . . . which meant Margaret thought Nicole could do anything, and Margaret thought Nicole was amazing and strong, and Margaret thought Nicole was smart and resourceful. But Starlight was Margaret—which meant Starlight was a brilliant scientist, and Starlight was the successful researcher who knew everything, and Starlight shared Nicole’s love of rocks and energies. They were one and the same—all the brilliant, untouchable splendor of Margaret combined with the relatable, encouragement of Starlight.
Nicole threw her arms around Margaret.
“Oh!” Margaret froze for a moment. “This wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.” She embraced Nicole. “But I’ll take it.”
Nicole looked up at Margaret and smiled. “Margaret, I am never speaking to you again for the rest of my life.”
Margaret’s face contorted into confusion. “W-what?”
“I can’t believe you betrayed me!” Nicole pushed her away. “All those things I said to Starlight about you—I said it in confidence. It’s like you read my diary! You’re such a sneak!”
Margaret’s cheeks reddened. “Now listen here! I know what I did was wrong, but you don’t get to call me names. Let’s not forget we wouldn’t be in this position if you didn’t run around talking about me behind my back. If you had a problem with me, you should have come to me.”