Masked (Superheros Undercover Book 1)

by J. D. Wright

  “Have a good time tonight and—”

  Arguing from the kitchen caught their attention, but the conversation stopped the moment Vada and Bill entered the room.

  “Oh, pudding!” Michelle said, hurrying over. “You look just fabulous. I knew that color would be perfect on you. Doesn’t she look amazing, Bill?”

  Vada caught James’ gaze on the other side of the room. She raised her brow, wondering what he and her mother could possibly have been arguing about. But James just shook his head and pretended to adjust his tie.

  “Well,” Vada said, forcing a smile. “We should go.”

  “Have fun,” Michelle said.

  “But not too much fun,” Bill added with a wink.

  Vada rolled her eyes and gave her parents and brothers a quick wave before she slipped out of the door with James. She waited until they were in his car and pulling away from the curb before questioning him.

  “What was all that about?”

  James sighed. “Your mother thinks we should stop working.”

  “What?”

  “Just until this murderer is found. She thinks it isn’t safe.”

  Vada turned in her seat with a scowl on her face. “Please tell me you told her no because—”

  “I didn’t tell her anything. It isn’t my place to speak for you and I work with you only. I don’t work with or for your parents.”

  “I could kiss you.”

  “Please don’t. Fraternizing in the workplace is bad work ethic.”

  Vada laughed. “No kidding.”

  “However,” James said with a smile, “I would like to talk about this new partnership developing with your Orion.”

  “Not you too.” She dropped her chin on her fist and stared out of the window. “He’s not my anything…other than my major pain in the ass. Did you ever find out why he was there?”

  “Best guess I have is that his agent had the same idea we did for his first target. Jergon Hanson was the most recent person added for jumping bail, so they must have just picked his name from the list like we did.”

  “Just great. I swear if I never see that guy again, it will be too soon.”

  They pulled into the parking lot of the high school and parked the car. James hurried around and opened Vada’s door with a flourish of his hand that made her chuckle.

  “I didn’t tell your mom that we’d stop working,” James whispered as they walked toward the gym. “But I didn’t say we’d continue, either. That’s up to you.”

  “Maybe we should just keep it between us, okay?”

  “You’re the boss.”

  The gymnasium of Guillotine High School had been transformed into a scene from outer space. The theme was Starry Night and Vada realized immediately that the groups of “star” lights hanging down from the ceiling were supposed to represent the constellations.

  James leaned down and bumped Vada’s shoulder with his. “How much you want to bet that your boy’s constellation is up there?”

  “Ugh…let’s get this night over with.”

  “Oh, don’t think of it that way. Look, there’s Alissa from our study group. Let’s go say hello.”

  Vada followed James over to the table where several of their mutual friends were sitting. The conversation flowed smoothly and soon she was relaxed, sipping crappy punch, and thoroughly enjoying herself.

  Nick had dodged Scarlet’s grasp all evening thus far. But since Principal Taylor was taking the stage with a microphone in her hand, he knew his luck was about to run out. It was just too bad there was no way to remove himself from the prom court nomination. What had seemed like a nice idea a few months ago suddenly made him feel nauseous.

  He wouldn’t have even come tonight if Janet and Jada hadn’t practically forced him out of the house. Jada was pushy on her own, but with her aunt, the pair were relentless. So here he was, wearing a damn black tux with dress shoes to match. He hated when his father forced him to dress up for events and this was just as annoying. At least he had Mitchell’s terrible jokes to keep him company.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Principal Taylor said. “Can I have your attention? It’s time to announce your prom king and queen.”

  The gym fell silent as the principal took an envelope from her assistant and broke the seal. Nick looked around the room and wondered if it was too late to make a getaway. Or maybe he’d be lucky and lose the crown. He’d love to see the look on Scarlet’s face…

  “For your king…Nicholas Grayson.”

  Damn. Nick shook his head and stood. He tolerated the congratulatory claps to his back as he approached the stage. His feet had barely landed on the top step when someone shoved a crown onto his head and flimsy scepter into his hands. He forced a smile and lifted the scepter into the air, eliciting a few whoops from his friends.

  “And your queen is…” Principal Taylor opened the next envelope and gave a small frown before announcing, “Scarlet Linux.”

  Scarlet swayed through the crowd and up the stairs as if she were made for this moment. She graciously accepted her crown and bouquet of roses with a smile, then turned to wave to the rest of the students. Nick couldn’t resist rolling his eyes at her. But just when he thought he could escape, Principal Taylor declared that it was time for the king and queen to share a dance.

  Unable to avoid it, Nick found himself being pulled to the dance floor as a slow and dreary tune rang out. His crown fell down over his eyes and he just left it there. It was better than having to look at Scarlet’s smug grin as she nestled up close to him and started harping on and on about something her friends told her.

  “Are you listening to me?” Scarlet barked. She pushed the crown up and forced Nick to meet her gaze. “Did you hear a word I said?”

  “Nope.”

  “Ugh! What is happening to you? You are so not the boy I thought you were.”

  “You’re right, I’m not. So maybe we should call this dance quits and—”

  “Oh, no. You may have ruined my prom pictures by forcing me to come here with Travis, but you will not ruin my dance as prom queen. Just stand here and shut up.”

  …It’s a good thing that we look so cute together. Maybe my photo in the school paper will be a good one. I do look hot in this dress. Black is definitely my color…

  Nick was happy to oblige her command. He didn’t want to talk to her anyway, and silence was preferred. He ignored the onlookers and stared up at the ceiling, instead. Oh, look. There’s my constellation, he mused, seeing Orion’s stars mapped out above him. It was the only highlight of his evening, thus far.

  Unfortunately, Nick’s night was about to get even worse as two new guests had just arrived and they were determined to make a fashionable entrance.

  Gasps could be heard around the gym as the side doors slammed open. Eden strolled in wearing her green and silver gown over her thigh-high boots that were visible from the high slits on both sides. When she stopped and looked around, every pair of eyes in the place was on her. Exactly where she wanted them to be.

  Velocious followed her inside, but didn’t seem inclined to garner any of the attention from Eden. Vada thought his black from-head-to-toe supersuit gave him a grim reaper vibe, and several students darted away from him as he passed by.

  “Who are you?” Principal Taylor asked, moving across the room. “This is a private event for Guillotine High seniors, only. You can’t be here.”

  “Shut it, bitch,” Eden spat. She stared into the principal’s eyes. “Tell all of the faculty in here to scram or you’ll fire them. Now.”

  Principal Taylor turned around. “If you still want to have a job on Monday, you’ll go into the teacher’s lounge until further notice.”

  Vada started to stand but James grabbed her hand and quickly shook his head. She suddenly remembered she couldn’t do anything in her prom gown. She needed to change into her supersuit and fast. But how and where would she go to hide?

  As if he heard her thoughts, James nodded toward the stage. They slip
ped out of their seats and slowly made their way over to the stage, stooping to hide beside it.

  Velocious walked further into the room and his eyes fell on the dancing prom royalty.

  “Well, if it isn’t the prince of Guillotine High,” he said, eyeing Nick.

  “No, Velocious,” Eden shook her head. “He’s a king now. Isn’t that right?”

  Nick kept his mouth shut and stayed still. His dancing partner, however, did not. Scarlet pulled away from him and marched toward Eden with a raging scowl on her face.

  “How dare you barge in here and interrupt our dance!” Scarlet roared. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

  “Shit,” Vada whispered. “We have to hurry.”

  She ducked under the stage with James. He’d grabbed one of the DJ’s laptops from the stand and was already logging on when Vada became Majestic. After making the change, she rolled out from under the stage and slipped behind a photo prop, hoping no one had seen her go under as Vada.

  Eden wasn’t at all phased by Scarlet’s demanding tone. And when the girl got too close, Eden pulled her dagger, spun Scarlet around, and pressed the blade to the prom queen’s throat.

  “Aww,” Eden said, laughing. “You’re so cute I almost want to spare you.”

  “Leave her alone,” Majestic said, stepping onto the lit dancefloor. “Let her go, Eden.”

  “You again? Strange meeting you twice at this place. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re a student here. Or maybe a teacher? Either way, you should know better than to interfere when it doesn’t concern you.”

  “She’s just a human. Let her go and take me, instead.”

  “Another hostage situation?” Whiskey said into Majestic’s ear. “How does this keep happening?”

  But Eden just rolled her eyes, lifted her dagger, and shoved Scarlet into a group of students hovering together at a nearby table.

  “I was growing bored with her, anyway,” Eden said, yawning. She flipped her long brown hair behind her back. “Hey, DJ! Play something for me.”

  The DJ hesitated for a moment then began to play a dance tune with a rather haunting beat. Eden must have found it to be satisfactory because she looked over at a boy standing behind her. She crooked her finger and beckoned him to her. He obeyed, despite the obvious objection written all over his date’s face. Eden took the boy’s arms and wrapped them around her waist as she ground her hips against him.

  Majestic was baffled by Eden. She was fairly sure this was Henley, but the super’s behavior was so out of character that she almost second guessed if it could really be her best friend. Just then, Eden bent her knees and provocatively slid down the boy’s body before straightening back up again. Then she laughed. It was a sound Majestic knew well. This woman, this Eden, was definitely Henley Abernathy.

  But just because Majestic knew who Eden was, that didn’t solve anything. Eden didn’t know that her best friend Vada was a super, and saying anything to her now would only reveal Majestic’s normal identity, something she absolutely didn’t want to do. But if she could get Eden alone…

  “Well, damn. It looks like I’m late to the party.”

  Majestic turned her head when she heard the familiarly obnoxious voice behind her. Orion stood there in all of his irritating glory. Just great. His gaze was fixed on Velocious, and the two men seemed to be sizing each other up. Velocious was taller and had superspeed that Majestic had witnessed. But Orion had more bulk in all the right places, and since she had seen the super’s rock-hard punches, she didn’t know who would come out on top between the them.

  Whiskey chuckled into Majestic’s ear. “And the plot thickens…”

  “Shut up,” she whispered.

  Eden noticed the newcomer and pushed her dancing dummy away. She walked over to stand beside Velocious, propping her arm on his shoulder. “And who’s this one? Aww, is he your boyfriend, Circus Girl? That’s adorable!”

  “No!” both Majestic and Orion protested in unison.

  “That’s too bad,” Eden continued, then winked. “I was just about to suggest that we go on a fun double date. But instead, I think we’ll just kill you both and save ourselves the hassle.”

  Orion lunged first, tackling Velocious to the ground. Velocious didn’t say a word, but his body went into motion as he zipped up and away from Orion before the super could get a handle on him. The two squared off with each other, Orion with his metal-covered fists, and Velocious with his swords drawn.

  Majestic tore her gaze away from the men just in time to dodge a swipe from Eden’s dagger. Holy shit! This was really happening. She was actually going against Henley, her best friend. Or what was left of her after her swift transformation into Eden.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” Majestic said. She dropped to the ground and spun around, using her legs to knock Eden off of her feet.

  Eden growled and rolled over to crouch on her heels. “That’s unfortunate, because I really want to hurt you.”

  “Let’s just—” Majestic ducked and jumped to avoid Eden’s next few swings. “Talk about this.”

  “What the hell kind of superhero are you?” someone shouted behind them.

  Majestic grit her teeth, but she knew what the person meant. Talking wasn’t how a super would usually handle a threat. Avoiding the fight wouldn’t stop it. Heroes didn’t dodge attacks, they made their own. But this was Henley. How could she hurt her?

  Then Eden gave Majestic no choice. The villain chucked her dagger and it flew right at Majestic’s head. Thankful for her power, she summoned a chair from the table beside her and the knife slammed into it. When Majestic opened her eyes, the end of the blade had gone through the seat and was poking out, the tip about two inches from her nose.

  “Oh, hell no.” Majestic’s power slammed the chair down and it shattered, sending the dagger sliding across the floor. This bitch really was trying to kill her!

  Eden just smirked, took a run, and slid on the side of her boots to retrieve her knife. Then she came back for more. This time, Majestic was ready for her. She didn’t care who was behind the makeup. No one was going to die on her watch, especially not her. It was time Eden learned her place.

  Majestic blocked Eden’s swings and delivered a few of her own, followed by a fierce kick that caused Eden to stumble back. Then Majestic called her power and ripped the constellations down from the ceiling. She sent them flying straight at Eden, twirling them around her and tightening them like a celestial rope.

  It took Eden a few moments to cut herself out, which was plenty of time for Majestic to assist Orion by sending two tables flying at Velocious. The dark man dodged them, but it was enough of a distraction to give Orion an opportunity to land a good punch to Velocious’ chest.

  Eden took a run for Majestic, and using her slick boots again, slid down low as she flew by with her dagger out. Even though Majestic jumped back, the blade still managed to slice across her boots, leaving a noticeable cut on each.

  Suddenly, a pair of doors in the front of the gym flew open and someone ran inside. In the commotion, Majestic only caught a glimpse of the new arrival before a sharp sound rang out that was so loud every single person in the gym was forced to stop and cover their ears.

  Silence followed and Majestic turned her head to see a familiar super standing in front of the door.

  “Gypsy?” Orion’s voice rang out behind Majestic.

  “I’ve had a vision,” Gypsy blurted quickly. “Someone dies here tonight.”

  “What?” Majestic asked. “What do you—”

  “Not just anyone.” Gypsy looked between the four who had just destroyed half of the room, ignoring the students who hid nearby. “In my vision, it was a super who dies.”

  Majestic turned to look at Eden, but Velocious was already taking Eden’s hand. In less than a second, they both disappeared as a dark blur, out of the gym through the side doors. The rest of the room was quiet, and students slowly began to move away from the walls and come out from under ta
bles.

  “Did you see who?” Orion asked. He stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Gypsy, who was shaking in her sandals. “It’s okay. We’re all okay.”

  “I couldn’t see who,” Gypsy said with a sob in her voice. “I felt death and saw the sign for Guillotine High School. I swear, I had no idea you two would even be here.”

  Majestic started to ask if Gypsy saw anything else in her premonition. But before she could, the remaining doors burst open and the room began to fill with people wearing all-over black militarized uniforms and carrying heavy artillery.

  “I’m so sorry,” Gypsy gushed. “I didn’t know what I’d find when I came here. I had to call them.”

  “Call who?” Orion asked. He didn’t hear Majestic’s answer because he was pulled away from them by a group of the men.

  Majestic sighed and held her arms up. She recognized the uniforms. “The S.U.C. She called the S.U.C.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lockdown. That’s what happened immediately after the S.U.C. arrived on scene at Guillotine High School. The students were all taken to the cafeteria to await their parents for pick-up. None would be allowed to leave until a guardian signed them out.

  Thankfully for the supers, their identities were not to be revealed to the school authorities, so Majestic, Orion, and Gypsy were asked to wait inside the gym until the investigators finished. James managed to slip out among the rest of the students, so he wasn’t there to see Majestic’s mouth drop open when her worst nightmare walked through the door. Well, the other worst nightmare, besides Orion.

  “Mom?” Majestic asked before she could stop herself.

  Gypsy perked up, and so did Orion, who had looked close to nodding off for several minutes.

  “Wait.” Gypsy looked back and forth between Majestic and the super who approached them. “Your mother is Comet? The Comet? Holy sh—hello, Comet! I mean, good evening, ma’am.”

  Comet was obviously unhappy to see her daughter sitting among the supers. Her face couldn’t hide her anger, though she did put on a big smile to greet Gypsy, who was looking a bit star-struck at the woman. “Hello, dear. Gypsy, right?”