by Sarah Carter
“I kind of want to know,” Derrick says. “If I’m going to give you this information, I want to know what I’m getting myself into.”
Connor shakes his head. “Can you trust me on this one? It’s best if you don’t know because what if we get caught? You can play dumb, because you really won’t know anything.”
Derrick obviously thinks about this for a second. “That’s true, but I’m worried now.”
“We are going to be okay,” Lexi assures him. “I promise. This just involves me. I’m going to try my best to keep Connor out of it.”
“I’m worried about you,” Derrick says. “If someone is truly coming for you.”
Lexi nods. “I’m an extreme fighter, so that’s not a concern. I can take multiple people down at once. Easily. So, it’s just added protection. I have other means to defend myself. The gun is just in case those fall through.”
“Do you know how to use a gun?” Derrick asks.
She hesitates and then shakes her head. “No, I think I can figure it out.”
He grimaces. “I need to show you. I don’t want you to hurt yourself or someone innocent because you don’t know what you are doing.”
“You have a point,” Connor says, his gaze moving to Lexi.
“Yeah,” she exhales. “That’s a really good point.”
“So, get a gun, and I will show you how to use it,” Derrick says. “You don’t have to tell me how you got it or what it’s for, but I need to show you how to use it.”
Connor nods. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”
“What kind of gun should I get?”
“A Glock 26. That’s what’s going to be best for you,” Derrick says. “It’s going to be easy to use.”
Lexi shakes her head. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Derrick asks. “I’m worried.”
“Yeah,” Lexi replies. “I’m going to be fine. Just making extra sure that we have back up. I have other weapons. This is just in case.”
Derrick’s jaw drops. “Do you have swords? Are you going to get into a sword fight?”
A smile spreads across Lexi’s face. “No, I don’t think so, but I do know how to use a sword.”
His jaw drops even further. “No way.”
“Yeah,” Lexi states. “I also will win in a knife fight.”
“That’s so cool.”
“My mom is crazy good,” Lexi declares. “She is going to make sure her kids will win a fight. We will never be unprotected.”
“That’s a good idea,” Derrick replies. “So, you are going to get a gun.”
“Yeah,” Lexi says.
He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Make sure you get bullets. Different guns take different bullets. You do want it be loaded right? It’s not just a prop.”
“No, it needs to be loaded,” Lexi states.
“All right, then get bullets, 9mm. We can go into the woods near here and practice shooting.”
“I have a feeling once I know how to use it, I will be able to aim well.”
“That’s good to know. So, when are we going to do this?”
“Tomorrow,” Lexi answers. “I will get the gun tonight. I have to be ready before tomorrow night.”
“All right, get the gun, and we can do this tomorrow after school,” Derrick declares.
She responds with, “Okay.”
“We should really get to school,” Connor says. “We don’t need to make anyone suspicious.”
“Yeah, that’s a good point,” Lexi agrees.
Connor grabs Lexi’s hand. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Are you sure you are okay?” Derrick asks, one last time.
Lexi nods. “I will be all right. I just need help with this one thing.”
“Okay,” he says. “Time for school!”
They laugh and walk back through the woods.
Chapter 13
Lexi appears next to a brick building. She pulls her hat down further and slides the hood up. Flexing her hands in her gloves, she makes sure she won’t leave any evidence behind. Turning, she heads to the back door. Closing her eyes, Lexi shuts down the security system. She senses the area around her and doesn’t find anyone. Quickly, she walks through the door. Lexi made sure to look up what the gun looked like ahead of time, so she starts searching for it. Finding the bullets first on shelving is a score.
“This could be quick,” she whispers to herself.
But, finding the gun takes a little longer. Knowing she can’t take very long, Lexi frantically searches for the gun. Finally, she finds it. Lexi grabs it and makes her way back outside. With a thought, she turns the security system back on.
Taking a deep breath, Lexi closes her eyes and jumps her way back to her car, which is a mile away. She gets in and thinks, I did it. I have it.
Great, Connor replies.
I have the bullets and gun. We are ready.
Derrick will show us how to use it tomorrow.
Are you sure you want to come with? This is really dangerous.
I can’t let you go alone. There’s no way. You need someone with you.
I planned to take Ashe and Lana with me.
Are you sure that’s a good idea? They said they didn’t want anyone to know.
Going in without some sort of backup is a stupid idea. No one would expect that out of me. I’m not going to tell my dad, but I need someone with me.
You will have me.
No offense, but you aren’t going to be much help. You don’t know how to fight. You don’t know how to use a weapon. You know nothing about the Neturu.
Moral support? I will help anyway that I can.
I really wish you wouldn’t go with. I will be so distracted by worrying that you will get hurt or something will happen to you. That’s not good. My mom taught me that about dangerous situations. I don’t want to be distracted.
I can’t let you go alone.
I will have Ashe and Lana with me.
And if it stops their powers, too, what are you going to do then?
What are you going to do if things go south? You don’t know how to shoot a gun. You don’t know how to fight.
If you don’t let me go, I will go straight to your father.
You repeat yourself a lot.
I don’t back down from my threats. I will go straight to your dad. Your daughter told me you were aliens, and she’s about to go meet a group of humans that can stop her powers. How do you think he will handle that?
He will be royally pissed if he finds out.
Well then, I guess my going to him would be a bad idea.
I don’t want him to zap your brain.
I prefer the word “zap” and “my brain” never be in the same sentence again.
So, that means we don’t tell my dad. Anyway, these people don’t want the Neturu to know, and if they haven’t done anything yet, they may be telling the truth. Maybe they just watch from afar.
But, what about this other group? What are you going to do about them? Isn’t that severe enough to tell your father?
I can handle it. We can handle it. I have a communicator in me. If things go south, I press a button, and a ship’s there in a few seconds. Now, there’d be a sonic boom that would shatter windows, but my dad would come to my rescue.
That’s good to know. I guess this is what we will do. Derrick can have us practice with the gun. At least we will have that.
True. We will be a little bit protected.
We can do this, Lexi.
I sure hope so. I don’t feel as though they are violent group.
Neither do I, but we have to be careful. Sometimes people are really convincing.
Again, true. Okay, I will see you tomorrow.
Yup, I will pick you up around 7.
Sounds good. See you then.
Night.
Lexi takes a deep breath. “I can do this,” she whispers. Reaching over, she takes the gun and ammunition, hides it i
n her backpack, and shoves it under the seat of her car. “If I take that into the house, the sensors will catch it,” Lexi whispers. “Best to hide it here.” She takes another deep breath to center herself and then drives home.
The next morning, she yells, “See you later, Dad!”
“Have a good day, Lexi!” he shouts back from down the hall.
“I’m going out later with my friends. I will let you know when I will be home.”
“Okay!”
Turning, she goes outside. Connor is waiting in his car. She puts her finger up for him to wait. He nods his head. Sneaking over, she goes to her car and gets the backpack out. Quickly, Lexi jumps into Connor’s car. “Go, go,” she instructs.
Connor pulls away and zips down her driveway. “Do you have it?”
“Yes,” Lexi replies. “I have it. Where are we going to put it while we are in school? We can’t take this on school property.”
“We are going to drop it off at my house,” Connor answers. “My stepdad has gone to work, and he never goes in my room, anyway.”
“Okay,” Lexi agrees. “That sounds like a good idea.”
He reaches over and takes her hand. “Are you nervous?”
“Heck yeah, I’m nervous,” she replies. “I’m going to go do the scariest thing I have ever done. I thought about telling my dad, but then I thought it wouldn’t be fair to this group. They have known this entire time and have never done anything. It is a little fair for at least some humans to know, especially if they are just watching us.”
“That is true,” Connor says. “It does seem only fair.”
Lexi nods. “Yeah, otherwise it is like we are ruling the world, and that’s, honestly, what we aren’t about. We aren’t here to rule over the humans. We live peacefully. So, who am I to take away the little bit of control the humans have?”
“That is a very good point,” he concurs. “So, we go in tonight and see what they want.”
“Yeah,” Lexi replies. “We will see what they are up to.”
After dropping off the gun, they head for school. They happen to park next to Derrick’s car. Derrick and Maddie are standing outside. When Lexi and Connor get out, Maddie cheerfully says, “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Lexi replies, trying to be excited. She doesn’t want to show that something is wrong.
“Did you have a nice night?” Maddie asks.
Nodding, Lexi answers, “Yeah, it was all right. As nice as school nights are.”
Maddie won’t stop smiling. “Are you okay” Connor asks her.
Her smile wavers a little. “Yeah, I’m just happy.”
“Good, you should be happy,” Lexi states.
“I am,” Maddie replies, giving her a quick look. “It was just a good night.”
Derrick looks at her and then Connor. “Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with having good nights.”
With a shrug, Connor agrees, “That’s true.”
Now, Lexi is really curious. She is going to have to talk to Maddie as soon as possible. “So, we should really get to class.”
“Hey, can I cheat off of you?” Derrick asks. “I did not get the homework last night.”
“We have a little while,” Lexi replies. “I can help you go over it.”
He gives her the thumbs up. “That sounds great.”
They all start to walk towards the building. “We should all do something tonight,” Maddie cheers.
There is a heavy pause as no one says anything. “We aren’t going to be able to,” Connor says. “I have something really important that’s going on tonight.”
“Me too,” Lexi agrees. “Something involving my family.”
“Is everything okay?” Maddie asks.
Lexi half shrugs. “Yeah, we will see. I think it will be all right.”
“That’s good,” Maddie says.
The school is busy when they get inside. “Okay, I have to go to my locker,” Connor says. “I will see you all later.”
“I’m going to go help him with his homework,” Lexi reiterates. “Can’t have him fail.”
“Okay, I will see you guys at lunch?” Maddie suggests.
“I will probably catch you between classes,” Derrick replies. Lexi can’t help but notice the blush that sweeps across Maddie’s face.
Bashfully, she whispers, “Okay.”
Now, Lexi knows something is going on. “Okay, see you later,” Derrick exclaims, as he waves, stepping backwards.
Following him, Lexi waves at Maddie, too. Maddie smiles before she turns around and walks away. Lexi looks at Derrick. “So, how much of the homework did you get done?”
“None,” he replies. “It made no sense to me.”
“I can easily explain it to you,” Lexi replies. “Let’s go.”
They get into the room, and Derrick takes Jackie’s seat. “Teach away,” he instructs.
“Okay, here, we will start at the explanation,” Lexi says. She opens her book and shows him what to do. A few minutes before the class starts, a shadow passes in front of them.
They look up, and Jackie is there. She crosses her arms. “You’re in my seat.”
“I’m getting the homework explained to me,” Derrick snorts. “Take that seat.” He points to his usual chair.
Jackie sticks her nose up. “I want my seat.”
Lexi and Derrick look at each other. Lexi then looks back at Jackie. “You really want to sit next to me?”
“Of course,” Jackie replies, with a smirk. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Raising her eyebrow, Lexi says, “Umm, okay.”
Derrick shakes his head and gets up to move. Jackie smugly takes her seat. Lexi sighs and blows out some air. She looks over at Derrick, and he shrugs his shoulders.
“So,” Jackie starts. “What did you guys do last night?”
A little shocked, Lexi answers, “Not much.” Like she would really tell her anything.
“I watched a marathon of X-Men movies,” Derrick declares. “That’s so badass. I want superpowers.” Lexi presses her lips together and looks down.
“I would want to be able to fly,” Jackie says. “That’s what I would do.”
“Invisibility, that’s what I would choose,” Derrick states. “No one would be able to see me. Maybe walk through walls, too.”
Lexi laughs. “You sound like you just want to go into the girl’s locker room.”
He gasps, “I do not. I can’t believe you said that.”
“I have a feeling you are lying,” Lexi laughs some more. “But, we will drop it.”
“What superpower would you want?” Derrick asks.
She opens her mouth and then closes it. Finally, Lexi says, “I think I would want to be able to make fire.”
“Control the elements?” Derrick suggests.
“No, just be able to make fire,” Lexi replies. She isn’t sure what else to say.
“So, you could destroy people?” he chuckles.
That makes Lexi shake your head. “I figure that I wouldn’t use my powers that way if I had powers.”
“Maybe I would want powers to mess with people,” Jackie says, looking at Lexi.
Wanting to roll her eyes, Lexi replies, “I probably would mess with people sometimes too, but I don’t think I would do it for no apparent reason. I would protect people.”
Suddenly, the bell rings. Derrick leans over and whispers, “I still would want to be invisible.” He winks at Lexi, and she shakes her head.
Class goes by without any problems. Derrick gets called on, but he totally nails it and obviously understands what Lexi showed him. The rest of Lexi’s classes are boring. She is really itching to talk to Maddie. She knows something is up.
Lunch time finally comes around, and Lexi heads to Connor’s locker. He’s waiting there.
“You all right?”
She nods. “Yeah.”
“Are you nervous?” He touches her elbow, looking concerned.
Lexi really hadn’t thought about it, but the i
dea of what is to come makes her tense. “I think I will be all right. We shouldn’t really talk about it here.”
“No, we shouldn’t,” Connor agrees. “Let’s go eat.”
“Yeah, I need to be at the top of my game,” Lexi states. “I need to fuel up.”
“Well, let’s go then,” Connor suggests.
They make their way to the cafeteria. Derrick and Maddie are at the doors. They are smiling at each other, and Maddie is nervously rocking back on her heels. Lexi notices this. It makes her even more intrigued. She glances at Connor, and he doesn’t seem to notice the body language. They walk up to them, and Derrick turns to Connor. “Hey man, how’s your day going?”
“Good,” Connor answers. “I think I aced my test.”
“That’s awesome,” Derrick praises. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m always hungry,” Lexi laughs.
Derrick gestures to the doors. “After you, then.”
The cafeteria is bustling when they get in. They walk to the line. Derrick and Maddie start to talk. Connor leans in to Lexi. “Did you talk to your friends?”
“Yeah, but let me make sure they are still coming,” Lexi replies.
Hey guys. Are you still up for tonight?
Hell yeah, we aren’t letting you go in alone, Lana replies.
Ashe adds in, Yeah, we can go in and kick some ass if need be.
They have something that can stop my powers. They may stop yours, too, Lexi states. I’m not sure. I don’t know if it stops all my powers. Also, they said it won’t work all the time.
It’s dangerous if they can. What are we going to do? Ashe asks.
I have a gun. A human gun. Connor’s best friend is going to show us how to use it tonight. I can aim just fine, so I’m not worried about that. But, we need to do this. We can’t have the Neturu outed.