“You heard the lady,” I tell Amelia.
She ignores me. “Jess, I’m still eating.”
“So, still not wasting away, then.”
“And there are other chairs.”
Jess looks over at Alex, who grabs onto the edges of his chair, refusing to budge, even though I’m pretty sure Amelia didn’t mean she should take his.
“Come here,” Amelia says. “You can sit in my lap.”
Jess ignores her and just stands next to me instead, hooking her arms around mine.
Then Gordon comes in. Helen stops making Alex’s lunch, her eyes darting over to Gordon, then to me.
Great, so he told her I actually asked him to teach me to fly—a moment I’m not super proud of—and that he turned me down. I guess I should be happy that they’re conspiring against me instead of fighting because of me, but still. Why stop there? Why think my humiliation is even remotely private? Why not just tell the whole family while he’s at it?
“Damien, there you are,” Gordon says, beaming at me like I don’t have less than two weeks to figure out how to keep my life from falling apart. “I’ll pick up some brochures today for those flying schools I was telling you about last night.” He means after he told me he wasn’t going to teach me. His brilliant backup plan is to just have somebody else do it. “We can look at them together after school.”
Seriously? I already told him I didn’t want to do that, and I don’t know why he’d think I’d want to talk about it in front of everyone. I gape at him like What is wrong with you? but he doesn’t seem to notice, since he keeps going.
“I know you’re not the, uh, average flight student, but I’m sure there are programs that can handle your situation.”
“My situation.” Lightning prickles beneath my skin, but I force myself to keep it under control, since Jess still has my arm.
“I’ll explain things to Ted and ask for some recommendations. He’s in the business, so I’m sure he knows where we can start looking for specialty programs.”
I stand up as lightning sparks across my skin, yanking my arm out of Jess’s grasp before she gets zapped. She stumbles back a step, and then her eyes start to water, and I feel like the worst person in the world.
“Jess—” I stop myself from reaching for her. I take a deep breath and force my lightning to die down first. I pull her close to me. She glomps onto my leg, and I put my hand on her head to comfort her. I try to speak calmly, so I don’t go all electric again, but it’s really hard when Gordon’s giving me this confused look, like he has no idea what I’m getting so upset about. “Dad,” I say through clenched teeth, “what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Well, son, I just thought—”
“You just thought what? That I’d be cool with you broadcasting my problems to the entire family? And as if that wasn’t bad enough, then you want to tell freaking Ted?” Electricity burns beneath my skin as I try really, really hard not to let it spark again.
“Looking at flying schools is the next step, and we don’t have a lot of time. Finding the right program for you is important. Ted might be able to help us narrow down our choices.”
“Don’t tell him about me! You do not have my permission to talk to him about me, ever. And if you think that telling him about my fear of heights is going to make him go easy on me or something, then…” I clench my free hand, then let it flop to my side. I just can’t believe this.
“He’s the one who decides whether you pass your test or not. It might help if he knew the whole story.”
I feel like I’m going to throw up, and if Gordon tells Ted about my fear of heights, I’m pretty sure I actually will. “How can you even suggest that? How can you even think about it?” My hands start to shake, and electricity runs up my spine, and I know if he says one more stupid word to me, I’m going to lose it.
I pick up Jess and set her on my chair. She doesn’t want to let go of me, but I pull away, because I can’t let her get hurt. At least she doesn’t seem upset this time.
“Damien,” Gordon says, “if you don’t want to involve Ted—”
“Oh, you think?!”
“—then we’ll leave him out of it. But just because I don’t feel I should be the one to teach you doesn’t mean I’m leaving you to do this all on your own. We’ll go over the brochures together. We’ll find the right program.”
“No.” I hold up my hands for him to shut up, but they’re covered in lightning. I put them down. “Dad, just… just don’t. There is no we in this.”
“But, Damien—”
“I don’t want to look at brochures, I don’t want recommendations, and I sure as hell don’t want you talking to Ted about me. So if you’re not going to help, then just stay out of it!”
Hurt flashes across his face.
I shouldn’t have lashed out at him.
But how could he even think about talking to Ted about me? And how could he bring it up to me, in front of everyone, and think I’d be okay with that?
“I have to get to school,” I tell him, even though everyone can see that I’m shaking and covered in electricity, and even though there’s still another ten minutes before me and Amelia normally leave. “I’ll walk,” I add, so she doesn’t think I’m taking Tom and leaving her behind. Then I storm out of there, grabbing my backpack on my way out the door.
So maybe Gordon was right about our relationship not being that stable.
Once I’m outside, I put my hands to my face and take a few deep breaths. I’ve just gotten my electricity to die down when the front door opens. A mixture of rage and dread and disappointment flares up in me, making more sparks race across my skin, because I assume it’s Gordon.
“Damien, wait.” It’s Amelia. She’s got her stuff for school with her. “I’ll go with you. You don’t have to walk.”
“It’s… it’s too early.” Melissa and Hil probably won’t be ready yet, and there’s not enough time for her to drop me off first. “It’s fine.”
“I’m still coming with you. I’ll text Melissa and Hil. Hil’s sister can give them a ride.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“But maybe I want to. You were really nice to me at Prom, and… I know you missed your weekend with Kat. Plus, I have something to say.”
I start walking. Gordon’s going to be leaving for work soon, and I don’t want to be standing within lecture range when he does. “If this is about Zach—”
“It’s not.” Amelia hurries to catch up with me. “I mean, I think it’s only fair that you tell me what he said about me, but— Do you have to walk so fast?”
I slow down a little, glancing over my shoulder toward the house. “I’m not telling either of you about the other one, okay? I’m staying out of it.”
“We can discuss that later. Wait, does that mean he did say something about me?”
“I don’t want to be in the middle of this. You’re my sister, and he’s my friend.”
“But… is he upset at all?”
“Amelia, come on. Of course he is. I thought you had something to say? Something that wasn’t about Zach.”
“Right.” She takes a few quick steps to catch up again. “Dad was being stupid back there.”
“Thanks for your support. You didn’t have to walk to school with me to tell me that.”
“Will you shut up? I’m trying to say that… I’m trying to say I can teach you.”
I stop walking. We’re around the corner now, anyway. “You what?”
“I can teach you to fly. Don’t laugh.”
I’m trying not to. “You can’t fly.”
“I know that. Duh. But I thought I was going to be able to.”
“So?” Last I checked, that wasn’t even remotely the same thing.
“So, I spent my whole life preparing for it. I’ve read all the books on it, and I’ve watched tons of videos from the library and online. I know everything about it.”
“Except how to actually do it.”
&nbs
p; “But I can help. And,” she says, looking me over, “no offense, but there’s no way you’d make it at flying school.”
“Why’s that? Other than the obvious.”
“Dad doesn’t see how people treat you at Heroesworth. The teachers and the students don’t like you, and they wouldn’t like you at flying school, either.”
“I said other than the obvious.”
“They’re rigorous programs, and I’ve seen you on the stairs. You can’t handle rigorous. You’d hate it there. And you already said you weren’t going to one. So, I mean, it’s not like you have anyone better to teach you.”
“Wow, great. I feel so confident in letting you handle all of my flight-training needs.”
“I know what the routine for the flying test is supposed to look like. I can help. And… I already know you’re afraid of heights. I won’t make fun of you or tell anybody or anything. And I helped you get up three sets of stairs to save Riley at the gala. So, you should give me a chance.”
I consider that. “Why do you want to do this?”
“Because. I learned all this stuff for a power I didn’t even get, and this way it won’t go to waste.”
“I’m not telling you about Zach.”
“I know, okay? This isn’t about that. But maybe it’ll help take my mind off of him, and…” She glances up at me. “And maybe I just want to feel useful for once.”
“Amelia—”
“Really useful. And not because somebody else told me to be. I want to do something only I can do. Something that matters.”
“What you did at the gala did matter.”
“I know, but I don’t want it to be the only thing I ever do.”
“And you think you’re the only one who can teach me how to fly?”
“Yes. And it won’t involve tall buildings or anything. You won’t fall.”
“You don’t know that.”
“You won’t. And I’m not like Dad. I know how freaked out you get, plus I can’t fly. So me training you means everything’s going to be mostly at ground level.”
I consider that. It certainly sounds better than working with Gordon, which isn’t even an option, and it sounds way better than going to some flight school with yet another douchey teacher who doesn’t want me there. Not that I was going to do that, either. So… “You really think that in two weeks, you can have me flying through hoops on the ceiling?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. But I know we can try.”
Chapter 22
“I HAVE INFORMATION,” I tell Kat on the phone that afternoon.
“Me, too. Your sister texted me to ask if I’d come watch movies with you guys again this weekend.”
“No, I meant about our fieldwork assignment. Assignments. You know what I mean. And tell Amelia that if you come over this weekend, I’ve already called dibs.”
“Damien, my time isn’t something you can call dibs on. And I’m not telling her that, because you didn’t.”
“So, wait, we’re watching movies with Amelia again this weekend?”
“Well…”
“Kat!”
“What? She said we could watch Attack of the Killer Robot Zombie Slaves.”
I gasp, offended, and sit up on my bed. “How easily you’ve been lured to the dark side. Watching Attack of the Killer Robot Zombie Slaves was supposed to be our thing.”
“Yeah, and we’ve been waiting to watch it for forever. This way we actually get to be in the same room. And hanging out with your sister is not ‘the dark side.’ She’s actually not that—”
“You know, Kat, I can really only stay on the phone for a little bit longer, and I’ve got so much important information to tell you, so—”
“She’s not that bad. There, I said it.”
I cringe. “I think the line’s cutting out. I’m going through a tunnel. We’d better restrict this conversation to only the essentials.”
“A tunnel, Damien? You’re in your room.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Well, I know you’re not going through a tunnel.”
“Fine. I’m in my room. But I really do have important information to tell you.”
“About our assignment?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a lead.”
“Me, too.” She sounds pretty excited about that, like she found out something big.
Maybe she found out where the painting is and we won’t have to actually go through with staking out Frank’s next robbery. I kind of hope that’s the case, even if I was also kind of looking forward to impressing her with my info-gathering skills. Skills that involve just asking my grandpa, but whatever.
“I know when and where Frank’s next robbery’s going to be,” she says.
“What?”
“Yeah, I know, I didn’t think we’d be able to find any info on Frank, either, because there, like, just isn’t anything. But then I found out he was looking for people to work an upcoming job.”
“Kat, you’re totally stealing my thunder here. That’s what I was going to say.”
She laughs. “Great minds think alike. Or find information alike, I guess.”
“I figured we’d sneak around the gallery and watch where Frank’s goons take everything after the robbery.”
“Long-distance high five. That’s my plan, too. I just haven’t told Tristan yet, because when I told him I couldn’t find anything about Frank online, he made this big deal about how research is the cornerstone of fieldwork and how he has ‘mad internet search skills.’ But I don’t see him coming up with anything better. So that means both our groups are going to be at the same place at the same time, doing the exact same thing.”
“If you’re saying it’s going to be too crowded, you could always ditch Tristan.”
“I’m saying we should work together.”
Yes. Finally. We’ve only been waiting years for something like this. That’s what I should say, anyway. It’s what I want to say, except… “Kat, I don’t know if we should. I mean, I want to, it’s just—”
“Sarah will be butt hurt about it?”
“That’s not how I was going to put it, but something like that.”
“It’s stupid not to work together on this. We’re just going to get in each other’s way if we don’t. We already did get in your guys’s way at the museum. And what are we supposed to do, follow the robbers to their stash in separate groups somehow? Just because Sarah, who’s not even involved in this, might be upset that I got to work with you for once? That’s ridiculous.”
She has a point. Sort of. “I see what you’re saying. I’m just not sure that Riley will be okay with pissing off his girlfriend like that. Or with teaming up with Tristan. Which makes two of us.”
Kat sighs. “Tristan won’t like it, either. But, honestly, I don’t see how it makes sense for us to work alone on this.”
“Well, all I really need is proof that Frank’s the one who stole the painting. So, you guys just make sure to take a picture of it or something before you steal it back. Problem solved.”
“Yeah, right. I’m not doing your assignment for you.”
It was worth a shot. “Fine, Kat. If you won’t do my homework for me, even though it’s totally, like, not out of your way or anything, then I guess we’ll just have to team up.”
Kat squees in excitement. “This is going to be amazing.”
“For you, maybe. You’re not the one who has to tell Riley.” And Sarah.
There’s a knock on my door. Then Amelia calls out, “Damien?”
“I’m on the phone!” I shout back.
“It’s time for flying lessons!”
“Um, what?” Kat says. “Did I hear that right?”
“No, you didn’t,” I tell her. “Everything’s all muffled and echo-y up here.”
“You don’t even know what I think I heard. Did she really say flying lessons?”
I try to laugh it off, like that’s completely ridiculous, which it sort of is, even if it’s also true
.
Amelia pounds on the door. “Damien!”
“I said I’m on the phone!” I get up and fling my door open, just as she’s about to knock again. “I’m talking to Kat, okay? It’s really important.”
Amelia folds her arms. “More important than not flunking out of school?”
“You know,” Kat says, “I have some homework I have to get to anyway, but you totally have to tell me what’s going on later.”
“Kat, do not hang up right now.” I whisper that into the phone, turning away so maybe Amelia won’t hear me.
Amelia uses her power to teleport my phone into her hand, except instead of hanging up, she actually starts talking to Kat. “Hey,” she says, “this is Amelia.”
I try to snatch my phone away from her, but she dodges out of reach, even though it means stomping on a really creaky floorboard in the hallway.
“Damien’s going to have to call you back,” she says. “If he really even does have something important to say, which I doubt. But you’re coming over this weekend, right?”
Oh, my God. “Amelia. Give me my phone.”
She holds up a finger, indicating I should be quiet. “Uh-huh. Yes! Bring it. And I’ve got this new movie I borrowed from my friend Tiffany that you’re going to love. It’s another rom-com, kind of like the one we watched last weekend, only this one’s, like, really sad at the end. I just want you to be prepared, because I kind of cried a little last time I watched it. Maybe more like a lot. But it has a happy ending, so—”
“Amelia!”
“I have to go,” she tells Kat. “See you on Saturday!” Then she hangs up—finally—and hands me my phone back.
“What happened to you not touching my phone anymore? Because of all the phone sex it’s witnessed?”
She makes a face. “I know that isn’t true.”
“No, you really don’t.”
“Yes, I do. Kat already told me it was a lie, so don’t even try to say it wasn’t.”
“What? Amelia, what do you mean Kat told you?”
“I asked her last weekend, when you went to the bathroom.”
I can’t believe this. “Why the hell would you ask somebody that? And don’t tell me it just came up, because that’s not a normal part of conversation.”
The Phobia of Renegade X Page 15