“Give this to her. You have to—” I shove the antidote into Mrs. Wilson’s hands right as the security guards burst in behind me and electricity washes over me.
“Get him out of here!” one of the doctors says.
The security guards don’t grab me—they can’t—but they all point weapons at me.
“Come on,” one of them says, trying to make his voice soothing, like nothing bad is actually happening here. “This isn’t going to help anything. You don’t want to hurt anybody.”
Kat’s dad pushes his way into the room. “Get him away from my daughter!”
I ignore all of them. I look only at Mrs. Wilson. “It’s the antidote,” I tell her. “We can still save Kat.”
Her eyes widen. She glances down at the bottle in her hands, stunned. Then she turns to the doctor beside her and says, “Give this to her. Now.”
The doctor glances over at me, skeptical, but the other one’s already grabbing a syringe. He takes the antidote from the first doctor and injects Kat with it.
“Okay,” one of the security guards says, “that’s enough. Come quietly, or we’ll be forced to take drastic measures.”
I’m pretty sure he’s bluffing about the drastic measures, but I nod anyway. Now that I’ve done what I came here to do, the fight goes out of me, and my electricity disappears, leaving me feeling exhausted and empty. But despite what he said, nobody moves to haul me out. Everyone in the room seems to be holding their breath, waiting for something to happen.
Kat’s parents squeeze each other’s hands, their faces pale.
I don’t know how fast the antidote was supposed to work, or if it worked at all. It might have been too late.
We all stand there for what feels like forever.
Then Kat’s dad, sounding completely broken, says, “Get him out of here.”
One of the security guards takes a risk, now that I’m not covered in lightning anymore, and grabs my arm.
“Tom,” Kat’s mom says. She jerks his hand, trying to point at Kat, and gasps.
Kat’s eyelids are twitching. Her face maybe doesn’t look so ashen and gray anymore. And then, slowly, she opens her eyes.
“Kat?!” I tear away from the security guard and practically throw myself at the bed.
“Damien,” she says, her voice quiet and hoarse, like she hasn’t spoken in too long. The corners of her mouth turn up in a smile. “You made it.”
The rest of the night is kind of a blur. Given the circumstances, both the hospital and Kat’s dad decided not to kick me out, even though I used my lightning and resisted security. I stayed with Kat as long as I could, until the hospital insisted that I had to leave because I’m not related to her. I tried telling them I was actually her cousin and that we didn’t like to tell people because it’s so taboo and that’s why none of us had mentioned it before, but they didn’t believe me.
Actually, they said that only immediate family members were allowed to stay, anyway, so it didn’t matter if I was her cousin or not, though the nurse who told me that was smirking the whole time, so I’m pretty sure she didn’t believe me. Especially when Kat’s dad rolled his eyes.
Tristan came in a while before that, after he managed to find a parking space, and he was obviously relieved to find Kat still alive. He called her Katie about five billion times, and I was the only one who seemed to notice. Or to be angrily clenching my fists until my nails dug into my skin and left little marks. I mean, it wasn’t that bad, because Tristan really came through for us, and I couldn’t have saved Kat without him. Probably. So, like, if he wants to call her Katie…
Nope, still not cool with it. But I didn’t say anything, which only goes to show how magnanimous I am.
Then Tristan had to leave, to go give Riley his car back so they could all go home. I stayed with Kat, even though I knew they were going to kick me out soon. When they finally did, Kat’s dad offered me a ride home, though he said it like he was asking if I wanted him to eat a plate of steaming dog poop. Which kind of really made me want to take him up on it, even though it would be just as uncomfortable for both of us. But maybe just a tiny bit more uncomfortable for him, since he’s the one who was wrong about me.
But in the end, I decided it wasn’t worth it—not after the night I’d had—and I just called Gordon, even though it was late. I’d texted him after I knew Kat was okay, to tell him where I was. He must have heard about the video by then—he must have seen it—because instead of just texting back he called to ask if I was alright. He didn’t ask for details, just if I was okay, and he sounded really relieved when I said that I was.
Now it’s the next day, and I’m over at Riley’s house. It’s Friday, but he didn’t go to school, for obvious reasons. Though Zach apparently didn’t, either, because he jumps up from the couch when I come in, says he has homework to do, and then runs off to his room.
Riley sighs. “I told him you weren’t mad.” He hesitates. “You’re not mad, are you?”
“That he and Amelia broke up? Or that he wanted to have sex and she didn’t?” I shake my head, because it doesn’t matter. “Actually, I feel kind of bad for him. For both of them. How’s your shoulder?”
Riley ended up at the hospital last night, too, though it was after I’d left. He makes a face. “Not great, but it’ll heal. And at least they didn’t have to screw anything back together this time. How’s Kat?”
“Good. I mean, she’s going to be okay. She texted me earlier to say she’s hopefully coming home tomorrow and that she never realized just how much she hates Jell-O.”
Riley smirks at that. Then he gets this serious look on his face. “And what about you, X? You got hit with that fear ray last night.”
“It wore off hours ago. I’m fine.”
“Yeah, but… are you? I mean, I didn’t get hit with it, and I was still terrified that Frank was going to kill us. And I didn’t know what she’d done to Sarah. I can’t imagine what it was like for you.”
“Well, Perkins, to be honest, it really sucked.”
“No kidding.”
“But…” I take a deep breath and lift up my shoulders in a sort of shrug, because I’m not sure how to put this. “It also kind of didn’t. I mean, everything was horrible, and I thought the worst had happened to everybody, and that it was going to happen to you, and to Kat, and I…” I swallow. “I hated it, but I also felt kind of relieved. Because I didn’t have to worry about it happening anymore. I know that’s stupid, but—”
“No,” Riley says, “it’s not stupid. I get it.”
“We were really badass at the gala. Both of us.”
He smiles a little, but he shakes his head. “Maybe when I wasn’t buried under a pile of rubble, or hiding in a hotel room, delirious with pain.”
“No, even then. Because… Okay, look, Perkins, the thing is, you didn’t give up.”
“Uh, I’m pretty sure I begged you to leave me there.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t mean it.”
He gives me a skeptical look.
“The point is that you wouldn’t have even gotten hurt if you weren’t so badass. We both saved a lot of people that night. We took risks, and some of them didn’t pan out, but everything turned out okay. Well, mostly. And last night… we were pretty badass last night, too.”
“I was so scared that Frank was going to kill you.”
“Yeah, me, too. I mean, that she was going to kill you. And you’d already been shot, and it was kind of like the gala all over again, except this time it was worse somehow.”
“But it didn’t feel as bad as I remembered it.”
“Me, neither. And I’ve never been more scared in my entire life, thanks to the fear ray, but it turned out alright. And I don’t like that Kat was sick, or that you guys were in danger, or that Frank was maybe going to kill me, but for the first time in a long time I felt like I could actually handle it. Like whatever happened, I could trust myself to get out of it, instead of just screwing everything up. That’s what
I mean about us being badass last night, and at the gala. It’s not just the times when we had to, like, stay alive in an actual fight, you know? Because these past few months, I haven’t felt like I could trust myself. And maybe that’s the thing I missed most about fieldwork, that feeling that anything could happen, but that I’d be ready for it.”
Riley nods. “Things got bad last night. Really bad.”
“Yeah.”
“I thought if I got hurt again…” He lets out a deep breath. “I don’t know what I thought. That that would be it for me, I guess. Like even thinking about doing fieldwork anymore was hard enough, but if I got hurt, I figured I really would be done with it. Whether it’s what I really wanted or not.”
“So did I. I thought if all that happened again, if it even came close to happening again, that I’d be done.”
“But we’re not done,” Riley says.
“Nope. Not even close.”
“So I guess you’re right. We must be really badass, because after all that, I still want to do fieldwork.”
“Of course you do, Perkins. Because it turns out that, even after a few months off, we’re still really good at it.”
He grins. “We’re going to ace next year. Well…” His face falls. “We would have. If you were going to be there.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not dropping out.” I never officially filled out any paperwork, so as far as the school’s concerned, I’m just a delinquent loser who didn’t show up for a week. And even if my grades don’t end up perfect or anything, I should still be able to pass most of my classes.
“X.” He tilts his head. “You’re still being held back a year. And I’m still going to get stuck working with someone else.”
“Maybe Mason is available.”
He shudders. “Don’t even joke about that.”
“Relax. You’re not going to get stuck with somebody else. I’m going to be there.”
“You failed your flying test.”
“I know.”
“And you failed Advanced Heroism.”
“Yes, I know. You don’t have to look at me like that.” Like he thinks I’ve completely lost it.
“Okay, but if you know all that, then you know you’re not going to be in second year with me.”
I roll my eyes at him. “If I said I’m going to be there, then I am.”
“Really? So, you talked to the school?”
“No.”
“Oh. Did they talk to you? Did your dad—”
“No, and no. I haven’t done anything yet.”
“So, you’re just hoping, you mean.”
“I have a plan.”
He gives me a really skeptical look. “Well, Zach will be happy that you’ll be in his classes next year. Maybe you guys can partner up. Once he knows you don’t hate him.”
“I just said I’m going to be there next year. What part of that didn’t you understand?”
“Pretty much all of it.”
“My plan will work.” I think.
Riley conveniently glances away and doesn’t say anything.
“It will.” I look at my wrist, even though I’m not wearing a watch. “In fact, I should go soon. I have somewhere I need to be. But first…” I head over to Zach’s room and knock on his door.
Silence. Almost like he’s avoiding me, even though we both saw him go in here and it’s not like he can pretend he’s not home.
“Come on, Zach!” Riley shouts.
I’m just about to knock again when Zach opens the door. His shoulders are slumped, and he looks miserable.
“Hey,” I tell him.
He stares at the floor, only acknowledging me with a slight movement of his head that might be a nod.
“We’re cool, okay?”
He wraps his arms around himself, obviously not believing me. “So, Amelia didn’t tell you?”
“She’s Amelia. Of course she told me.”
He winces. “How much?”
Like, all of it? But I can’t tell him that. “Enough.”
“So, you know that we… That I wanted…”
“Yeah.”
He looks like he might be sick. “I couldn’t say it. I know she wanted me to, and I thought I could, but as soon as she said she loved me again, I just… couldn’t.”
Me and Riley exchange a look. Then I tell Zach what I pretty much told Amelia. “At least you were honest. It could have been worse.”
“No, it couldn’t. It was the worst moment in my whole life. And Amelia hates me now, and so do you—”
“I don’t.”
“I told you he’s not mad,” Riley says.
Zach scowls, not buying that. “You said we weren’t ready. And I guess you were right.”
“Yeah, I was, wasn’t I?”
Riley glares at me.
“Er, what I mean is, I was right, but I could have been wrong.”
“You didn’t want Amelia to get hurt, but she did. She said she loved me, and I just said I liked her, and I saw the look on her face. And I thought maybe we could pretend that hadn’t happened and just… you know.” His face turns kind of red, and he doesn’t look at either of us. “She was freaking out, and then I was freaking out, and now it’s really over.”
“I already told you, I didn’t want either of you to get hurt. But I should have stayed out of it. And… I shouldn’t have worried about Amelia getting hurt, because obviously she can take care of herself.”
“Yeah,” Zach says, his voice kind of a squeak. “She was really mean.”
“She was just—”
“I know. She was upset, because I couldn’t say I loved her, because I guess I don’t. And she didn’t want to sleep with me, either, so she was upset about that, too.”
“That’s not…” That’s not completely true, but I stop myself from finishing that thought, because I figure maybe Amelia doesn’t want me telling him. Plus, no matter what her reasoning, he’ll still be hurt by it.
“Everything you didn’t want to happen did,” Zach says. “Because of me. And I know what you said before, about not wanting either of us to get hurt, and about me and you being like brothers. But that was before I… before me and Amelia… A lot has happened since then, so—”
“Zach. Nothing’s changed.” Well, besides his and Amelia’s relationship totally exploding. “Between us, I mean. You’re still my friend. You’re still like a brother to me.”
He looks up, surprised. “Really? But—”
“But nothing. We’re cool, okay?”
Zach gives me a tentative nod. “Okay.”
I pretend to look at my non-existent watch again, then grab my phone to check the time for reals. Crap. It’s almost eleven. “And now I really have to go.”
“Because of your so-called plan?” Riley asks.
“Yes. Just trust me, Perkins. I’ve got this.” At least, I hope I do. I’m going to feel really stupid about all this if I don’t.
“You need a ride? Since you’re in such a hurry.”
“Normally I would take you up on that, despite the skeptical attitude you’re giving me, but I’m afraid you’re out of luck, because I drove here.”
Riley takes a step back. “You drove here?”
“You don’t have to sound so shocked.”
“Like, by yourself?”
“Yes. You know I have my license.”
“Yeah, but… It’s not that I think you can’t drive.”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s just that you don’t.”
“I do. Sometimes. I drove Amelia home from Prom.”
“Only because you had to. That was a special situation. It doesn’t really count.”
“Okay, but I can drive. And I have a car.”
“That you don’t use.”
“Well, I’m using it now.”
Riley doesn’t look convinced. “You sure you don’t want me to drive you? Because you can leave your car here, and we can—”
“I’m fine, Perkins. I’ll be okay. And
now I really do have to go.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“Yep. My plan will work.”
“I meant your driving. But now that you mention it, I’m not so sure about this plan, either, whatever it is.”
“It’ll work.” It has to. “And either way, you’ll know in about half an hour. Just turn to Channel Five. Or hang out on YouTube.”
Riley squints at me. “Just do what? X, what are you—”
I wave him off, indicating there’s no time to explain—which is true, even if it’s also convenient—and then hurry out of there before I miss my chance.
Chapter 46
THE GOLDEN CITY ANNUAL Flying Competition is taking place in an arena downtown. A really big arena, it turns out. Kind of more like a stadium. And the stands are pretty much full. Like people actually care about this for some reason. I figured there’d be a few hundred people here, max. I wasn’t counting on doing this in front of thousands. At least, not right away—not until they watched it on TV or on the internet.
I hesitate when I get down to the floor, where Ted and the other flying coaches are, because I could still turn around and go home.
But then I’d for sure have to repeat first year, and me and Riley wouldn’t get to do fieldwork together. And all my friends would graduate a year ahead of me—well, except for Zach—and I’d be left behind. Plus, I told Riley I’d fix this, that I’d be there next year, and I meant it.
So. I guess I’m really doing this.
The stage area of the arena’s set up with all sorts of hoops and bars, both vertical and horizontal, and there’s even a vault, except it’s, like, ten feet off the ground. There’s a girl about my age doing her routine right now, and I can’t help watching as she leaps up to the vault, does a handstand, propels herself into the air, does about a million flips, and then flies backwards through one of the hoops. I also can’t help thinking I’m totally screwed.
Ted’s standing off to the side, watching the girl’s routine. He has a really serious look on his face as he scribbles down notes. I wonder if she’s one of the people he coaches, or if she’s the competition.
The Phobia of Renegade X Page 34