by TJ Klune
Nick looked down at the bed, his thoughts a storm. “I don’t … know.”
“I get it, Nick. I really do. I mean, you fixate, you know? That’s part of who you are. You get attached to things, and it’s like you get these blinders on. It’s endearing. Mostly.”
Endearing. He’d been called that before, but it’d never sounded good. “Thanks.”
“I’m not trying to be a jerk,” Owen said gently. “Just telling it like it is. I want to know why it matters so much to you. So Pyro Storm was here first. Or maybe Shadow Star was. Or maybe they both got here at the same time. Any way you look at it, it doesn’t change how things are now, right? Did you ever stop to think what would happen if they were both villains?”
Nick shook his head furiously. “That’s not how these things work. There is a hero, and then there’s his opposite. It’s how it’s always been.”
“Life isn’t a comic book, Nick. There isn’t always good and evil.”
“I know that, but it’s—”
“Who would your opposite be?”
Nick blinked. “What?”
Owen cocked his head. “You want to be an Extraordinary, right? That’s the whole point of your little game.”
What a dick. “It’s not a game—”
“Let’s say you succeed. Who would your opposite be? It’d have to be someone really terrible, wouldn’t it? Because you’re so good.”
Nick laughed nervously. He’d never really considered that before. It made sense. If he was going to be a hero, he’d need someone as an antagonistic foil. A yang to his yin. “I’m not that good. Ask my dad.”
Owen reached out and squeezed Nick’s hand before pulling away again. “Maybe he doesn’t understand.”
“What do you mean?”
Owen shrugged. “You. How your mind works. How you see things. I think most people don’t get it. I mean, here you are, working your ass off trying to be something more, and what’s it getting you?”
Alarm bells blared in Nick’s head. “Oh, hey. No. It’s not that bad, I guess. He’s—”
Owen snorted. “You’re essentially a prisoner in your own house.”
“Well … yeah. That’s kind of what being grounded means.”
“But aren’t you old enough and smart enough to make your own decisions?”
Oh boy. “I’m sixteen years old. I jumped into a dirty river wearing a ring I bought on the internet from a drag queen. That’s empirical evidence that I shouldn’t be trusted with pretty much anything.”
Owen’s smile was dazzling. “Misguided, then. But your heart was in the right place. You wanted to become something more than what you are. I understand that, Nick. I do. Probably better than anyone. Dear ol’ Dad straps a gun to his waist and a badge to his chest and goes to work every day knowing there’s a chance he might not come home. And that’s scary. So you, in all your wisdom, try to make yourself into something better so you can protect him.”
Nick thought the floor was swaying beneath his feet. No one else had gotten that. Why did it have to be Owen of all people? “How did you know?”
“Because I know you, Nick. We’re cut from the same cloth. Two sides of the same coin. It’s like a dance, you and me.”
Nick sat on the edge of his bed before his legs gave out.
Owen stood only a few feet away. “I know it started as something else. Your little crush on Shadow Star is cute. But you’ve got a depth to you I don’t think people see.”
“And you can?”
Owen laughed. “Eh. People underestimate me, and that’s to their detriment. They see a spoiled rich kid who does whatever he wants without thinking of the consequences.”
“Uh. You are a spoiled rich kid who does whatever he wants without thinking of the consequences. No offense,” he added hastily.
“Maybe. But that’s only part of who I am. You see, Nick, when people underestimate you, they tend to write you off. They don’t see what else is there, underneath the surface. You know me. I’m not just that.”
Owen had a point. Sure, he was a dick and he absolutely was a spoiled rich kid, but he was funny and smart, and sometimes, he could even be kind. Yeah, it was usually after he’d done something harsh and almost cruel, but Nick was no saint himself. “Your father?”
Owen winced but covered it up quickly. “It’s complicated. My parents aren’t like yours. My dad isn’t like yours. He doesn’t need protecting. He’s got an entire security team for that. But that doesn’t mean I love him any less. I would do anything for him, if only for him to see me as someone capable. As someone worthy.”
“You are,” Nick said honestly. “You’re pretty okay.”
“Oof. Thank you for the ringing endorsement. Truly. You set my heart aflutter.”
“I’m being serious.” Potentially.
Owen watched him for a moment. Then, “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Geez. Don’t be such a sap, Bell. You’ve got a reputation to maintain. Sort of.”
Nick’s head hurt. He was exhausted, but he pushed through it. “I want to do something important. It was … okay. Before. And then it became After, and it wasn’t okay anymore. And I’m trying. I really am. And maybe it started off as wanting to get Shadow Star to notice me—”
“Not a bad thing. You’re an obsessive superfan. Like the K-pop fandoms that go to concerts and throw their underwear onstage.”
“—but it turned into something else. And I can do this. I know I can. I just need to figure out how. I don’t want to be the weird kid anymore. I don’t want my mouth to say things before my brain even starts to think. I don’t want to take medication in order to be able to focus. I just … want to do that on my own. I want to be seen.” Nick swallowed thickly. “I want to matter.”
Owen nodded slowly. “It’s like the Extraordinaries. Shadow Star and Pyro Storm. People see them as good and evil. As black and white. But who are they behind the mask? Why did they become the people they are? Why is Shadow Star the hero? Why is Pyro Storm the villain? Don’t you want to find out?”
Yes. Yes, he did. “That’s what I’ve been trying to—”
Owen waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, I know. You’ve been trying. It’s endearing.”
That word again. “That’s one way to put it,” Nick muttered.
“What if…” Owen shook his head. “Nah. That’s probably not a good idea.”
Hook, line, and sinker. “What?”
Owen smiled tightly. “I get it. Sometimes, I get dumb ideas in my head too. I thought of something, but it probably wouldn’t work. Best we don’t think about it.”
“What is it?” Nick demanded. “Tell me!”
Owen looked dubious. “I mean, it’s dangerous. And it’d be a lot of hard work. We couldn’t tell anyone about it.”
Nick felt like he was about to explode. “What do you know?”
Owen glanced at the door, like he was making sure it was still shut and no one was listening in. “What if I told you there was a way to become an Extraordinary, and all you had to do was take a chance?”
Goose bumps prickled along Nick’s arms, the hairs standing on their ends as if electrified. “What are you talking about?”
“I probably shouldn’t be saying anything,” Owen said gravely. “But I don’t know who else to tell.”
“You can tell me,” Nick said. “I can keep a secret.”
“You can, can’t you? That’s one thing I’ve always liked about you.” Owen sat next to Nick on the bed. Their knees bumped together. There was a beat of silence, and Nick thought he was going to crawl out of his skin. Then, “I overheard my father talking in his office at the house.”
That … wasn’t what Nick had been expecting. Simon Burke? What the hell did he have to do with Extraorinaries? “About what?”
Owen lowered his voice until it was barely above a whisper. “Something big. Something top secret. Something that he doesn’t want anyone to know about. Burke Pharmaceuticals. The top t
hree floors are research and development. Scientists working on the next big thing to make you sane. Or skinny. Or prettier. Or smarter. To make clean water. To increase crop yield. Burke Pharmaceuticals is in the business of making the world a better place because the future is now.”
“Everyone knows that,” Nick said. “It’s their slogan on all the commercials.”
“Right. It’s the public face. But what if I were to tell you there was another floor in Burke Tower? One that’s only known to a select few? Deep underneath the streets of Nova City.”
Nick’s heart stuttered. “What do they do there?”
“Oh, it’s still research and development, but nothing that’s shown in public offerings. It’s all very hush-hush, but I’m underestimated, even by him. He didn’t expect me to hear. He didn’t expect me to care. His door was wide open, and I heard everything.”
“Heard what?”
Owen looked down at his hands. “Can I trust you with this, Nicky?”
He had to play it cool. Suave. “You know you can. I mean, we’re friends, right?”
Owen smiled quietly. “Yeah. I guess we are.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “My father has figured out a way to make people Extraordinaries.”
And Nick … Nick didn’t know what to do with that. He burst out laughing, only stopping when Owen didn’t join in. It was ridiculous, right? Of course it was. There was no way to— “What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s a pill. One tiny little pill. And, depending upon what kind you take, you could turn into smoke. Or summon storms from nothing.” He looked back up at Nick. “One pill, and you could fly.”
Stunned, Nick couldn’t even make the smallest of sounds.
“I think it’s meant for military application,” Owen continued as if he hadn’t just blown Nick’s mind. “To make soldiers faster. Better. Stronger. At least that’s how it started. But could you imagine what would happen if you took it? Nick, you could be the Extraordinary you always wanted to be. There’s a catch, of course, because it doesn’t last forever, and you’d have to keep taking the pills in order for your powers to work. But you’re used to that, aren’t you? You already take pills. It’d be easy, Nicky. Except…”
Nick managed to find his voice, though it was hoarse. “Except what?”
Owen looked regretful. “Except I’m not supposed to know about it. No one is. And it’s on a secure floor in Burke Tower. I mean, even if I could steal my father’s keycard without him knowing and find some way to bypass security, it would still be dangerous. I couldn’t do it on my own.”
Nick blanched at that. “I don’t—”
“Is that your mom?”
Nick followed Owen’s gaze, mind reeling. The photograph on the nightstand. “Yeah. That’s … her. Look, Owen, I don’t know if—”
“She’s pretty. I’ve never seen a picture of her before. That must have been rough.”
Nick turned his head away. “It was.”
He felt Owen’s hand on top of his again. “I don’t know what you went through, then. I don’t know if anyone will. It’s … different. But I know what it feels like to lose people, Nick. And to never want that to happen again. You lie awake at night and think if only you’d been there. If only you had the power to do something to prevent it from happening. Or, at the very least, to keep something like it from happening again. To you. To others. I know what it’s like to want to never be scared again. To be able to do something about it. And I could do that for you, if you’d let me.”
Nick stood abruptly. Owen’s hand fell back onto the bed. Suddenly, Nick didn’t know what he was doing, or how he’d let it get this far. He didn’t want Owen in his room or in his house. It felt too big, too much. “I can’t do that.”
Owen looked surprised. “What?”
Nick shook his head. “Look, I know you’re trying to help. Thank you. Maybe this whole thing was stupid. Me, trying to become an Extraordinary. It’s ridiculous, okay? I know that. Even if I wanted it to work, it was never going to.”
“But this could—”
“Owen, you’re talking about committing a crime against your dad. Which could lead to us getting arrested by my dad. Do you know how much trouble we could get into? How disappointed he would be in me? I can’t do that to him. I won’t. He’s already got enough going on, and I don’t want to make things worse.”
Owen bristled, his brow furrowing. “But it wouldn’t matter by then, would it? Because you would already be something more than you are now. He would have no choice but to see you for what you really are. Not some disordered kid who can’t keep his thoughts straight for a single second without—”
“That’s not fair,” Nick snapped at him.
Owen winced. “You’re right. I’m sorry. That was uncalled-for.”
“I did stupid crap and look where it’s gotten me. My dad’s pissed at me, I still have river mud in my ears, my best friend is acting weird, and I don’t know what to do about it. Shadow Star and Pyro Storm both know who I am, and I don’t know why. School has just started, and I’m already messing up. I can’t, okay?”
Owen stood stiffly. “I get it, Nicky. You want to keep on being the way you are—”
“No,” Nick retorted. “I don’t. I want to be someone my dad can be proud of.”
“Then why?”
“Because maybe I should try to do it on my own.”
Owen nodded. “Admirable. Foolish, probably. And slightly stupid. But admirable.” He winked at Nick, that wicked smile back on his face. “Don’t tell anyone what I’ve told you, okay? Our little secret.”
“I won’t,” Nick promised. “But you shouldn’t try to do anything either. I don’t want to see anything happen to you.”
“Aw, Nicky,” Owen said, reaching up and patting Nick on the cheek. “It’s sweet how much you care. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“I won’t,” Nick said firmly. “You should probably go. I can’t get into any more trouble.”
“Sure, Nick. I mean, if you want. Or, there’s an empty bed right here that we could roll around on—”
Nick shoved him toward his bedroom door.
14
On Monday morning, Nick stood in front of his father and swallowed his pill. It wouldn’t give him superpowers, but it would stop the storm in his head. That had to count for something.
“Toast and eggs on the table,” Dad told him. He looked tired, the bags under his eyes almost purple. “I want you home after school. I mean it, Nick.”
“Yeah,” he whispered. “Okay.”
* * *
“You look like crap,” Gibby told him at the train station.
“Thanks.”
“That bad?” Jazz asked.
Nick shrugged.
“Nah,” Owen said, coming up from behind him, putting his arm around Nick’s shoulders. “Nicky here just needs some lovin’. Don’t you, Nicky?”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Not from you.”
“You wound me, sir.”
Nick shoved Owen away.
“Hey,” a voice said from behind him.
Nick turned. Seth stood there, backpack slung over his shoulder. His green tie was in a Windsor knot today. It looked nice. Nick was extremely annoyed.
“You look like crap too,” Gibby said.
And he did. Seth was pale, his curly hair messed up more than usual. His chinos were wrinkled, and he had a scuff on his loafers.
“I think we’ve all got a case of the Mondays,” Jazz said, standing up from the bench. “It’ll get better.”
“Can I talk to you?” Seth asked Nick.
Nick shrugged. “Later. I can’t be late for first period. I’m grounded.”
Seth frowned. “I want to tell you—”
“Later, Seth.” And he turned toward the stairs that led to Franklin Street.
Owen fell into step beside him. Nick didn’t turn to see if the others were following.
* * *
&
nbsp; “And since Mr. Bell seems to find my lesson so illuminating, perhaps he would like to explain Euler’s formula, and what it produces for sine, cosine, and tangent?”
Nick snapped his head forward, finding Mr. Hanson glowering down at him in front of his desk. Other students were staring at him. Some were whispering behind their hands, glancing back at him, smiling mean little smiles. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I wasn’t trying—”
“That’s certainly an apt statement,” Mr. Hanson said, already glowering at Nick. “You weren’t trying. Maybe, in the future, consider trying at all, Mr. Bell. I would hate to email your father as he requested when there were signs of … apathy.”
The whispers got louder.
Nick sank lower in his seat.
* * *
“All right?” Jazz asked as Nick slumped onto the lunch table, laying his head on his arms.
“No,” he said, voice muffled. “I think I want to die.”
“Yeah,” Gibby said, reaching over and rubbing the back of his head. “That’s not dramatic at all.”
“I’m being serious.”
“I know,” Gibby said. “That’s what makes it so sad.”
Before Nick could reply with what would most likely be a half-hearted retort, someone put their bag next to his head and took a seat beside him. He sat up to see Seth staring down at him. “Oh look, everyone. Seth is here. He didn’t disappear again with no explanation whatsoever.”
“Don’t be a jerk,” Gibby admonished when Seth flinched.
Jazz glanced back and forth between them. “He probably has a perfectly reasonable explanation for why he wasn’t there to see you take off your clothes and jump into a river.”
“Wearing drag queen jewelry,” Gibby said.
“Wearing drag queen jewelry,” Jazz agreed. “I have the video if you want to see it. Would you like that, Seth? Would you like to see the video of Nick in his underwear?”
Seth blushed and shuffled his feet. Nick was almost overcome with the desire to reach out and hold his hand, but since he was mad at Seth, he couldn’t do that. He had to stick to his guns.