Red Masked Heroine

by Dee J. Stone

  Maddie’s sitting next to me. Yesterday, when she came over for dinner, Kaylee wouldn’t stop begging her for rides. So she flew around the house with her. Then all three of us flew together. Mom didn’t like it, but she must have seen how much fun we were having because she didn’t stop us.

  Maddie tells me that she and her mom have had a few more talks about JQ and Melissa feels very badly about what she did. She’s a little uncomfortable with Maddie’s powers, but I tell her she’ll get used to it in time. My parents did.

  “And she still has no clue about my birth mom?” I ask, careful to keep my voice down so Mom can’t overhear. I know she’d be okay with my searching for my biological mom—she and Dad encouraged me to look for my biological parents a few weeks ago—but I know it still hurts her. I’m not sure if I’m going to tell my family about Samantha. Would I have to tell them about JQ, too? I’m hoping to avoid that.

  “No, sorry,” Maddie says.

  We’ve still got no leads on JQ, and it’s been pretty much quiet on their end. But of course they’re planning something. Now that they know Maddie’s identity, they’ve got to act soon. Maddie’s been extra careful watching over her mom and so have I with my family, but things can always go wrong. Are we ever going to live in peace again?

  This time when Kaylee peeks out from behind the curtain, I wave enthusiastically so she’d see me. She giggles, before hiding behind the curtain.

  “She’s so cute,” Maddie says. “Especially in her little flying monkey costume.”

  She loves her character. When she was practicing with Mom yesterday, she grew sad because she knows that after today, she wouldn’t be a flying monkey anymore. I told her she can always be a flying monkey. And I spun her around to prove it.

  “Yeah, she’s cute,” I say. “But I can’t help worrying that something’s gonna go wrong. It’s been quiet.”

  “Way too quiet,” she agrees. “But I think we should forget about that and enjoy the show. Kaylee wouldn’t want you to be distracted.”

  I’m about to say something, but Mom hisses for me to be quiet because the show is about to begin. The school has kept mostly to the movie, but they added a few things to make it funnier and cuter. I find myself laughing more than I’ve ever laughed in a while. With everything happening with the organization, it’s nice to sit back and enjoy myself.

  Half an hour into the play, I hear this loud boom. The wall is knocked down with a bang and people dressed in black uniforms and masks jump into the auditorium. They look like Maddie and me, except they’re hurting people instead of trying to save them. Shrieks fill the room as everyone runs for safety.

  The teachers and parents try to calm everyone down and get them to the exit while Maddie and I focus on stopping these…

  Villains.

  One guy—at least I think it’s a guy—plucks a chair off the floor and slams it toward a group of kids. I quickly stop the chair before it hurts the kids and chuck it at the guy. He’s thrown a few feet back. He smacks into the wall and slides to the floor, leaving a huge dent in the shape of his body. He recovers and charges at me.

  Oh, man. These people are kids. They’ve got powers. That can only mean one thing.

  They’ve been experimented on.

  The guy rams his head into my stomach, sending me flying to the wall. Pain explodes all over my body. Through slanted eyes, I manage to see Maddie use her fire to stop these villains.

  After resting for a bit, I search for my family and see my parents and Matt running to the exit. I don’t see Kaylee. Did she make it out through the back exit?

  Something hard slams into my shoulder and I drop to the floor. The guy with super strength apparently hasn’t had enough of me yet. Lifting my hands, I freeze him in place. Growling, he tries to push through the force, but I’ve got a firm hold. He looks around my age, maybe a little younger.

  I don’t want to hurt him, but I can’t let him injure anyone else. Flicking my hand, I crack a few bones in his arm. That should stop him.

  Except, it doesn’t. He uses the rest of his body to throw more chairs at people. Another villain blocks the entrance with this orange slime that comes out of his palms. People are panicking. Luckily, my parents managed to get out in time, but I’m worried about Kaylee. What if they kidnap her?

  Checking my phone, I see she’s rushing out of the school building with my parents. Good, they’re all safe.

  There are four villains here. The super strong one, the one who shoots slime from his palms, a girl with fire power who’s fighting Maddie, and another strength guy who’s slamming chunks of the walls into people. I try to protect as many as I can, but it’s hard with the other strength guy who keeps throwing me from one end of the room to the other.

  Cracking their bones is possible, but that’s not so easy because they’re very strong. Also, I don’t want to injure them too much because I know they’re not thinking straight. Maybe they were brainwashed into thinking hurting people is the right thing to do. If Maddie and I were “successes” it’s possible we’d be exactly like them.

  “Nick!” Maddie yells as Firegirl launches a ball of fire at me. Maddie stretches her hand to push it out of the way, but Strengthguy shoves me into its path and I’m engulfed in flames. It’s crazy painful and I just want to die, but I seem to heal quickly and slam Firegirl into the wall like she’s a ragdoll. She slumps to the floor, unconscious.

  We battle the rest of the villains. Maddie’s got no choice but to burn a few because it’s the only way to stop them. I hurl Slimeguy away from the entrance, and the people flee to safety.

  When we’re done, Maddie and I slide to the floor, trying to catch our breaths.

  More villains fly into the room. You’ve got to be kidding me. But they don’t attack us. They gather their fallen comrades and vanish from sight.

  “That’s how they do it,” Maddie’s weak voice says. “They get rid of the evidence before anyone finds them.”

  Yeah. They did the same to the building in Ohio and the survivors. They also did the same to the gunman they hired. A few days ago, I heard on the news that he mysteriously disappeared. Maybe they killed him to protect themselves.

  “We were right,” I tell Maddie, my chest heaving. “JQ has powered kids. They tried to get us tonight.”

  Maddie nods as she looks at her phone. “Our families are where they’re supposed to be.”

  I sit up. We really should move from here, but I need a minute or two to gather my strength. “Good. Maddie, do you think the organization sent these people because they’ve been unsuccessful in capturing us? Think about it. They tried to get your mom. They tried to lure you by that ‘interview.’ Heck, they even tried to grab you in the ocean.”

  She rubs her chin. “You think the only way they think they can defeat us is by sending our own kind to attack us?”

  “Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, I guess. Does this mean there will be more of these kids?”

  I nod. “Definitely. Let’s go home and protect our families. I have a feeling we’re not going to get much rest for days.”

  ***

  When I get home, I’m glad and relieved to see my family huddled in the living room. They’re holding onto each other, and as soon as they see me, they pull me into their arms.

  Kaylee’s crying on Dad’s shoulder. She’s terrified about what happened, but she’s also sad that no one got to see her fly.

  “Nick,” Matt says, “what the heck was that? Who were they?”

  “Aliens.” Kaylee buries her head in Dad’s chest. “They’re gonna invade Earth and take over. Toby said that would happen and he was right.”

  Dad pats her back. “No one is going to invade Earth and take over, sweetie. Don’t worry.”

  She shrugs like she doesn’t believe him.

  We all sit there wrapped in each other’s arms. When Kaylee falls asleep, Dad puts her to bed. Then we all gather in the living room to talk. I know my family has questions and I think
it’s about time they learned the truth. I can’t lie to them anymore.

  Taking a deep breath, I start, “I’m sorry, but you were right. I have been lying to you.”

  They look disappointed but don’t say anything.

  I go on, “I’m not from another planet.”

  Matt chuckles. “Didn’t think so. Although Kaylee might be sad to hear that.”

  “Matt,” Dad says. “Let your brother talk.”

  He leans back against the couch.

  I take another breath. “My mom—my biological one—her name is Samantha Gilbert. She was seventeen when she had me and couldn’t take care of me, so she gave me up for adoption. What she didn’t know was that the adoption agency was one big fraud. Sure they took babies, but they didn’t give them good homes. They…” I swallow. “Brought them to a lab to be experimented on. I was one of those babies and that’s why I have powers.”

  I tell them everything I know and everything that happened. But not about Maddie’s mom’s involvement. There’s no use in exposing her wrongdoings, especially when she regrets it. I do tell them about Kaylee’s kidnapping. Even though it’ll freak them out, I need them to understand why I have to put an end to them.

  Mom holds up her hand. “These people kidnapped Kaylee in order to get you to work for them? Why do they want you all of the sudden?”

  “Because he got his powers now,” Matt says.

  I nod. “They thought I was a failed experiment. But now that they see how powerful I am, they want me to work for them. Probably do their dirty work.” Probably kill the way those other powered kids kill.

  I look at Mom, then Dad. “I know you want me to stop with all of this, but I can’t. I need to put an end to these people. The only way to do that is to take risks.” I hold their hands. “Maddie and I are watching over you carefully, so you don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt. We just need some time to find them and stop them.”

  Mom pulls her hand away. “How are you protecting us?”

  I rub the back of my neck. “You guys deserve to know about this.” I tell them about the tracking devices glued to the back of their necks. “I know it’s an invasion of privacy,” I say. “But it’s how I’ve kept all of you safe.”

  They exchange glances, probably unsure what to say or do. “It’s not like I spied on you,” I tell them. “Maddie and I were just periodically making sure you guys were safe.”

  “We appreciate you looking out for us,” Mom says. “This is all just a little...odd.”

  I nod. “I swear I’ll take them off the second I know it’s safe.” If it’s ever safe, but I’m trying to be positive.

  I turn to Mom. “Mom, please don’t stop me from doing what I need to do. Trust me to take care of myself, Maddie, all of you, and the world.”

  With tears in her eyes, she nods. “I understand that you need to do this. I don’t like it, but I understand.”

  Dad leans forward. “How do you and Maddie plan on stopping these monsters?”

  “I don’t know. I’m thinking we need to capture one of those villains. Maybe he’ll talk.”

  They nod unsurely. “Does that mean you need to wait for them to attack again?” Matt asks.

  I puff out my cheeks. “Yeah.”

  They look worried and scared. “But I’ll be fine,” I reassure them. “You all need to believe in us.”

  Dad puts his hand on my arm. “We do, Nick. Be the hero you were meant to be.”

  I smile. “Thanks.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “I’ve added armor to your uniform,” Maddie tells me when I fly into her window the next day. “In case those villains attack. Wear your uniform under your clothes at all times.”

  I nod and sit on her bed.

  “Are you okay?” she asks.

  “Yeah, I had a long talk with my parents last night. It went better than I thought it would. I’m just worried. I wish there was a way for us to capture one of those kids. I’m sure we could get one of them to talk.”

  Maddie joins me on the bed. “Maybe.” She gives me the uniform. I go to her bathroom to change. I’ve got nice clothes on because my family and I are going to see my grandfather in the nursing home soon. I hope nothing goes wrong, but who am I kidding? These scientists would do anything to catch Maddie and me. Are we supposed to give ourselves up so no one else gets hurt? What’s the right thing to do? They’d use us to hurt people anyway, wouldn’t they? If we can have a shot at putting an end to them, we need to take it.

  Maddie snaps her finger in my face. “I’ve called your name a million times. What are you thinking about?”

  “The usual.”

  She nods. “Yeah. I think about it all the time, too. I feel so helpless sometimes.”

  I know exactly what she means. The organization knows who we are, but we don’t know who they are or where they’re located. Both Maddie and I have set alarms around our houses, but I’m not sure if that’ll protect our families. I’ve also Googled Mr. Hiram, but couldn’t find anything without a first name. Maddie’s mom doesn’t know it. And anyway she figures it’s not his real name.

  “Have the cops paid you a visit?” Maddie asks.

  “Yeah. They wanted to know who those villains were. I told them I had no clue.” Like she and I decided. We figured the cops would ask questions about the attack on Kaylee’s school. There was the option of telling them the truth and showing the documents as proof, but the cops don’t exactly like or trust me. Plus, JQ is crazy good at what they do, and I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. Yeah, they’re cops, but I don’t think they’d stand a chance against the powered kids. Maddie and I need to do that on our own.

  “Me, too,” she says. “They left confused, but I hope they don’t suspect us.”

  I’m pretty sure a part of them does. The news has also exploded with what happened. I can’t believe this is our reality. Can’t believe innocent people are getting hurt because of us.

  “When they attack again—and they will,” I say, “we’ll make sure to capture one villain and demand he or she tell us the organization’s location. I’m seriously done waiting around for them to show up.”

  Maddie nods.

  My phone beeps. “Mom’s telling me we’re ready to go to my grandfather.” He’s celebrating his eightieth birthday. As much as I want to stay here with Maddie and figure something out, I want to hang out with my grandfather, to share in this special day.

  “Guess I’ll do my homework,” Maddie mutters.

  “See if you can find something—anything—on the organization. I know we looked a hundred times, but try again.”

  She salutes. “Aye, sir.”

  I meet my family, who are in the car waiting for me, and climb in. The drive to the nursing home isn’t that long. When we walk in, we find all the seniors gathered in the ballroom for Grandpa’s party.

  We each take a turn at hugging him and giving him presents. Matt, Kaylee, and I got him a few shirts and pants. My parents got him a watch that resembles one he used to have when he was younger but lost. He was searching for something similar for years.

  A woman who works at the nursing home brings in a cake and we all sing “Happy Birthday.”

  We have fun playing games and entertaining my grandfather and the guests. Kaylee preforms a few scenes from her play. Matt and I do this skit that’s supposed to be funny but isn’t.

  The hours pass and when I check my phone, I see many texts from Maddie.

  My mom must have found out about the tracking device on her neck because she took it off. I can’t follow her on my phone.

  Nick, she thinks I’m napping, so she left the house. I’m following her right now.

  She’s going far. Taking a train. Will keep you updated. Don’t leave the party. I’ll be okay.

  She’s off the train and is heading to this huge abandoned building. I think it might be JQ’s headquarters. I need to stay far and hidden so they don’t see me on their security cameras.

 
Why’s my mom here? She told us she’s not part of the organization and she lied when she said she doesn’t know where they’re located. What else has she been lying about?

  She doesn’t look like she’s betraying us. She looks scared and nervous. What’s going on?

  “Nick!” Kaylee pulls my hand. “You’re missing the old ladies dancing.”

  I barely look up from my phone. “Be there in a sec.” She hops away. I continue reading the texts.

  She’s inside, but I don’t know what she’s doing. X-ray vision would really come in handy now.

  Oh, no. Something’s not right. She hasn’t come out and an hour has passed. I think she might be in trouble. I can feel it. I’m going in.

  That’s the last text.

  “No!” I yell.

  All eyes turn to me. I smile and wave awkwardly. “Was just reading something on my phone.” I wave it. “It caught me off guard, that’s all.”

  Mom heads over to me and takes my phone out of my hand. “You can go for a few hours without looking at that thing.”

  I reach for it. “Mom, you don’t understand.”

  She must see the look on my face because hers falls. “What’s wrong?”

  I run my hand through my hair.

  “Are there villains around here? I didn’t think anyone would be cruel enough to attack a nursing home. Quick, we need to get everyone to safety—”

  I place my hand on her arm. “Mom, there’s no one here. But Maddie might be in trouble. I need to find her.”

  “Where is she? Is everything okay? Is she hurt?”

  Having my mom panic out loud when I’m super panicked inside does not help. “Please, I need to go.”

  She nods. As I rush out of the building, I unbutton my shirt and am in my uniform. I’ve got no clue where to look. She’s not responding to my texts, and her GPS must be broken because I don’t see anything on my phone.

  “Maddie?” I say through the communication device on my mask. “Can you hear me?”

  Dead silence. Oh, man. Did they capture her? Why would she go into the building knowing it wasn’t safe? Why didn’t she wait for me? I get that her mom was in danger, but she pretty much gave herself up. They’ve got powered people. Lots of them. Plus these crazy experts that do not want to be messed with.