Red Masked Heroine

by Dee J. Stone

  “Kaylee?”

  I turn around and find Mom, Dad, and Matt gathered around me. One of the powered kids brought them here. She nods to me and steps away.

  Mom rushes over and touches Kaylee’s cheek. “Kaylee.” Tears fill her eyes and splash down her face. “My poor little baby.”

  Dad and Matt are in tears, too, as they reach for her and clasp her hands in theirs. I can’t…can’t believe she’s gone. That I couldn’t save her.

  “Why’s everyone crying?” Kaylee’s sleepy voice asks.

  We stare down at her, gasping.

  “Kaylee!” We say and hug her so hard I bet she’s about to explode.

  “Why are you all hugging me?”

  Mom laughs as more tears shoot out of her eyes. She and Dad kiss my sister all over her face. She frowns and tries to get them off, but it’s a lost cause. Melissa, who seems to have regained her strength, hugs my sister and my parents.

  I smile to Maddie as I head over to her. “Hey.”

  Her smile is small. “Sorry for hurting you.”

  “Me, too.”

  Her eyebrows furrow. “Was I imagining it or did we get more powerful when we held hands?”

  “So you noticed it, too.”

  She nods. “Did you mean to do that?”

  “I don’t know. I just felt like I needed to do that.”

  “Well, it worked.”

  I face all the powered kids. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

  “What do you think will happen to them?”

  I hold out my hands helplessly. “Not sure. What about all those scientists and Hiram’s people? Are they still in the building?”

  “Yeah. I guess the cops or FBI will deal with it and give them what they deserve.”

  I wrap my arm around her and bring her close. She rests her head on my chest. “So it’s all over?” Maddie asks.

  Her mom steps toward us. “Yes, that was their main facility. They have others around, but none as powerful as that one. All their documents are inside the building and the authorities will take the right steps to find them and put an end to them.” She smiles a little. “It’s over.” She motions for us to move to the side. “I’m sorry for what I did. I thought I could talk to Hiram, but I was wrong. I’m really sorry I caused all of this.”

  Maddie hugs her mom. “You were just trying to protect me. How can I be mad at you?”

  Her mom still looks unsure, but she accepts more hugs from Maddie.

  Jack’s standing alone near a tree. He’s about a year or two younger than me. His mask is off and he looks a little lost and very guilty. I hold out my hand to him. “Thanks, man. We all wouldn’t be here if not for you.”

  His handshake is very stiff.

  “What made you change your mind, if I can ask?”

  He looks to where my family is still snuggling Kaylee. “I guess it was something you said. Also, I couldn’t stand hearing your sister yell like that. In so much pain. I couldn’t let Mr. Hiram get away with it. It was time to put an end to him.”

  “Thanks. It really means a lot.”

  He nods once.

  Kaylee leaps into my arms. “Where are we? Mommy and Daddy won’t tell me.”

  I’m so glad she doesn’t remember any of that. Now the cops will come and the organization will be done for good and we can live normal, happy, peaceful lives.

  “So?” Kaylee demands.

  I tap her nose. “We were playing a game. And now we’re going home.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  A few weeks have passed since we took down JQ. The FBI and many different government agencies arrested all those who worked there. They found many incriminating documents. Those people will be behind bars for probably the rest of their lives.

  Mr. Hiram was killed. His neck broke when I slammed him into the wall. He also had some burn marks, thanks to Maddie. She didn’t intend to kill him, she just wanted to hurt him. But he was already dead. I do feel bad, but I also don’t. He was going to kill my entire family and Maddie’s.

  The government has also taken custody of all the powered kids. Melissa and the government are working together on creating a special school and home for the kids. Melissa will be the principal of the school and will give each kid the love and attention they need. They’re also going to try to find homes for everyone, but right now, the hundreds of kids don’t want to be separated.

  We’re still not sure if there are any other “failed experiments” out there. Hopefully once they learn about the school, they’ll reveal themselves.

  I’ve asked Mom and Dad a few days ago to look into hiring a private investigator to try to locate Samantha Gilbert. I know they’re a little hurt that I’m reaching out to my birth mom, but they also must understand how important this it to me.

  The private investigator was able to find her. She lives in a small house in Brooklyn with her family. She doesn’t know I’m coming. I could have called, but it seems better to do this in person. I’m nervous she won’t want anything to do with me. I guess I’ll have to accept that. I just need to do this.

  When I find the right house, I take a few deep breathes and ring the bell. A little boy and girl around Kaylee’s age stand there with wide eyes. Is it weird to think they look like me? They have dark brown hair and brown eyes like me.

  “Yeah?” the boy says.

  “Who are you?” the girl asks.

  I clear my throat. “Is your mom Samantha Gilbert?”

  “No,” the girl says. “Our last name is O’Brien.”

  Right. The private investigator told me she got married. “I meant that, sorry.”

  The girl eyes me suspiciously. “Why are you shaking?”

  Words should come out of my mouth, but they don’t.

  “Danny, Kitty, who is it?” A woman holding a baby in her arms comes to the door. As soon as she sees me, her eyes widen. Does she know who I am? I was only a baby when she gave me away, but I look very similar to her—with the same color eyes and hair.

  “Hi.” I wave lamely. “I’m Nick. Your…uh…”

  “The Blue Masked Hero!” she says. The kids cheer.

  I smile politely at them. “No. I mean, yeah, but I’m also…” I scratch my head. This is harder than I thought it’d be.

  She stares at me for a few seconds, all confused. Then her eyes scan my face. Really scan me. It looks like a lightbulb goes off in her head. “You’re my…” The words seem to get stuck.

  I nod, my own words stuck.

  She widens the door. “C-come in.”

  She tells the kids to go to their room, then puts the baby down in her crib before sitting with me in the living room.

  “Would you like something to drink?” she offers.

  “No, thanks. Do you…know who I am?”

  She nods slowly. “You have my father’s nose. All the men in my family have that nose.”

  I’ve kinda always hated my pointy nose.

  “I was hoping this day would come,” she continues.

  I’m not sure if she was hoping in a good way or a bad way.

  She smiles as tears enter her eyes. “I just can’t believe you’re here. For years I searched for you. I couldn’t find that adoption agency or the woman who ran it. I feared I would never see you again.” She holds out her arms and I awkwardly move into them. “Tell me everything. About your life. Do you have a family?”

  I draw back. “Yeah, I do. They’re great.”

  Her smile is sad. “I’m sorry I gave you up. I was so young when I had you and didn’t have the means to support us. I’m really sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I’m glad we have the chance to get to know each other now.”

  Surprise enters her eyes. “You want to stay in touch with me?”

  “Of course. You’re my birth mother.”

  “Will your parents be okay with this?”

  “They are. Maybe we can all get together for dinner. I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”

  Her smi
le widens. “And I’d love for you to get to know your brother and sisters. I would introduce you, but they’re young and I need to explain it to them first.” She pulls me into her arms. “How did you find me?”

  “We hired a PI. Can I ask who my biological dad is?”

  She heads over to a shelf and plucks a photo album off. After flipping through the pages, she shows me a picture of a guy and girl at a school dance. “His name was Bert,” she tells me. “He was a special guy.”

  “Was?”

  She swallows. “He died in a car accident a few months before you were born.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She nods. “I’ll always miss him, but I’ve moved on and have a wonderful husband and family. And now that you’re here, I feel complete.” She squeezes me. “You have to tell me everything about your life. I need to make up for all the years I’ve lost. And you’re the Blue Masked Hero!”

  “Yeah.”

  She hugs me another time. “Tell me everything.”

  And we spend the rest of the day talking, laughing. This woman is my birth mother and will always hold a special place in my heart, but Mom is my mom.

  ***

  My parents and Samantha get along real well. We’re like this huge happy family. Kaylee’s got friends she can play with, and Dad and Samantha’s husband are both into stamps. At dinner last night, Mom didn’t stop telling Samantha all these stories of me growing up. It was very embarrassing, but in a good way. I’m glad we’re all getting along.

  Now I’m hovering outside Maddie’s window. I throw a rock at it. She opens her window. “Are you ever going to use the front door?”

  Laughing, I pull her close. “Probably not.” I hold out my hand. “I promised you a fly over New York City and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

  It’s dark out, so the city should be very beautiful tonight. Maddie places her hand in mine as I steer us toward Times Square. It’s even prettier than I imagined it would be.

  It’s great that we don’t have to be invisible anymore. We don’t have to hide. We can finally be at peace.

  “My phone’s been ringing like crazy,” Maddie says. “All these producers want to get me on TV.”

  “Same.”

  She turns to me. “Are you considering it?”

  I shrug. “Not sure yet. You?”

  “I don’t think so. I want my focus to be on helping people, not being a celebrity.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  Maddie rests her head on my shoulder. “I visited my dad again yesterday.”

  She’s been over at his house a few times. “How did it go?”

  “It’s getting better. Mom actually wants to come the next time I go. Of course they’re not going to get back together—she has Step Jerk—but at least they’re getting along.”

  I kiss her. “Can you imagine how different things were a few weeks ago? Did you ever dream things would be this perfect?”

  She shakes her head, kissing me back. I’m about to say something, but our watches beep.

  We look at them. “Snowstorm in Buffalo. Many families are trapped and need help,” Maddie says. “Ready, Blue Masked Hero?”

  I chuckle. “Sure am. You ready, Red Masked Heroine?”

  She flies a few feet ahead of me. “Don’t you know? I was born ready.”

  Read on for an excerpt from Secret Villain, Book 3 in the Blue Masked Hero Series, now available on Amazon!

  Chapter One

  Homework. Not the most important thing in the world when you’re a superhero. Yet here I sit, pounding my head against my desk because I can’t get this algebra done.

  Seems pointless. It’s not like I’m going to go to college, but I promised Mom I’d focus on school.

  Ten minutes pass and I’m still stuck on the same problem. Wish I could throw the stuff out, be done with school for good.

  “Boo!” a voice says from the window. Maddie. She’s floating outside my room. Since both of us can fly, we don’t bother using our front doors. Raising my hand, I use my telekinesis to open the window. Maddie flies in and peers at my math equations. She’s got this smile on her face, like she’s poking fun at me.

  “Let me guess,” I mutter. “You finished yours already.”

  She plops down on my bed. “I did, but it doesn’t matter.”

  Yeah, because she’s going to get into a good college and not only be this awesome superhero, but an awesome…whatever she wants to be. We’ve never really talked about it. I just figured she wanted any job so she wouldn’t be poor anymore.

  She gives me a look. “Not because of that.” Seriously, it’s almost like she can read my mind sometimes. “My mom’s taking me out of public school.”

  “What?”

  She shrugs. “She’ll be principal of the superhero school. So it makes sense that she’d want me to go there.”

  “Oh. That sucks. But we’ll still see each other every day. Nothing has to change.”

  She nods. “There’s more. You know the school will be in New Jersey. We’re moving. The school’s not only a school, but will be a home, too. Mom and I are going to live there.”

  I get up from my desk chair and lower myself next to her. “That’s not a big deal. It takes us seconds to get to Jersey from Brooklyn.”

  “I know. Things will still be weird. New school, new neighborhood. New life.” She’s about to say something, but the doorbell rings.

  My parents answer it. I hear their voices from downstairs, plus another one. Sounds familiar.

  “That’s my mom,” Maddie says.

  “Why’s she here?”

  “I was about to tell you before she rang—she wants you to go to the superhero school, too.”

  I should have expected that. Maddie and I have never fit in at our school. It’s a good school, though, and I wonder how my parents will take the news.

  “Things have been going south with Step Idiot,” Maddie says.

  “Really?”

  She can’t hide her smile. “Ever since he found out my mom was going to be principal, he hated the idea. Now he hates that we have to move.” Her smile widens. “They’re this close to splitting up.” If he wasn’t such a jerk, I’d feel bad for the guy.

  “Nick!” Mom calls. “Can you come down here, please?”

  Maddie follows me down the stairs and into the living room, where my parents and Melissa are sitting on the couch. When Mom takes in Maddie, she gives me a disappointed face. She doesn’t like me having Maddie in my room. I shrug sheepishly.

  “Maddie?” her mom says. “What are you doing here?”

  “Nick knows, Mom. I told him.”

  All three adults pin their eyes on me.

  “I didn’t tell him everything, though,” Maddie adds.

  What does she mean by that?

  Mom motions for me and Maddie to sit down. She squeezes in between her mom and my mom while I take the chair. “What’s going on?” I ask.

  Melissa starts, “I’m asking you to transfer to SPC because I need your and Maddie’s help.”

  “SPC?” I ask.

  “School for Powered Children.”

  I look at Maddie, then back to her mom. “Okay. What do you need our help with?”

  “To train the students. I can hire as many teachers as I need, but no one can train them to control their powers. To use them for good. These kids have been raised to hurt people. To kill. We need to channel that negative energy into good.”

  And she thinks I’ll be able to do that? Teach others? Train them?

  “Seems like a…a big task,” I blurt out.

  Melissa nods. “It is a big task, but I have no doubt that you and Maddie can handle it. It would be after school hours, so it wouldn’t take away from regular studies. I plan to have this school join the ranks of all the others—academically speaking.”

  I turn to Mom and Dad. “Are you guys okay with me switching schools? Wait a minute. Would I have to live there, too?”

  Melissa shakes her h
ead. “You can live at home. I just ask that you come on time.”

  I face my parents again, not sure what to make of the looks on their faces. On the one hand they—specifically Dad—seem very proud. On the other, they’re worried. Maybe being in a school filled with powered kids who know nothing but inflicting pain makes them nervous.

  “My husband and I need to discuss this,” Mom tells Melissa. “And we need to talk to Nick about it as well.”

  “Of course.” Melissa stands. “I just want to tell you that the kids look up to Nick and Maddie. They saved them from a terrible fate. They have no one in their lives, and I know Nick and Maddie can help them turn their lives around. We’ll have many therapists, too, but they’ll identify better with our kids.”

  Mom and Dad walk Maddie’s mom out. She and I remain in the living room. “Teachers, huh?” I say.

  She shrugs. “I don’t really see it that way. It’s more like helping the kids train. Kind of like I helped you and you helped me.”

  She’s got a point there, but it’s totally different. We’re talking about hundreds of kids. Kids who are filled with anger.

  She stands and sits on my lap. She gazes into my eyes. “We can do it.”

  She’s determined to help because she still feels guilty for killing those people when she was twelve—when she first got her powers. She feels like she needs to make up for it.

  She kisses my cheek. “I’ve never liked our school or the people in it, but it’s hard to start over. But think about Jack. How lost and unsure he was after he helped take JQ down. We can make a difference in their lives.”

  “You’re right. Of course you’re right. It just seems…” I rub the back of my neck. “What if we fail? What if they kill? We’d be responsible for that.”

  She frowns. “Why are you so sure we’d fail?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m just saying there’s a chance. There are so many of them, and they’re not that much younger than us.” I puff out some air. “But we can’t let our doubts and insecurities hold us back. These kids are depending on us. They’re powerful, but maybe we can help them change for the better.”

  She nods. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Mr. Hiram said we’re more powerful than them. What do you think he meant? Because those kids seem very powerful to me.”