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“You can start dribbling,” Bird said slowly. “Or you can stand there staring at the ball.”
I didn’t need to be invited twice. I took off running (that’s right—running!). I dribbled like a b-ball king, and to my surprise, the ball bounced lightly.
The crowd roared.
Hondo was within range, so I tossed him the ball. He ran like a wild man, one, two, three steps. Just when I thought he was going to pass it back to me, he threw it up into the air like it was on fire.
The crowd laughed.
Brooks was there in a flash, and as the ball came down, she knocked it to me. I took control of the ball. My legs pounded the court, closer and closer to that basket. Hondo was screaming, “It’s going to kill you, Zane! Let it go!”
I blocked out his voice and with each step I thought Storm Runner, Storm Runner, Storm Runner. With a quick pass to Brooks, I positioned myself ahead of her. All the time I was wondering why the twins weren’t coming after us.
Brooks raced with the ball, dribbling lightly before rocketing it to me. But she put a little too much spin on it and I had to dive onto my belly to catch it. I had so much adrenaline going I didn’t even feel the pain. I rolled to my feet, jumped onto the trampoline, and launched myself into the air. I was flying toward the basket. Up, up, up. Then slam! The ball swished through the net.
I was king of the court! Maybe Bird and Jordan weren’t so clutchy after all.
But as I came down, the net erupted in flames. Whoa! There was a burst of heat as the fire reached for me. It was like it grew arms and fingers. But the weirdest part? When I landed (okay, crashed and rolled), I wasn’t singed, even though the flames had licked my face and hands.
The spectators went crazy. Most were on their feet, screaming or chanting “Zero, Zero, Zero.”
That was too easy. The twins let me score, I thought. I scanned the audience, masked behind the twins’ magic. Hearing zero chanted over and over by a gazillion people didn’t exactly boost one’s confidence. It was another intimidation tactic.
A voice behind me said, “That was a gimme.” I spun to find Jordan smirking. “To show you what good hosts we can be. Give the crowd a little hope for the underdog. Everyone loves an underdog.”
“You poi
soned my uncle,” I said, storming toward him.
“I only passed him the plate,” Jordan said innocently.
Brooks stepped between us. “Not now, Zane,” she whispered. “Not here.”
Bird looked at me, raised a single brow, and said, “Strange.”
“What… what’s strange?” I asked.
“You aren’t burned.”
“It’s ’cause he’s fast,” Hondo said. “Faster than fire.”
But that wasn’t it. I wasn’t faster than the fire. My mind went to work quickly, remembering what Hurakan had said. He was the god of storms… and something about powerful elements… and fire’s an element. So did that mean…?
“I see,” Bird said flatly, like he knew my secret.
Hondo inched back. His face and neck were beginning to swell, stretching his gray skin so tight he looked like a puffer fish.
Brooks looped her arm in his and mumbled a few words to him. Then she looked back to the twins and said, “I call sudden death.”
I didn’t know what that was, but it sounded like a terrible idea. I grabbed her arm. “What’re you doing?”
Hondo stepped between Bird and Brooks. “No way, Capitán!” He wobbled.
Jordan gave a knowing glance to his twin as Bird said, “You would call sudden death for these… these losers?”
Brooks tugged the braids out of her hair and clenched her jaw. “Whoever scores next takes it all.” She narrowed her eyes, looking fiercer than when she was a hawk, and I nearly shrank back from her glare.
Bird and Jordan shuffled their feet, appearing for the first time like they were out of their comfort zone. They went courtside, to come up with their strategy no doubt, and Brooks spun to face me.
