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“Some island in the middle of nowhere. She’s always been pretty reclusive. Which is why I’m so worried I feel like my head is going to explode.” He presses his fingertips to his forehead and takes in a deep breath.
Chewy bites my fingers and I jerk my hand away. “When will she get here?”
He sinks into a barstool at his sewing desk and rests his chin in his hands. He stares at the wall. “Tomorrow.”
“I find out my results tomorrow too,” I say. Maybe in his saddened state he’ll slip up and let his expressions show me my fate. I sigh and plaster a really pathetic frown on my face. “Tomorrow will probably be the worst day of my life, huh?”
Before he can answer, the entire computer wall comes to life. News Reporter Tina Tallow appears on the screen along with the words breaking news scrolling across the bottom repeatedly in an endless marquee of bright red letters.
“The increase of villain activity near Central grew to a horrifying level this morning as Heroes have captured an unknown villain responsible for the murder and mutilation of Sara Sommer.”
Pepper turns to me with an open mouth. I return the gesture as we watch the broadcast.
Tina’s brows furrow in disgust as she reads the words on the teleprompter a second before she says them aloud. “Sara Sommer worked the night shift in maintenance and was found in a trash compactor with her fingertips sliced off. Heroes believe the villain who captured her was trying to use her identity to gain access into Central but his attempts were unsuccessful when security monitors analyzed that the fingerprints did not contain live power.”
“Oh my god,” Pepper says, his hand covering his mouth. He looks at his own fingers and protectively closes them into fists as he mutters those same three words repeatedly to himself.
On the screen, Tina continues. “Hero Nyx Nightly captured the villain after embarking on a six-mile chase through the canyon pathways that surround Central for human tourists. Retrievers secured the perimeter and ensured the safety of all humans who were around. Thankfully no one else was hurt. President Might will hold a memorial service for Sara in the Atrium starting at seven which is open to everyone who knew Sara and would like to pay their respects. In addition, all Heroes will be in attendance.”
The screen turns off. “All Heroes?” I ask in disbelief. “They never summon all Heroes together for anything. She must have meant most Heroes. I mean, some of them have to be on guard, ya know?” I look at Pepper for confirmation.
“This is a tragedy.” He pulls a purple handkerchief from the inside of his jacket pocket and dabs at his eyes.
“Did you know her?” I ask.
“No, but that doesn’t make it any less of a tragedy.”
“Why would a villain want to get inside Central?” I think aloud. After today, I know firsthand how much it sucks to be denied access into one area of Central. I can’t imagine why a villain who’s been cut off from every locked door would want to break in.
Pepper sucks in a deep breath and quickly exhales. “Six miles,” he says, throwing his arms into the
air. I straighten in my chair as he jumps off his and crosses the room in a flash, dropping the wet handkerchief in his wake. “Six. Miles.” The room thunders out an echo as he yells the words in his deep voice. “That is unacceptable.” Turning on his heel, he looks at me. Daggers of rage shoot from his eyes. The air around me sharpens as his power intensifies.
He points a finger at me. “You.”
For one paralyzing moment I fear he will accuse me of somehow being involved in this.
“You scored higher on Speed Aptitude than any Super has in a century. You could have prevented this.”
“I—what?” The examiners simply nodded and thanked me the day before my birthday when I performed a series of aptitude tests prior to my exam. I know I’m a faster runner than my brother is but I always figured that’s because I’m smaller and lighter. Am I really the fastest out of everyone?
Pepper paces with his head in his hands. “The attacks are happening more in the last two weeks. They are closer to home. An innocent Super died today.” He stops a few feet in front of me. “You should be Hero.” His hand grazes my cheek as I stand dumbfounded and unable to speak. “You should have been a Hero,” he whispers.
My heart stops. My throat fills with a ball of pure pain. I manage to force a few words out of my mouth. “What are you saying?”
Pepper’s hazel eyes fill with sorrow. “You need to leave now.”
I swallow, taking a step backward as my heart shatters into a million pieces. That’s it then. I’m not a Hero.
I have nothing left to live for.
Pepper’s hand closes over mine as I grab the door handle to leave. I can’t look at him, not like this. “What?” I say through clenched teeth while staring at my reflection in the door.
“Don’t just accept your fate,” he says. “The world needs you.”
“There’s nothing I can do.” I summon enough power to shove him away from me. He tumbles into a shelf of fabric swatches.
“Is that what they taught you in Hero school?” He says, straightening his ruffled suit as I wrench open the door and step into the corridor. “Or has someone forgotten Hero rule number three?”
