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Maybe her idea of talking to that guy would have been beneficial in finding some of this new drug. But I am so sick of her ideas. I am the Hero here. Not her. I smile at the two teenage guys standing next to us. “This is crazy,” I say, biting my bottom lip with a look that pinpoints me as a normal American teenager with a slight wild side. “Have you seen these fights before?”
“Tons,” the guy closest to me says. His friend holds up his left arm which is covered from fingers to elbow in a bright red cast. “I can’t wait to try it again.”
My mouth falls open, impressed. “Oh my gosh, did you get that fighting?”
“Yeah, baby, I did,” he says with a wink. “I won it too.”
His friend rolls his eyes. “Whatever dude. It was a tie.”
“Man, no. I won two thousand bucks off that fight. I’ll be back out there too, as soon as my stupid arm heals.”
“I hope I’m here to see it,” I say, realizing a moment too late that my fake teenager-from-the-movies voice came out way too cheesy to be taken seriously. Nova steps around me. “Our brother really wants to start fighting. He just can’t find a good source…” She presses her fist against her arm, miming injecting herself. “...if you know what I mean.”
It takes a mountain of self-control for me to keep my power levels at bay. Even more so when the guy with the broken arm nods and says, “I got ya, sweetheart. We know just the guy.”
“Really?” Nova says with wide, flirtatious eyes. “We’d love to meet him.”
The first guy nods with a dreamy smile on his face as he’s probably, most definitely, fallen into Nova’s charming allure. “I can show you--” he begins, only to be kicked in the shin by his friend. “We’ll be just a second,” the friend says. We smile politely as they step away from the scene. They whisper to each other, but I hear every word.
“Dude. We can’t be bringing chicks to the harbor. We’re lucky they sell to us. They don’t even trust us that much.”
“But they’re hot.”
“They’re not that hot.”
“Maybe we could sell to them. Make a profit.”
“That’s a good idea. You still got that double?”
“Yep.”
The first guy calls out for us and motions for us to join them. “I’ll do the talking,” I whisper.
He leads us down the alley, just far enough away from society for a normal person to know better. I’m far from concerned about the distance. Nova looks a little unsure. That alone is satisfying enough for me to call this a good day.
Our new friend leans against a brick wall, motioning for us to get closer. He reaches his hand into his pocket and keeps it there. “I’ve got one shot of Strike. Hundred bucks and it’s yours. But you gotta buy it now.”
“Strike?”
He nods. “You can’t possibly want anything else. This is the good stuff. The fighting stuff.”
“A hundred bucks, huh?” I glance at Nova. “Do you have any cash?” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a handful of dollar bills, our change from a fast food purchase earlier. From the way she holds the cash in her fist, they won’t know it’s only a few dollars.
“Let me see it first,” I say. “I want to know I’m getting the real deal.” Everything about this situation sounds like a hokey drug deal on some silly television show. But they aren’t really drug dealers and we’re not really drug users, so I guess it is pretty hokey.
He sighs and pulls out his hand, showing me a metallic vial that I instantly recognize as Felix’s work. “Give him the money,” I say, nodding to Nova.
She drops the wadded up bills into his hand and I snatch the vial from his other hand quicker than he has time to notice. Nova’s power feels antsy. If he has time to count the money then we’ll have some explaining to do.
I clutch the vial to my chest and nod toward my sister. “Go!” We dash away, our legs carrying us through the darkest parts of New York City before the rookie drug dealers will have a chance to realize what happened.
We run full speed, exhilarated with our successful heist, until we’re safely on the other side of the KAPOW entrance.
My reflection stares back at me in the shiny surface of Bonnie Bloom’s mahogany desk. When I was summoned here by Hero alarm a few moments ago, I expected to see Crimson, Nyx and my brother again, brought here for an update on our missing Supers. So far I’m the only one in the room.
Bonnie’s floral perfume wafts over me. “Hello, Maci.” Her voice is like sunshine. I relax a bit. I can’t be in trouble if she greets me with a voice like a sweet kindergarten teacher.
“How can I assist you?” I ask when it’s obvious she’s not going to question my regular clothing in lieu of a Hero suit.
