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She shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe a dozen. I killed one of them tonight, so hopefully his mission is caput.”
“You killed someone?” Max’s voice is so loud, I’m sure the whole freaking world would have heard him if not for the soundproof walls. “Maci, does she know this isn’t okay?”
“I know murder is wrong,” she says. “But he was a villain and he killed that woman and the half breed. And he would have killed us too if he’d had a chance. I saved Maci from him. Plus I put an end to his mission.”
Max’s chest heaves out of mass hysteria and disbelief, not from anger. So I guess that’s a good thing. Evan yanks the hair tie off his wrist and pulls his hair back. “Did she say half breed?”
“What was his mission?” Max asks as the gears in his mind turn on overdrive. He paces the living room floor. “Does Aurora still have missions in place even after her death?”
Yes. I don’t exactly hear her say it. I don’t feel it either. I just know it. Nova gnaws on her bottom lip and shakes her head in this way that isn’t a committal yes or no answer. Max tries so hard to stay calm; it’s kind of a miracle that the floor doesn’t burst into flames around him. Nova shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“You’re going to have to explain more,” Max says. “Now.”
“Aurora wanted war. That man I killed was one of her top allies. He didn’t come with us when she stormed into Central last week because he was too important to lose. He was supposed to carry on the war if she failed. But he’s gone now, and I don’t think anyone else can do anything, even if they were privy to the mission.”
“What do you know about this war? She said she wanted my dad dead to avenge the death of her sons. That doesn’t sound like war, that sounds like revenge.”
She nods, bobbing her head a little too nervously. “Mhm. She didn’t want to take over or anything. She just wanted revenge. President Might killed all those babies who were born as twins. Others got depowered or experimented on. So most of her allies are the parents of those kids.” She glances at me. “The twins.”
Max stops pacing and runs his hands through his blond hair. “How do we know her camp isn’t still planning to attack us?”
“Because I’m gone,” she says.
“Huh?” Max and I say in unison.
“What else can anyone do to that would hurt President Might? I was their biggest weapon.”
“See?” I interject. “Nova knows a lot of things that will help the Hero Brigade. She only killed to protect us and because she didn’t know that Heroes don’t kill. She’s an ally now.”
“Is that right?” Max asks her.
Nova shrugs. “I don’t think Maci has given me a choice.”
“Yeah okay, that’s reassuring,” my brother snaps, turning his glare on me. I close my eyes, cover my hands over my face. Try to take a deep breath. This isn’t going at all like it was supposed to. If Max isn’t on my side then Nova might as well be dead.
I hate the nagging feeling in my chest that keeps telling me she can be trusted. There is no circumstantial evidence to support that; nothing except for my crazed rantings that she’s my sister and she should be given a chance. But despite how crazy all of this is, and even after all the years of training I’ve had, I know Nova can be trusted. There isn’t any proof or reason that will convince anyone else, at least not yet. But I’m convinced. And that’s really all I care about.
My brother’s BEEPR emits that all-familiar sound of a new Hero mission. He doesn’t even check his wrist for a few seconds, instead choosing to continue glaring at me as if he’ll be able to magically see into my soul or something. He slips into his room and comes back dressed in full Hero attire. “Get some sleep,” he says, his attention focused on the wall MOD by the front door. “We’ll talk about this later.”
I grab his arm. “You’re not going to tell anyone that I have Nova, are you?”
“It would be against Hero ethics to hide information of this magnitude.”
Red fills my vision. “Max!” It is an insult and a pleading cry at the same time. “Max, you can’t tell anyone. Please. I swear I’ll make this right. You can’t say anything.”
“I won’t.” He palms the door and looks both ways before stepping outside. “She’s my sister, too.”
The morning sun shines into my bedroom, lighting up the glass wall like some kind of crappy Instagram filtered photograph of the Grand Canyon. My sister must be the world’s lightest sleeper because it doesn’t even feel like she’s still in my bed.
Okay, she’s not in my bed.
Laughter filters in through the kitchen and I’m on my feet a second later, tugging on a pair of longer shorts. I creep down the hall toward the kitchen, wanting to eavesdrop as long as I can. Nova and Evan have their backs to me, taking turns pouring pancake mix into a pan on the stove. Evan’s dressed in Max’s basketball shorts and a shirt. Nova wears the same leggings and tank top from last night. They’re both outsiders making themselves at home. In my home.
“Okay, I guess that was a nice try,” Evan says. He takes the cup of batter out of her hand and sets it on the counter. “I mean, it isn’t round or anything, but it might be edible if we don’t burn it.”
“Shut up,” Nova says in a lighthearted way that could be considered flirting, but I know she’s not flirting with my boyfriend. “I’ve never cooked anything before.”
“And it shows. It definitely shows.” Evan’s smirk is the kind of facial expression that can make a girl fall in love with him or make the girl who already cares about him punch him in the face.
