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“Seth’s bisexual,” Nick said, because he’d bedamnedif he’d allow bi erasure, even in the face of all the ridiculousness.
“Yeah,” Bob said, patting him on the arm. “You’ll be all right. Gibby, Jazz—your parents know where you’re at?”
“They do,” Jazz said, already pulling Gibby down the stairs. “We called them on our way over. We’ll let them know if it’s going to take longer than we think.”
“Make sure you do,” Bob called after them, shaking his head. He looked at Nick. “You doing all right?”
No. Not at all.“I don’t know.”
Bob huffed, as if that was the answer he expected. “Can I give you some advice?”
“About how to not make Seth mad at me anymore? Yes, please.”
Bob chuckled. “He’ll come around. This has to do with you, Nick.”
Nick blinked. “What about me?”
“You serious about the whole being-an-Extraordinary thing?”
Nick raised his hands, wiggling his fingers. Nothing happened, but he didn’t expect it to. “I think so. I don’t know how to turn it on. Or off, when it gets going.”
Bob shrugged. “That’s how it was with Seth, at least at first. It took time for him to learn control. It takes patience and hard work. You’ll make mistakes, some bigger than others. If you’re able to forgive yourself, then you’ll be on the right path. Know your limitations, Nick. And never, ever use them against someone who doesn’t deserve it. I’ll help as best I can—as will Martha—but there’s someone more important than the two of us who needs to see and hear it from you.”
“Dad,” Nick said dully. “How can I trust him again?”
“Patience,” Bob said again. “And talking it through. If there’s two people who can do it, it’s the pair of you. You’re allowed to be furious. I’m a little pissed myself, and I can’t promise your dad and I won’t have words. But I don’t think for a minute that your dad was working for Simon Burke. He may have been allowing Burke to think so, but if Aaron told him who Pyro Storm really was, we would’ve known by now. Remember that, okay? It’ll all work out.”
Nick hoped so, but he couldn’t see how it was possible. Too many secrets, too many lies. Bob hugged him roughly before letting him go. Nick watched as he ambled toward the kitchen, where Martha was still having her say to Dad.
Taking a deep breath, he descended the stairs.
Jazz sat on the washing machine, Gibby leaning back between her legs. They both watched Seth as he attacked the punching bag, sweat dripping down his face in rivulets. He’d changed out of his Pyro Storm suit, wearing a pair of sweats and a white shirt, the back already soaked through. Seth didn’t look at Nick as he reached the bottom of the stairs, continuing to punch again and again, his fists a blur.
The room was muggy. Heat poured off Seth, though there was a distinct absence of fire.
He kept to the edges of the basement, working his way over to Gibby and Jazz. He nodded toward Seth. “He say anything?”
“Not yet,” Jazz said, snapping her gum. “Seems like he’s more interested in hitting than talking.”
Nick didn’t blame him. He also wanted to punch things, but figured it was better to keep that to himself. “Great. Super. Just what we need.” He leaned against the dryer. “How did you know to come here?”
“Got a news alert on my phone,” Gibby said. “Extraordinary activity.”
“Told her everything after you ditched me,” Jazz said primly.
Nick winced as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Yeah,sorry about that. I—” His phone was in one piece, somehow. The screen wasn’t even cracked. He panicked at the number of notifications he had: missed calls from Gibby and Dad, Dad, Dad, and Dad, followed by at least a dozen text messages from him, each sounding more frantic than the last, if the number of exclamation points indicated anything. Nick ignored them with a twinge of guilt, shoving his phone back in his pocket. “I had to get out of there.”
“What happened?” Gibby asked. “Jazz said you could …” She wiggled her fingers.
“Yeah,” Nick said, frowning. “Apparently I’m telekinetic. Who would have thought?” As quickly as he could, he filled them in on what he’d overheard, voice hardening. He’d gotten to the part about finding Pyro Storm in the alley with Miss Conduct when Seth stopped attacking the punching bag. He grabbed a towel hanging off the back of the chair and wiped his face. He didn’t look at them as he began to pace back and forth, towel trailing behind him.
“So, another Extraordinary,” Gibby said, clearing her throat. “Care to fill us in?”
Seth stopped moving and dropped the towel onto the ground. He rubbed his face with his hands, exhaling sharply. He gnawed his bottom lip—something he did when he was thinking hard. Finally, he said, “Look, I … know I should have told you all. But it wasn’t my place to tell. She found me a few weeks back. She saw what happened on the bridge with Owen. She sought me out because she didn’t want to be alone anymore. It took her a while to work up the courage, and then even longer to track me down.”
“Does she know who you are?” Jazz asked quietly.
Seth shook his head. “I don’t know her real name, or even her drag name. I’m sure I could find it, but I’m not going to. I have to respect her privacy, and I need you all to do the same.” His expression hardened. “But I don’t know how much longer that’s going to last after what happened. If the footage hasn’t made its way onto the news yet, it will soon. I’m sure Rebecca Firestone will get her hands on it.”
