AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mom and Dad exchange worried glances.
“Her parents had her locked up,” Dad says.
What?“Why?” I stand, ready to fly out of here and go get her.
“After she visited you a few weeks ago, she was inconsolable,” Mom says, sounding forlorn. “She finally broke down and told her parents she saw you. They still think you’re dead, so they didn’t believe her.”
Fuck.My rage starts percolating.
Dad chimes in, “Kyle said it was best to let her get help so she could move on from you.”
Percolate turns to rage. I’m about to lose control.Breathe. Breathe. Breathe…I’m going to hurt someone.
“I have to go.”How can they fucking lock her up?How could Kyle keep this shit from me?
Something inside snaps. This charade and hiding were meant to protect the people I care about, including River, but now it’s made her life even worse. It’s one more reason to move forward with my plan to deal with Morris.
“I’ll be back later,” I say.
“Where are you going?” Dad asks.
“I’m going to tell the world I’m still alive.” Anyone who wants a piece of me can come and get it. I’m not hiding anymore. “Then I’m going to find River. You two be careful, okay? And stick to the plan.” They need to send me a pic everywhere they go and make sure they keep their location apps active on their phones. This way, if anyone messes with them, I can be in there in a split second.
They nod, both knowing that I’m about to change everything for all of us.
“Are you sure about this, Huff?” Mom asks.
“I’m done sitting on the sidelines, and I want to be able to see you guys anytime I feel like it.” I’m realizing just how important family is to me now that I’ve been separated from them.
Dad claps me on the arm. “We would love that, Huff. You be careful, too.”
“So, Mr. Ultra Mega Love, are we hearing you correctly? You faked your death because you feared for your family’s lives?” The reporter, Luna Satori, shoves the microphone closer as we stand on the Malibu pier, tourists snapping photos. She doesn’t seem fazed that I’m back from the grave.
“Please just call me by my first name.”
“As you like, Ultra.” She leans in and whispers, “But I think your full name sounds better.”
Not what I meant.“Can we get on with this?” I whisper back. “I have a real-life villain to catch.” Not to mention I need to free River. I mean, hopefully this interview will do the trick because her parents’ll see she’s not crazy. Though, it’s not like I’m about to let her rot one second longer than she has to in the loony bin.
“So, Ultra, what made you decide to come out of hiding now?” Luna has inquisitive hazel eyes that drill right through you. She wears her light brown hair in a short bob that makes her look older than she probably is. I’m guessing she’s twenty-seven or eight?
“Two reasons, Luna: I need to speak with the chemist who helped create me. I’ve been studying my condition, and I’ve found a breakthrough,” I lie. “It might lead to a possible cure, and I need to know if it’s safe.”
That should bait him in.See, the fishing’s paid off.
“You think you’ve discovered how you were transformed?” she asks. “This is big!”
“Yes. But my second reason for speaking with you is that I have a message for the world.”
“Go on. We’re listening.”
I look directly into the camera. “If anyone, and I mean any government or their agents, if any group of people, for any reason whatsoever, come after me, my family, or any person I care about because they want to blackmail me, use me, make more like me, then they need to know I’ll come after them. And not just them, but everyone they cared about. Their families, their friends, and even their pets. Goldfish, hamsters, dogs, cats, little reptiles, or colorful birds—”
“I think we get the point,” she says.
“Oh, sorry.” I shake my head and return to my menacing demeanor. An act, of course. “I won’t rest until everything they love is destroyed. And while I am sure I can be taken out—eventually—they need to ask themselves how many of their loved ones and furry friends I’ll get to first.”
Luna steps back, fully extending her arm to hold the microphone to my mouth.
