AllFreeNovel
Share Us
TK turned his head toward the sky, light glinting off his helmet. “Your father sounds like a wise man.”
“He is,” Nick agreed. “Even though he kept things from me, and even though I’m so mad at him I can barely think straight, he’s still my dad. We all make mistakes. Some bigger than others, and while it might not seem forgivable, I’m all he has left. If I don’t watch out for him, no one will.”
TK turned back, looking at Nick once more. “He’s very lucky to have someone like you.”
Nick looked down at the ground, shuffling his feet. “I think so too.”
TK nodded, glancing at Pyro Storm. “Talk. Now. I don’t like being out in the open. Why did you call us?”
“We need to work together,” Seth said. “It may be our only chance to get through this. Burke knows about Miss Conduct. Not who she is in her real life, but that she exists. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of it gets out. And we need to be ready for that.”
“The bounty isn’t onus,” TK snapped. “Burke’s gunning for you.”
“But that doesn’t mean he won’t try and get as many of us as possible,” Seth countered.
TK scoffed in derision. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle Burke. If he tries to come for me, it’ll be the last thing he does.”
“Whoa,” Nick breathed. “That wasdark. High five!” TK was apparently not in the mood to high five, so Nick dropped his hand awkwardly. “Or not, which is cool too.”
“TK’s right,” Miss Conduct said, looking down the alley. Nick followed her gaze. Out on the street, people passed them by without looking at them. “We can handle Burke if it comes down to it. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to deal with a man who didn’t understand whatnomeans, and he won’t be the last. But I’m worried about the two of you. A million-dollar bounty?” She shook her head, curls bouncing. “That kind of money makes people stupid.”
“We know,” Pyro Storm muttered. He filled Miss Conduct and TK in on what had happened on the way to the alley, all the people chasing after them.
“You need to watch out for each other,” Miss Conduct said. “If we’re lucky, maybe this will all blow over.”
“I doubt it,” Pyro Storm said grimly. “Burke has his sights set on us, and now that he knows what Nick can do, we have to—”
Nick didn’t even see TK move. One moment, he was standing next to Pyro Storm, and the next, he had Nick by the hoodie, pulling him down so he had to hunch over until he was face-to-face with TK. “What the hell are you doing?” Nick gasped, struggling to break free. TK’s helmet was inches from Nick’s face, and he could see himself reflected off the opaque plastic.
“He told you he knows?” TK demanded. “What did he say?”
Nick slapped at TK’s hands to no avail. “Let me go!”
“Release him,” Pyro Storm said, taking a step toward them.
TK jostled Nick, causing his head to snap back and forth. “Tell me!”
“He’s known longer than I have! He’s the one who told me that his company manufactures Concentra, the pills I took for ADHD that were also apparently suppressing my powers for years,” Nick said in a strangled voice as TK lifted him even higher. “He knew about my mom—she could do what we do. I guess her telekinesis passed on to me, and my parents decided it was too dangerous. They tried to suppress it, and Burke helped them.” TK shoved him back and began to pace, ignoring Nick glaring at him. “Not cool, dude. You already broke my phone. You don’t have to break me too. Not that I’m fragile or anything,” he added quickly, needing TK to see how awesome he was, in case the Extraordinary might change his mind and allow Nick to be his protégé.
“He’s getting too confident,” TK said. “He’s not trying to do things in secret, not anymore. And he managed to get the mayor in his pocket. And don’t get me started on the police. They’re probably just as involved.”
“Do you know him?” Pyro Storm asked, head tilted to the side. “Because you’re talking like you do.”
“Whatever Burke’s planning, you can bet it’s only getting started,” TK said. “If you’re telling us to lie low, then youbothneed to do the same. If he knows about Nick, then it’s only a matter of time before he figures out the rest.” He shook his head angrily. “Don’t underestimate Simon Burke.”
“We’ve handled him so far,” Nick retorted. “I know you think we’re just kids, but we’ve already done more than most. We survived Shadow Star. We survived Smoke and Ice. We can deal with someone like Burke.”
“This isn’t one of your fics,” TK growled at him. “This is real life. People could get hurt. You coulddie. And someone isn’t always going to be there to catch you when you fall.”
Nick stared at him, thinking hard. “What do you mean,catchme?”
“Nick can handle himself,” Pyro Storm said. “And even if he couldn’t, he has me to back him up. He’s not alone in this. He never will be. I’ll make sure of it.”
“You can’t always be there. No one can,” TK said, folding his arms across his chest. “And what happens if they get to you first, and Nick’s the only thing between you and death? Are you really going to tell me that you’d put your life in his hands? He doesn’t even know how to use his powers.”
“Being a hero isn’t about powers,” Pyro Storm said, reaching out and taking Nick’s hand in his own. “Nick is braver than anyone else I know, and it’s not because he’s telekinetic. He was already that way. So, yes. If I’m taken out, and Nick is the only thing that stands between me and death, then I know I’ll be okay because he’s relentless. All of our friends are. If we don’t trust each other and work together, then what the hell are we fighting for?”
“You’re children.”
