Cape High Christmas: A Side Story (Cape High Series) (26 page)

The Superior doll attacks us.

***

"They stripped you," Nico says to his dad, watching the television screen with amusement. It was supposed to be for the game system, and isn't even attached to either the net or cable, but no one says a thing about that.

"I noticed that," Superior says dryly. "She seems overly fond of the cape."

"I refuse to let my little sister wear a cape," Nico says, irritably.

"She is wearing one right now, Nicolas!" Tatiana says cheerfully. "I do not see you stopping her."

"And it looks like the distraction technique worked well," Century says with a little smile as the cameras switch to the fight between Ruckus and Doris. "Well done, Dollface. You caught on to their actual weakness first thing."

Dollface doesn't say anything, one, because she's still got a camera on her, and two, because fighting with a plastic doll, even with her Toy Box lineage and Specialized S-class ability, isn't something you can chat while doing. This is especially true when you're fighting with two extremely powerful supers.

"Has anyone actually shown what Ariel's powers are?" Nico asks.

"In character? No. This is her debut, remember?" Century says. "Hers and Doris's, and to be honest, this is Ruckus and Dollface's first main role debuts, as well."

"Really?" Nico asks, glancing over at Dollface. "That ability can't be a first gen thing. It's got to be--"

"She's from the Toy Box line. They specialize in toy related skills, shrinking, or manipulating, that sort of thing. Dollface has an extremely impressive ability called 'playing house', shrinking, containing, AND basic item manipulation. You wouldn't believe how much work it was to pry her out of my brother's hands."

"How did you?" Tatiana asks in her heavy Russian accent. "She is very much talented young woman. I would not be letting her go, either."

"Because I promised she'd be going up against Skystep," Century says. "If the two can pull this off today, we're going to make them famous. That's exactly what she wanted, so he reluctantly let her go."

Dollface jerks, acting as if she was just hit. "Ruckus?" she says. "You need to hurry. I can't hold both of them much longer!"

"Nobody told me the Jersey Devil kicks like a mule!" they hear Ruckus snarl over the speakers. "Throw another toy at them, it'll keep them busy for hours!"

"We're not here to keep them busy, we're here to stop them!" Dollface says, but holds out her hand to the side, aiming it at the toy rack to her left. One of the pony toys disappears from the box and appears on the screen.

***

"I'm coming, Doris!" I yell over my shoulder as I struggle with the plasti-Dad. This is SO cool! I dodge his grasping hand and grab one of the plastic swords off the nearest display. "Back, you plastic abomination!" I yell.

"I got it!" Ariel says, jumping on the toy from behind and wrapping her arms around his neck in a chokehold. "Why's this not working?" she asks after a second--before the head pops off. "Oops, sorry, not sorry," she says, holding the head away from the body. The body starts struggling, trying to get its head back. I'm almost laughing--when something headbutts my butt.

"Hey!" I say, turning and staring at the plastic pony that had just assaulted me. "That wasn't nice, pony!" I scold. The pony comes up past my waist and looks a lot bulkier than the cartoon makes it out to be. It paws the ground, and I get a BRILLIANT idea!

"I'm gonna ride it!" I say over my shoulder to Ariel, who's still fighting with the headless Superior doll.

"Um, okay?" she says, struggling dramatically.

"YEEHAW!" I say, jumping onto the pony's back. "Let's do this!"

"WILL ANYONE GIVE ME A HAND OVER HERE?" Doris shouts. "SHE'S REALLY STRONG!"

"Can't! I'm in the middle of a rodeo!" I yell back cheerfully, grabbing onto the mane and waving a hand in the air as it starts to buck. "Somebody time me!"

"SKYST--" she's cut off short and I turn to see what happened. The pony throws me and I slam into the Superior doll. We land in a puddle of water and I look down.

"Oops, sorry, Raindance," I say, floating up so she can pull herself together.

"Skystep," Ruckus says from the entry of the aisle. "You're going down, now."

"Who are you?" I ask, blankly.

"I am Ruckus! And I'm going to take you in once and for all!" she declares with a pose. "You can't go anywhere, my partner has you trapped. So it's your choice, do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"What did you do with my Jersey Devil?" I demand.

"She's out cold," Ruckus says, popping her knuckles and striking a fighting pose. I race right past her, falling to my knees next to Doris, who's back in human form and sprawled over the ground.

"Jersey! Jersey!" I say, pulling her head onto my lap. "If you're dead, can I have your TV?" I ask. She groans and I pat her cheek. "I'll take that as a yes," I say. "I will avenge you!" I declare, hopping to my feet and hearing a tiny thud from where her head hits the ground. "Oops, sorry," I add. "Good thing you're not awake, huh?"

Ruckus slams into me, tackling me into a display. She hits pretty hard, huh--"Oooh, shiny!" I say, looking at her hand. It's taken on a golden sheen. In fact, all of her has. "You're a skin changing type?" I ask.

She hits me again. "No wonder Jersey had trouble in a fist fight," I say. "Did she try her scream on you?" I ask.

She grins, evilly. "I always carry earplugs," she says before slamming--or trying to slam into me. Instead she goes straight through, hitting the wall instead of me.

"I shoulda thought of that!" I say. "She gets all sorts of screamy whenever I walk in on her in the bathroom, you know? But there are THREE of us and everyone always goes to the same bathroom since it's the best one! Her hair takes way too long to--" Ruckus punches me, sending me flying backwards.

"Stop hitting Skystep!" Ariel shouts, jumping on Ruckus's back and riding her like I had the pony. I look up as I hear stomping footsteps--just perfectly two seconds too late. There's the headless Superior doll riding on top of the pony.

"SO awesome," I say, right before the two of them slam into me, sending me flying back and into the wall of the toy store. The world seems to go "POP!" and all of a sudden my little team is lying on the floor of the real toy store, staring blankly at Dollface, who looks at me in shock before bringing up her fists.

"Raindance! We're leaving!" I say, grabbing Doris and slinging her over my shoulder. "But this isn't the last you've seen of us!" I add, pointing at Dollface and then at Ruckus. "Next time we're going to rob a haunted hotel, got it?"

"She just HAD to add that, didn't she?" I hear Nico say silently.

***

We drop down on our couch later that evening to see what the news says about us. To my surprise, though, the first thing they show is a reporter standing with a Native American. "Do you find it offensive that she's calling herself Raindance?" the reporter asks.

"We can't just assume that she's not one of ours," the man says.

"She's awfully pale to be Native American," the reporter says.

"Yes, but I've seen the video--she turned into water, right? Her coloring might be part of her powers. We aren't going to say one way or another until we know more about this 'Raindance' girl. My daughter's a big fan of Skystep, you know? But we don't approve of cultural--" I mute the TV.

"Girls!" I yell. "We're going to go visit the natives!"

Doris sticks her head out of the bathroom, sopping wet from a shower. "What for?"

"To get Ariel adopted!" I say. "That way she can keep her name!"

"But I don't KNOW if I'm Native American," Ariel says, stepping out of the pool room. "I don't have any clue where I came from. The first thing I remember is being stuck in a cell by the government."

"Then you already have something in common with them!" I say cheerfully. "You both were screwed over by the government. Besides, you're WATER. Everyone's ninety percent water, right? That's as good as a blood tie!"

"So how are we going to even talk to them?" Doris asks.

"Easy! We're going gambling!"

The two look at me as if I'm crazy. Then, after a long moment, Doris sighs. "Let me finish my shower, first."

"Think they'll have those frufru drinks there?" Ariel asks.

"I'm betting on it!"

And as a special bonus from my cover artist, fellow author, and very good friend Cheyanne Young, an entire chapter from her trilogy, City of Legends!

--------

The City of Legends Series

By Cheyanne Young

Maci Knight has grown up in the shadow of legends. Her father and her brother, Max, are Heroes, worshipped by humans and Supers alike for their strength and valor. All she’s ever wanted is to follow in their footsteps, to fight villains and protect humankind. But Maci has a secret—one that could change everything. 
Maci had a twin sister who died the same day they were born. In their world, one twin is always good, while the other always eventually turns evil. There’s no way to tell which twin will go rogue . . . which means no one knows if Maci will suddenly become a villain. 
The closer she gets to her eighteenth birthday, the more she has feelings she can’t control: Violence. Rage. Revenge. Maci wants to be a Hero. But she may not have a choice . . . 
The first in a trilogy, City of Legends introduces a new superhero mythology and an unstoppable heroine.

CITY OF LEGENDS

EXCERPT FROM BOOK 1

CHAPTER 1

The sun beats down on the zebra print walkway, sending scorching waves of heat through my body. If not for my white training suit and its heat wicking capabilities, the metallic power that courses through my veins might have already burnt me to a crisp. Texas summers are a bitch. I much prefer my breezy underground home in Central, the Super city built beneath the Grand Canyon.

A lion roars and a toucan squawks through the speaker hidden in the fake rock next to me. It’s a little redundant because real life animal sounds can be heard even outside the gates of the Lone Star Zoo.

Hero Crimson Barlow stops next to a sculpture of a giraffe made with rusted strips of metal twisted and warped into something resembling the massive animal. Her blood red Hero uniform—a form-fitting body suit like mine but fifty times more badass because it’s made with Hero technology—shimmers in the sunlight. White strips of fabric start at her shoulders and dip down to her waist, the lines in the suit accentuating her already perfect curves. She throws a wave of white blonde hair over her shoulder and checks the Codex on the underside of her wrist.

As slim as a sheet of glass and curved to fit her wrist, the Codex is every Hero’s most important tool. It’s smarter than a smartphone and exclusive to only those Supers with Hero status. The rest of the Super people are stuck with boring mods, which are hardly any more advanced than a human’s cell phone.

Watching my best friend pull up her Hero mission on the Codex screen makes my wrist burn with the desire to have my own Codex, my own Hero status, my own missions.

Soon
, I tell myself as Crimson motions for me to get closer, giving me a peek at the details of her top-secret mission. I’ve wanted my own Codex for nearly eighteen years and come tomorrow, I’ll finally have it.

I’ll finally be a Hero.

“Here’s our suspect villain,” she says, tapping the screen. A holographic projection appears in the air, displaying a three-dimensional photo of a man from the shoulders up. Tanned skin, brown shaggy hair, and piercing blue eyes. At the bottom of the holograph are the words
Oliver Toca: Suspected endangered animal thief.

My best friend shakes her head slowly and her ruby red lips poke out in a pout. “Oh, Oliver, how could you turn villain like this? Gorgeous eyes . . . bitter, hateful heart.” She tisks. “It’s a sad combination.”

“Why is he stealing endangered animals?” I ask. I’ll be privy to information like this once I’m an official Hero. For now, I’m merely a Hero-in-training and Crimson’s shadow for the day.

She shrugs. “Beats me. But it’s our job to stop him. Today he’s going after the Largetooth Sawfish, one of the last of its kind.” She nods toward the entrance of the zoo, where the ticket booth now has a queue of humans waiting to get inside. “Let’s head to the aquarium.”

We bypass the ticket lines and I try not to let my ego overshadow our mission when a little girl in a princess dress pulls a drool-covered finger out of her mouth and points at us. “Mommy! Heroes!”

The humans in line all turn, bending around one another to get a look at the Legends of King City as we stride through the middle of the two lines. Crimson walks in front of me, shoulders back and head held high. I do the same. No point in telling them there’s only one official Hero in their midst. We’ll both be Heroes in less than twenty-four hours, so there’s no shame in me playing the part.

Because of our power, many Supers feel that we are better than humans. But we get along with them even if we don’t fully understand their unusual ways. We treat them as equals, at least as much as we can.

The aquatic life center is near the front of the zoo, set off to the side in an older looking building with walls covered in vines. Crimson and I split, each scoping out one side of the building to look for anything suspect. I hold my battered mod in my hand, ready to dial Crimson at the first sign of trouble. I am trained and ready to fight, but only she has the Codex and the ability to call for a Retriever once we subdue the villain.

Our perimeter check turns up nothing but a forgotten takeout box. I meet up with her at the back of the building and we walk together toward the entrance. My nose wrinkles. “Humans don’t normally smell this bad,” I say.