The Distort Arc: Cape High Books 1-4 (Cape High Series Omnibus) (10 page)

“It’s been drawn up for years--all the plans, all the blueprints.  I found it when I was in elementary, actually.  I got all excited about it, but it never happened.”

“Um... I think I know where it’s being built,” Sunny volunteers.

“Yeah?  Where?” Max asks.

“In Death Canyon.”

“But according to Hall law, your old man should still own that property,” Max says.  “Does he know they’re using his old ground--“

“He’s gone to work on it today.  He wasn’t even going to drive us to school this morning, then all of a sudden he changed his mind,” I say.  “He’s so confusing.  He’ll say one thing then do the exact opposite the next moment.”

“Well you can’t expect him to be completely stable,” Max says.  “There’s a theory that the stronger a cape is the stranger they are.”

“Or maybe he thinks they’re vulnerable,” Trent volunteers, finishing off his bottle of apple juice.

“What?” Max asks.

“You’ve only started showing signs, right?” he says to Sunny.  Sunny nods.  “Well in the first month or so when I started that, my dad was seriously paranoid.  I’m not sure why, but he told me it was because I was... you know, vulnerable.  He’s still pretty picky, but it’s not nearly as bad now.  I mean, he used to pick me up from school and stuff every day."

“How are we more vulnerable now?” I demand.

“Because you can be found,” Max says.  “Crap, I should have thought of that.  People will start noticing the differences, word can get out, and...”  He goes silent, looking at me with a worried expression.

“And what?” I demand.

“Well... your old man isn’t the most popular of guys,” he says simply.  "Heroes get a lot of dirty enemies, sure, but villains--well, they piss off the norms as much as they do other heroes.  Actually..." he looks around, making double sure no one's listening, "I think your dad's right.  You should stop coming."

But--but he's the reason I was so insistent on coming today in the first place, I think blankly.  Now he's telling me not to come?  He's so obsessed with calling me his girlfriend, he's so intent on following me around that he comes to this stupid school even though he's already got his GED--and now he's telling me not to come?!

"You are such a jerk, Max!" I bellow, getting to my feet.  I storm away--stop, go back just to grab his fries--and then storm away properly.

"What did I say?" Max asks blankly behind me.

I storm through the door and down the hall, intent on getting away from him.  I was right, I think darkly, he's just playing with me.  He's--

"So you dumped him already?"

I jerk to a halt, turning with my hands in fists at my sides (smashing the fries, darn it.  I was going to eat those!)  Jack steps forward, his hands buried in the pockets of his hoodie. 

"What do you want, Jack?" I ask.

"You broke up with that short guy, right?" he says.  "Maaaan you go through them fast," he goes on before I can reply.  "What was it, two days and you've already dumped him?  Well I can't say I blame you."

"It's none of your business, Jack," I say, wondering why I feel cornered.  We're in the hall, there's any number of doors I can go through or even the exit.  Plus, who's the super here?

"Is it because he's like you that you even tried?" Jack asks.  "Put a guy in tights and all of a sudden he's number one on your 'will date' list?"

"Jack, seriously, I don't get where you're coming from," I say, trying to walk past him.  His hand shoots out, grabbing my arm.

"Where I'm coming from is the fact that I've loved you for two years, yet the moment that midget shows up you jump into his arms!" he snarls.  "What's up with that?  What does he have that I don't have, Zoe?  What's so special about him--is it his powers?  I can get those!"

"Wh--Jack, you've never loved me," I say, jerking my arm out of his hold.  "You've never even been nice to me.  How is that love?"

He looks... hurt, I realize.  I almost want to take it back, but at the same time--

"Fine," he says.  "You're just after someone that says what you want to hear, huh?  That's not love, either."  Then he storms away, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and slamming through the exit at the end of the hall.  I stand there, wondering what just happened.  Where does he get off declaring that he loves me?  He's done nothing but torment me since the day I moved into the foster home.  He's a bully and a jerk and--

Why do I feel like I did something really, really bad just now?  And what was that about getting powers?

I head for my locker, dropping my forehead against the cold steel and letting out a sigh.  What is with boys?  For years I never even have a guy look at me twice, now two of them were declaring that they like me--or want me as their girlfriend--or--actually I'm not even sure what Jack wants out of me, all I'm sure of is... I don't really want to hurt Jack.  I don't want to hurt Max, either.  I don't even know what I want to do.  No, that's a lie.  I want to learn how to use my powers--I want to be able to play on a computer again without it blowing up on me.  I want to run.

One of those things I can do right now.

I look back towards the cafeteria, wondering if I should tell Sunny, then shake my head.  I'll just run for a little bit, then come back.  Yeah.  With that decision made I head for the door at a quick walk, speeding up to a jog, then, as soon as I'm out the door, kicking it up to a full run.  I don't even know where I'm going, I just head out, feet pounding on the concrete, the world flashing past.

***

Jack scowls, watching a blur rush past him.  He's got a good idea who it is--and he doesn't want anything to do with her right now.  It's bad enough that he said something so stupid just now.  "I can't believe I--" he mutters, running a hand over his face.  Zoe hates him.  He's known it since the very first day when she walked into the foster home, looking so freaking awesome, gorgeous, even--and stared straight at him with a look that said he wasn't worth her time, and never would be.  He had seen that look every single day since.

What in the heck was he thinking?  Telling her he loved her?  Trying to compete with a super?  Not just any super--his own freaking idol, Maximum.  Like he hadn't figured out who the guy was within a couple of minutes.  It makes him feel sick to his stomach, actually, the idea that he used to secretly keep newspaper clippings and stuff from Maximum's jobs--

He should give up.  Walk away, never look back, forget he ever met or fell for Zoe Rosenthorn.  She's just bad news all around.  But... he can see her face so clearly now, those big green eyes, that perfect nose, her lips--his mind fogs over even as he tries to imagine not liking her anymore.  You can't turn it off, he thinks.  He would have turned it off a long time ago, if that was the case.

He stops, digging out his wallet and flipping through all the odd pieces of paper he's been given over the years.  Most of his years in homes were spent on the streets, learning things he probably shouldn't have, meeting people he definitely didn't need to know.  But once in a while a real creepy person would come along.  They'd try to scout him--not for the usual stuff, not even to sell drugs, but--

One sticks out in his mind.  He's kept the card for over a year now, still picturing the woman's face in his mind to this day.  She'd been tall, skinny, and wearing a business suit and heels so high he'd been amazed she could walk.  She stuck out in the grimy streets like a three foot long sword in in a dumpster.  So what had made her creepy?  She looked like the type that would fit in perfectly on Wall Street, except for her eyes.  They glowed.

"Hello, boy," she had said at the time, heading straight for him.  He'd been sitting on the street corner, smoking a cigarette and playing a guitar he'd borrowed from a friend.  "You look exactly like what I want."

"I'm not for sale," Jack had said, dismissing her.

"Oh, but this is something special," she said, pulling a card out of her bra and handing it over.  "I think you have promise."  Instinctively Jack had taken the card placed on his leg, looking at it blankly for a moment--and when he glanced up again, she was gone.

Now he stares at the card, wondering if the lady is still even around--and if this is a scam.

Black Hole Industries

Where we make you like us

11456 Death Row

Ask for Starborn

He tilts the card, watching as the words disappear.  It's a neat little trick.  So is the fact that only a few people would know where Death Row even is.  The name on the street sign says something different.  It's only in certain circles that you find out that its called that.  He knows Death Row.  He practically grew up on Death Row.

But how a lady like that knew Death Row, he still wonders.  Probably because she was like Zoe is--just older, right?  No ordinary person has glowing eyes, he decides as he heads for the gas station next to the highway to get a ride from a friend.  Soon he's downtown in the middle of the day, heading down the street for Death Row with the card held tightly in one hand.

The building he comes to looks abandoned.  There's boards in the windows and broken glass on the ground.  He looks up at the two story building, wondering once again if the lady is still even there, then steps forward, knocking twice.  When no one answers he tries the knob.

The door swings open.

"I was wondering when you would come, boy."

I find myself lost.  I'm not even sure I'm still in the same state, honestly.  There's desert all around, which isn't nearly as nerve-wracking as the fact that I suddenly feel completely and totally alone.  I look around, trying to see what direction I came from.  "Good going, Zoe," I mutter, hugging myself even though its hot out here.  Where are the deserts in America?  There's one next to Las Vegas, right?  And there's desert... um... in New Mexico, right?  So sue me, I never paid much attention in geography.  That is definitely going to change when... if I get back.

I can run, I think.  If I find civilization I'll be able to ask someone where I am.  Can't you just see it, though?  "Hi, my name's Zoe--can you tell me what state I'm in?"  Yeah, no, that's not going to happen.  I'd wind up on a lost child news report or something, then--oh, it gets worse--my Dad would have to pick me up.  Maybe I could buy a map somewhere.

You know, you don't really get these kind of problems when you're a normal teen.  Normal teens don't go for a run and wind up in a different state--with no clue which one it is.  I sigh and start walking, kicking a stone and watching it fly over the horizon like a football over the goal.  Maybe if I could fly I could go high enough to get an idea of where I'm at.

I start running and jump into the air, hoping that it'll get me into the sky--and promptly fall flat on my face.  I shove myself to my feet, run a few more steps--jump--and promptly fall again.  Ouch.

"You okay?" a familiar voice asks from above.  Familiar, but not exactly right, I find myself thinking as I look up.  The sun is behind him, but I can tell the body shape--

"D--Dad?" I say.  Again I said that word, but--

"I'm your dad?" the voice asks as the floating man drops down on the ground.  He moves like Technico, I notice--but his hair is the exact opposite.  Where it should be black, I notice a bit numbly, it's white.  Where it should be white, it's black.  "I didn't know that," the man says.  "Hi."  As soon as his feet hit the ground, I can feel the world warp around me.

The sky, once blue, now looks red.  The sun, once yellow, is black as night, and the tan desert that spreads out under my feet is white as bone.  A pressure is surrounding me, twisting at my nerves.  All of a sudden I feel a bit sick to my stomach--and want nothing more than to run away as fast as I can.  It seems worse, though, because he looks so much like that man who made me pancakes this morning.

"Um... you're not my dad," I say, taking a step back.  "You just... ah... remind me of him?"

"Your dad can fly?" he asks.  There's something almost childlike to his tone.  It's a bit hard for my mind to take in.

"Um, yeah.  My dad's a super," I admit, since it's pretty obvious by this point.  He grins, revealing a perfect set of teeth and dimples.

"That's nice."

"Um... can you help me?" I ask.  "I need to know which way is Kansas City."

"You come from Kansas?" he asks.

"Yeah... sort of."  Not really.  I'm from Missouri, but I'd rather not tell this guy my address.  There's something really off-putting about an anti-Dad, or whatever this guy is.

"Then you need to go Northeast," he says, pointing behind me.  "And straight forward.  You'll find it soon!"

"Oh, okay, um, thanks," I say as I take a step back.  Then another.  When he makes no move to follow me I turn and race away.  It's almost a mile before the world's color reverts back to normal.  It's all the way to Missouri before I lose a bit of the urge to throw up.

I race right past the school and straight to Death Canyon where a building is going up in the center.  There's other men there, most likely heroes or lackeys or--honestly right now I don't even care.  I head straight for the one I want to see most, still going full speed as I slam into his arms, wrapping my own around his waist and, ah, well, crashing us both into a wall of concrete.  Whoops.

"What the hell, Zoe?" he demands, even as his arms wrap around me.  The world isn't twisting, I think, holding on tightly.  The world is still the right color.  I can hear his heartbeat again, that easy, solid beat that's a bit faster than it was this morning.  "What happened?  Did someone attack you?" he asks, tugging me up so he can see me.

We're being stared at.  In fact a few people are cursing about the wall I've just busted up, while others are laughing for the same reason.  I ignore it all.  "Why didn't you tell me you had a twin?" I demand, now angry because the world is solid and I know where I stand again. 

"I don't," he says.

"You--you don't?" I ask.  Then I sit up, flushing as I realize I'm still on top of him.  Our relationship is definitely not at the stage where tackle hugs are acceptable, okay?  I get up, then shiver, hugging myself as I remember what just happened.

"What happened?" he demands as he gets to his feet.  "Did someone hurt you?"  He doesn't know me, I remind myself, but it looks like he's about to go to war for me by the way he's stripping off his work gloves.

"No--they didn't hurt me," I say, grabbing his arm.  "Just--it just really freaked me out," I admit quietly.  "The world... it warped.  It's like the sky changed color--everything changed colors, and he was just there, smiling and offering directions--"

"Who?"

"You," I say.  "But not you.  He looked just like you, but different--I don't know, okay?  He didn't do anything bad..."  He hadn't, I realize.  He hadn't done anything bad to me at all.  He'd even helped me.  I just don't know how to deal with...

Him.

"I'm... really confused right now, kiddo," Dad finally admits.  "It was me, but not me, the world changed and he smiled?"

"Yeah.  I'm confused too," I admit.

"So... this is your daughter?" a man asks.  I turn, seeing a man in a T-shirt that says MEGA across the front.  The ridiculousness of a super hero wearing his own name on a T-shirt escapes me until I figure out who he is.  At least, I think he's Mega.  He sure looks like a hero.  He's tall, got broad shoulders, a square jaw--typical hero build.

"Yeah.  Zoe, this is Ken," Dad says, looking at the shirt as well.  "Seriously, Ken, Mega?"

"What?  I got it for a buck at a consignment shop," he says.  He looks sort of familiar, I think.  Blonde hair, blue eyes--

"What if Mega actually sees you wearing it?  His ego's big enough already," Dad says, dragging me closer.  "Zoe, this is America's Son--not Mega."

"I thought America's Son was the guy that would arrest you," I say in a whisper.

"Sure I would," Ken says.  "I'm here to catch him if he makes a mistake."

"Turns out that his day job is--"

"Construction work?" I offer.

"A preacher," Dad says, completely straight faced.  "He's out to convert me."

"I am," Ken says cheerfully.  "And if it means breaking a bit of sweat along the way, it's fine.  It's nice to meet you, Zoe."  He holds out one huge hand and I look at him blankly for a moment before taking it.

"Are you seriously a super hero preacher?" I ask after a second.

"Yeah," he says.  "I think you know my son, actually."

"No way--Trent's a preacher's kid?" I ask, now realizing why he looks so familiar.  They look almost as much alike as Dad and Sunny!

"Don't remind him," Ken says.  "He's gotten into a bit of trouble by that before.  But aren't you supposed to be in school right now?"

... I am, aren't I?  Er...

"It's fine," Dad says.  "I tried to talk her into skipping today, anyway."

"You did, did you?" Ken says dryly.

"She and her brother just came into their abilities," Dad says, not looking ashamed in the least.  "So what happen?  Go into the computer room after all?"

"No," I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest and turning away.  "I just didn't want to be there anymore.  So I took a run."

"And that's where you ran into the guy that looked like me?" Dad asks, moving closer.  He's starting to loom, I think as he blocks out the sun a bit.  I... am definitely not going to get used to that sensation.  It's still pushy even if I'm related to the guy.  So I give him a stubborn look and cross my arms over my chest.  "You doubting me?" I ask.

Dad looks at me blankly, then glances over at Ken, who is determinedly not paying attention--and clearly listening to everything really, really closely.

"I'm not doubting you, but where were you when you ran into him?" Dad asks.

"Oh... um... that way," I say, flushing brightly and pointing.  "About, um... thirty minutes away at top speed?" I offer.  "It looked like a desert," I add helpfully.

"Your daughter ran across half the country in thirty minutes?" Ken asks, totally ruining his attempt to not pay attention.

"Did Max say something?" Dad asks.  "Call Double M, I'm going to kill his boy--"

"Dad!  You can't kill him!" I protest.  "He's just a jerk--"

"So he did say something!"

"He told me that we shouldn't go back to school tomorrow!  I only wanted to go back because of him--and here he's telling me not to--"  I start pacing, then kick one of the fallen pieces of concrete, sending it flying a ways.  "I'm giving up on boys!" I declare boldly.

They ah... don't look very impressed, do they?

"Well... kiddo, he's got a point," Dad says finally.  "We'll have the new school up in a week or so--"

"So you're dating Double M's kid?" Ken asks.

"Yeah, she's got it bad," Dad explains.

"I do not!" I protest.  "He's a jerk who--who is way too arrogant and thinks he's always right--and he's wrong!"  But it isn't just Max that's the problem, now is it?  "Dad--how can a norm get powers?" I ask, turning on him.

"What?"

"If a guy says he can get super powers, is he lying?  Or can it be done?" I demand.

"Max's already got powers."

"Not Max!  Someone else.  Can it really happen?"

"Well... there's a theory among the villain group," Dad says slowly, sitting down on a metal beam, "that abilities are a gene--like eye color, hair color, that sort of thing.  In some people it's not even in their genetic makeup.  In others, it's possible, that it's a recessive gene." 

He glances at America's Son, as if wondering if he should go on in front of a hero type.  "There's certain sciences... that people were working on back when I was in the field--not me, of course, I'm strictly machines--but they were attempting to make the recessive gene dominant.  I haven't looked into how far they've gotten with altering genetics since I've gotten out."

"It's gotten further," Ken says quietly.  "I've ran into one or two failed attempts, actually.  It's... disturbing."

"But can it work?" I ask, picturing horrible things happening to Jack and feeling sick to my stomach again.

"Possibly?" Ken says.  "The last one I ran into was almost normal in appearance."

I frown, not knowing what to do.  "Who said it?" Dad asks, making me look over at him.  "Who said something about getting powers?"

"Jack," I say.  "Jack said he could get powers."

"Why?"

"Because--because--I don't get him!" I pronounce, throwing my hands up in the air.  "He claims he loves me, but he's nothing but a jerk to me, and I really, really can't stand him!  He's a bully and he smokes and he's always mean to me--and everyone else!  It'd serve him right if he got messed up--"

"Then forget about it," Dad says.  "Let him do what he wants."

"What if it kills him?" I ask.  "I didn't think it was possible, I mean--you're either born with them or some huge explosion happens or you get bit by some special animal--I didn't think you could actually go in for an appointment and come out a super!"

"Most likely he won't," Dad says.  "I doubt he'll actually do it.  Why don't we get your brother out of school.  Maybe Jack's back there."

"Yeah... yeah, okay."

"Before you go," Ken says, making me glance over.  "Thank you."

"For what?" I ask.

"It's the first time in a while that Trent's come home from school without breaking something afterwards," he says seriously.  I don't know how to respond to that, so I shrug--then yelp as Dad picks me up with one arm and takes to the sky.  It's the first time I've ever flown.  No, seriously, I've never been in an airplane--and this is definitely a lot less between me and the ground, I think as we head out of the canyon and through the sky. 

"Look," he says, as if carrying me in a princess hold is perfectly normal.  "This kid--he's going to make his own decisions, and no matter what he told you, everything he's decided so far is nobody's fault but his own--well, other than the whole orphan thing.  That's not his fault.  But that doesn't give him the free pass to run off and do something stupid, understand?"

I nod, still torn between looking down and not looking down.  There's something utterly amazing about flying like this.  I'm not nearly as scared of falling as I thought I'd be.

"I know," I say.  "But... I don't like him," I say honestly.  "And that makes me feel even more guilty."

"Because he likes you?" he asks.  "It happens," he says as he lands among the trees outside the school.  He puts me down on my feet.  "Back to school, now."